[A/N: Oh boy, this will be intresting...Not only is this a long story (...Five, six chapters...) but it is tha start of a funny little triology that's comming soon! I'm just setting the table, this be the apetiser! Fun fun fun! Enjoy! And remember, comments make Tai type faster! X3 Thank you bbrae-fan354 for the beating!]
The New Moon and The Trickster
Fox finally threw a fit shortly after Alexander's first birthday. She hated having too much work and not enough time for her son. Her resolution was to hire an assistant.
"I mean, you have Owen. And not only am I taking part in your company, Vogel's been pushing more and more of my father's paperwork on me lately."
"I'm not opposing the idea, darling. I'm just saying that you need to pick one carefully. Our family is not exactly normal, as you might have noticed." He gave her that half-cocked smile that just sent shivers.
Fox sighed and poked her eggs. It was true and she had to deal with it. She glanced at Owen as he set down a pot of coffee on the table and turned to leave.
"Owen, can you find the time to write a good ad? It would help."
"Of course, Mrs. Xanatos. Anything specific I should put in?"
She rubbed her neck and thought for a moment.
"Hmm, Experienced, good hand with children… Suppose we can't put in "Comfortable with working with magical beings"…But a sense of humor would be nice."
"Anything else?"
She looked at his face, more stone then his fist, and smiled.
"Anything else you might find good in a coworker. Go nuts."
He arched an eyebrow at her and jotted a note down at the bottom of the list he had made while she spoke.
"I'll have it done by lunch. Do you wish to see it or should I just send it to the papers right away?"
"Just send it, I trust you."
He nodded and David smiled and said sweetly "That will be all Owen. Now give me some time to flirt with my precious wife before work."
Another nod from the blonde shapeshifter, and they were alone.
"You don't have to flirt with your wife, I'm not going anywhere."
She jumped a bit when something stroked her leg under the table.
"But I want to. What's the point of being married to the most wonderful woman in the world if I can't flirt with her whenever I please?"
She laughed and kicked off her own shoes so she could play with his feet as well.
The first ten people to apply were tossed straight in the bin. Two of them made it into the "Only if I find Nobody Else" pile, but apparently, good assistants with humor and nothing against gargoyles where hard to find.
It had been Mr. Xanatos only requirement to his wife. They could not have someone working in the caste who would disapprove with half of the family. Goliath had stared at Xanatos in shock when he had said it out loud at dinner one evening.
Owen could hold his mask, but underneath it Puck made a little somersault of joy at the gargoyles happy and slightly surprised faces. Bet they had not realized that Xanatos had thought of them as family since the first day they had cracked out of their stone shells. True, he had done a lot that might speak differently, but that was history now. Family they were. He was just waiting for Alex to call Lexington "Uncle Lex".
After a week however, there was a slight hope at the horrific regarding the assistant-issue.
"Ah, exuse me? I'm here for the interview with Mrs. Xanatos…"
Owen slowly walked over towards the desk at the bottom floor, looking the woman over.
Clean and simple cut on the clothes, comfortable shoes, page-cut black hair, and was that a slight accent? Where was it from, Ireland?
"I'll show her the way, just give her the pass."
She turned, surprised and the old guard behind the desk nodded with a smile.
"Alright Mr. Burnett. Thank you."
Owen nodded back and took a look at the woman for real.
His heart stopped dead.
She smiled and held out her hand and he was instantly back in time, on the shores by the lake of Avalon. His heart cried in protest as her features tore up the most painful scar it had ever received. But he kept his mask up. Puck had been through all that, not Owen.
"Nimue Lakes. Pleasure."
"Owen Burnett. The same. Please come this way."
He walked her towards the elevator as she pinned the visitors-badge on her blouse. He did his best to calm his beating heart.
What were the odds of ever meeting a woman with the same face and first name as the one he had left behind a thousand years ago? Whatever they were, this was happening, and he had to stay in control, or reveal too much.
