Authors Notes: I think that I realized during this chapter that it would be much more interesting to read Teardrop's birth and subsequent road to betrayal, but that would include a very large caste of OC's… very large.
Warnings: I have not read the books, but I have access to Wikipedia – so I have names such as Ginger but only a quick explanation of her character and talent. I saw the first movie – that's what has happened and it's AU after that. Adventure-talent is an actually an established talent-kin and will be used as such. I take liberties with the fairies pasts and incorporate my own version of Pixie Hollow within the rules of Never Land. A little bit of violence. Made-up fairy swears. Reused plot devices that work their way in there before I realized I had done it. Questionable morals. An abundance of Vidia, and me writing the wrong story. Expansions on talents that don't exist. Vidia has actually been a hero in the past. My ever present and 'famous' use of my own original characters.
Summary: Vidia uses the shadow in the library to her advantage, but once Tinkerbell finds it she lets it believe that it has hopes, and starts the cogs going for an ending that might mean the end of everything she has known.
Disclaimer: Not mine. Belongs to Disney and – well, I'm actually not entirely sure who wrote the actual series it's based off.
Chapter Four
Soothing Dust and Tinker Toys
Teardrop lazily placed the book back in its proper place. She had learned long ago that even if books didn't speak out loud to express their current preferences, they could be quite vocal about the books they liked and disliked. So, usually during the night, they would flutter over to their friends spot and hope that the dark fairy didn't come and check on them that day. The only problem was that Teardrop had memorized every spine of every book and could easily tell when there were some missing and she would get around to correcting it immediately.
With a gentle sigh she slipped to the floor. Her wings ached a little and she wished morosely that she didn't have to be so sparing with the gold dust. It was easier at the beginning. With the larger vats of tar she had been able to easily find some gold dust that had been pulled into the vat along with the tar. She had had several bags of it stored that would keep her feeling alive and connected. But now, she barely had a bag and a half left and she had to use the magic wisely. So she only used it on her wings, and on bad days. Of course, she had spoiled herself and even this weak ache was disrupting her. But the pain that would shake her body if she didn't at least treat it with a little bit of magic.
The old fairy glanced back at her current project. It was taking a while to compile all the data and figure out exactly what she wanted and what she could discard, but at the same time it wouldn't take long enough before she was back to doing inane jobs here and there, tidying up and dusting the old books, and spending hours walking back and forth with books to put in their proper places just so she would have something to do in the library. It wouldn't be that long until Tinkerbell stopped coming, if only because she lost interest or because one of her friends told her something that disgusted her enough to keep the tinker away from even the Mainland books.
Teardrop sighed, she should be grateful to see the tinker at all. To have someone come who didn't talk as fast as they could and fly out, someone who didn't look at her in disgust, someone who wasn't terrified of her or pitied her. That would change, but she would be ready. That's why being the 'librarian' was so useful. She had always been more detached from other fairies when working, her mind only for getting the job done and working in a professional manner with those around her. In the old days it was what had given her a spine, now it let her once in a while hear the door creak open, find a book written by one of the few fairies who knew the language, and not care who it was that had snuck in and out in fear and only care to get the book filed away in the right section.
Teardrop supposed she should be sad to not have more friends like Vidia, friends she could let her barriers partially around and at least act like herself. She had those once, but even if they were alive, they never came to visit and now were more enemies than anything else. Plus, Vidia was safe. The fairy was self absorbed enough to not really care about where Teardrop came from and be interested in the power that was her, and loyal enough to not give her away and keep their meetings secret.
Teardrop's eyes glanced up at her loft. She had run out of the pie the other day and had hardly a sip of dandelion milk left. She hoped it was near Friday, she was hungry and the fairies in charge of guarding her had forgotten to give her her weakly ration of food. Vidia would bring company she could relax around and food. She would be a God. The fast flying fairy would also be able to update Teardrop on how her proposal of pirates was going.
