You know I just had to have him somewhere in the story! 

I'll get it up as soon as I'm back to my office.

This was great Denise, I especially enjoyed the part where Ed was have asleep and Nyt surprised him. 

The look into Nyt's world was nice, again, I can picture it in my mind. It's really quite amazing how you managed to meld fantasy and science fiction.

I don't know much about the fairy legends, but I have heard that not all of the legends are nice. I must say I like your interpetation of the lore. It seems fit well with the show. And who knows, the universe is not only stranger than we imagine; it's stranger than we can imagine.

Behind the Scenes of
4. Too Many Fairy Tales
by Denise Felt 2012

Title – It tickles me to see the words “fairy tale” in the title of a UFO story!  Which is perhaps why I have to keep using them!  I was told recently that I am the kind of person who lives their life with their tongue firmly in their cheek at all times.  I don’t think anyone has ever described me better! *grin*

Chapter 1 – I fell in love with this first line as soon as my mind conjured it up!  We know right away it’s got to be Alec, since very few people call Straker Ed to his face.  They tease each other for a bit until Alec gets personal about his friend’s relationship with Nyt.  Straker is a very private man, and probably the only person he would divulge personal information to would be Alec.  But in this instance he tries to avoid telling Alec anything personal at all.

We see as they get out of the car that Straker now has a security team following him.  (Notice how he ignores them completely.)  Alec finds him at the tear, which has worsened in spite of the keepers’ efforts to repair it.  And Alec is dismayed to realize that even the fairies are limited when it comes to dealing with alien technology.  I loved having Straker be intrigued about the desert-like condition of the ground.  He has a very scientific mind and would definitely consider the ramifications of such information on what he knows of geology.  Alec of course is a bit overwhelmed by such thoughts.

The Fairy Council meeting just had to be in a great spot!  No stuffy boardrooms for them! *grin*  And I wanted to show how size really has no meaning to them, since they don’t mind it when they’re tiny any more than they mind it when they’re human-sized.  The character of Deborneara is taken from Deborah Rorabaugh, the SHADO Librarian and keeper of UFO fanfic.  I didn’t  think it was a stretch at all to have her be one of the wisest of the fairies, although I did ask her permission first.  In this scene we learn more about the prejudices fairies have for humans – and that such feelings aren’t necessarily universal.  The reference to Fodden-Marike is one I hope to elaborate on in future installments.  Can you guess where it is?

Chapter 2 – I don’t know how others react to strong emotion, but I don’t like scenes.  So I try not to let my emotions overwhelm me.  When I feel inundated with powerful emotions, my failsafe is to shut it all down until I am alone.  Then I can sift through the jumble until I can put a name to each one.  Only then do I deal with it – one emotion at a time.  It may be a handicap I carry from my childhood.  I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.  But it works for me, and so I had Nyt handle her excessive emotions in the same manner.  And of course, at the root of everything she’s feeling is Ed!

Alec deals with the information Security has come up with about the possible traitor.  It’s hard on him, because he’s loyal to SHADO and everyone who works there.  And it hurts to find that others don’t always return that loyalty.  It makes him feel old.  I think all of us have been in his shoes at one time or another when someone we considered a friend betrays us.  It leaves you feeling jaded for some time, although hopefully not forever.  Most of us have enough good friends to be reminded why we take the risk of friendship in the first place.  Eventually we can feel young again.

Falling in love can be one of the most bewildering experiences a person can have in their life.  Their emotions are chaotic.  Nothing makes sense.  Most of the time they can’t even tell you why they feel so strongly about their love.  It’s just the way it is.  Poor Nyt is quite unused to dealing with such things.  Keepers love Gaia.  Loving a human is not at all the same thing!  I had a great deal of fun having her fall in love with the commander.  Especially since she isn’t constrained by any unwritten human rules. *grin*  It was bound to make for a volatile situation.

Chapter 3 – Alec knows Straker far too well to willingly put himself in the line of fire when Straker is in a rage.  I hope the reader is wondering here how long it will be before he asks his good friend why he’s so angry!  However, he inadvertently incites his boss’ ire by bringing up Nyt.  Notice how seriously he takes his reprimand.  He doesn’t even take a sip of his drink before he leaves!

