Whew! This chapter is finally available.

Sorry it took so long. Thursday and Friday were busy and exhausting. This chapter also proved far more challenging to write than I had anticipated. Several characters, lots of dialogue, some verbal sparring and an impromptu courtroom drama. About the only thing missing is the signature "donk - donk" sound from Law and Order.

Chapter 8

Terence watched from the root and was proud of his friend. Tinker Bell could be very temperamental and hot headed (the great ones usually are). Even the smallest setback in a project could send her into a deep depression or turn her into a raving lunatic. Ever since the two became friends he made a point to learn her moods, body language, facial expressions and Tink's emotional responses to difficult and challenging situations.

He cared deeply for Tinker Bell and was concerned for her mental health and stability. Terence had set out to predict how she would react to any given stimulus. Tink's hyper reactions could hurt someone, crash a project or end a friendship. So Terence decided to be proactive in his responses to keep her from flying off the handle. Along those lines he began to experiment with and catalog all the right things to say and do in a given situation which would calm her down and get her back to being loveable ol' Tink again. Bolt at the Pixie Dust Depot even started referring to him as Pixie Hollow's resident "Tinker Bell wrangler" because he was getting so good at it. Terence held no illusions, though; he still had a long way to go when it came to managing her wild mood swings.

However, at this moment he didn't have to worry, Tinker Bell was handling Vidia's apology like a champ. No screaming, no pouting, no finger pointing; not even the slightest hint of red in her cheeks. Maybe this will have a positive effect on her, he thought. If Tink can learn to keep things in perspective she won't have a fit every time something goes wrong.

When Silvermist, Rosetta and Lockheed arrived and implied that Vidia might have brought the thistles here on purpose, it didn't require a talent in problem solving to figure out a possible motive. Terence became very worried and decided to flit down to where his friend was standing to help keep her calm.

He sighed on his way down, Tink might learn perspective, but it wouldn't be today.

"Did you say she brought them here?" Fairy Mary asked when Lockheed suggested that Vidia may have brought the thistles to Tinker's Nook on purpose.

"Possibly," he said.

"Wait. What?" Tinker Bell sputtered, sounding quite confused and with good reason. She was still trying to process the traumatic loss of her home and possessions. Terence landed next to her and placed a caring, reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"She also knocked me into the water," Silvermist charged.

"And she tore up one of my flower gardens," Rosetta added.

"Wait, what happened here?" Sil asked. When she had fluttered down into Tinker's Nook Silvermist had been so focused on Vidia that she did not initially notice all the damage and debris. Now it was all beginning to consciously register with her. Upon hearing the water talent's observation, Rosetta took in the scene as well.

"Did the thistles do all this?" the garden fairy asked.

"Yes, they did." Fairy Mary answered. "And they demolished Tinker Bell's cottage, too."

Neither fairy had been in Tinker's Nook since Tinker Bell had arrived so they did not know where it had been or what it looked like. Rosetta saw tinker cottages in the housing district with gaping holes in their walls and assumed she lived in one of those.

"Which one is your house, Tinker Bell?" Rosetta asked.

"It was sitting on this root," she said pointing to the empty space right above them.

"There's nothin' there, sweetheart," Rosetta helpfully pointed out.

Tink choked back an urge to start crying again. "Because that's all that's left of it: nothing."

Rosetta and Silvermist stared briefly at each other in stunned disbelief. Then both glanced back and forth between the houses in the district and the open space on the root as each created a mental image of what Tink's house may have looked like. Psychologically it gave the water and garden talent fairies a stronger visual and emotional connection that allowed them to sympathize more with their tinker fairy friend.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Tink," Silvermist told her while giving Tinker Bell a comforting hug. "Did the thistles do all of that?"

"Yeah, yeah they did."

"Oh now don't you worry about a thing," Rosetta said in reassuring tones. "These tinkers will build you new and better home in no time."

"Aye, that we will," Bobble said.

"And you can stay with me until they're finished," Rosetta added.

Tinker Bell smiled again. "Thanks, guys."

That's when the tinker fairy took a good look at Silvermist. "Sil, what happened to your face? It looks all red and kind of swollen."

