Annie woke up alone that morning and thought about cancelling everything. She wanted to stay in bed and never get out again. It all hurt too much. She couldn't though. She wasn't that little girl who ran and hid anymore.

She got up with purpose and put on her makeup, then did her hair. She dressed in something nice, black and short. She put a sweater over it and made sure at least a little cleavage showed. She looked amazing and she felt powerful. She could get any guy she wanted and she didn't have to be limited by timelines and other's perspectives of her.

She went into the living room like a Dante walking into Hell, unsure of what she would find, but knowing it wouldn't be good. It really wasn't all that exciting. Abed was sitting at the table with extra thick pancakes on the table in front of him. Troy wasn't up yet, his door still closed. That was a good thing; she wanted a moment with Abed even if it he was hard to look at.

She paused and lost some of her resolve. She felt tears in her eyes and she took a step back. No, she'd done this last night. She'd cried and given up. She was so tired of being the girl that got pushed to the side and told when she wasn't enough. She wasn't going down without a fight this time.

With resolve she took another step forward.

"I need to ask you something," Annie said refusing to let him speak first, not that he'd attempted to, "Were you happy? In the other timelines?"

"I told they ended-"

"I know, you told me how they ended," she said almost breaking her resolve, "But also you told me the start was great. In the start of them, were you happy? Did you like being in a relationship with me?"

"Don't you know the answer to that?"

"No," she said firmly, "Please, I just...I want to hear you say it."

"Yes," he said his face turning back to his plate, "I was happy."

"I'm sure I was too," Annie said and stormed out of the room. She slammed the door and felt the resolve settle in her. There was no way she was giving up on a guy who denied himself happiness to keep from hurting her. Abed was scared of what might happen and she could understand that. She was scared too. Scared of change, scared of getting hurt and most of all, scared of letting him down, but they couldn't let fear rule their lives or they would never be happy. She had to do something to make him see that and she had an idea how to do that.

She had forgotten her backpack inside, but she wasn't going back for it now. She went towards Greendale instead and did the thing she was best at. She went to sign up for a class she was going to ace.

Six months and an extra art credit later, Annie was ready to do what she'd planned all that time ago. She wheeled a cart with tv and VCR into the library and put a tape into it. She stood by it and waited for her friends to come in.

The wait had been hard, but she needed it to make this work. More than that, she'd wanted to research her feelings. It had all happened so fast and she worried she'd fallen in love with the idea of love. She needed to know that her emotions were real, because she was putting them both at risk by pushing this agenda. She'd realized as time went on, that she was absolutely in love with Abed. She could understand how off putting he might seem, but she saw so much more than that. She could see the sweetness and how much he tried to understand a world that was alien to him. He could be so fun and whimsical that broke her from her shell and could enjoy herself. After everything she was positive this was what she needed in her life and could only pray her idea would work.

"Hey, it's movie day at the middle school," Jeff mocked as he came into the room. He sat down in his normal seat, phone still in his hand.

"Abed made another movie?" Britta asked. Annie had removed the chairs from her side of the table, so Britta had to come around the table to sit. She picked the one on the end next to Shirley.

"Well," Annie started sheepishly. She never got to finish, because Troy came in.

"Sweet, movie day! Are we watching Cars? Because I really want to watch Cars, again," Troy said as he slung his bag over his seat then sat down.

"Oh great, another power hour of home movies made by the nutcase," Pierce said as he entered and Shirley hit him in the arm.

Annie was barely paying attention to their banter. It was a cruel joke that Abed was late. She had her finger on the controller, ready to hit play. She feared she might not have the courage after all.

Finally, he walked in and stared at the television cart. His head sharply turned to look at them, first at Troy and then at Annie. Annie tried not to give anything away.

"So, what are we watching, Abed?" Jeff asked as he was sending a text.

"This isn't mine," he said running a hand over the tv then went to sit down in his seat. He saw it wasn't there and panicked. His eyes went up wide and desperate, his hand clutched for a chair that wasn't there.

"Hey, Abed," she said and patted the seat next to hers, "It'll be okay. This is just for today."

