Holidays
Summary: Dave goes home for the holidays. Unfortunately, Prime Merlinians, it seems, do not get vacations.
Disclaimer: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the Property of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of Disney and Jerry Bruckheimer Productions. No Copyright Infringement is intended.
Chapter III This Cannot End Well…
Dec 24, 2010, 8:00 am - Stutler Residence
Dave descended the stairs at around 7:30pm, things had ended awkwardly last night and Dave decided that if his dad was going to try to extend the olive branch, he would put some effort into making peace as well. Balthazar had taught a good pancake recipe when the apprentice had slept over and had woken up in time to see the master sorcerer preparing breakfast. Dave had offered to help, thinking the ability to cook Becky a meal might be a good idea.
First Dave check to make sure his father had all the needed ingredients which the elder Stutler did. By the time Daniel Stutler came into the kitchen and Dave had already made a couple.
"Smells great. Since when do you cook?" asked Daniel as he grabbed a plate and used a fork to place one of the made pancakes on it.
'Since Balthazar started nagging me on eating too much takeout and pizza,' thought Dave. The master sorcerer had in fact proved to be relentless, and very, very annoying. Dave had been invited over for dinner and encouraged to help with the cooking on a few occasions, despite Balthazar constant efforts however Dave only knew a couple of recipes. The physics nerd shook his head returning to the current conversation. "Since I got tired of pizza and takeout," said Dave as he sat down and began to eat.
Dave leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh of contentment. He had just polished off his third pancake and felt ready for some magic training, schedule permitting. He looked at his father who was sitting across from him reading the paper. "Any plans for today?" asked the apprentice.
"Just staying home," replied the elder Stutler glancing out the window. The weather looked miserable. No, he wouldn't be going outside.
The day was surprisingly fun. Dave and his father sat and watched old movies, but there was a tension in the air. Both parties were still unsure of where they stood with each other, and the matter of Emily Stutler had not been fully addressed. Fear of making things worse and ruining the peace they had made so far prevented the two from even attempting to address the source of the tension. So, by silent and mutual agreement, it was pointedly ignored by the father and son.
oo0oo
Dec 25, 2010, 10:45 am - Stutler Residence
Dave shivered as he dragged the trash bag of wrapping paper to the bin by the curb. It had been a good Christmas morning. His father had liked his gift, and Dave had gotten a new external one point five terabyte hard drive.
"Nice neighbourhood," drawled an unfamiliar voice.
Dave turned and saw a man with a black wool coat and cap. The apprentice's eyes drifted to the man's hands, a silver ring with a blue stone lay on his ring index finger on the outside of his glove.
Dave pointed in the man's general direction and shook his hand. "Let me guess… Morganian?"
"Yep."
Dave sighed and brought his hands to his side and his dragon ring began to glow. "Why haven't you attacked me yet?"
"I'm distracting you so my brother can stab you."
Dave spun around to see another man with brown hair. He didn't have time to observe more before he noticed the man's arm move forward and looked down in to see the flash of a blade. Using his magic, Dave turned the knife into confetti, his mind having flashed back to Balthazar turning a collapsing fire escape into confetti when it had been about to fall onto innocent bystanders in China Town.
Dave's next reaction was to grab the now distracted man's wrist and pivot, throwing his attacker into his other opponent.
Summoning plasma bolts into each hand, Dave blasted his attackers, having learned from Balthazar not to let up once the advantage was yours. Dave turned the surrounding snow to water and, using his arms to direct the liquid, enveloped his opponents and willed the molecules to slow, turning the water to ice.
'… Okay, now what do I do with them?' thought Dave as he looked around. No one appeared to be looking out their window. The apprentice glanced back at his prisoners and saw the first man's ring begin to glow. The ice itself started to glow orange and crack. Dave threw up his arms and cast a shield just as the ice blew.
When Dave brought down his arms, his opponents were nowhere in sight. He looked around, but aside from the shards of ice, didn't see anything. He stayed still for a few more moments. listening. His attackers could be invisible for all he knew.
Or they could have gone. 'Why would they try to stab me? Why not just blast me from a distance?'
