He didn't wait for an invitation. He took her in his arms, and before their lips even touched, she knew. But there wasn't time for questions, there was just this ... Her in Rom's arms. Losing herself in the magic of it.
For what they had was magic.
More magic than anything else she'd ever experienced.
She touched his cheek and laughed. “You ... You're a..."
Suddenly a thought occurred to her and she wasn't laughing. “Then you saw her. When Titania came, you saw her and you knew."
"Yes. And you'll never know how hard I had to work at not laughing."
"But you didn't say anything. You are an ogre! What a mean trick. You should have told me."
"Yes, I am. Half ogre at least. That's something the fairies were quick to point out. Half fairy, half ogre. It's more frowned upon than fairies and humans."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you must be a fairy when Titania came, but then I kissed you and you were human. I was sure you were human. I thought I was losing my touch. I've been down here living as a mortal for so long that I thought my powers were fading, but you were human."
"But you're not, and you didn't tell me."
"No. There were a lot of reasons. First there was the whole, you'll-think-I'm-crazy thing. But there was another part. I wanted, just this once, to be Rom. Just myself. Not some cast out, some oddity."
"Oh.” She could hear his pain and realized how hard he must have had it. Never really fitting into either world. Fairies, like any other beings, were occasionally less than kind to someone who was different.
"That's why I came here. That's why I love the theater. You can be anyone. You can transform a stage into a new world for the space of two hours. It's magic,” he admitted.
"And this is magic.” She motioned her hands between the two of them. “What we have it's magic as well."
"Have?" he asked. “Not had? I mean, you understand I'm half ogre, right?"
He thought she wouldn't want him because of his ogreness?
She reached out and stroked his cheek. “Definitely have, not had. I lied when I said it was just the acting that kept me here. It was you. I wouldn't care if you were all ogre, or human, or even frog. You're my prince. During all those years of finding everyone a happily-ever-after, I never found a man I could love. Until you.” She touched him again. Just the smallest caress. But it was enough to make her heart want to burst. “I've spent all this time waiting for you and I didn't even know it."
Blossom lost herself in the wonder of the fact that all those years of helping people find their hearts, and she'd never realized she was missing half of hers. And as she looked at Rom, she wondered how she functioned without it.
And suddenly she knew that if she had anything to say about it, she wasn't ever going to find out.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fern
"A fairy. You're a freakin’ fairy,” Nico said for the umpteenth time. “And not just a fairy. Oh, no. You're a godmother. A freakin’ fairy godmother. Those are the worst kind. Always thinking they know what's best for everyone, meddling where they don't belong, acting all superior..."
Fern listened to him ramble on and on about fairies and fairy godmothers until she couldn't take it another second.
"I have no idea where you get off going on about freakin’ fairies. Why, you're a fairy yourself. I knew the minute I kissed you."
"Half-fairy,” he corrected her. “Half-fairy, half-human. I like to think my human genes win out. I chose to be human. I am human."
"Why on earth would you ignore part of your heritage like that?” she asked.
"What on earth have the fairies ever done to me? Treated me as if I was a freak because I was half-human? I lived on the fringes of fairy society, grew up not knowing where I belonged. That's how I met Puffy."
"He's a gnome,” Fern said.
With her powers back, things she should have known all along were there. The minute she saw Puffy, she could see his ... Well, his gnomeness. She hadn't realized that living human meant living half-blind, but it had. She'd missed so many things without her magic.
She might not want to be a godmother any more, but she was glad she was a fairy.
Once she'd discovered he had magic, she thought facing Nico with her fairyness would be easy. After all, he was magic, so it shouldn't have been hard to tell him her story. But it was. He thought he could choose to ignore his fairyness, but he couldn't.
Just like Fern couldn't ignore what there was between them.
"Puffy,” Rom said. “He's a forest gnome. A forest gnome who fell in love with the water. His family kicked him out of Fairyland—"
"And you, who already felt displaced, simply left with him.” She ached for Nico, but she had to admire him for finding his own way. His own place.
Les Magik was his place. His bridge between his two worlds.
"You know Puffy,” he said. “He wouldn't have lasted a day in the mortal world on his own."
"You're a good man, Nico Starson."
"And you're—"
"A freakin’ fairy. I know,” she said with a sigh.
"So when are you going back?” he asked.
She reached out and stroked his cheek. “Who said I was going back?"
He'd thought she was leaving. Leaving the restaurant, leaving him. Was that why he was making this so hard?
"You're not going back?"
"No. I understand if you don't want me working here. I'd be a daily reminder of what you're trying to forget. I'll get a job somewhere else."
"What do you mean?” he asked.
"Well, I'm a freakin’ fairy ... an ex-godmother, no less."
"You're not going back to Fairyland,” he said again, as if trying to get the information to register.
"No, I'm not. But don't worry. I'll save you the trouble of firing me. I quit."
"You can't quit."
"What do you mean I can't quit? My little stint as a human has shown me just how much I can do. I can be a chef. I can hold my own without any magic. I can be a good friend and a good sister without my magic. I can be happy without my magic. Just think of all I can accomplish with my magic."