"So, you are here for the interview."
"Yeah, I really hope I get this job. I hate the one I have now…"
Normally, Owen was not curious, but the shock had brought Puck up just under the skin.
"Why is that, Miss Lakes?"
She frowned and blew on her nails, waving her hands a bit in dismissal and saying with a voice filled with sarcasm.
"Oh dear Nimmy, I seemed to have lost one of my gloves somewhere along…Oh I think it was Fifth avenue. Please find it before I have to leave for the mayor's banquet…!"
She huffed her bangs out of her face and smiled at him. Facing her chestnut eyes and pouting mouth (again) he couldn't help but to smile back.
"Well, you will never face that problem with Mrs. Xanatos."
"Let's hope I get the job then!"
All the grief from a thousand years ago came back. But part of him was happy. Happy to see her again, even though she was probably a completely different person. The Nimue he had known would never have cut her hair short, nor twirled it around her finger in that nervous gesture.
However, she did smile the same, and bit her lip just the same. Too much was the same for him to ignore it.
"You are not worried about the gargoyle-related rumors? We have had a fair share of protesters harass Mr. and Mrs Xanatos for a while now."
"Tsk, it's just a faze. I don't think the gargoyle hysteria is going to be a problem forever."
"Oh really?"
He could get this out of the way right now, and let Mrs. Xanatos know later. The girl seemed eager to have something to talk about as they climbed higher and higher through the skyscraper. Another nervous trait she shared with the girl in his memories.
"I had my butt saved by one of those things, so I have no personal problem with them. It's just that it's something new, so people are afraid. As soon as they start to figure out that they ain't bad, the hysteria will die down."
"So you've met one?"
She shrugged, watching the numbers above the door glow up one after another.
"Met and met. I was mugged a few months back and as he ran away a gargoyle dropped down from the sky and landed on him. He -at least I think it was a he- just handed me my bag and took off before I could thank him."
"Ah."
He made a mental note to show her picture to the gargoyles and ask if any of them remembered her.
"How many people have applied to the post?"
"Eleven, including you."
She went back to her nervous twirling of the hair, sucking in air between her teeth.
"Mrs. Xanatos hasn't liked any of the others."
"Great, she's picky…"
He turned to look at her, watching her face grow paler.
"I think she will like you more. The others were an awful lot."
She smiled weakly at him.
"Yeah, right…"
But it seemed to calm her a bit.
"Thank you, Mr. Burnett."
"Don't mention it, Miss Lakes. And if you get the job, do me a favor…"
"Hum? What?"
He pushed his glasses back into his face and wondered why his was doing this to himself.
"Call me Owen."
"On the condition that you drop the "Miss Lakes" right now."
He smiled at her, heart breaking.
"May I call you Nimmy?"
She grinned at him, annoyance and humor pushing away her nervousness.
"Never."
The door 'pl-inged!' and opened, showing a rather tired Mr. Xanatos.
"Good morning sir. Did you get any sleep?"
"Nope, detective Maza dropped by. What took you?"
Owen gestured at his company, letting her step out of the elevator first.
"I was escorting Miss Nimue Lakes here."
Xanatos, realizing they where not alone, cracked a big smile and shook her hand.
"Ah! Here for Fox's interview huh? Best of luck, dear. I'm afraid I must steal Owen here, but I hope to see you later."
The girl smiled and nodded, apparently beginning to get nervous again, but trying to master it. Just before the doors closed around the two men in the elevator, she turned.
"Thank you, Mr. Burnett, for talking to me."
Before he could shake the shot of pain that struck his heart along with her smile, the doors closed and the little box moved down.
Owen leaned back, not able to hold his mask anymore. He placed his hand over his face, trying not to lose all the control he had.
"Owen? Hey Owen are you alright? What's wrong? Owen?"
But under the disguise there was no Owen left. It was filled up with Puck, and his memories of blood dripping into dark water.