Flare hugged him back and giggled when he kissed her cheeks. "You're very welcome." She would like being able to walk around town and not be beat up. This benefitted her as much as it did them. People often mistook her for a pixie.

At that moment, Kara re-entered the kitchen just in time to see the exchange between the pixie and fairy. She went behind Frost and began to give him a shoulder rub. "You might want to provide a DNA sample yourself. They might think she's a pixie masquerading as your sister. It'll be harder to argue that if they have DNA evidence that she's your sister in front of them. Besides, being able to compare pixie, fairy and full grown fairy will be a great advantage" she commented as she watched Everest with Flare. She hadn't seen him that happy in a long time, especially since today was the day he lost the rest of his family to the collections. If she was correct, she was sensing a bit of a crush from him towards the fairy.

Frost smiled at the two, then looked at Kara as she came back in. "Well. You make a good point. The problem now is finding someone with some law background to help us out." Flare smiled and giggled as she talked to Everest about being able to walk the streets again.

"That won't be a problem. We've petitioned the government so many times, most of us are familiar with the process. Besides, Aden's fiancee went to Law school so she knows every law backwards and forwards. The only reason she hasn't been hired is because she's so active in pixie support" Kara answered as she observed Flare and Everest. "Between you and me, I think a new bond has formed. How strong and what type, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think Everest is going to let her go anytime soon" she whispered into Frost's ear, placing a peck on her ear to seal her words... or provide a hint to what she sees?

Frost smiled and relaxed. "Then the hard part is convincing them." He sighed and listened to what Kara said, looking at his sister. Then he chuckled softly. "That would be very interesting to see."

Kara smiled "well open your eyes. Come on, we'll leave them alone. Let's go talk to Aden and Filly" she teased, tugging him to his feet. "I'll talk to you later Flare. Keep your chin up, Everest" she said. Everest smiled at Kara "bye" he said before switching his attention back to Flare.

Flare took him to sit in a chair. "I am curious. What's life like here? I honestly haven't been 20 feet from my home since I was attacked."

Frost smiled and let himself be dragged out. He waved to Flare and Everest.

Everest furrowed his brows in worry "you... you were attacked? Why... why would anyone attack you? Did they really think you looked like a pixie that much? I mean... life... life around here is tough. Just about every day is lived in anxiety. We don't know if the collectors will come that day or in a week. We don't know if the next person to be collected will be someone..." Everest paused to swallow fresh tears "someone you love... a wife, or a daughter" he finished. The reality of the situation set in again and he paused, swallowing his emotion. "I'm sorry... my daughter was collected today... she wasn't even four. My wife was collected just after our daughter was born. The colony gets smaller every time the collectors come through... they don't let our babies grow up because they want baby hearts" he apologized, wiping away a few tears.

"Aden! Flare said she'll help us" Kara announced as she neared Aden and Filly "she's over there talking to Everest." "That's great! Was it very hard to convince her?" Aden asked, his attention on Frost.

Flare sighed and looked at her feet. "There are bullies everywhere you go, Everest. It doesn't matter if you're one of them or not. If you're different, its like you're an animal." She looked at him and sighed sadly. Their life was as hard as Frost had discribed. She gently stopped his hand. "Tears are good for you. Don't try to hold them in." She gave him a kind smile, almost reassuring.

Frost followed and shook his head. "All I had to do was ask. She feels for them as much as I do."

Everest gripped Flare's hand. "It's hard, you know? There used to be so many pixies... this has been in my lifetime. But... then they discovered that child hearts taste better... so the numbers started to dwindle" he answered.

Aden smiled "well I'm glad. It looks like she's getting a long well with Everest" he observed. Kara looked back at the two and smiled "maybe they should have met awhile ago" she commented to Frost. She was almost certain at this point that he had a crush on Flare.

Flare didn't mind that he took her hand. She nodded slightly and gently laid her other hand on top of his. "I know...we're going to make it stop..." She wished she could promise that, but she wasn't too sure it would work. Her eyes shone with hope though, trying to help him heal.

Frost chuckled softly. "Well, Kara. I just met him a couple hours ago."

Everest smiled "thank you. You're not going to disappear once this is all settled, will you? I'd hate to make such a great friend only to have them go away once business is settled" he asked. Alright, so maybe he wasn't just worried about their friendship. He was scared. He hadn't felt this way since his wife was collected. He missed romance. He was always so focused on his daughter he never had time for romance.

