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Hidden Charms

By: EddyFox



I'd like to thank papaya_lynne for her editing and suggestions for this story. I'd also like to thank RedHairedAndFriendly for proofing this story. This story is dedicated to anyone who has determined the outcome of a fight by rolling dice. To those of you who have left positive feedback on previous stories: Thank you for your readership and your kind words. To those of you who have left negative feedback on previous stories: Thank you for making me re-evaluate my works through your eyes. Help me make my writing better, and please be respectful.

*

"Take care of the dishes."

Jodi had long ago identified what bothered her most about her parents. It wasn't the indifference to her activities. It wasn't the crass comments about the people she hung out with. It wasn't the frequent tirades about grades, or chores, or 'dressing like a sack of dirty laundry'. It was the rudeness. She did everything they told her to do, despite their bitching about how it was done when she finished. They never ASKED her to do anything. She was sure that absolutely anything could be done politely. She had worked out polite ways to rob banks, and even kill people. Hell, the Chinese had worked out a polite way to wage war. There was no good reason to be rude about anything. On the upside, unpleasant jobs tended to make these people that fate had made her family leave her alone. As they filed out of the kitchen into the den to watch TV, Jodi reviled in the solitude if not in her task. 

She chastised herself for thinking that this beach trip might be fun. The people in her graduating class were undoubtedly taking beach vacations this summer before going off to college. None of them had thought to invite her along. Of course, she would have been surprised if any of them thought of her at all. The only thing that kept this trip from being 'just another house to do housework in' was the occasional trip to a local attraction (i.e. jungle golf, seafood house, or aquarium) where she would be harangued for her lack of participation, and forced to listen to her parents yell at her little brother in public. Her only sanctuary was the beach.

Jodi quickly finished the dishes and walked purposefully out the front door of the rental house. "I'm going for a walk." Her parents said something to her, and then raised their voices when she didn't deign to respond, but she quickly distanced herself from them and went to loose herself in the beginnings of twilight. She needed the ocean. She needed to think.

It was June 22, half way between the end of her senior year of high school and the beginning of her freshman year in college. She was glad to be rid of high school and all those people who defined themselves by what they had, or what their parents did, or who their friends were. The senior prom, as expected, had turned out to be a complete disaster. The greasy geek who had asked her to the dance at the last minute because every other girl in school was taken had been allowed to maul and deflower her because she had decided that she didn't want to go to college a virgin. That had been a monumental mistake. Jodi cursed herself for wasting a tear on the end of her high school career.

College didn't promise to be much better. Severely limited funds and mediocre grades had left commuting from home to the local college and as her only viable option. It sounded a lot like 13th grade to her. The prospects of getting a part-time job that paid enough to get Jodi out of her parent's house were slim at best.

The path she had been following through the dunes had emptied out onto an isolated stretch of beach. She stopped as her thoughts from her walk swirled around her head in a maelstrom, refusing to come together in any kind of sensible pattern. Jodi felt adrift, like life was washing her downstream, and there was nothing she could do about it. She felt like she was drowning.

Drowning. There was a distinct lack of shock as the thought of committing suicide crossed her mind. Jodi rolled the idea around and tried to think of all the good things and all the bad things that might result in her death. She considered it numbly and dispassionately. There was no one else on the beach. She started down toward the water to see if the waves had anything to say on the matter.

Just as she started to move, she heard voices coming from her right. She immediately dropped behind a tangle of driftwood, and then wondered why she had done it. 'I have just as much right to be on the beach as anyone else.' Perhaps it was a guilty reaction to her suicidal thoughts.

The voices caught Jodi's attention again, and soon people started coming into view. They all were wearing bathing suits and were laughing and joking with each other as they made their way down to the surf. The wind and waves ripped their words apart, leaving only the disjointed sounds. There were ten or twelve people, a fairly even mix of men and women, and they formed a circle down near where the water met the beach. It hadn't occurred to Jodi until they circled up that every last one of them had hair that varied in shade from a deeply rusted auburn to an orangish strawberry blonde. The observation was quickly cast aside when they started dancing. They danced a very intricate, lively, formal dance, and they laughed and whooped as they jumped and twirled. Their clothes, mostly bathing suits with wraps for the girls, were mixtures of green and blue, and as the light faded over the dunes, their hair flashed in the waning sunlight like flames flicking at the heads of so many match sticks. She watched them, captivated by their energy, content to let the shadows of the dunes envelop her.

Jodi had no idea how much time had passed when she heard the motor. She turned her head sharply to see what might be coming. The motor was attached to an all-terrain vehicle, complete with beach patrol 'dude' riding along at a break-neck pace. She turned back to see the reaction of the dancers...and they were gone. Disappeared. Jodi peaked around the driftwood she had been sitting behind, leaning out into the footpath to make sure she wasn't missing anything. Just as she could see the beach, the wet, sickening sound that two flesh-covered bones make when they impact each other sent Jodi rolling up the path. Her forehead throbbed and her vision seemed to darken around the edges. She struggled to her hands and knees, as if a firm grip on the world might make it stop spinning.

As the world settled down, she noticed a pair of feet to her left. The person they were attached to was lying face down on the footpath, and not moving. Her instincts pulled her beside the motionless form. The smear of blood on the driftwood beside the path spurred her to grasp his shoulder and roll him onto his back. The welt on his forehead had already begun to blacken and swell. Jodi threw her left leg over his chest and rose to one knee. The injury only bled a little, and went from an inch over his left eye right up to his hair line. His red hair line. He must have been out there among the dancers. He was breathing steadily, but that was about it for her first aid training. As she pondered what else she could do for him, she became aware of something under her left foot. When she moved it, she found she had been stepping on a small black velvet bag with a gold cord to cinch it closed. It had been underneath him when he was lying on his stomach. She picked it up, pocketed it, and moved around to get a better look at his injury. Jodi pulled the sleeve of her sweatshirt over her hand and began to dab away the blood on his forehead. It wasn't a lot, but at least she was doing something.