Teardrop sat heavily down at the table and lifted her 'pen' in one hand. It was a little disappointing that Vidia had chosen now to come and visit her. If Teardrop had had it her way Vidia would have come to that conclusion after the pirates had come and left. Teardrop only got to taste the outside when she snuck away to Vidia's, it was the only time she dared go out into the open air. Now that Vidia was coming every Friday she had no reason to venture under the stars, she was stuck in her prison of dusty books and suffocating walls.
Dark brown eyes glanced out a high window. It looked to be about midday. She was waiting; she knew she was waiting and that there was a good chance that Tinkerbell wasn't coming that day. She had come up with the designs she wanted and was probably working out the kinks and showing whatever season it was for how it was used. There was a very good chance she'd never see the other fairy again.
Teardrop shrugged, outwardly trying to disregard the hurt at the thought. It wasn't like the realization hurt more than the betrayal she had to deal with everyday. It wasn't like she what she felt every second she was forced to be away from her sister that ache to be closer to the other half of her soul. It was only a sting that would be forgotten when Vidia visited her for the first time in her forced element and forgotten as soon as the history of the tinker fairies was neatly put in a place and filed away.
"I'm here," Teardrop slowly looked up to glare dispassionately at the tinker fairy. Not only had the silly fairy proven her wrong, but she had disrupted her peace and almost broken her door.
"I hadn't expected to see you so soon," said Teardrop at length, standing up to walk to the winded fairy, who was looking scandalized about something that Teardrop couldn't even begin to put a finger on. "I had thought that you'd be busy with your inventions."
"Oh," said Tinkerbell as if that hadn't even occurred to her.
"What day is it?" asked Teardrop finally standing in front of the fairy.
"Thursday, why?" asked Tinkerbell.
"I have trouble remembering the days of the week and was curious," said Teardrop easily covering up the happy dance her mind was doing in celebration that Vidia would be coming with pie in just one day.
"Oh," and that was the tinker's word of the day it seemed. Teardrop easily hid amusement, though it probably danced across her eyes the way that Tinkerbell was smiling at her.
"If you need my help you know where to find me," said Teardrop with a small bow. She jumped a little when Tinkerbell flew in front of her, the tinker's eyes caught on something just below her neck.
"What is that? It's so sparkly and red," said the tinker, positively enchanted and hand reaching out. Teardrop instinctively pulled away from it. Tinkerbell pulled her hand back, but her eyes continued to be fascinated with the necklace. "It's so pretty, is it from the Mainland?"
"No," said Teardrop crisply. "It's a pirate's trinket given to me by Ree."
"Ree?" asked Tinkerbell with confusion and then a light seemed to on. "Like Queen Ree?"
"Yes," said Teardrop, hoping that her clipped tone would discourage the fairies continued inquiries, but it seemed Tinkerbell believed that she was being her usual abrupt self and pressed forward for information.
"She must have known you liked that sort of thing," said Tinkerbell.
"It was what she gave me along with this job," said Teardrop with a jaded chuckle.
"That was nice," said Tinkerbell, Teardrop glanced at the fairy, she could really be quite thick little tinker fairy couldn't she? Well, it seemed that she'd just have to distract the fairy away from this line of conversation before it started treading into dangerous waters.
"You really like Mainland things, don't you?" asked Teardrop rhetorically.
"Oh, yeah, I love them; I wish I knew about all the odds and ends. I mean, I reassembled something that made the most beautiful sound. It had a dancer on top that when she turned made the most beautiful sound, but I have no idea what it's called," said Tinkerbell, and Teardrop allowed a small encouraging smile grace her lips.
"Well, there is a way to find out," said the dark fairy and turned the young fairy to look at the shelves off to the far right. "Those shelves, all the way up, are all dedicated to Mainland things. They have stories, manuscripts, and some even give descriptions and names to the things fond there."
"Really?" asked Tinkerbell, her eyes lighting under the prospect.
