Welcome back! I hesitated in posting this, mostly because I haven't got the next chapter done yet, but figured "What the heck?" and decided to throw it up there. Be forewarned that I've been SO tired because of the season that I haven't been getting ANY writing done lately, so the next part won't be up until into the new year. I'm hoping that once the holidays are over I'll get some needed rest and get some quality writing done. (Specifically for The Anti-Uncle. That's really high on my priority list.)

Anyway, here's the next part of the story, and Tabby's night is going from bad to worse. There is some minor cursing, and a 'teen' situation or two, but nothing too major.

You guys all know I don't own anything in FOP, right? Just checking.

Tabby had been at the diner for half an hour, nursing a glass of soda and picking half-heartedly at her limp french fries—the burger hadn’t been all that fantastic, either—when the bell over the door jingled. She glanced up, heart thumping madly. A burly man in a blue flannel shirt strode in, planting himself on one of the stools at the front counter. Tabby sighed and resumed her fry poking.

She had positioned herself near the back of the diner, both in an effort to keep herself from being noticed and to keep a wary eye on the door. She wasn’t exactly worried about seeing any of her classmates—what on earth would they be doing way out here, anyway?—but cops were another matter. It simply wouldn’t do to be escorted home by a couple police officers—she WAS only 14 and roaming the streets by herself, after all. Why, what would the neighbors think?

Actually, Tabby couldn’t give a flying fig what the neighbors thought. But what her godparents would think weighed heavily on her mind. The thought of the disappointment she would see in their eyes made her want to cry.

“Why hasn’t she called for us yet?” Cosmo asked his wife as they nibbled at an abandoned plate at the end of the long front counter. They were still in their fly disguises, keeping a close eye on their goddaughter. “She’s obviously miserable. Why not just call us and have us poof her home?” Wanda shook her head slowly, her eyes glued to the teen occupying the booth in the corner.

“I don’t know, Cosmo,” she said, her voice soft. “I really don’t know.”

The little pink fly tilted her head slightly in a thoughtful manner, her brow furrowing. Why had Tabby lied to them? Why didn’t she simply tell them that Derek had cancelled on her? Why was she so determined to wander about all by herself, when all she had to do was open her magic compact and call for them to come get her? Or at least be with her to keep her company. It’s a big, dangerous world out there, and Tabby had walked right into it—alone, defenseless, and unprepared.

But, Wanda had to admit, she was doing all right. So far, she was doing all right.

So far.

But exactly how long would Tabby’s luck hold out?

“Shoo flies!” a voice suddenly called, pulling Wanda from her thoughts. She turned in time to see a waitress pulling the plate with one hand, and waving her other at the little disguised fairies, her mouth drawn down in a bow of disgust. “Get outta here!”

Cosmo and Wanda flew away quickly, coming to land on the window behind their goddaughter. The fly-shooing waitress, after safely depositing the plate in the kitchen, moved toward the booth, wiping her hands on her apron. Her face was still pinched, but Wanda had an idea it was annoyance that distorted it this time—Tabby had been listlessly picking at her food for a good fifteen minutes, but refused to allow the waitress to clear the dishes. Besides, teenagers weren’t notorious for leaving great tips.

“How ya doin’ here?” the woman asked, the underlying tone of annoyance evident in her voice. “’Bout ready to finish up?” Tabby looked up and offered a weak smile.

“Not just yet,” she said, dipping a cold fry into her puddle of ketchup. “I’ll just be a few more minutes.” She shoved the limp, cold fry into her mouth, and suppressed her gag reflex. It was like chewing on a ketchup-coated caterpillar.

“Yeah, sure,” the waitress muttered as she walked away. Immediately after her back was turned, Tabby grabbed a napkin and spit out the mush in her mouth and took a big swallow of her soda to wash the remains down. She thought she might be off french fries for a while.

“Tabby?” a voice called and she jumped, startled. The door must have opened while the waitress had been there, and Tabby had never heard the bell.

“Kelly?” she responded as the pretty teen walked over to Tabby’s booth and slid in opposite her. Her long black hair was pulled up into a similar hairstyle as Tabby’s—or at least the hairstyle Tabby had when she left the house—and her powder blue dress hugged her lean frame in all the right places, giving the girl a look much older than her 14 years. She was beautiful, in every sense of the word, and if she weren’t such a nice girl, Tabby probably would have hated her on principle. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kelly replied, a slight laugh in her voice. Behind her, a loose group of about five other teens remained hovering in the doorway, laughing and joking with each other. “I thought you were going to the dance with Derek?” Tabby offered her a bitter smile.

