Soooooo sorry for the delay...on top of getting a one-two punch of stress, I get smacked in the head with writer's block from Hell.
Btw, Happy Father's Day to all dads that are not deadbeats.
A pasty mixture of shale-grey clouds and streaked the sky, arctic-white cloaking roofs of suburban homes and municipal buildings in a gentle hush. Winter's flurry had descended upon the city of Dimmsdale overnight, smothering the grass and unplowed roads in snowy tills of adult-thigh height.
The sheet of ice beneath the thin spread of sleet across the roads had closed the doors of all schools and non-essential offices for the day, but that had not stopped the mother and son duo from successfully traversing dangerous roads to make it to their hospital destination. Unfortunately, winter had not been so forgiving later that afternoon when another billow of snow clouds released more icy confetti. Entrapping their car's wheels in a white carpet and thus, trapping them in one place.
Seated in a chair tucked in the corner closest to the winter fairytale through the hospital window, Kevin Crocker was occupied with sheets of scrap paper, an old clipboard, and an extra pencil given from one of the nurses that had tended to their vegetative patient. His deep concentration scribbled away with the pencil, letting his imagination flourish onto his blank canvas.
Katherine sat at the foot of her half-brother's bed, her mind processing everything that had caught her up to speed. Since weather conditions had given Dolores no choice in whether her uninvited guests were to stay or go, she saw no reason to keep quiet as to why her only son was on life support. Even if she didn't like to acknowledge the fact that Katherine was paternally related to Denzel, Katherine still had some right to be informed.
"I'm so sorry, Dolores…" Katherine expressed after a moment of silence. Watching Dolores hold Denzel's cold hand in hers, seated in the chair beside his bed. "I can't imagine finding my son in that way…"
Dolores held somber eyes to her son, stroking his thin fingers with her thumb. The image of Denzel slumped against the wall covered in yellow bile forever seared into the worst memory of her life.
When a small spark flickered in Katherine's recollection, she thought to ask "…were the birds that died those pink and green parrots he had?"
Dolores turned her gaze to Katherine, knitting her brow as she spoke above a whisper "…how do you know about those parrots?"
"I remember seeing them on Denzel's shoulder when he'd showed up to dad's house asking for him." Katherine recalled the first time she'd ever seen the brother she hardly knew of. "I was too young to remember much else, but those oddly colored feathers really stood out to me."
Oh, yes, how could Dolores ever forget? She remembered that nasty phone call from her ex-husband after the fact, telling her to keep a better leash on her kid. Just the thought always left a bitter taste on her tongue.
"Denzel had lost those parrots that same day…" Dolores corrected, her voice toneless. "The birds that Denzel lost recently were birds that had shown up sick in our yard one day. He'd nursed them back to health, and they never left…" she paused from another heartrending memory of Denzel digging two small graves in their backyard. "…until they did."
Monotonous beeps of her son's heart monitor pricked fresh tears in the elderly mother's frown.
"…it always felt like Denzel loved those birds more than he loved me…" she spoke honestly, droning with despair "…but I shouldn't be surprised."
"Why is that?" Katherine inquired intently, seeing a rueful gloss behind black glasses.
"…I used to think I was doing the very best I could when Devin abandoned us for another life with another woman..."
Katherine furrowed at the brief mental image of her mother.
"I had to do everything myself…working 14 or even 16 hours straight." Dolores squeezed Denzel's placid fingers. "The babysitter I had to hire saw my child more than I did…"
Katherine took a glance at her son in the corner, still scribbling away in his own fantasy.
"…as he got older…I could see he was struggling with something, but…I was just too busy to care." Dolores scrubbed at her wet cheek with one hand. "I just thought…that if I kept him healthy and alive, then he was fine…"
Katherine looked back to the elderly mother, hearing her voice slowly break the longer she talked.
"…Denzel would always say I didn't love him, and I would always argue that I did. I thought I loved him with the many sacrifices I had to make to keep us from drowning…" she choked and cleared her throat "…but I see now that I didn't love him how he needed me to."
Her son's lifeless form dropped her voice into an apologetic whimper.
"…maybe he wouldn't have done this to himself if I'd loved him more…"
Katherine extended her empathy through her eyebrows pulled down flat and forward over the bridge of her nose. Empathy that Dolores did not feel deserving of.
"I'm sorry…" Dolores sniffed, using her free hand to lift her glasses as her wrist wiped wetness from her eyes. "I didn't expect to get so emotional."
"No, you have every right to be." Katherine voiced from similar experience. "I understand what it's like to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders from all the pressure and responsibility that falls on you when you're left to fend for yourself, let alone you and your child."
Dolores lifted her head back, blinking back more tears before they could fall.
"It's so hard to find that balance when you have to juggle a million things." Katherine spoke compassionately. "And even if you have your flaws, it's not all your fault."
"Denzel wouldn't be breathing through a tube if I was a better mother…" Dolores snivled.
"But it's not too late." Katherine emphasized. "You still have a chance to be what Denzel needs, but you need to have faith that he'll wake up to see for himself."
While she considered this, Dolores still had her doubts "…he'd just think it's all an act."
"Then you keep trying until he believes you."
Meeting the younger mother's gaze, Dolores scrunched her brow, slightly skeptical of Katherine's kindness "…why are you being so nice to me?"
Katherine shrugged with one shoulder "…is there a reason I shouldn't be?"
Dolores mutely snorted. "I'm sure your father has said lots of horrible things about me."