He took a deep breath, as if calming himself . Then he took her hand in his. “You're an amazing woman. Whether you're human or a fairy, I don't doubt that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. But I hope you're not too set on leaving, because I can't let you. There's something between us. Oh, I know this has thrown me. I mean, I figured you were half-fairy like me, but you're not. The whole fairy thing, well, I could live with that. The godmother thing will take me a bit of getting used to. But I don't want you to go. There's something ... well, I don't like it, but it's there. We can't ignore it."
"Sure we can,” Fern said. “After all, you think you can ignore being part fairy."
"I don't ignore that I'm part fairy. I just choose to live here. And we can't ignore this. I don't want to ignore it."
"So what do you want to do?"
"This.” He kissed her. It was a toe-tingling sort of kiss that left her feeling more than a bit breathless.
She leaned against his chest, needing to be closer, to be as close to him as she could get. She wanted to be a part of him, of this man. This half-fairy, half-human, occasionally grumpy man who left home to help a friend, who liked sunsets and the water. This man she loved.
She loved Nico.
It wasn't just some small infatuation.
It was full-blown, fairy tale love. The kind of love that deserved nothing less than a happily-ever-after.
Fern had learned a lot about herself. She was capable of standing on her own two feet, but she wanted to stand with Nico's two feet right next to her on a permanent basis.
One way or another, she was going to see to it.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Myrtle
Just how did you break the news that you were a fairy to a man you ... Just how did she feel about Gordon? That little
L word she'd encouraged so many of her godchildren to use, seemed to fit, but it was too soon.
Oh, she believed in love at first sight for her godchildren, but it felt uncomfortable when it happened to her.
If it had happened.
Maybe this stabby sort of feeling in her chest whenever she thought about Gordon was heartburn.
Yeah, that would be just her luck. She had heartburn and thought it was love.
That theory might have worked when she was human, but now that she was a fairy again, she couldn't get heartburn, so it was out.
So, what would she call how she felt?
She kicked a rock on Gordon's front sidewalk, not wanting to knock on the door and go in.
It didn't matter what she called it. Once he found out she was a fairy he wouldn't want her around.
As a matter of fact, she doubted he'd believe her. He'd think she was nuts and have her locked up. Oh, she could call Max, and she was sure he'd get her out of the wherever she got locked up.
Or even Fiona. Yeah, Fiona would rescue her from an institution.
Never mind. She was a fairy again. No mortal locks could hold her. She'd simply rescue herself. Grace had taught her that it was better to rescue yourself than to rely on others.
But who would rescue her from her broken heart? Because when Gordon told her he could never date a fairy, much less love one, her heart would break.
The front door flew open, and if fairies had heart attacks, Myrtle would have had one. As it was, she jumped a couple inches up in the air and landed with a decided thwap.
"Hey, Myrtle, how come you're standing outside, just staring at the house again?” Zak called.
"I'm thinking."
"About what?"
"About what I'm going to do,” she answered, knowing that all her thinking hadn't left her any closer to an answer.
Gordon appeared over Zak's shoulder.
"Why don't you start with coming in,” he said with a smile.
Oh, she did so like his smile.
She liked the broadness of his shoulders.
She liked the way he smelled.
The way he felt.
The way he kissed.
Was this love?
After all the years she spent finding other people love, you'd think she'd know, but she didn't. She thought maybe it was, but just wasn't sure. Or at least wasn't willing to admit it to herself.
Zak led her into the house, talking about his day, and Gordon followed them. Myrtle smiled and remembered to laugh at all the appropriate places, but she was too nervous to give him the sort of attention she normally did.
Gordon must have sensed her mood, because he said, “Hey, bud, go run up and get your bath now, okay? I want to talk to Myrtle."
"Aw, Dad. I still gotta—"
"Bath,” Gordon said, pointing to the stairs.
Zak stomped up them, muttering to himself.
"Spill it,” he said as soon as Zak was out of earshot.
"Spill what?"
He gestured to the couch and Myrtle sat. Gordon sat right next to her. Close. Too close. How was she supposed to think when his thigh was touching hers.
"What's going on?” he asked.
"How do you know something's going on."
"I can see it in your face. I've seen that look before. My ex-wife wanted out of our marriage because she wasn't in love with me. But she loved me too much to hurt me, so she hemmed and hawed. You're doing it, too. You have something you want to tell me, but you don't want to tell me."
"That doesn't make sense. If I wanted to tell you I would.” She didn't, and that's why she was hesitating. She didn't want to tell him, but she knew she had to.
"I've found over the years that women rarely make sense."
"That's so sexist.” She was picking a fight about something else as a stalling technique. She knew it, but knowing didn't mean she wasn't going to do it. “It's just like a man to say something like that."
"And the phrase just like a man isn't the slightest bit sexist?” he asked.
"No, it's the truth."
"You know, I'd be happy to argue with you, if it will make you feel better. I'm sure I can think of a bunch of other insensitive, manly things to say."
He was teasing. Myrtle could see it in his eyes, even though he'd managed not to smile. He was trying to tease her out of her funk, and let her know it was okay to tell him whatever was bothering her.
