Another Chance
by Kadyn
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here in, I did create this storyline but since the people contained in it are in no way mine that hardly matters! I hope you can enjoy it even knowing I kidnapped them once more for my own nefarious plots! *insert evil laugh track here*
Summary: Battling a group of dark mages a spell and a time wave Cassie's just released combine accidently backfiring with disastrous consequences, leaving John Pritkin responsible for a 5 year old Cassandra Palmer with no powers and no idea who she is supposed to be. Can Pritkin keep her safe from Vampires, Mages light and dark and hidden long enough to reverse the spell? What might he learn along the way about the girl he'd sworn to protect with his life? What happens when getting to know a younger unguarded Cassie before she built her walls to keep out the whole world changes them both in ways he never imagined?
Chapter One – Disaster
John scowled harder than he had in months—and considering the last two of those months had been spent largely in the company that inspired some of his most famous scowls in memory; that was saying something. She was in fact the reason for his current expression—but for once he didn't think just the scowl was going to do this situation the justice it deserved.
Cursing up a storm, laced liberally with Bloody and Bugger and several other true to British form words he often found himself habitually sliding into when stressed Pritkin slammed the door the vehicle he'd managed to take cover inside. Then just as quickly bespelling the engine to turn over with an intricate wave of his fingers he wasted no further time which might delaying or even prevent their escape slamming their stolen vehicle into drive and punching the gas pedal to the floor with his size 12 heavily scuffed and now potion stained work boots.
A fine layer of ash and dust once more covering his skin, John could taste the burn of ozone in the back of his throat the residual effect of the acrid smoke exploding just outside his shields mere moments before, a split second later…but no. He wouldn't think like that. There was no time to dwell on almost-mistakes, he'd berate himself for being so god-damn-bloody distracted by her presence that he almost got them both killed later. Dark burnt black marks marring his fingertips drew his attention briefly the back of his hands showing fine white lines of clean skin between his knuckles now gripped far too tight on the wheel before him. His shoulder might not be completely in socket, and he was reasonably certain he'd suffered a broken rib protecting her from that last blast just before his shields had given out…when she'd hurled that goddamn time wave at the same moment he'd dived…
John's eyes dart toward the passenger seat, but she's still firmly unconscious; she's alive—he assured himself of that first and foremost. But how severe the damage might be he truly has no idea; but it looked bad. More than bad. This was a disaster of Epic proportions beyond even what his usually stoic nature was prepared for. He needs to talk to Marsden. He realizes his hands are shaking even gripped as tight as they are against the wheel, he needs to talk to somebody…he's never felt so over his head in his god-damn life.
Glancing in the rear-view mirror John felt a small amount of the tension coiled tightly in his gut unfurl. But the relief at not being followed by the dark mages who'd attacked them previously obviously being still knocked out cold during the fight that they were now fleeing was miniscule compared to the mass of tangled knots brought on by the shit storm of a mess he now found himself in.
Of all the Bloody times for shit to go wrong, it would be now. In her presence. It was always in her ruddy presence Pritkin mused scowling. His eyes darting from the darkened road momentarily to the tiny crumpled form half hidden by the wild dirt smeared mop of strawberry blonde curls in the passenger seat beside him. Her very tiny form; he noted once more, hoping that somehow he'd been mistaken, but the slender form draped across the seat in a very familiar now oversized t-shirt was far too tiny even for her normal waif like status worrying him far more than even he's ready to admit.
Cassandra Palmer the worlds chief seer and current Pythia also currently stood roughly three feet too short, and if he had to guess approximately 20 years shy of her normal form.
John cursed again, palm smashing vindictively against the wheel's edge grinding his teeth. God they were bloody well and fucked, beyond fucked even if he couldn't fix this. And he hadn't the first clue, even with decades of knowledge of where to start. He could only pray to a deity he generally regarded as a cruel absentee waste of time that when she woke she'd know the answer.
John's scowl slide heavily toward a grimace, recognizing such odds of Cassie having some idea of how to reverse whatever the Hell it is that went wrong in the first place; not only was she highly untrained when it came to her own powers due to the nature of her upbringing—she was also currently in the body of a 5 year old child. And it got worse when John thought to concentrate on it; squinting his eyes to focus because he was beyond tired and found even this a bit of a strain it was so much worse than that because there was no hint of the normal mantle of power; the aura that should have clung to her shape even in sleep. Not even a whisper of the power that should have clung to her like a second skin.
Well fuck a duck.
This was going to get interesting Pritkin sighed exerting another wave of effort in the form of spell work to safeguard their vehicle for its future mode of transportation before adding a second and then third spell that set his already taxed power reserves to a dull thudding roar behind his eyes before activating the spells he'd laid taking the stolen Nissan Sentra to the sky and sliding them into an overhead ley line towards the only place he could think of to sort this mess out.
to be continued...