Well I sure had a full day today. First a warlock fleeing council custody was loosed on Chicago, so yours truly had to hunt him down and capture him, then we held the trial in some seedy warehouse on the docks, at which he was found guilty and executed. Then the gatekeeper tells me there is black magic afoot, via handwritten note, Ebenezer McCoy, my mentor and grandfather, tells me there's corruption in the senior council, and shortly after that, I'm asked to use my connections with the fairy court to figure out why the fairies aren't helping in our war against the vampires, and just when I think there's enough on my plate, someone tries to park their car in the back seat of my Blue Beetle. I managed to correct the spin of my car and just pop up onto the sidewalk instead of flip into the store front or roll into oncoming traffic, so thankfully only I was hurt. My head was split open, driver side caved in pinning me, and mangling my left leg. I tore myself out anyway, not wanting to be an easy target. It was a blue sedan, maybe a Honda civic or accord, but I didn't get the plates.

I flopped out the window, with little time to react to a gray Chrysler gunning for me as well. I jumped, hoping I would get on top of my Beetle, but instead I rolled over the top of the hard metal battleship of a car and rolled a little after hitting the ground. I looked blearily at the car and committed the plate to memory then dragged myself to the blue beetle and passed out on the sidewalk.

"Damn, Harry? Harry Dresden? What happened to you, boy?" Grayson, an old stereotype of a portly but strong good cop rushed to me from his police cruiser that he parked with lights on to redirect traffic away from my wreck. He got on his phone instead of radio, and just gave his location and said he had me half conscious and bleeding on the side of the road. He begged to call the EMT but winced from the answer. He asked me more questions but I couldn't really answer, I felt like my whole face was swollen, my arms and legs only obeyed me after coaxing, and Grayson pulled me into a stable upright position and checked my eyes with a flashlight. He kept patting my shoulder, when I tried to nod off, until an angel in blue jeans and white tank top with a French braid that came to her butt under a cubs ball cap and polarized aviators patted his shoulder. He left to his car and I noticed another uniform cop directing traffic.

"Harry, are you okay?" she put the back of her hand on my face, and the cold of her knuckles on my hot forehead was a welcome relief. My cut was sealed the swelling began to go down, and my bruises were already passed the ugly purple and were now yellow blotches all over my left side. The broken ankle and gashed leg were set and still closing. All in all, I was doing all right.

"Here in Hazard County, we don't much cotton to hit and run automotive assaults."

"You're talking funny, Harry, you been drinking?" Karen's a cop, so I didn't take offense. Instead I opened my mouth and licked my new fangs. She snorted and shook her head.

"Uncle Jesse is gonna be mighty cross someone beat up the General Lee."

"Yeah, yeah, Harry, be normal, a sec, if you're so loopy you can't answer my questions, I'll have to take you to a hospital."

"Sorry, Murph, just laughing to keep from crying."

"What happened?"

"Blue Honda T-boned me, spun me, didn't get his plates, but then a grey Chrysler hits me, I rolled off his hood… I got his plates but they're all jumbled in here." I pointed at my head. "Lemme…" Murph handed me her notebook after jotting down what I said, and I put the letters and numbers down. "Not sure if that's the right order. I can always ask the demon in my head what she saw."

"Maybe once you've recovered. I don't want her taking advantage." Karen responded. She knew about Laciel. After I went on a date with Laciel and Maggie to the Aquarium thinking Laciel was Murphy the whole time, I told Murph what a great time it was, and how we should do things like it more often and she calmly explained to me that I was insane. So I told her about the demon in my head that likes to look like her, and she tried to believe me. In the least she humors me. "So what have you gotten into this time?"

"Hells bells, Murph, I only got the case half an hour ago, and I've already had an attempt on my life."

"You sure it was deliberate?"

"If I were human, I'd be dead." I grumbled. Karen shivered but tried not to express her concern openly. She helped me into her car, grabbed Maggie's car seat and a cardboard box of things out of my trunk, and then threw them in the backseat of the car.

