"A Strange Bond"

Note: Alpha and Tooth Fairy take a brief stroll through the Fairy Town, but cut it short for various reasons. Their day isn't completely ruined, though, and there's food and some (clumsy) flirting when they get back.

You'd think I would be churning out chapter after chapter with this whole quarantine thing going on, but the opposite seems to be true! I was getting more done when I had more to do, if that makes any sense. XD Hope you enjoy!

"Chapter 38: Prejudice and Pizza"

May 11th

Tooth Fairy opened his bedroom window to assess the weather after showering and getting dressed for the day. A gentle spring breeze caressed his face and did its best to mess up his hair, but his hair cream held things in place nicely. His face was already sensitive and smooth from his usual close shave, and the soft wind felt cool and refreshing as it blew the light scent of his aftershave behind him. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. The wind carried with it the smells he knew so well; freshly cut grass, dandelions, and the strong but pleasant scent of hydrangeas from a distant neighbor's garden.

April had been chilly, and they had gotten a lot of rain. It was mainly for that reason that he and Alpha hadn't gone on many dates outdoors up until recently, and he supposed that being confined indoors for so long had had a negative effect on his mood. Now that he thought about it, he always seemed to get a little blue when there were long stretches of rainy days, so maybe it made sense. He would have to ask Neil about it...

Tooth Fairy honestly wasn't sure if his therapy sessions with Neil were responsible for his improved mental state, or if it was because he was finally able to get out with Alpha for some much-needed Vitamin D. And when it came right down to it, he didn't care. He was just glad that the crisis had passed.

He heard the low buzzing of a bee as it went about its business in the yellow, white, and purple wildflowers that dotted his back yard, and the songbirds were in rare form as they called for mates and warned off their rivals.

What a beautiful day! Alpha should see this. Maybe we'll run into Connor, and I can introduce them.

Tooth Fairy still had yet to reconnect with Connor, and he was reluctant to contact Siobhán at all. It wasn't lost on him that Siobhán was a dark-eyed brunette beauty, and so was Alpha. Would Alpha feel threatened when she eventually saw her? There was no reason for that, really; he was head over heels for Alpha, and his feelings for Siobhán had cooled centuries ago. Or maybe 'doused with ice water' would be more accurate. Embarrassment and humiliation were hideously powerful things.

He went into his kitchen and peeled a banana for a light breakfast, and he leaned against his counter and chewed as he called Alpha.

"Hey, luv. I was just thinkin' about ye!"

He swallowed his mouthful and smiled. "Oh yeah? I thought I felt my ears burning. What's up?"

"Isn't that my line?"

"Oh, sorry. Please, go on."

Alpha laughed softly, which caused his heart to flutter in his chest and his wings to answer them. "What's up, Roy?"

"Hm? Oh! I was just wondering if you wanted to come by, and we could go for a walk through my town. The weather's gorgeous." He almost added 'like you', but decided it would be too corny. "It'd be a pity if you missed it."

The line was silent for a few seconds before she answered him. "Aye, I'd like that, if you're sure it'd be all right."

He shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be? Most of them voted 'yes', and I think the mayor likes ya. My feelings for him notwithstanding."

"All right, let's do it."

"Great! See you here at three?"

"Absolutely. Love ye!"

"Love ya too."

He should have known better.

Two Fairy women, distant neighbors of the Tooth Fairy, were taking advantage of the fine weather to dry their laundry on the line. There was no fence for them to gossip over, but they still managed the gossiping part just fine.

"Lanie still hasn't had her baby yet?" Margot shook her head. "Poor girl. I saw her last week, and she was out to here."

Alice nodded. "She's lucky, though. She won't have to go through a second summer pregnant. And Connor's been an absolute gem. My husband reports that he's been by the restaurant every night for the last several months to get take-out for her. Lately, she's been craving curry."

"Ooh. The kid probably kicks up a storm after that." She shook out a sky-blue blouse and reached into her apron pocket for some clothespins. "I wonder if the baby will have its father's wings...poor thing."