"That he has, but none of what he ever said about you had anything to do with me." Katherine remarked. "I never knew you personally, so why hold a grudge that's not mine."
Dolores continued to brush Denzel's fingers with her thumb, curious about something else. "So…what about your mother? Does she know you're here?" She noted the visible narrow in Katherine's averted stare as soon as the word 'mother' was uttered, inner disgust outwardly palpable.
"…I hadn't spoken to her since before Kevin was born…" Katherine huffed, shoulders hunched involuntarily. "That was over a decade ago."
Dolores rose an enquiring brow "…may I ask why?"
Katherine glanced once more towards her son, ensuring he was still preoccupied before she turned to Dolores, divulging what had been locked away in a vault of regrets "…I…don't know who Kevin's father is."
…hmph. That's interesting coming from a woman raised by a she-devil with the most prudish stick up her butt. "Oh?"
"I was young, fresh out of grad school. Had a little too much to drink one night and slept with a man I'd known for all of five seconds." Katherine wanted to be honest with someone who had been honest with her. "I took full responsibility for my carelessness…" her lips downturned subtly. Even with Kevin outside of earshot, she lowered her voice to avoid him hearing her admit "…but my mother didn't want a bastard for a grandchild."
Oh…well, damn.
"Never mind that I worked full-time through university and graduate school…" Katherine bunched her lip. "To my mother, I'm just nothing more than a dumb slut for getting knocked up on the one night that I just wanted to live and have fun for once…"
"Wow..." Dolores didn't expect Katherine to open up as much as she did. Part of her didn't seem to mind; Katherine was surprisingly easy to talk to. "Did Devin ever meet your son?"
"He was the only male figure ever in Kevin's life." Katherine confirmed. "And that was only because he'd been divorced from my mother for years before I'd gotten pregnant."
Thinking it was better not to pry into why Devin would end up divorcing the woman he'd cheated on her with to start a whole new life for, Dolores decided to instead pose the question "…may I ask…how Devin died?"
"Alzheimer's slowly killed his mind first…"
"Hmm…" Dolores glanced to Denzel, releasing his hand. "Is that why you wanted your son to meet mine?"
"That's another part of it." Katherine confessed. "Most men aren't exactly lining up to date a woman with a kid that's not theirs…"
When a timid tug pulled her sleeve, Katherine turned to her son now standing beside her, holding the clipboard to his chest, masking her internal strife with a smile. "All done?"
Kevin nodded weakly, revealing his recent work with the back of the clipboard facing Dolores who watched as Katherine's brows rose with a smile that came off genuinely impressed.
"Wow, sweetheart!" Katherine examined more of the sketch before she directed a perky grin towards her son. "This looks amazing!"
"…thank you." Kevin peeped, a faint flush in hish cheeks.
"Would you like to show Ms. Crocker?" Katherine gave a friendly suggestion that further reddened Kevin's cheeks. She watched him shoot his stare towards Dolores, clutching the clipboard back to his chest which prompted another grin from his mother.
"Um…" Dolores sounded as awkward as Kevin likely felt, twiddling fingers in her lap. She didn't want the boy to feel any obligation, but she didn't want to outright reject him, either "…I-I'd like to see it, if you'll let me."
With an encouraging nudge from his mother, Kevin crept towards the woman old enough to be the grandmother he'd never met. Dolores swallowed the dryness in her throat as he approached, and when timorous hands flipped the clipboard around, the drawing that was revealed caused Dolores's eyes to widen.
Detailed in intricate strokes of graphite were wrinkles of tree bark and branches lined with lush leaves, shaded and smoothly blended as if staring at a black-and-white photograph. Within the hollow space between the trunks and centered within the page were anthropomorphic creatures drawn in humanistic detail far advanced for a child's depth. Zooming and fluttering butterfly wings patterned in whimsical delicacy, each pair unique from the rest.
"Kevin's really into fae folklore and all things occult." Katherine divulged. "His book shelf is filled with all sorts of literature about them, and he has drawings just like that one plastered all over his walls."
Dolores blinked when the sketch began to blur, swiping at her eyes with a free hand. Oh, if Denzel could see this…
Mounted flush lights dimly lit the purple stone walls, emphasizing each crack and crevice with dark shadows. Rushing water sloshed as she pressed her hands together beneath the faucet, pooling enough in her palms before she shut her eyes as she splashed herself in the face. Cold droplets trickled over her eyes, dropping from her chin into the empty bowl of the ceramic sink. Her hand felt for the knob to cut off the rush of water as her eyes batted themselves dry, indigo orbs staring into her ragged reflection within the counter-length mirror.
Her chest expanded and constricted in deep breaths, seeing the red rings around her eyes and the bags of stress that'd started to form beneath them. Susie had isolated herself to the privacy of the communal bathroom in attempts to pull herself together after the horrific events that had taken place prior. She wasn't sure how long she'd been alone. No one had come after her, and she preferred it this way. No one was supposed to see her like this.
She wished she knew if Wanda was okay. Wanda seemed perfectly fine and then…it all took a dark turn. If not for this wish, Cosmo and Wanda might not have ever conceived. She would hate for her best friend to lose their only chance at a child of their own. She would hate for Wanda to experience that type of pain. The pain of your body failing you, failing your unborn child. She knew that pain all too well…it was one of the worst days of her life.
Agony burned in her chest, heart sliced in two like it was yesterday instead of millenniums ago. It had come down between her life and the life of the last physical link to her lost lover, a choice that was stripped from her. That was the day she'd been forced into labor earlier than her underdeveloped baby could survive.