"Lets get you home." Murphy began to say, and then rocked her head back like a teenager being told to do chores. "Wait, there are reports to file. I'll grab Grayson." After Grayson finished his report he asked about the bloody cloak. I showed him my fangs and said I sometimes do monster cosplay, and it was all fake blood. He laughed about young folks and weird hobbies then went on his way. "You're getting better at lying. I don't like it."

I shrugged. "There's a lot I need to tell you about."

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you too." She said slowly. "You first." The car ride home I explained the day I had. It was kind of awkward around the part where we just beheaded a human in Chicago, but she dropped it as best as she could. Meaning she would try to find evidence and prosecute if she could, but didn't feel like arguing with me about it. When we got back I kissed my little girl and sat on the couch then let Karen clean the blood off my robes and cloak while I talked to Maggie.

My apartment had changed significantly since last year. I moved the bookshelves into a corner, stacked on top of each other so they reached the ceiling, and moved the dresser that was converted into a TV stand when I got the new bed, into the corner in front of the book shelves. The punching bag was moved to the lab, and one of the couches broke under Thomas's shattering sexcapades, so we just threw it away. In the new space, on top of the freshly carpeted floor, was a white and chrome drum set, a stand with a white base, and black guitar sharing it, and an old beat up acoustic guitar, all bought from a pawnshop that specialized in instruments. The rugs from the floor were hung on the walls, and the newly linoleum covered kitchen floor took a rug from the living room, and the one that was there went by the fireplace where Mouse slept. Murphy hadn't been around much so she didn't know about the repairs. The door had been replaced thanks to Thomas, who was surprisingly good at carpentry, and after replacing my windows I decided to bar the ones that faced the street.

"So what's with all the changes?" Karen asked, sitting by me with water, painkillers, and a sandwich. Bless her. I took a bite, the pills and a swig, then settled into the remaining couch, a rickety wooden futon that wasn't rickety before my brother moved in. a while back Karen and I saved Billy the werewolf from marrying a fairy. In the course of the rescue it was brought to my attention just how much Karen meant to me, which was a big problem. We kissed at the wedding, but it wasn't like any other kiss we shared, it meant something. Since then she would try to suggest we separate, she wouldn't let me feed the fun way any more, and she'd have convenient excuses not to be around. I was starting to think she didn't like me.

"I've had a little time to myself lately, so I decided to renovate. The carpet is a hell of a lot cheaper than rugs, I've found out, and I had to fix things around this place any way. I promised Butters we would join his band, so we have practice here. My neighbors are deaf and the tapestries mute a lot of the sound in here." I tried not to sound mad at her but duh we have a creepy psychic link. She looked pained but resolved not to act like it. She spoke to Maggie who at two years old, repeated everything she heard, and liked to pretend she contributed to our conversations with the few solid phrases she kept in her repertoire. Oddly enough she knew the appropriate times and places to say them and really did contribute at times. To Maggie, Murphy was Muffy, which I loved to call her, as it was close to buffy. And Thomas found just as much humor in it for different reasons so he called her that too.

Thomas came out of the bathroom in tight blue jeans and nothing else, saw Muffy was over and quickly took a blue cotton tee from his trunk and dawned it. I was tall and skinny, with broad shoulders and long arms, while Thomas looked muscly but boyish and lean. All in all he appealed to a wider crowd than I. and Muffy was one of them. She smiled and admired the view then looked at me and gave me the 'what?' face. "Hey, Muffy, what's new?"

"Its Lieutenant Murphy to you pretty boy." She flirted!

"Thank you for the compliment." Thomas FLIRTED BACK!?

"Nothing unusual: strange murders, black magic, rampant monsters."

"Attempted vehicular homicide of your friendly neighborhood wizard." I added.

"Oh yeah? Thomas asked, chugging MY water on his way to the fridge then bringing a coke for him and me. Okay I did want a coke, actually. Muffy snorted probably feeling my unguarded angst.

