A/N Hello! I'm back. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter of this story. I'm very excited to be writing more of these characters because I just love them.

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.

SPOV

I must have slept heavily during the night because I was woken up by Amelia leaning over me in bed and whispering "I want my breakfast!" Right, time to get up then.

Amelia didn't seem to be keen on saying anything else to me and wandered off. I made a quick trip to the bathroom before heading to the kitchen. It was only by chance I noticed the dead rat in the hall before I stood on it. Bloody Bob. I hadn't even heard him yowl. At least this one was dead. And thankfully Amelia hadn't noticed it.

Eric appeared as I was scooping the rat into a plastic bag. He looked like he wished he hadn't seen it. "Did you hear Bob yowl?" I asked.

"No, but he did try to sleep on your head four fucking times, until I threw him out. How do you sleep through that?"

I shrugged. "I've had cats all my life; I'm used to them walking all over me at night." At least I now knew why I got the rat. It was Bob's way of saying he's better than Eric.

Eric eyed the plastic bag suspiciously. "Maybe if you stopped feeding him so much he might actually eat what he kills" he said.

"Yes, Eric. Because rat entrails smeared all over the hall would be so much better. Honestly." With that I started off to the front door so I could take the rat out to the bin outside. I could hear Eric say "I was just making a suggestion" behind me, but I didn't reply. Really the rat was the least of the problems; I still didn't know what I was going to do about Amelia, or Lorena.

We managed to do the whole morning routine with a minimum of talking. In a way I felt relieved when I dropped Amelia off at pre-school, as I couldn't take the tension anymore. Then I felt guilty for feeling relieved. Motherhood sucks sometimes.

After the drop-off I went back home and phoned Judith, as it was her day off work and I needed to apologise for running out of their place on Sunday. I should have phoned on Monday, but with the drama of the day, I just didn't think of it. I gave her a brief over-view of what had happened at the barbecue; she'd figured as much. She asked when Eric was leaving and I was vague about it, I said he might be staying for Christmas. I didn't want to tell anyone he was staying for good in case I jinxed it. I still wasn't convinced it was really going to work out.

Judith then had her own moan to me about Lorena, who was over the moon at the moment because her 'darling Caroline' was home, but Caroline was heading back to Sydney that afternoon and Judith was expecting Lorena to take to her bed by Wednesday afternoon. Caroline's whirlwind visits just caused more problems for the rest of the family really.

There wasn't much I could do to help with that, so I listened to Judith complain for a bit then we finished the call.

Eric had been hanging out in the living room with Felicia, watching TV. He came to join me in the kitchen. "I still haven't figured out what to do about Lorena" I said. Eric started to say something, but then we heard a dull thud followed by Felicia bursting into tears.

Eric looked guilty. "Shit, she's under the coffee table again" he said, and he took off back to the living room.

He came back a minute later holding a tear-stained Felicia, who he handed to me. "There's your mom" he said. "Mum" I corrected automatically. Felicia seemed to be over it and started smiling again.

"Sorry" Eric said to me. "She just keeps going under there for some reason. Is that normal?"

"Yeah" I said. "When Amelia could only push herself backwards she'd get wedged under the couch all the time." I sighed. She'd been so cute when she was Felicia's age. And really easy to deal with.

Eric patted my shoulder. "She'll get over it" he said. I bit back the reply I really wanted to make and just nodded instead. It wasn't his fault. Well not entirely his fault. But I liked him more than Lorena so I was making allowances.

"So what are we doing today?" Eric asked.

"St Luke's" I replied.

"St Luke's?"

"Mall. I need to buy new summer pyjamas for Amelia. Maybe a few other things. See what's on sale, at any rate. You can stay here if you like."

"Nah, I'll come. I could probably do with getting a few things if I'm going to be staying here. I'll just go to the Gap or something."

"Eric, its New Zealand. There's no Gap here."

Eric shrugged. "Well I can just order the stuff online then."

"Not from the Gap. They don't ship here. It's a loooong way. Did you not notice how long you sat in that plane for?"

Eric looked thoughtful, then a bit guilty. "Booze induced stupor was it?" I asked. Eric smiled. "Yeah, I thought so. Who did you drool on, Chow or Indira?"

He laughed, but noticeably wasn't confessing to anything. Probably it was both of them.

EPOV

I was starting to get a bit worried about Felicia's constant need to bang her head on a table leg. You couldn't look away for a minute. Surely they should make crash helmets for kids if they're going to do that all the time? Fuck, maybe this kid did have the defective Compton genes or something.

I felt really bad when she did it when I left her alone for a minute, but luckily Sookie seemed unconcerned, although she was still hung up on Amelia. And Lorena. Fuck. If I could just make it a little bit better for her then I'd feel better about my part in the whole sorry mess.

I wasn't sure that going with her to a mall though was going to be the best way of making it better, but I didn't want her wandering around by herself, worrying about the whole thing. I even let her tease me about the flight to New Zealand, but then I wasn't confessing to what it had really been like. Sookie didn't need to know I'd spent a lot of the time trying to get the phone number of one of the stewardesses. I wonder how different things would have been if she'd been more forthcoming?

