Disclaimer: I do not own the works of: Where the Wild Things Are, or The Dresden Files. weeps like a baby

Chapter one: Raul

Chicago. A normal city, with normal people, filled with normal every-day problems that people seem to spend an embarrassing amount of time contemplating on. Just one more normal city in the United States. First off, don't be stupid. Second, don't make me laugh. Chicago is filled with beasties that I, nor you should be particularly found of meeting. Say, for instance, the uptight Faerie I had the unfortunate encounter of meeting yesterday.

I was on my way to work (a café for my day time job) and trying to memorize the number for my sister when I spotted bright green shoes, with purple shoelaces. Slowly, I looked up to meet unnatural velvet green eyes. Dammit.

"No." I said automatically. What I meant to say was, "No fucking way." His face fell.

Allow me to introduce him: Meet Raul, social outcast of the Faeries. He also suffers from a bad taste in clothing, but that's besides the point. I feel I must also mention that he has the face of a God. He has hair the color of straw that went to about his waist in thick waves that a woman would drool at. Well, all women except me. He had dreamy green eyes, like I mentioned before, that were like green velvet. Raul had eyelashes thick and dark, a small contrast to his hair. He had a strong chin and high cheekbones, and a very kissable mouth.

He was gangly, and I often tried to picture him in his youth and only came up with the ridiculous idea of a stork. Now, he was slim, with a small waist and slightly broad shoulders. His shirt of choice today was a button up shirt with vertical teal stripes on the fabric. It made me cringe just looking at him. He looked 6' "3" and since he was thin, he looked much taller. His legs were long and since he was wearing pirate pants, it made him look even more like a stork than I even imagined him in his youth. Did I mention the pants were moss green?

I wasn't exaggerating when I said he had a bad taste in clothing.

Raul looked down at me, his lip slightly pouty. "I mean it!" I warned him, glaring. "I'm on the way to work, and shouldn't you be at a photo shoot right now?" I checked my silver watch: it was 9:30 in the morning. I still had time to snag a bagel and coffee at the shop if I hurried, which looked like a stupid glimmer of hope by now. Meeting Raul usually meant social problems, and meeting more people then I absolutely had to. Or read more books. The last one instantly put me on alert; reading books was a very strong veto on my part. Allow me to explain.

When I read books, I soon began seeing the character's running around Chicago.

No, I'm not insane.

When I was young, I had a deep love for reading. I read very often and was always carrying them around. One night, I was reading "Where the Wild thing's Are" when I looked up and found a dog looking up at me. We didn't have a dog.

But Max did.

Ever since then, I avoided books with all cost. In high school, I pretended to read them and barely passed English. I was safe with History, I found out, so I fed my feeding frenzy with that.

Meeting Raul probably meant he wanted me to read something. The last time I read something for him, the mermaid had gotten insulted and bitch slapped him. Ha ha, served the pretty bastard right.

"I have a photo shoot in an hour. I was hoping we could talk." He said, his voice leaking a bit of hope. I shook my head and kept going. I heard him follow me and I felt a prick of annoyance.

"Raul, knock it off. I refuse to talk to you. I've got work and I will be late if you keep badgering me." He was beside me now. "Will you please go? C'mon, I'll buy you a sparkly…thing." I finished lamely. He stopped and I stopped too, and then made eye contact with him. His eyes looked happy, then they sobered.

"No. I need you to read something." His voice was firm. Shite. I turned around and continued on my way. "Marie-"

"No. Go to Hell." I was a bitch, what could I say?

"Marrrrriee…." NO.

"Raul-No."

"I'll pay you."

"Way to get a girl, Raul."

"What?"

"Raul, just go away."

"It won't take long."

"Your right, only about three or four days of sleep, wondering how to put whoever the hell I let out of the book back in. You didn't have to put back Harry Dresden last time, did you?" I threw a glare in his direction. The bastard was smirking.