“Yeah, well something came up.”

“What?”

“Julie.”

“Oh,” Kelly said in a half-sad, half-annoyed kind of way. “Bugger. I’m so sorry, Tabby. I know how excited you were about it.” Tabby shrugged.

“It’s okay. It’s not that big a deal, really.” A lie. But better than saying ‘Yeah, I WAS really excited about it, and to tell the truth, I feel like the world’s biggest fool for getting my hopes up in the first place. Me, date one of the most popular guys in school? Ha, ha, good one! Now will someone please mop up what’s left of my self-esteem and dignity off the floor? Thanks so much.’

Kelly’s lips pulled into a half smile.

“You are such a bad liar,” she said with a slight shake of her head. Tabby shrugged again, saying nothing. “He’s a jerk, and you deserve better.”

“How come you’re not at the dance?” Tabby asked in an effort to push the line of conversation away from her. If they continued to talk about Derek and ‘The Date That Never Was’, she was apt to start bawling. It was Kelly’s turn to shrug.

“It was kinda boring,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at the group she came in with. They were at the counter, talking to the fly-shooing waitress. “So a bunch of us got together and decided to take off. We just stopped to pick up some chow.” Kelly suddenly turned back, a wide smile on her face. “Hey! Why don’t you come with us?” Tabby uttered a sharp laugh.

“Are you serious?”

“Sure, why not? What else are you gonna do? Sit around here and poke at your food?” Tabby blushed, casting her eyes down at the aforementioned leftovers.

“I was thinking about it,” she muttered, pushing the fries around with her fork. Kelly reached forward and gently pulled the plate out of reach.

“C’mon, Tabby,” she said softly. “He knocked you down, but that doesn’t mean you have to STAY down. Get up, brush yourself off and have some fun. If for no other reason than to show him he didn’t hurt you. Don’t give him that power over you.”

Tabby looked up, into the ice blue eyes of the other girl. She supposed they were friends, not overly close, but not exactly simple acquaintances, either. All the same, part of her wanted to snap at Kelly, ask her what exactly she knew about how Tabby was feeling—she of the clear blue eyes, the shiny black hair and soft perfect curves. Kelly was beautiful, and could have her pick of any guy she wanted—Derek included. Tabby was . . . well, not exactly a gargoyle, but not beautiful either. She was just . . . Tabby. Guys weren’t exactly throwing themselves at her feet.

She almost said this to Kelly—even drew in breath to start—when a little voice piped up, deep in her mind.

Go, it said, sounding so clear it was as if someone had whispered it into her ear. She’s right. Sitting around feeling sorry for yourself is only going to make you even more miserable. Derek may have been your crush since grade school, but he’s still just a boy. Don’t let him ruin your sense of self-worth. Go!

“Tabby?” Kelly asked as the group she came in with migrated toward the door. “We’re gonna get going. Are you coming?”

Tabitha glanced between her half-eaten leftovers and the kind, almost eager face of her friend. She smiled.

“Yeah,” she said as she tossed a ten dollar bill onto the table to cover her meal. “I’m coming.” Kelly smiled, and curled an arm around Tabby’s elbow as they both stood.

“Great! You’ll have fun, Tabby, you’ll see! You’ll remember this night for the rest of your life!”

A chill ran up Tabby’s spine as the two girls joined the loose group just outside the diner. She nodded and smiled stiffly as introductions were made and everyone headed toward a couple of cars parked across the street.

“You’ll remember this night for the rest of your life!”

It just sounded so . . . ominous.

-X-X-X-

Tabby uttered an impatient sigh as she checked her watch. 9:10. She’d been standing there, leaning heavily against the trunk of the beat up Chevy and listening—well, truth be told, only half or a quarter listening—to this guy rattle on for nearly twenty minutes.

“ . . . so then there’s water all over the floor and the guy’s standing there buck naked, his face about four shades of bright red!” the guy with the blonde highlights managed between fits of breathless laughter. High patches of color stood out brightly on his cheeks, and he swayed unsteadily on his feet. Tabby inched away from him in case this was the one sway that finally toppled him over.

