Hello and welcome to CaT, for those of you who don't know me I am King of Shadowed Ones, or King for short. I'd like to apologize now as I always do at the start of a story for my sporadic and seemingly random posting. If I could get paid to post and not have to worry about school and work I'd be able to post much more consistently, saddly I have both to worry about and maybe spend four to five hours a week writing, add on to that the fact that In have four different "live" stories and well... thigs can get complicated... anyway enough of my Moaning and kvetching (Such a fun word), and on with the show!

The file landed next to my head with a heavy thud causing me to jump awake and sit straight up, taking in my surroundings in a fraction of a second: ass in hard chair, walls bland, several other desks around, other men and a woman in cheap suits smell of old stale coffee. My eyes settled on the black thirteen on a bronze shield. I was still at work station thirteen. I looked up and saw the raised eyebrow of my boss who looked like she could have been half pixie, short and built like a dancer. I was taller than her when I was sitting down. The height difference didn't make the look on her face any less dangerous. I must have been taking one of my famous cat naps.

"James, you were sleeping on the job again, are you sick sweetie?" The way she said sweetie made me wince slightly. I was tired but she was right I should have been awake. I bit back the desire to answer with a grunt, like I usually did when I was in trouble with her. I could tell that this was not the time to play with the Captain.

"Sorry Captain, won't happen again," that got me a scoff of laughter from others nearby, including one Captain Christiana Seateria. Reaching for the file I saw the stamp of a black thirteen on the front, making it one of those cases. I looked up to here with my best kitty-cat stare and tried to talk my way out of doing another of the black cat cases. "Cap are you sure this is one the right desk? I did the last two of the B.C. cases. I thought that the next one was going to Fernandez." I made a motion to the desk catty corner from me where the name plate had J. Fernandez imprinted in perfect script. "The James the Lesser hasn't had a black cat in a bit." I regretted saying that immediately, we had two James on the same shift for a while now, one James Fernandez whom I referred to as James the Lesser even though I was the newer officer in the district, and one James Kahn, me. I started to kick myself as soon as those words left my mouth, and I did it twice as hard when I saw the smile spread on Seateria's face.

"But Kahn, I need my best man on the job," she placed her hand under my chin and forced my eyes to meet hers; even with me sitting, it still wasn't that much of a distance, down. She had a smile playing on her face but kept her eyes in a fairly serious look. I have been working at this precinct long enough where everyone knew one of my fatal flaws, and it just so happened that the Captain could make full use of it. I, James Kahn, could never say no to a woman, no matter what. Most of the time Seateria didn't use it against me, but if I ever pissed her off she knew exactly how to get me to do something. "Please James I need you to do this for me…" She had softened her eyes and I knew that I was done for, she had my number and dialed collect. I nodded my head and picked up the file. She patted my cheek after scratching my chin for a second. She sauntered away after saying good boy under her breath to me, quite enough where only my hearing was able to pick it up, she didn't even realize that I heard it. As soon as she closed the door to her office, the laughter started and one of the smart asses Frank Darrt came up and reached for my chin. Darrt was new and had never tried to physically mess with me before but probably had asked why no one ever did. He probably thought that my 6'7 330 lbs was the only reason. Wrong. My hand shot out and grabbed his right as it was starting to get close. I looked him square in the eyes and didn't make them nice like I did for Seateria. My voice was like ice when I opened my mouth.

"Darrt might I ask what you think you're doing?" My eyes were blue and came in a variety of flavors, Darrt was currently receiving what I called colder then ice but warmer then hell. He held my gaze for a fraction of a second, looking like a rather large, skinny scared rabbit, before trying to yank his hand free. I let him go and opened the file to the report. I skimmed over it before snapping it shut and walking over to the Captain's office and did a quick rhythm on the wooden door. I didn't even wait for a response before walking in, ignoring the wolf whistles and calls of "show her whose boss." Seateria was on the phone and looked up and shot me a glare but raised her hand and motioned me in anyways.

The office was small but well-kept and cozy. The desk was a large piece that dominated the room but there were a couple of comfortable chairs that were positioned in front of it and I lounged in one of them as Sea continued on the phone. She was about four or five years older than me, but looked about the same younger. Her face currently was home to a serious look that really showed her pointed chin and sharp brown eyes that were currently as icy as I have ever seen them. Her blonde hair was light and bouncy was currently in a shoulder length cut that framed her face perfectly. Her pants-suit gave no doubt about her gender, hugging her in all of the right places. I flipped open the file cover and read the word in the victim box again and flipped to the index page and started to read the list, 13 Names including a few John/Jane Does, but the names that I saw sounded familiar then it hit me. The last names matched several of the city council members. I didn't like where this was going at all. All of a sudden Seateria raised her voice slightly grabbing my attention. Focusing in on the phone I was able to make out both sides of the conversation.