He struggled with it before nodding. He came over and sat stiffly in the chair. It wasn't technically his, but he hadn't started screaming, so she knew it was okay. She put a comforting hand on his arm and Abed turned to her then back to the screen. She couldn't read his face and that made her even more nervous. He knew something was going on and he was upset, but she wasn't going to back out. She had something she wanted to show all of them.

"This is getting spooky. Is someone going to clue us into what is going on or what?" Jeff demanded and Annie finally coughed.

"I took a class," she told them.

"Surprise," Jeff taunted.

She glared at him.

"Storytelling in film," she said and Abed gave her a confused look.

"Making videos is my thing," he said suspiciously, "I took that class. You don't film classes."

"I know, but I needed an art credit," she said. Abed went to say something and she knew he'd counted her credits. She wasn't about to have him point out that to the whole room. "Anyways, I just wanted you all to see it. I thought it'd be fun."

"Can't wait," Jeff said, but he actually put down his phone. She took that a sign of support, the sort Jeff didn't give easily.

Annie nervously sighed as she hit the play button.

The movie started and the first shot was a badly lit set. The rocks in the background looked like a cave and a lantern hanging from the ceiling. There were paper trees to the side and dirt scattered on the floor. It was obviously a classroom converted poorly into a cave. It looked painfully amateur, but it was acceptable considering this was Greendale.

A man came on screen dressed in black tights, a white tunic and fairy wings. There was glitter on his face as well a white makeup and a purple swirl design on his head. His purple shoes, which seemed to trip him slightly, had curls at the toes and winges on the sides. He was supposed to be a fairy, but Annie wasn't sure how well it came out.

"Gay!" Peirce yelled out.

"Shut up, Peirce," Jeff said sharply before they all quieted down again.

A princess had come on stage by then. She was a brunette with long brown hair, wearing an elegant ivory gown that was soiled with dirt. She had a tiny tiara on her head that was half falling off. She righted it and went over to the fairy.

"We found it, the last ingredient for our spell. We can finally release the prince from his stony prison," he said holding up a tiny glittering stone in his hand, "We've fought dragons, imps and madmen for each piece. It's been four years and now you can go home, be wed and be merry."

The princess looked indecisive even as the fairy was excited. She went over and sat on one of the rocks and took off a shoe.

"But there isn't any rush right? I mean, we still have to travel home," she said shaking the rock out of her shoe.

"We're three days flight from the kingdom and it will only take a few hours to make the potion," he said, not noticing how upset this seemed to make the princess. She put her shoe back on and sighed. The fairy seemed to be aloof about her bad feelings, a big smile on his lips.

"I had thought we were further from home."

"No, your highness. We're in the last leg of our voyage," the fairy said then turned to her, "Aren't you excited?"

"I am...I'm so glad I can finally save the prince, this hasn't been fair on him, but.." she paused looking up at her companion, "But I am not the same as I was four years ago. I am no longer the innocent child that is happy to marry any man of title. I've learned the joy of adventure and to face fear in the eye. I do not know if I can go back to the courts were the most important decision I shall make is which dress to wear to the latest dance. I am not sure if I can marry a man who I...who I do not love."

"Then find one you do," the fair suggested having pulled a cauldron from off stage and starting to make the potion.

"What should I do then?" she asked anxiously. The fairy didn't seem to notice the way she was looking at him, but the audience was bound too. She was meant to have a look of love hidden behind nerves.

"Ask for his hand and go buy a big bed. That's what you humans do isn't it?" the fairy asked and the princess gasped. That got a few chuckles from the tiny audience.

"I suppose," she said sweetly, "I wouldn't know anything about that. What I worry is that this man might say no."

"To you?" the fairy asked, "Never."

"Then will you marry me?" she asked a bit too quickly.

The fairy man almost dropped the delicate looking bottle he was holding. He caught it before giving her his full attention.

"Me?" he asked then laughed, "But I'm a fairy."

"And a man," she said standing up and going over to him, "A certain bath in a badly concealed pod showed me that early on in our adventures."

