Disclaimer: I own no characters except for Éabha.

Éabha pronunciation: EVA.

Prologue

It was the night of a full moon, exactly one year since MK had returned to her life as a full sized human. Having just returned from seeing her friends in Moonhaven, the now young woman was surprised to see that her father wasn't there to greet her as he usually was. Instead, she could hear the aged Pug barking up a storm inside of the house. Blinking curiously, MK made her way across the front lawn to the front door of her family home.

It had been an interesting year since she had shrunk down into a tiny person two inches tall. She often went to visit Nod whenever he tripped one of the sensors on the cameras around the house or in the forest, but she never ventured too close to Moonhaven, not wanting to cause any trouble for the people there because of her enormous size in comparison to them. She was planning on going into school for biology and botany because of what happened to her. However, at the same time she didn't want to abandon her father again.

"Ozzy!" MK called as soon as she opened the door, wanting to stop the pug from barking. Why he was barking in the first place, she wasn't sure. The old, three legged dog came scampering into the room with all of her father's findings, an unfamiliar voice drifting through the house. "Hey, boy!" MK greeted as the dog wiggled happily at the sight of her, barking up at her as she bent to scratch behind his ear.

"MK!" her father called suddenly, drawing the young woman's attention over to the doorway to his study where he was emerging with another woman who appeared quite a few years older than MK. "Hey! I'm glad you're home!"

"Hey, dad. Who's this?" she asked curiously, moving her helmet behind her back.

"Oh, right! You were just a little girl when you last saw her; this is your cousin Éabha," he introduced. "She…uh, she stayed here with me after you and your mom left, trying to help me prove my theory." Realizing that the woman probably knew all about the civilization in the forest, MK smiled in greeting and moved to place her helmet on the table, no longer worrying about hiding it.

"Hi, sorry that I don't remember meeting you before," MK greeted, moving forward with a hand expended in greeting.

The woman didn't have any striking resemblance to her father, but she remembered that she did have a cousin on her father's side of the family. Her hair was a brighter red than MK's or her fathers, appearing like rippling fire as it curled around her cheeks, neck and shoulders before disappearing behind her back. "It's nice to see you again, Mary Katherine. Or I suppose it's MK now, hm?" Her voice was soft, almost seeming to caress MK's senses. "My, you've grown so much. I think you were only about three the last time I saw you, but look at you now." Her voice was thick with an Irish brogue, causing MK to smile when it reminded her of Ronin's softer one.

Her smile turned sad.

"You look so much like Aunty," she added on, referring to MK's mother.

"I've been told," MK laughed softly, not wanting the older woman to feel bad about bringing her mother up. She had coped with the loss, and she was getting to know her father so well now. It was like making up for all the time that she had lost with him before.

"Éabha's gunna be staying here for a while, so she…uh, so she-" MK's face pinched into a frown as her father stuttered over his explanation, glancing between the two woman as he tried to think on what to say. There was a pain in his eyes that she had only seen when MK's late mother came up.

"I'm dying," Éabha answered for him, still wearing that sad smile on her face. Mk's lips parted in surprise, trying to form words, but she didn't know what to say. "The doctors don't know what's wrong with me, but throughout the past years I've been getting weaker and weaker. They believe that I only have a couple of months left before my health deteriorates completely. I didn't want to stay locked up in a hospital room, so I called Uncle Bomba to see if he would mind me staying here for a while."

"Oh, Éabha, I'm so sorry," MK finally said, reaching for the other woman but unsure of how to try and console her.

Shaking her head and causing curls of red hair of bounce, she just held her sad smile. "That's alright. I've…had my time of adjustment."

MK offered to cook dinner for everyone, as her father knew only the basics of cooking—at best—and Éabha whole heartedly offered her assistance. If gave the women time to catch up, telling each other what had happened since they were children. MK told Éabha all about when she had been shrunken down by the Queen, noticing that Éabha listened with rapt attention.

"You must have been terrified," she mumbled when MK finished, ending with her and her father meeting back up after she had been returned to her normal size.

"You have no idea," MK muttered, getting a smile from the older woman.

Éabha was twenty eight years old and had been living in San Francisco before she fell ill and had to move to Miami for proper medical care. She had a soft, pale face and green eyes—just like her and her father. Her mother, MK's aunt, had looked almost exactly like MK's father and therefore the two women could probably have been passed off as siblings. However, Éabha's father had been a tall, red haired Irishman that gave Éabha her height of five feet seven inches and a broad jaw, shoulders and hips. She was thin and long, but her bones were broad and made her seem bigger than she really was.

"So, what did you do before you…got sick?" MK asked, still feeling awkward to mention the illness of the other woman. It made it hard to want to get to know her, realizing that she was going to die in a few short months, but she also wanted her to know what she was welcome in their home.

"I was a violinist," she answered with a smile. "I've played since I was young; father insisted on it."

"Was he a musician, too?"