Silvermist had been so distracted by what had happened to Tink's home, and the deep feelings of pain and sorry she felt for her friend that she had forgotten why she had come to Tinker's Nook in the first place. Tinker Bell's observation reminded her and Sil's anger boiled up again.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you go water skating…, face first." Sil glared at Vidia when she spoke those last two words.

"Hey, it's not my fault if you're clumsy," Vidia responded with a snippy tone.

"Clumsy? You sent me crashing into the brook with one of your wind bursts. I had to wait for my wings to dry out before I could do anything else today."

"Sorry, dearie, but I was busy at the time…, with those thistles," Vidia replied with a sneer.

"Oh no, you don't. You're not getting off that easy," Sil continued, even more upset than before. "I saw you running with those weeds and if you could knock my legs out from under me with your winds then you certainly weren't all that occupied by them."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Silvermist," Vidia replied smugly, "Like I said, I was otherwise engaged with the thistles. I had lost control of them before I had ever reached the brook and I couldn't do anything else because I was so focused on trying to get back the reigns. Just ask Rosetta here. She's always saying that there isn't a garden fairy alive that can control those things. Isn't that right, Rosetta?"

"You're right, but they can be coaxed for a while," she said. "Or did you forget that I'm a garden fairy and we know more about the thistles than any other talent in Pixie Hollow?"

"Hmmph, you just said they couldn't be controlled and then you told us you're an authority on the subject. Sounds like I've got all the evidence I need to prove my innocence." Vidia huffed, crossed her arms across her chest and then turned her back to the pair, noticeably not appearing to be hurt or injured anymore.

When Fairy Mary saw Vidia acting just fine all sympathy she had for the fast flyer evaporated. While the girls argued Mary began to scrutinize the incident and when she did several tiny, but very unsettling details began to emerge. She kept her mouth shut, not wanting to say anything unfounded. Instead, she kept listening to the conversation, gleaning out any new evidence.

"Oh really? Vidia, how many thistles have you returned to Needlepoint meadow?" Rosetta asked.

"A little more than half. Why?"

"And how did you get all those thistles back there? Was it by chance? Or did they just suddenly change their minds and decide to go home? You coaxed them along with your talent, is what you did," Rosetta said, tearing into Vidia's defense.

Vidia just grunted, unwilling to engage Rosetta any further at this moment.

"When I first arrived in Pixie Hollow I wanted to impress the other garden fairies, so I tried to tame those weeds, the same way humans tame dogs and cats. I spent decades watchin' and learnin' all I could, tryin' everything to bring those weeds under control. I even tried to gettin' inside their heads, but nothin' worked"

"Sounds like you're building an airtight case for me, Rosetta. Thanks," Vidia said.

"It may sound like it, but I ain't. Do you know why? Because in all that time I also learned quite a few things about 'em. First, you can coax them along for a while, like you have, Vidia, in gettin' some back to Needlepoint Meadow. Second, I know they prefer to run along the easiest path, usually in straight lines. They don't like things getting' in their way. And lastly, they hate big crowds of fairies; it scares 'em. Thistles prefer to be left alone so they can grow and run wild wherever they want."

"What's your point, Rosetta?" Fairy Mary asked.

"My point is that I saw Vidia coaxin' those weeds along when she came through my gardens. First they ran into my flower bed rather than goin' around. A stampede would have run through, but there was only two 'em and in small numbers they prefer to avoid what's in their way. Second, instead of runnin' in a straight line they ran all over, tramplin' and stompin' everythin' under foot."

"Well maybe you don't know thistles like you think you do, Rosetta," Vidia sneered, obviously contradicting herself.

"Oh, and then I followed Vidia around for a while."

"You what?!" Vidia barked, stunned by Rosetta's admission.

"She ran those weeds right into parts of Pixie Hollow with lots of fairies. Thistles would never do that on their own, they would need someone to drive them. Sort of like what happened to Tink the day before we took spring to the mainland."

"It almost sounds like she wanted to be seen," Lockheed concluded.

"One more thing, I got a good look at her face when she trampled my flowers and Vidia never once looked like she was frightened or upset. In fact, it seemed like she was enjoyin' herself."

