Chapter Two

Ava had never felt more loved in her entire life. She had woken up late in the afternoon, as her Fairy Godmother had let her sleep in. She grew scared for a bit when she noticed her unfamiliar surroundings, but when it all came back to her she couldn't help but smile. Her eyes settled on a small pile of clothes sitting on the nightstand, which Alex had laid out for her. Once again, the child smiled and went to change her clothes.

Meanwhile, Alex was sitting on a stool by the island reading a magazine while tearing off bits of a waffle and popping them into her mouth. She heard clanging coming from the spiral staircase and glanced over to see Ava walking into the living room wearing a cute little dress and sneakers. "Morning, kid." The brunette greeted, "Want some breakfast? We have waffles."

The child nodded and ran over to Alex, who helped her onto the stool and gave her a knife and fork, "Alright, as soon as you're done eating, I have to take you home. If I keep you here any longer, I might be accused of kidnapping."

"Aw, do I have to go home?"

"Yes, you do." Alex answered, "Now eat your food, kid."

Ava sighed and ate her food slowly, which didn't go unnoticed by Alex. She made sure that the little girl wiped her face and washed her hands before they left together. In fact, Alex was acting more like a mom than Ava's actual mother did. Hell, she even packed snacks in the girl's backpack, "Wait…" She paused, "Do you know your address?"

"No…" She answered.

Alex sighed and rubbed her temple, "Ugh, why didn't I think this through?" Hey eyes lit up when she saw Justin enter the room and she ran to his side, "Justin!"

"Oh, uh… hey?"

"Look, I was just wondering, is there any way to access your wand's last transport locations? Like, if you forgot an address…"

"Why? Looking to rob a house?"

"No, I'm taking the kid home."

Justin sighed and held his hand out and she smiled and gave him her wand. Alex watched him pull up her wand's holographic menu and scroll through it until he found what he was looking for. He clicked on it and handed it to Alex, who smiled gratefully and patted his shoulder. "Alright, then." She sighed, "C'mon Avvie, let's head out."

"Avvie?" Justin mimicked, earning a sinister glare from his sister. She wrote down the address quickly and ruffled the girl's hair, "Come on kid, let's get you home."

"No!" She shouted, "I don't like it there, I like it here with you!"

"Hey, I like hanging out with you too, kid but won't your parents get worried about you if you're gone too long? I mean, it's already been a day."

"No." Ava repeated, "They don't even notice I'm there."

"I… I don't know, I mean… Justin?"

"What are you looking at me for? She's not my kid."

"And she's not mine either!" Alex sighed and bent down to Ava's level, "Look, I like you. You're a good kid. But I just can't do this, and I know my parents wouldn't let me. Just grab your things, okay? I put some snacks and stuff in there in case you get hungry."

"But what if… what if I wished that I could stay here?"

"No." Alex said, shaking her head, "That would involve charming my parents, which I will not allow."

"But…" She paused, "But you're my Fairy Godmother!"

"Yes, I am. But even I have my limits, okay? Now put your backpack on, it's time to leave."

"But Fairy Godmother…"

"No buts, kid." Alex stated, "Now go get your stuff." She gestured elsewhere, and she smiled in amusement as she watched the little girl walk away with her head down.

"Wow."

Alex jumped in fright, glaring at Justin, who she had forgotten was there. He just chuckled at her response and smiled at his sister, "Ugh! You scared me, you big idiot!" She hissed, hitting him in the chest with the side of her arm.

He just shrugged his shoulders, "You know, I'd never see the day that my own sister would put her foot down." He admitted, "It's pretty impressive how well you're taking care of this kid."

"Yeah, well, she wasn't half as bad as I thought she'd be. Ava's a good kid and I just wish I could solve her problem but I'm not going to charm both our parents in order to do that. It would just feel like I'd be stooping to TJ's level." She admitted, "Plus it could expose magic and it's against my morals."

"You have morals?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded, followed by a firm nod of her head, "Speaking of, where is that kid?" She huffed in irritation, "I would really like to avoid being sued." Alex lifted her head up and took in a deep breath of air, "Ava! Get down here now!"

A few seconds later, they saw a sad little girl slowly walking towards them. Alex rolled her eyes and speed-walked over to the girl and scooped her up into her arms. Ava giggled at the sudden motion and clung to her Godmother's shirt. "Alright, let's do a last-minute inspection. Backpack?"

"Yes."

"Alright, then we're good." She said before turning to face her brother,"See ya later, Dork!" She waved goodbye at him as she closed the door behind her, a bright smile on her face. It was the same type of smile she gave her best friend, Harper. Full of excitement and honest love.

Outside now, Alex had found a spot out on Waverly Place just hidden enough for her to flash out without being seen. She slipped her wand out of her boot, but before she could cast the spell Ava reached over and yanked the wand out of her hand. Alex squeaked in surprise and looked at the little girl she held with one hand, "Ava, just what do you think you're doing?"

"Please, Fairy Godmother!" The child pleaded, "Don't take me home! I love it here, and I love you! Why won't you just let me stay?"

"I told you, if I took you in I would have to charm both our parents to get them to agree." She repeated, "And that, Little Miss, is something I will not condone. Especially after what happened last time…"

"What happened?"

"A kid that goes to school with me put a spell on my parents. Things were good at first, they didn't complain about me using magic whenever I felt like." She began, "But then we left my brother Max on Mars, and they didn't even care."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Look kid, I care about you, I do. I just… I can't help you out that way. It's dangerous." She admitted, "But, hey, I'll always be around to protect you. I'm just a wish away, after all." Alex assured.

"You promise?"

"Yeah, kid. I promise."

Alex gently took her wand out of the child's hand and waved it, the two of them disappearing into a sparkling flash of light and re-appearing on the doorstep to what she assumed was Ava's house. Alex reached over and knocked on the door. When no one answered, she knocked again and again.

Finally, it opened, revealing an older woman who had obviously been through many plastic surgeries. She narrowed her green eyes at the two, "What?!" She barked, causing Alex to jump a little.

"Uh, yes… hello, Ma'am. My name's Alex, and I'd like to return your daughter?" It came out more as a question than a statement.

"Oh." The woman said, "Wait, you were gone? I thought you were just hiding in your room all day."

"No." The child whispered, "You left me at the park, remember?"

The older woman paused and appeared to be thinking about it. She just sighed and shook her head, "'Fraid not."

Alex gawked at the woman, "W- Well…" She paused, "I just came to drop her off." She set the child down and hugged her tight, "Be good kid, okay?" She smirked and lowered her voice into a whisper, "Check your backpack when you get inside but make sure you're parents don't see."

"You gave me a present?" Ava asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Of sorts." She ruffled the girl's hair, "Take care."

The child nodded her head, "I love you, Godmother."

"Yeah, yeah. Now go inside."

Ava did as she was told and bolted all the way up to her bedroom, leaving her mother and Alex standing awkwardly by the front door. The brunette shuffled her feet, "Well, um… it was a pleasure meeting you Miss…?"

"Colleen." She answered, "Colleen Collins."

Alex snorted, though shut her mouth instantly when she met Colleen's death glare. "Uh, right, I'll be going now. Take good care of the kid." She instructed, waving at the woman as she walked away. The door slammed shut behind her, and Alex flashed out. She reappeared back in the loft and brushed past Justin. She trudged up to her bedroom and sighed to herself. Worry was not a feeling she was used to. But right now, that's all she could feel was worried. Worried for Ava, who was obviously not in a safe home. Alex wanted to grand her wish, but there were just too many risks.

So, she decided to find another way. Alex had promised to protect the kid, and that's exactly what she would do. No matter what.