"Yup, and if you want I can even show you my collection of lost things down in the archives," said the librarian pointing to the door that led into the darkness. She stifled a chuckle when Tinkerbell tensed nervously. "A room full of ten shelves all labeled with each item neatly stacked in its place."
"You'd really take me to see that?" asked Tinkerbell, fear forgotten. Teardrop smiled triumphantly and noticed the same look reflected in Tinkerbell, Teardrop somehow got the feeling it wasn't because the fairy got to see the lost things.
"This is a library, you can see anything within its walls," she said softly and then pushed back a forced smile when Tinkerbell started looking at her with doubt. "Or, of course, you can go back to your tinker books. A fairy is her talent after all."
Teardrop turned, it didn't matter which the fairy choose, as long as she stopped asking her personal questions and didn't leave. Teardrop sneered in disgust, there had been a time that she would have scoffed at the idea of someone looking at books rather than working like they were supposed to. She didn't mind play every once in a while, on an off season it was often therapeutic for most fairies, but this was a tinker, tinkers were supposed to be constantly busy, though if they had enough they could start dividing the tinkers between seasons and having experts in each.
Teardrop shook her head. No, she didn't need to justify to herself as to why Tinkerbell could keep coming back and not bar the door from the poor fairy. Tinkerbell was working, she wasn't only a tinker, she was an inventor, and inventors were constantly doing research and the books that information. Out of all the fairies tinker and teaching fairies always had a place in her library as long as they had done their designated job for the day. Doing extra work was admirable.
"Teardrop!" the dark fairy jumped in shock as the tinker fairy appeared only a few inches from her face and quickly schooled her features and lightly glared at the annoying girl.
"Yes?" she asked at length.
"I've been trying to get your attention for the last few minutes, but you've just been looking out that window," said Tinkerbell and Teardrop sighed and rubbed the knot between her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I was thinking about a project I've been having trouble with. What was it that you wanted to ask me Tinkerbell?" asked Teardrop trying to sound slightly friendly.
"Um, well, I was wondering if we could go to the archives?" said the fairy timidly. Teardrop smirked a little and bowed for Tinkerbell to follow her.
"We're – going down in the dark again," said Tinkerbell despairingly, looking down the dark steps into the encompassing darkness.
"I did warn you," said Teardrop only letting a little of her amusement slow in her voice, and started her decent down the steps.
"Meanie," whispered Tinkerbell and Teardrop hastily coughed to cover her laugh.
"Here," said Teardrop holding back her hand for Tinkerbell.
"What?"
"You seemed to be calmer when you held my hand in the dark yesterday," said Teardrop, trying desperately to keep most of the amusement from her voice.
"Oh, yeah, thanks," and like that the other fairy was attached to her, two small hands gripping her hand so hard her bones ached.
Teardrop smiled. She remembered this, a dark so deep that it even swallowed her sisters light. She had been the strong one then too. Teardrop didn't mind the dark; she felt most at ease being in the dark when her sister's light wasn't there to protect her. Of course, that same person was the reason that she was in this library and not out there actually doing some good. She was the reason that Teardrop would hardly dare to catch a breeze, the reason why in a few days she wasn't going to hardly get out of her bed.
Brown eyes looked back at the slightly glowing fairy behind her and wondered if the tinker realized that her guide blended right into the darkness and not realize how incredibly odd that was. Of course Tinkerbell could always attribute that to the fact she was so dark, she was young enough to get away with that. Teardrop had to wonder what the other fairy would think of her once she realized that every fairy always gave out a faint glow, not enough that they couldn't hide in the dark, but enough to see against pitch black.
"Let go," said Teardrop, easily falling back on her role as librarian, this was her job after all. She stepped quickly over to the where the shades were. These windows were smaller but, ah, yes, she had enough magic to have light streaming in through the windows, and lighting up a very good proportion of the lost things. She heard a small awed gasp and smiled as she went on and opened the other four windows blinds and throwing the light in so that there was only the odd shadow in the corner.