"You got more trouble blow into town Harry?" Thomas asked as we clinked cans. It's a tradition from when kings were passed a glass of wine they would clink drinks so their wine spilled into another person's cup, so if they were poisoned everyone else would be too. Somehow it became a good luck ritual and now, Thomas and I just did it, every beer or soda freshly opened, we habitually cheers. I doubt my brother would ever poison me, but habits die hard.

"I haven't had time to check into it yet."

"Well, let me know if you need me. I gotta go." He kissed Maggie goodbye, she said 'be safe, tommy.'

"That was awkward. You not getting along?" Karen asked.

" I don't know, he was having trouble finding work, then all of a sudden he stopped coming home, he still helps with Maggie but, he and I aren't ever in the same place at the same time any more."

"You worried about him?"

"Well yeah, he's really well fed lately. Meanwhile, I'm starving." I might have put emphasis on the phrase, or maybe the cpl drove my point home, but Karen winced.

"You know, when Mom and I weren't talking, you got us to get over it and I opened up to her about work, and she told me more about dad. I had read the black cat cases when I took over SI but hearing it from Mom was amazing. Were closer now than ever and it's because I listened to you. Why don't you listen to yourself some time?"

"It's a guy thing, it doesn't work the same."

"So you just brood in the dark about it?" she shook her head and put Maggie on the floor. "What are you going to do now?"

"Make some calls, wait till sundown, do some magic."

"Mind if I take Maggie to the park? There are usually kids at this time."

"Sure." I rubbed my neck then stood. The injuries were completely gone, and thanks to the painkillers I felt great. Karen packed a bag for Maggie while I took Maggie to pee then handed her over. Within a couple of months Maggie completely accepted potty training. As long as we made her go regularly she wouldn't wet herself, so she no longer wore diapers. Her baby bag was so small now, just change of clothes, a couple diapers and wipes, then cute little sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, and snacks. Karen added bottled water, and grabbed our picnic blanket then led Maggie up the stairs to the car. Mouse wined until I agreed to let him go too.

I called the summer knight, then everyone I knew in the supernatural scene; Morty the ectomancer, Billy the werewolf, Butters the mortician, and Ivy the archive, a ridiculously adorable little girl with all the knowledge of the ages. Nothing. No sign of the dark and a meeting with summer tomorrow at noon. Well shoot. So I consulted Bob about using little Chicago; an exact scale replica of most of Chicago and some of the lake area. It was made of parts of the real thing, and extensively researched to ensure it was accurate. This sort of thing was a powerful thaumaturgic tool.

My basement changed a bit too. I still had the wall of built in shelves but the 4 wooden dining tables I had in two rows were pushed together and centered so I could move better and little Chicago took over two of them on the far end. In one corner was the punching bag, the other had my 3-foot diameter ring under which, Laciel's coin was hidden, and centered was a dresser that had a granite top that had a sink like bowl centered in it. There was a glass bowl inside so I didn't use the actual granite sink. Above that was a shelf with African fertility goddesses acting as candleholders and bookends, and among his harem of buxom bookends was Bob the skull.

We discussed the complexity of the model then looked it over for flaws to ensure I didn't blow myself up, then I set to work cleansing myself for the application of it. I would look for a ton of fear, which usually went hand in hand with black magic, and it was easy enough for a white court vampire to sniff out anyway… but then the damn phone rang. It was Molly, claiming to be in some sort of trouble, calling from jail. At some point in my extensive cleansing ritual Karen and Maggie had returned, and were playing with mega blocks in the other room. When the phone rang Karen rushed out to answer or silence it, but it was too late and I was upset. She loaded Maggie up into the car when I agreed to bail Molly out and insisted on driving since I might still be concussed and it was her car any way. I didn't argue.