"Thank you Commissioner I realize that this is a very sensitive case" Seateria's voice was locked in a tone with a subtle edge to it.

"Captain, I hope you realize the repercussions if this case isn't taken care of quickly and more importantly quietly," the voice on the phone had said the thinly veiled threat with a bit of venom. Commissioner Walter Brown had never been my favorite man in the world, but this put him near the top of my shit list.

"Yes I know what it would mean if it went unsolved."

"Good captain, now then why don't you go and put your best man on the case and then you can…"

"With all due respect sir, I do have my best man on it."

"Oh good, I hope that Carlone has the good sense to do this with the discretion that he's famous for. It is Carlone isn't it?"

"No sir Carlone is not on the Case."

"Sayone then?'

"No sir, it's not Sayone either."

"Well who in the department did you give it to then?" the Commissioners voice became strained and I knew that he was going to break the moment that Seateria spoke my name.

"Kahn, sir"

"KAHN, YOU GAVE A CASE THIS SENSITIVE TO THAT… … …" the Silence that followed was even scarier to me then the yelling that came before it, Sea's usually healthy completion had drained a bit of its color.

"With all due respect sir, Kahn has the best rate of closed cases of this sort." She had a bit of her color returning at this point and looked up and locked eyes with me. I smiled and made sure that all anger stayed of my face, I mean how was I supposed to know what was happening on the phone.

"This isn't one of those Black Cat Cases of yours Captain, those cases are given to you for the sake of you meeting your quota, the fact that your man has anything to do with those cases means in my opinion that he is delusional to say the least. This is not some supernatural bull that we shove into your hands. I repeat this is not one of those cases, are we clear."

"Actually sir, this is one of those cases so please let my man do his job sir"

"Look Captain, if you're not careful then I will have you black listed, Fine your man has one week, ONE after that if he has nothing then I will send someone over to look at your relationship a little closer and trust me he'll find something," I couldn't help the low rumble in my chest from becoming a little louder causing Sea to look up at me with concern I covered it by shaking my head at the folder in front of me.

"I understand sir, one week." My head shot up like a bullet from that one and I looked her square in the eyes, and I immediately wish that I hadn't. "Goodbye sir." She set the phone down and rubbed her face for a second, while she was doing that I was doing my best not to fall to my second deadly weakness this one also based on women, I can't stand to see them cry. She finally looked up at me and gave me a look that almost made me say to hell with the career and give her a hug. She smiled at me and shook her head.

"James, you have a week to do this case if you don't have it done by then…" she looked over my shoulder to where I knew the picture of her with her brothers hung, all cops, all in St. Louis.

"Don't worry Christi," I used her first name which visibly calmed her. We hadn't actually done anything but we both knew that we were attracted to the other, so behind closed doors, we at least pretended. "When have I ever let you down? I saw a lot of high profile names in this," I raised the file, "Let me guess pressure is coming from on high?"

"The Mayors daughter, twin sons from one alderman, the daughter of another, and another son from a third, along with several other council members' children, this is a mess and they all died at the same time. You have the picture; do you understand why I gave it to you?"

"Yeah, I do, you want me to grab Fernandez for this one?" I got a look in return. "Are we allowed to bring in a couple people on this one?"

"No," The response was quick and sharp; I understood why she wanted this one in house.

"Christi, I understand." As I rose to go she called my name and I turned to face her.

"James," she looked like a wreck, "Don't you dare let me down on this one." The fire was returning to her eyes and I smiled as I closed the door behind me and looked up to see four sets of eyes facing me, staring.

"All of you back to work, now." I made a shooing motion with my hands as I walked towards the door. I didn't have seniority or rank here but I was a likable smartass who got results, so everyone returned to work as I walked out the door and down to the lot. Also, being big enough to bench press an elephant helped.

On my way to the car, I pulled out my phone and hit speed dial five. I waited for my sometimes partner in ending crime to pick up the phone. Shortly after the third tone, I heard a melodious voice pick up on the other line, most people thought that Fernandez was a bit off and they were right for a lot of reasons.

"Hey Kahn, how may I help you today"

"Jimmy we have work to do, are you at home or at a friend's house?"

