A/n: It's Fox. I have once again managed to claim a spot in publishing a story, but that's only because Lasciel is to busy rewriting her other stories. This is my first Dresden File fan fiction. I can't wait to see how it's going to turn out. This is based off the end of Storm Front. R&R please. Flames accepted.
Disclaimer: I don't own Dresden Files, Jim Butcher does.
I hated Harry Dresden, or at least right now I did. He'd be the one to choose to come out to the shores of Lake Providence right when it was about to storm, pour rain, or just be dreadfully nasty to be outside. Sure, I'd figured out that Dresden was using storms to kill people, or at least that's what the evidence around him said, at least for the most part. That's why I'm here waiting for Dresden to screw things up because somewhere in the back of my mind I wasn't completely convinced that Dresden was the killer. I hate uncertainty, that's why I can't kill him, there's no actual proof that he killed Jennifer Stanton or Linda Hall, never mind the guy that Jennifer had been with the night she died. Ever since I'd gotten wind of him practicing magic that might be considered black magic depending how you look at it, I'd been following him and not in the stalker way of following either just showing up when he used really powerful magic, I'd been hoping to catch him in the act of murdering some one.
"Shit," I mumbled to myself as it began to rain.
The headache that had begun when I left Mac's was staring to grow again. My head hurt, give it to Dresden to hit me in the head with a chair. I was a sucker. I should have seen it coming from the second I walked in, the way he started talking about someone being after him. I had refused to listen to him, but still he didn't have to knock me out. That's why when I'd woken up not more than twenty minutes ago I started tracking him ruthlessly. I was to catch him in the act.
I suddenly sensed strong magical currents coming from the house I'd followed him to. I also sensed the power of the storm growing too. One thing bothered me though, the power coming from the house, it didn't fell like Dresden's. After following someone for enough time you get a sense of how there power feels. I'd been following him ever since he left McCoy's place. I knew how his power should feel good or bad. This was not his power that much was clear to me. This unidentified power was the one that had been using the storms. I could feel it drawing on the storms power now. That's when it hit. The realization that my subconscious knew it wasn't Dresden. It was there right before me, the storms. Why would he use storms? I knew he had enough power to kill the people without drawing on outside power sources, so why do it then? Maybe Dresden was still the murderer my brain reasoned. I stared at the house. I now felt Dresden's power along with the first power that was still tapping the storm. Then the first power stopped. Just like that it was there and then it wasn't. I couldn't hear anything over the storm or see much because it was growing dark, but as I watched the house I saw the telltale flicker indicating a fire had started. That made me set off for the house at a dead sprint. As I ran I felt the first power once again become active. I stopped on deck outside the house I could see everything through the glass doors that looked inward on the upper level.
Dresden was standing there back to me, just standing there. Through the smoke I could barely make out another figure of human being. I could see a toad demon and the massive scorpions that were fast approaching the size of a small dog as well. I felt the power growing; it must have been coming from the other human being, and then directing the scorpions to attack Dresden. It was then I realized I was wrong about Dresden being the killer. Wait! I was wrong that isn't right I'm almost never wrong. Despite the rule somewhere that says that I had to preserve Dresden's life because he wasn't guilty I couldn't go through the doors to help him. There was nothing physically stopping me I just couldn't. I knew his life was in danger; there was still a chance that he could get out alive. I watched with some sort of sick fascination until I saw Dresden go over the edge of the balcony. I slid the sword in from its sheath and tried the door to my luck it was unlocked. As I walked through the door I heard one of the scorpions scuttle to my left I swung round and brought the sword down upon it quickly. I left it withering in halves as I made my way over to where Dresden had gone over. Leaning over I saw Dresden hanging off some how connected to the balcony. It took me second, and then in the firelight I saw the gleam of silver handcuffs attached to his wrist and to the balcony railing. Dresden looked up at me briefly as I brought the sword down to sever the handcuffs, and then he blacked out. I grunted and heaved his dead weight onto the balcony beside me. The fire was growing and I felt the beams that held the balcony up groan as the fire beneath started to reach them. I bent over and half dragged half carried Dresden onto the deck outside. It was completely dark out now, and the rain was falling more heavily that it had been five minutes ago. That's when I noticed that Dresden had stopped breathing. I checked his pulse it was still beating faintly but I could barely feel it. I wished instantly there was some other way to get him to start breathing besides CPR. Since there wasn't that's what I did, I gave him CPR. He came to about thirty seconds later. He spluttered, coughed and began to breathe a little more normally. I watched as he sat up, then scowled and looked around for my sword which I had dropped somewhere, hopefully outside the house.
"You saved me," he panted, still not in completely in control of his breathing.
I grimaced. "Yes."
"But why," he asked.
I glanced at him, and then bent to retrieve my sword, sliding it into its scabbard.
"Because I saw what happened in there. I saw you risk your life to stop the Shadowman, and without breaking any of the Laws too. You aren't, weren't, the killer."
He coughed again. "That doesn't mean you had to save me," he pointed out.
I stared at him confused and surprised. "Would you rather be dead?"
"No, but I'm just saying you could have let me die."
I blinked at him again.
"We aren't all like you Dresden. I didn't let you die because since you're not the killer technically I had an obligation to save you're life," I responded still staring down at him.
"I wasn't the kill," he said slowly. "That would make me right and you…"
"More than eager ready to carry out the Doom if you cross the line, Dresden. Don't think you're off the hook yet because as far as I'm concerned you're not."
"But, if I remember correctly, as Warden, it is your duty to report my conduct to the Council, isn't it," he asked quoting part of the Council rules.
I scowled darkly. I found myself wishing slightly that I had left him to die in the burning house.
"So you're going to have to go tell them all about what really happened. The whole truth and nothing but the truth."
"Yes," I growled. "It's even possible they will lift the Doom, but don't get your hopes up."
He started to laugh. It was weak, but he was still laughing I didn't see what was so funny.
"You haven't won, Dresden. There are many on the Council who know full well that you have consorted with the powers of darkness. We, at least, will not relax our vigil on you. We will watch you day and night, we will prove that you are a danger who must be stopped," I warned. For the most part my warnings were empty, but maybe he'd stop laughing.
He just kept laughing. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. I raised my eyebrows.
"Are you alright," I asked, maybe he'd gone into shock or something.
"Give me a gallon of Listerine and I'll be fine," he chocked.
Okay, he'd gone off the deep end. I glared at him further, but that only made him laugh harder. I heard sirens in the distance. I muttered something incoherent about the police and medical care being on the way before making my off the deck and across the yard into the woods on the edge of the yard. Great, now I had to file a report. I hate paperwork. On Monday, I'm probably going to have to eat shit for him too, since he'll still be in the hospital. Maybe leaving him to die would be equal to the pain I'm going to have to deal with over his living, but I can't say I wished he was dead. I might hate him most of the time for being a smart-ass, but he was a good guy for the most part. In the end, that's what really matter's doesn't it?