"Well, Lanie's happy, so I guess that's the important thing. He made out good, though." Alice stooped to find the mate to a sock she was holding (they hid, of course), and when she straightened up again she promptly dropped them and gasped. "Margot, look who's out...and look who's with him!"

Margot pushed the clothesline down a few inches with a forefinger to peek over the top of it, then jogged over to Alice so that they could whisper. "Do you think the rumors are true? About the coin?"

Alice snuck another look, and while the Werewolf and the Tooth Fairy weren't holding hands, their prolonged eye contact and the way each smiled at what the other had to say gave them away. They still gave off a 'couples' vibe, and the Fairy women ducked back behind the bedsheet. "Maybe. If it's true, I'm a little surprised they'd be this brazen! You'd think they'd have the decency not to court in public!"

"Well...he is a man. A very lonely man." Margot gave her eyebrows a significant lift, and Alice swatted her arm. "Do you think they're...you know...that they couldn't wait for the 'wedding bells'?"

"Don't be crude. I'm sure they're not..."

"She just nudged him, and he blushed! Look!"

Alice looked, just in time to see him nudge her back and whisper something that caused her to laugh. Then Alice paled when they looked in her direction and waved. They know we're talking about them!

Alice and Margot forced polite smiles and waved back, and Margot called out, "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Sure is!" Tooth Fairy called back. "I don't think you've met Alpha yet, have you?"

"No, we haven't." Alice agreed, her smile growing strained. Please, don't bring her over here...

"Would you like to come over and say hello? She won't bite." Tooth Fairy quipped, then immediately wished he'd phrased it differently.

All three women laughed a bit uneasily, and Alpha added, "It's a beautiful place. It must be a sight to see in the autumn when the leaves turn. Under a harvest moon."

"It is," Margot agreed, picking up her half-full basket. "Well, it was nice to meet you. Goodbye!" And with that, she disappeared into her home.

Alice shot her friend a dirty look that said 'traitor', picked up her own basket, and fled without a word or a backwards glance.

Tooth Fairy internally cringed.

Alpha raised an eyebrow and looked at him. "Somethin' I said?"

"No...you were fine." Tooth Fairy nearly took her hand, but stopped himself. "It was probably me with the bite comment. Sorry, I didn't think that one through."

"Or it might have been me with the 'harvest moon' comment..." Alpha sighed, and they resumed their walk.

Tooth Fairy shook his head as they walked the narrow footpath. "You shouldn't have to censor yourself like that. Besides, the harvest moon is a sight to see here. Especially from the top of your own tree house, if you happen to live in one."

"Aye. I've seen many a harvest moon over the years, but I've never really been able to just sit there and take it all in."

"You and me both," Tooth Fairy smiled sadly. "I see the night sky all the time, but it'd be nice to be able to sit and stargaze once in a while. Once, when I was a kid, I remember lying out on the grass during one of the big meteor showers. I don't remember which one it was...might have been the Leonids. Anyway, it was spectacular. No light pollution like now, and there were so many of 'em, all streaking across the sky at the same time. I couldn't believe it."

"Wow, that's rare!"

"Uh-huh. Heh...I remember, Pumpkin curled up on my chest, and...wow, I forgot all about this. Her head was tucked up under my chin, so I was watching the meteor shower from between a cat's ears!" He sighed, a little bit wistful. "I'll never be able to do that again. I've seen plenty of meteor showers since then, some of them every bit as good as that first one, but I can't stop to watch because of my job."

"Mm-hmm...Ye got a raw deal in that regard, to be sure. To travel all over the world, though...To see the sights you've seen. The view must be something most of us can only dream about. You're probably used to it by now."

"Heh...I guess I am at that." Tooth Fairy conceded the point, then lowered his voice. "So, what exactly were those two saying about us?"

Alpha tucked her hands in her pockets and said casually, "Wondering if we do or if we don't."

"Do or don't what?"

Alpha gave him a 'look' and raised an eyebrow, and he got it.