"Oh, yes, papa could play the guitar, the piano, the violin and the cello." MK's mouth was hanging open when the list ended, her green eyes wide in shock. That many? "I can also play piano, but I've never been able to pick up on any others."

MK could help but to scoff teasingly. "More than me, I couldn't play an instrument to save my life."

"Have you ever tried to learn?" Éabha returned, causing MK to blush when she realized that the other redhead was right—she had never tried to learn an instrument. So she didn't really have any right to say she never could. Distracting herself with checking on the pot of water that they had put their spaghetti noodles in, Éabha smiled in amusement behind her before she bent in front of the stove to check on the garlic bread.

"Did you bring a violin with you?" MK asked after a heartbeat of silence, using a fork to stir the noodles around and check to see if they were nearly done. They sauce was finished and sitting to the side on a low heat burner, only the bread and noodles left to finish cooking.

"I never go anywhere without it," Éabha answered with a brilliant smile, snatching an oven-mitt from the counter to take the pan of bread out of the oven. "Where's your cheese?"

"Bottom crisper in the fridge. I think dad uses it to hide the beets," MK answered, receiving an odd look from her older cousin that made her laugh aloud. "Yea, you get used to it!"

Cracking a smile and shaking her head, the Irishwoman moved to the fridge with nimble movements to retrieve the cheese to grade for the bread. They kept a light conversation as they were cooking, working on finishing up the meal as MK's father continually popped his head around the doorframe and praised the smell of the food.

Éabha couldn't stop herself from smiling as she spent time with a family she hadn't known in a long time. Standing with her uncle and cousin, aiding with helping set the table in the modest dining room, she felt more welcomed and at ease than she had since the doctors first told her she was sick and they didn't know what it was.

"You know, I think I'm going to help you organize some of your things, uncle," Éabha teased as she moved a pile of sketches off of the table so they had more room. "You need more shelves in here."

"I've been trying to help him clean up all year!" MK added on with a laugh, pointing the sauce spoon at her father, who was scratching the back of his head bashfully. "Don't worry dad, we'll help you out," she teased, getting a laugh from her older cousin as they all took their seats, places finally free of clutter.

"The house is beautiful on the inside, but you've got stacks of maps and books and papers everywhere; you can't see anything!"

"I'm sorry, I always just got so caught up in the research aspects that I didn't really think about keeping the house neat," he admitted abashedly, scratching the back of his head as he looked down at his plate.

Éabha and MK grinned at each other before they began with dinner, dishing out pasta on each plate before added sauce and a slice of garlic bread. The conversation was forgotten in favour of the delicious food, but throughout the meal the three chatted off and on, mostly about the things that the father and daughter had learned since Éabha had last visited. She had never seen two people talk over each other so excitedly before and it made her snicker in amusement.

"You should play for us," MK proposed when there was nothing but crumbs and smears of pasta sauce left on the three plates, piled in the center of the table. Éabha blushed slightly but smiled at the thought of playing her beloved instrument. It was the one her father had given her; old and well used, but cared for like her greatest treasure.

"Sure, if you'd like," she agreed bashfully, moving to go and collect the case that had been left next to her suitcase by the door, initially missed by MK when she first got back. There was always so much stuff lying around she never really took notice of when something new popped up. MK excitedly moved the dishes into the kitchen as Éabha was pulling out the violin and its accompanying bow.

She was back in her seat, waiting patiently, by the time Éabha had finished tuning the instrument to her satisfaction. Glancing to her younger cousin briefly, taking in her excited expression, she made the first draw of her bow across the cords of the violin. The first note drew out long and slow, but when next she drew it across the strings, shifting the angle and her fingers, the remainder of the melody picked up quickly and became a fast succession of notes that jumped and skipped like the animals of the forest.

MK closed her eyes as she listened, picturing the movements of the hummingbirds that the Leafmen flew. When she opened her eyes again, Éabha's eyes were closed peacefully as she played, the song slowing down slightly but keeping the same melody. Glancing over to her father, she was surprised to see that there were tears glistening in his eyes. When he saw her looking his way, he waved his hand silently to try and dissuade her concern for him. Éabha began playing faster again, and from the sound of the song MK could tell that it was coming to an end.

With an upward flourish of the bow, the lasting ring of the strings lingered a moment more before the room went quiet.

Éabha's bright green eyes opened to look at her small audience, a smile warming her face as she took in the expressions on the two before her. She didn't seem surprised at Bomba's reaction to the song, telling MK that there was some kind of significance to the one she had decided to play. "Do you know the song, MK?" she asked softly, watching her young cousin shake her head. "It's called The Hills of Ireland. Father used to play it all the time. It's kind of like he was bringing a piece of home with him."

That explained her father's reaction.

"It reminded me of the Leafmen," MK offered a moment later, reaching over to take her father's hand in comfort. Hearing the song must have made him remember his lost brother-in-law and sister; she wanted to offer what comfort she could. She didn't remember her relatives much, but she knew Bomba loved his family dearly. "They were so quick and precise, especially on their birds."