"Don't even! He was damn near about to blast a fireball at me. He lit my love seat on fire! It cost a fortune to replace!" I remembered all too well the Wizard's anger at me. Apparently, he was about to prepare a spell with Bob and he only had three days. So, he promptly pulled out his trusty gun and started making holes in my apartment. Then, to match, he put scorch marks on my carpet and ceiling. I proceeded to throw large objects at me and insult him. Hey, I was mad.

"It won't be another Harry Dresden, Marie." I couldn't stop it: I started rolling my eyes and he lost his smirk. I stopped, mid-eye roll. It pissed him off, and it wasn't good to piss this faerie.

"'Kay, that was bad, let's restart. I'll meet you somewhere and talk to you about it, right? How about Potion's Pub? That work?" I hastily said. He was starting to twitch.

His face broke out into that earth trembling smile, flashing white teeth. "Yes! Thanks a lot, Marie!"

"On One condition will I meet you." I said, remembering.

He looked at me oddly. "What's that?"

"You wear the clothes I bought you for Christmas." Don't look at me like that. When a man where's green pirate pants and a teal striped shirt out in public-he has problems. I bought him an outfit for Christmas. He looked at me for a minute, and I could tell he was contemplating my request.

"Why do you have a problem with my outfit, huh?"

"Because, Raul, it looks like you've lost your way to the Circus tent, and second, I will not be seen with you wearing purple. Remember what I told you about purple?" He paled and nodded quickly. "I dunno why you've got you panties in such a twist about it though; You're a bisexual anyway. Why so scared?" He glared at me.

"Am not." I smirked, rather nicely for him, I thought.

"Oh pardon me for mentioning the many time's you have stared at a man's butt when I am with you." He stuck his tongue at him.

"Dyke."

"Well, least I'm not a closet gay." I retorted. He glared at me.

"10 o clock at the Potions Pub then, tonight?" I said hastily. Didn't want Raul all pissed off at me.

"Fine with me." He then… vanished dramatically. I mean literally. He left me one of his multi-colored roses. I picked it up, sighing, and tucked it into my book bag. Hey, it was pretty.

I soon was at my work- Cassidy's Café. It was pretty cool; we get a wide variety of people there. Like Jose, who was tattooed to perfection, not a bare patch of skin on him. Yes, that's right, that meant his head was tattooed too. He had amazing ice blue eyes and was almost as tall as Raul. He had liquid bronze skin from his Hispanic side, and had a six-pack to kill. Or drool. Maybe both.

He smiled at me when I came in, washing the machine we use to make the coffee. I returned his smile and went behind the counter, dropping my stuff in my cubbyhole behind the counter, and tied on my apron. I also clipped on my special nametag that read, "Magnificent Marie-Need some help?" and started working at the counter with my two other friends, Jonathan and Alexandra.

Jonathan was shaking an Italian soda and has his back to me, so he didn't see me, but Alexandra did and waved to me. Alexandra had flaming red hair that was pulled up in a pony tail, and today she wore a green shirt in a sassy font: "Love the Irish-We're sexy" She was tall, taller than me, and by pure a estimate I was guessing '5"10" She was a Irish Immigrant and still bore the accent proudly. I absolutely loved her, and enjoyed working with her.

Jonathan turned around, dipping a cherry in chocolate then plopping it amongst the mass of whip cream he insisted his costumer's all have. He slid it down to the counter and turned to me, wiping his hands on a towel. "Oh, Hey Marie. What's up?" He had blue hair (obviously dyed) cut short and spiked. He had a hooked nose and brown eyes. Jonathan had two piercings on each ear and one eyebrow. He was well built with a lean frame, and he told me that he was exactly 5"11".

"Hey Jonathan, not too much. Got stopped today and I have something to add to the café's charm." I remembered the rose and went back to the cubbyhole and brought it out, then slid it into the vase where it joined the other roses.

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Where'd ya get that, eh?" Alexandra asked me, making a mocha. I arranged it so the rose was in the middle and debated my response.

"A bad dressed guy gave it to me." Hey, it was honest. They all laughed and continued with work. I was up in front taking orders, enjoying it. I liked it; I met lots of interesting people. You get a wide variety of people working at a café. Cassidy's Café always got a large crowd. We were rather famous here in Chicago for our unusual drinks and unusual people. It was almost closing time when I spotted a small child watching me. I looked out of the corner of me eye and gulped loudly. It was her.

