Winter slowly turned to spring, and soon enough, the faerie new year came and went, marking a year since Ashton had turned human. And a year since he had seen or spoken to his family.

Ashton was happy. He really was. Being back with Niles felt like home, his human able to soothe his nightmares and old feelings much better than his clan could. But he couldn't help but look north from time to time, back towards his old home.

Niles hadn't said anything about the hokla ceremony, so Ashton didn't, either. Niles already knew his end goal, anyway. The last thing Ashton wanted was to make Niles feel like he was rushing him. They had only been together for two seasons, after all, and Niles was definitely the type to move slowly in relationships.

So, Ashton resolved to keep himself busy. He helped Niles in whatever ways he could, visited James and his little niece and nephew, and went to the university and clinic. But even so... Ashton almost wished that he could do... more with his time. 

Back with his clan, he was always busy with tasks, from hunting, to gathering supplies, to watching the younglings. It had felt purposeful. Now... he just felt like he was trying to kill time while... waiting.

I don't know where I belong here, Ashton couldn't help but think. With Niles, yes, but in human society as a whole? I... may technically be human now, but I will also always be a faerie. If I can't serve my clan, then I wish there was some way I could still help my kind. Niles and Lucy certainly help further faerie welfare in a human world. But... what am I doing?

Far from his clan like this, Ashton decided to keep his eye out for any faeries who needed help. Niles lived pretty far from the city, so there were always pixies and even some stray woodlands out and about. He'd even been able to help a few by giving them directions or taking them to Niles' garden or clinic. 

It felt nice to connect with other faeries again. The humans that Ashton had met so far had all been nice, but they didn't understand Ashton the way a fellow faerie could, and Ashton enjoyed their company. 

None of the faeries stayed long, of course, as pixies liked to migrate, and woodlands stayed in forested areas. At least it was enough to help Ashton feel like he was making a little bit of a difference. 

But then... he found a faerie who wanted to stay. 

***

It was a school holiday, and Niles was celebrating by sleeping in. Ashton, of course, was already up and out for a run. His sprite was always up at the crack of dawn, just itching to go outside. So, Niles usually pushed him out of bed to go for a run. Otherwise, Ashton would try to bother him awake.

Niles was just hunkering down in the blankets when the front door suddenly banged open, and hurried footsteps rushed inside. "Niles?" he heard Ashton yell. "Niles, are you up? I need your help!"

Niles sat up with a jerk, eyes snapping open. He hadn't heard Ashton sound so panicked in a long time.

"I'm in here, Ash," he called back. He got up quickly and moved to open the bedroom door, but Ashton had already burst in, looking frazzled and worried.

"Whoa!" Niles exclaimed, holding his hands up so they wouldn't run into each other. "What's going on? Are you ok?"

Ashton was holding his hand cupped close to his chest, and he extended it towards Niles and opened his fingers. Niles gasped at the sight of a tiny garden pixie curled up in Ashton's hand. The faerie was unconscious and covered in swollen welts.

"I found him in an anthill," Ashton rushed to explain, his breath coming in short bursts. He must have run all the way back home. "I don't know how long he was in there, but he wasn't moving when I found him. Someone had their sprinklers on, so I was able to wash off the ants, but he won't wake up."

Niles quickly took him from Ashton and felt for a pulse. "Oh, thank heavens, he's alive," he breathed out, and Ashton nodded.

"Barely breathing, though," Ashton said, eyes wide. "I think his throat's closing up."

Niles pushed past him and headed for his office. "Ash, go see if any pixies are in the garden right now," he called over his shoulder. "I think I saw a couple fluttering around yesterday."

Ashton hurried back outside, and Niles held the pixie under the faucet in his makeshift office-clinic and turned on a thin stream of water.

***

Lucy was gone for the ELCoF spring conference, so Ashton hurried to the pixie houses instead of hers and Mara's.

Where are all the pixies? Ashton wondered frantically. The sun's already up. They should be out and about by now.

"Umm, hello?" he called out. "Is anyone awake, yet? There's a bit of an emergency!"

A garden pixie cracked open the door of one of the little faerie houses Niles had set up throughout the garden, and Ashton immediately knelt in front of her.

"Ashton," she grumped, her face half covered by her curls. "Why are you out here yelling so early in the morning?"