"Wow, this is… amazing," gushed Tinkerbell. Teardrop cast an uninterested eye back to the shelves full of random Mainland things, all carefully categorized by her. She didn't have much interest in it, but she was partial to the old tinker tools herself. She looked at Tinkerbell who had already taken a piece of copper and looking around frantically around for something that she could add it to. Yes, Tinkerbell being here was more than acceptable; the fairies needed someone like her to keep them on their toes and thinking.
"Spend as much time as you want down here until the sun goes down and I have to close down the library," said Teardrop heading toward the door and placing a hand on thick rope.
"But how will I get back?" asked Tinkerbell. Teardrop froze and looked back at the Tinkerbell with a look that had her ducking and blushing. The dark fairy pulled down and a loud gong sounded making the tinker jump a few inches in the air without the help of her wings. Well, the tinker was amusing, if nothing else.
"Just ring the gong," said Teardrop smartly and the tinker fairy sent her a pouty glare. An idea suddenly came to her and she forced herself to relax. She lazily smiled at Tinkerbell, who still looked a little skeptical and put a soothing hand on the other fairy's arm.
"Teardrop?" the young fairy was so innocent. Silly little thing that wouldn't listen to her elders advice, but it did help Teardrop, and in the end, all of Pixie Hollow.
"Don't worry, I'll hear it, I'll be listening," said Teardrop and ran her hand down the tinker's arm and then clasped her hands together. "I'll also be writing your story so it'll be hard not to be thinking of you."
Tinkerbell smiled and returned to her wonder of Mainland things. Teardrop cast them one last check, before remember one important detail.
"Whatever you tinker with gets disassembled and then placed back in its rightful place," the tinker fairy looked devastated, they didn't like destroying things; it wasn't in their nature unless they were figuring out how it worked. "It you want, there's paper and ink over there if you wish to record your results and make it easier to replicate later."
Tinkerbell looked her over skeptically for a minute.
"You knew that I would want to come down here, didn't you?" asked the tinker fairy her tone light and teasing.
"Well, you are too inquisitive for your own good," said Teardrop in a deadpan voice. "I hope that you find this – informative."
And she left. Teardrop smiled as she melted into the shadows, the resulting rustling of wings behind her telling her that Tinkerbell was getting caught up in her work and that it would be hours before the other fairy would have to worry about the tinker wanting to come out of the room. Sure, it wasn't books, but knowledge didn't just come from books, indeed, most of it came through the actual experimentation and fiddling process.
She lazily entered the tar room. She didn't need the light to see where she was going, to see what she wanted to. Using her pinky she opened the smaller of the pouches and blinked when a small stream of gold light found its way out. She opened her hand and shifted the handful of gold dust she had taken from Tinkerbell and just stared at it for a second. She could use this much for three days if she was careful.
It wasn't like Tinkerbell needed all that magic anyway; just unneeded extra, wasted when she went to sleep and it used itself up on her bed. So, this bit of magic was what would continue to get Teardrop by until Tinkerbell stopped coming. Teardrop wasn't sure what she would do once her stash of gold dust ran out. Hopefully Tinkerbell would keep coming and then not long after she stopped there would be another bad episode of tar in the gold pixie dust.
Sighing Teardrop closed the bag quickly, the temptation to use it was too great for her to keep standing there. Plus, she had a book to write; it wouldn't do for her to continue to dwell on what she lacked, like food, like the ability to actually to do what she was made for. Tears touched her eyes, and Teardrop bit back a horrified gasp. She couldn't… not with Tinkerbell still in the library and so close. But the dark fairy knew the signs and symptoms. She knew that there was nothing to stop it, and no one to comfort them away.
A sob broke through her concentration and Teardrop actually found herself sprawled, though what had tripped her, whether it was a stack of books or her own feet she couldn't be certain.
"Teardrop! Teardrop are you alright? I heard a crash," Teardrop allowed a bitter smile to cross her lips. She could almost see the tinker fairy at the edge between the light and darkness looking for the dark fairy who had knocked, well, something over and probably banged her knee pretty badly in the process.