The day she had given birth to a precious life that died in her arms…
The clink of the bathroom doorknob yanked her back to the present, pivoting to the icy-blue eyes that had disrupted her dwell of a painful past.
"Oh…" Alondro had hoped to empty his bladder half-full, but Susie occupying the sole bathroom had slipped his mind. "Lo siento…"
Folding her lips, Susie watched as he was just about to shut the door before the pressure in her chest blurted out "…wait!"
Alondro paused, gripping the handle before he pushed the door back to meet her gaze etched with guilted diffidence.
"…I-I wanna tell you something."
Alondro fixed slighted eyes on her "…what is it?"
Susie scrubbed the backs of her arms. Guilt had eaten away at her ever since she'd shouted at him when he'd only been trying to comfort her, and she just wanted to clear whatever tension lingered in the air between them. "Just…come over here." plea furrowed in her eyes "…please?"
Weighted in his sigh, Alondro dragged himself into the bathroom, apprehensive in his float towards her as the heavy door clinked shut behind him. The nearer he drew, the more her heart splashed in her stomach, and when toned pecs and hearty biceps hovered at an arm's length before her, her chest ached with tension from the many beats her heart skipped.
He said not a word, waiting patiently for whatever it was she needed to say. Making the first move was a mistake he knew to never make again, though a lesson he should've already learned.
Her body moved on its own, shortening the gap between them. Her eyes searched his, struggling to read his vague expression. She felt that words simply could not convey the remorse of her behavior, so she chose action instead.
Floating closer, she ignored the racing thumps between her ears to brush her lips against his. While he welcomed this, his reciprocation was dithery…sapless, even. When their lips broke, his disgruntlement was the easiest thing to read in the eyes that quickly looked away. She hugged herself, brows knitting as he grimaced. His fingers gently curled and uncurled at the yellow bandana tied around his left wrist, then he forced himself to lock eyes with her. Palpable with confliction despite how softly he spoke.
"…what are you doing?"
She blinked uncomfortably.
"You push me away, then you kiss me back, then push me away again…and now you kiss me again?" he squinted ever so thinly "…do you see how confusing that is?"
"I know…" Susie saw where he was coming from, placing her hands to her chest in her admission "…but i-it's not you, it's me."
The sullenness in him snorted, turning away from her.
"I'm serious!"
When he had the heart to face her again, icy-blue orbs reflected the vast expanse of emotions too complex to be contained in a single confession. "…I do not know why, but I feel drawn to you in ways I cannot explain…and these mixed signals are just confusing me more."
She hovered still in her stare, now more conflicted than in the beginning.
"I just wish I knew what it is that you want from me?"
And she wished she knew how to answer that.
Echoed knocks disrupted the stillness in the air, and the two fairies turned to Rose peering awkwardly from behind the door.
"Sorry for interrupting, but…Jorgen's back and he needs to speak to all of us."
After a pause, Susie and Alondro swapped side glances. Sheesh, what is it, now?
. . . . . .
Rose floated down the narrow hall with Alondro and Susie, returning to the sight of Irving, Nyekundu, and Swizzle lined along the modular couch while Jorgen stood with his staff on the other side of the coffee table.
"Is Wanda okay?" was the first question that had come to Susie's mind. Steel-blue eyes addressed her with the usual stern clench in his jaw, making it difficult to tell whether he came bearing good or bad news.
"Pregnancy complications had forced an early delivery." Jorgen started, speaking to all of the fairies. "However, Wanda and her son are stable and should make full recoveries."
As Irving and Nyekundu exchanged baffled yet excited glances, Swizzle remained stoic with folded arms, quietly surprised that shit didn't take as far as a left turn as she'd thought. While hovering slightly behind her, Alondro and Rose noticed how silently Susie processed this news with no discernable emotion in her expression.
Susie could not be happier that Wanda and her son were okay. However, if the magic from Timmy's wish had accelerated Wanda's pregnancy, then part of her wondered if that same magic had saved Wanda from what had made Susie not so lucky…
"I am also here because there has been a change of plans." Jorgen switched the subject to the primary reason for his presence. "The Council has ordered that you all return to your godchildren except for Cosmo and Wanda; they have both been officially taken off duty."
"Why? For the baby?" Irving questioned.
"That and primarily for other reasons that I am not at liberty to disclose."
"Can you at least finally disclose why we were separated from our godkids in the first place?" Swizzle asked what she'd assumed was still a lingering unanswered question in everyone's minds.
"I can only disclose what I have been permitted to know." Jorgen firmly stated. "That said, there have been changes in your godchildren's circumstances."
Nyekundu's dread faintly frowned "…what does that mean?"
"Nyekundu." Jorgen addressed the youngest godparent in the room. "I shall start with Hazel…"
Picking at her nails with her head to Molly's chest, Hazel observed Remy whose absent finger brushed the purple stripe in the red ferret's fur. Glassy eyes staring off as Simmons remained content in his arms. It seemed so long ago when she'd first met the richest kid in Dimmsdale. He'd been sitting with Juandissimo alone at an isolated table, staring out the window with those same hollow, listless eyes. The familiarity of his lost soul had drawn her to him, another lost soul hoping to find an ally.
Ever since his admission, she couldn't help but have the same question as Molly…what would make the richest kid in Dimmsdale want to die? While she had a decent idea, she knew it was not always best to assume. Plus, to an extent, she was potentially the only godchild who could relate to him on some sort of level. Money can't buy happiness…but money can make it comfortable to be miserable. They were living proof of this.
