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It wasn’t as simple as that, and she thought her mom knew it.

They had to say goodbye to her grandparents and Uncle Earl.

There were other things, too, like packing up.

She was going to leave everything that she came with to have at her grandparent’s house so that when she wanted, she could come back and be with them.

Mandy was excited to be able to change her clothing like her mother could, and it saved her from not having a lot of things in her closet, too.

The first flight out was at eight the next morning.

Which meant that they had to get up and be at the airport at five-thirty.

She didn’t care so long as she could go to bed when she got home and not have to wake up until she was rested.

It had been a very long time since she’d been able to sleep late, and she was happy her mom said she could get up when she wanted.

She knew she wouldn’t sleep late, no later than eight in the morning, but it was nice to have the option of sleeping late if she could.

The flight didn’t take all that long. It seemed like they were up in the air and down again in minutes. But she was happy to be home again, so it mattered little how long the flight took. She thought about Tommy when they were flying down the runway.

He’d been found covered in blood and vomit.

It looked like he’d gotten so weak that he fell off the stairs and onto the pavement to his apartment.

Once he was down, hitting his head hard enough to get stitches, he laid there for two days before anyone thought to check on him.

Mandy was told that he didn’t live in the best neighborhood.

He was lucky no one had hurt him worse while he was lying in his own stuff.

After stitching him up, it took the police another day to figure out who he was.

Someone had rolled him for his wallet and, having found nothing of use in it, had dumped it in the dumpster another block away.

The hospital had no choice but to call them in when he was a John Doe to help with his identification.

Mom had been called first, as she was the one who had been talking to the police about him before she’d left the area.

Grandpa and Grandma had come into the hospital right away, and she and her mom had flown to the area the next afternoon.

“Was he mean to you, Mom?” She said that she didn’t want to talk about it. That he was out of his head in pain. “I just bet he was. Probably taking it out on Grandda and Grandma now, too.”

“More than likely. But they won’t stay with him if he gets too mouthy.

Dad had told him that he wasn’t going to put up with his crap while he was there.

That just made Tommy madder.” She looked at her mom and could tell that she’d been hurt by his words again.

“Let’s just go home and have a nice meal and watch some television.

That sounds like a good way to end this trip. Don’t you two think so?”

Both she and Edgar agreed. She did wonder if her grandparents would make it back in two weeks after this thing with Tommy.

They were going to help Mom get the house in order.

Only a few of the bedrooms were fixed. And there was nothing in the dining room nor the kitchen area for them to eat in if they wanted.

The living room had two old couches from their other home, but she hated them as much as Mom did. Levi had sat on them.

Her room wasn’t too bad. She had her a desk now and her computer set up.

The only thing that she didn’t have was a bed.

She’d been sleeping on an air mattress since they moved in.

It wasn’t that bad, but she wasn’t sleeping well enough for it to continue.

Mom said she could have any size bed that she wanted as the room was large enough to hold a king-sized mattress in it.

She was going to take her up on that deal.

She knew that Edgar was sleeping down the hall from her mom.

He’d been staying since after the grand opening.

Mandy was glad that he was there. It did make her mom in a better mood when he could stay and then have a meal with them every day.

But he had a job, too, and was just as busy as Mom was.

School was supposed to start back up in a couple of days, and she was looking forward to making new friends.

Something that she’d always been good at was making long-lasting friendships at school.

By the time she was off the plane and in the car to take them home, she was about as exhausted as she’d been in a while.

Dozing on the way back to the house, she didn’t pay much attention to what was being said around her until they mentioned Tommy again.

How he’d left a message on Mom’s phone, and it hadn’t been all that nice.

“He’s still wanting to kill us all. And the nerve of him thinking that I’d come back to Tennessee so that he could murder me when I get there.

” Mom was crying, and Edgar was just letting her rant.

That’s what she’d do when her mom was in that kind of mood.

“We should have just let him die out there. That would have been easier on all of us. Stupid jackass. I dislike him more and more daily.”

Going into the house, she went up to her bedroom.

It was the place where she could think and be alone.

She knew that being just a kid at seven, she couldn’t do anything about Tommy, but she wished that she was older so that she could punch him in the face until he understood that he was being especially mean to her mom.

Climbing on her mattress, she was ready to take a nap when her own cell phone rang.

Without seeing who it was, she turned it off and put it in her drawer.

No one important knew her number, and she didn’t feel like messing with someone who was just randomly dialing the number to pull a scam.

Within minutes, she was sleeping, and that was fine by her.

~*~

Edgar needed some time with his dragon. He was pissed off enough as it was, and not allowing him to get out wasn’t helping.

The need to protect Mandy and Tabby was great, and his dragon wanted to snap some heads.

Mostly Tommy’s. He was in the other realm, the one where his parents lived twenty minutes after leaving the home that he shared with Tabby and her daughter.

“Are you all right?” His dad took a step back when he said that he wasn’t.

When he told him he was sorry for snapping, Dad asked him if Tabby was all right.

“Yes, she and Mandy are fixing dinner, and I asked if I could have some time here. I needed to let my dragon go for a bit. That’s what I’m here for. ”

“Then go, son. Do what you need to do while you’re here.

Your mom is with her mom right now, and they’re in a meeting.

I wish I could fly with you.” He’d never said that before, and it startled him that his dad would wish something like that.

“It’s all right, son. Go fly. I’ll watch you. It’s about as good.”

Nodding once, he took a running leap and was shifted almost as soon as he was in the sky.

His body was forming the dragon even as he saw his mom coming up from the ground as well.

They flew together for another hour or so, and he did feel better.

After landing in the beautiful grass and flowers, he felt better than he had in quite some time.