"I'm fine," choked out Teardrop and winced. Her voice had cracked with the thickness of her grief.
"Teardrop," now the tinker sounded stupid enough to run into the darkness when she didn't have the capacity to see in this thick darkness. And there were the first few steps toward her.
"Tinkerbell, remain in that room until you are done tinkering and don't you dare leave it a second earlier," threatened Teardrop and heard the scarred gasp from the Mainland archives. She stood on unsteady legs; the tears stopped for now, and limped out of the darkness and into the main library.
She slammed the door behind her and listened to the gong. It never came. The dark fairy smiled bitterly and wondered if the tinker had tried to go back to her tinkering or if the silly feather had actually tried to find her in the darkness. Well, if got too late she'd just have to go fairy hunting in the pitch black. Fairy Mary would kill her, and Queen Ree would probably get involved, it would be like a happy little reunion.
Teardrop let loose a wet laugh and limped over to her table. She needed to write it, the history was important. Tears fell down her cheek and Teardrop found herself caught between hysterical laughter and tears. She put her head in her hands and trailed them back over and through her knotted hair until she was crying full out, unable to see the tar of paper at all.
Another wet chuckle escaped her lips. What was the use? This important? She had all the time in the world to write it, well, until Tinkerbell came back under Fairy Mary's wing and she found the girl had gone insane in the darkness. Of course Queen Ree would then do a very thorough investigation and find out that her precious rubies didn't worked, hadn't ever really worked on the dark fairy. She had her talents as long as her sister had hers. The fact they hadn't realized this just proved how much they were trying to forget her and what she'd done.
But now? The rubies didn't work, she had found away to get dust, to get magic. They couldn't let Teardrop have her magic, not after everything that she had done. They would then conclude that she was too dangerous and lock her up far under the ground and never let her feel even the slightest flicker of the light, never see her sisters darling face, never feel her presence. It would leave Vidia to fall further and further under the tinker's shadow until she either disappeared or did something stupid.
And Queen Clarion would watch it all with those pitying eyes. She would blame Teardrop for what she had to do. Ree would be sure to mention that Teardrop it was her fault, and Teardrop would say she wasn't forcing her, and of course Ree would say that was exactly what she had done. Because wasn't that what the other fairy had claimed the last time she had locked Teardrop away to be forgotten.
So, Teardrop put her head down in her arms and cried. She didn't go to check to see if Tinkerbell was going insane in the darkness, she just sat there and cried. Because that's what she did at least once a week, just let all the hurt go until she was aching and practically dead to the world. How else was she to live up to nickname?
It wasn't until the sun was touching the horizon with a faint red glow that the gong sounded. Teardrop looked up from her writing with a sigh. She rubbed her face and felt the sting of salt stuck to her face. She probably looked worse than usual. Nice with red puff eyes and tear tracks down her cheeks. Sniffling she opened the door demurely and walked down into the welcoming darkness, it's cool fingers encompassing her body so that she was no more than a faint shadow.
"Oh, Teardrop, you came," said Tinkerbell happily as she let go of the rope she seemed to be contemplating ringing again. Teardrop allowed one eyebrow to rise.
"It's really hard to miss that gong, I would wake up to it in a second, you don't need to ring it twice," said Teardrop and inwardly cursed. She was stumbling all over herself, she didn't want that. Teardrop help out a hand and nodded when Tinkerbell took it cautiously, the smart mouthed fairy silent for, probably embarrassed.
"Did I?" was the soft question in the dark. Teardrop chanced a quick look back at the glowing fairies golden bun.
"You'll have to be more coherent than that," the librarian told the tinker frankly and looked back to leading them out of dark. Though perhaps she'd go back into it after she turned… well, clapped the lights off.
"When I rang the gong, did I wake you up?" asked the tinker shyly. "You looked a little scruffy when you came down."