"Well Kahn I am currently at Greg's house after the party last night but I can be at my house shortly, see you in twenty?"

"We have time for ten Jimmy, it's a case that has meow written all over it."

"Well, fuck all kinds of duck, ten it is then, but you better have coffee."

"Already heading to get it," I hung up the phone and stopped at a QuickTrip and grabbed a couple of coffee's making mine black with a lot of sugar and Jimmy's with a lot of cream but no sugar. After being on I-44 for a couple of minute's I pulled up to the well maintained house where an old beetle was parked with care. Jimmy loved that car, all original white with authentic everything. I walked up the steps and knocked on the door, the door was opened by a kid about thirteen years old. Good looking kid, he was tall for his age his skin the color of ebony and with clean and square features already, the kid was going to be a lady killer one day. "Hey Darrin, how are you doin'?"

"I'm fine Mr. Kahn, Jimmy just came back home you guys have a case?" he looked at me with eye's that shouldn't have been as wise as they were. Darrin had a very interesting past that I only knew a part of. He was a foster kid that was currently living with Jimmy and Harold.

"Hi James, come on in," A rich bass boomed out from where I knew the kitchen was. I went in ruffling the hair on Darrin's head as I walked past and put the coffee on the table on a coaster where I knew Jimmy would walk past to get to the kitchen. I walked to the bar counter that separated the dining room from the kitchen, in the kitchen I saw Harold working on some new type of food for his café. "Open."

I opened my mouth and he popped a spoon into it as I am used to him doing, I got a rush of several different flavors in my mouth.

"Chicken, cilantro, carrot, celery, onion, a pinch too much salt though it is good, I also taste a bit of heat from some sort of chili, hotter than a jalapeño, habanero maybe? It tastes good what's it for?"

"It's a soup base for a new chicken noodle I've been dying to try, and yes, bonus points for the habanero, well done, Jimmy your other partner has good taste in food." The bass was clear and caused you to smile when you hear it coming from the short and stout man working in the kitchen Harold stood all of 5'4 and weighed almost 250 pounds. Jimmy Fernandez walked into the kitchen coffee in one hand and gave Harold a peck on the cheek and grabbed a couple of pastries for the road and lightly side stepped the half swipe at him from the dwarf lord of the kitchen. "Rascal, Knave, Thief in cops clothing, swindler. Hey pretty boy." The last call called Jimmy to bend his head back to see the kitchen a pastry was in his mouth not hiding the smile. Harold shook his head and laughed and made a shooing motion towards the door. "James, watch after my Jimmy out there, if he dies the next meal you have will be poisoned." The threat was actually entirely possible coming from that little chef, Harold had worked at one point or another in almost every nicer restaurant in St. Louis before opening his own small little café about 4 blocks north on Grand.

As we got into my car I handed him the file with a small shake of my head. He opened the file saw the word that made me go into Seaterai's office.

"Multiple, I hate that word, I swear anytime you or I get a file that has that word on it we spend weeks trying to figure it out."

"Jimmy, we have a week."

"… What, I'm sorry but I thought that you just said we have a week in which we have to solve this, are we allowed outsiders to be let in on this one?" When I said nothing to him he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Of course not that would have been too easy wouldn't it? Let me guess why..."

"Flip to the victim index, page three," I told him as I got onto 40 east bound and headed towards the murder scene.

"… FUCK!"

The Crime had taken place in a corner of Forest park, the most peaceful place in St. Louis… on the surface. No one knew that it was also split into three parts, each controlled by a different player in the supernatural worlds. The scene was on the northwestern corner of the park near the art museum right in the land of the Autumn Court, which put it just outside of the areas I actually have friends.

The Autumn court may not have the power of Winter or Summer, but in St. Louis rules tend to change. The Queens of Summer and Winterer never really got along with the Kings of Spring and Autumn, and their use of Seelie and Unseelie magics was more than enough to keep the Kings from gaining too much power. Personally, I always thought that the Queens just hated the idea of a man being in charge of a section of Faerie. Never met the two myself, but I hear they're pretty bitchy. But here, Winter and Summer don't have much sway. I think it's the weather. St. Louis' weather is fucked up, so Summer and Winter can't gain leverage over each other, and neither wants to admit that they don't have power, so they stay away. Made it pretty easy for Spring and Autumn to use it as their sanctuary. They've been building up their power for years, trying to rival their old enemies.

When we got to the crime scene we were approached by a fae that I assumed was one of the lords of the Autumn Court.

