"Wake up sleepy head. It's time to begin" he said pointing to a plate of breakfast. As Claire ate, he was oddly silent as he wrote on slips of paper. One by one he wrote the same arcane. "Looks like a spell" she said finishing her scrambled eggs. "A barrier spell so you won't burn the place down. Need a bunch of them" he muttered. "I'm not going to torch your loft" she said annoyed. "You say that now" he said. Puck slapped them all over the walls and floors leaving an empty space on the floor. "Once you're done, I need you to sit right there" he said pointing to the space. Swallowing the last bit of bacon, she walked over and sat. Puck sat before her and kissed her. "Good kisser. Runs in the family. Ahem...now brace yourself" he said. As soon as he said that, Claire felt her power rush back into her. Her body quivered. "I erased my sealing spell just now. Remember your training on how to deal with your libido" he warned. "Easier said than done. You look cuter somehow" she whispered. Claire took deep breaths and concentrated. Everyday memories of Keith and Aspen, mom, dad, Ritchie. Puck was harder than she thought. She wanted to hold him so badly and comfort him. Suck him off and taste his semen. Have him mate with her. "No. He's more than that. He has feelings Claire" she said to herself. "I do and good job" Puck said.

Once she had calmed down, Puck continued. "Now I need you to shrink back to your normal size. Less chance of burning the place" he said. Still irked, she did as asked and shrank down to her old borrower size. Puck waved his hands and ethereal chains bound her. "Relax. A precaution" he said. Claire was getting scared. She didn't like being restrained one bit and forced herself not to fight it. However, she could sense that she could snap this binding spell like it was nothing. A barrier shimmered around her for a split second.  Puck summoned Keith and Aspen once again and they were her size. She looked up at the giant boy. "What are you going to do?" she asked worried. Puck didn't answer at first. His lip trembled. "For this test, you must learn to control your anger, fear, your phobias, and jealousy. Primal emotions can cause you to lose control of your power and harm yourself and others" he said. "I can control my sexual desires. You can see that. I'll be just fine. I'm not scared" Claire said trying to sound brave. "You should be..." he muttered.

"Aspen. You got something to say don't you?" Puck asked. "Yeah I do. If it wasn't for grandma being allergic to dogs, I'd have never been your friend. That's right. A puppy would've done the job better than you. Don't have to worry about stepping on it. Carry it around everywhere. Seriously, who'd love a fucking three-inch kid creeping through her house and night eating your food? Like vermin you leave tiny holes in bags and shit. People online thought I was a freak. Said I was into bestiality. Sometimes I think it's pity not love I feel for you" Aspen said coldly. Claire hid her face in her curled up knees. "It's not true. Aspen would never say that" Claire muttered. "Not out loud maybe. Honestly, a human and a borrower? You can't even use my fucking toilet without falling in and drowning. You will always be a burden to me" Aspen said coldly. Claire whimpered and cried as her power flared hotter and brighter. "Wife? What was I thinking marrying you? Forget life insurance or even a normal outing for that matter. Things normal couples do or deal with. In laws are a bunch of freaks. A wife that can't decide what she wants to be at the genetic level. A brother in law who's been jerking of to me since he was a kid. A mother in law who wouldn't even accept me till I fucking died. And daddy? Don't think for one second I never noticed those pathetic erections he got seeing my feet, ass, or tits. Two perverts, a closet bigot and a three-inch-tall manic depressive. I should've married Keith" she hissed.  

"THAT'S NOT TRUE! NONE OF WHAT YOU SAID IS TRUE! ALL LIES!" Claire yelled as a blast of raw magic force shot from all around her. The binding spell snapped instantly, and the barrier barely held as Puck reinforced it. Claire looked at Aspen and Keith. They were talking anymore, moving, or anything. They lay on the floor burnt. A pair of sizzling skeletons. The sight of it made Claire gibe off an unholy shriek. Puck watched as she passed right out. "Well, that could've went better" Puck sighed making the illusions disappear. He sat patiently for her to wake. Claire groaned as she finally awoke. She looked around in a panic. "I had them disappear, but you bet your tiny ass you'll see them again" he said. He placed a cap full of water and a chunk of granola before her. "Eat. Your body released so much power in such a short time your blood sugar crashed. It hasn't fully adjusted yet" he said. "How long..." she muttered.