I want to inform you all that just because a child looks cute and adorable doesn't mean that they are. In fact, they can be very, very old but stuck in that form for hundreds of years. This example: Viktoria.

Her big, baby blue eyes watched me, blinking lazily. She had the face of an angel, with rosy cheeks and blonde curls. I met her when I was in college, one late night. I remember that night because she happened to be sucking a meth junkie dry. Seeing things like that makes you remember things. Funny.

So why was she watching me?

I carefully finished up cleaning a mug and set it down. Looking up at the clock, I saw I only have 10 minutes more before my shift ended. Shite. How did she know I was almost off? Or did she not know and just spotted me? The second thought was banished; No, she had something to do with me. Vampire's didn't take a minute off their day, er, night. I took off my apron and said my good byes to my workmates and let Jose kiss my cheek good bye. I picked up my long coat and book bag, took a deep breath, and headed to meet Viktoria.

She didn't look surprised when I met her straight away. But then again, vampires hardly ever get surprised. "You're looking well." She said simply. "I like what you've done with yourself."

Pleasant talk? Something was up. My emerald green eyes surveyed her for a moment, not impressed. She didn't even bother to blink. "Why the flattery?"

"I thought it was proper now days to make note that the other individual was doing well in life." Ha, ha, Viktoria. "I was hoping to meet you tomorrow night, the next time you're shift gets off." She smiled, displaying rows of sharp teeth, and, of course, the normal fangs.

"And I should because…?" Hey. I'm a bitch.

"Because if you don't, ill sick myself on you." Oh. How blunt.

"8 o clocks fine." I said, hastily. She nodded appropriately.

"Splendid. I'll meet you here, then." She hovered up above the ground, and for the first time, I noticed she was wearing the traditional 1920 style shoes. "See you, as they say, later?" She vanished.

I waited a moment before heading off. The moon was out, and I had a meeting with the badly dressed faerie. Fuck. As I walked down the street, I pondered why exactly I was so popular all of the sudden. Being popular in the supernatural world meant eventually getting shot. I figured I'd want to avoid that; it sounded a bit unpleasant.

"First thing's first." I told myself sternly. "Go home. Take shower. Get dressed. Meet funny faerie." I thought this sounded like an excellent plan, and I made my way to start it.

Two rough, large men watched as a young woman walked by, and the taller one couldn't help but smirk. She was pretty, for sure. He didn't bother to hide looking her up and down. Brass figured she was '5"8", with dark hair that when he tried to decipher the color he tried to give up. He saw red, black, blonde, and brown streaks. Her hair looked to be a little over shoulder length, wavy and thick. It was held back in a simple black ponytail holder, and he saw that some had escaped and soft tendrils softened her face. She had a straight nose and a stubborn chin. Her eyes were large and round, and a startling green, like glittering emeralds. She had high cheekbones and a soft, kissable mouth. She had a certain toughness about her that Brass respected in a woman. Brass took out his Zippo and lit his cigarette, puffing it gently and continuing his inspection of the woman he was supposed to watch. His eyes ran down to her long legs and something in the lower regions approved. He frowned at that. This was work; and number one unwritten rule was never to think of your business associate as hot, sexy, or anything to do with warming (and exciting) your bed. He took a drag on his cigarette and blew out, closing his hazel eyes in momentary bliss. "I think that we can report back now." He said. He had a low voice, booming with authority. When somebody heard it, the phrase dangerous came to mind.

"I don't know, Brass. I'd say follow her a little bit, then report back." Brass wanted to go home, and fast. He knew a certain somebody was going to be home, waiting for him, and he didn't have a wife or girlfriend. Brass flicked his cigarette and stamped on it. In the light, his black skin gleamed and his muscles stuck out like a sore thumb.

"If you wanna, go right ahead. Personally, I gotta real fun night ahead o' me. G'night." Brass turned around and started to walk off, leaving his partner staring bullets into his back.