So we took Felicia and went to a mall, which pretty much looked like any mall, except I didn't recognise any of the stores. Stupidly, I thought Sookie had a plan for what she wanted to get. I didn't realise this was like Pak N Save but on a larger scale. Apparently we were there to see what was on sale. Which could be any fucking thing in any store. After about half an hour I was pretty over it. I looked at Felicia in the stroller, she was over it too, but she was doing her best to amuse herself by taking her sock off and sucking it.

We'd ended up in some department store so Sookie could browse through kid's pyjamas. I tried to help, but Sookie waved me off saying 'go and look at the TVs or something'. So I did. That was entertaining for about two minutes. Then I wandered over to the beds. I wondered if Sookie would let me replace her bed with something bigger. A salesperson came up and tried to interest me in one. I was really fucking tempted as I was getting fed up with hanging around without a purpose. I could always tell Sookie I had bought it for when I moved out. I wasn't sure she'd buy it though, so I gave up on that idea and kept moving.

I found myself in the toy department next. It wasn't an area I'd ever paid much attention to before, but Sookie's house pretty much looked like a toy shop most of the time. There was more pink plastic crap than I'd ever seen in my life.

So I was wandering pretty aimlessly when I spied something at the end of one of the aisles. There was a display of dolls. Tinkerbell dolls. I stopped. Amelia would love one of those. I thought that it might, I don't know, cheer her up? Was that what you were supposed to do with sad kids? I didn't really know.

Just then Sookie appeared. "There you are" she said. "Oh, hey, a toy sale. I wonder if I should start Christmas shopping?" She was peering down the aisles and I could see this going all kinds of wrong if I let her loose.

"Um" I said "I was thinking that maybe I could get Amelia one of those dolls…" I pointed to the Tinkerbell doll.

"Oh, for Christmas, you mean?" Sookie asked.

"More for, I don't know, because I'm staying or something."

"Oh, Eric. You don't have to buy her affections. She already likes you." Sookie was starting to get pissed again.

"I dunno. I just thought it might cheer her up a bit. Maybe get her over the mood she's in?"

Sookie looked at me for a moment and I could see she was thinking it over. "Yeah, OK" she said "If you really want to. But you should probably get something for Felicia as well in the interests of being fair."

I looked at Felicia who was chewing a sock again. What the hell did you buy a baby, apart from more socks? "Uh, you might have to help me with that one."

Fifteen minutes later we were out the door, with me having bought the doll and a Winnie the Pooh bear for Felicia. "So" I said to Sookie" have you got what you needed?"

"Mmm. I might just go to Kmart though and see what their pyjamas are like…" and Sookie was off with me trailing along behind. Yeah, coming on this outing was a really fucking dumb idea. Although I soon realised walking behind her had one thing going for it; she does get a rather nice wiggle going when she's walking purposefully around. It's quite entertaining. Unfortunately I had to glare at the other fuckers who also noticed. How Sookie remains oblivious to the drooling morons staring at her I'll never know. It soon became obvious that I was better off staying by her side so these guys would get the idea and back the fuck off. I wondered how she ever managed to get through shopping without being constantly hit on before she had me.

After Kmart, we were apparently going to look for stuff I needed. I had to follow Sookie's lead on that one because really, I just wanted to go into one shop and be in and out in about five fucking minutes. Sookie was far more into buying me clothes than I was, and kept sending me off to try shit on. We went way past the five minutes. I did get a few things though, although I could see finding stuff the right length was going to be a problem in New Zealand. Sookie started muttering about there being a 'big and tall' shop in the city, but that sounded fuck-awful and depressing.

Finally I was allowed lunch and we headed to the foodcourt. I was briefly distracted by the display in the window of a lingerie shop and wondered if I should buy Sookie something to cheer up as well. However, Sookie noticed what I was looking at and all I got was a lecture on the unsuitability of demi-cups, so that idea was out the fucking window as well.

SPOV

It's just a bloody good thing Eric's tall or else I might have lost him in Kmart. He's worse than Amelia at wandering off sometimes. I don't understand how he can hold down a responsible job and still have the attention span of a goldfish. Even when we were shopping for him he kept eyeing the door, like he was tempted to make a run for it. About the only thing he wanted to buy all day was the Tinkerbell doll for Amelia, which was very sweet of him. Oh and he did seem very keen on a set of red lingerie, but I talked him out of that one. I don't really need to wear something that everything is just going to spill out of; it's a recipe for feeling fat.

Eric cheered up when he got lunch though. Sometimes he really is just like Bob.

EPOV

I was glad to leave the mall and get home. Sookie was still talking about having to start Christmas shopping, but I persuaded her to put that off for another day. I couldn't face it. Maybe I could get her to buy everything online, surely there had to be some places that would deliver in this country?

We walked to the pre-school to get Amelia in the afternoon. She held my hand and skipped along, but still didn't really talk to Sookie. Sookie still looked hurt. I hoped the cheering Amelia up plan worked.

I'd left the doll on her bed and when we got back to the house I followed her in.

