BIRD OF PREY

Chapter 1

"So it all ended well." Sabrina said "Maggie will be back in Congress, and the doppelganger will just vanish. It was weird, working that way. I could swear sometimes that she was the real Maggie."

"The illusion is supposed to be a very complete one." Angelique replied "But it is only an illusion. Sort of an elaborate holograph."

"It wasn't murder, was it? When we made it vanish?"

"No. It was never alive. How could it be killed?"

"Sometimes I wonder..."

"It was merely and optical illusion. Optical illusions are just tricks of the light on the eyes. They have no independent existence, no matter what they may believe about them."

"Yes. Maybe. But you did not have to live next to it for weeks. I am sort of mourning for it now, even though,, as you said, it never existed" she frowned "maybe I should contact you later on, should I need a double for anything."

"No, I don't think I'd like that." Angelique was worried. Sabrina had killed once. She might kill again, and she may want a doppelganger for an alibi. Angelique wanted none of that.

"Why not?" I would pay you well."

"Sabrina, don't take it badly, but some of the things that you are capable of scare me. Roxanne said it once, that you are afraid of nothing, and that makes you so scary. I don't want to find out what kind of trouble you can get all of us in."

'You once used to be fearless."

'Yes, until I got tired of getting into trouble that I could not get out as easily as I had gotten in. I had to get some sense sooner or later."

"And you think that I haven't got it?"

"I hope that, for you, getting it will be easier than it was for me."

Sabrina shrugged "All right, if you don't want to, you don't want to. But the offer still stands. Anyway, I will probably have my hands full now with Maggie, telling her all that the doppelganger did in her name, and how she can live it down."

Barnabas felt embarrassed by the adoration that Tammy was showering on him. He could deal with Julia, with Maggie, with his own past. But to be worshipped, as if he were a god, or a saint, capable of working miracles, was too much. He felt himself to be a fraud. He had done no more than what the had to do.

"Sure." Julia said, with gentle irony "anybody else would have done the same. Anybody else would have been glad to volunteer."

"I was not too glad about it, if you remember."

"And anyway, what else is Tammy to do? She feels such gratitude, she has to express it. And to tell the truth, you like it."

"I don't"

"You do." George intervened. "You just think that you don't deserve it, and that sooner or later they will find out that you are a fraud. Well, you are not. Remember how Willie got uncomfortable when they called him 'Mr. Loomis"? He thought that at any time they would find out that he was a high school dropout and ex-con. And you think that in the middle of Tammy's gushing, Trask is going to show up, and confront you with your victims, unmasking you to her."

"Trask can't touch me now."

"Are you sure of that?"

"Yes. I learned it when... when I was unconscious. Dave told me that."

'You met him?"

'Yes."

"Did he tell you anything else?"

"That he send you his love." Barnabas hesitated. He cold not tell of his being found Worthy, as he could not understand what that meant, himself. Nor the way that Bathia had planned his life for some purpose he could not understand. As for telling George that he would die soon. He did not want to do it yet. He wanted to give George at least a few days of uncomplicated joy.

"Anything else?" George prodded, worried by Barnabas' expression.

"Yes... something else... I am trying to remember." he did remember one more bit, something that was true, while keeping the rest form George. "He told us to beware of the fire."

"Willie, listen to me, Willie." the old man insisted. "You've got to listen to me."

"Why? Why should I listen to you, you old drunk? What did you do in your life that was of worth to me or anyone? Why don't you get out of my life once and for all?"

"I am your father!"

"Don't remind me of that again! That was my misfortune, to be raised by you. Why didn't you do at least the decent thing and got away, and let us have a life by ourselves? Why did you keep us around so that you could have punching bags around when things got tough? You were too smart to beat up on guys bigger than you, or cops, or anything that could get you in jail. But you had a wife and kids, didn't you? And you used us well, didn't you? We earned our keep that way. Well, I don't need to earn my keep that way anymore, scumbag! Get out and stay out!"

"Son, you have to listen."

"I don't have to do a fucking thing! Get out! Get out!"

"She killed me!"

"Whoever she was, I will give her a medal. Get out, and stay out! Why don't you go to Hell where you belong?"

... Willie woke up, sweating...

He had dreamed again. His father would not leave him alone. Even dead, he could ruin things for you.

"You are coming to see the baby, aren't you?" Carolyn asked over the phone.

"Of course, I am." David was a bit cautious. "Just don't expect me to take him back. You know that I would be doing the kid no favor if I took him with me. You are taking good care of him, and you are not filling his head with all kinds of garbage about what a dreadful woman is mother is, and how he reminds me of her, and how can I be sure that he is really my son? He's having a better childhood than I had. You can at least give me credit for that."

"Still, Eliot needs a father."

"He needs a good father. I am not. Give me at least credit for knowing that much about myself. Oh, Carolyn, why do I have to argue this over and over? I will be there. That's all I can promise you."

He hung up the phone.

"If she keeps insisting that way, I might not go to Collinsport at all," he told Urien.

"Barnabas can be even worse." Urien said, sympathetically.

"Yes. He can. You still want to come along?"

"Yes. It will do me good to see them again."

He did not know where it came from, but Frank suddenly felt threatened.

It was not only the irritation of his arguments with Buffy, Yes, he did want a more traditional wife, that was true, but Buffy was getting very frustrated with running the school. He knew the signs when someone was overwhelmed, and Buffy showed the signs.

But he could not be the one to tell her that.

But this other... this new sense of menace, that was different.

What was it? What could be threatening now. Didn't they had all put the weirdness behind?

The log crackled in the fire and Frank tensed.

Laura had escaped and was coming back...