When Molly felt pressure move away from the side of her chest, she looked to Hazel standing to her feet. "Where're you going?"
"To talk to Remy."
"Oh…" Molly mumbled, letting Hazel leave. Watching Hazel make the short distance to Remy who seemed to react only when his arms felt Simmons shift at the sight of Hazel.
As Simmons nestled into Remy's crossed lap to face Hazel, Hazel lowered herself to her knees in front of Remy. His dark eyes drooped, unable to meet her thoughtful stare.
"…do you wanna talk?"
He almost had to strain to hear the question that snapped his eyes to her, frowning "…what about?"
Hazel too frowned, looking down to the arms resting in her lap. Wringing her fingers to quietly state "…anything."
Staring at her for a moment, all Remy could think of were the horrible, deplorable things that likely would have gone to Hazel's grave had Simmons not revealed them to him. Vile things that no sweet a child as Hazel ever deserved. She eventually looked back at him, brown eyes extinguished of the bright, bubbly sparkle of life that had lit his dark world in the country club that fateful day.
That sparkle was now replaced by the dejected gaze of a broken spirit no longer wishing life, and to that, he whispered "…I'm sorry…"
Puzzled, Hazel scrunched her brow. "Why?"
He could not suppress the tears slipping down his cheek "…if I'd just said something sooner…i-if I'd been more honest about Fenwick…" he hiccupped a sob, whimpering with the deepest remorse "…I'm so, so sorry…"
Brown eyes began to gloss with tears she didn't know she still had, faintly shaking her head "…but it's not your fault."
Simmons draped his chin on Remy's arm as Remy bowed his head, sniffling his stuffy nose "…t-then I'm partially to blame…"
"No." Hazel sternly pouted "…you shouldn't blame yourself."
Their eyes met as his hot tears trickled "…but-"
"You told me not to trust him, and…maybe if I'd said something to mom and dad sooner…" Hazel started, then exhaled, tears now flowing soundlessly "…but who am I kidding…it's not like they would've taken my word for it anyway…" the back of her arm scrubbed to dry as much of her sorrow as she detested to show "…Fenwick could've touched me instead…they wouldn't bat an eye."
Remy's frown widened, taken aback by the profound defeat in her tiny voice. "Hazel…"
Observing from the sidelines, Molly bunched her lips in consideration. Maybe, just maybe, Buxaplenty was not the self-centered snob she once thought. And maybe, just maybe, she might have misjudged the cover of his complicated book.
Tabling that thought, she looked over at Tootie still on her knees, wiping damp cheeks as her free hand gave gentle strokes along the back of Plum's dark-blue plumage. Though she had gathered hints of Tootie's story, Molly had only read the cover page. There was much more to the narrative that Molly could uncover.
Before that, she turned to her left, meeting the green and pink eyes of the yellow retriever looking back at her. Willing himself to only blink with his eyelids as to not disturb Gary whose head had drooped to one side on Birchie's back, lips gently slack. Molly snorted to herself; guess he finally conked out.
Scooting towards him, Molly reached to softly scratch behind Birchie's pink ear. Birchie responded with feeble pats of his tail up and down, slipping his tongue out to reciprocate affection into Molly's palm. "Dassa good boi…" she cooed quietly with one last scratch before she paused, cringing internally as she scraped her hand in the grass to dry her sticky palm. Eww, did she really just say that? Gross.
Stroking gently along the silk of Plum's back feathers, Tootie spotted the Head Councilor speaking to Timmy through the bars of his jail. They were too far away to hear, but she wondered what they were saying.
When it came to Timmy, Tootie's thoughts were conflicted. She was no stranger to his callous side; after his sister's death, she was once on the receiving end of it. She hated that side of him, her heart breaks just thinking about it. It's so, so scary. Seeing him so angry. So volatile…all too familiar. All too terrifying.
…but how much could she blame him? He was hurting. They were all hurting. One kid can only handle so much pain until it all goes bursting at the seams. Still, the things he'd said, the things he did…no. That wasn't Timmy. That can't be the core of his character…
"…can I ask you somethin'?"
Tootie shortly gasped, blinking rapidly at Molly who stood before her with hands in her pockets, coolly waiting for a response to her question. As the dark-blue raven cawed in her greeting to Molly, Tootie gawked as mental wheels spun, processing what had been asked of her before she replied with a feeble nod.
Taking her cue, Molly proceeded to sit Indian style at a far enough distance to not invade personal space. Plum brushed the top of her head to the hand that had stopped petting her before Tootie looked down at her, caressing Plum's feathers to her resumed satisfaction. Tootie then returned half of her attention to Molly's casual demeanor, unsure of what Molly wanted to ask until the question revealed itself.
"…why do you have Rose?"
Tootie grew unnaturally still, mouth clamped in a tight pinch.
Noticing this, Molly licked dry lips "…w-we don't gotta talk about it if you don't want."
"N-No, i-it's fine…" Tootie stuttered, drumming fingers across sleek feathers. She attempted to center herself, blowing out her cheeks with deep breaths. She cannot allow herself to be silenced by the past. She was haunted no longer.
"…it's…because my mom used to let my dad punish me…"
"Punish, how?" Molly asked intently.
