Author's Note: This one's short. :P

Chapter Three: Stalkers

He didn't believe it. Actually, he did- he'd just rather not. Everywhere a faerie Deb went, a faerie Wanda was sure to go. Whenever Deborvak stopped with Tootie at school, he sensed Wanda there, watching, trying to lure him away from his godchild. It only made him obstinate and stick closer to her, to the point where he knew he was getting clingy and should really stop, for both their sakes. Though while he could consciously admit it, the temptation to linger was too strong, and the compulsion to stay the hell away from Wanda overwhelming. Damn her, and she was persistent too.

Finally, during a school assembly, Tootie managed to plow her way through the competition and sit beside Timmy. This meant, of course, Deborvak was right next to Cosmo, Wanda and Poof. He winced and disappeared, transporting himself into the school yard among the animals. He relaxed, let down his guard, and changed into a sparrow. Grinning, he set off after a female, just to flirt and see how far he could get. He nuzzled her head and pranced around, singing songs of praise.

"You've been avoiding us," Wanda announced and Deb fell off the branch in shock. The female bird squeaked and flew up higher. He quickly steadied himself and returned to the branch. Cosmo, Wanda, and Poof were in a line, all birds, with Poof a baby robin. Deb smiled weakly at him and then stopped smiling at Wanda's direct look. He lowered his head.

"Yeah, and considering how much time Tootie spends around Timmy, I'm impressed," Cosmo said. Deb didn't look up. Poof landed beside him and he jumped, landing in between Cosmo and Wanda. His heart raced and he backed up, heading for the tree hollow. He kept his talons on the tree branch.

"What-what do you want from me?" Deb asked.

"Mostly to ask you why you're so scared of us in the first place," Wanda said.

"Yeah...I've never seen a faerie frightened of its own kind before," Cosmo said. "And look, you even jumped away from Poof and he's a baby."

"Do you have to keep haranguing me? Don't you have other concerns?" he shuddered. "I'm not a freak show for your amusement."

"We didn't say you were," Wanda said and her voice was gentle, enough to prompt him to sneak a glance and then lower his head again. She hopped near him, close enough to touch but holding herself back. "We just want to know what you're so scared of."

"Yeah, we don't bite," Cosmo said. "Not unless you want us to. You don't, do you?"

"No...I don't," he said.

"Then what's the matter?" she said.

"We thought we knew all the faeries in Fairy World," Cosmo said. "But you're a complete blank."

"I'm not from Fairy World," he said, not looking at them. "I'm from another world entirely."

"But you're a faerie," Wanda said. "Either you come from Anti Fairy World, or Fairy World."

"And you don't look evil to me."

Deb chuckled humorlessly. "I know-knew- a few people who would disagree with you on that one."

"Why, what happened to them?" she asked.

"Grandfather Stef happened to them," he said. "And then Jorgen grabbed me because I fled and thought I'd be best for Tootie. End of story. Are you done with the q and a?"

"That doesn't explain why you're so afraid of us," Wanda said.

"Poof poof?" their son asked and nudged Deb. Deb almost fell out of the tree again. He hissed, gritting his teeth.

"You don't seem to mind when Tootie touches you," Wanda said. "And you were flirting with that bird just now."

"Humans an' animals are different," he said. "I don't...like...being...around...faeries."

"Why? What'd we ever do to you?" Cosmo said.

Deborvak looked up and glared at him. "Your kind beat me for being a misfit, told me repeatedly I was a mistake, and made me wish I was dead for almost all of my life. So you'll excuse me if I don't lay out the welcome wagon for you three."

Poof's eyes watered and Deb sighed.

"I didn't mean to upset the kid," he said. He conjured a stuffed horse for Poof and flew up to a higher branch. Poof stared up at him; his eyes were huge. Wanda flew up to join Deb and he sighed, knowing he'd never be quit of them.

"That's horrible," Wanda said. "I've never known faeries to do such terrible things! Why didn't you report them to Jorgen?"

"I told you, I came from another world," Deborvak said.

"And Big Daddy kills other faeries all the time," Cosmo pointed out. Deb's beak twitched.

"How..." Wanda was at a loss for words. Deborvak stared back at her and Poof hopped up beside him; he rubbed against Deb's wing and he shuffled, startled. Poof smiled at him and a very weak smile tugged at Deb's lips.

"Children tend to like me, though," he said.

"How'd you become a godparent if you're scared of your own reflection?" Cosmo asked. Deborvak glared.

"I'm not 'scared of my own reflection', I'm frightened of other faeries, an' there's a difference," he said. "Jorgen said I was fine as long as I wasn't forced to stay with them."

"But we would never hurt you," Wanda said and touched his cheek. He jerked, but allowed the brush.

"Don't you think we oughta be getting back to Timmy and Tootie?" he said weakly.

"We will, in a moment," Wanda said. "Let's set some things straight. We're good faeries."

"Yeah, we don't do whatever it is the other faeries did to you when they did it," Cosmo said.

Deb chuckled. "That sentence's grammar just screamed out for mercy and then died horribly."

"And we want to be friends," Wanda said.

"You'll be seeing a whole lot of us," Cosmo said.

"Seeing as your godchild is in love with ours," she finished. "Plus, her father is in love with me."

"That's how Tootie came about, because he's crazy," Cosmo said, indicating by rolling his eyes. Poof giggled.

"We're not asking you to put your life in our hands-"

"-at least, not yet-" Cosmo said, smirking.

"But if you can try to trust us, just a little, we'll go from there," Wanda said. "Deal?"

She, Cosmo, and Poof laid out their wings and Deb tentatively rested his right on top of theirs, like a group low five. Wanda smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Now we can go back to our godchildren," she said.