Chapter 1

Kurt had always been told to stay away from the edge of the forest. Everyone said it was dangerous to wander too close to the human world. You never knew what one might do if they caught you. Some of the fae must have survived encounters with humans or there wouldn't be stories about capture and death. Or, Kurt reasoned, most fairies had vivid imaginations. He had ventured into the human territory on several occasions without incident. The enormous structures, that he suspected were their homes, fascinated Kurt. The clear flat coverings over the holes in the sides allowed him to peek inside and see the wonders unlike anything fairies had created. He modeled his own home after the human one, despite not knowing what most of the stuff in it was.

Finn was more accepting than the others about his human items. He said they were interesting and he liked how Kurt used them to decorate his home and his clothes. Kurt wanted to mate with the tall and handsome Finn. Finn wanted to mate with a girl. He changed his mind almost daily as to which one, while Rachel and Quinn squabbled constantly about which of them he would choose. Kurt knew in his heart of hearts if he could just find a truly impressive gift, Finn would fall in love with him and they would be mated. Rachel sang Finn songs on odd topics, like bees or dew, and Quinn brought him flowers and berries. Confident he could do better than either of them, he would find something neither of the girls could - something human made. Finn would present him with a marriage bracelet, fall into his arms, and they would...well he wasn't really sure what they would do. He knew when he dreamed about Finn, he would become erect, stroking himself until he felt the tingly pleasure and the glittery substance would spurt from his body. He suspected there should be more to mating than just placing their hands on each other. Flushing bright red every time he tried to ask someone about it, he decided he and Finn would have to figure it out after they were mated.

Finn had already seen the clear faceted stone that reflected the colors of the rainbow and was the pride and joy of his human items collection, which was too bad because it would have been perfect. Kurt needed to find something new. Something dazzling. Something to show Finn how much he loved him.

Kurt flew until the trees became sparser and the grass grew thicker. He stayed close to the forest floor, hoping to locate the perfect thing without getting too far from home when he saw two humans. A boy and man who were walking between the trees. Kurt drifted higher, weaving in between branches, letting the leaves conceal his presence. He desperately wanted one of them to drop a treasure that would make Finn love him. Flitting to the side and closer, he got his first good look at a human.

The younger one was beautiful, with his dark curly hair and warm smile. Fascinated with how the boy's hair bounced slightly with each step, Kurt wanted to touch it and discover how soft it would feel. He shadowed the pair, staying close enough to watch while far away enough to remain hidden. It was mesmerizing listening to them talk in a language he couldn't understand. The longer he studied them, the more convinced he became that they were father and son. They looked too much alike not to be related and the difference in age appeared too great for brothers.

Kurt had never seen clothing like the boy wore. Nicer than the leaves and flowers Kurt used to cover himself, the boy's clothes were fitted about the arms and legs it a way that showed his muscles. The father wasn't nearly as attractive. In fact, he appeared angry, if his scowl was anything to go by. He couldn't imagine what might cause someone to frown at the beautiful boy. Kurt would only ever smile at him, if he were brave enough to be seen.

Clutching his wand tightly, he moved nearer, circling around to see the boy better from the front. The wand wasn't necessary for Kurt to perform magic. A present from his mother shortly before her death, he carried it more from habit than anything, although it did help him focus. He had no idea if his magic would work on something as large as a human, but he still felt safer with the birch wood twig in his hand. Curiosity overcame his common sense and he flew closer.

Kurt frowned at the boy's expression. Sadness was clear in the slump of his shoulders and the watery shine in his eyes. The boy shouldn't be unhappy. The father started yelling and his tone was the same one Kurt's father used when he became upset. Except Burt almost never shouted and when he did, it was for a very good reason. Like the time Kurt had made a dragonfly grow large enough for him to ride on and it had taken the combined magic of both his parents to shrink the poor, terrified creature back to its normal size.

They were getting uncomfortably close to the edge of the forrest, the trees now few and far between. Disappointed at not finding a present for Finn, Kurt knew it was time to leave. He gazed longingly at the beautiful boy, trying to memorize his face, knowing he'd never see him again. The boy reached up to scratch his ear, which was rounded unlike Kurt's pointed ones, when he saw it. A band on the boys finger all the colors of the rainbow. It wasn't sparkly, but he didn't think Finn would care about that. Finn didn't exactly share Kurt's enthusiasm for sparkly things.

As the two humans left the shade of the trees, Kurt flew higher. He knew he was taking a huge risk. If either of them looked up, he'd be visible, but he needed that band. Finn would tell Rachel and Quinn that their gifts paled in comparison to Kurt's exquisite taste, except he would be less eloquent. Kurt would prefer Finn to be a bit smarter, quite a bit if he were being completely honest. But he would work with Finn after they were mated and he would become Kurt's perfect mate. Quinn and especially Rachel would be jealous. Kurt would be magnanimous in his victory and only rub it in a little.

Approaching one of the noisy things humans used for transportation, the angry words of the father trailed off into an awkward silence. Kurt was surprised when the father pressed a small silver object against the thing and caused part of it to open. Kurt had only seen these things from a great distance and it was more complicated than he'd realized. The father set his hat and bag inside and closed it. He went around to a different part and used the silver object again. Another larger part opened and the boy climbed inside.