When we got there I couldn't help but notice a white sedan following us, who parked away from us enough to seem innocuous but still able to observe us. Muffy noticed the same thing and indicated so as she helped Maggie out and walk up to the police station. We got inside and Molly seemed a bit perplexed. I now had a pet wooly mammoth and wife and kid, in the three years that I had been out of her life. I was surprised too; let me tell you, Molly was rebellious, but now looked like a Goth rock band music video.

"Long time no see, Harry." She said with her speech impeded by the metal bar in her tong.

"Funny, doesn't look much like you're in jail to me, Molly." I said with speech a little impeded by my new fangs. She cocked her head to the side and looked intently at my mouth. Then she looked at Mouse who had taken a protective position over Maggie, who stood holding his fur protectively.

"When did you get a dog?" "Two years ago, so you gonna tell me why you tried to manipulate me into coming here?" "I should apologize. What breed is he?" she tried to pet him but he growled. Odd. Maybe his protective instinct over Maggie kicked in or something. "Paleolithic Shepherd. And he wants to know why too." Admittedly I took advantage of his intimidation tactic. She backed up and fidgeted a bit.

"I'm sorry, I just figured if I could talk to you in person-"

"You could flutter your eyelashes and get me to do anything."

"That's not it."

"Oh yeah? Then enlighten me, Molly."

"I didn't mean it to be a bad thing."

"Manipulation is always a bad thing."

"But I need your help. My friend is in trouble."

"My kind of trouble?" she nodded. I looked at Karen and she just shrugged, trying to stay out of it until she had more information. That's another of her cop specific traits I know and love. Being objective. She knows I'm incapable of being objective when a pretty face is involved. And children; like the oldest child of my best male human friend. She crossed her arms and cop faced Molly. "What's this friend's name?"

"Nelson."

"He your age?" she didn't have much of a poker face, and I could look inpatient with the best of them.

"He's two years older."

"Well tell your legal adult friend Nelson, he can call a bail bondsman or his own family, I'm taking you home."

"He can't they said they won't come till tomorrow, and he has no family, he's an orphan." Well damn. Until 3 years ago I had no family myself. All of a sudden I found my brother and harem of half sisters, my grandfather, and acquired a daughter and a dog. Hell, if I was allowed to say it, I even got a girlfriend too.

"Well damn." I said, Muffy snorted. "What's legal adult friend, Nelson in for?"

"He didn't do it."

"Lots of folks got to jail for that, what were the other charges?" Muffy scoffed. Molly didn't like that but looked down.

"Aggravated assault, but he couldn't have done it!" she blurted out quickly. I looked at Muffy and she opted to hide her expressions with her giant aviators despite it being twilight.

"Why didn't you call your dad?"

"He's not a fan of Nelson, and mom doesn't know about him." I sighed. That could only mean one thing. I baled legal adult, boyfriend Nelson out. Muffy smiled and shook her head. While I was paying and doing paperwork for his release, Muffy got Mouse to be cordial with Molly, and the two introduced themselves properly.

Legal adult boyfriend Nelson, lets just call him Nelson for short, was skinny, tall, dark hair light eyes, handsome, dressed like James Dean on a budget, and had gauged ears, a nose ring, and tong ring of his own. They hugged when he came out but she turned her cheek to his kiss, and he took a second to get the clue. He let go and fidgeted then was introduced to me. "Thanks, I guess."

"Sure, sure, tell me about this trouble you're in."

"Can't I gotta be somewhere."

"Yeah, here, telling me what happened." He took a stance Karen does sometimes and she picked up on it immediately. She came to my side and had a relaxed posture that looked harmless enough but was something I feared being on the receiving end of.

"Or else what?"

"Or else I get you put right back in there without chance of bail. So go ahead and throw that punch buddy, I'll lay you out and get my money back." He thought about it, looking me up and down. He operated under the assumption that I didn't know how to fight, but looking at me, he realized skill wasn't the only factor. In my tight dark grey shirt with a polaroid of storm troopers at a baseball game with their masks painted in their team colors, and tight black jeans tucked into combat boots, I looked in shape enough. I looked heavy, as I was about half a foot taller than him, and best yet, I had a woman on my arm that looked in shape as hell and limber enough to put him in holds he wouldn't learn from only one martial art. He licked his lips nervously.