He started coming around slowly. Jodi stopped trying to clean up his head wound as he moaned in pain. His eyes fluttered and Jodi saw him reach for the waist of his blue swim trunks. Instantly his eyes shot open. He obviously had not found what he was looking for. He spun onto all fours so fast that Jodi jumped back out of the way.

"Where is it?! Where is it?!" He was frantically searching the ground for something.

"Are you looking for this?" Jodi held the little bag by the string. The young man spun around, seeing her for the first time. When he saw the bag, and then looked past it at Jodi, he dropped to the sand and began the exaggerated cry of an infant, complete with flailing his arms and legs. Completely bewildered, Jodi pulled the bag back to her chest and sat back on her heels. His crying lasted long enough for Jodi to become self conscious. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, thus deepening her embarrassment.

Quite suddenly, he stopped crying, sat up, dusted himself off, and looked Jodi resolutely in the eye. "Oy suppose you'll be wantin' the standard payment far returning me gold?" He extended his hand meaningfully.

The thick Irish brogue caught Jodi off guard. She was so enthralled by the lilt of his voice that she forgot about the pouch she held. Jodi jerked as she returned to the moment and placed the velvet bag into his outstretched hand.

"Fine." He tucked the bag securely into his trunks, double-knotting the cord of the bag in the bathing suit's cinch cord. "Whot's yar first wish, then?" 

'What? This was insane! This guy could no more grant wishes than she could sprout wings and fly to the moon! He's obviously hit his head. He's probably delusional. But what a nice little delusional world it might be to live in, dancing on the beach with my friends, laughing and jumping. An all I'd have to do to be rid of a problem would be to say,' "I wish I weren't pregnant."

Jodi's eyes shot to the boy as he reacted to her thought. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he leaned into her. Had she accidentally voiced her thought? She couldn't be sure. His reaction said that she had. With his face a few inches from hers, he lifted his right hand and snapped his fingers.

"Aawwgh!" Jodi doubled over in pain. Her gut felt like someone had kicked her, hard. Air refused to enter her lungs and she rolled in agony on the sand. Slowly the pain ebbed and she was able to focus again.

"I'll not take a life lightly, and the only thing preventin' me from taking yar own with that wish is moy extreme respect for the Great Mother. 'Ave a care how ya phrase yar wishes, lassy." He eased back to a sitting position, but the anger didn't leave his face.

Eventually, Jodi was able to return to a seated position beside the footpath. "Whot is yar second wish?" 

'Had he really granted her wish? The evidence was circumstantial at best, but it appeared that HE believed he had accomplished the task.' Jodi's thoughts turned to what she might wish for next, and how she would ask for it. It was almost like a riddle, or a puzzle to be solved, and her mind wrestled with the problem, in spite of the fact that this whole idea was stupid. She also looked for something a little more concrete, to definitively prove, one way or another, whether or not this wacko was actually granting wishes.

She sat up strait and, carefully, she said, "I wish for you to make me beautiful." 

The boy snapped his fingers...and nothing happened. Jodi looked at herself, and didn't see any changes. "What happened?"

"I now have the ability to make you beautiful." His self-satisfied grin was infuriating. 

'Well this was turning out wonderfully! I get three wishes, and a complete asshole to interpret them in the worst possible way! Then again, why should this be any different than the rest of my life? I have no one to talk to, no one to confide in, and no one on my side.' "I wish you were my friend." 

Jodi was surprised when the boy snapped his fingers again. Again the thought had slipped out of her mouth unintentionally. The boy's grin was slowly replaced by one of shock. He slowly extended a freckled hand in greeting. "I'm Ian." Jodi took his hand tentatively. "Ya don't have anyone ya consider a friend, do ya?" Jodi shook her head slightly. "Well, ya do now." A worried look crossed Ian's face, like he was about to start a task he didn't want to do. "Ya've done such a fine job o' wisely makin' yar wishes, that I'm prepared to grant you a fourth wish, if ya would like." In complete contradiction to what he had just said, Ian began shaking his head 'no' vehemently. 

Jodi studied him for a moment. The look in his eyes and the tone of his voice clearly indicated what he wanted her to do. "That's OK. I'll stick with what I got."

Relief flooded Ian's face. He slowly reached over and moved Jodi's hair out of the way so he could examine the growing bruise on her forehead. "Oy believe that my knee and yar farhead had a wee difference of opinion. Perhaps we should both seek a bit o' medical attention." He rose slowly and was definitely favoring his left leg. Ian extended his hands and helped Jodi to her feet. "Oy'm in a hotel room about half a mile down the beach."

"My family and I are renting a house about 100 yards that way." With the light almost completely gone, they carefully threaded their way back to the beach house. Jodi entered first and headed for the kitchen.

"Who's he?" Jodi was sure that her entrance wouldn't garner any attention, therefore, neither would anyone with her.

"This is Ian. Ian, this is my dad, George Forest, my mom, Sharon, and my brother, Joshua."

"It's Josh." Her brother's tone clearly indicated that he was correcting her, not introducing himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Ian responded with absolutely no accent whatsoever. Jodi looked at him like he'd suddenly grown another head, but said nothing. The Forests had not broken eye contact with the TV, and Ian and Jodi proceeded unmolested into the kitchen. "We need two towels and lots of ice."

"Where did the accent go?" Jodi whispered as she pulled two dishtowels out of the cabinet and began getting ice cubes out of the freezer.

Ian cast a glance at the door to the den, then turned back to Jodi and whispered, "They don't know I'm a Leprechaun."

"You're a WHAT!" Ian almost leaped across the kitchen to clamp his and over Jodi's mouth.

"You know...You don't know." Jodi somehow managed to shake her head with Ian's hand over her mouth. Ian had the good grace to remove it. "You didn't know?" 

"No."

"Let me guess. You'd have given me back my gold if I had just asked you nicely, wouldn't you." Jodi nodded her head slowly. Ian plopped down in a chair, stunned. "It's sooo inconvenient being an idiot."