"Just under five hours. I didn't enjoy that at all" he replied. "What she said. The things she said to me" Claire muttered as she wiped tears from her eyes. "All of that I pulled from your subconscious. Her words came from your own fears" he said. "This is torture!" she cried tossing the granola away. "Where did that ego go? The one you showed earlier saying you could beat this. Here's a news flash for you. Lust is one of the easier emotions to curb. Looking away, thinking of something else. Even a cold shower can cure that. Anger? Self-loathing? That's deep. Those emotions run all the way to your soul" he said. "So, I can't feel that?" she asked upset. "No. That's fucking ridiculous. You're a Fae not a fucking Vulcan. It's not just suppressing it. It's refining it. Keeping it in you like a archer keeping an arrow in his quiver. I'll explain further. Why does a blade cut and a hammer crush? Why not the opposite? Focus of force is why. A blade focuses its force along a keen edge while a hammer's is spread out. You learn to control your anger you can hone your power as if it was Excalibur itself instead of a bomb. You saw what could happen if you don't. Far worse than a broken wrist isn't it?" he asked. Claire said nothing back.    

"I want to try again" she muttered. Puck was wary. "Please" she begged. "Fine but trying again so quickly can be dangerous" he said waving his hands. Keith and Aspen appeared once again but it was Keith who spoke first. "Oh. It's you again. Going to kill us again this time? Burn us to our bones. You were too busy crying to hear our screams last time. Self-centered bitch. For two years I tried to be nice to you. Smiled, laughed, cooked food for you and Aspen. Wasn't good enough for your jealous ass" he said. Claire stared at him. "Puck. Make me smaller. I'm not done with her yet" he said. Puck made the illusion smaller and Keith strode right up to her legs. "You thought all I did was just to get on her good side. No, I loved you too. I wanted to be part of a family and when I gave Aspen the gift of that size watch what did you do? Not one thank you. "Thanks Keith. Now Aspen can come to my house and eat dinner with my family, fuck me senseless, make a podcast in an effort to save my race". Yeah, didn't hear none of that. You hear me talking to you you giant fucking ingrate?!" Keith yelled. Claire placed him on her thigh. "...every word" she muttered crying. Her power was flaring up, but Puck could see her trying to contain it. 

"You reminded me of my dead sister. Your laugh, the way you showed love, but I never got that until I told you my secret. Why? Why Claire? Why was your love for me so hard? What did I do to deserve two years of your contempt?" he asked. "YOU LOVED HER!" she screamed as her power flared once more. Keith fell off her thigh grimacing in pain. The soles of his tiny feet were blistered. "...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" she said holding him in her palms. "Sorry won't take away the pain. Of this and back then" he said. "You're right. It won't. All I can do is make sure I don't hurt you again" she said after taking a breath. "Put him down you freak" Aspen hissed. Claire did and Aspen held him in her hands. Claire stared at her toes not daring to make eye contact. "...even if you both feel that way, I'll still love you" she muttered. Aspen looked at her. Claire stood up shattering her bonds once again. "Damn. I even tripled their strength too" Puck thought. "All my fears. All my doubts. I won't stop loving you" she said. The illusions vanished. "That was impressive" he said. "Then I passed?" Claire asked. "The test isn't over. The absolute worst is to come. We'll start again tonight. For now just relax" he replied. Claire was dumbfounded. What was worse than hearing her worst fears spoken aloud by those she loved? Hours passed as she watched movies trying to think of even worse things she had to see and hear. Abruptly, Puck turned the tv off. "We can't put it off any longer. It's time for your final lesson" he said.

He sat before her towering over her small body with an anguished look. "This lesson nearly had your grandmother kill me. Your heart and mind will be pushed to the breaking point.  For all the emotions you learned to master, there is one that is more dangerous than all the others combined. Loss. The pain of tragedy. But as dangerous as it is, it can also be helpful. Focused properly, it can bolster your resolve, give you strength. Determination to punish those that took from you...if you find the balance" he said waving his hands. Aspen and Keith appeared once more but also Thomas and Rebecca, her parents. Claire was very worried not just by what he said about loss but the fact each one was naked and her size. Puck looked at each one. With no warning at all, he slammed his fist right down on Thomas splattering him. Claire yelped frozen in shock. Her breath caught in her throat she stared at the crushed remains. For added measure, he had the illusions run to her for safety. Rebecca was snatched up by him. "Please! I'm pregnant! I'M PREGNANT!" Rebecca screamed as Puck lowered her into his mouth. "...mommy" Claire muttered dumbfounded as he sealed his lips and loudly swallowed her mother. Claire was so shaken by the scene she pissed herself.

