Niall and Dee arrived at home and she went straight to her magical recipe book. She needed to find a potion that would restore Newt's strength once they awakened him from his sleep. Niall watched as she poured over the tome setting on the pedestal containing many magical recipes.
"I found it!" exclaimed Dee. Niall had been manipulating his magic getting ready for the two of them to cast the revival spell on Newt. "Now, darling, please leave me alone to do this. You should go check on the sleeping prince and I will work to get the potion ready. I will join you once I am done and we can work the spell together."
Niall knew who really wore the pants in his home. "Of course, Dee. I assume you have everything you need."
"Yes. Run along now. I will be down in about an hour."
Niall left and Dee set about creating the strengthening potion. It would make him feel less anxious and give him the strength he needed to get through the next couple of weeks. She mixed and reread the recipe, adding and stirring the ingredients until it was done.
Dee carefully filled three bottles with the potion and headed downstairs to check on Niall and Newt.
Dee sat the bottle down on the table along with a pot of tea, a holy book and some towels they had prepared to help them get their son-in-law and themselves through the next few days while he woke.
"Now we need to get Newt prepared. We must uncover him first so the spell will have direct contact with his body. Niall, help me and please be gentle," said Dee quietly.
"Humph, he is a strong young man. I have no doubt he can take whatever we throw at him," shot back Niall trying to pretend like he had a say in anything.
Together the two of them gently removed the blankets from Newt's slumbering body.
Newt stirred and turned on his side in his sleep when they removed the blankets covering his body.
"Niall. I told you to be gentle," whispered Dee, "But oh my. Yes, you are right, he is a strapping young man even after all of this time."
"Stop drooling. He is your son-in-law!"
"Are you jealous?" asked Dee as she tried to stifle a laugh, "Come on. Are you ready?"
First Niall and then Dee cast the awakening aura over Newt's prone form. He began to glow with the magic that began to work to bring his body out of his deep sleep.
Niall said, "It looks like the aura is settling on him nicely. Now we just have to wait. He should start coming to in a couple of days. Then he has to get his strength back."
"And memories," added Dee.
Dee sighed sadly and turned to her husband. "I wish he was coming back to Adele. He is going to be devastated. At least he has their daughter and he has grandchildren and great grandchildren to meet." Then with a little laugh she added, "and what a mixed bunch they are. I think Delia is more powerful than she even knows and I have a feeling there is a lot about her we don't know. Niall, why don't you go on to bed. I will take the first watch."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I am too keyed up to sleep right now anyway. I will call you if anything changes."
Dee settled into the chair she had placed next to Newt's resting place and took out a book to read to help pass the time.
The first few hours passed quietly. Then Newt turned over. Something he had never done until that day when they took the covers from his body. Dee watched him to make sure he was going to be okay and he quickly settled into a peaceful sleep again without waking. She knew it was too soon and went back to her book.
A couple of hours passed when Newt started turning and thrashing a little. This time Dee jumped up from her chair and went to him to see if she could help him relax with another spell. She cast a quick relaxation spell on him and he calmed. But she didn't want to leave his side.
As soon as Newt settled into deep breathing again, she pulled the chair to the bed and sat there with her hand on his. She thought how truly handsome he was. It was no wonder her daughter had fallen in love with him so easily. She began to feel pained as she sat there gazing at her sleeping son-in-law. She thought after all these years she had gotten past the pain of losing Adele, but this was bringing it back to the surface.
"Good morning Dee," said Niall when he walked in.
Dee jumped and gasped. She was so deep in her thoughts she didn't hear him. "You startled me."
"How is our sleeping prince?"
"He is better now. He has been tossing and turning. A bit ago he got agitated but when I sat and put my hand on his arm he calmed. He has been sleeping peacefully for awhile now."
"Good. Go get something to eat and go rest. I will take over."
"Promise to call me if he wakes of he gets agitated again."
"Of course I will. Now go."
After Dee left, Niall moved the chair over by the little table and pulled out a book to read as his wife had done.
Newt began to toss again as the magic began to dance around his body more violently. Niall looked up and watched until Newt settled back down once again. He stayed that way for several hours until he started to turn again moaning in his sleep.
This time, Newt curled up into himself in a fetal position. That was an indication he may be close to waking since he was now making sounds. Dee walked in and saw him curled on the bed. "Niall! It is close. Why didn't you call me. What has been happening?"
"He has been moaning. He just moved into that position. I would have called you, but I knew you would be down soon. Plus, he stopped making noise."
Not satisfied with her husband's explanation she went over to Newt and checked on him. His breathing was faster and he had a grimace on his face you couldn't see. When she place her hand on his arm he stirred a little.
"Niall, come here. I think he is trying to wake."
She bent closer to Newt's ear and said gently, "Newt, honey, can you hear me. It's okay, you can open your eyes and wake up."
Niall walked over and Dee stood up. All of a sudden Newt turned over quickly. Dee jumped back and let him move.
"Dee - look, he's opening his eyes," said Niall excitedly.
"Oh, Niall. He - he is frightened," gasped Dee.
She ran back to his side kneeling down as Newt looked up at her like a lost child.
"What...where am I? Who are you?"
asked the young man that had just opened his eyes to a frantic woman kneeling by his bed.
"Oh Newt. Relax Honey. You have been asleep in a deep comatose state for a very long time."
Niall joined his wife at Newt's bedside helping to ensure Newt didn't do anything to hurt himself.
Again Newt spoke, "Asleep. I - I don't remember...you called me Newt. Yes, that is my name. But who are you?"
"I am Dee and this is my husband Niall," she said not sure how much to tell him. He knew his name and that was good. He would soon begin to remember and it would be painful for him.
Newt began to struggle to sit up. Dee and Niall helped him. "Is that better?" asked Dee.