"In figure yes, but not in mind. Fairies do not marry as you humans do, we do not settle down. We live for adventures and never limit our imaginations to one place. To limit yourself is to lose the ability to fly."

"I know that. You taught me to fly and to have adventures. You've shown me that world and I've fallen in love with it, with you."

"Fairies are immortal, but no matter our age, childish. You'll grow from maid to woman and wish me to become a man. I can't. I'm no knight or lord nor would ever wish to be. I could never make you happy, princess. You wish to change me and when you can't you'll be resentful."

"I want to b-"

He put his fingers on her lips, firmly holding them there. He shook his head and her eyes welled with tears.

"As I told you fairies can see other worlds, futures bost possible and likely. I am seeing them now, as we stand at this crossroads and there is nothing good that comes of us. If there was, perhaps, I'd let us risk it, but," he said and he shook his head, "No. I am saving you much misery by denying you this one wish."

"But I am in misery!"

"It will pass."

"And if it doesn't?" she asked through tears.

"Let's speak of this no longer. Come we have a spell to make and I need your courage to have it work."

"Tell me one more thing, friend and I shall ask no more."

The fairy looked nervous, but he nodded his head.

"Were you happy, in these other worlds? Could you be happy with me?"

"The happiest I will ever feel, but it's far too fleeting and causes you much pain. Now, come princess, we've much work to do."

The scene faded to black and there was a pause, a gentle piano playing in the background. It continued to play as the next scene, the same rocks, came up and the princess entered. This time she looked much different. She had her own wings now and make up, white face with a blue swirl under her left eye. Instead of a long dress, she wore a shorter one with tights under it, both of pale pink.

"My friend," she called into the empty space, "My friend, are you here?"

"Yes," said the fairy as he came on stage from the right and stared her wide eyed, mouth dropped open, "Princess, what have you done? It's been but six months and yet...you've changed. It's not possible."

"I heard what you said before, that as a human I couldn't be with you. I found a way to become a fairy so we could be together."

"You didn't hear me at all," he said walking over to her and taking her hands, "Oh my silly princess. It was never your body that was the problem. It was your mind. The fact you did all this proves it."

"What? That can't be possible. This solves the problem."

"No, it doesn't. You can't change yourself any more than I can change who I am."

"There has to be something I can do," the princess said on the brink of tears, "I've never cared for someone the way I care for you. I love you."

"For now," he said and wiped a tear away, "For now you do."

"For always, why can you not believe it?"

"Because I can see-"

"What if you see these other worlds as dark, because ours is the brightest timeline of them all?"

"Such hopefulness," he said and kissed her forehead, a bit of her make up brushing off on his lips, "You almost look like a fairy when you spoke of it."

"I am a fairy."

"You're a princess in a fairy suit," he said, but there was a fleeting moment where he smiled down at her, full of all the love he wouldn't let himself have, "A very lovely fairy suit."

"Oh A-"

"But no true wings do you have. These are but borrowed decorations," he said his hand brushing the wings, "Still, while you're a fairy you should come with me. I've got another quest. This time I'm to steal the heart from a dying star. It might best adventure of all time."

"I'll come, just give me a moment, I'll catch up. I always did fly faster."

"Because you fly in a straight line. What fun is that?"

The fairy ran off stage, a flutter of glitter suggesting he'd used his glittery wings to fly off. The princess sat down on a rock looking forlorn.

"What do now?" she asked no one, "I could find another, but even if I did I'd only be pretending they were him. No one would be though; no one could match such a unique creature. I will do what is my only choice. I'll stay with him, as his friend. I will go on his adventures and be with him in the only way he will allow. I'd be better than being without him, which I could not bear. I cling to some hope that he shall see he is wrong, but even I know that is without point. I must do as I've always done and be thankful he taught me how to fly."

The screen faded to black as the princess ran off the stage and did a wonderful leap off as if she was going to fly away.

There were deadening silence.

She turned her head slowly to see Abed's reaction. Everyone else's could wait, but she had to know how he was feeling. His head was slightly tilted and he was staring at the blank tv still. His face hadn't changed much. It was completely unreadable and she felt her heart sink.