His concern meant she could add one more thing to the list of reasons she liked Gordon.
"Just tell me, Myrtle."
"You're not going to like it,” she finally said.
"Try me."
"There's something I haven't told you."
"You're married?"
She actually managed a smile. “No."
"Engaged?"
"No."
"Wanted by the law?"
That one got another smile, even though she could tell it was rather weak at best. “Not the law, but occasionally by the Fairy Council."
"Excuse me? I heard you wrong. It sounded like you said Fairy Council. You must have meant hairy council. With hair like yours, they probably want you to advertise some shampoo."
"That was weak, and you know it. You heard me right. Fairy Council. You see, I'm a fairy. Until just yesterday, I was a fairy godmother, but I gave it up. It was the only thing I was ever good at, making wishes come true."
"A fairy?"
"Yes. A good fairy. Although I was human when you met me. We annoyed Bernie and he had us sentenced to human status for six months, but then we—"
"We?” He raked his hand through his hair.
Myrtle had to give him points. He hadn't said one word about having her committed yet.
"I told you I had sisters,” she said gently. “Fern and Blossom."
"They're fairies, too?"
She nodded. “Of course. We worked together. But then Bernie had us sentenced to be human. We all started dating and kissing, which of course, he didn't like. After all, it's okay for him to kiss Fiona, but a real problem when the girls and I get some lip-action. So, he got them to turn us back into fairies early, thinking we'd go back to Fairyland without a fight. But Blossom, well she didn't tell us, but she's in a play, and couldn't leave until it was over. You're invited. It's A Midsummer's Night Dream and it opens next Friday, by the way. And Fern loves being a chef and didn't want to go. And..."
"And you?” he asked.
"Well, I didn't want to just walk out on Zak. He's had a hard time lately."
"And you don't think finding out his new friend is a fairy will be hard?"
"I wasn't going to tell him,” she admitted. “Just you. I didn't want to tell you, even, but I couldn't live a lie."
"Why tell me, then?"
"We're dating, and I've always told my godchildren that you can't keep secrets. You needed to know."
"I don't believe you.” He folded his arms across his chest and repeated, “I don't believe you. I don't know what's wrong, Myrtle, but we'll find a doctor who can help you."
"I knew you'd eventually get to the whole psychiatrist thing. Proof. They always want proof. How's this?” She waved her wand and turned back into the body she'd worn for so many years.
Poor Gordon's face lost all it's color. “Myrtle?” he asked.
"Yes.” She waved her wand again and was back to her true-form. “I'm a fairy."
"This can't be happening. Fairies don't exist outside fairytales. I'm a simple man, with simple wants and needs, I don't want or need this. I've got all I can handle dealing with Zak right now. You're a fairy.” He shook his head. “A fairy."
"I see.” She looked at Gordon and knew it was for the best. Mixed relationships never worked. She'd been telling herself that, and she was right. Better to break things off now before someone got hurt.
Of course the horrible pain in her heart indicated she might have been a bit too late, but at least Gordon was in time. Why, he didn't appear to be hurting at all.
&nbs
p; "Do you mind if I say goodbye to Zak?"
"You won't be changing him into a frog or anything, right?"
She was about to retort, when Zak came speeding down the stairs, his hair dripping wet. “I hurried real fast, Myrtle. I even picked out a new book for us to read tonight. It's a long one, so we can have a chapter each time you're here."
"That would have been fun, Zak, but you see, I ... I don't know if I'll be coming over to the house much any more. I'm getting a new job and I'll be busy."
The little boy's face fell and his woebegone look tore at Myrtle's heart.
"But I like you coming over,” he said.
"I know sweetheart. And I'll see you again, I promise.” That was one promise she would keep. When he was older, she'd see to it he found the perfect woman, the perfect happily-ever-life. “But right now I have to go."
She felt tears welling up, but she held them back. She wouldn't cry in front of Zak or Gordon. “Listen, I've got to go. I just stopped in to say good-bye and to tell you that I'll never forget you."
She leaned down and hugged the little boy, but looked at Gordon as she said, “I'll never, ever forget."
* * * *
Men.
Countless goddaughters had complained about men in the past, but Myrtle hadn't given them enough sympathy. Not enough by a long shot.
Men were pains in the butt.
They were annoying.
Frustrating.
Myrtle had felt like crying after she left Gordon, but she hadn't.
She derived a keen sense of pride because of that.
She hadn't cried.
After all it wasn't as if she was in love with him.
She just liked him.
She'd forget about him soon. After all, she hadn't known him long enough to have this feeling of desolation last long.
Of course, she couldn't help thinking of Zak, but he'd be fine. Gordon might have a fairy-bias, but he didn't seem to mind little boys.
No, that wasn't fair. He not only didn't mind little boys, he positively doted on Zak. He was a great father.
Oh, no, here she was thinking about him. That wouldn't do. She had to concentrate on what she was going to do now that she wasn't a fairy godmother any more.
That would keep her occupied and busy.
Fairly Human Page 16