Teardrop stopped and Tinkerbell didn't move an inch. She turned abruptly, but the tinker kept a firm grip on her hand. Teardrop looked down at their joined hands, and then at the tinker fairies frantic face. It looked like she was contemplating permanently attaching herself to Teardrop so the dark fairy couldn't leave her in the pit that was the archives. She also looked hesitant to force her presence on Teardrop.
The librarian almost sighed in aggravation and submission. At least the silly feather had the self-preservation skills needed to keep her alive. That was to say that the tinker kept a firm grip on Teardrops lax hand. Big blue eyes looked up and started searching. After a second Teardrop figured out it was her that the other was looking for. It hadn't occurred to her for some reason, that even though Teardrop could see every feature of the young fairy because she did let loose a faint glow, but Tinkerbell couldn't see her. Looking at their hands it looked like Tinkerbell's faint light that every fairy supposedly had only light her a little past her wrist. It was odd; one had to pay attention to where her hand was because her skin was so dark it almost looked like the darkness.
"No," said Teardrop finally. "I was working on recording the event this summer."
"Oh, um, are you alright?" asked Tinkerbell softly.
"Don't worry, I will am perfectly able to guide you and help your research. My personal matters will not interfere," said Teardrop, smirking when she felt the first step. Soon the silly tinker would be home and she wouldn't have to worry about her until the morning, and by then she should be back to her old self.
"That's not… I'm not asking because I-"
"That should be the only reason you ask," said Teardrop sharply and practically threw Tinkerbell into the glow of the libraries night lights. She looked down on the tinker fairy as the fairy looked at her with desperation, as if trying to find the light hearted fairy she had met that morning. Teardrop stood firm. She was only that light hearted before she fell into her tears. That person was gone the second she had remembered herself and her job.
The tinker left with a broken heart and bad posture. Teardrop brushed a hand down her leaf wrap. She didn't need a friend, she knew better than to get close to fairies. Plus, why would she want to have a fairy as a friend? The only thing fairies should worry about is their talent and making sure they kept busy so that the seasons happened as they were supposed to, a fairy should be worried about their talent, not making friends. She knew that, she also knew that it was nice to be able to be able to talk to the people a person worked with.
Teardrop just didn't understand the need to go outside and make friends and connections outside a talent. She especially didn't understand the idea of making close connections. The only person that she had any sort of close bonds with had been her sister was Sunshine. She had only known that old crone because she was a lot like Tinkerbell, persistent, though in a more granny like fashion. She was the only one who had made her pause before attacking, had been the one voice that had wondered and advised against rising against the queen.
Part of her had no regrets in her decision. The queen at that time had not understood that all talents were equal and because of that put a lot of strain between the seasons and the different talents. She needed to be overthrown, or at least replaced with someone better. Because of Teardrop's actions Ree had been made queen. Even if Ree had betrayed her and enclosed her in this prison, she was a fair queen. She appreciated every season, ever talent. She was able to encourage her people and ran her kingdom with little trouble.
Of course Teardrop had been disappointed when she heard that Ree hadn't done anything when Tinkerbell had ruined spring, but in the end it had worked out when Tinkerbell had shown her ability with tinkering and Mainland things. Of course, Vidia had erred, but her punishment had been harsh and funny enough to make up for her error, and spring hadn't actually been ruined by her, so Teardrop dismissed it.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to keep an ear open, maybe humor Tinkerbell and her quest long enough to get information about the various talents, perhaps some of her old fairies. At least find out if they were still alive, because some part of her was curious to know the answer. It wouldn't take that long for Tinkerbell to realize that she was too tough an egg to crack.
And hopefully Vidia would arrive early the next morning so that she could spend a few hours with her friend. Then she could deal with Tinkerbell in peace with hopefully only a little annoyance from the fast flying fairy.
Teardrop clapped her hands together sharply twice and headed back down into the archives. She just wanted the darkness to swallow her in one night, to hold her. For once she wanted to feel completely safe. As safe as she ever felt without her other half.