Biting her lip, Tootie lowered her chin "…i-if I went against Jehovah…or did anything they didn't like…h-he would hit me…" she gulped down the acidic stabs of anxiety in her gut "…he'd s-slam me against the wall…or on the ground. Broke my arm, once…"
Molly nodded, well aware of what a human punching bag felt like. "Bet that sucked."
Tootie flattened her palm to Plum's back to keep her nails from digging "…really bad…"
"So…" Molly slouched forward, palming her chin. "You got out because your folks were sent to jail?"
"No…" Tootie weakly shook her head. "My parents were sent to jail because I got out."
"Hmm." Molly pressed her lips, tilting her head before she remarked "Pretty punk rock of you."
"…punk rock?" Tootie squeaked innocently.
"Takes a lotta guts to get out of a crappy situation like that." Molly explained, and Tootie furrowed. Was that what Plumfrost had meant when he'd said she was stronger than she realized?
"Maybe…" Tootie doubted, eyes downcast. "If Rose hadn't been there..."
Molly's brow wrinkled, the subconscious reach towards the right of her neck brushing the scar barely visible through her turtleneck "…and had Swizzle not been there…I'd be dead."
Tootie cringed. Considering what little Plumfrost had revealed about Molly's mother and her mother's boyfriend, Tootie was at least glad that Molly would not return to an environment that sounded terrible at best. Though, that still begged the question, "…if we ever go back to Earth…where will you go?"
Molly blinked, somewhat confused as to why Tootie would ask "…wherever CPS puts me."
"Right…" Ugh…Tootie did not miss dealing with them. Having living relatives willing to take her in made her one of the lucky ones. "W-What if…you stayed with me?" she offered hesitantly. "T-There's not a lot of room but…at least you'd be somewhere safe guaranteed."
Removing her palm from her neck, Molly's stare went blank. Aside from the friends she can count on one hand, no one was ever this nice for no reason. Not a kid in her class, not a teacher at school, not anyone. Tootie seemed too innocent for an underlying motive…but what was the catch? Or was Tootie's heart truly that virtuous to extend such kindness?
Even so, her lips couldn't help but wrench into a heartless smile "Sorry, kid…don't think it works that way."
Disappointed, Tootie jutted her lip "…but I don't want you to get hurt again."
Molly's heartless smile withered, downturned.
A small tremor shivering in her arms, Chloe half-listened to Molly conversing with Tootie. The other half of her attention observed Bella nested in Dwight's lap, allowing his arms around her wings with a brooding cheek to the feathers behind her head. The depths of despair had withdrawn him into the imprisonment of his own thoughts, and her heart ached for him. If only she could do something to help...
Don't even bother. her mind spat tartly. If you're useless during a seizure, how do you expect to be of use to him now? Face it, you're just pathetic.
"…n-no…" she whimpered to herself, eyes clasped as she shook her head. This was not her voice. These were not her thoughts.
Forcing her eyes opened, she furrowed towards the purple eyes that had not lifted from the aquamarine grass for several minutes. She also spotted Bella's dark-teal saucers unblinking, peering through her as if translucent. Dwight showed no reaction when Bella twittered at her, faintly ruffling her chest feathers. As if beckoning for Chloe to ignore her crippling doubt and come over. She remembered how much Dwight perked the last time…maybe…she could have the same effect again.
Tugging a platinum lock behind her ear with shaky fingers, Chloe willed herself to her feet. Shuffling her sandals across before she lowered herself beside the boy who did not appear cognizant of her presence. Bella turned her neck ninety degrees towards her, greeting her with a tu-whoo that indicated how greatly she would appreciate some attention. Chloe obliged, scratching Bella under her neck feathers, squinting Bella's eyes in content.
She steadied her nerves with the deepest breath, skin tingling from a coldness that was not her own. It was as if she could feel his spirit plunge, drowning in disrepair. If he were to sink too far below the lowest depths…
Chloe swallowed the knot in her throat; she had to pull him out. "I-I know how awful it is…to be made to feel less than for what you can't control…"
It seemed her words managed to hook him back towards the surface when Dwight lifted drab eyes to her.
"…my mom…" she blinked excessively, diverting her gaze. She folded her lips to lick them, tucking loose strands of hair that seemed persistent on defying her "…s-she'd tell me to stop being so dramatic…"
Empty eyes did not tear away from her as heat radiated beneath the neckline of her dress, her voice quivering like a fragile bird taking flight.
"…she even mocked one of my worst panic attacks, and…" she shuddered "…it made me feel so worthless…"
Considering her confession, Dwight quietly muttered "Timmy's not the first kid to put me down, y'know."
Her eyes darted to him "…he's not?"
"No…" Dwight mumbled flatly "…it just hurt more coming from him..."
Pity fell in Chloe's features.
"…what about your dad?" Dwight switched the sore subject, more so intrigued by how much she seemed to be opening up to him. "He didn't seem like the type to say and do mean stuff."
Chloe gritted her tongue, bunching the hem of her dress in her hands "…unfortunately, he wasn't always like how you met him."
A hint of life lifted dimly in his eyebrows "…he wasn't?"
"…he wasn't as bad as my mom, but…" she hunched forward as if folding in on herself "…his motto was 'Carmichael's don't know failure."
Bella and Dwight eyed her as Chloe closed her eyes, trying to focus her breathing. When she opened them again, she swallowed the acid taste itching her throat.
"They would put so much pressure on me to succeed…and if I showed any stress about it, they'd just say I was overreacting…that it's all in my head…" her lungs began to constrict, but she blinked through it "…then I had a panic attack so bad that my heart stopped."