Kara chuckled "and your point is?" she teased. "Well... better now than never. I don't know if I've ever seen him so happy"

Flare looked concerned, then she shook her head. "Don't worry. I'm not going to disappear. I haven't had any good friends for awhile. My brothers and Kara exempt." She somehow had a strong feeling inside her, she couldn't place it. It had never happened to her before. It was like the warmth that she felt for Frost and Void, but different.

Frost smiled and kissed Kara's head softly. "I think you may be making it out to be more than it is." Though, if they did hook up...he would have to protect his sister. People didn't like the thought of pixies in general, they'd have a cow if a pixie and fairy had kids. Even though they ignored Flare now, she'd get harrased all over again.

Everest smiled "I'm glad. Well... now I've told you my life story, I want to hear yours. What's it like in the City? I want to know anything and everything" he told her, scooting his chair closer to Flare's.

Kara smiled and cuddled closer to Frost "I think I might be spot on in my guesses, and I think it might be more than Everest that's experiencing it. Don't worry... hopefully this will work out. Anyway, we should get the hospital ready to do this so that we can let the council know that we're putting forth another petition" she answered. "I'll take care of the legal issues and get an appointment set up right away" Filly answered "I'll go let the hospital know. We should have a few pixies and fairies give DNA so we can see accurate results. I say two or three pixies, two of three fairies, and then Flare. That will be plenty of evidence" Aden added and left. "Well... I guess that leaves us alone. Come on, Sweet Pea's probably awake again" she suggested and began walking to the hospital.

Flare blushed slightly at the inquiry. She thought for a moment, then answer him. "Well...I'm not sure. I haven't left my lands for years. As I told you...I've been to afraid." She looked at her hands. "I told you what happened to me...and my brother did something out of his love for me that has scarred him deeply. I couldn't do that to him again. So, I didn't leave. Both Frost and Void visit me everyday, so I don't get lonely." She looked at him, there was pain deep inside her, but she'd learned to cope.

Frost listened to everyone and nodded. He looked at Kara oddly. "You're not going to have Sweet Pea donate blood are you?"

Everest squeezed Flare's hands "well... it's a good thing we have each other" he added, looking into her eyes. She had really beautiful eyes...

Kara looked at him and shook her head "no, she's deathly afraid of needles. But if she wants we can take a swab. You don't have to give blood to get a DNA sample" she explained.

Flare blushed deeply after hearing what he'd said. She didn't know what to do. Whatever was happening was happening too fast for her. She didn't pull back from him because she knew it would hurt him deep inside and she didn't know if he'd recover.

Frost thought about it, then shrugged. "I'm no doctor."

Everest looked away, sensing her discomfort "I'm sorry... I... I have a bad habit of stepping into people's bubbles... I like giving people the story of my life, if they'll listen. I don't know, I just.... anyway, how about I show you around the colony?" he suggested. Wait... maybe that's too romantic. He did want to scare her off or anything.

Kara smiled and kissed his cheek "no, but I love you all the same" she said and entered the tent, seeing Sweet Pea immediately. It wasn't hard to miss her, she was getting a shot. Kara sighed softly and hurried over to her. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?" she asked. "They want to give me a shot!" Sweet Pea accused, pointing to the many doctors around her. Kara looked at the fairies "what's it for?" she asked "to ward off infection so she can heal" the nurse explained. Kara turned to Sweet Pea "I know you don't like needles, but can you be a big girl for me? I don't want you to get sick and this shot will make you all better" she pleaded. Sweet Pea sniffed and wiped away her tears "will you and daddy hold me?" she asked. "Of course we will, sweetheart" she promised. "Ok" was Sweet Pea's answer. Kara pulled her into her lap and held her, brushing her hair with her fingers. She nodded to the nurse, but then focused her full attention on Sweet Pea.

Flare actually smiled a little and relaxed. He wasn't trying to be over romantic, just sweet. She nodded slightly. "A tour would be nice.." Her voice was soft and she waited for him to speak again. Besides, the fresh air would help clear her mind.

Frost followed Kara like her shadow and smiled down at Sweet Pea. He gently held her hand of the opposite arm she was getting the shot in. He was there for her, because she wanted him to be. Also, he knew what it was like to be afraid of shots.

