Disclaimer: The basic plot for this story is my idea, however The Fairly OddParents and all characters involved belong to Butch Hartman.

Chapter Two-- "Then What"

Crocker hadn't really planned where he would go after leaving his mother and the house he'd lived in since he was a child, but it didn't take him long to come up with an idea. Since living out of his van did not appeal to him in any way and he didn't favor the thought of committing himself to the mental institution simply for room and board, he went for the next best thing--the school. He practically lived there anyway.

Heaven only knew why anyone would trust him with a key to the school, but he had one and he was grateful he did. After unlocking the building and turning on the lights in his classroom, he took several trips back and forth, transporting his belongings from his van to the classroom--his computer, his clothing, and, of course, his fairy-tracking gadgets. He decided the desk drawers could compensate a dresser and there was plenty of room on the desktop for his computer. The fairy-detecting gizmos would be stored in the janitor's closet with the rest of his contraptions.

"Just like home," Crocker sighed, surveying his new residence, "Minus my nagging mother."

Still exhausted from the earlier happenings and now even more so since the argument with his mother, Crocker found solace--of all places--under his desk. Crunching his gaunt and gangly frame into the small, cramped space, he somehow managed to fall asleep in a less than comfortable position, where he stayed until morning.

---------------

The bell rang loudly the next morning and was accompanied by the thundering feet of stampeding children hurrying to their classes. The racket in the hall was enough to jolt Crocker out of a dead sleep. He dragged himself out from under his desk--after cracking his head once or twice under there--just as his first student, Timmy Turner, walked into the room.

Timmy gave Crocker a questioning look, but said nothing at first, merely watching his unpredictable teacher--unkempt and stiff--crawl out from under the desk. Finally, Timmy mustered the courage to say something.

"Good morning, Mr. Crocker," he smiled, trying to be friendly and stay on Crocker's seldom-seen mellow side, "Uh...what were you doing under your desk?"

"Sleeping," Crocker groaned, cracking his back as he stood up, "What's it to you?"

"Um...isn't that what beds are for?" Timmy inquired, unintentionally coming across as a smart-aleck.

"Only if you have one," Crocker snapped in response, getting irritated.

Timmy sensed Crocker's temper getting shorter and decided to quit while he was ahead. He retreated to his desk as the rest of the class ambled into the room. Chester and AJ took their seats on either side of Timmy.

"Dude! What's up with Crocker?" Chester asked quietly, "He looks like he spent the night under a desk or something."

"He did," Timmy muttered in response, "But don't ask me why. I didn't get that far when I talked to him."

The room fell silent as Crocker, still a mess in appearance, made his way to the chalkboard. He picked up a piece of chalk and stood poised to write something, but he never got that far. He sort of spaced out, staring distantly as sleep-deprived people often do when they are struggling to function properly on a fraction of rest.

"I wonder how long this stupor will last," AJ muttered to his two companions.

"Oh, get out some pencils and paper and...write an essay," Crocker sighed at last, dropping the chalk back in the tray, "I don't care what it's about."

"Will it be graded?" Chester asked.

"Yes...no...maybe...I don't know," Crocker replied, sinking into his desk chair as though a weight of 16 tons was pulling him down.

"Cool," Chester grinned, "I could get used to the indecisive, bedraggled, passive Crocker."

It seemed all the students felt that way as it didn't take them long to realize Crocker had no fighting spirit in him today. Timmy felt a sense of relief as well, but he couldn't help but wonder what was going on with his usually crazed, hyperactive, and just plain scary teacher.