"You should hear the song with all the instruments. Flutes, pianos, harps." Éabha's eyes sparkled happily as she spoke. "It's magic."

"Do you know some of the other songs from Ireland?" Bomba asked quietly, leaning forward on his elbows. Éabha's expression brightened up, the reminder of her father no longer dampening her thoughts. The distant sound of one of the camera sensors rang out, having MK jump off her seat quickly.

"Sorry, be right back!" she rushed, dashing from the room. Éabha looked to her uncle for an answer, which he gave by holding his thumb and pointed finger two inches apart, telling her that it was probably this Nod man that she'd gushed about earlier. Éabha smiled in amusement as she glanced in the direction MK had dashed off in, the sound of the girl chatting excitedly telling her that it was indeed Nod.

"Would you play another one?" Bomba asked after a moment, his eyes alight with excitement. The only other time she'd seen that was when he'd been raving out the advanced civilization of little people.

"My pleasure," she assured, resuming her original position as she rested her chin in the violin. This time she played one she had learned recently, wishing that there was a way she could play and sing the lyrics together but knowing that holding the violin hindered her voice. So, instead, she played only the violin portion of Scarborough Fair. It kept a steadier pace than the previous one, but was just as quick and whimsical as The Hills of Ireland.

Unbeknownst to the two in the dining room, the sound had carried through to the room that MK was sitting in, hands to her mouth as she smiled uncontrollably at the expression on Nod's face. She kept silent so as not to interrupt the woman's playing, letting Nod listen to the song. She'd just been telling him about her visiting cousin when the faint sound of the violin began again, growing in intensity as she fell into the rhythm of the tune.

Steadily, it drifted off again, leaving the house with a haunting silence. Even Ozzy was quiet for once, lying on the floor as he excitedly stared at the girl in front of him. On the computer screen, Nod's jaw was hanging open, staring over MK's shoulder even without being able to see the one who had been playing the beautiful melody.

"That…What was that?" Nod asked after a moment, still caught in the sound of the instrument. MK didn't know much about the music they had at Moonhaven, but she was pretty sure they didn't have violins or cellos, things that required such carefully made bows and strings.

"It's called a violin," she answered. "You should have heard the first song she played, it reminded me a lot of you guys."

"Really?" he asked, straightening up in surprise.

"Yea, I'll have to get her to play it again for you sometime. Do you want to meet her?" MK asked excitedly. It wasn't often she got to show something to him, something that awed him. Most of the time he was the one who had amazing things to show her, things that she had never dreamed could be real.

Nod began to agree, but looked at something off camera just before he had the chance. "Sorry, I'll have to take a rain check. Ronin's calling me back in for something." Glancing at the time, MK frowned in concern. "Don't worry, it's probably just a perimeter check. He's still really jumpy with the new Queen, making sure she's absolutely safe."

"I'm sure," MK agreed, smiling again. "Well, good luck. And be careful."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" he assured, stepping back away from the camera.

And directly off the tree branch.

MK lurched toward the screen, eyes wide as he disappeared from view so abruptly. A few seconds passed before a distant 'I'm fine!' came from off screen. Relaxing back into her chair with a shake of her head, the redhead couldn't believe that she was such good friends with such a danger-prone guy. She still remembered when she had to go and Heimlich him out of a slug.

Shutting down the camera, she turned in the chair to return to her father and cousin. Éabha looked a bit paler, her violin sitting in her lap as she spoke with her uncle in a quiet voice. MK wondered whether that was how Éabha spoke naturally or if it was because of her weakened body, but she didn't dare ask her. If she was able, MK wanted to make her stay at their home as welcoming and comfortable as she could.

Bomba and Mk cleaned up from their meal, preventing Éabha from doing so when she attempted to and swayed suddenly upon standing from her chair. Instead, Bomba sat her in the living room with some of his sketches that MK had helped him to accurately create from what she had experienced of Moonhaven. There weren't any kind of portraits, mostly just him designing the outfits that the Leafmen wore or the saddles that sat on the Hummingbirds.

She could tell that Mk had tried to help with some of them, but her sketching capabilities weren't as up to par as her father's and it was easy to separate the styles. One such drawing was what looked like a home, tucked into a tree hollow. Her fingers delicately turned the pages, taking in all the wondrous things. She wished that it was something she could see; a world so full of magic and wonder. After having lived in the dreadful confines of the city, the nature of the forest life compelled her.

"What do you think?" MK asked quietly as she came to sit next to her cousin, taking in the captivated expression on the woman's face.

"I wish I could have seen it," she answered sadly, gently tracing over one of the drawings of a Hummingbird, the scratching representation of a Leafman on its back. "You were given a wonderful blessing, MK. I'm jealous." Éabha's eyes sparkled with her answer, telling MK that she was mostly just teasing her about the jealous part.

"Nod heard you playing the violin earlier. You should have seen his face. He wants to meet you, if you'd like that?"

Her smile brightened further as Éabha closed the sketchbook gently. "I would love to meet him." MK returned her smile as she shifted excitedly in her seat.

"Great!"