Dave sighed. This was not how he wanted to spend Christmas morning. At this rate, his dad was going to find out, and he had just started getting along with the man.
oo0oo
Dave felt a sharp pain in his abdomen as soon as he closed the door to the house. Letting out a slight hiss, he placed his hand over the source then held it up to reveal warm sticky blood. Apparently, he had been too slow in transforming the blade. Quickly casting a spell to numb the pain Dave made his way to the washroom. Removing his shirt, he saw that the blade hadn't penetrated very far—just a couple of centimetres, a fairly shallow wound. He should be able to patch it up quickly. Getting out the first aid kit, Dave sat on the edge of the tub, cast a healing spell and bandaged the wound, grateful Balthazar had signed him up for some first aid courses.
He sighed. The muscles had been damaged, but the knife hadn't reached his internal organs. Movement would be difficult for the next hour or so unless he used the pain relief spell, but movement would also aggravate his injuries. Dave sighed again and used magic to levitate the blood off his shirt and into the toilet. He put away the first aid kit, made his way to his room and grabbed his cell from the desk to call his master.
oo0oo
Dec 25, 2010, 11:00 am - Blake Residence
Balthazar smiled, so far he had enjoyed Christmas, for the first time in many many years the fact that he was alone wasn't being rubbed in his face. Veronica was pleased with her gifts, and Balthazar was wearing the sweater she had knitted for him. How she had made the thing behind his back he didn't know, but he wasn't complaining.
"One more gift, Beloved."
Balthazar turned to his wife, accepting the box she placed in his hands. It was wrapped in fancy red and gold paper topped with a red and gold bow. Seeing the smile on her face, he decided to open it slowly. It was the last gift of their first Christmas as man and wife he wanted to savour the moment.
Inside the box were two plastic sticks, next to them was a flattened box saying that the contents were the most reliable of pregnancy test. The sticks had plus signs.
Balthazar froze and stared gapping at the pieces of plastic. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Veronica, her face tinged with worry.
A smile spread across his face as he leaned for to alleviate her concerns. Combing his hands through her hair he drew her in for a passionate kiss.
"I take it you're pleased?" she asked once he moved from her mouth to her neck. She leaned into his hand which was caressing her cheek, enjoying the feel of his rough calloused hands. Soft was not a word one would use to describe her husband. Gentle, kind, strong, those words suited him and a new word she had learned a few weeks ago, git.. Even before the betrayal he had always been self-loathing, never seeing his own worth. This vice was even more pronounced all these years later. He was still self-sacrificing, it used to drive her mad and still did, but it remained one of the reasons she loved him. And his touch, while rough and prickly where his stubble from a beard that never grew rubbed against her, was always gentle, and never failed to make her feel safe and treasured.
"You couldn't have given me a better gift." He told her as she continued to melt into his touch. He took a moment to revel in the fact that this sweet, wonderful women had chosen him. "No wonder you didn't drink the wine last night." He paused, his face still no more then a hair's distance from hers. Had she had any alcohol recently? Nope. Despite the holidays, she had not. Not surprising, since they wanted children. They hadn't really been trying, but one-thousand two-hundred and sixty years of separation generally meant one didn't need to try.
"How long?"
"A little over three weeks. I've known for three days."
"Knew you were up to something," he whispered, nibbling her ear lobe.
Nether heard the phone until the second ring and even then it took a few moments for both to register the sound and realise what it meant, they had been too absorbed in each other. Balthazar had to suppress a small fit of rage as the phone continued to ring. "Ignore it," said Balthazar as Veronica stiffened.
The couple let it ring, and all was well once more, for three seconds.
"It must be important," said Veronica.
"It had better be," Balthazar hissed. Heaven help the caller if it wasn't.
"Blake residence," he snapped as by way of greeting.
"Bad timing?"
"Yes, Dave," replied Balthazar his voice tinged with annoyance. If the kid had just called to wish them a happy Christmas… Well, he wouldn't be angry. His annoyance was quickly fading. In fact, it evaporated completely when Balthazar realized that Dave would have known better then to call a second time.
"Sorry," said the apprentice, "but…"
Veronica watched as her husband's brow began to furrow and his hand tighten around the phone. "I'll be there in an hour," announced Balthazar a few minutes later. He hung up the phone and turned to his wife. "It's important."
"Is Dave in danger?"
Balthazar hesitated. "Possibly. He was attacked. He's fine, but they got away."
Veronica hesitated a moment, debating whether or not she should go with him, but she didn't relish the though of an argument with the man about her condition. Not today, at least, though she knew it was inevitable, and frankly the unborn child was doing horrible things to her stomach.