"You're outside of your area of control Beast, what do you think you're doing here. King Jack will not be entertained to have you here." The Young Lord was currently under a glamour appearing to be in his early twenties in designer dark wash jeans and a cream colored sweater. By how Fernandez was giving him the once over, he apparently was in fashion at this time. The October air was cold. I flipped my overcoat a little in the breeze, it was cold but refreshing like the first bite of a Terramizzou concrete from Ted Drewe's. I had issues with that word 'beast' especially when pointed in my direction. I knew that I couldn't take a Fey Lord, even a minor one, but he didn't have to know that. Taking a step forward I raised myself to my full height of 6 foot 7 and focused on the left forearm of my tiger form. I felt heat rush down my arm as fur sprouted in its alternating orange and black bands, my hand flowing into a partial paw shape that ended in claws a full inch long when unsheathed as they were now. Reaching my unchanged right hand into my inner coat pocket I drew my badge and held it up to him.

"Please let us pass through; we have business to attend to not far from here." I saw one of the fae's eyebrow raise as he saw my badge and then he stiffened looking past me his eyes locked on some incoming threat. Releasing my arm to its usual form and slipping my badge back to my belt I felt the uneasy feeling that you get when you feel like you're being watched, and by this point in my life I have learned to listen to that voice. You never know when it's right. Turning I saw another man approaching us, taller than most men, he was only a fraction of an inch shorter than me. He was built like a Linebacker where I was a Lineman, he was trim where I was bulky, and each step for him was a bounce. Dressed in a pair of beat-up jeans and wearing a letterman's Jacket with an Orange AC on the Left breast. He had dark brown hair and amber eyes his face was relaxed, Jack, King of the Autumn court, most mortals in the past called him either Jack Frost, or Jack of the Lantern. Approaching us he stared at the fey blocking our path.

"Well, well does Mab feel brave enough to send one of her pet's over to my domain to act as my guard dog. Damian leave my sight. You have no place here anymore. You belong to Mab, not me." The King of Autumn had a pleasant temperature around him, a slow breeze that made you want to grab a light jacket and go for a stroll. A light wave of heat mixed with the breeze as Jack mentioned Mab's name. The fey Damian turned and walked away glaring at me while he turned. Seeing the minor Noble walk away Jack turned his attention to us. "Hello to St. Louis' finest may I ask why I have the two of you on my land? I thought that after the last time you showed up here after the Hunt that I would never see you again, so why—are—you—here?" He spoke the last part of the question slowly and locked his eyes to my left hand.

"We are here because of the murders that happened 3 Days ago King Jack," Fernandez's voice came smooth and had a light melody to it. As the James the Lesser was talking I forced my arm back into it human shape, feeling the heat drain off as the fur drew back into me. Calming myself and forcing the beast back into its cage, I called myself back to what Fernandez was talking to the King about. "… we only need a couple hours here then we will leave your land. Your highness we ask you no favors and give you our word that we will be out of your lands by sunset."

"You may have until sunset then. I shall have my court leave you be for that time. Detective Kahn, Detective Fernandez," as the man walked away I let out a sigh of relief. I hate dealing with the fae. They were one of the few things I had issues with fighting. As we finished getting to the crime scene I took a deep breath, letting my nose do its work. It had been four days, too long for me to get a solid trace of anything, but death was still in the air. We hadn't had any rain so it was better then it could have been… Brimstone, and not a little bit either, I sneezed, once, twice, three times… shit.

"Three sneezes, we both know what that means." Jimmy looked up from the crystal he pulled from his pocket and dropped letting it dangle, he explained it to me once, how his magic worked. As soon as he looked away it glowed a blood red and spun faster than it should before cracking. Hearing the sound Jimmy cursed more as he dropped the crystal which proceeded to split into three parts. "Demons… plural."

I nodded as I looked around a bit more in the center of the circle, the iron tinge of blood, chalk, brimstone… weed? Looking around a bit more I followed my nose the exact middle of the circle… no not marijuana another kind of weed, squatting down I began to move my hand through the grass. My hand touched a metal plate… bronze, old, moving my hand around it I cursed out loud drawing my partner over to me. I used my pen and finding the hole right where it was supposed to be. I cursed again. Jimmy joining me, it wasn't a large plate but the shape was a pentagram, the markings were a mix of Hebrew and ancient Armenian in the center a star flanked by the sun and moon seated on each other in an eclipse, stars both six and five pointed lined in between words…

"Where the hell did those kids find one of these…" Looking underneath the mask I saw what had caught a wiff off earlier...wolfs-bane... Oh not good...