"Ohhh." Tooth Fairy shook his head in disgust. "Why would they be so curious? Robert asked me something like that a while ago, but...that's just Robert, right?"

She snickered. "Speculating about who's doing what with whom is a common pastime among nosy parkers. Like Jack and Cupid, for example. Oh! That reminds me! We owe them a prank!"

Tooth Fairy rubbed his chin, hardly noticing that he was beginning to get a five o'clock shadow two hours early. "I'd suggest pretending to break up, but I don't think I could make it believable."

"Ah, ye need motivation. I'll just steal your dental floss." Alpha winked to show she was only joking.

"Nah. We'll do something else. I don't wanna pretend to do something that would kill me if it was real..."

"Well, you brought it up. Hmm...what to do, what to do..." She nudged him.

Tooth Fairy gave his wings a single flick. "Hey, Alpha?"

"Aye?"

"Are ya still mad at 'em? 'Cause I cooled off a while ago."

Alpha stooped to pick up a chunk of mica, brushing the dirt from its crevices. "No...I'm not mad. Pearl's always telling me I'm impulsive. I guess she was right."

"No, you're...spontaneous." He smiled. "And I still like the idea of playing a joke on those two. Just...maybe not out of revenge."

"Do tell?"

"Next time you have a meeting at The Hollow, I have some ideas," Tooth Fairy's smile turned mischievous. "But you'll have to wait and see."

"Ohhh, no you don't. Ye can't just leave me with that!"

"I just did."

"All right, then, I won't tell ye my ideas."

"Okay."

"Oh!" Alpha folded her arms, but a moment later they were both laughing at their own absurdity.

They were still laughing when they were approached by a group of Fairy children; two girls and three boys. One of the boys, a tallish lad with bright green wings, seemed to have been chosen as their leader. One of the other boys nudged him from behind and whispered, "Go on...ask her."

Alpha clasped her hands behind her back and gave what she hoped was a non-threatening smile. "Ask me what?"

"Uhhh..." The boy glanced at his friends, who clearly didn't intend to be of any help. He nervously licked his lips and looked back up at Alpha. "Does it hurt when you 'wolf out'?"

"When I transform, ye mean?" She cocked her head, and they nodded. "Aye, it used to. Then Mother Nature gave me some magic when I joined the Legendary Council, and it doesn't hurt anymore." This wasn't strictly true; it had been Brinna's magic that had done that, and she only had Tooth Fairy's word to go on that it had been out of his sister's gratitude. But the kids didn't need to know that.

The boy fluttered his wings excitedly. "Cool! Can you transform without a full moon?"

"Yes," Alpha shrugged. "Why d'ye ask?"

One of the girls piped up. "Can you transform now?"

I should have seen that coming. "Oh...No, I don't think that's a good idea. I don't want to frighten anybody."

"We're not scared!" The girl put her fists on her hips and buzzed her wings. "We can just fly away, but you can't fly at all."

"Haha! Aye, ye're right about that. And maybe someday I'll transform for ye, but not today."

The boy with the green wings snorted and turned away. "This is boring. Come on, you guys."

The group fluttered away, and the smallest girl turned in mid-air and waved. "Bye, Mrs. Werewolf Lady! Bye, Mr. Tooth Fairy!"

Alpha and Tooth Fairy chuckled at that and waved back.

"Kids..." Tooth Fairy shook his head, then jumped when a middle-aged Fairy woman flew straight at them and got in Alpha's face without actually landing.

"You."

Alpha reared her head back to avoid getting poked in the eye by a long-nailed finger while the woman hovered horizontally in front of her. If Alpha had known what 'planking' was, that was the word that would have come to mind. As it was, she was startled into near speechlessness. "Oh! W-what-"

"The mayor says you can come and go as you please, but you keep your tainted self away from our children! Do you hear me?"

Alpha could smell the woman's sour breath, and she stoically ignored the tiny flecks of spittle that sprinkled her; a physical manifestation of the verbal venom being spat at her. "Ah'm no' deif, missus..."