He was about three sheets to the wind and Tabby knew it. Drunk. He stank of the cheap beer he’d snitched from his dad’s girlfriend’s house—“She’s got a great rack and started puttin’ the moves on me a few days ago,” he claimed with a heavy wink—and had been drinking since they had arrived at the park. Empty beer cans clattered at his feet.

“Nice,” Tabby muttered, forcing a smile that was more of a grimace in his direction. She glanced across the clearing and saw Kelly sitting on the hood of the other car—a nicer, better maintained Ford—with her boyfriend’s arm curled around her shoulders. The only other girl in the group—someone named Sherry or Carrie, Tabby couldn’t remember which—was busily making out with her boyfriend atop the weather beaten picnic table in the nearby campsite. The two remaining members of the group were the delightfully smashed storyteller currently struggling to withstand the pull of gravity, and a tall, dark haired guy who was simply sitting under a tree, his arms folded across his chest as though he were casually waiting for a bus.

‘You’ll have fun’, Kelly had said. Tabby frowned. Standing out in the cool night air, leaning against a car that was more rust than metal and trying to avoid the fumes issuing from the various orifices of a drunk 16 year old were not what Tabby would have classified as ‘fun’.

“You’re kinda cute,” the drunk—Tabby thought his name might have been Jeff—suddenly slurred as he leaned closer to her. He dropped his most recent empty can, and it clattered as it joined its fallen brothers. “You have pretty hair.” Tabby uttered a short laugh.

“Yeah, okay,” she said as she moved away from the car and its driver. “I think you need to go lie down for a while.”

Jeff the drunk pushed himself forward, away from the safe sturdy support of his car. He swayed slightly on his feet as he took a few staggering steps toward Tabby, who had moved backwards, matching him step for step.

“Why don’t we both lie down?” he asked, a smile curling his lips. “We’ll go have some fun.” Tabby smirked, still backing away.

“YOUR type of fun, I can do without, thank you.”

“Aw, c’mon,” he whined, still stumbling forward. “Bet you’ll like it.”

“Bet I won’t,” Tabby replied, and gasped as her back hit a tree, cutting off her retreat. “Touch me and we’ll see how much YOU like it when I plant my foot in your—“

“Hey, Jeff,” the tall dark haired guy said jovially as he slapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Tabby blinked. She hadn’t even noticed him until he had spoken. “You look tired, my man. Why don’t you go on over there and have a quick sleep. Pretend we’re in history class.” Jeff looked at him with heavy lidded eyes.

“But I was gonna . . .”

“Yeah, I know what you ‘was gonna’,” the taller guy said in a low voice, the hand on Jeff’s shoulder tightening slightly. “Now you’re not. Go sleep it off before you make an even bigger fool of yourself.”

Jeff gazed at the taller guy for a long minute before looking back at Tabby. He was swaying noticeably on his feet, and for a second Tabby thought he might have completely forgotten where he was. Then he blinked, leaned forward, and forcefully vomited all over her feet.

Shockingly enough, ‘fun’ wasn’t the first word to pop into Tabby’s head.

-X-X-X-

“GROSS!” Cosmo cried right before Wanda slapped a hand over his mouth. They had returned to their fairy forms, but remained hidden in the shadows of the large trees.

“Cosmo, shush! They’ll hear!”

“I don’t think they’ll be able to hear us over that smelly stuff,” he whispered once she had taken her hand away. Wanda offered him a look that was part confusion, part dumbfounded disbelief. Cosmo didn’t notice, he was watching as the taller teen forcibly led Jeff to the tree he had been leaning against. He pushed the drunk teen into a sitting position and said something in a stern, hissing voice before walking back toward Tabby.

“I don’t like that guy,” the little green haired fairy said, his eyes narrowed. “He’s too . . . smart.”

Wanda cast a quick sideways glance at her husband before looking back toward their goddaughter. The tall guy had stopped in front of Tabby and was gesturing toward the beat up Chevy. At first Tabby shook her head, ‘No thanks’. But the guy kept talking. He held his hands up in an ‘I surrender’ gesture, presumably to show how harmless he was. Tabby looked doubtful for a moment, then looked back at her vomit covered feet. Finally she nodded, and the guy led her toward the car, helping her into the passenger seat. Once the door was closed, he jogged around the back, and let himself into the driver’s seat.