Jodi brought two ice packs over and handed one to Ian. He accepted the pack and placed it on his forehead, wincing when it made contact. Jodi stared at him intently. "I thought you guys were supposed to be short."

"I've never been one to hold to stereotypes."

"So," Jodi whispered, "is there really gold in that pouch?"

"Yes."

"Can I see it?"

"No."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours." Jodi reached in her shirt and pulled out a small vial on a chain around her neck. The vile contained two small nuggets of gold. "I got these on a field trip in elementary school. We went to an old gold mine and panned for gold. I found the biggest nugget of anyone that day. The gift shop made them into a necklace for five dollars. I've always kinda thought of it as my good luck charm, although it hasn't been working for me recently." The ice on her forehead was beginning to give her a headache, so she placed it on the table.

Ian looked around again at the doorway to the den, and then untied the velvet bag from the inside of his trunks. Ian evidently felt the need for added security after loosing the pouch to Jodi on the beach. After working on the various knots, the mouth of the bag came open, and Ian poured five large gold coins out in his hand. Jodi had spent hours gazing at the gold nuggets in her necklace, and gold coins in Ian's hand caught the poor light in the kitchen and amplified it in the way that only real gold can. When she looked at Ian's face again, she could see that having his gold exposed to the open air was making him very nervous. "Do me a favor." Jodi slipped her chain over her head and placed her necklace into Ian's hand. "Hold on to my luck for me." Ian's jaw dropped and he stared at Jodi in amazement, until the noise of someone moving around in the den made Ian quickly hide his gold again.

Sharon entered the kitchen and grabbed two beers out of the fridge. "What happened to you two?"

"Ian was having an argument with a piece of driftwood when I ran into him."

"'Looks like the driftwood won." She wandered out without further comment.

They kept the ice on their injuries as long as they could stand it, and did something completely foreign to Jodi; they made small talk. Ian kept Jodi talking about herself, and he listened to what she said. Jodi felt at ease talking to Ian, possibly because she held one of his secrets, and therefore, felt comfortable sharing her own. They looked up when the lights in the den went off. Ian said, "I better get going. What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing I care about."

"Good. I'll come get you about 9:30, OK?" Ian stood up to leave.

"What are we gonna do?"

"I've got to start making you beautiful. Bye." The door closed as Ian limped out the door.

"But...but..." 

Jodi felt like she had lain in bed looking up at the ceiling all night long. She had, in fact, gotten five hours of sleep in all, but it was a restless sleep. At 8:00, the sound of her family moving around, specifically her little brother screaming at the top of his lungs, pulled her back to consciousness long before she was actually ready to get up.

After a quick shower, breakfast, and the US Recommended Daily Allowance of fighting with each and every member of her immediate family, Jodi flew out the door in time to see Ian coming up from the beach. She emerged from the rental house and ran right past him in order to get as much distance from her family as she could. Ian had to sprint to catch up to her. A quick recap of their injuries was in order, and all the bruises had begun to turn that sick shade of yellow that meant they were on their way to healing.

Jodi looked at the sand as they walked down the beach together. "So...you said you were going to make me beautiful today."

"That's right."

"Cool. I'd like to be 5'7", blonde, and 120 pounds."

"That's nice. It ain't gonna happen." Ian had simply stated a fact.

"I thought you said you were going to make me beautiful."

"Actually, you are beautiful. You're just hiding."

"I am NOT beautiful," Jodi chuckled.

Ian stopped in his tracks. "You say that like you have a choice. I think you're beautiful. It's a question of MY judgment. You can't alter it." Ian closed the space between them, leaned forward into Jodi's face, and said, "And another thing. I'm not gonna be the only one who thinks that, either. OK?"

Jodi looked at Ian in stunned silence for a moment. His face was completely devoid of emotion as he returned her stare. She didn't know what had brought on this vehemence, but she wasn't going to argue. "OK." They turned and continued down the beach and into Ian's hotel without further comment. 

When Jodi entered Ian's hotel room, she found a chair placed in front of the window with newspaper spread out all around it. "Sit." Jodi complied with his request. Ian shouted, "Cathy!" and then began studying Jodi's face intently.

"What!" Jodi turned around to see a pale face ringed in coppery curls looking in the doorway.

"Can I borrow some magazines from you? And some scissors?"

Jodi looked worried. "What are you going to do?"

Ian had pulled towels out of the bathroom and began draping them around Jodi's shoulders. "I'm going to cut your hair."

"Do you know how to cut hair?"

"I do now." Jodi started to make a run for the door when Ian's hands on her shoulders kept her in her seat. "Whoa. Look at me." Ian knelt down and looked Jodi directly in the eye. "You need to trust me." His blue eyes locked onto hers. They pulled at her and as she slid into those impossible blue orbs, she felt herself relax in the chair.


Hidden Charms



"What are you doing?" Cathy had walked in the room with the magazines and scissors that Ian had requested. She brought them over and set them down on the small table in the hotel room. 

"Sure, and Oy'm goin' to cut her hair." 

Cathy's look of shock bounced back and forth between Ian and Jodi. "Well, isn't that a fine how d'you do." Her higher voice gave her brogue a sing-song quality that Ian's accent had lacked. Ian and Cathy sat down and began flipping through her magazines and looking up a Jodi with a critical eye. Cathy expressed some choices, but Ian rejected them all, until a final flip of the page, and Cathy and Ian were united. Ian went behind Jodi and into the bathroom. Cathy walked over to Jodi and whispered, "Don't worry. He knows what he's doing." All trace of her previous accent was gone.

Ian returned with a comb in a glass of water. He combed her hair repeatedly until it hung wet from her head. "Ian, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why did you seem so surprised at my third wish yesterday?"

Ian snuck one more look at the picture in the magazine and then came at Jodi with scissors at the ready. "You wished that I was your friend." Snip. "I was going to replace myself with your friend, and then I could escape." Snip. A rye smile curled his lips. "We Leprechauns are tricky like that." Snip, snip. "But you didn't have anyone you truly considered a friend." Snip. "The only choice left for the magic was your original intention, and I became your friend." Ian flashed that infuriating smile again.