Dwight winced. That sounded as scary as when he'd been told of the grand mal that lasted so long that when he stopped breathing, he'd been deprived of oxygen to the point of hypoxia.
"His mindset started to change…and I was officially diagnosed."
"Wow…" he murmured, brushing soft fingers along Bella's tufts that reacted with a flicker. "Guess the worse parent died."
Wide eyes snapped to him, and only then did he realize the gravity of what had spilled from his mouth.
"Crap…" he frowned remorsefully, averting his eyes. "I-I'm sorry…I shouldn't've said that-"
"It's okay…" Chloe breathed, loose strands of hair feeling clammy against her temples "…I think…part of me wants to say…" her eyes softened "…you're right?"
Raising his head from Bella's feathers, his eyes drifted slowly, his pulse once dull quickening with butterflies the moment their gaze met. Her cheeks flushed, tingling her skin enough to whip her head away.
Yet his eyes couldn't look away "…Chloe?"
She twitched, forcing herself to meet his serious gaze "…yes?"
"…promise to try and stop apologizing for your anxiety?"
Blue eyes searched purple, contemplating the right choice to make. Obviously, the right choice is to agree. That said, a promise is different from an attempt. Then again, he did say 'try.' Try was no guarantee. But try meant putting forth the effort, and she can, at the very least, promise to put forth the effort. She owed him that.
"…if you promise to try and stop apologizing for your epilepsy."
Contemplating her compromise, Dwight replied with a sigh "…that's fair."
Gary's body jerked suddenly, blue eyes fluttering groggily. Stiff muscles felt the need to stretch in a closed-mouth yawn, realizing that he must've accidently dozed off. A numb prickle grew in his legs, prompting him to sit up. Remembering the four-legged sack of potatoes on his legs as his hand gave gentle pats along the back of yellow fur, perking Birchie's eyes to him.
"Thanks, buddy…" his mumble droned "…but uh…think my legs fella 'sleep." prickly tingles worsened when he tried to move his left leg, making him wince. "Again."
Birchie rose to stand on all fours without complaint, attacking Gary's cheek with multiple kisses that conjured a weary grin. Gary scratched behind Birchie's bouncy ears, and Birchie panted his tongue.
"And, um…thank you…for saving me from myself." Gary combed his fingers through Birchie's fur, trailing down his neck. Earnest in the unexplained need to murmur "…you really are a good boy."
Another sloppy kiss crimpled his nose in quiet chuckle.
Gary was the first to notice the robed figures' approach, and Birchie's bark alerted the other children and magical companions to turn towards Councilmembers all levitating behind the pink-hatted boy rubbing one arm with a bowed head. The sight of which wilted Gary's grin as Chloe noticed Dwight fix a sour gaze. Remy watched Hazel knit her brow in the brunette's direction, and Molly scrunched her nose with wrinkled brows.
"Timmy?" Tootie called to him, the only thing to raise his rueful eyes towards her.
When Timmy stopped to face his fellow godchildren, he heard Birchwind clear his throat behind him, signaling him to start speaking. He let out a heavy sigh, pinching the skin of his forearm. Their stares (and even glares) bore holes in his confidence.
"…I-I wanna say I'm sorry…" he figured that was a good place to start, pained in looking each and every single child in the eye. "To all of you."
Crickets.
He clawed at his arm, struggling to meet their magnifying stares "…I know how much I hurt all of you with all the things I said."
"I thought it didn't matter." Molly jeered bitterly.
"Let him finish." Plumfrost gritted his teeth, and Molly thinned her lips.
Taking this jab without a rebuttal, Timmy swallowed then continued. "A-And I know I said that we'd forget about all this and we'd forget about our godparents…" he stalled in a gulp, unable to wet his parched throat "…I…wasn't entirely right about that."
He managed to raise some eyebrows this time as his nails grazed his arm, trying to remember the simplest explanation the Council had given him to regurgitate.
"When our godparents leave, all of our memories will be altered so that, when we go to sleep, we'll relive those memories as if our godparents never left."
Hazel was the first to speak up, diffidently asking "…so…we'll forget our godparents, but not really?"
"Essentially." Persimmons rejoined, hoping to further explain. "You will consciously remember everything except your godparents and of all things magic. However, those memories will be stored into your subconscious, and thus will consist of all your dreams for as long as you all shall live on.
Chloe raised her hand, waiting for permission to ask "…wouldn't our adult minds just think those memories are nothing more than our imagination?"
"Only when you are awake." Persimmons clarified. "When you sleep, your mind will remember those images to be real events."
"…has it always been this way?" Hazel inquired.
"No; you children are the first." Birchwind disclosed. "Preferably the only."
"…what makes us so special?" Dwight probed.
Treebelle took the reins of explanation.
"In the history of godparenting, the relation between godparent and godchild has always been strictly transactional. Fairies grant wishes for whatever a child's heart desires in exchange for abiding by Da Rules and keeping a fairy's existence to secrecy. Albeit not the first time, no matter how often they are advised against, your fairies have formed the same attachments that you have formed with them. Nevertheless, you children, admittedly, are some of the most difficult cases that your fairies have been assigned to, which I say not to place you at personal fault."
"In taking a glimpse into the true misery of your lives, we have recognized how significantly your godparents mean to you all." Persimmon added. "While this goes greatly against our ethics and the historical relationship between fairies and human, we felt that you all should at least be rewarded for holding your godparents in a higher regard beyond glorified genies."
