A reupload of chapter 1! It needed a rewrite...it was kind of...sparse.

I had mostly forgotten about this...and then it kept getting favorited. So I picked it up again.

I've slowed down reading and am mid-Dead Beat currently, so please no spoilers pretty please.


I first met Harry Dresden on a case. He was working for the Chicago PD, and I was merely going where I was most needed. The division he worked for specialized in supernatural investigations, and I, as a Knight of the Cross, often tangled with things of an otherworldly nature myself. I stared evil in the face and offered it a second chance at redemption, and Harry…well…let's just say he was more partial to staring down evil and wiping it off the face of the earth. It was only a matter of time, really, until our paths crossed. And may God—and my wife—forgive me, I'm glad they did. Harry is a good man, despite his faults.

I was confused when he told me he was a wizard. I figured he was just into pagan "magic"—casting spells to wish ill on others, although he has assured me quite firmly that wasn't what he did.

"I would never do that, Mr. Carpenter." he told me gravely. There was a weight in his voice that I wouldn't have expected from someone as young as he was.

He told me a bit about what he did for a living—he had a side business that he ran out of an office in mid-town, offering his services as a detective and paranormal investigator, using his abilities. I thought he had some credibility there. Maybe. After all, I'd fought things that most people didn't believe even existed. Maybe he did the same, without devoting his life to God.

He demonstrated a small bit of magic for me, materializing a flame in the palm of his hand and using some sort of invisible kinetic force to move a book from a shelf to the floor. There were limits to his powers, he said, and though he was powerful, he didn't have much in the way of finesse. And, he noted, he couldn't just do this on a whim. 'Big things', although he wouldn't say what those were, took a lot of energy and if he wasn't careful he could end up exhausting himself. Though he knew it was dangerous, he insisted that it was his duty to protect people since, as a wizard, he had knowledge of things beyond their understanding.

I had been right, in a sense, when I had guessed that our paths were similar.

When he was done explaining, he glanced at me as though he expected me to turn heel and walk away. I suppose he might have thought we were on opposing sides, as his faith had been condemned by mine for centuries. Harry never said as much, but for a while after our first meeting, he seemed to be a bit uncomfortable with my practices, although I suppose it was only fair. I have to admit I was a bit uncomfortable with his. When we were a bit more acquainted, he invited me over. He had some sort of alchemy lab under his apartment where he concocted potions and the like, and where his familiar resided—though he made a pointed effort to remind me several times that Bob was not a familiar, as Harry needed to pay him…in trashy romance novels. Needless to say, I refused to enter on principle.

I tried never to let on that I may have been somewhat prejudiced, but I knew that gave it away. I knew I was, but by that point I had already seen into his soul and knew that my concerns were largely unfounded. I hope he can forgive me.

I could only be glad I had insisted on seeing him for who he was when we first met. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had him as a friend when I needed his help, or he needed mine.


One of the first things I noticed about Harry was that he had an unsettling habit of never looking anyone in the eye for too long. As soon as someone made eye contact with him, he'd look away as if he'd been caught staring at something that he shouldn't have. I shouldn't have asked, but looking back, I'm glad I did.

"Why do you do that?" I finally asked him.

"Do what?"

"You never look anybody in the eye. It's very unnerving, Mr. Dresden."

"Would you believe me if I told you it was crippling social anxiety?" he tried awkwardly.

"You don't seem the type," I replied.

Something like shock crossed his features for a flicker of an instant before he pulled me aside into a darkened back hallway in the precinct, where we had just finished filling out paperwork regarding the case. "Look…I know you don't believe me about the whole wizard thing, but…will you promise not to laugh? Because what I'm about to tell you sounds pretty ridiculous to the uninitiated.

I promised.

He sighed and raked a hand through his dark hair. "It's a soulgaze. Well, that's what I call it. When a wizard looks into someone's eyes, they can see into their soul, and the other person sees theirs too. It can only happen once, but it's not exactly a pleasant experience."

"You're lying," I said.

"I wish I was." he replied.

"Do it then."

"No."

"I insist." I said. I wasn't budging on this topic. "I have a feeling that this is not the only time we will work together, Mr. Dresden, and if what you say is true I'd like to know who you really are. Besides, we wouldn't want it to happen when we least expect it, would we?"

He stared at me.

"The last person who saw into my soul fainted." he said plainly.

"Mr. Dresden," I said. "I am a Knight of the Cross. I can handle it."

"All right," he finally agreed. "But you'd still better sit down."

I obliged him then, sinking to the floor with my back against the wall. He sat opposite me, our legs in a jumble. For a moment, I thought how ridiculous this would look to anybody who might pass by, but we were in a fairly unused area of the building. My thoughts were interrupted when he spoke.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

I looked up to see that his eyes were closed and his legs were crossed, his forearms balanced on his knees in a grimly meditative way.

"Ready," I said.

"On the count of three," he said. "One…two…three!"

Dark, piercing eyes flew open to meet mine, a determined scowl crossing his sharp features. His gaze was nothing less than murderous—I could see why he didn't like to do this, if he could avoid it. It took a few seconds, but I began to feel a pull. It started slow and built to a dizzying speed. I half-expected to hear wind rushing in my ears as the world seemed to vanish and the only thing I could see was the hardened stare of this mysterious young man. My stomach bottomed out as our souls connected; it was like being pulled into a vacuum.

And then, God forgive us both, I saw him for what he truly was.

When it was over, the connection broke and I looked away, gasping for air as if I had just come up from deep water.

"Christ have mercy," I rasped, crossing myself. "You…you've…"

"Don't tell me," I heard him say, his voice muffled. "I don't want to know what you saw."

I looked over to find him with his head buried in his arms.

"Harry?" I asked. I guess when you get to know someone like that, any formality goes out the window.

He looked up at me with tears streaming down his face. I could only guess he had seen some part of me that harbored a slight prejudice against magic. Harry seemed like a decent young man, not at all harmful. I was about to apologize to him when he surprised me by speaking up.

"You're a saint," he murmured, gazing at me through his tears like he had seen God himself.

I certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"Heavens, no! Far from it. I can only do my best. " I replied with a smile. I had seen what he had been through, and it was something that could turn even the most staunchly Christian man to evil. Harry, seemingly without much positive guidance, had managed to overcome temptation and grow to be respectable and of sound morals. I wanted to comfort him as if he were a son. I wanted to lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder, tell him that what I had seen in him couldn't be as bad as he thought, and that he had to be one of the strongest people I'd ever met. I had seen into the very depths of his soul and had come away knowing that Harry Dresden was a true diamond in the rough.

But I didn't. It still seemed too forward at the time. Looking back, I should have told him anyway.

I stood up after a moment and offered a hand to him. He wiped his eyes sheepishly and took it.

"Sorry," he apologized, clambering awkwardly to his feet. "It's not every day you meet somebody who's…ah…exactly what it says on the label."

"Heavens, there's no need to be sorry! It's confirmation that I'm doing what I'm supposed to."

"Hm," was his only reply.

We said our goodbyes and parted ways. As I walked back to my car, I knew for certain that that was not the last I'd see of Harry Dresden. I would make sure of it. If I could help one poor misguided soul, one who hadn't yet turned to evil, then so I would. I'm a Knight of the Cross. It's part of my job.

Besides, he needed a friend. You can't spend your entire life alone.


Tell me what you think!