Tooth Fairy got over his shock and got between them, using his body to force the woman back, but keeping his arms straight at his sides. "That's enough, Eleanor."

The woman fluttered backwards, her hand flying to her chest as if clutching an imaginary string of pearls. "How dare you put your hands on me!"

"I never even touched you, and the kids approached us." Tooth Fairy said curtly.

Eleanor's finger found a new target, and she poked him in the chest. "Now, you listen to me, sir! You might have a job that entitles you to certain privileges, but you need to watch how you speak to me! My husband is on the Fairy Council, and-"

"Tell him I'll be happy to discuss the matter with him. We're just out for a walk, and the kids were curious. They've never seen a Werewolf before, and Alpha probably didn't want to be rude and ignore them. Is that right, Alpha?" He asked her without taking his eyes of Eleanor.

Alpha put a hand on Tooth Fairy's arm, signaling to him without saying so that she didn't want things to escalate any further. "Aye...And I apologize for the misunderstandin'. I'll keep my distance from the children, Ma'am. Ye have my word on it."

Eleanor eyed Alpha's hand on Tooth Fairy's arm for the brief moment it was there, and curled her lip. She turned and left without another word, and Tooth Fairy hung his head in shame.

"I'm so sorry, Alpha..." he whispered.

Alpha raised an eyebrow. "Were you the one who was rude to me?"

"No...but..."

"Butts are what ye sit on, luv. I'm fine. Really."

Tooth Fairy smiled, but didn't hug or kiss her, or even reach for her hand; he could feel pairs and pairs of eyes trained squarely on them, and he now understood what a frog under glass must feel like. He could only imagine what was going through Alpha's head! "Well...Hey, how about we drop by Alfonso's Pizza and get a slice?"

"All right, sounds good." Alpha tucked her hands into her pockets again and walked at his side. She heard someone nearby whisper, 'Girly-Wings got himself a little puppy-dog', and there was a soft, tittering laugh in response. She was glad that he didn't have her sensitive ears. She put on a cheerful expression, but her appetite was quite gone.

Tooth Fairy couldn't believe his ears when Alfonso, the restaurant's owner, refused to let the bespectacled girl at the register serve them. He shook his head, trying to keep from looking as hurt as he felt. "I don't understand."

"We don't serve outsiders. Or their friends," Alfonso adjusted his paper diner hat and folded his arms above his considerable beer belly. "I will not have her here, and you are barred from this restaurant for as long as you choose to associate with her."

"Are you kidding me?" Tooth Fairy thought back on all the food he had ordered from this place, not because it was especially good, but because he was frequently tired after work and it was convenient. About a third of the time he ordered from there, they got something wrong with his order, but he knew better than to anger the people who handled his food. Still, he had been a loyal customer, and Alpha hadn't done a darn thing!

"No, I'm serious. I voted 'no', and I won't have her in here."

Alpha lightly tugged on Tooth Fairy's arm when she saw his hands begin to glow. "C'mon, let's just go. I'm not all that hungry anyway."

"Neither am I," Tooth Fairy pulled his arm out of Alpha's grasp and pressed his palms on the counter as he leaned forward to speak in a low voice. "You want us to leave? Okay. We'll go. But this town would be exposed now if it wasn't for her. I would've been dead, and this place would be crawling with humans! I honestly thought you were better than this. I guess I was wrong."

"I want. You. To leave." Alfonso ground out through clenched teeth.

"We're going. But I think you should know something first."

"And what's that?"

Tooth Fairy leaned closer, "Your calzones are greasy enough to de-rust the Tin Man, I can tell that you use canned mushrooms instead of fresh ones, and there's way too much garlic in your pizza sauce." He took a pack of sugar-free breath mints out of his vest pocket and shook it a bit so that its contents rattled. "Have one." He plunked it down on the counter as Alfonso spluttered angrily. "Let's go, Alpha."

"Get out!" Alfonso roared after them, but they were already on their way out the door.