As the other kids processed this information dump as they saw fit, Tootie tapped the tips of her index fingers together before she asked "…d-does this mean we can all finally go back to our godparents?"
"Yes." Plumfrost replied, then specified "Except for Timmy."
Timmy lowered his grimace, scraping irritated claw marks into his arm.
"His actions have placed him on temporary probation." Plumfrost revealed, matter-of-fact in his tone. "He is forbidden access to his godparents or magic of any kind until his probation has ended."
Tootie was the only child visibly saddened by this revelation.
"Do not extend too much pity; this is what Timmy has agreed to and it is already set in stone." Birchwind hovered forward, setting a hand to Timmy's rigid shoulder. "And had Timmy not agreed, then you all would have lost your godparents and all of your memories entirely."
Gary directed his quizzical brow toward his cousin, his tone soft when he asked "…is that true?"
Timmy tautly nodded, holding back the tears that the other kids could see.
"…i-it's okay…" he made a weak attempt to grin through his sadness "…I just have to tell myself that…I-I'll see Cosmo and Wanda again…"
His smile died in his core as those words fell from his lips.
With Bella perched on Treebelle's arm, Simmons cradled in Persimmon's hold, Plum roosted on Plumfrost's shoulder, and Birchie seated beside Birchwind's leg, the Fairy Council looked on as eight godchildren stood before them, lined in one row with the western rising moon glistening behind them. Some trembling with anticipation, others unable to hear their own thoughts from heartbeats thundering in their ears.
Gary held hands in the pockets of his leather jacket as Dwight tugged at the collar of his striped tee. Remy hugged himself as Molly hid her hands in her jeans pocket, dully kicking at the ground before her eyes glanced to the blonde on her right. This had been nagging at her, and since they were in close proximity, she figured she might as well get this over with.
"Hey…" she dully called to Remy, causing only his side glance to acknowledge her. Exhaling, she extended one hand, biting back the urge to take it back.
"…truce?"
Remy looked at Molly, then to her hand, then back to Molly. Not the first thing he'd ever expected from a girl who chewed him out upon first sight. He saw solemnity in her stare, getting the sense that she'd rather start on another foot than continue taking the wrong steps. If he was to reject her act of solidarity, he feared he might prove her skewed views about him correct.
Plus, like Gary had said once, he will never truly know what it's like to be her, just like she will never truly know what it's like to be him. And that's okay, because they can both come to the understanding that their pain is their pain, and it can't be measured as worse or better than anyone else's.
He shrugged and took her hand for a shake.
With Molly on her right, Chloe looked to her left, eyeing Timmy with arms clutched around him as if to seek solace in his own embrace. His gaze was distant, ignoring the watchful stare of Tootie to his left with arms clasped to her chest. At the tail of the line, Hazel stared straight ahead, chewing her nails down to the bed. Any moment now, their godparents will be here. At long last, she can see her Nee-Nee again.
A large mushroom cloud boomed in an echoing bang throughout the crater, soon vanishing within the blazing glow of the eastern setting sun. Revealing a humanoid muscle tank crowned in the same gold as the seven fairies floating before him. The girl who once thought all her tears had dried crumpled in her face when brown eyes spotted bright-red, her knees on the verge of collapse as she broke into sobs for Nee-Nee.
"Oh, Kakao…" Nyekundu flew to Hazel who hid her face, stifling her sobs as she teetered towards her godmother like a child, scared and lost, who had finally found their mother. Nyekundu latched onto her goddaughter, and Hazel sank into her embrace with gut-wrenching wails.
"Please, don't cry…" she smiled through unshed tears threatening to fall as Hazel clung like a koala. "You'll make me cry…"
"ROSE!" Tootie sprinted in a beeline. The moment she spotted her beloved teal-eyed fairy was the moment all her frets and troubles washed away. Rose braced for the impact of Tootie's tender tackle, a bit shocked to hear Tootie actually shout her name let alone speak. Nevertheless, Rose shared the sentiment of satisfaction with loving arms that squeezed her back.
"Hey, sweetheart…" she smiled, parting enough to then gawk at the visible red blemish between Tootie's brows. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?!"
"I'm better now that you're here."
Tootie latched onto Rose's wrists as Rose palmed Tootie's cheek, studying the scar that Tootie seemed unbothered by. Something about Tootie's voice, the sparkle in her eye, her whole aura felt…different. The fairy godmother couldn't quite pinpoint exactly what that difference was, but whatever it was, it was nothing short of refreshing.
Hovering to Chloe, Susie noted Chloe's lowered head in her approach, arms tightly laced around herself. Though Jorgen had given her the gist of Connie's fate, Susie held onto Chloe shoulders, her voice ever so gentle "…what's wrong, Chlo-bird?"
Closing her watering eyes, Chloe could only whimper "…m-my mom…"
"Oh, Chloe…" Susie breathed, wrapping Chloe in a blanket of motherly affection. Saddened by a girl who'd been trying to be strong for far too long as she crumbled into her chest, whimpering with hitched shoulders. Susie nestled her, rocking slightly. Repeating faint whispers that it'll be okay.
Stepping towards Swizzle hovering in front of her, Molly felt a strange swell in her chest that she'd not felt since she was a baby. A swelling mix of emotions that pooled in her eyes, burning an ache in her chest that would not relent.
"What happened?" Swizzle pointed to the red stain in Molly's sweater. At first, her worry demanded an answer in her tone. Whoever hurt her godchild will have Hell to pay! That was, until Molly's lashes reflected in a glassy flicker, holding back tears with a hung head.