"Yes, so please. Was I in an accident? Am I in a hospital? Are you doctors?" Newt was getting agitated because he couldn't remember and started to try to get out of bed.
"No. Wait a little longer. You aren't strong enough to get up yet."
"You didn't answer my questions! If you don't answer my questions, I am getting up and I am leaving this place."
"I will but first, you need to eat. And I have some medicine you can drink to make you feel better and stronger. Just sit here and I will get it for you."
When a wave of dizziness overcame Newt when he moved too quickly, he said "Fine," and leaned back on the bed.
"Here, drink this," said Dee and handed him the first bottle of potion. Newt drank it and made a horrible face. "Sorry. I will get you some real food. But you should start to feel less dizzy soon."
"Okay. Time for Q&A - Dee."
Dee sighed and handed him a croissant to eat. "Here, eat this and I will talk. So first, this is not a hospital, it is our home. You lived here for a long time before you went to sleep. Do you remember anything at all before you woke up?"
"Adele..." was all he could think of.
Dee took a huge breath and got up and looked at Niall for support.
"Adele was our daughter, your wife," said Niall quietly.
"Was?"
"Adele is...she died a long time ago."
For some reason a wave of anguish washed over Newt that he didn't understand. If she died a long time ago, why was he so overcome with what felt like fresh grief. Niall continued, "You were hopeful she was still alive when you went into your sleep. That is why if seems as if it just happened. We are so sorry."
Newt composed himself. Here, let me get you a chair. You can sit in it for a minute before you try to stand.
Newt sat down in the chair that Niall pushed up for him and Dee sat next to him on the bed as Niall continued to fill in the blanks.
"We searched for her until you couldn't cope any longer. She was pregnant when she, when we found out the two of you had secretly married. Newt, we are fae and you are human, it was unheard of that you even knew of our existence, much less mated with one of our own."
Suddenly Newt began to remember and the memories came rushing back like a tidal wave. The pain, the searching and finally giving up. The betrayal of her parents when she told them, being locked up and then finding out his wife and unborn child had fled because she thought he was dead and was afraid for their child. He screamed.
"You! You weren't supposed to wake me unless she was found! Put me back or let me die too. I can't do this!"
Niall grabbed Newt to calm him down and keep him from falling to the floor.
"Newt," said Dee, "You need to listen. Yes, we found our daughter and yes, she is no longer with us, but darling, we also found your daughter."
Newt went quiet. "Let's get you into the bathroom and you can take a bath and try to think about what we just told you. Spend a few minutes to remember and take it all in."
It was so bittersweet. All Newt could think of was how sad he was that Adele was truly lost to him forever, but he had a daughter. So he still had part of her. He wondered how old she must be by now. He would surely be younger than her. There were so many unanswered questions.
Newt felt better after his bath, but was still unsettled. He walked back into the room he had been in for who knows how many years. That was another question. It had been awhile because Adele's parents had definitely aged. How had he not?
"Sit down Newt. I made tea for us. We can sit and talk. Pull up a chair Niall and join us."
Niall sat down with them as Dee handed a cup of tea to each of them. "Feeling better?" asked Dee.
"Yes, but I have so many questions. I don't even know where to start."
"Well, let me try. It has been almost two hundred years since Adele went missing. So you have been out 180 years."
Newt just stared. "How..."
"It's the deep sleep you were in. Your body didn't age while you were under the spell," explained Niall.
"So, how is it I have a daughter? Is she a fairy like Adele?"
"No," said Dee, "We don't think so. Of course she is half-fairy. But we believe she has untapped power. She looks as young as you do. Or she has discovered some fountain of youth that has eluded the rest of us. She didn't share that with us and we didn't ask. That is for you to do."
"So, where is she? Where does she live? What is her name? Is she married, children? Tell me."
Dee laughed. "Slow down. So Delia Shinn is her name today. Adele named her after me. She is married - um - to a Genie."
"Genie - you are joking - there is such a thing as genies - like magic lamp genies?"
"Not joking. In fact her husband, Cordell, he found us with the help of a fairy friend of his. You will have to ask them about that story. And yes, the two of them have 7 children. So you see you are not only a father, but a grandfather of 7 and a great grandfather of four."
Newt almost choked on his tea. "Whoa."
"So there is one more thing I need to tell you before you meet Delia and her husband."
"When? When will I meet them?"
"They are coming next week," interjected Niall.
Dee poured some more tea as she continued her story. "So your grandchildren, Delia and Cordell's children, they are all very special. None of them are mundane, human. Her oldest daughter Jewel is a witch. She came by that naturally. She is the only one of their children that wasn't fathered by her husband. Another story she will have to tell you. She is married to a witch and their little girl is naturally a witch. The fairy blood that flows in their veins attracts their children to other supernatural beings."
"Witches? And I suppose you are going to tell me werewolves, vampires, ghosts and mermaids all exist as well."
Dee sighed. "Yes they all do. All very well hidden from humans. You are one of the very few that actually know about us."
"Okay, what else...why are the rest of them 'special'?"
"Delia's twins, Alea and Joy, were born human, but married a werewolf and vampire respectively and allowed themselves to be turned by their mates. Joy has a little vampire boy and Alea has twins, a boy and girl, both werewolf. Then there are three other girls, Corrie, 20, Angie 16 and Mira almost 4, all genies. And one special little boy, Stone, only 10 years old and he is a fairy."
Newt was overwhelmed at all Dee and Niall had thrown at him. He needed to be alone. "Thank you for the tea but if you will excuse me, I think I need to be alone for awhile. I have a lot to think about."
"Of course. We will check on you later. Just come downstairs if you need us. The house hasn't changed much in the past 180 years."
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Dee replied softly, "Newt, if there were don't you think we would have already done that?"