"That's not true," Vidia shouted back. "I didn't look scared because I was trying very hard to get those things under my control again. And I have had plenty of practice doing that these past few weeks."

"Then why did it take you so long this time, Vidia?" Lockheed asked. Vidia instantly realized that she had just walked right into one of Lockheed's little verbal traps.

Stupid, Cricket, why can't you just leave me alone.

Of all the fast flyers in her guild, Lockheed was the one she hated most. He was assigned the task of being her guild mentor, but he quickly took it upon himself to act as her conscience, too. When the story of Pinocchio made its way to the shores of Pixie Hollow she started to call him "Cricket," after the little bug that tried to warn the puppet boy about the pitfalls of doing wrong. Like that little bug, Lockheed just wouldn't go away.

He was tall, lean and had pretty boy good looks. Lockheed was considered quite the catch in some circles, but Vidia would have none of it. She was determined to keep this twit at arm's length, or further.

"They were particularly nasty thistles," Vidia replied.

"Really? Because on the way over I saw Fawn and Buck driving those particular thistles back towards the grassy meadow where they like to sit and feed," Lockheed told her.

"Well…," briefly Vidia was at a loss for words. "I…, I must have…, well I must have…run them to exhaustion trying to…."

"You 'ran them to exhaustion?'" Lockheed asked. "You mean on purpose?"

"No, they ran themselves to exhaustion!" she railed back. "Don't try to put words in my mouth."

Lockheed could see Vidia's resolve beginning to crack under the strain of this questioning and pressed onward with a new indictment. "And then there is the matter of where you were going so early every morning these past several days," he said keeping Vidia on her heels.

"And how would you know?! I don't even live with the other fast flyers!" Vidia roared back.

"True, but when one of our own wakes even before the dust keepers, it raises some questions. Some of the dust talents saw you early in the morning a couple of times when they were flying to the Pixie Dust Depot to begin their morning shifts. They thought it was very strange and asked us about it."

"Well, it's none of your business, Lockheed," she screamed. "Now butt out!"

"I just want to know why you were up so early in the morning. It's not like you."

"Why should it matter to you, anyway?!" Vidia said in a strong and defensive tone.

"Were you doing something you shouldn't?"

"NO!" she yelled back.

"Okay, then." Lockheed seemed to relent, but then added something more. "Oh, one more thing, the dust keepers said they saw you flying in this general direction."

"Towards Tinker's Nook?" Fairy Mary asked. "We never saw her here."

"Because I was never here," Vidia countered. "There is more to Pixie Hollow out this way than just this stinking hole in the ground."

Fairy Mary was insulted and incensed by Vidia's declaration that Tinker's Nook was just a "stinking hole in the ground." She was so deeply wounded that Fairy Mary finally broke her silence. "You don't look like you're hurt anymore, Vidia."

"What? Oh, uh, the pain seems to have gone away. I guess I wasn't as hurt as I thought I was. Lucky me."

"Yes, I'm sure you were very lucky," the tinker supervisor said with a knowing stare. Fairy Mary had heard plenty. Analyzing what she heard and surveyed, and assuming that Vidia had a reason to bring the thistles to Tinker's Nook, she had puzzled out a very reasonable conclusion. Now she proceeded to inform everyone of it.

"It seems to me that the only house in Tinker's Nook that was completely destroyed was Tinker Bell's," she correctly observed. "And the thistles came into the nook by the only way a thistle could to get to her house, over that rise by the tree. They certainly could not have climbed the root to get to it. A thistle can't do that. Isn't that right, Rosetta?"

"That's right, Fairy Mary."

Vidia's confidence melted and was replaced by surprise.

"Rosetta, wouldn't you also say that it was highly unlikely that thistles would run over that rise, around the tree and down the root on their own?"

"Virtually impossible, Fairy Mary. The tree, the drop and the root are all things thistles would choose to avoid."

Vidia now felt worry, nervousness and anxiety. How could she know?