Wanda frowned. ‘Smart’ wasn’t the word she would have used to describe this guy. ‘Smooth’ seemed more appropriate.

“I don’t like this,” the little pink haired fairy said with a frown as she raised her wand. “Come on Cos—“ A quick glance to her left showed her husband had the same idea, his wand raised, a worried look on his face.

“He might hurt her,” he said quietly. “If we can’t poof her home, then we’ll watch her and keep her safe.”

Wanda nodded, and with a perfectly synchronized poof, the two fairies disappeared just as two tiny flies appeared inside the car.

-X-X-X-

“I’m really sorry about that guy,” the guy with the dark hair—Steve—said softly. “He’s been having some problems since his parents’ divorce.” Tabby shrugged as she pulled another two napkins from the glove compartment.

“We’ve all got problems,” she said, scrubbing the half digested diner food from her feet. “Drinking’s not going to solve anything.”

“That’s what I try to tell him, but he won’t listen.” He watched her wipe her shoes frantically for a minute before grabbing a fresh napkin and leaning down. “Here, you missed a spot.”

He was wiping at her feet before Tabby had a chance to protest and she straightened up with a startled gasp, her eyes wide. Dimly, from what seemed like a hundred miles away she heard a soft buzzing—no, make that two soft buzzing sounds. She was about to turn her head and look in the backseat when Steve’s hand delicately touched her ankle. Tabby would have gasped again had her breath not caught completely in her throat.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice pinched and cracked.

“Hmmm?” He did not sit up.

An icy chill ran up Tabby’s leg then, and it took her a second to realize that his hand was following it.

“WHOA!” she cried suddenly, kicking out and catching him in the face. He sat up, cupping his hurt nose and glaring angrily at her.

“OW! What the hell??”

“I could ask you the same thing!” she shot back, color rising to her cheeks. Any shock or fear she had experienced a moment ago was gone. All that remained was anger. “What the hell did you think you were doing??” He lowered his hands and stared at her with unabashed shock.

“What I THOUGHT you wanted!” Tabby gaped at him.

“WHAT?!?”

“Well what did you expect when I suggested we get into the car??”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe that I could get out of the cool air and get your buddy’s puke cleaned off my feet??” The buzzing was back and getting louder. Tabby ignored it. “How incredibly foolish of me to NOT see that barf encrusted shoes is the universal signal to make out. Boy how COULD I have missed that?? It was SOO obvious!” Steve’s face pulled into a deep frown.

“Well it was OBVIOUS to me!” he shouted, clenching his fists tightly. “Out there I kept him from—“

“So that automatically means that YOU have dibs??” Tabby shouted back, clenching her own fists. “Talk about ‘what the hell’!”

“Look—“

“No, YOU look,” she growled through gritted teeth and jabbed a finger into his face, causing him to jerk back unconsciously. “I’ve had a REALLY bad night so far, and this isn’t making it any better. I have no idea what ‘signals’ you THOUGHT I was giving out, but you were WRONG. Touch me again and I’ll break your frickin nose, I swear to God.”

Heart thumping madly, blood roaring in her ears, Tabby quickly gathered up the dirty napkins from her lap and turned to open the door. She was breathing hard and fast, and needed to get out of the car. Her head was buzzing.

No, the buzz wasn’t coming from her head. It was in the car. She’d heard it before. Flies? At this time of year, and especially in this unseasonably cool weather? She didn’t think that was very likely. A more reasonable—and truth be told, fear inducing—explanation was probably her god—

Tabby had one foot out of the car when a hand suddenly closed over her shoulder, instantly killing her thought. The grip was firm and strong, jerking her back slightly.

“What a minute,” Steve was saying in an annoyed tone. “You can’t just leav—“

With a startled cry, Tabby turned and thrust forward with her right hand, the one still holding the soiled napkins. The sloppy vomit coated paper smeared across Steve’s face, which would have been bad enough had the heel of her hand not connected forcefully and squarely with his nose. He felt rather than heard a delicate crunching sound as the cartilage in his nose buckled under the force of the blow, and pain exploded in his face.

Steve’s hand was still on her shoulder when she hit him, and his fist clenched tightly. There was a soft almost purring sound as the thin dress strap beneath her sweater tore, right before he released her to cup his injured nose. Tabby practically leapt from the car, slamming the door quickly behind her. Then she began to walk, very quickly, toward the park entrance.