"What was the deal with that last wish you offered me?"

Snip. Ian had started off tentatively, but each snip of the scissors seemed to embolden him. He was moving around her now with purpose and confidence. "Ah, that. That is a trap for the greedy. If you had accepted the offer, all your previous wishes would have been undone, and you would have ended up miles from where we were sitting. As your friend, I advised you against taking that wish." He came around and kneeled down in front of Jodi, checking his work intently. Jodi was mesmerized once again by those ice blue eyes. "Go blow dry your hair. There's a dryer in the bathroom. Cathy!" Jodi obediently went to the bathroom as Ian cleaned up the towels and newspapers. Surprisingly, he had not cut very much of her hair. 

Two minutes later, Cathy walked in behind Jodi in the bathroom. "Oh, my god!"

Jodi was instantly afraid she had done something wrong. "What?"

Ian came into the bathroom with his eyes alight. "Close your eyes." Jodi complied. She heard the rustling of paper in front of her. "Cathy, which girl is prettier, right or left?"

"Left."

"Jodi, when I tell you to open your eyes, I want your knee-jerk reaction. Which girl is prettier, right or left? Open."

"Left." Jodi's mind instantly rebelled against her conclusion. Ian had torn the page out of the magazine that he was using as a guide and was holding it up against the mirror. The model's face was on the right and Jodi's reflection in the mirror was beside it. The hairstyles were uncannily identical. The only difference was the face. The face in the picture was pretty, yes, but it looked forced. It was almost like they had morphed a 12 year old girl into a look that didn't quite suit her. Jodi's face was framed perfectly. Her hair accentuated the positives and hid her negatives. The lack of makeup, in this case, was a blessing. Jodi was having a hard time recognizing herself in the mirror.

Cathy turned on Ian with her hands on her hips. "When are you gonna do that for me?" 

Ian moved to hug Cathy. "How could I ever improve on perfection? Oof!" Cathy repaid the silver-tongued devil by punching him in the stomach, but only hard enough to keep the hug from landing. She quickly made her escape from his clutches.

"You can't stand in front of the mirror all day. Come on."

Jodi pried her eyes away from the mirror. "Where are we going?"

"We're going to the beach!" Ian had a towel and a football in hand.

Jodi would have enjoyed just hanging out in Ian's hotel room. She latched onto the first excuse she could come up with. "I don't have my bathing suit on."

"Let's go get it." 

Using tickling fingers as a goad, Ian forced Jodi, laughing and shrieking, back to the beach house and into her bathing suit. Fortunately, Jodi's family had traipsed off on another one of their misadventures, leaving Ian and Jodi the run of the place. Jodi changed into a conservative one piece that did all the wrong things to her figure. She was slim almost to the point of being boyish, but the suit widened her hips, hid the curves of her waist, and drew attention away from her B cup breasts. It also set off her pale skin to the point that Ian wondered if she'd spent some time inside the core of a nuclear reactor. 

Ian pulled a bottle of 45 out of his shorts and held it out to Jodi. "Would you do my back?" Jodi poured a puddle of glue-like lotion on her hand and began greasing up her first non-family member. She smoothed on the lotion taking note of the defined muscles in Ian's back. Her hands lingered over his skin much longer than necessary, but Ian didn't seem to mind. Ian broke her concentration by standing up and grabbing the bottle. "Your turn." Jodi blushed as she sat down on the chair. She jumped as he pulled her straps off her shoulders, and her hands went to the top of her suit to keep it from falling down, even though there was no chance of that really happening. All thoughts of modesty disappeared as Ian's lotion covered hands smoothed over her skin. Once he had distributed the lotion on her back, he began to knead the muscles of her back with his hands. Jodi surrendered herself to the delicious pain as her muscles began to relax under Ian's efforts. All too soon, he stopped, and Jodi wiped the drool from her lips as her vision cleared. She was unable to protest as Ian led them out to the beach. After setting up the towels and slathering his arms and legs with copious amounts of sun block, Ian handed the bottle to Jodi.

As Jodi finished protecting herself from the sun, a willowy redhead strolled up the beach toward her. Cathy had been short and cute, but this girl was 5'7" and moved with the grace of a movie star from the golden era. Her auburn tresses were strait and hung to her green bikini top. The only fault Jodi could find with the girl was that her nose was too big, but even then, it gave her face an almost regal line and only served to make her prettier. She picked out a spot on the beach about 10 yards away from Jodi, spread her towel out on the sand and headed for the water. "Is she a...?"

Ian lifted his head to look at Jodi, and then followed her gaze to the girl walking down the beach. "Yes."

"Are all redheads Leprechauns?"

"Yes."

Jodi thought for a moment. "Are all Leprechauns redheaded?

"Yes."

"Really?" Jodi rolled the possibilities around in her mind. "What about redheads born to non-redheaded parents?"

"It's a really tricky situation. We're born with our powers in tact, but without training, they are very hard to use. Redheads without redheaded parents are assigned a mentor to help them deal with their special abilities." Ian turned over and started adding to the freckles on his back.

After about twenty minutes of sunbathing, Ian propped himself up on his elbows. "OK. Time to move."

"Move? What's wrong with this spot?"

"Nothing. You've just been in it too long. Let's throw the football." Ian flipped the ball from one hand to the other.

"You go ahead." Jody rolled over again, trying to keep her burn even.

"You don't understand." Ian dropped the ball into the sand. "You're going to move." Ian held his fingers like claws, pointed them at Jodi's ribs, and slowly moved closer as he wiggled his fingers. 

What issued from Jodi could only be described as a "girlie scream". She rolled up onto her feet in an inspired fashion. Ian ran after her, his hands still aiming for her ribs, with a melodramatically evil laugh dripping from his lips. He could have caught her easily, but that was not the point. She finally resigned herself to being tickled and collapsed in the sand near the towels. Ian fell beside her huffing and puffing.