They were silent on their journey back to his house, neither of them quite knowing what to say for a while. As Tooth Fairy's home came into view, Alpha finally said, "I think I see what ye were gettin' at. About Fairies and 'outsiders'."

"And this is them on a good day..." Tooth Fairy wished he could have a 'do-over' for the day. Most of the Fairies they had seen hadn't bothered them at all, but the few that had shown themselves to be unapologetic bigots left him with a bad taste in his mouth. "And I was right about you being more able to take it than I am to see it...You handled it a heck of a lot better than I did. Gods...Sometimes I'm ashamed to be a Fairy..."

Alpha looked at him seriously. "Don't ever say tha'."

"Why not? It's true. You've never heard of 'guilt by association'?"

"Ye can't define your own worth by the actions of your people. From what I saw, the ones who acted that way were a vocal minority. And if what I heard from the mayor is true, they have every reason to want me to stay away."

"That doesn't make it right!" Tooth Fairy realized he had begun to raise his voice when a few curious neighbors glanced in their direction. He cleared his throat and murmured, "They're treating you like you're some kinda monster, and you're not."

"Actually, I am." Alpha dug her hands into her pockets for what seemed the fiftieth time that day. "Werewolves deserve their reputation. We're just people, and people don't always do good. I try to, but...you remember what I told you? About the man who attacked me on the road?"

Tooth Fairy didn't like to think about that day. It was the day they'd first confessed their love for each other, which should have been a happy occasion, but it was also the day that Alpha had revealed her past to him, and when she had been forced to relive the loss of her family. It was embarrassing to remember it, because her breakdown that day was nothing compared to his own, and she had so much more to fall apart about! At least, he thought so. She had lost her children. He had only lost a sibling. In any case, when that man had attacked her on the road, was she supposed to just stand there and take it? "That was self-defense, Alpha. You were justified."

She bit her lip, not wanting to have a private conversation in public, given how closely they were being watched. "I'll answer tha' when we get inside. Or maybe we should part ways here, and I'll use a Ring to get in that way?"

Tooth Fairy shook his head and slipped his hand into hers. "Let 'em see. I don't care anymore. If they're that determined to be nosy, they'll be paying attention anyway, and they'll sense your magic."

"All right." Alpha gripped his hand, hoping that this wouldn't cause problems for him somewhere down the line.

They continued on in silence, and Tooth Fairy opened the door and held it open for her before following her inside. "What weren't you saying before? Something about 'answering later'?"

"Aye...about the man." Alpha sat down on his couch, and he joined her. "I was in human form, and when I finally fought back...It was hardly a fair fight, to be honest. I was stronger than he was. I could have just knocked him out and fled, but...I got angry. I...I wanted to get back to my family, and I wanted to teach him a lesson, make sure he never thought of doing something like that again. Even though it was an accident, I hit him too hard. I really have to watch my temper, Roy. I could easily hurt someone without meaning to. But just think of what a Werewolf without a conscience could do."

Tooth Fairy remembered how easily she had been able to restrain him when he was hitting his counter, and he shuddered. But this was Alpha. He knew her. "Who wouldn't be angry? And what you found when you got home...if he was with them, he was a part of that."

"Are ye working up to 'he deserved it'?" Alpha looked him in the eye, and he closed his mouth. She smiled sadly and shook her head. "Don't make excuses for me. What I did was wrong. It was monstrous. So, I am a monster."

"You said it was an accident. Was that a lie? Did you kill him on purpose?" Tooth Fairy already knew the answer.

"No...but I still killed him. And for a long time, I was glad I killed him. I was angry at everything and everyone." Alpha ran a hand through her wild hair. "Anyway...I haven't seen another Werewolf since before I went to live in The Hollow, but a couple of them were some really nasty characters."

He could see the lingering guilt in her eyes, and he didn't know what to say to make it disappear. He listened as she went on.

"So...between that and ergot, our reputation is well earned."

"Ergot? You mean that stuff that sometimes grows on rye?"