Swizzle's expression softened as she hovered closer to her godchild. Never had she seen Molly cry "…Molls?"
Molly shut her watering eyes, hearing an unexpected quiver in her voice "…c-can I have a hug?"
Swizzle stared, caught in unknown territory. This was also unexpected from a child who hated to be touched. The Molly she knew was hard as rocks…what the heck happened?
…whatever. That'll have to wait. Right now, Molly clearly needed her.
When Swizzle laced her arms around her, Molly instinctually stiffened from the gesture. The last time she'd been hugged like this was…well…she couldn't remember. A full-body cringe rolled inside of her. Ugh, all this mushy stuff was so…weird! While the act of affection was foreign to her, there was something else that she had not felt in the history of ever…
Safe.
Feeling less like a useless zombie after Jorgen had restored his magic to normal level before they'd left the hospital, Juandissimo scanned the area until he spotted Remy hugging himself with glassy eyes to the ground. He frowned, well aware of the Buxaplentys' fate as he flew over to his godson.
At first, Remy flinched when Juandissimo folded his arms around his, but the moment he allowed warm muscles to swallow him, all he could do was whimper "…Juan…" before the dam broke and his shattered soul bled out with each anguished wail.
"Estará bien, ahijado." Juandissimo whispered into Remy's hair. Allowing Remy to bawl in his embrace, sobs buried into his chest with clinging arms as if he never, ever wanted Juandissimo to let go. "I got you…"
Juandissimo looked up when two other fairies passed either side of him, seeing Alondro and Irving zoom towards Dwight and Gary. As Dwight edged forward for Irving to squeeze him, he stared towards the ground in his godfather's arms. A lack of cheeriness that Irving swiftly noted as he released Dwight from his embrace.
"Dwight, are you alright?" he worried, watching Dwight remain silent in his downcast gaze. Irving squeezed Dwight's shoulders, deepening the grimace in Dwight's dimpled chin.
"…I'm trying not to apologize."
His godson's mutter formed deep furrows between Irving's brow "…what do you mean?"
Dwight's overbite chewed at his lip "…you're probably sick of hearing me apologize for being the burden that I am…"
"Wighty…" Irving lifted Dwight's chin with a gentle finger, prompting Dwight to look at him. "You are not a burden. Never think that about ya'self, okay?"
Staring into dark-teal eyes peering with grave concern for him, Dwight clenched his jaw. He wanted to believe Irving, yet he dared not vocalize his plethora of doubts.
Godson and godfather approached each other, Gary squeezing the arm with old scabs beneath his sleeve as Alondro tugged at his yellow bandana. Gary was unable to meet the icy-blue gaze that studied him, his godfather observing the dark circles rimmed around bloodshot eyes. Alondro narrowed his gaze; what in the hell did the Council do with these kids?
"…Londro?" he heard a puny whimper, seeing Gary lift his eyes to him "…lo siento."
"Why are you sorry?" Alondro was equally soft in his tone.
He dug fingernails into his wound, biting the inside of his cheek at the sharp pinch "…por darte por sentado…"
"You do not take me for granted, peque…" Alondro affirmed, yet Gary squeezed his eyes, bowing his head.
Alondro swooped in, hugging the godson that did not hesitate to hug him back. Gary whimpered apologies into Alondro's shirt, whispering hushed cries that his godfather softly shushed him for. When he looked up and to his right, Alondro happened to notice the ebony fairy with indigo eyes comforting her godchild before Chloe parted partially from Susie.
Her eyes widen at the hint of redness in her godmother's eyes, whimpering "…h-have you been crying?"
"Worry about me later, okay?" Susie tucked one of Chloe's loose strands behind her ear. "You need me right now."
Hugging herself, tears traced paths down Chloe's cheeks "…you…promise to need me later?"
Susie hesitated. No matter how much she suffered, she would never want to push her inner troubles onto a child with troubles of their own. Her gut-feeling felt attentive eyes on her as she glanced to her left. She spotted Alondro observing her, embracing Gary's muffled cries.
She snapped back to Chloe before her stare could linger more than it should, holding Chloe by her shoulders "…how about we need each other now?"
In a tearful nod, Chloe reached with arms wrapped around Susie. Susie returned the gesture as tears pricked in the outer edges of her eyes.
All godchildren were now reunited with their godparents. All…except for one, lone boy. Unable to watch the other kids any longer, Timmy diverted the agony brimming in his eyes. Squeezing himself tighter as his lower lip trembled.
Birchie traveled alongside his maker as Birchwind stopped beside the bucktooth boy, lowering a hand to Timmy's shaking shoulder to which Timmy fretfully swiped at the dampness in his cheeks.
"I am proud of you, Timmy Turner."
Timmy shot wide eyes to the Fairy Councilman, taken aback by words he so rarely heard spoken his way.
Then, Birchwind narrowed his gaze "…but do not forget your other portion of the deal."
Timmy's insides curled, every muscle in his body forming a knot of discomfort. He, under any circumstances, cannot act on any suicidal ideations, and he cannot keep those thoughts to himself. If he does not abide by or if shall ever breach these conditions, then all memories will be erased, magic will be absent from all of their dreams, and all traces of their fairies will vanish.
Forever.
AN: I know not everyone likes fanfics that heavily divert from the original material (and fics that tortures beloved characters,) but for those who have enjoyed this series so far, thank you for all the support :).