"Then you should go," she told him gently.
Balthazar let out the breath he had been holding. He had seen the conflict in her eyes and really didn't want her to come. All it would take would be one blow to the abdomen… He covered the distance between them in a few short strides, enveloped her in his arm and brought his lips to hers, kissing her deeply before drawing away.
"I'll be back soon."
oo0oo
Outside, two men stood by a hedge just half a block from the Stutler's home.
"How much longer?" asked the younger of the two.
"We'll give the kid fifteen minutes to call his master, then we'll attack."
"I still don't see why we can't just kill the kid."
"Because then he'd end up in the morgue where there are fewer people. Also, we'd then have to deal with police. Bullets move too quickly for my taste. We want the boy in a populated area of the hospital. Try to remember that."
"I still say we can handle Balthazar."
"That's what our parents thought," replied the elder in a patronizing tone. "And our grandfather, and our great grandfather. In case you forgot, Blake killed them all. We'll put his apprentice in the hospital. In close quarters with so many mundanes to worry about, we'll have the advantage."
The younger brother sighed and crossed his arms in an attempt to preserve body heat.
The two sorceres stood outside in the cold for several more minutes before the elder spoke again "Okay, it's been fifteen, let's go."
oo0oo
Daniel Stutler frowned when he heard the doorbell. 'Who in the world could that be? Carol? She's not due till evening.'
Sighing, he got up from his comfortable seat by the fire and made his way to the door.
"Can I help you?" he asked the grinning men.
"Yes, we were wondering, can Dave come out to play?"
Daniel stiffened. The man's voice dripped slime. "You have five seconds to vacate my property. I'm calling the cops."
"I don't think so," said the older one. Daniel's eyes widened as he felt himself fly through the air. Pain seared through his back and knew no more.
Dave had just flipped his cell phone shut when the doorbell rang. He wondered who it could be but shrugged it off, figuring it was just Carol.
So when he heard the crash, he ran downstairs at top speed. "Dad!" yelled Dave when he reached the bottom of the stairwell.
He turned the corner to the front hallway and crashed into the older Morganian from earlier. Dave's mind barely had time to register the face in front of him when he felt a penetrating, radiating pain in his chest. He looked down and saw the hilt of a knife. He stumbled back a few steps and fell.
Dave gasped for breath as the men standing above him continued to talk.
"What about the dad?"
"What about him?"
"Do we kill him?"
"Who do you think is going to call 911 if we do that? Let's go, he'll wake up soon."
Dave absorbed this information through the haze of pain. They weren't going to kill him? Why? Why did they want him at the hospital? He tried to move, knowing what was wrong—he had a punctured lung. He needed to sit up or he would drown in his own blood. Oh God, this hurt. Dave couldn't even raise his hand. Damn. He needed his dad to wake up. Dave craned his neck and saw the top of his father's head.
He focused on the molecules in the air, willing the hydrogen and oxygen to come together above his father's head. Once enough water had gathered the apprentice let it fall.
Daniel sputtered as his eyes shot open. He saw his son and darted towards him.
"Dave!" he cried out his voice thick with panick as he staired down at his bleeding child "Dave, you'll be okay, I swear." Daniel took off his sweater and gently applied pressure to the wound around the knife. Dave tried to tell his father that he needed to be elevated, but the only thing to come out of his mouth was blood and a pathetic gargling sound.
"I'm going to call 911," said Daniel, clutching his son's hand. "I'll be right back."
And he was gone, leaving Dave alone to stare at the ceiling.
oo0oo
When Dave had first become his apprentice, Balthazar had given him an amulet that would enable the master sorcerer to find wherever he was, and right now that amulet wasn't pointing him where Balthazar knew the Stutler house resided. When the hospital came into view, Balthazar visibly paled. Quickly as he could, Balthazar parked the car and ran inside. Using the amulet, he was able to find his way to where his apprentice lay. His complexion became more ashen when he realized his student was in surgery.
"I don't know what you're talking about! How could Dave have been stabbed a week ago? He never mentioned it! He would have told me. You've made a mistake!"
Balthazar froze. He knew that voice—it belonged to Dave's father. The master sorcerer turned a corner and saw Daniel Stutler in a bloody t-shirt and sweat pants. The elder Stutler was talking to—well, yelling—at a petite blonde woman in blue scrubs.
"Sir, calm down or the orderlies will have to escort you out."