"You can't do that."

"But I can." Muffy showed him her badge and he relaxed. I rolled my eyes.

"Nelson, he wants to help you." Molly added

"Yeah right."

"He'll believe you."

"Why should he?"

"Because I'm a vampire." I smiled broadly, flashing my new fangs and sparkling white smile. My eyes turned from storm cloud grey to metallic silver, casting back any light like a bicycle reflector. He stepped back, and I pulled him by his cheap leather jacket sleeve back to the car. We all buckled in, Molly buckled Maggie in, and then I checked for our tail. He was still there. "Where to?"

"O'Hare."

"Groovy. Now spill."

"Well I'm not sure what happened. I was in the bathroom at Splattercon-"

"Splattercon?"

"Oh, it's a horror movie convention."

"Jeez okay, go on."

"Well I was sitting in the stall when I heard someone come in, the door is really squeaky, but the guy came in and starts screaming."

"What guy? You know him?"

"Clark Pell. He lent us his movie theatre close to the convention for the big screenings."

"Okay, go on."

"Well I finished up and came out to see what happened and Clark Pell was there on the floor beaten bad, bleeding and bruised. The cops come in and I'm the only one there, only one who came or left beside Clark, so I get the rap. Windows are too small to fit through, bathrooms sound proof and the one door is noisy as hell. It sounded like two people to me so he didn't do it to himself… it was like a ghost did it."

"Well, it sounds up my alley all right. I'll drop you off at the airport, take Molly to her parents, and head to Splattercon to investigate, savvy?"

"MY PARENTS!?" Molly protested.

"You lied to me, Molly. I'll check out your illegal boyfriend's story, but you need Jesus… better yet, your father. End of story." Karen stifled another signature snort then after a long silence hit me with a bombshell.

"Harry, I need to break up with you." She blurted out.

"Where did that come from?" I arched an eyebrow at her.

"I've been trying to for days, but you keep steering things away, now there's no distractions, I had to do it." I punched the dashboard. "Don't take it out on my car."

"I'll take it out on whatever I want. I'll take it out on a frickin shrub if I want to, an abandoned building, or better yet; if you ever date again, I'll find him, and throw your freaking car at him," I ranted. "on fire!" I added as an afterthought, my eyes went silver and the passengers in the back seat smelled rich with fear. "I'm a big boy, I'll do whatever the hell I please!" I tried to back down my temper and sulked into my seat.

"So this is how you exercise your adulthood? Throwing a temper tantrum because someone took away your bottle?" she baby talked the last part and Maggie backed her up with 'temper temper, daddy'.

"That's not it" I brooded. White court invented brooding, and I can brood with the best of them.

"That's exactly it. I'm food. Comfort food. I'm an ice-cream Sunday." Murph tried to patiently explain to me.

"With whip cream," I added on reflex.

"And a cherry on top." She nodded with a smile.

"And little pink sprinkles." I tried to keep her smiling. Maybe I could cute then sexy her out of leaving me.

"Off subject." She said firmly, waiving a hand. Nope. "Point is, I'm food and one day you'll get tired of ice-cream. I want to be more. I want to be a wife, I want to have children, and if I have any hope of making it happen I need to act now, not when you get tired of me and I'm old and infertile." She risked a look at me, to see my brooding face.

"What about Maggie?" I gestured at the little girl in the car seat between Molly and her boyfriend. 'What about Maggie?' my daughter echoed.

"I love Maggie, I won't be gone, and nothing else will change." She sounded like she was going to cry. "You're my friend, Harry, and I'll always be there for you…" her voice cracked. If it hurts don't do it, damn it! "I just won't sleep with you any more. We worked like that for years before. It'll just go back to being that way."

"No"

"Well it's already over, you don't have a choice."