“Tabby, hold up!” a voice called as a hand closed over the brunette’s elbow. Tabby whirled around, fist drawn back for a defensive punch. “WHOA! It’s me!”

It was Kelly. Her boyfriend was standing behind her, shooting quick glances between Tabby and the now bleeding Steve, who was stumbling toward them. The other couple—the ones who had been making out on the picnic table—also wandered over, with Sherry/Carrie looking less than thrilled at the interruption. The only member of the original group not in attendance was Jeff, who was snoring loudly where Steve had left him.

“Where are you going?” Kelly asked, the concern evident in her voice. “What happened?”

“Ask HIM,” Tabby replied, hooking a thumb toward Steve. “I’m not playing these little games.” She turned on her heels to start for the entrance when Kelly grabbed her arm again.

“What happened?” she asked quietly, her blue eyes locking with Tabby’s brown. “Did Steve do something?” Tabby offered her a bitter smile.

“He tried,” she said, yanking her arm from Kelly’s grip. “Not that you really care. I guess it was lucky you found me in that diner, huh? I could keep the drunk and the perv occupied while you two,” she motioned to Kelly and Sherry/Carrie, “had a grand ol’ time playing tonsil hockey with your boyfriends. Thanks a heap, Kelly, I really thought we were friends.”

Without giving the dark haired girl a chance to respond, Tabby turned and walked away. Tears were looming—she could taste them in the back of her throat—and she wanted to be safely hidden away before they consumed her.

SLAP!

The sound was like a gunshot and Tabby turned quickly. Steve was standing with his hand to his cheek, a stunned expression on his face as he looked after Kelly. She was walking fast, closing the distance between Tabby and herself quickly. An expression of stubborn determination was etched into her features, her hands clenched into tight fists.

“Now you listen to me,” she growled through gritted teeth, and Tabby felt as stunned as Steve looked. “We ARE friends. I didn’t want you to come with us because of some plan to use you as a decoy, I wanted you to come because you were on the road to making yourself completely miserable by night’s end. Derek screwed you over, Steve TRIED to, and I’m sorry about both of them. But DON’T take it out on me! I never even met Steve until tonight—he’s Mike’s cousin.” Mike was her boyfriend, who was apparently having a few choice words with his kin. “I wanted you to come with us because I thought it might be fun. I never expected anything like this to happen. I’m really sorry! Come back and Mike and I will take you home.”

Tabby narrowed her eyes at Kelly, her mind working rapidly. Go home? Right now a shower and a nice warm comforter sounded like HEAVEN, and she had been out long enough to dissipate at least some of her own guilt at lying to her godparents. She sighed. Maybe it WAS time to call it a night.

“Okay. But I’m not getting into a car with either of them,” Tabby said, pointing toward Steve. He was standing over Jeff, holding his head back to stop his nosebleed. Kelly shook her head.

“Don’t worry about that,” she said, gently taking Tabby by the arm and leading her toward her boyfriend’s car. “Those guys can stay here. It’ll just be Mike and me. Okay?”

“Okay,” Tabby said with a nod. “Thanks for taking me home.” She paused. “I’m sorry I accused you of—“

“Don’t worry about it,” Kelly said softly as she opened the door for her friend. “Considering the night you’ve had so far, I’m surprised you’re holding up as well as you are. You’re a stronger person than I thought.”

“Yeah, well,” Tabby said, feeling her cheeks flush. “The night’s not over yet.” Kelly laughed.

“Well, now you’ve doomed us,” she said as she and Mike climbed into the front seat. “Famous last words and all that.”

She laughed again, and Tabby smiled weakly. Why did she have the sneaking suspicion that Kelly was right?

-X-X-X-

“Just a few more minutes and we’ll be home!” Cosmo whispered excitedly to his wife. They were still disguised as flies, and had silently poofed into the car as the teenagers were driving away. “And then we can help her feel better!” Wanda nodded.

“It’s certainly been an interesting night,” she said as she watched the houses speed by. “But Tabby handled herself quite well. We’re going to have to talk about why she lied to us in the first place, but at least the worst is over.”

Bright blue and red lights suddenly bathed the interior of the car as a siren sounded behind them.

“Wonderful,” godmother and goddaughter sighed in unison.

Ah, my poor baby. The things we do to those we love, huh?

As always, thanks so much for reading, and toss me a review if you like:)