"Aye," she nodded, "It affects us the same way it affects humans. Some say it's similar to LSD, but I can't make that comparison. Among other things, it can cause hallucinations and aggressive behavior. Times being what they were, most people didn't know any better, or had to eat what they were able to get, so some of that ended up in the bread we ate. I never hallucinated, but I got really sick a couple times, and Alexander got extremely paranoid. And one day, he thought the crows were demons, come to kill us. Can ye imagine a Werewolf, transformed, under the influence of that stuff?"

"Uh-uh. Not sure I want to."

"I only saw it happen once...but witnessing a 'rabid' Werewolf is a bit like sittin' through 'The Godfather III'. Once is more than enough. I have to say, crow doesn't taste half bad when it's cooked and ye haven't eaten in a while. Not much meat, though..."

He nodded, sitting back and putting his arm around her. "It sounds like you're trying to convince me that you deserve to be treated the way they treated you."

"No..." Alpha snuggled in close, draping an arm over his tummy. "Just sayin' I understand it. There's xenophobia, and then there's fear of a real potential threat. They don't know me. They just know what I am. I'm just sorry I got you banned from the pizza place."

At that, Tooth Fairy snorted. "If you're not welcome there, I wouldn't eat another crumb if they begged me. We can make our own pizza."

"I'd like to see that, you tossin' the pizza dough." She giggled.

"What, you think I can't do it?"

"I didn't say that."

"It was implied."

"Was not."

"Was too."

She gleefully took his hand and made as if to bite it.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He yanked his hand out of her grip, laughing incredulously. "Didn't I just get done telling those two out there that you don't bite?"

Alpha grinned and kissed his cheek. "Can I help it if ye look good enough to eat?"

She's trying to distract me. She doesn't want me to feel bad about today. "Were you really gonna bite me?"

"Not unless ye want me to." She winked.

He blushed and slid away from her, removing his arm, but still grinning. "Don't do that. I'm trying to behave myself, and you don't make it easy."

"All right," Alpha shrugged, taking off her shoes and sitting cross-legged. Once again, he doesn't know I gave him the green light...but I guess now isn't the time. "So...what do you want to do?"

"I dunno..." He looked at the dark TV, but they had been doing an awful lot of TV watching. And she'd never gotten her pizza. Wait...pizza! "Oh! Yes, I do. Why don't we make pizza? I have all the stuff, and there's plenty of time."

"Sounds like a plan!"

"Not bad, you jar your own tomato sauce!" Alpha smiled when Tooth Fairy came up from the basement with a small pint jar in his hand.

"Nah...I wish I had that kinda time and energy!" Tooth Fairy unscrewed the lid and took a bottle opener from a drawer to break the seal. They had made quite a mess with the flour, and he had a flour handprint on his cheek, but he had almost forgotten about how horrible his people had been to her. "No, one of my neighbors has a huge garden every year, and he does a lot of canning in the summer. This right here's his famous tomato sauce with basil! Well...it's not famous, but it's really good."

"It smells good. Um...luv, go look at yourself in a mirror." She put a hand over her mouth to hide a smile.

"Hm?" He set down the opened jar and went upstairs.

Alpha chortled when she heard a loud 'Ha!' from upstairs, and she saw that the flour handprint was gone when he came back.

"Just for that..." Tooth Fairy dipped his finger in the sauce and went to smear some on her cheek, but she grabbed his wrist and shook her head no. He tried to reverse the motion, but she held fast. "What?"

Alpha was this close to bringing his finger to her mouth, but she remembered how he had moved away from her when she'd made a suggestive remark, and instead she got a napkin and de-sauced his finger that way. "Don't want to make more of a mess, do ye?"

Tooth Fairy was no idiot. It only took him a second to realize what she had almost done, and why she had stopped. His heart began to race...and he remembered the coin. It meant a lot to him that she respected him enough to stop herself, especially when it was unlikely at this point that he would have stopped her. He licked his lips and croaked out, "Thanks..."

Just then, the oven beeped to let them know it was pre-heated, and they got back to work. He spooned the sauce onto the crust and evened it out, and she sprinkled the cheese and arranged the pepperoni slices.

