Leah's hysterical squawking woke him up with a start. Rick gasped for air as the shock wore off. Leah hadn't started off like this in awhile. He knew why. She was gone. Rick stared at his hands in his lap. He wasn't even sure what he had done wrong. He struck a nerve, but he did not know which one.
Tossing the covers to the side, he got out of bed. He walked with some regret as his feet scuffled against the carpet. His eyes wandered over to the little table.
On the table sat a bowl of cereal, a spoon, a muffin and a note. Hurriedly, Rick grabbed up the note.
"Milk is in the fridge in a glass. Help yourself. Back later." Read the note. Scrawled beside the words was a little heart.
Rick smiled at the note and went to the fridge. A blue glass of milk sat on the shelf. He took it and poured it into his Lucky Charms. He ate it slowly. Leah was running up and down the counter squawking her head off.
"Oh shut up. She'll be back." Rick muttered at the frantic bird. He was glad she hadn't left altogether. Eyeing the muffin, he noticed it was fresh, which he hadn't had in while. Rick enjoyed it carefully. Gigi knew what he liked. He wished he knew what she liked.
Faint singing brought Rick out of his daze. Leah stopped on the sink and started bobbing her head. Gigi appeared by the couch. She sang softly to herself, in her arms was a bundle of wildflowers. She stood there arranging them in a strange vase. He walked up to her slowly. He froze mid-step when he saw a faint bruise on her neck.
"Gigi..." he said slowly, an edge creeped into his voice.
"Mmmm, what is it Ricky?"
The bruise disappeared in front of his eyes. He blinked several times and concentrated on that spot. For a brief moment he wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him, but it occurred to him who he was talking to.
"I've been..." Rick shook his head. "I think you've been messing with my head more than I know." He finished bluntly.
"Ricky, do you know the difference between family and friends?" Gigi asked quietly.
"Well, I..." He blinked at her.
"It's a fine line actually." She sat down on the sofa. "They say the difference between family and friends, is that you get to pick your friends where you do not get to pick your family. That's really not true, I have found." She straightened her dress and looked at him expectantly. He sat down beside her and watched her face. She turned her face forward.
"Family members can be your friends, and friend can become like family. The only real difference is what you make it. People can disown their family, they can cast them out, and they can do the same with friends. But they can also form close tight bonds with each other that will never break. It's the same on both sides. People have forgotten this." Gigi turned back to him.
He examined her then. It seemed like the first time he had really done so. She gazed at him longingly and quietly. She was beautiful, but not just because of her features, she had a quiet dignity he barely noticed. "I'm not sure..." He started.
"A long time ago, my 'family' lived in the woods that were torn down to place this building. We had lived there for centuries. I'm not even sure how long to be honest. My 'family' not only encompassed those who were bound to me by blood, but those you would consider 'friends'. We all shared an equal bond. Even so much as the deer and bunnies were my sisters and brothers. We were a family. Mortals took them from the fairies, one by one." She stared at her hands.