"Emmie," Ashton said, relieved to see someone he knew. Emmie was a fairly permanent garden resident, as she had once been a patient of Niles'. "Do you have any magic right now?"

She paused, considering. "Hmm, yeah I have a little bit stored up. Why?"

"Found a pixie covered in ants," Ashton explained in a rush. "He's not doing well. He needs a magic donor."

Emmie seemed to wake up at that, and she pushed her hair back from her eyes. "Oh, gross, I hate ants," she said. "Yeah, I'll help him out."

Ashton tapped his finger impatiently and glanced back at the house. "Sorry, but can I pick you up? It's kind of an emergency."

Emmie shrugged. "Sure, I guess," she started to say, but Ashton had already closed his fingers around her.

***

Niles glanced up at the sound of the back door slamming, and Ashton was soon in the office.

"Was anyone in the gar..." Niles' question trailed off as Ashton held his hand out, Emmie sitting on his palm and looking distinctly rumpled.

"Oh, gosh, Emmie, are you ok?" Niles asked, reaching for her.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she responded grumpily. She stood up and held onto Ashton's talons for balance before hopping over into Niles' waiting hands. "Where's your pixie patient?"

"Here." Niles moved her over to his desk, and she jumped off to look at the pixie.

Ashton leaned over Niles to take a look as well. Niles had placed the pixie on a towel and covered him with a thin sheet. It looked like Niles had stripped and washed the pixie, as Ashton could see his thin, bare ankles poking out at the bottom of the sheet.

"I needed to make sure there weren't any stray ants in his clothes," Niles explained. "And to cool off all the welts."

Emmie crouched beside the pixie and gave a low whistle. "Damn, he looks bad," she said, and Niles winced.

"Can you help him?" he asked.

Emmie placed her hand on the pixie's shoulder and pursed her lips. "I don't have enough magic stored up for a full healing," she said. "But it will at least jump start his healing process. Get rid of the venom in his system. Help him breathe. Save his eyes. Probably."

Niles nodded and reached for the injured pixie, turning him gently from his side to his stomach so that Emmie could reach his wings easier.

She placed both hands at the base of his blue wings and closed her eyes, her own yellow wings beginning to glow as tendrils of magic trailed down her arms and into the other pixie's wings.

He let out a small groan, and Ashton and Niles watched breathlessly as the worst of the swelling went down, especially on his face and around his eyes. Finally, Emmie pulled back, looking drained.

"That's all I got," she said. She stumbled to her feet, and Niles reached out a hand to catch her.

"Don't push yourself," he chided, and she rolled her eyes at him.

"Here." Ashton held out an eyedropper of sugar water for her, which she accepted gratefully.

"Do you want to sleep off the magic drain in here so that I can keep an eye on you?" Niles asked. "Or do you want Ashton to take you back outside?"

Emmie yawned and fluttered her wings tiredly. "Nah, I want to go back outside," she said. "It's easier to recharge in the garden. Your houseplants aren't particularly powerful."

Niles nodded and handed her over to Ashton. "I'll come check on you later this afternoon," he told her, and she waved him off in acknowledgement. "Thank you, Emmie. We really owe you one."

"Meh, just get me some pineapple, and we'll call it good," Emmie said, and Niles smiled.

"I'll add it to the grocery list," he assured her, and she and Ashton left.

Niles turned back to the little pixie with a sigh. What a rough start to the day, he thought. The faerie's wings were still glowing, and Niles watched as the magic swirled inside his wings before trailing to his most severe injuries.

"Well, I guess your morning was harder than mine," Niles said to him softly. He waited until the last spark of magic had faded, not wanting to touch the pixie and have the magic transfer to him instead.

Ashton wandered back into the office and sat down next to Niles, watching as Niles uncovered the pixie and applied a steroid cream to his welts. Even though the pixie was unconscious, Niles still quietly explained what he was doing to the faerie, making sure to touch him carefully.

Once he was done, he wrapped the faerie up in the sheet and changed out his gloves so he could apply aloe vera to the welts on the pixie's face.

"Ash, can you cut a rag into a thin strip and then run it under some cool water for me, please?" Niles asked.

Ashton did as he was told, and Niles took the rag that Ashton offered him and wrapped it over the faerie's eyes.