Keith was next. "Don't do this. Don't please. I have a wife. Kids. I want to see my kids grow up!" Keith screamed as Puck put two fingers around his head and twisted. A pitiful whimper escaped Claire's lips as she watched him go limp. He tossed the body before her. Being the same size, Claire had no trouble seeing his face frozen in death. Tears on his cheek, the stark terror in his eyes. A burning rage began to form in her heart. Her rational mind couldn't tell her he wasn't real. The father of her son was dead. Brutally murdered as he begged for his life. All the lost time she could've bonded with him came like a flood of grief adding to her pain. Puck could see her flaring in power. "Claire!" Aspen screamed as she got to her. Puck reached down and yanked Aspen off her dainty feet by her long hair causing her to scream in pain. "Let...her...go" Claire hissed as she tried to move. "No, this binding spell is the strongest I got and in your fatigued state you won't be breaking it. Also, you'll see Aspen looks different doesn't she?" he said. Claire hadn’t but as Aspen dangled upside-down flailing about crying, she was as pregnant as she had seen her earlier today. Puck knew this would hurt her even more.

Her fiery Fae wings burst forth from her back . Her eyes glowing white hot. "That motherly glow. Two lives, for the price of one" Puck said opening his maw.  "Help me Claire! I don't wanna die! I DON'T WANNA DIE ALONE! I WANNA BE A MOMMY!....help...me..." she whimpered as she passed his lips. Her kicking legs were slurped right to her feet. Her tiny toes scrunching as she wriggled and fought his tongue, and then they were gone. It was a surreal sight to see flames frozen in motion as if even they heard their breath. The bulge slipped down his throat and Aspen was gone. Puck had closed his eyes as he had to concentrate swallowing such a mouthful and when he opened them even he nearly pissed himself.

Her entire form crackled with energy. Her tears were blood. Her teeth clenched tight and the sound she made chilled his soul. The guttural sound of an unholy beast ready to strike. She lunged and his spell held her...barely. He was thankful that she had broken it before and he could gauge her strength. If she hadn't, the three-inch girl who was wrath personified would've ended him. Puck looked at her sadly. He broke her heart so badly in an effort to strengthen it. He said nothing as he waited for her to calm down. Minutes turned into an hour and even though her power faded, her anger did not. "My life. They...were...my...life" she snarled. "They aren't real" he whispered. Claire tried to jump at him. "Real enough" he growled. Puck shrank himself and approached her. She yanked harder and harder seeing him as easier prey. "Your grandmother had a similar reaction too. In her case it was her father I killed. Every kid I've had to do this to had someone they cared for. A girl, a boy, a parent, even a friend. You Claire...are unique. Never was there four of them. One or two but not four. "You are truly blessed to have so many to cherish in your life. But it also can open you up to the most pain"

"There is nothing more dangerous, noble, rewarding, or brave to mutter those three words. I love you. There are people in this world that will exploit your love, your kindness. You already know one of them" he said. "Then I shouldn't care so much?" Claire asked. "No. Care all you want but if someone takes a loved one from you...you give out vengeance so coolly no one would dare try again. You are to be the hawk that singles out its prey among the flock. The flock doesn't matter. Just that single bird you have your sights set on. That is vengeance the Fae way" he said extending his hand. Claire powered down and he brushed her cheek. He embraced her tightly and kissed her forehead. Claire could sense his own pain inside him. "I hate this part of the job" he whispered. Puck cradled her to him as she fell asleep. Her power had worn her right out. 

Puck grew to human size and carried Claire in his hand to the sofa where he placed her. Once done, he went to his bedroom and laid down. His thoughts went back to a time when he had people in his life he loved and were taken away. 

It was the year 1347. A year of great sorrow for Europe. Puck was living in medieval Paris at the time and had been so for 10 years by that point by order of Titania herself. He watched over humanity living as a human and working as a shoemaker or cobbler and they were known back then. He has stopped planking humans as something more entertaining had come along. Namely marriage and children. Yes, Puck had found a young woman that he loved. A nice maiden of 14 years old and not a penny to her name living on the street. He hired her to help him run his shop and they eventually fell in love. A year later his first child (by her) was born. He named her Lilian auspiciously and a few years after that his son Henry was born. Neither had magical gifts but he didn't care. They were of his blood and they reminded him of himself or his wife. Lillian had a head for numbers and was gentle as her mother. Henry played the fool to get laughs just like his father.

They knew what he truly was and didn't fear him as was common in those days. Shrinking his kids and hunting them growling saying he would eat them up. Shrinking for his wife to pleasure her giant feet after a long day. Puck was happy. He forgotten his reason to be in the city until 1347. His daughter was nine, his son 6, and his wife 24 or would've been saw the Black Death sweep through the city. People said it was god's judgement over their sins or them letting Jews live in the city. Puck knew different. Ebonheart had launched another attack on humanity. The city was sealed to prevent the sickness spreading into the rural areas. A futile attempt by far and as the death toll rose. Humans sought ways to stop it. Praying didn't stop it. Whipping themselves didn't do shit. He was helpless to watch people he knew for a decade by then die one by one. He wept. Ophelia had never seen him weep before. She hugged him as he watched a cart full of bodies roll past his window. One body belonged to a boy his son's age. His friend no less. Puck had been crafting shoes for the child as an order for his birthday. A day that would not come.