Everest smiled and nodded before standing up "well... this is the kitchen. Pixies used to be able to have food in their own homes. Shortly after I was born, though, the collections began so we began eating at the kitchen so we could support ourselves. Now Pixie Support comes and feeds us, though we help out when we can" he informed her and led her outside... still holding her hand. "Over there is the hospital. It was a real blessing when the government granted Pixie Support access to proper equipment. Granted, it was on the basis of keeping pixies healthy, and healthy pixies means more children--supposedly--but still, we have a nice hospital. It's a tent, and it's small, but we have weekly supplies deliveries of food and medicine" he told her and continued walking towards the farms.

Sweet Pea whimpered when the needle poked into her but Kara quickly calmed her "it's alright, mommy and daddy are here" she whispered softly. Soon enough, a bandage had been placed on Sweet Pea's arm and the nurse walked away "there... it's all over now. I'll bring you something special tomorrow for being so brave and being such a big girl. I know you don't like needles. Thank you" Kara promised, kissing Sweet Pea's head. Sweet Pea nodded and crawled over so she could curl up in Frost's lap. Kara chuckled "little girls always like to have a father" she commented, rubbing Sweet Pea's back.

Flare smiled and listened, collecting all the information he could give her into her head. She nodded at a few points, she remembered when the councel granted funds for the pixies. It was a selfish thing they did, it was not for the pixies' benefit at all.

Frost smiled and gently held Sweet Pea when she came to him. "I remember when I was small, I used to be terrified of needles." He got down and whispered the next part to her. "But then again, I could make the room so cold nobody could come near me to even give me the shot."

"This is the farm. Most of what we grow here is used for clothes since our food comes from the city. Every now and then we get a donation of clothes or blankets, but all the cloth has to be hand woven and it has to be grown first. Wheat, Flax, Sheep, Cows, they're all for our clothes/linens" Everest answered and led her away to the lake "I want to show you the lake. It's one of the few places where we can go without fear. It's sacred to fairies and pixies so it's neutral territory. It's segregated so the pixies and fairies never have to even see each other, but we're allowed to come here without fear of being killed. It's a sanctuary" he informed her as they traveled.

Sweet Pea looked at Frost with wonder "really!?" she asked. "Frost, don't be corrupting her mind!" Kara chided. She hadn't heard what he said, but judging by her reaction, it had something to do with encouraging her fear. "Where you always an ice fairy, daddy?" Sweet Pea asked innocently. Kara paused, she knew he wasn't. How would Frost handle this one?

Flare was actaully enjoying this little tour of his. She realized how spoiled she really was. All her things were given to her by Frost and Void. She'd never worked for anything. She thought about the lake and smiled. "I'd like to sit by the water, if that's alright?"

Frost smiled down at the little pixie in his lap. "Since birth, I was always colder than normal. When I was about your age, I had frozen someone almost completely through." He chuckled softly. "Thats when my parents decided to train me to control my abilities. Flare controls fire and Void, my brother, controls the darkness."

Everest smiled "anything for you, my lady" he obliged. Score! Sitting by the water with a girl... sanctuary or not, it also happened to be a popular spot for romance... not that he was leading her there because of that. When you live your life in fear, though, it makes sense to relax and allow romance to come when you're in the one place where you can truly be safe. "Here we are. This looks like a good spot" he commented and sat down on the wet grass, taking off his tattered shoes so he could soak them in the water. Ohhh... that felt good.

"That's really cool!!! Can I meet them one day?" Sweet Pea asked, imagining her aunt and uncle. Kara smiled and drifted off into a daydream of a possible future that both scared her and thrilled her at the same time, allowing Sweet Pea and Frost some time to interact. She allowed herself to indulge in the possible future where pixies were regarded as another type of fairy and she and Frost had adopted Sweet Pea. It was wonderful... and scary. Would she and Frost last that long? She dearly loved him, but... would they eventually fall apart? They had a really rough start and things were still rocky. Unwillingly, the image showed up where... she was pregnant. She wasn't sure how to react.

Flare sat down beside him with a small smile. She could tell she'd pleased him with what she'd asked. She watched him take off his shoes and dip his feet in the water. She looked at his shoes and felt a little ashamed. All this time the pixies had it this way and she locked herself up. She felt beyond selfish at this point.

Frost looked at Sweet Pea and frowned. "I don't think so, young one. My parents...weren't the nicest people in the world." In fact, his parents could be quite evil at times. They were the perfect image of dark fairy. Since they'd been around twice as long as he had, he didn't really blame them.