"I think that will do it for now," Niles said. Ashton had already cleared off a portion of the desk and built a little nest of blankets and pillows for the pixie. Niles placed the pixie there now, adjusting the pillows and tucking him in.

The faerie mumbled a bit, and Niles patted him softly. "It's ok," he assured him quietly. "You're ok. You're safe here. I'm going to take care of you now, ok? You'll be just fine."

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Man, I'm worried about his eyes," Niles admitted to Ashton. "I hope there was enough magic to prevent him from going blind."

Ashton laid a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he'll be fine," he assured Niles.

***

Niles hovered in his office all day, wanting to be there for the pixie when he woke up. It was all in vain, however, as the pixie never stirred. He eventually traded places with Ashton later in the morning before going back to be with the pixie that afternoon.

He was just about to switch out with Ashton again when he happened to glance over at the desk and caught his breath. The pixie was awake and sitting up in his blankets, sheets loose around his waist. He reached up to touch the bandage around his eyes and winced.

Niles hurried to the desk and sat down quietly. The pixie immediately turned towards the noise and cocked his head, but he remained silent.

"Hi," Niles began, keeping his voice soft. "How are you feeling?"

The pixie continued to feel his face and shrugged.

"Ah, you're probably sore and itchy right now, huh?" Niles continued, and the pixie nodded.

"We found you unconscious in an anthill," Niles explained. "Another garden pixie was able to transfer some of her magic to you, so the venom from the ants is mostly gone. I've gone ahead and treated the rest of the bites and stings. They should be gone in about a week with proper care."

The pixie sat there silently and nodded again.

He's uncharacteristically quiet for a pixie, Niles thought worriedly. And oddly calm despite what's happened.

"Am I dead?" the pixie suddenly asked. "Are you what the humans call God?" Niles blinked in surprise.

"No, you're not dead," he assured him quickly. "And I'm not God. My name's Niles. I'm a human doctor who treats sick and injured faeries when magic's not enough."

"Where am I?" the pixie wanted to know next. "How did I get here?"

"You're in my house," Niles answered. "My friend Ashton found you and brought you here."

The little pixie shivered, and Niles realized he might be cold. He reached for the faerie and pulled his blanket up to wrap around his shoulders. The pixie let him, seemingly unbothered by Niles' presence or being touched by him.

"And what's your name?" Niles asked.

"I'm Rylan," the pixie replied. He pulled his blankets closer to him, his movements stiff and painful.

Niles studied him carefully. Rylan was on the small side, even for a pixie, and his dark hair curled softly around his pointed ears. He couldn't be older than eighteen, and he hadn't flinched when Niles touched him, which was odd.

Niles turned to fill an eyedropper with sugar water mixed with an antihistamine, wondering at the pixie's relaxed state.

"It's nice to meet you, Rylan," he said. "Here, you're probably hungry after everything that's happened. I mixed a little medicine in it, too. It should help with the itchiness."

He held the eyedropper up to the little pixie's lips, and the faerie's ears perked up as he realized what it was. He drank three eyedroppers' worth of sugar water, holding onto Niles' fingers for balance. When he was done, Niles helped him settle back down into his blankets.

Rylan seemed completely comfortable with Niles touching him, so Niles reached for him again, smoothing out his blankets and brushing his hair off his bandaged eyes.

Rylan relaxed under his fingers, and Niles patted him softly. "There you go," he murmured. "Just rest."

He moved to stand up, and Rylan held out one tiny hand as if to stop him. "It's ok," Niles was quick to reassure him. "I'm not leaving yet. And if I'm not in the room when you wake up, my friend Ashton will be. Someone will always be here for you, so just speak up if you need anything, ok?"

Rylan nodded but didn't move his hand away from Niles' finger. What does he want? Niles wondered.

He experimented by moving his hand over Rylan again and resting it gently on top of him. The pixie became still and settled back into his blankets, his hand relaxing against Niles' thumb.

This is what he wants? Niles thought, surprised. But he sat there anyway, keeping one hand over the pixie's back and feeling his breathing slow and deepen as he fell asleep.

How odd, Niles mused. I've never met a faerie who liked a human immediately. 

_________________________________________________________

A/N: Niles caring for faeries gives me life. He's such a dad.

Thanks for reading! If you look at the tags on this story, we have now entered into the "found family" part of this book. Ashton and Niles are about to enter their parenting era.