Everyone in his city block was dead and people noticed he and his family was not. Being different in those days was dangerous at best a death sentence at worst. The cart pushers rumored they sold their souls to the devil for protection and one night they came with chains and torches to smite the blasphemers. They were asleep as they broke the door down and dragged them all out into the street. Him and his family bound with iron chains watched as they burned his shop, his home to the ground. Puck could do nothing as they tortured his family for a false confession. The iron in those chains repelling his spells. His children knew what he was and said nothing for they loved him so. Same for his wife. Hastily, one of them stabbed his wife and with that others did the same to his two young children and then Puck himself. His family died before his eyes helpless. The same look about them Claire had seeing her parents and loved ones dying. However, Puck being an immortal, was not so easily killed. He bled on the street not moving and when someone took those chains off them, they saw there was something in Paris more to fear than plague.    

He healed himself on the spot and stood up. They attacked him assured his was a demon now and he easily bound them in place...all of them. A mob of over two dozen people demanded, begged, prayed, to be set free of him. His wrath overflowing, Puck shrank half of them right then and there. As for the other half..."you want to know where this sickness came from? See for yourself!" he yelled transforming the rest into plague rats. The humans now rats didn't disperse as one would think. As anyone knows (Puck did right then) rats eat ANYTHING. They pounced on the shrunken defenseless humans and devoured them. Puck stood there silently listening to their screams and then there were none. Tiny scraps of cloth, blood, and bits of flesh littered the spot they were in as the rats had their fill of tiny human flesh and moved on to infect others. With nothing to tie him down anymore and the call of Fae to fight, Puck returned to England.

He was never truly the same after that. Losing control of himself had not only killed the guilty, but most assuredly killed innocents with those plague rats. The teacher had broken his own rules. He saw redemption in others teaching the dangers of letting their power run wild. Vowing never to lose control again, he left himself to secular roles shying away from humanity...until he was ordered again. Centuries later, his species near extinct, he had found his greatest challenge and his last stroke at redemption. Puck lay in his bed and waved his hands. Appearing was his lost family. Tiny children jumping up and down on his pillow. His wife taking her clothes off and laying close to his face. Puck caressed the illusion with eyes old and saddened far more than anyone with a teenage boy form. "Ophelia. Tell me I'm a good person" he whispered. "You are a good person Puck Acornwood" she said kissing his finger. The tiny children jumped on his chest asking him to play with them. With his fingers, he chased them around his young chest until they grew tired. They slept soundly with not a care right above his heart. His wife asleep as well, he played with her hair and fair backside gently. He had done this more times than even he could count, and it always ended the same. They would be gone when he woke up.

Claire was first to awake. Showered and dressed, she cooked breakfast. "It's no trouble. I enjoy this kind of stuff" she said seeing him appear in the kitchen. "If you're human sized, you must be feeling better" he said to her. "What I saw yesterday, I'll never forget" she said. "You shouldn't. Not now not ever" he said sitting down. "You're going to do it again aren't you?" she asked. He simply nodded. Both were silent as they ate and after eating Puck just stood there. Claire stood in front of him as he looked down. "You have pretty feet. Anyone ever say that to you?" he asked softly. "All the time but you're not staring at my feet are you?" she asked. He shook his head. "Looking for courage. I truly hate this part of the test" he said. Claire had him sit down before shrinking herself. "Please...continue" she said to him. Puck cast his illusions of those she loved.

For hours he killed them in horrible ways and then would bring them right back. Claire clenched her fists as her power flared but didn't lose control this time. Even as her mother begged to deliver another child just before being swallowed whole, Claire stood firm. Crying but firm. Puck himself trembled as Aspen shrieked as her bones and flesh was torn and broken by his giant teeth. In his own way, he was being tested himself. Claire's power flared brightly but pulled itself back in her body. Her hair moved by itself as it glowed. Seeing she has far more control now, Puck resigned himself to deliver one final illusion. Aspen had returned but not alone. Ebonheart, human sized stood over her. Claire nearly pissed herself seeing the woman who had eaten her once before. Ebonheart grabbed Aspen. "Claire stop her please!" Aspen screamed. Claire felt the binding spell holding her down. She could only watch as the evil woman stuffed her wife in her mouth and very slowly and loudly swallow her. The illusion moved in slow motion on purpose and Claire could see her struggling all the way down her throat. "Do something about it bastard vermin" Ebonheart mocked. Claire felt the binding spell no longer there.

