Peep picked up his plate of cake and took a bite of the gooey strawberry filling. "I eat when I'm nervous."

"Me too." Locket also took a bite of the sweet "Starry Night" themed cake. "It's tasteless compared to you. How will I live in a world without Peep?"

"Who says you have to? Locket you can stay with me as Emma. I'll ask my mother to be your new host mom." Peep put his arm around Locket. She shivered in the cool November night air. Peep moved closer.

"It doesn't work like that. The potion is only temporary. I can't stay as Emma forever. However if you decide to drink my vial of tears..." Locket looked up at Peep with her big round blue eyes.

Peep could see the moon's reflection in Locket's eyes. How he loved her eyes. "Drink your tears? If drinking your tears will enable us to stay together forever I'll drink them right now!" Peep pulled the crystal cork from the vial.

"No!" Locket replaced the vial's stopper. "It doesn't work that way. I can't be Emma forever but you..." Locket's eyes began welling up with tears. She was afraid to ask the question to end all questions. If he loved her he'd have to choose. She thought, "Maybe it's not even fair of me to ask him to choose?" I wanna ask you something... " Locket gulped. "if you say, 'No' or even if you need to think about it I'll totally understand."

Peep took Locket's hands. "You can ask me anything. Don't be scared. The only thing I'm scared of is losing you."

Peep's words gave Locket courage. Time was ticking. At midnight Peep would turn 13 and she'd fade from his life forever... unless...

Locket's words tumbled quickly. She feared if she didn't say them all at once she'd never say them at all. "When you're 21 you may drink the vial of my tears. If you do you'll come to my world and we'll be together forever. We'll be married and you'll be a fairy prince. One day you and I will rule as King and Queen of Fairy World."

Peep sat there stunned. He wondered if he heard Locket correctly. "If I did... drink your tears... Would I be able to come back here and visit my family?"

Locket spoke softly. "I'm afraid not."

"Not even my mom?" Peep had a worried expression.

Locket slowly shook her head "No."

Peep objected, "But you came to visit me! Why can't I visit my mom?"

"I visited you as a child. Fairies aren't permitted to visit human's once they turn 13."

"But that's not even fair!" Peep stood up and his plate of cake fell beneath the bleachers."

"It' may not seem fair but it's a fairy-rule."

Peep paced along the top row of the white bleachers. "It's a dumb rule. When I become Fairy King I'm gonna change that rule!"

Hopeful Locket followed him and asked, "When you become Fairy King?"

"If... I meant if I become Fairy King." Peep laid down on the bench and looked up at the stars. He located the Big Dipper and Orian's Belt.

Locket sat next to him and held his hand. "I know this is a tough decision. You don't have to make it now... You have 8 years to decide..."

Peep jerked to a seated position. "So either way we won't see each other for 8 years?"

"I'm afraid so." Locket laid her head in Peep's lap and also gazed up at the constellations.

Frantically Peep asked, "Can I tell my family where I'm going? Can I at let them know I"m ok?"

Locket rolled over and faced Peep. "I'm afraid not. Rules are rules."

Peep shouted, "Rules are meant to be broken or at least bent!"

Locket sat up and faced Peep. "Not in this case. It would be like trying to break the rules of the ocean. The tides rise and fall and the waves crash against the shore. So it is with fairies. We must obey our nature."

Peep sighed. "What will happen once I drink the potion? Will I disappear? Can I leave a note? My mother--my family and friends will be worried sick!"

Locket explained as gently as she could, "You may say 'goodbye' in your note but you may never tell them where you've gone. They'll just think..."

"They'll just think what? That I've skipped out on them? Left town? That I've run away?" Peep was experiencing the grief his family and friends would feel if he suddenly vanished.

"No... " Locket took a deep breath. She held both of Peep's hands and looked into his soulful brown eyes. "They'll think you've died Peep.They'll think you've died."

Peep's heart broke into a thousand pieces. Locket had to leave at midnight. He'd never see her again but if he wanted to it meant saying goodbye to everyone else he loved. Peep buried his face in his hands and cried. Locket wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

After Peep calmed down he looked up at Locket. "Emma, why did you hafta come? Why'd you make me fall in love with you?"

"You're in love with me? How do you know?" Locket would only fall in love once and her love would last a lifetime. (Fairies live thousands of years so a lifetime is a very very long time.) However she knew human's could be faulty in the love department.

"I know I'm in love with you because I can't imagine living without you. It's like our souls have met and we've become one person." Peep stood up and pulled Locket into himself. They hugged and swayed to the music they faintly heard coming from the gym. Once the music stopped they sat back down.

Locket fed Peep a piece of her cake.

Peep asked, "So the food... Is it better in Fairy World?"

"Much better..." Locket smiled her brilliant smile.

Peep smiled back. "I'll be able to fly?"

"You'll be able to soar!"

-End of Chapter 49-

Author's note: Peep must decide! What do you think he'll do? Will he choose Locket?