"All that and you're not even going to tickle me?" Jodi didn't sound disappointed.

"It's no fun if you don't run." Ian's breathing had almost returned to normal. "Let's throw the football."

After spending most of the day lying on the beach, playing around in sand, and talking about every topic under the sun, they returned to the Forest's beach house around four o' clock. Jodi even managed a laugh and a smile before her father barreled in the door. 

"Where the hell have you been?!" He slammed his keys on the little table by the door.

"I..."

"I've been combing the entire island looking for you!!"

"We were..."

"What you did is inexcusable! I've never..." It quickly became apparent that Jodi was a spectator for a tirade, and not a participant in an argument. Once that realization sank in, the resulting display was much less stressful, and even entertaining. Her father didn't actually need to be in the room to continue. When he moved into the kitchen to grab a beer, maintaining his rant the entire time, Ian turned to Jodi with a smile straight off the Devil's face and disappeared! As the depression in the chair evaporated, Jodi lost track of Ian, until the car keys on the little table disappeared as well. Following a small squeak from the floor, the keys reappeared on the end table beside the couch near the door to the kitchen. The cushions in the chair received their unseen visitor again, and Ian reappeared with a look of absolute innocence on his face.

*

"I'm sorry. That class is full."

Jodi turned away from the table and began re-shuffling her schedule in her head. She understood that upperclassmen needed priority in order to get the classes they needed to graduate, but that should only make the classes she needed for her requirements difficult to get into, not impossible. She walked back toward the center of the gymnasium, her nose firmly buried in the class listings. 

Whump. "Excuse me," Jodi said reflexively, as she fought to maintain her balance. 

"You and I keep running into each other."

Jodi looked up into Ian's face, wrapped her arms around him, and attempted to squeeze the life out of him, all the while making high-pitched noises that would have driven dogs insane. Her papers fluttered to the floor, forgotten in her excitement.

Ian managed to strangle out, "It's good to see you, too," after disengaging from her strangle hold. They recovered her papers and retreated to a neutral corner of the gym.

"I haven't seen you all summer. What are you doing here?" Jodi asked when they had settled on the bleachers.

"Duh. I'm signing up for classes."

"I didn't know you went to UNCC."

"I didn't...until I transferred." Ian's grin was infuriating.

Jodi could feel her eyes welling up. "Why did you transfer?"

"To be near you, of course."

Jodi's vision blurred as tears started rolling down her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around Ian's neck and cried softly into his neck. When her tears started running down Ian's chest, he pushed her back so he could see her face. "Hey, hey. Why all the crying?"

"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me." Jodi resumed her place draped around Ian's neck and happily cried for five minutes.

"Come on. Let's get the rest of your classes." Ian led her back into the fray.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about transferring in any of your emails over the summer."

"What can I say? I'm good at keeping secrets."

"Speaking of secrets," said the petite blonde as she glided over to where Ian and Jodi stood. Her features were delicate and her eyes were large and inviting. She moved with an alien grace, and as she came closer, Jodi could see her ears poking out from under her flaxen hair, and they were pointed. "I've got a job for you."

When she came to a halt in front of Ian, her transformation was complete. She radiated nature and sex until it was almost palpable. Jodi had no inclination toward women normally, but she would gladly have followed this girl to any bed she chose. "What do YOU want?" Ian's tone shocked Jodi. She turned on Ian, ready to come to this unknown girl's defense, to find him glaring up at the ceiling with a look of complete resignation on his face. The girl held out two of the smallest, most delicate slippers Jodi had ever seen, and Ian took them with a deep and resentful sigh. The girl turned and glided away, with each step making her more normal and less enthralling. "Come on. I'm thirsty. Let's go get a SPRITE!" The look the girl shot over her shoulder at Ian would have killed most men.

After Jodi had all her classes in order, Ian took her to his apartment off campus. It was a one bedroom with enough space to change your clothes and get a shower, but not much more. "Come in. Make yourself to home. Do you want the tour?" Ian's sarcasm was impossible to miss. He rummaged the tiny shoes out of his backpack and then headed for the bedroom. Jodi had no choice but to follow. Ian placed the shoes on his dresser and pulled a chair up with the seat touching the drawers. He moved swiftly over to his closet and pulled a small, weathered, wooden box from the darkest corner and placed in on the dresser. 

"Why do you have dresses in your closet?"

"Huh?" Ian placed the box beside the shoes on his dresser. "Oh, those are for you. I got them because I thought you'd look pretty in them." 

"OK. Now your weirding me out." Jodi turned back to the closet examining each of the garments more closely. "Aaahh!!" When she turned back to thank Ian, he was gone. There was, however, a midget standing in the chair, taking small tools out of the wooden box.

When Jodi screamed, the midget turned to regard her. He held out his hands in a calming gesture, placed the tools back in the box, and in a flash, Ian was standing in the chair. One more girlie scream later and Ian was off the chair with his arms wrapped around Jodi. "I'm sorry. I should have warned you about that."

Jodi held onto Ian until the adrenaline had started to ebb from her system. "That's OK. It just surprised me, that's all."

"So which part of this 'weirds you out'? Is it that I'm buying clothes for you, or that this Leprechaun that you are best friends with seems to magically know your size and what colors look best on you because of a wish you made?"

Jodi pulled back from Ian enough to look into his eyes. "I guess you've got a point."

Ian pulled a dress from the closet and handed it to Jodi. "Here. Go try this on. I'm going to change and get this over with." When she returned, Ian had resumed his smaller stature and was in the process of resoling the shoes that the sprite had given him. He was using tiny wooden dowels to secure the new sole to the shoe, and sawing them flush with a small saw. The tools he was using were silver, and far too small to be wielded by normal hands. She watched silently as he gruffed and grumbled through his task. After an hour, the shoes were finished. He replaced the tools in the wooden box and stood to his full height in the chair, which brought him up to Jodi's chin. She instinctively took a step back as he once more popped back to his full height. Ian stepped out of the chair and sat down as a smile slowly crawled across his face.