She hovered into the air, zipped right to her belly, and with her hand full of vengeance and focused magical might, ripped her belly clean open. She didn't hesitate to wade through the guts and viscera to her Aspen back and with mind-blowing power, flew out of her shredded stomach with Aspen in hand. The giantess fell to the floor dead as Claire held Aspen right as she could without hurting her. She looked into her eyes seeing the terror in them. "Whatever comes, I'll be ready for it" she said to her. "Couldn’t have said it better myself" Puck said clapping. The illusions were gone leaving just the two of them. "That was the real final test. All the lessons you taught me. I conquered my fear, controlled my anger, and used it to strike her down" she said. "That and not raping her" he said. "...that too. The real thing won't be so easy will she?" she asked. "Not by a long shot. Ebonheart may not have her own magic but she knows every arcane in existence and has thousands of years of combat experience. Even with her unholy army and allies, she's missing something that may be her downfall" he said. "What's that?" Claire asked. "Hope. Hope brought you from a scared two-inch little girl to a powerhouse of a woman. Turned a broken abused boy into a man wielding the mightiest sword ever made. And a grief stricken little human girl into the mother who can change the world. It's time you went home..." he said.

"Just like that?" she asked. "Just like that" he replied. Claire grew to human size and hugged him. She could see he didn't wish her to leave. She kissed him and held her tight. "Lily...sorry...Claire..." he said before she shushed him. "It's not the power talking. This is me. A girl would be lucky to have you" she said. She glanced down to see his shorts tenting. "Don't mind that. I do have a teenage body after all" he said. "When this is all over, I'll come back to help with that. I do have an open marriage you know" she said winking. "Not nice to trick people Claire. I should know" he said. Claire slipped her sandals on. "Not a trick when it's true" she winked as she opened the door. "Seriously, I'll come back. When I learn how to control my powers more I'll break this curse. You can live free" she said as she stepped out. "We'll see" he said smiling. As he watched her leave, he could sense something off down at street level. It was faint and concealed. However, it didn't disappear as Claire entered the waiting car and left. If anything, it was getting closer. "Seems like I'm going to have another guest. Better prepare a proper welcome" he muttered.

"Really?! I was only gone for 30 minutes?!" Claire asked the driver. "Just about. How was he?" he asked. "Lonely, very lonely" she replied as she watched the rain fall outside. The car got on the motorway heading back to Yorkshire.

Back at Puck's...

He waited patiently as he knew whatever it was would appear shortly. Well rested, he sat on the sofa watching the door. He almost didn't see it but he felt it. A shadow stretched underneath the doorframe and crawled along the wall and floor edge. He waved his hands activating a powerful barrier. The shadow stopped moving. "I know you're there. Come on out and have some tea with me" he said looking dead at it. For a second nothing happened and then as if rising out of it appeared a small Asian girl. "Come. Have a seat. Been expecting you for a day or so" he said gesturing to the loveseat. The girl eyed him. "Mao...Mao is your name" he said grinning. She bawked. "Oh damn. You got a spy in Lily's mist" he said. "Mind reading magic. If you know that then you know what I'm here to do" she said. "Painfully so. No need to be brutish, have some tea and snicker doodles. I can sense your fear of me. This way you get to gauge my power without fighting" he said. Mao grew to his size as she sat in the seat.

Puck poured her a cup and handed a cookie to her. "Not poisoned" he said drinking and eating himself. Mao had been briefed on the legend of the trickster Fae. Powerful and cunning. Not to be underestimated. A worthy foe. Mao took a sip. "What was Claire doing here?" Mao asked. "That’s the question you wish to ask me first? Not why you look so young? Why haven’t anyone seen you lately? What skill set you use? I can see you're using the umbra techniques. Shadow magic" he said. He glanced at a book bag she had. "You didn't answer my question" she said. "Claire? I just turned her into a very effective weapon against Ebonheart and her vexing ilk. Do people still say the word vexing?" he asked chuckling. It unnerved her how laid back he was. Did he feel she was not a threat? Was he that powerful?

"Oh...I can feel you struggling to close your mind to me. A skilled spymaster for sure. You know, with Claire gone I'm a little lonely. How about you take off your clothes and come join me over here?" he asked. Mao shattered the teacup in her hand. "That a no?" he asked sighing. He waved his hands and appeared a copy of her sitting next to him. He slipped off her right shoe and sock and kissed her foot. "Fucking asshole" she said casting an ice spell at him. It impacted and he disappeared. "An illusion?!" she yelled. Another Puck appeared and a tiny one at that. "You expected something else?" he laughed. She lept from her seat and crushed it. Three more appeared. "Come one cutie. Let's have some fun!" he yelled. Mao kept stomping them and more just appeared. "Enough!" she yelled burning the floor.

