Siren Song

Author's Note: This story is relies on a few key pieces of information. One is the fact that, of all of Oberon's Children, apparently only two refused to return to Avalon: Puck and the Banshee. Relating to that, I have read the following, supposedly provided by series creator Greg Weisman: that the Banshee was the one who warned Puck that the time of the Gathering was at hand. Also, this story is set sometime after the end of season 2, and pretty much ignores the existence of the Goliath Chronicles (hey, if the show creator does it, why shouldn't I?).

Chapter 1: Surprises

*"My voice can seduce or mesmerize … or bring pain beyond imagining." – The Banshee, from "The Hound of Ulster"*

It was the voice. It was always the voice.

No matter what guise she donned, no matter how she tried to cover it – changing cadence, accent, pitch, volume, tone, depth – underneath, her true voice was there. There was simply a quality to it, a call, an echo, something that mortals' ears were not attuned to hear – that is, unless she wished him to listen. He would recognize that voice, from a whisper to a scream, no matter what.

So when, in his own guise, he heard the lilting Irish voice of the young woman talking to David Xanatos, he was not fooled by her human appearance.

But then, he supposed she hadn't really meant to fool him at that. For one thing, he'd seen this particular costume of hers before. True, she'd changed it up a bit; the reddish hair was longer, and the clothes quite different; overall, it was a more demure appearance then the rather trendy, punkish look she'd sported when he'd last seen her. Still, she couldn't have been more obvious, especially to him. She hadn't even bothered changing the name.

"I'm sorry, Miss –"

"O'Riordan. Molly O'Riordan."

"Miss O'Riordan. I appreciate you returning the toy." And indeed, he saw that "Molly" was holding a small stuffed bear. He knew instantly who and what she truly was; what he didn't understand was how she could possibly be here.

"It's his favorite you know," Xanatos was telling her. "He takes it everywhere. I didn't even realize he'd dropped it."

She handed the stuffed animal to him and smiled. "Well then, I'm glad I caught up with you. It would be a shame for your angel boy to lose his favorite plaything." Her gaze shifted to "Owen" as he approached them, and the smile became almost a smirk.

Catching sight of Owen, Xanatos turned, and was about to introduce them, but the look on his assistant's face made him stop short. Owen looked surprised – shocked actually. He didn't normally display emotion so openly, so that alone was cause for concern. Then he saw Owen's eyes narrow, and suddenly he seemed rather intrigued, almost as if he were sizing up a worthy adversary across a chess board. He looked over at the woman called Molly and saw she wore a similar expression.

Owen clasped his shoulder. "A word, sir."

Xanatos glanced at Molly warily. Now what? "Of course. Please, excuse us." She nodded, her smile widening slightly, and they retreated, Xanatos pushing the stroller which contained his son, who had slept peacefully throughout. He paused for a moment, leaning down to check on the boy, and Owen waited respectfully, as he always did. After assuring himself that his son was safe, at least for the moment, he straightened up and looked at Owen expectantly.

"Well?"

"That woman is not what she appears."

"Yes, I gathered that much from your reaction." The annoyance in his tone was evident. "Could you be more specific?"

Owen paused, trying to come up with the simplest explanation. "She … is like me." Xanatos's eyes widened.

"You mean … she's a child of Oberon?" Owen nodded. "But how? I thought everyone except for you had to stay in Avalon, unless … this isn't another alias of Titania, is it?" The very thought made him scowl.

"Most certainly not, sir. She is called the Banshee."

"Wait. Banshee, as in that old Irish folk tale about a ghost woman who wails when someone's going to die? You mean that's actually real?"

Asked the man who lives in a castle full of gargoyles, whose wife is the daughter of the fairy queen, whose son is casting spells before he can talk, and who has me for a personal assistant. The thought must have shown on his face, because Xanatos responded, "What am I saying? Of course it's real." He sighed. "But then the question still remains … how can she be here?"

"I have a few theories on that, sir. However, there is really no way to confirm any of them."

"I suppose we could just ask her."

"Indeed we could. But she may not be entirely forthcoming. Still, there is another possible source of information…"

"I'm listening."

"Fox's mother."

"You're joking."

"Never, sir." At least, not in this form.

"Owen, listen. One: I don't want that woman anywhere near my family again, not after what happened. Two: What makes you think she'd be any more truthful than your … friend over there?" He asked, nodding his head in the direction of Molly.

"Respectfully, sir, while I understand your sentiments, I do believe it was never actually Titania's objective to take your child away. As to your other concern, I think she would at least be inclined to be more truthful towards her own daughter at this point. She does not wish to be estranged from Fox and Alexander forever."

Xanatos paused to consider. "If we did want to contact Titania – and that's a big if – how would we even go about it?"

"Fox would just have to call her name." Xanatos raised a brow.

"Really? It's that simple?"

"Because he is her queen, Oberon allows her to come and go as she pleases. And Fox is her daughter; they are connected. If she wishes to speak with her, Titania will come."

Xanatos considered for a moment. "I'll have to talk with her. Owen … you are sure this woman is really who you think she is? She's not just some human sorceress sending out … oh, I don't know, a false signal or something?"

"I'm certain, sir. I would recognize her no matter what her form."

There was something about the way he said that, some shift in his tone that Xanatos couldn't quite define, and it gave him pause. He considered asking Owen to elaborate, but ultimately decided to let it go, at least for the moment.

"Alright then. In the meantime …" The walked back over to where Molly was still standing. The smile had faded, and she was looking at them expectantly. Xanatos made sure to stand between her and his son. It was an instinctive gesture; logically, he knew he really had no way of preventing any sort of magical attack, but on a purely emotional level, it made him feel better.

Her voice was low, smooth, reassuring. "I mean you no harm."

"That remains to be seen."

She titled her head at him, seeming to consider his words. "And you will see. As a matter of fact, I could actually be quite helpful to you."

Xanatos looked at her, and then at Owen, noting that the gazes of the two disguised fay had locked again. "I already have all the help I need, thanks."

Her lips curved in an enigmatic smile. "And here I thought you said he was a man who didn't turn down opportunities." She was addressing Owen now, not him.

His assistant's expression mirrored her own. "He is more cautious as of late. A child changes things."

She quirked a brow. "At least for mortals it does."

"I think we should table this discussion for now," Xanatos said, growing rather tired of the two of them talking like he wasn't standing right there. He turned to her.

"Should we want to contact you …?"

"Just have him call my name," she said, nodding at Owen.

"Your real name." It wasn't a question.

"Of course." She turned to leave, and then paused, glancing over her shoulder. "Good to see you again, Puck."

"Likewise." The warmth in Owen's voice surprised him. He turned to look at his assistant, but he was greeted with his usual cool, unreadable expression. Then he turned to look back the one who called herself Molly, only to find she was gone.

"Owen?"

"Sir?"

Xanatos sighed. "Never mind. Let's go home. I need to discuss this with my wife."

"Of course."

He followed quietly behind Xanatos and Alexander. Had he been his true self, his feelings about this new development would have been more evident, but as Owen, there was only the brief flicker of an amused smile across his face to hint at his thoughts.