Alison had no idea how to approach this, no idea how to tell Wade that she was coming up behind him. Would he even believe that she was herself?
“Um, hey, hon,” she said, when she was about an arm’s length away. “I... I know today has been a nightmare. I’m sorry. Oh. Um. It’s okay to turn around, but... it’s going to be a serious shock.”
“Yeah, it’s been bad, getting home to find no sign of...” He turned in place, and stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening.
For the first time, Alison felt ungainly and overly tall, looming uncomfortably over Wade. She looked down, shifting her weight from one hoof to the other. How did he see her? How could he see her? He couldn’t know that being powerful and all-but-tireless had allowed her to protect her friends, had given her a vital role in the plan that had freed them, and meant that she’d been able to run three extended and essential errands with the wagon with limited time between to rest and eat. She must look enormous and animalistic.
“Ali?” he said incredulously.
“Yes. I, um, I guess I have a unicorn somewhere in my family tree.” She could feel her tail swishing back and forth in agitation, and she couldn’t seem to make it stay still. “I’m really strong, and I can run practically forever, which is kinda nice. My knee doesn’t bother me anymore, even. But I’ve kinda gone completely vegan, even cheese feels a bit revolting, let alone meat, so I think movie-and-nacho nights will need some tweaking...” She trailed off, not at all sure what to say. “Um, I honestly am still me, and I’ve missed you really badly.”
“I... holy crap.” He shook his head hard. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be... I’m just a bit out of my depth here.” He took a deep breath, and stepped closer to her, spreading his hands to the sides. “I was really scared that something bad... that you’d been in an accident out running, or someone had kidnapped you off the street, or something.”
That hug felt both wonderful and deeply awkward—wonderful because she’d been away from him for so long, awkward because she was now substantially taller than him. That put the top of his head roughly level with her jaw, and, well, that complicated everything as far as her very ample breasts and the angle of her arms. She didn’t think he was holding back, at least, but she drew back after a moment. Carefully, feeling uncharacteristically clumsy, she folded her legs under her so she could sit on the grass and clover. At least that way, she didn’t feel like she was towering over him. Being significantly taller than other adults wasn’t something she had much experience with.
She stopped herself from picking a red clover flower to nibble on.
Wade sat down across from her, legs crossed. “I wish I had any idea how to handle this. I mean, it’s one thing with normal kinds of things going wrong, but... wizards and fae and whatever-odd else is seriously weird.”
“I know. You haven’t had long to get used to the idea at all, after working all night and not getting a chance to sleep, and then getting yoinked here with Kayla and all telling you a story that just shouldn’t even be possible. And, well, I’m not quite the same as I was before. Probably not just physically. I don’t think any of us made it through without changing. and learning some things about ourselves. But we had time, and you haven’t. I mean, I’ve slept lately, and you haven’t.” But that was probably part of the problem, right? “There’s lots of time for catching up. Niko’s going to set up living space but he hasn’t had a chance yet. It’s really nice and surprisingly comfy right here, though, as long as you’re in the part inside the walls. I’ve been sleeping here in the pasture or in the stable for over a week now. I can go find a couple of blankets, maybe a pillow, and you can get some sleep. It might be easier to figure things out if you’re less tired.”
Wade didn’t reply immediately, but after a moment he nodded. “A nap might help. I’m used to being short on sleep but it’s definitely harder to cope with problems that way.”
“I’ll ask JC. She’ll know where there are clean blankets. I haven’t been in the house much.” She bit down on saying something about asking from here. They’d agreed for a very good reason to keep that particular ability an absolute secret from everyone except Kayla. It felt less necessary in regards to their own families, but they’d all promised that there would be no exceptions—and since in part that was to prevent any unexpected enemy from targeting her as a way of crippling the communication of the rest, she could hardly be the one to violate that.
She scrambled to her feet, stumbling briefly in her haste, but she caught her balance before she could tip straight into Wade’s lap. “I’ll be right back.” Where was JC? She had no idea where to even begin looking for appropriate blankets. But it shouldn’t take long for her to come back with them.