When they sat side-by-side at his table with their pizza, Tooth Fairy said, "I'd ask how it is compared to Alfonso's, but..."

"The company here is better," Alpha took a bite, and the pizza they had made was every bit as good as it smelled. "Mm. And I'd pick this over his any day o' the week."

"Good?"

"Aye," Alpha gestured at his plate. "Try it."

He did. "Mm. It is good!"

"Why do ye sound so surprised?"

"Well...I've never made pizza before." He admitted.

"Me neither. We make a pretty good team!"

Tooth Fairy smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, then brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Aye."

Alpha took his hand and lightly kissed the pad of his thumb. "Copycat."

He gulped. Hamina hamina hamina...

"Yer pizza's gettin' cold, luv."

"Oh!" Tooth Fairy picked up his slice again. And as he ate, he began to think.

He had known how his people felt about outsiders. It had given him a false sense of security when most of the town voted in favor of letting Alpha visit, and today had been his awakening. The ones who didn't want her there really didn't want her there! Really, things could have gone a lot worse.

But he couldn't help but remember how Alpha's people had been when he'd first started visiting The Hollow. There was wariness and there were whispers, but he had expected that. What he hadn't expected was for her people to be so willing to give him a chance. He wished he could have provided the same experience for Alpha! And he wished he'd controlled his temper at the pizzeria.

"You all right?"

"Mm-hmm. Just thinking. What should we do tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow...might be a bit of a problem." Alpha squinted and made a so-so gesture with her hand. "Sarah wants to call a meeting, says it's important. But not urgent, otherwise she would've assembled us then and there."

"Oh? Is everything okay?" He wiped his mouth and took a sip from his can of club soda.

"Aye," Alpha wiped her own mouth and reached for her can of Sprite; he didn't drink it himself, but he bought some because he knew she liked it.

"You sure?"

She put the can down and nodded. "Some of the children have been talking about seeing a Fairy in The Hollow. Then one of the parents thought they caught a glimpse, and said it wasn't you."

Tooth Fairy's eyes widened. "Is that possible? That one of us found their way in?"

"I don't see how. The only way up to the surface was sealed centuries ago, and I would have known if someone snuck in. All the same..." Alpha picked up her crust and prepared to bite into it. "We're not taking any chances, and...well, never mind."

"No, what?"

The shadow of a memory floated just at the edge of Alpha's conscious mind, and when she focused on it all she could get was a snippet of a dream she'd had long ago. 'Ugh! How can you drink that stuff? It smells like paint thinner!'

"It's stupid. I...When I was first brought to The Hollow, I spent most of my time drunk. You know why."

He knew, and he didn't judge her for it. "Mm-hmm..."

"Well...I had a dream I met this boy. He didn't seem to have wings, but at the time I didn't know you could make them invisible, or that you even existed. And when the mayor was there with his two guards...for a second, I thought I saw him again, only he had wings that time. Then I got distracted, and when I looked back he was gone. I didn't think much of it...I thought maybe what I thought were wings were part of the clothes he seemed to be hiding in, and he could have just run off when my back was turned...right?"

Tooth Fairy didn't know what to make of that, but he didn't think that Alpha was prone to seeing things that weren't there. "Could be..." But what if this hypothetical boy had gotten in before the entrance was sealed, and had been hiding all this time? No...He would have had to interact with them to get food and clothes, wouldn't he? And what person could live in total isolation for centuries and not go mad? But if this kid is interacting with the kids in The Hollow...he hasn't been alone. Not really.

"Roy?"

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

He helped himself to another slice of pizza. "Just a lot of speculation. But would you tell me how the meeting goes? I'm really curious now. Unless it would be a breach of protocol, or something."

Alpha took her second slice and smiled at him. "If it were anyone else, it probably would be. You're a special case."

"Aww, she called me special." He grinned and gave her a peck on the cheek.

Alpha kissed him back. "Eat your pizza."