A/N- So, this is my birthday present to a friend. Merry Belated Birthday, dear! I love you! I thought I'd post this since it is a fanfic and then when I get more chapters done she can read them immediately, and everyone else can enjoy what will hopefully be a good story. I hope you enjoy it. I would like to point out that I do not own Dresden Files, just my plot. And that I am not trying to steal anyone else's ideas. This is set just before Winter Knight. Anyways, on to the chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter One

Today was not your average day, even by Harry Dresden standards and I'm not Harry. Honestly, every time I get embroiled in something involving my brother, life goes screwy. Last time this happened I wound up storming Arctis Tor, the stronghold of the winter court of Faery. He's listed as the only wizard in the yellow pages and he isn't lying, which is why he can throw fireballs around and rip open ways into the Nevernever. Yeah, my family is messed up. Although, considering that I'm a vampire of the white court with my own personal demon inside me, I really shouldn't be pointing fingers, especially since my little brother is probably the most upright and honorable person I know. Of course, he's also a complete sucker when it comes to women in apparent trouble but I can't decide whether that makes him an even better person or an idiot.

So when I say that today was not an average day, I mean today wasn't an average day for a consulting wizard, and his vampire half-brother, which means it was a seriously messed up day, even if it didn't start like one.

I started my day like usual. Got up, got dressed and headed off to work. I'm a hairstylist. Don't laugh. I own an expensive, trendy hair salon and everyone there thinks I'm gay and French, which couldn't be farther from the truth.

I am, in actuality, a vampire of the white court; which means I feed off of people's life force. Usually when we feed, we do it through intercourse, but we don't have to. What we need is intimacy and sex just happens to be the most intimate a person can get with another, but there are other ways to go about it. While I work I take little sips off the women whose hair I cut. It don't take enough to hurt them, just enough to keep my Hunger sated. It's the best solution I can find at the moment.

I got off work at around five and headed home to my apartment. As the cab pulled up in front of my building, I saw a familiar mound of gray fur sitting next to the door.

Mouse is Harry's giant of a dog. He's supposedly a temple dog, but I often wonder if he doesn't have some wooly mammoth in him, he's so huge. Mouse is not really an appropriate name for this dog but to be fair when Harry named him, he was still a puppy and not nearly that big. Mouse is usually one of the sweetest animals in the world unless you threaten those he feels are under his protection, then you may want to run. I've been around him when he get's mad. I've seen him take down some pretty nasty creatures, things out of nightmares. He is a force to be reckoned with.

And I'd never seen him go anywhere without Harry or someone Harry wanted him to guard. I glanced around, expecting to see the towering form of my brother leaning against a wall, attempting to be inconspicuous in that ridiculous coat he always wears.

I didn't see him. The only one waiting outside my building was the furry mastodon. I frowned and walked up to mouse. "Hey, boy, where's Harry?"

There was a squeal of glee and I heard the sound of something getting up from behind the pooch. I tensed expecting trouble; all I got was a sudden weight against one of my legs. I looked down to find a small child wrapped around my knee. I stared in perplexity down at the dark haired head that was buried in my thigh. "Ummm…"

I wasn't sure what to do. I haven't really spent much time around kids. I'm a succubus; we don't really do kids. I gave Mouse a pleading look.

He chuffed, got up and nudged the kid in the side with his nose. The little runt giggled and let go of my leg so he could push Mouse's inquisitive nose away from his sensitive side. "Mouse, stop it!"

I frowned down at the kid. He looked like he was maybe three or four. He had big chubby cheeks, a shock of unruly dark brown hair, and mischievous dark eyes that looked up at me merrily. He was maybe two feet tall at the most and was a pretty cute kid. The black shirt he was wearing went almost to his ankles and hung off one shoulder. I wasn't sure how it was staying on him in the first place. At the moment, he was grinning happily up at me as he hugged Mouse. I didn't get why the kid was so happy to see me, but it didn't really matter, I just wanted to figure out whom this kid belonged to.

I knelt down and tried to smile in a nonthreatening, non-flirtatious manner. "Hey, where are your parents?"

The little boy's eyes suddenly stopped looking mischievous and turned sad. I have absolutely no idea how he managed it but one moment he looked like this adorable, happy little kid, the next he looked like a kicked puppy. "They died." He said quietly.

I nodded thoughtfully. That would explain Mouse. He was probably protecting him, while Harry went off in search of whatever had done in this kid's parents. The question was why Mouse had shown up here. Did Harry want me to look out for the kid? But then why didn't he call, or send a note or something? And why would he pick me anyways, wouldn't Lieutenant Murphy be a better pick for a kid? None of this made sense.

I sighed and looked at Mouse again. "Where's Harry? Does he want me to take care of this kid?" I knew asking was sort of pointless but I figured I could try. The dog was smarter than he appeared to be, after all.

"I'm right here!" the little boy chirped happily, throwing his arms around my knee again.

I flinched back, not expecting the sudden physical contact. The little boy seemed to sense my discomfort and he pulled back his face a mask of hurt and sorrow. "I'm sorry, brother." He looked like he was about to cry and his high pitched voice wobbled dangerously on that last word.

Brother.

He had called me brother.

And he responded to the name Harry.

No way. There was no freaking way that this cute, TINY, little kid could be my TALL, lanky, thirty-some little brother. I stared at him harder for a moment. He had that same dark unruly hair, and those were the same deep brown eyes, eyes that would get a decidedly impish glint to them when he was mouthing off. But it couldn't be. I mean, Harry was in his early thirties and this child was no older than five. So far as I know, there aren't any magical spells that can turn you into a child, right?

My mind flashed to the fountain of youth, but how on earth would Harry get a hold of some of that, and why would he drink it? I shook my head and looked at the kid again and noticed a thin silver chain hanging around his neck and falling into his overly large t-shirt.

I sucked in a breath of air and reached out with a trembling hand to pull the necklace out of his shirt. The boy looked at me with large trusting eyes. My fingers hooked the thin chain and pulled out a familiar silver pentacle identical to the one I wore around my neck. The only other one out there belonged to Harry Dresden, my half-brother.

My little brother had somehow been turned into a child.

I looked around hurriedly, but couldn't see anyone watching me. I scooped Harry up and hurried into my apartment building, Mouse right on my heels.

Like I said before, this was a weird day, even by Dresden standards.

A/N- Well, any good? Did I get Thomas's voice right, because I keep feeling like Harry is trying to weasel in and use his voice instead, which is not okay. Please review and tell me what I can do to fix it, thanks!