"Escort me out? My son was stabbed! Once in our home right in front of me, and you're telling me he was also stabbed last week and didn't tell me?"
"It was a very shallow wound, the first one. As for the second, the surgery is going well so far, just another half hour or so."
Balthazar backed up so he was out of their line of sight and tried to collect his thoughts. Dave was alive. He was in surgery. Surgery was going well, and Dave would be out soon.
The master sorcerer brought his hand to the bridge of his nose as he tried to reign in his emotions. Why had they attacked again so soon after running away? Why hadn't they finished the job?
Balthazar was so lost in thought that he almost didn't see the attack coming, but managed to raise his arm to his face just in time to block the plasma bolt. He hadn't had time to raise a shield and thanked the fates for the dragonhide coat he had stumbled across three centuries ago.
He glanced around the hall. A few nurses, orderlies and doctors were staring at him.
"Sir... did you... bring firecrackers into the hospital?" asked a doctor as he eyed Balthazar warily
"Ummm…" began Balthazar before a crackling sound alerted him to another bolt. This time, he managed to put up a shield before the blow could land. The spectators cried out at the burst of light and started running. Balthazar paid them little heed and frowned when he realized it had come from a different angle. Either his opponent was really fast and invisible or there was more then one.
Still maintaining his shield, he looked up at the nearest camera and quickly willed water to manifest inside its circuitry.
Balthazr turned to a large beefy man in scrubs. "Get everyone to safety!" shouted Balthazar before focusing on slowing down time—the faster he dealt with this the better. If he hurried, Dave's surgery wouldn't be interrupted.
He dropped his shield and ran to where the most recent blast had been launched from only to have to side step to avoid another.
"Hiding?" the master sorcerer goaded. He needed these guys out in the open. Slowing down time would help him end this quicker, but it was draining.
"So, you're the infamous Balthazar Blake," drawled a voice. Balthazar frowned. Something about that voice was familiar. He couldn't pinpoint the source, either—the speaker was using a spell to project.
"Who are you?" asked Balthazar. 'Where are you?' Balthazar was starting to worry. He didn't have long before the spell he was using to slow time drained him, but his opponents were also using the spell, so the same should be true for them as well. He thanked the fates he had decided against teleportation to get to D.C. He would need the energy to fight, especially if one of his opponents was slowing down time for himself as well as the other, which would mean that he was in trouble.
"My name is Alex Pierce," said a voice to Balthazar's left.
The master sorcerer turned to see a dark-haired man with brown eyes. "Pierce… You're Adam Pierce's son?" Balthazar suppressed a groan. This family had proven to be annoying in the past—never a particularly strong threat, but annoying none the less. That was, until now.
"I'm one of them."
Balthazar fell forward as a plasma bolt hit him from behind. He changed his fall into a roll, turned and blasted. He then brought up another shield to block the concussion wave Alex sent his way.
"Careful, we're in a hospital!" shouted Balthazar. He really didn't want any of the equipment damaged. To make matters worse, the place still hadn't cleared out. There was an elderly woman and a nurse still trying to get to the stairwell, and Dave's father had rounded the corner, gaping at the fast-moving blurs before him.
Balthazar looked around. He was in a hospital—there should be sharp pointy things around somewhere. He smiled. There were three syringes a few feet away that had fallen to the floor in the confusion. Balthazar levitated and launched them towards the Pierce sibling who hadn't introduced himself. A couple of them landed in his right cheek and the third in the left eye.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Ethan!" shouted Alex Pierce as Balthazar turned to face him.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Balthazar sent a plasma bolt to the man's face. The master sorcerer smiled when he realized that Alex was taking time to fall to the floor. Ethan had been slowing down time for both him and his brother so that Alex would have a huge advantage, but once Ethan had been dealt with, Alex hadn't stood a chance.
Balthazar ended his time spell and darted to Ethan who was still conscious. He removed a ring on the man's right hand having seen it glowing before he sent the syringes flying. Once Ethan was no longer a viable threat, he went to check on Alex.
The elder Pierce brother's face was baldly burned and Balthazar doubted those eyes would ever see again. He took the man's focus, another ring, and pocketed it.
He turned to see Daniel Stutler and the woman the man had been speaking to staring at him. The nurse and elderly woman who had just reached the entrance to the stairwell were also now staring at him.