"What?"

"I was right." He looked Jodi up and down. "You look beautiful in that dress."

Jodi could feel her face heat up at the unfamiliar compliment. "Really?" 

"Wear that tomorrow, and I won't be the only one that thinks so."

The next day, after figuring out where all her morning classes were, Jodi actually had a pretty good day. She had stopped by Ian's apartment and changed into the dress before going to class. They had agreed to meet in the cafeteria for lunch.

"So it's not as bad as you thought, is it?" Ian began working on his sandwich in earnest.

"Well, it's only the first day, but I think it's going to be OK. Uh oh." Jodi's face went blank as she looked past Ian. The sprite was moving toward them, with a massive man behind her carrying a backpack that was much too pink to be his.

"Well?" There was no pretext of civility at all.

Ian reached into his bag and pulled out the delicate shoes he had repaired yesterday. He held them out without acknowledging her presence. She took the shoes and glided back into the throng. The huge man followed her much like a pack animal on a tether.

"If there's one thing I can't stand more than sprites, it's their damn 'mules'! I'm done! I'm gonna go wash my hands!" Ian picked up his tray, dumped it in the trash and headed for the restroom.

Jodi returned her attention to her lunch and scanned the crowd.

"Is this seat taken?" Jodi turned to see a young man with blonde hair looking at her expectantly. 

"No. Go ahead," Jodi stammered out. He had not picked the chair that Ian had been sitting in, and Jodi had been so surprised that she simply replied factually to his question. She quickly studied him as he sat down. God, he was handsome. Not the best she'd ever seen, but certainly WAY out of her league.

"My name's Mike." He looked at her for a reply. The weight of his gaze was immense.

"I'm Jodi."

"Hi Jodi. It's nice to meet you. Are you a freshman?" Mike started into his sandwich.

"Yes." Jodi could feel herself closing up. She didn't talk to people this good-looking.

"What do you think of your classes so far?"

Jodi surprised herself by actually stringing a few sentences together. During her recitation, she saw Ian standing over by the men's room with his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smile on his face. When their eyes met, he made an encouraging gesture before she returned her attention to Mike.

"That's great. Hey, listen. A bunch of us are going to go out for wings after classes on Friday. Would you like to come along?"

Jodi's mind simply could not comprehend being included in the same company as this beautiful man. "Sure," slipped out before she had any idea what had happened.

"Great. I'll see you at the Wing Stop about 4:30." Mike got up to leave. Jodi's eyes were glued to his face in a panic, trying desperately to explain to him why there was no way she could go out with them, but the words just wouldn't come. "'Bye."

"'Bye."

Ian made his way back to the table as soon as Mike was half way across the cafeteria. "Did what I think just happened...happen?"

Jodi sat trying to combine excitement and terror in much the same way one combines water and electricity. She didn't trust herself to move, but managed a few words. "He asked me out."

Ian's grin threatened to meet at the back of his head. "That's terrific!" he chuckled. "I told you that I wasn't the only one who was going to think you were pretty."

"This is terrible." Ian's enthusiasm had tipped her balance the other way. "What if he wants me to hang out afterward? What if he tries to make a move on me?"

"Well, make sure he wears a condom."

"NO! Damn it!" Jodi let out an exasperated sigh. "I wish sex was fun."

"You know I can't do that for you any more." Ian became more serious. "Besides sex IS fun. There are people who are actually addicted to sex." Jodi's expression was dubious. "Come to my apartment after class and we'll talk about it. OK?" Jodi nodded her head.

The rest of Jodi's day went by in a blur. It seemed as though she sat down in her class and got ready to take notes only to pack her things right back up and head to her next destination. Despite the classes seeming to only last minutes, the afternoon dragged on forever until she finally was released and could head toward Ian's apartment.

Ian opened the door and set her backpack on the floor as he led her to the couch. He settled in beside her and wrapped his arms around her. "Talk to me."




Hidden Charms



"I'm so worried I won't know what to say...or what to do...and I'll just end up looking like an idiot!" The first few tears started down her cheeks as she fought to maintain control.

"All you have to do is know what you want...and ask for it...and expect it." Ian's hug didn't waver.

"But I don't even know what I want! Wait. What are we talking about? The date, or sex?"

"Both." Ian let his arms settle across Jodi's lap. "I know your experience is very limited. You don't know what you want because you don't know your choices."

"But how do I know my choices before Friday?" 

"I could teach you." 

Jodi froze. "What?" Jodi turned to stare into Ian's ice blue eyes.

"I could teach you how to enjoy sex. I can't think of any other way to give you the confidence you need to have a good time on your date."

"Are we talking about you...and me...actually having...?" Ian only nodded slowly. "Would you really have sex with me?"

"You are a beautiful girl, and I'm a guy. What do you think?"

Jodi let a small giggle escape as she cupped Ian's cheek. "You really think I'm beautiful."

Ian resisted the urge to jump for joy. She had stated it as a fact, not a question. He'd finally gotten through to her.

A single tear rolled down Jodi's cheek. "Ok."

Ian rose, pulled Jodi to her feet, and lead her by the hand into his bedroom. At the foot of his bed, he stopped and turned to face Jodi. "We're going to have to talk during this. I want you to tell me everything you thing and feel, Ok?" Jodi nodded her head. Ian pulled off his shoes and socks. "Ok. The first thing we're going to do is familiarize you with the male form. Undress me."

Jodi smiled and tentatively grabbed the hem of Ian's tee shirt. He ducked down and raised his arms to assist her. Her efforts with his belt and jeans were not nearly as successful. "It's hard taking clothes off when you're not wearing them." After Ian had stepped out of his jeans, the only thing left was his underwear. Jodi looked up at him to make sure this was still OK, and then grabbed the waistband and eased them down. "Oh!" Ian's semi-hard cock sprang free and pointed right at her stomach.