This was either going to be the stupidest thing Kurt had ever done, or the most brilliant. He skimmed along the ground and darted inside the thing right before it closed. Staying near the floor, he found a space where he could hide. He crouched down, staring at the strange coverings the boy wore on his feet. The sudden noise and vibrations through the floor drowned out his horrified scream.

Kurt was certain all the warnings he'd heard were true - he was going to die. No wonder everyone told him to stay away from humans. Time lost all meaning. It could have been minutes or hours that passed while he lay huddled on the floor, wishing for a quick painless death. When the side opened, he darted out immediately and flew higher than either human could reach before he tried to assess his surrounding. Looking around, he realized he was probably inside one of the human homes. There were two more things like the one he'd been transported in. Dark, crowded, and not nearly as nice as the home he'd glimpsed before, he couldn't figure out where they slept and he saw no signs of a place to eat. The dim glow that was neither sun nor starlight, gave him no way to guess what time of day or night it was.

The father made an opening in one of the walls and walked through it, followed by the boy. Kurt did not want to be trapped in this room. He flew through the opening, staying high and hoping they wouldn't notice.

He stopped suddenly in the next room, dazed by the bright light after the darkness, momentarily forgetting to maintain his altitude. Thankfully, he caught himself well before he hit the floor. There would be no one to help him heal if he were injured and he may not be able to do it himself. It was difficult to pay attention to what the boy and his father might be doing as they unknowingly left Kurt alone in the room. He wanted to touch every item he could see. There were images of a woman and young man who were probably the boy's mother and brother, and many of the boy and his father. Pictures that were so real he almost expected them to move. Kurt tapped on one several times and was a little disappointed when nothing happened. What kind of magic did the humans poses to create these? He flitted from one to the next seeing the boys and parents at various ages. Kurt longed for an image of his mother. She had been so beautiful and it became harder to remember exactly how she looked as time passed. He would have to stay here until he figured out how to create these. Surely Finn would be impressed when Kurt returned with the secrets of human magic.

Kurt flew about the room, touching and inspecting, wondering what each and every beautiful thing was called and what purpose it served. There were long skinny things that smelt of beeswax and had a cord in the center that appeared to have been burned. Kurt wondered how that happened. He reached out and carefully felt the blackened string, his fingers coming away with ash. Definitely burned, but the white stuff around it showed no sign of damage. It was odd. They were on a tall shelving structure with an object that looked like a rabbit and was furry, but wasn't alive.

One whole shelf contained what vaguely looked like faeries, hard and frozen, similar to a child's toy, except they were about the same size as he was. All were girls and most had huge eyes and wings unlike any fairy he'd ever seen. He tried to imagine himself with colorful round wings like a butterfly, identical to those of the the fairy figures. A moments consideration and he decided he preferred his slim pointed wings, even if the orange and black ones were pretty.

Eyes darting from one object to the next, he tried to take everything in and was beginning to feel overwhelmed. A loud noise caused Kurt to startle in surprise, almost dropping his wand. He'd stupidly forgotten about the humans in his curiosity at their treasures. Flying to the top of the shelf and laying down on his stomach, he peered over the edge, remembering to flatten his wings against his back. The boy wandered into the room. He walked towards the hiding spot and, terrified he'd been spotted, Kurt scooted from the edge. The boy didn't look directly at him, so Kurt was able to see the boy's face a little more clearly. His eyes were an intriguing mix of brown and green, unlike Finn's mud brown ones. Kurt paused. Had he really compared Finn to the human boy and found Finn lacking? He shook his head. Finn didn't need captivating eyes to be his mate.

Kurt felt a slight movement as the boy pulled something off the shelf. It was a large rectangle that he took over the a seating area of the room. The boy flopped down, sitting sideways as best Kurt could tell, his legs dangling over the part that appeared to be for arms to rest on. The rectangle fell open, revealing pale insides with symbols in black, similar to the written language of the fairies, but incomprehensible to Kurt. The boy looked at it for a few moments and, making a movement Kurt couldn't quite follow, the writing changed. He watched carefully when it happened again. The boy was changing what he was seeing. He guessed that the boy was reading the human language. That thing he held looked much more enjoyable to use than the scrolls that contained the fairy writings.

Seeing the boy so absorbed, Kurt took a deep breath and flew to the other side of the room, hugging the walls to stay out of sight. He landed silently on the back of the seat and slowly leaned forward. There was an image on the page with the black symbols, a picture of a girl fairy in a lavender dress. Her eyes were purple, as were her wings, and he'd never seed a fairy with hair pulled up like that. The style would be lovely on Quinn, except Kurt wouldn't be suggesting anything to make her more attractive to Finn. Confused by the fairy's impractical clothes, her dress too long and her feet bare, he suspected she wouldn't be able to walk.

The boy rotated his shoulders and stretched his neck. Kurt froze in terror as the boy gazed at him, eyes wide, his mouth opening without a sound coming out. The boy was even more beautiful from so close. They stared at each other for an eternity until the boy blinked. Kurt took off with no idea where he might possibly be able to hide. He risked a glance over his shoulder. Relief washed over him, he wasn't being followed. At least, not yet.