"We're being silly. Why don't we just have some fun? Aren't you tired from fighting and killing people. I heard he's a good lover" a copy of herself said at her feet. Mao squished it. "Don't let his age fool you. Heard he's got a big dick. Go see for yourself" another tiny copy of her said behind her. Mao grabbed it and squeezed it until her bones cracked. "You hate yourself that much? I think you just want a quiet life for yourself. What was that name in your head before you shut yourself off from me? Jacob was it?" she asked. Mao grabbed her. "Don't say his name!" she screamed before savagely eating her. Another appeared. "Struck a nerve did we? A human name for sure. Don't your kind despise humans? Milady doth protest too much" she said. Mao shut her eyes as she ground the copy under her shoe. "Where?! WHERE ARE YOU?!" she yelled. Multiple copies of herself surrounded her giggling.

A sinister growl escapade her lips as she used her own shadow to strike out and kill each one. Mao began to understand what kind of Fae he truly was. Playing the fool was his gimmick. A way to lure out an weakness in his enemy. In reality, Puck was an expert in psychological warfare. Drive his enemy to the brink of insanity and attack when they were most distracted. Mao took a deep breath and concentrated hard. Manipulating every shadow, she could sense, she searched for him. No doubt hiding where he could remotely drive her nuts. Through his illusions, he could see her sitting down not moving. Her eyes closed. Tucked safely away in a sock drawer, Puck rested as much as he could. Dealing with Claire had drained his own magic and with barely a day to prepare, he was barely at half strength. Casting so many illusions wore on him. An hour passed before Mao stirred. "Hiding in complete darkness? Smart move but that narrows it down little fairy" she said getting up. Mao knew that was the only way her shadows couldn't find him. She began searching for him on her own.

He tried to shake her as she searched. Opening his cupboard, she found a copy of her and him fucking passionately. She ignored it. Under the sink was him snapping her neck. The more she searched, the more he used bizarre and morbid illusions. Under the bathroom sink he was raping a tiny copy of her with a toothbrush. Linen closet had copies of them in wedding attire. Pick finally stopped when the me of his illusions noticed her bump her stomach on the edge of the sink and she let out a strong but very brief pang of fear. He caught a glimpse in her mind for a brief moment that changed his way of fighting her. "Can we talk? A real talk" his copy said to the giantess in his hallway. Mao paused as this one wasn't mocking her and sounded sincere. "What about?" she asked narrowing her eyes. "I'm willing to make a deal. Leave me be and I swear I will not get involved in your right with them. I ask you to consider this offer as I set a trap to imprison you here until you pass away" he said seriously. "Afraid I'm getting closer?" she smirked.

"No, I sensed it for brief moment when you banged your stomach on my sink. You're pregnant, aren't you?" he asked. Mao took a step back. She had only learned that this morning as she missed her period. "I rather not get it involved in this fight. Walk away and I will not get involved in their fight anymore" he said. "And if I don't you’ll imprison me here?" she asked. "Indeed" he replied. Mao weighed her options. "How do I know you'll will keep your word?" she asked. The illusion vanished. Minutes later Puck appeared before her. "This is the real me. No illusion" he said gazing up at the Asian giantess. "...very well. I'll leave you be" she said to him looking hard at him. He was sweating and with her fortified ability, could smell it. "He is real" she thought. "Told you I was. Now go" he said. Mao turned her back and Puck could see her fingers was crossed as she chuckled. A spear of darkest shadow skewered him from behind and then dissolved. "Tricked me. Not nice...to trick...a trickster. Tempus Immortus" he muttered pointing at his doorframe. It shimmered. "What have you done?!" she said trying to touch it. When she did she found her fingernails stuck. Yanking back, she painfully tore them out. Puck chuckled. "That doorframe controls the passage of time between the outside and inside. I can change the flow at will. Now...now the spell is at its zenith. One day out there is 1000 years here. You’ll starve to death before dying of old age. If you shrink...you'll have a few years. Should've took me up on my offer..." he said taking painful steps.

Blood poured out of his gashes. His vision blurry he used his power to create illusions of his lost family. His wife Ophelia walking to him with an outstretched hand with their kids beside her. Mao, so angry, raised her foot over them. Just as he was about to touch her hand, Mao slammed her foot down on them all.  *crunch* *splat*

And like that, the infamous trickster was gone from this world...