"Oh! It's a Tinkerbell doll!" Amelia shrieked at an ear-splitting volume.

"Yeah, I um, bought that for you today" I said. Amelia threw herself at me, and then thrust the box into my hands demanding that I open it. That was easier said than done and I had to go and get Sookie to help. Why the fuck do they use so many bits of wire to tie the fucking thing in place?

By the time I got back to her room, Amelia had her Barbies spread out on the floor ready to meet Tinkerbell. She seemed quite happy, but it somehow hadn't led to a spontaneous reconciliation with Sookie like I'd hoped it would. I sat down on the bed.

"So…" I began "Um, you love your mom, don't you?"

"Mummy?" Amelia turned around to face me "I guess."

"Well, um, you know she's quite sad at the moment…"

"Look, Barbie! Tinkerbell has wings! She's a fairy and can fly..." Right, I wasn't really capturing her attention here. My distraction had worked a bit too well. I needed to come up with something else. I looked at the Tinkerbell doll.

"Your mom's a fairy." I said.

Amelia looked at me "Really?" she asked.

"Yep, definitely." Well at least I had her attention, but I worried that I might be digging a bigger hole for myself in the process.

"But where are her wings?"

"Um, she had to give them up, you know, so she could stay here and, um, have you and Felicia…"

"Well, she's not a real fairy then." Amelia turned back to the dolls.

"No, she definitely is. She told me." Amelia had believed all the other shit I'd told her about fairies, I didn't know why she was fighting me on this one.

"Really?"

"Really truly."

"But what kind of fairy is she?"

Oh. I'd exhausted my ideas. "Oh, well you'll have to ask her that. Except, maybe don't. Because you're not supposed to know she's a fairy. It's a secret and not everyone can know. So this is just between you and me, OK?" I hoped that would work, I had a sudden realisation that Sookie might not be so happy if she knew Amelia was being nice under the guise of her being a fairy. "But you know fairies like it when you're nice to them, so, um, just be sure to be real nice to your mom next time you see her. And hug her. But make sure you don't tell her that you know."

"OK. So she's really a fairy?"

"Yeah, a secret fairy."

"A secret fairy. OK then." She turned back to the game with her dolls and I left the room. Hopefully the next time she saw Sookie she'd be a lot nicer to her.

SPOV

I was folding laundry when Amelia came racing up and hugged me.

"Thank you, sweetheart." I said. Wow, I wondered what brought that on? Maybe Eric's plan with the doll worked?

"You're a fairy!" Amelia said.

"I'm a what?"

"A fairy. Eric said you were. So what kind of fairy are you?"

Oh. Right. Now I understood what was going on here. Eric had spun some story about me being a fairy. He really was full of shit sometimes. I opened my mouth, ready to deny being a fairy, but then I looked at Amelia. Her little face looked so hopeful. Was it really that bad if she believed in supernatural creatures? And believed I was one of them? I didn't know. I decided to err on the side of not breaking her little heart and worry about the rest of it further down the line.

"Yeah, I'm um, the underpants fairy" I said, folding a pair of Amelia's knickers.

She wrinkled her nose. "The underpants fairy? That doesn't sound like a real fairy."

"No, it is. Didn't you ever wonder how your underwear goes from the laundry hamper and appears back in your drawer, all clean and folded? Well that's me. I'm the underpants fairy."

"Oh, OK. Cool." I could see her thinking I wasn't as cool as Tinkerbell, but then I was her mum, I was never going to be cool full stop.

I bent down and hugged her. "I love you very much you know, Amelia."

"Yeah, I love you too" she said hugging me back. And then she was off again.

I went to hand Eric his clean washing. "So" I said "Did you realise I'm the underpants fairy?"

EPOV

I knew I'd been sprung as soon as Sookie asked if I knew she was the underpants fairy.

"Really?" I said. "And what does that job entail?"

"Oh, you know. I take dirty washing and magically it turns into clean underwear." She looked at me. "Did you really think she wouldn't spill the beans, Eric?"

I shrugged. "I hoped she wouldn't. I guess I should learn, huh?" Sookie nodded. "But do you think it's worked?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do. But it could have backfired totally. Imagine if she just decided to blame me for lying to her about it all her life. You were lucky there, mister."

"Nah, I 'm not lucky. It was a calculated risk."

Sookie hugged me. "You are so full of shit sometimes, Eric."

I looked down at her. "But, in a good way, right?" I asked.

Sookie narrowed her eyes. "Mostly in a good way. But let's not tell Amelia anymore weird and wonderful stories, OK?" I nodded. Sookie continued, "And seeing as you think you're so shit hot at this stuff, tell me what to do about Lorena?"

"Do you think she'll buy the fairy story?"

"No, I think we'll have to do better than that." Sookie stepped back and walked off. I hoped we figured out what to do about Lorena soon, as I really just wanted this whole fucking mess over with.

I had intended this chapter to get as far as them sorting Lorena, but that will have to be next chapter. Still, every house needs an underpants fairy, right? Hands up if you're one too! Sigh. If only it was that glamorous...

Thanks for reading!