"Do you see what you're doing to me?" Ian moved her toward the doorway, then retreated to the bed. "A guy's first source of arousal is visual." He sat down on the bed. "Remember, I think you are beautiful. Take your clothes off slowly, and make me want you more." Jodi reached for her low heels, eager to take them off. "No, no. Leave your shoes on. I like how they change the way you move."

Jodi started to get an inkling of what Ian wanted. She turned around and lowered the zipper on her dress, letting him see her skin being revealed. When the zipper was all the way down, she turned and, holding the dress to her breasts, wiggled her arms out of the sleeves. Biting her lip, she allowed the dress to slide down her body and pool at her feet. 

"That's it. Nice and slow." Ian's eyes were glued to her body.

She stepped out of the dress and took two cat-like steps toward Ian, her hands finding the clasp of the bra at her back. Ian saw the material loose tension and a wicked smile crossed Jodi's face as she turned her back to Ian and discarded the bra. Her thumbs caught the waistband of her panties and she slowly wiggled them down her legs, bending at the waist to give Ian an unobstructed view of her treasures. Jodi stepped out of her panties, turned and walked toward Ian, bringing her bare breasts scant inches from his face. Her voice was thick with the lust reflected in Ian's eyes. "How'd I do?"

Ian's eyes were riveted to her chest. "Oh Gawd." He swallowed loudly. "I've created a monster." 

"What's next?" The huskiness was still in her voice.

Ian slid back on the bed and laid down, his erection bobbing and weaving as he went. "It's time for you to get familiar with a man's equipment. I want you to examine me, play with me, whatever."

Jodi's fascination took over. She eased beside Ian and sat on the bed. She reached out and placed her right hand on Ian's leg, slowly caressing her way up to his manhood, afraid of disturbing the magic that was allowing this moment to happen. "Am I hurting you?"

"No, Baby. You're pleasuring me. Slide your hand up and down it."

Ian's dick expanded and hardened in her hand. His breath became labored and he gripped the bed sheets fiercely. Jodi was fascinated at how a simple act could be causing such consternation.

"Please. Don't stop. Just...a little faster." 

As she sped up her hand, Ian began to twitch in response. All of his muscles were clenched, and veins started rising on his neck and forehead. "Gawwk!" Suddenly, Ian's cock pulsed in Jodi's hand and three strong ropes of cum landed on his chest. As his orgasm spent itself in dribbles down Jodi's hand, Ian grabbed her arm and held it still while he gulped for air. Jodi could only stare in amazement at the scene before her as Ian's once rigid tool wilted in her hand.

"That was incredible." Her hushed tone was almost reverent. 

"Thank you." Ian had started to recover from his orgasmic rush. "Have you ever given anyone a blow job?"

Jodi recoiled from her hold on Ian. "No." Her face showed an unwillingness to entertain the idea.

Ian sat up and caressed her arms. "Why not?"

"It's so...demeaning, isn't it?"

"It doesn't have to be." Ian guided her to lie down on her back. "Watch me." Ian moved over her and touched his lips to hers. He began kissing his way down to her breasts, laving each nipple with his tongue. Letting Jodi's moans guide him, he repeatedly searched out her eyes as he stimulated her body. Leaving her chest, Ian kissed down her tummy and moved down her leg as he raised it, exposing her sex. Jodi's exposure went almost unnoticed as she concentrated on what Ian was doing to her. Ian kissed her inner thigh, his eyes locked in Jodi's. "What do you want me to do?"

"Eat me. Please."

Ian slid slowly down to her pussy, engorged and weeping, and licked her outer lips from bottom to top with the flat of his tongue. Jodi shuddered in response as her eyes rolled back in her head. Ian began an unhurried exploration of her sex with his tongue, noting the moans and hisses that issued forth as a result of his efforts. When he felt she had suffered enough pleasure, he slowly slid his finger into her drenched pussy. Jodi gasped as his finger entered her, trying with all her might to stay on top of the sensations ripping through her body. As Ian assaulted her clit with his tongue, he curled his finger to stimulate the front of her vaginal wall.

And then Jodi exploded. All of her muscles seized at once as her pussy contracted again and again around Ian's finger. Jodi's arms reached for the ceiling in a drunken manner and Ian was afraid she might pass out. He slid up Jodi's body and gathered her to his chest.

"Oh...oh...ohmy...ohmygod." Ian held her close, caressing her, kissing her, and whispering comforting sounds in her ear. As she returned to earth, she reflexively kissed him, tasting herself for the first time in the process. The taste, though not unpleasant, served to bring her back to the here and now. She looked into Ian's eyes and lost herself in them. 

Ian saw her return and slowly moved to the nightstand and pulled out a condom. Jodi watched intently as he encased his inflexible cock. He moved over her, looming as a specter preparing to posses her. She ran her hands along his sides, welcoming the possession. Ian lined his rejuvenated cock up with her opening and moved forward, impaling her. Their eyes shot wide with the sensation, as Ian slowly worked his way deep inside her. Jodi could hardly draw a breath, she was so full. Ian had seated himself fully within her, and didn't move until the panic left her eyes, then he began to move inside her slowly, watching the new sensations she was experiencing roll across her face. Every time Jodi though she had reached the limits of pleasure, Ian would increase his speed and send her reeling, trying to stay on top of the sensation, lest it completely overwhelm her.

"Oh...Oh...Oh...AAAGGHHHH!" Ian pulsed inside her, and her vaginal walls contracted again and again in answer, leaving them exhausted and clinging to each other. Ian tried to keep most of his weight off of Jodi, but she pulled him down with what little strength she had left.

"So..." Ian grinned as he got his breathing back under control, "was it good for you?"

When Jodi hit Ian in the arm, it was little more than a tap.

*

"All my movies are over there. Pick anything you like. Would you like something to drink?" Mike moved with ease to the mini fridge in his dorm room, allowing Jodi to pick a movie.