“You and I both needed that, I think.” He thanked his mom for flying with him.

“It was my pleasure. Your dad said you looked stressed out, and I thought that I’d find out why.

But as soon as I was able to shift and hit the skies, I knew that I needed it as much as you did.

It’s been a stressful few months around here. ”

“At home, too. I want to badly to protect the two of them, but there is very little that I can do other than to be there when they get upset with him. Before I forget, Mandy wants to call you and Dad Grandda and Grandma. I hope you don’t mind, but I told her that you’d love it.

Will you?” She told him there was no greater gift than that he could have given her.

“Well, act surprised when she asks you. She’d going to call the others aunt and uncle too. ”

“I shant tell your father. He’ll be surprised better than I would be.

I’d be shocked to know the truth. But to be someone’s grandparents is wonderful.

Thank you, son.” She asked him how Tommy was doing.

“His health is poor, we were told. He doesn’t do drugs, not that they found any in his body, but he’s not been eating well, and it’s been making him sicker.

The ulcer can be treated without an operation, but I don’t think he’ll do what is needed to get himself healthy again. ”

“No, and with his personality, he’ll blame that on his family as well.

The kid needs to see someone about his behavior.

His human body can’t take the stress of trying to be that much of a pain in the ass all the time.

Something has to give.” He agreed with his mom.

“Also, while you’re here, I wanted to go over the contract that you sent back from the mayor.

I think you’re right. We don’t want to get involved in that stuff. It’s too political.”

“Good. I’ll send it back in the morning.” He stretched out, letting his body feel the grass beneath his feet, and smiled at his mom. “I need to get back. I’m sure she expected me an hour ago.”

“I’ve spoken to her. She was worried about you, and I told her that we were flying together.

She’s fine with you spending time with me and your father.

” He thanked his mom. “No worries, son. Your dad is coming now. Someday soon, we’re going to have to all get together and have dinner. I’d love that.”

“So would I.” After the three of them had a long talk, he made his way home.

Mandy was still resting, and Tabby was making popcorn for their movie night.

He hoped that Mandy would join them, but he didn’t hold out much hope.

She’d been tried on the plane, and he didn’t think a couple of hours nap was going to get her very rested right now.

He’d be surprised if she didn’t sleep until late into tomorrow morning for all her exhaustion.

Watching the movie was more than his tired brain could handle, and he kept dozing off on the couch.

By the time it was over, he, too, wanted to sleep late in the morning and made his way upstairs with Tabby.

They didn’t have the house to themselves, but it was quiet like they did.

As soon as he left Tabby at her door, he staggered down to his own.

He thought perhaps he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

He woke up twice in the middle of the night.

Once to go to the bathroom and the second time because he thought that he’d heard something in the hall.

Getting up, making sure that he was quiet, he looked down the long hall and didn’t see anything that looked like it was coming to get him.

As he was headed back to his room, Fred appeared in his room.

“What’s happened? Are you all right?” The little creature said he was fine and was embarrassed that he’d woken him.

As he told him what had happened with Tommy after everyone left him tonight, he was laughing so hard that he had to hold his sides.

“So he thought that he could manhandle a woman nurse, did he? I wish I could have seen her putting him in his place. That must have been hilarious.”

“You don’t know that half of it, sire. He then had to deal with the biggest nurse I’ve ever seen when he patted the younger one on the bottom.

She nearly ripped his ear off when she turned him about to tell him to stop.

I’ve never seen a human react so quickly.

” Fred was laughing, too, now. “The big man picked up Mr. Tommy and tossed him right into a chair and tied him there. He needs to be getting up more often, and he’d been complaining about it.

So now that he’s sitting in the chair, the big man sits right there with Mr. Tommy and flicks him with his fingers every time he gets out of control with his mouth.

His toes will be sore tomorrow. You can bet your life on that. ”

“I bet so, too. Oh, you’ve no idea how much I needed to hear that, Fred. Thank you for sharing it with me.” He said that he’d thought he and his missus could use a good laugh after today. “Yes, it’s been a stressful day.”

“Lord Edgar, there are two faeries that wish to work on the little one’s room for her.

She has expressed a desire to have her room done up with bunk beds and a dresser combination.

I’ve never seen the likes that she wants, but they said that they have special magic that will allow them to help her with anything she wishes.

I thought that I’d ask you before they approached her.

” He said that it would be up to her mother.

That was something that he didn’t have a clue about.

“Yes, good idea. Asking the mother will sort things out quickly for her. Yes, you’re very smart for telling me that.

I will ask her in the morning before I head back.

I have one of the other brownies watching over Mr. Tommy so that I could have a break from him. I hope that’s all right.”

“It’s more than all right, Fred. You do what you need to do to get yourself whatever you need to keep an eye on him.

When you were assigned this job, I never thought that it would be this long.

And I’m sorry to have taken you away from your family.

You should take a couple of days off so that you can rest too. I know that I needed it.”

“I might do that, sir. My lady wife has been handling things for me since I’ve been gone.

I’d like to have a couple of days to pamper her a bit for her helping me with this job.

She’s a good wife, and I love her very much.

” Edgar told him to enjoy his time at home and to stay as long as he needed.

“No more than a couple of days, sire. I will need to go back and watch over him. I don’t believe he’s going to be doing well for some time now, and I’d better watch over him. It’s a hard job, but I’m up for it.”

“I couldn’t have picked a better man for the job, I don’t think.

” He embarrassed the little man and was glad that he was taking the job so seriously.

He’d have to figure out a reward for him and his little family when this was all over.

Edgar would ask his mom, and she’d know.

Going back to bed when the little person left him, he fell asleep quicker this time and was out before he could make out the time on his phone.