"Sorry about the disturbance," said Balthazar calmly. "These two tend to go a little nuts with the firecrackers." He stood to leave deciding to let the mundanes tell themselves whatever lie they wanted. He raised his hands and cast a spell, first on the nurse and elderly woman, and their eyes glazed over. It was a simple memory spell—they would forget his face, forget even what he was wearing. He did the same to Daniel Stutler and the woman the elder Stuler was with before bolting down the hallway. He really needed to get away.
oo0oo
Dave smiled as a warm tingling sensation enveloped him. He opened his eyes to see Balthazar. The master sorcerer's hand was hovering over Dave's chest where the apprentice had been stabbed. Dave's hospital gown had been partially removed to expose his wound.
"Balthazar?"
"Hey, almost done. Just another half hour and you'll be healed."
"What are you wearing? You look…"
"Normal?"
"ish, sorta... well not really," replied Dave. The master sorcerer snorted, he was wearing a light blue shirt, no pocket watch with charm adorned chain, no gloves or red arm warmers. Most of his decoy rings were gone as was his hat and coat. His hair, however, was still a bird's nest, and he just seemed off. He wasn't very comfortable in his attire and, as always, had the air of someone who just didn't belong, he also looked like he needed a shave.
Dave took a deep breath, appreciating the fact that the act not longer hurt. It was then he noticed his dad sitting in a chair on his left. The man's head was bowed and he wasn't moving.
"Dad asleep?"
"Yeah, I cast a spell on him when I came in. You'll have to wake him and leave as soon as I'm done healing you, Dave. We don't want the doctors wondering about your miraculous recovery."
"Dad?"
"Doesn't know, but he will after I'm done healing you. The police were leaving when I came in. What did you tell them?"
"Exactly what happened, sorta. I told them the first stab wound was from an accident in the kitchen. A knife fell off the counter and I'm a clutz. They didn't believe me."
Balthazar suppressed a smile. "The second?" he prompted.
"I told them I heard a crash and ran downstairs. I turned the corner and had a knife in my chest."
"Did they believe you?"
"Yes, that's what happened, so I didn't have to lie. They told me they had caught the ones responsible. They were in the hospital earlier, setting off firecrackers?"
Balthazar sighed and told his apprentice about the fight with the Pierce brothers. "I took their focus. Since your dad was there, he was able to ID them. They're probably still in this hospital somewhere, only this time they're patients."
"Do we need to worry about them?"
"They don't have their focuses. They can't use magic, and if they try to tell the truth, they'll be locked up in a mental institution instead of prison."
"So what happened after the fight?"
"I did a little memory modification on witnesses, the ones who were still around, so they wouldn't recognize me, then I bolted. I didn't want to answer questions. I went to buy some clothes since most people ran off at the first sign of trouble. I wasn't able to modify the memory of everyone who saw me. I thought a change of clothes would help. I waited a bit longer before trying to find you. I claimed to be your uncle to get your room number, but cops were standing outside your door talking to your dad. I waited until they left, cast a sleep spell on your dad and started healing you. Punctured lungs are easy to fix once the blood has been removed and the worst damage repaired by professionals. You'll be fine soon."
"Will it scar?"
"Yes, but it will be faint. I also brought some of your clothes. You can change into them when we're done."
"You'll stay and help me explain things to my dad, right?"
"Of course. Your ring, where is it?"
"At home, on my dresser. I took it off when I was patching up my stab wound."
Balthazar nodded, for once grateful that Dave hadn't been wearing the ring. Getting it back from the police would have been difficult.
"So," started Dave after a few moments of silence. "How was your Christmas?"
Balthazar smiled, Dave stared at his master. This was no mischievous grin. This wasn't even a grin, or a smirk or anything, this was a genuine smile devoid of all emotion save joy.
Dave had never seen his master with such an expression.
"Do I want to know?"
Balthazar chuckled. "Veronica's pregnant."
"Seriously?" asked Dave as he started to sit up then flinched and relaxed back into the mattress. He found himself grateful for the chest wound. He had been about to hug Balthazar and that would have been awkward. He looked back up at his master.
"Boy or girl?" asked Dave excitedly "Do you know? Can you find out? How far along?"
"Could be either, no, not yet and don't want to, four weeks," replied Balthazar calmly.
"Oh wow, this is—this is great." 'Balthazar and Veronica are going to have a kid.' Dave thought happily. He wondered if he would have babysitting duty instead of shop cleaning duty for punishment in the future.