"Interesting. Vidia, you do have a rather unfriendly history with Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion has punished you severely for what you did to her at springtime. I'd say that would be more than enough reason to take action against Tinker Bell. And both Rosetta and Silvermist were highly critical of what you did to Tinker Bell, which may explain why you chose to seek them out."

Tinker Bell couldn't believe all that she was hearing. "You brought them here on purpose, Vidia?"

"No, I didn't. I told you it was an accident," Vidia replied nervously. "They can't prove anything!"

"You got up extra early for days and came over here, for what?" Tink's voice grew louder as she continued to review all the indictments against Vidia. "Then you hurt my friends, came over that rise, broke my house and did all of this."

"I told you it wasn't on purpose, I lost all control and…, and…."

"And what? Look what you did to my house, Vidia!" Tinker Bell yelled.

"Calm down, Tink," Terence said, he put both of his hands on her shoulders in an effort to keep Tinker Bell from getting too angry. But instead she reacted by throwing off his vest and stepping closer to Vidia, her brow furrowed, eyes narrowing and lips curling into a decidedly angry frown.

"It wasn't my fault, Tinker Bell," Vidia said in a defensive voice.

"I could have been killed!" Tinker Bell replied, screaming.

"No, you wouldn't have!"

"Look at the root, Vidia! There's nothing left. If I had been in there when you brought the thistles I would have been crushed. Killed!"

"You never would have been killed, Tinker Bell!"

"And how would you know?!"

"Because I timed it just right so you could see your house get blown up, that's why!" Vidia yelled back.

Everyone gasped in absolute stunned horror at this confession.

Oh no, not again. Vidia slapped her hands over her mouth. She was incredulous that she had been lead to incriminate herself a second time.

It was her ego that had done her in. Like all narcissists Vidia wasn't satisfied being better than everyone else. She needed others to accept that fact, as well. Vidia had superior talent, intelligence, cunning and craftiness; but from her vantage point she was constantly surrounded by fairies that were too small minded to appreciate those qualities. So just as before Vidia was pushed hard enough to reveal her actions and intent in a moment of pique. They had questioned her superiority and it frustrated her to an explosive end.

"That's why you came here every morning," Fairy Mary said, putting the last piece of the puzzle together. "So you could watch Tinker Bell's movements and know when to bring in the thistles."

"Why?" Tinker Bell asked, her face turning red with anger.

Enraged that she had been goaded into revealing her well laid plans Vidia abandoned all pretense and told the little tinker fairy everything. "Because I wanted to get back at you for making me capture the thistles! That's why!"

"The queen will hear of this," Fairy Mary stated waggling her finger at Vidia.

"Yeah, you go ahead and tell her," Vidia spat. "What's she gonna do? Make me capture more thistles?"

Vidia then heard a low, but growing guttural sound. It was coming from Tinker Bell who was turning darker shades of red.

"Oh, and what are going to do about it, Tinker Bell?" Vidia sneered. "Run down my house with the thistles? I live in a tree trunk. You can't touch my home."

That did it, Tinker Bell lunged at Vidia who leapt into the air and flew off, laughing at the blonde pixie. But the little tinker fairy wasn't going to sit still for this. Even as her friends and supervisor kept calling for her to remain calm and let the queen handle this, Tinker Bell charged off after Vidia, giving chase through the woods. This took Vidia by surprise who hadn't realized just how furious she had made the tinker fairy.

"Whoa! She's mad." Vidia sped away hoping to lose the tinker fairy in the trees, but then decided otherwise. In spite of the fact that she had accomplished all she had set out to do, her victory seemed decidedly hollow. Whether Vidia knew it or not, her one, underlying motivation in everything she had done against Tinker Bell was to break the tinker fairy's spirit. To keep that little tinker fairy in line so that Vidia could always claim to be the best and most talented fairy in all of Pixie Hollow.

Flying though the forests of spring Vidia set about to enact a new plan, one that would give her the satisfaction she so desperately craved. She knew just the place to do it, too: an old tree trunk in the Autumn Forest. Now Vidia just had to lure Tinker Bell into the new trap.

I hope this chapter was up to the high standards everyone has come to expect.

Chapter 9 should be available by tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Thanks to all of my wonderful and loyal readers for their graciousness and patience.