Potion's Pub was a pleasant drinking pub, a place for the magical. Everyone who wasn't high and mighty (so in other words, vampire's and God's) went there. I was, unfortunately, considered "magical" but not many people thought of it. Not many knew of my talent, no, make that hardly anyone knew my talent, and I was often asked if I was a faerie, which gave me a reason to never speak to them again. Faeries weren't all bad, but the thought of being related to Raul was unbearable. At least this time he was dressed to go out and actually speak to somebody.

Raul was wearing the clothes I had bought for him. He probably knew if he hadn't, I'd have turned right around and walked out of the bar. Since he (under normal circumstances) I deemed an Abercrombie and Fitch boy ( ick, beach boys), I bought him a striped long sleeve shirt with a bad-boy collar in a nice shade of green and baby blue. I also bought him faded blue jeans. They looked good with his hair and eyes, and that's what I was aiming for when I bought them for him. I'm not one for shopping, but I did admit the trip was worthwhile. I made eye contact with him, and tried to maneuver my way around people in my slinky red dress. Hey, I don't get to go out often, and I happened to like this particular dress, as far as dresses go. I didn't like dresses much at all, but this one was an exception. It went to my knees and was slinky and made of some thin fabric that the light glared off of. It wasn't trashy, but dignified. It had a "V" neck and o sleeves, and it looked good on me. I finally made it to the table he was at and he got up, nodding to me slightly. "You're looking very nice this evening, Marie."

"Ahh… Another bullshitter. So many in so little hours." He looked at me, puzzled. "I met somebody who also tried to flatter their way into getting something from me. Which makes me wonder why she would want to talk to me when you did as well." His look of puzzlement faded and was replaced by being pale. "Start talking." I suggested, looking at the menu.

"Right, well… As you probably guessed, it's about your…talent." I waited patiently.

"Okay… We've been over this: No." Did I mention I wasn't that patient?

"Marie, this is important." I glared at him but nodded for him to continue. Raul took a deep breath and laid down his menu. "Have you ever thought that you're talent may be valuable?" I stared at him. Whatever was going in that pretty (yet microscopic) brain was scheming.

"No. And I've never had to worry, because nobody except you and Emily know of it." I received an answer: silence.

…. Too long of a silence….

I dropped my menu. "You have exactly 6 seconds before the waiter arrives to explain that silence, or I'm shoving this menu up your skinny ars-!"

"Good Evening, What may I get for you?" Damn. The waiter had gotten here faster than 6 seconds.Raul ordered wine with cheese (hey, after all, he is a faerie). I was simple and ordered a BLT sandwich, also with wine.

"Okay, well, about a fortnight ago I happened to drink a little too much-" I grabbed his wine and put it on my side of the table, must to his annoyance. "And I think I might have slipped something."

"Raul, please tell me that this something wasn't, as you call it, my, "talent."." I waited desperately. This would be very, very bad if it was.

See, while a human can just threaten to torture you and then kill you, maybe harm the one's you love, it's a bit more complicated than that in the supernatural world. There, they can harm your loved ones, torture you, kill you, bring you back to life, kill you again, and then hand you off to the next thing you've pissed off, just to repeat it all again. I shudder to think what some of the God's would love to do to me. "Raul, c'mon, say something mate." I was on the edge of my seat, leaning in. If Raul had wanted to, he probably could have snuck a peak at my bosom.

He looked down at his lap. "I think I may have." He said softly. A silence was shared between us both.

I stared at him, trying to comprehend what was said. I had a heavy feeling in my heart that I wouldn't be leading the quiet life that I was leading. I swallowed, trying to calm down. "So you think you spilled about me. To who?"

"You're really not going to like this part." He started rubbing his shoulders, as if trying to warm himself from the upcoming glare I knew for sure he would get from me. He took a deep breath and started. "I was with The Fool's Faerie, Trickster's and..." He looked at me, scared. "… The Vampire King."

I felt cold all over. Somewhere, in my mind, I knew that I might be fainting. As my head turned and I started seeing black, it confirmed that. My last thought's were: "FUCK."

End Of Chapter One