Hi!
This story starts a few weeks after the end of BMS and probably there are some spoilers in it. I want you to know, that English is not my first language, but after reading the last three or four books in english it felt kind of wrong to write a fanfiction in German. Thankfully I found a good beta reader who agreed me to help with all the little spelling and grammar errors I made. (Thanks to Sharptooth!) After finishing BMS I was starving for some more Rachel/Al-action. There are some really hot stories online, but definitely not as many as this series deserves. So I hope you give it a try!
P.S. Of course I don't own anything. All the characters belong to Kim Harrison, I just borrowed them to have some fun ;-)
The problem
I think it was the rich smell of fresh brewed coffee that woke me up. I rubbed my head with my hand and got up, feeling terrible, more than that. And I wondered when my body would show me the price of all that sleep deprivation it had had to master the last few weeks.
Out of a drawer I got a pair of dark blue jeans and a black shirt and put them on. The mirror told me that my hair looked at least as terrible as I felt. Maybe a good cup of coffee could change that – or a dozen..
.
Ivy gave me quick smile when I entered the kitchen. She was sitting in front of her computer searching the internet for some news. I guess she could at least smell how nervous I was about Pierce. It's been over two weeks since he was on the run. And Al was after him. I told him, that he couldn't find a good end, but he wouldn't listen. No wonder, nobody ever listens to me. Crap.
I filled the biggest cup in our kitchen and sank gratefully in my own chair, the newspaper lying on the table. I wasn't sure if I wanted to open it. Since he left there had been a path of destruction and black magic incidents all over the country. Guess I could start to worry when the violence stopped.
This time the headlines made me spit my coffee all over the table. I couldn't believe it. They had to stop that – immediately!
Ivy looked at me, her expression puzzling me. "I thought you wouldn't like it", she said very carefully and pointed at my cup. "That's why I made a strong coffee today."
Shoving my cup out of the way I spread the newspaper all over the table, unable to stop myself from reading and shaking at the same time. My stomach growled and I was pretty sure that another sip of coffee would make me throw up. This was so bad. And I would kill them – both.
The sound of pixie wings make me look up. Jenks was hovering next to the window, looking from me to Ivy. "Has she read it yet?" he asked and landed on one of the shelves. Ivy raised one eyebrow, but she said nothing. I finished reading the article and I crumpled the paper into a big ball, throwing it at the garbage and missing it, due to my trembling hands. That was the worst part was – it was just past noon. I couldn't do anything about it until sundown. Maybe that was why Ivy and Jenks had been so calm about it.
"Rachel, we know this annoys you, but you have to think" - I got up and made Jenks shut up. He looked frightened somehow.
"You think I'm gonna do something really stupid, don't you?" I accused them both. Ivy's narrowed brows told me I was right. "I don't get it! How can you read this and not want to do something about it?" I got a few steps closer to Ivy, but she moved back until we had our usual distance.
"Because there's really nothing we can do?" Jenks offered. "Unless you want to catch Pierce and give him to Al?"
I actually thought about this for a few seconds. Maybe, if I could find him, but this would take days – way to long. But I was so pissed right now that I really gave it a thought. From somewhere I could already hear his explanations: "I'm sorry, mistress witch, but it was never my intention... the demon didn't care about the victims … I did the best in my power to prevent..." And I knew they wouldn't satisfy me. He'd got into Al's hands on his own choice, hurting innocent people while trying to get away from him was a decision he'd made on his own. A decision he knew I wouldn't approve.
"I'll call Al at sundown – this has to stop," I said and got back to my chair. Jenks looked like he wanted to smack his head into the nearest wall.
"You want to make a deal with him, trying to get Pierce of the hook?" he asked as he flew closer and hovered in front of my face, red sparkles dripping from him damn close to my coffee mug. "Rachel, you know that idea's fairy farts! He'll never let go of Pierce – unless you agree to live with him in the ever after!"
I tried a sip of coffee and listened to my stomach. When I was sure it would stay down I got another one and the hot flavor filled my mouth, relaxing me a little. Sure, Jenks was right. But that didn't make the problem go away. Pierce and Al chasing each other and hurting innocent people wasn't a thought I could stand. I had to get them to stop – somehow.
R&A R&A R&A
When I entered the kitchen it was just a few minutes to sundown. The distinct scent of vampire hit me sharp and I switched the lights on. Ivy was sitting on the isle in the middle of the room, my calling circle on her lap. I watched her carefully when I got closer. Her eyes were almost black, more than a hint of fear in them. Stopping at a safe distance I pointed at the mirror.
"Do you think keeping the mirror would stop me?"
She shrugged and it looked weird as she almost exploded with tension. "Maybe long enough to hear me out." Knowing that I couldn't snatch the thing without her letting me, I settled myself on her chair.
"Shoot."
Ivy swallowed hard and her gaze got even more serious. "I … we know, that we can't keep you from calling Al. But we want you to make a promise." Okay, I was a little bit surprised, I almost expected them trying to hold me of making the call.
"What kind of promise?"
"Don't trade yourself for Pierce. Whatever you offer him, please, don't give yourself to Al to make him stop." Her voice was almost shaking now and I winced in shock.
"You gotta be kidding me!" I shouted, not able to see why they would think such a thing. "I did everything I could the last years to keep my ass away from the ever after! Why in hell would you expect me to make such a decision?"
Ivy just gave me a nasty look and put the mirror on the table. "Not for Pierce, but to prevent more victims." By her tone I could tell I hurt her with my shouting. I drew nearer and she didn't evade me this time. Her fingers felt cold in my palm.
"You know I would never leave you, right?" Her black eyes felt hot on my skin and I sensed a well known tingle where my scar was. She sighed and her hand vanished from mine.
"Just be very careful, Rachel," she whispered and got gracefully to her feet. Then she was gone.
Thanks for reading! If you have any feedback, please leave me a review :-)