She turned her attention to the doorframe. Her fingernails stuck in slowed time five inches from the frame. Yes, only five inches separated her from a lonely fate. Mao didn't give up. She searched for other ways to escape. The widows were covered by a magic barrier. Likewise the air vents. Even the damn sinks were barred somehow. Hours passed and Mao stripped all her clothes off and jumped into the toilet. The sheer embarrassment was not lost on her and she dove under the bowl water thinking she could swim out the nasty hard way. A barrier stopped her. The tiny woman climbed out and stood there on the floor. The reality was starting to set in but not entirely yet. Still her normal small size, she attacked the temporal distortion around the doorframe to break and destroy it. She sank to her knees seeing shockingly flames, and shadow stuck in time as it hit. Ironically, the one spell that could free here right then and there she refused to learn. Light spells. As light was not bound to time, it could pass right through but Mao found no need to know them. She was a spy and light spells were too flashy for her kind of work. Screaming, she let loose an mighty lightning bolt at it. It froze as soon as it touched the distortion. Mao was crestfallen.

She called for help magically. She didn’t want to as explaining what happened would bring some level of dishonor to her. They would not see her victory over Puck as honorable either. Help was on its way and would arrive...in 6 hours. 6 hours outside time. Doing the math, that meant help would arrive in 250 years. She'd be a dead, dried up tiny mummy by then...her child too. She realized she should have took the deal. For days she barely ate. She cried naked and alone on the floor. She and her baby would die all alone and her thoughts rested on Jacob. She actually looked forward to being his wife, his queen and ruling the isles. She wanted to be with so badly now. He wasn't a human to her. He was her chosen mate and father of her child. A week had passed and as she ate a Ritz cracker pacing around the floor, she glanced at the doorframe. Nothing had changed. The flames were still frozen, the lighting too. Wait a minute. The lightning...had it moved? Mao grow to human size for a closer look. It was almost unnoticeable but it had. It had moved an inch towards the doorframe.

"That's it" she muttered. In reality, the flames had moved too but by nanometers. Lightning however, moved thousands of times faster than even the strongest flame spell. The bolt was now only four inches from the doorframe. All was not lost to her. She only had to wait another four weeks. A month. Mao passed the time watching movies and tv shows on DVD. She stayed shrunk to conserve oxygen in the loft. Thankfully, Puck had kept a few potted plants around to recycle the oxygen. The weeks passed and the life inside her grew. Her belly swelled as well as her breasts. Her desire to be with Jacob was almost unbearable. She needed his touch so bad it hurt. She fingered herself multiple times thinking of how good it would feel to have him suck her lactating breasts. Lick her swollen feet. Lay in his giant warm hands and gaze at his eyes. As the moment came for the bolt to finally hit home, she held her breath.

There was a silent crack as it hit the wood then the field collapsed as the doorframe was blown apart. Mao thought she was dreaming. Wouldn't be the first time she dreamt of that accursed doorframe exploding. Her little body walked cautiously to it and she felt the humid breeze and the smell of rain. "Free! FREE!" she screamed as she literally flew out the door. The rain soaked her small body as she zipped through the air. The chill didn't faze her as only one thing was on her mind. She landed on his windowsill and it was cracked. It stayed cracked just for her. He was still asleep just as she had left him earlier. The clock said 12:04 a.m. She had been gone only 22 minutes. Most of that spent flying. It had been a month inside that room but only 2 seconds had passed outside. Mao flung herself onto his exposed chest and Jacob bolted awake feeling something wet on his skin. "Wha...Mao? MAO?! What...what the hell?!" he yelled seeing her very pregnant. "Take off your boxers" she said. "Mao. How in the world-"

"PLEASE!" she screamed. Worried as hell he did. The tiny Asian girl mounted herself on top of his shaft and it rose as she rubbed herself up and down it. He grew more concerned as he heard her sobbing. "Mao...what's wrong with you?" he asked. She looked at him so pitifully Jacob actually came. Most of it shot onto his bare chest but some dribbled out. That Mao dove full face onto his cock slit and devoured every drop she could. "Please speak to me" he begged. Mao got herself off his shaft and walked up from his crotch. Her tiny wet feet left almost invisible footprints. Her breasts leaking milk. Jacob was shocked beyond belief seeing her with child. He had last saw her an hour ago and she was certainly not swollen with child. He had dozed off with her laying comfortably on his chest.

"Mao...you're pregnant. I know how but..you know how?" he asked. She looked back at his dick and then her own belly. "Mine?! That's...your pregnancy is that fucking fast?!" he asked. She shook her hand. "Hold me...lick me...suck on me...anything to help me see I'm not in that room anymore!" she said. Jacob had many questions but decided to wait. He held her in his hand twirling his finger around her belly. "Wherever you were, you aren't there anymore. You're here with me" he said to her. Mao cried hearing that. No delusion or hallucination could produce that level of sincerity. She gazed at her giant and spread her legs. Jacob licked his lips ready to eat the little Asian treat out but looking at her trembling body, he thought different. A shrunken girl was his to rape, crush or eat like he had done so as Mao had shown him spells even he could use but Mao was not just another tiny female. She was HIS future Queen and she needed something other than sex. She needed his love. "When you're in a better place" he said closing her legs with his finger.