"A Sprite if you've got it. Water if you don't." Jodi grinned at the private joke she shared with Ian. She had a wonderful time at dinner with Mike and his friends, although she had thought about her Leprechaun at various times during the evening. She had decided before the date that if Mike made any kind of move at all, he was going to 'get lucky'. Her decision was liberating and empowering. She had laughed and enjoyed Mike's friends at dinner, and even felt bold enough to offer a joke or two. 

When Mike asked her if she would like to come back to his room and watch a movie, her response was automatic. "Sure." 

She perused his selection and picked out "Four Weddings and a Funeral". 'Make him work for it,' she thought.

"Here you go." Mike handed the drink to her and took the movie from her. Jodi sat down on the couch and waited for Mike to get the movie started. When he sat down, she very deliberately slid over to him, and he draped his arm around her shoulders in response. They were soon mesmerized by the flickering screen. 

After a few minutes, Jodi became aware that Mike was running his fingers up and down her forearm. She turned and said, "You're tickling me." 

"Sorry."

Jodi gave him a peck on the lips. "Don't worry about it." She turned back to the television as the blush made its way past her cheeks and down her neck. 'How did I get so brazen?' she thought to herself.

When lips met on the screen, Mike caressed her chin and guided her lips to his in a lingering kiss. "That's better." Mike returned his attention to the movie, and Jodi snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder and giggling.

When the characters on screen once again started kissing, Jodi decided to start a little competition. She worked herself free from Mike's embrace only to take his head in her hands and kiss the shit out of him. She started off slowly, and then opened her mouth to let her tongue play across his lips. Mike soon responded in kind, but she controlled him, pulling his lower lip with her teeth when she heard dialogue once again. "THAT's better." She spun around and snuggled back into Mike's embrace.

Once Mike's vision cleared, he decided the vixen in his arms was much more important than the movie. Without prompting from the screen, he slid around Jodi and began kissing her in earnest. She responded in kind and soon the movie was forgotten among the lips and tongues and teeth. Jodi grabbed the hair on the back of Mike's head and mashed their lips together harder. Interpreting this as a positive sign, Mike slid his hand up from Jodi's hip and cupped her breast.

Jodi pulled Mike's hair until their lips separated. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked in a husky voice.

Mike was confused by all the crossed signals he was getting. "I don't know?"

Jodi's hand slid smoothly down as she caressed his aching hard-on through his pants. "Well, you seem to be enjoying it." She pulled his lips back to hers, her fingers still meshed in his hair. As he continued to fondle her, she twisted him toward the other end of the couch. He allowed himself to be moved and Jodi came to rest on top of him, their lips never separating. When Jodi broke the kiss, she smiled evilly as she slid down his reclined body. Her face came to rest at the top of his jeans and she languidly began unbuckling his belt and opening his pants. Mike lifted up and allowed her to free his cock, and his eyes rolled back in his head as she placed the tip in her mouth and began to suck. Jodi didn't have much practice at giving blow jobs, but Mike seemed to be enjoying her efforts off so far.

"Yea, suck that cock!"

Jodi allowed Mike's dick to slide out of her mouth with a pop. "Please."

Mike's head came up at the unanticipated conversation. "Huh?"

Jodi had her hand around the base of Mike's cock. "You forgot to say 'Please'." She stuck out her tongue and worried the underside of Mike's cock just below the cap.

Only the whites of Mike's eyes where visible as his head fell back to the couch. "Please suck my cock!"

Jodi began bobbing her head in earnest, taking Mike to the edge, and then backing off, only to bring him back once more. When Jodi abruptly stood up and began shedding her clothes, Mike clawed his way back to rational though, only to be dumbstruck at this naked vision crawling over him and settling her engorged pussy lips on his face. Mike stuck his tongue as far into Jodi as he could, and grabbed her ass with both hands to pull her harder onto his tongue.

"Oh yes...please lick me. Oh!" Jodi rotated her hips as Mike licked every part of her. She reveled in his attention until she felt her stomach start down the path to release. "Get a condom!" Mike came out from under Jodi like a shot, pulled open a drawer, and was back in less than two seconds. Jodi watched impatiently as Mike fumbled to get the condom on. When he was finished, she slid down Mike slowly, reveling as Mike captured her nipple as it passed his mouth. Jodi lined up his cock with her entrance and slowly impaled herself, moving back up to spread her lubrication, until she was fully seated on his phallus. 

Mike couldn't keep his hands still. He tweaked her nipples and massaged her breasts and guided her tits to his mouth and grabbed her ass to drive her harder onto his cock. Jodi rode him like a woman on a mission, trying to scratch that illusive itch. "There! Right there! Don't stop!" Jodi drove them relentlessly toward release, and the pitch of their moaning increased. Suddenly, Jodi screamed and writhed in ecstasy on top of Mike. Mike drove himself into her again and again as he spilled his seed into the condom.

The lovers, drenched in sweat, lay unmoving, breathing like they had run a marathon. Jodi finally found the strength to raise her head, and when she opened her eyes, she knew what was missing.

*

Ian sat on the couch in a daze. Saturday mornings started out slower than any other day of the week, just the way Ian liked them. He had managed to get something to eat and turn on the television, but he wasn't really awake yet. When Jodi burst in the door, she cut through his fog like a buzz saw.

"Hi!"

"Hi yourself." Ian put the remnants of his breakfast on the coffee table. "How was your date?"

Jodi picked up the paper towel he was using as a plate and put it in the kitchen garbage. "Fine."

"Fine? 'Fine' is not very descriptive. Give with the details."

"OK." Jodi came over to the couch and straddled Ian's legs, sitting on his lap facing him. "Mike was a gentleman at dinner. We went to his apartment to watch a movie. He eventually made a move on me, and got lucky. But that's not the important thing."

Ian was struggling to keep up. "What is the important thing?"

Jodi crossed her arms, caught the hem of her tee shirt, and pulled it off in one smooth motion. Ian's eyes were riveted to her pale lace-covered breasts. "I figured out what I want." She wrapped her arms around Ian's neck and pressed her lips to his.