His commander has cooled off some by the time he returns after handling Pritchard.  Straker even compliments him for taking care of the matter so swiftly.  But Alec had help and shows Straker the marked map Nyt left on his desk.  When Alec asks him if Nyt always eavesdrops on their conversations, Straker is somewhat philosophical about it.  He merely states that the fairies have different concepts of privacy than humans.  (However calmly he says it, the reader knows how he found out this tidbit of information – the hard way!)

Then Alec asks the big question: what did Straker do to piss her off?  I love his logic here.  As a man who knows women, he certainly didn’t need a lot of clues in order to correctly figure out the problem, did he?  I hesitated with Straker’s reply, and here’s why.  He’s not a man who curses, and that particular curse is one that would possibly offend his sense of appropriateness.  However, the term itself has been used often enough to denote a major fiasco that I eventually felt he might unbend enough to use such a term with his best friend.  And it does suit his mood at the moment better than the more politically correct “screwed-up.”  Naturally, such a fierce response to his question momentarily stuns Alec.

Then Straker explains why he and Nyt can never have a physical relationship.  He has done his ‘research’ and his conclusions are sound, but I hope the reader is reminded of Alec’s statement at the beginning of this story.  Straker does tend to overthink things.  I don’t know about you, but I find it very difficult to dismiss love simply because it doesn’t fit the established rules.  It doesn’t seem to me as though Straker’s logic has been very effective in squashing his feelings for Nyt – if his dreams are anything to go by. *grin*

Chapter 4 – This chapter begins with a minor earthquake under the tear.  Straker learns about it simply because he stopped there on his way home.  Note how he once more dismisses the services of his security detail.  I have a feeling that they are really going to hate their job after a while (at least until the commander gets himself into trouble again.)  Straker doesn’t know at first whether the aliens caused the quake or the fairies, but once he sees the new pond he knows the aliens had no hand in this.

Nyt appears and they discuss the pond and how it has already begun to heal the tear.  The imagery of this scene is so beautiful that it can eclipse what they talk about – and what they discuss is important.  We get a glimpse from their conversation how Gaia would like to see the planet cared for: humans and keepers working together.  And we learn that tears can cause deserts even though the keepers do all they can to heal the breach.  (Now do you know where Fodden-Marike is?)

Their final scene in this story is one of my all-time favorites!  And yes, my tongue was firmly in my cheek when she caught him putting on his pajamas and asked him about invasion of privacy.  The humor in their discussion quickly alters to a more somber tone when she explains about her lack of a womb.  And she brings up an interesting ‘disease’ some fairies get: the wasting sickness.  I hope the reader finds this tidbit intriguing.  More on it in the next chapter.

Straker’s unique position as Earth’s Atlas holding the world on his shoulders would definitely have more impact on him than simply to weary him relentlessly.  It would also make him feel very proprietary toward the planet and its inhabitants.  So he would understand Nyt’s conclusion that all Gaia was her womb and its creatures children in a way that no one else would.  It couldn’t fail to resonate with his own sense of being a father protector to the planet.  And it would definitely make him more willing to acknowledge his love for her. 

Chapter 5 – As this story winds down, we learn why Seriptamina doesn’t trust humans.  She does have reason.  Hopefully the reader won’t see her in such a poor light now that they know of Aeden’s betrayal.  Seen from her perspective, his actions were incomprehensible and unconscionable.  Her final words to Nyt show more than anything else the differences in how mortals and immortals view their actions.
 
The story wouldn’t be complete without a glimpse into what Jackson is doing, so we get to see him reading old books in his study.  He finds the reference to ‘keepers’ that he remembered from before under a picture of a fairy (who looks remarkably like Nyt!  Wonder how that happened?) *grin* His ruminations about the fairies and their possible plans for Earth should alert the reader that he is not convinced of their benevolence.  And his major concern of course is why they’ve contacted SHADO.  He’s the kind of man who works in layers himself, so he would naturally assume the fairies also had plots hidden inside plots where humans were concerned.

The commander has no such reservations.  He gets rid of his fairy tales, ready at last to take the risk of beating the odds.  I hope it’s clear to the reader why he has reached this point.  Of course, the reader also knows things he doesn’t, which should make his future discussions with Nyt interesting to say the least.  As well as encounters with Dr. Jackson. *grin* Stay tuned!