She held his chin with her dainty hands as she kissed his giant lower lip. She had feared she made an error agreeing to be his mate. He was a human after all. No, she had chosen wisely. She once saw him as a plaything, an asset, a assigned mission. No, he was far more to her now and she would kill anyone who dared to threaten her mate. Her vulnerable side ebbed and in its place came the vicious side to her. The one that would do anything to protect her kind, her child...and her lover.

Meanwhile back at Lily's mansion...

Claire opened the doors wanting to see everyone again. She knew she was worried them considerably and wanted to show them she was better now. "I'm back! I..Elena?" Claire asked seeing Elena sitting on a chair in the foyer. Lily, Rose, and Aspen were standing around her. "You’re back. Feeling..." Aspen trailed off trying to find a not insensitive word. "Not so power trippy anymore? Yes Aspen. Now give me a hug" she replied. Claire hugged her tight and kissed her lips gently. "I knew you could do it sweetie. As you can see we have a guest" Lily said. "Yeah. What brings you here Elena? How did you even know where to go?" Claire asked. "Keith sent me after...after they came for me" she muttered. "They?" Claire asked. "Mogwai he called them. This girl...she killed..." Elena said breaking down crying. "No...no please tell me they didn't kill him" Aspen gasped. "No. He went back to Thailand. They don't care who gets in their way. We're just things in their way" Elena said.

Aspen nodded remembering the intruders that came not long ago. "Well you're safe and UGGHGH!" Lily cried out suddenly. She fell to her knees and shrank down. "MOM!" Rose yelled rushing over and picking her up. Her little mother was trembling in her hands. "He's gone. He's dead...my beautiful trickster is dead" she said. "Trickster? Puck?!" Claire said. Lily could only nod before sobbing. "Guys...call a staff member and get Elena squared away. I'll see to mom" Rose said. Rose carried her to her room and laid down with her on the bed. She listed to her shrunken mother cry her heart out for a good 10 minutes. "Uncle Puck is really gone? How do you know?" Rose asked. Rose looked at her giantess daughter. "When Fae have strong ties to those they love, they can feel them when they pass on. It happened before with your grandmother. It was also how I knew your sister Rebecca was still alive" she replied.

Rose was heartbroken. She loved visiting the odd guy. Casting illusions of herself to play with. Shrinking down and hiding in his loft. Stifling giggles. As he growled and stomped about like an ogre saying he would eat her. And he loved to hug her. Even at a young age she could see how lonely he was. And now and then he would slip up and call her Emily. She asked Lily who that could be. Her mother looked sad when she replied that was the name of his daughter. Rose cried softly as she petted her mother. Her strong mother seemed so fragile right now. Wasn't just her body no bigger that her index finger that made her seem so. It was her spirit. "Mommy. It's going to be okay" she said softly playing with her hair. "You said once before after your daddy died" Lily said looking up at her. Rose simply nodded. Rose laid on her back and placed her mother atop her heart. A practice Lily had done several times in the past when Rose was upset.

When she had nightmares. A really bad day at school. She would take her little loafers off with her fingernails and place her tiny daughter on her breast, so she could listen to her heartbeat. It touched Lily to see her now much older daughter doing the same for her. It was late in the night and Rose fell asleep, but not Lily. She climbed off her giantess daughter and made her way to the nightstand where her bedroom phone was. Using her bare feet and hands to press buttons, she made a call and put it on speaker. "It's me Gaspar" she said. "It's kinda late mum" a voice said. "I know it is. That project we put on hold. It's officially not on hold anymore" she said. "You sure? We called it off because it would mean killing Yorkshire Forest. The source of your powers" Gaspar said. "I'm sure. Recent events changed my mind" she replied. "Very well. We can enter the last phase of Project Taurus Silver first light tomorrow" he said. "See that you do. I'll be there around 8:00 a.m." she said before using her foot to end the call.

Lily climbed back on top of her daughter. Her giant toes twitching as she slept. Her cavernous mouth open slightly as she drooled and snored. It reminded her of her late husband. Lily resolved herself to make a huge gamble on this project. If successful, it would give her borrowers the ability to fight a magic user and if not would sever any ability she could recharge her own magic and still stay Fae right in the midst of the most dangerous magical conflict in the last 500 years. Either way, it meant an end to Fae...