They met at the cabin, six of them in all: Bobby, Alex, Mike, Carolyn, Zach, and Megan, who'd left her daughter with her grandmother in New Rochelle to escape the bombing. Mike Logan had already taken one look at Alex's pregnant belly and said, "I wondered when you and Bobby were going to hook up." This evoked a glare from the pregnant woman and flabbergasted stuttering from her partner.

As it turned out, Nola Falacci had been in Oregon that day and thus had her own problems to deal with out in Seattle. As for Zach's partner Serena, they had heard she had been found underneath a pile of rubble on the Lower East Side. Her daughter had already gone to live with her father for the week, a now permanent solution. Zach stood by the fireplace, still in shock by his partner's death. He'd never really met Kira, but he had gotten to know her mother pretty well. It was a senseless loss, yet somehow he knew that he had to go on, for Serena's sake.

After the initial flurry of reunions and introductions, Carolyn stood up and coughed for attention. She got it only after Bobby managed to quiet everyone down long enough for her to begin speaking.

"I think we all know why we're here, so I'll just start. Attacks are taking place all over the world. Major cities are being attacked and no one knows why. Here's what we need to do: figure out who's doing this and stop it."

"Shouldn't the FBI be involved?" shouted Mike.

"The local office was one of the buildings that came down in the first wave." This drew a series of whispers from the group. "I hate to sound cliché, but it's up to us to figure it out. Communications to outside the city have been cut. We're on our own, so I can start taking suggestions." Carolyn got off the chair she'd been standing on. "I know a place," Zach began reluctantly. "it's not far from here, but... I know the owner. She could help us."

Everyone was silent for a long moment. At last, Carolyn spoke up. "Who is she?" Zach shrugged. "She calls herself Sophia. Sophia Nichols." The lanky detective lead them to a debilitated building in Staten Island. The stairs he guided them down were rickety and dank. Alex worried, briefly, whether her coworker and friend had finally lost his mind. At last, the stairs ended at an ornate wooden door with a silver knob. Zach put his thumb to the centre of the knob. The door clicked and opened. What the detectives found was completely contrary to what they had been lead to believe by the door's surroundings. On either side of the aisle exotic tents were set up, in various shades of purple. Inside lay nearly every type of fantastical creature any of the detectives had heard of, and then some. A female satyr lay in the tent closest to the door, too wrapped up in the attractive young pisky boys who were giving her what looked like an elaborate lap dance-slash-strip tease. "Your mother owns a strip joint? I thought she was a psychologist." said Mike. Zach gave him a dirty look. "Not exactly. She only does this so she can record the various types of, ah, stimuli that can affect different... different..." the detective trailed off, at a loss for words. "Species?" Carolyn supplied. "Which are you?" Zach was silent for a long time. Just when Carolyn thought she had offended him somehow, he whispered, "Human, or at least my father is. Mother... you'll- you'll meet her in a few moments. Besides, she has a Park Avenue practise during the week. This is just a little side project." They made their way through the rows of canopies, the smokey atmosphere making it hard to discern where they were going. Finally, they came to a curtained doorway. Zach took a moment to straighten his tie and run his hand through his hair. Then he entered the private room, the rest of the detectives following suit. They were greeted by the sight of a blonde woman sitting in an expensive-looking armchair, a pair of elven servants laying out what seemed to be Mrs Dr Nichols's supper. Looking at the woman, it wasn't hard to see why her sons felt just as much fear for her as they did love. Her wavy locks flowed over her pale shoulders like an ice-cold waterfall. Her eyes looked like miniature pools of ink from an octopus, from corner to corner they were entirely black. This gave her face an inherently unnerving quality. The hair on Bobby's neck stood on end, as did nearly everyone else's. "Mother," Zach said apprehensively. "I- we need your help." "How so, my son?" she asked. Her voice was like liquid silver, cold and beautiful all at the same time. "Gentlemen," she said to her companions. "bring some food and drink for my son and his guests." They bowed and left through a servants' entrance. She turned back to the group and approached her son. She reached up and kissed him on either cheek. "You look well, my son! Have you yet found someone special?" she said, eying each woman in the group. She paused for a moment on Alex's swollen belly. Sensing her gaze, the detective took her partner's hand and shuffled closer. Zach blushed and stepped between his mother and his friend. "No, Mother. Not yet." His mother gave a small half-smile. "Hm. You're avoiding the question." she turned and sat back down in her chair. The two servants reappeared from wherever they'd gone laden with a tray heaped with a variety of fruits, pastas, breads and fine meats, as well as seven glasses of spiced wine, which the servants handed to each detective. Alex politely declined a drink, though Zach could practically feel the hunger coming off of her in waves. "Mother, can we please stick to the, uh, topic at hand?" His mother smiled and reached for a roll to pass to the pregnant detective. Zach put his hand on hers, preventing it. "I hope these are human foods." His mother smirked.

"Don't worry, my son, I know better." She shook off his hand and passed the roll. Alex devoured it, though a bit apprehensive due to what Zach had said about it being "human" food. She had read her share of fairy tales when she was young, and knew perfectly well what certain foods could do when they had been served by a fairy, which it was becoming clearer and clearer Mrs Dr Nichols was.

"Mom, we need to know if you've heard anything about these attacks."

"Ma'am the entire city could be at stake." Mike interjected. "Whatever info you give us will convince us not to order a drug raid on this place when this is all over." Zach gave the other detective a reproachful look. Mike shrugged. "Sorry, buddy. I smelled weed and opium when we first came in." Zach's mother surprised them by laughing, a full, hearty laugh that drew tears from her eyes. When she stopped, she explained to the puzzled detectives,

"Your narcotics unit has had their eye on this place for years! Not to mention that silly group of prudes you call a "Vice" unit!" At this, Alex stiffened. Five years in that unit had not been in vain: she'd put away plenty of heads of exploitative prostitution rings, not to mention the time she'd done wearing a tight mini-skirt and halter to attract johns.

"Look, maybe this was a bad idea, Mom." Zach said, standing up. "If the only thing you're going to do is belittle me and my coworkers, then I- I- I- I'm sorry I even came!" He turned to leave, but the two elf servants blocked his way.

"I never said I didn't respect your work, my son." his mother said softly. She glanced at his companions, who were either looking away awkwardly or watching with great interest at the family drama. "I won't embarrass you in front of your coworkers, for whom I have a great respect." Zach turned back to his mother. "I've many wonderful things about them. All of them." She looked her son straight in the eye. "What do you need to know?"