The two sat in silence for a time. Eventually, Balthazar straightened and stretched out his limbs.
"Ready to talk to your dad?"
"No, but might as well get this over with."
"I'll soundproof the room in case things get vocal."
"Good idea."
A few minutes later, Balthazar had finished his task. He waved his hand and Daniel Stutler began to stir.
"Hi, Dad," said Dave cheerily.
"Dave? You shouldn't be sitting up. Why is your robe half off?" His eyes widened. "Dave…" continued the older man as he reached out and gently traced the faint lines of a scar. "What happened?"
"Well… it's a long story. Umm, the short version is I'm a sorcerer, I can speed up time, slow it down, shoot plasma bolts, levitate things... it's all very magical."
Daniel Stutler opened and closed his mouth, then opened and closed it again. He repeated the activity several times before firmly closing his mouth, leaning back in his chair, letting out a breath as he looked up at the ceiling, then lowering his head to stare back at his son.
"And you can heal yourself with magic?"
"Not very well. Balthazar did this," replied Dave looking over his father's shoulder at the master sorcerer.
Daniel whipped his head around and saw Balthazar leaning casually against the wall arms crossed. He was smiling in greeting, as the elder Stutler eyed his clothes and un-kept hair. Daniel frowned for some reason, this man seemed familiar. "Do I know you?" His eyes widened at the realization that the fight he had witnessed had been the result of magic. He couldn't remember what the victor had looked like, and this man seemed familiar.
"You're him, aren't you? The one who blinded those men, the ones who attacked me and Dave."
Balthazar nodded. "My name is Balthazar Blake. Dave's my apprentice. I'm teaching him sorcery."
Daniel's eyes widened his mind flashing back to ten year old Dave claiming a wizard had given him a magic ring before saving him from an evil wizard and getting sucked into an urn. Daniel's eyes narrowed in realisation. "The Arcana Cabana? This is the man who got sucked into that urn? Wait, isn't 'Balthazar' the name of your English tutor?"
Dave nodded. "Yeah, he's been helping me with more than just magic. Something about me being 'well rounded'…" A moment of silence passed. "You're taking this better then I thought," added Dave.
"Say that once the shock wears off," replied Daniel. His brow furrowed in thought as he tried to remember everything about the Arcana Cabana. That incident was the key—it was where this whole mess had started. Almost everything wrong with his son's life could be traced to that place. "Where does that ridiculous ring come into things?"
"The ring is my focus. It helps me with my magic. I'm a lot weaker without it."
Daniel nodded as he awkwardly combed his hand through his hair.
"Before the shock does wear off," said Balthazar, "We need to go. Dave's healed and we don't want the doctors to see that. It will lead to questions none of us want to answer. I brought over a change of clothes. While Dave gets dressed, you can tell the doctors he's leaving and get a wheelchair. He shouldn't be able to walk yet."
"Yes, yes, I'll go do that…"
oo0oo
By the time the three men were settled into Balthazar's Phantom, Daniel Stutler was barely suppressing his rage. Dave had lied to him—well, lied by omission, but that was still lying as far as Daniel was concerned. Worse still, if the fight outside Dave's surgery was anything to go by, this sorcery thing was very dangerous. Still, the man knew how to control or at least suppress his emotions. He kept his exterior calm, but Dave, who sat in the back with him, knew his father and he knew the man's tells.
Daniel Stutler was stiff, his eyes hard and he stared straight ahead. His nose was slightly crinkled, a sure sign he was barely keeping himself in check.
'So much for the shock,' thought Dave. 'Maybe we should have finished talking in the hospital where he'd be worried about causing a scene, not like he knew Balthazar sound proofed the room..'
The ride was silent and over all too soon for Dave, but for Daniel, it had given him plenty of time to run over the facts. His son had lied to him. His son had put his own life in danger as well as the lives of those close to him by pursuing a life with magic. Then there was the fact that he doubted Balthazar had brought over a change of clothes from New York, which meant the sorcerer had broken into his home. His home. Bad enough it had been invaded by the two psychos from earlier, but this, this pied piper as well? The ride had given Daniel plenty of time to stew and build up his anger.
The trio climbed out of the car. Once the door was locked and the three gathered in the living room, Daniel Stutler turned to his son, his anger finally reaching it's breaking point as he turned to his son ready to unleash his fury.
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