"You don't have a choice." I replied rather darkly, eyes aglow again. Okay they don't glow as much as they reflect but you get the idea, its creepy, like those videos of monsters in the dark and the light on the camera reflects back, making big glowing yellow eyes on film. I looked creepy.

"Is that a threat?" Murphy's cop voice came out in full force.

I blew out my breath and counted to ten Mississippi. "No. Its just that you're so smart, and sexy and you can take a beating and get up and say 'that's all you got?' and kick some ass, and that's so cool. Then you're compassionate, and motherly, and adorable, and I love…" Oopse. "…That about you."

"Wow, usually guys tell me what a bitch I am when I leave them." We both smiled painfully. "Nothing is changing between us, just the sex."

"It's not about the sex. I can live without the sex, but do you have to go out with other guys?"

"That's kid of the point. How will I fall in love and have a family without first dating other men?"

"Have your family with me." I blurted out without thinking. After a long pause she had to clear her throat.

"You know we cant. If we fall in love, it could kill you. Aside from that, I'll grow old and die, and you will look exactly the same and live for centuries. It's better this way. So drop it."

My host? Laciel appeared in my lap as her usual pseudo-Murphy form. I jumped in my seat then willed us to the interrogation room.

"Don't do that."

"My apologies but she has a point. I believe you're dangerously in love with Karen as it is. If she falls for you, it would be dangerous."

"I don't care"

"Well I do. If you die I do. I cannot let you endanger yourself."

"Then find a way I can kill my incubus." I snarled at her.

"Are you certain, my host? You depend so much on that part of you it would weaken you greatly."

"I'd rather be weaker and human than be a powerful monster." She looked almost sad, then smiled compassionately at me; that same smile Karen wears when she sees me hurt and tries to be strong.

"You would, wouldn't you? I'll consider it. There is another option, my host."

"What?"

"Well, if you feed on something other than lust, and condition yourself so Karen is the opposite of your preferred prey, you would not instinctually feed on her. You're already making great progress in controlling your hunger as it is."

"Yeah, with your help, I worked out the kiss of death, and I don't feed on her every time we touch any more."

"Indeed, my host. Further more, I've seen white court elders feed on a room without touching anyone, if the atmosphere is thick enough with the desired emotion. He fed on fear, and did terrible things to incite fear in his prey so he needn't even touch them to feed. And unlike lust, your victim pool is broader. You can feed on males as well as females, even creatures."

"Sounds evil."

"Please, consider it. When up against the dark so often, the people you save and your enemies will be heavy with fear. It's a noble mitigation of so terrible a thing, in my opinion." I looked at her, across the table looking subservient. I knew what she wanted. But on the other hand she had aided me well enough so far. As long as I kept her locked up… or thought I kept her locked up, I could use her help. Yeah right.

"Beat it. I'm tired."

"As you wish my host."

"Were here. Chez Carpenter." Muffy nudged my shoulder.

"What? Really?"

"Yeah, you freaked out like a cat jumped on you, then passed out. I thought someone shot you or something. We took the boy to the airport then I brought the girl to the address on her drivers license."

"Why'd…"

"… Because she wouldn't tell me." I looked back at Molly. So this is what Maggie would be like in 15 years? Lord give me strength.

"Yeah, I'll walk her to the door, on second thought come with; I'll need a human shield when Charity sees me and Molly looking like that."

"She's hell in heels eh?" Muffy laughed as she parked the car.

"No… more like Heaven's righteous furry in work boots." Murphy snorted and got out the car, and took Maggie out her seat. Maggie had dozed in the car and woke up in Murphy's arms then asked if it was breakfast. Murphy laughed and told her no. The thought of less Murphy time was aggravating. Mouse wined and pushed his head on my leg as we walked, in doggie comforting fashion. We rang the doorbell and immediately a ruckus of feet on stairs met our ears. When the door swung open, a little blond girl answered and two more girls could be seen descending the stairs. A big boy, roughly Molly's size but thick like a high school football player picked up the girl from the door.

"Molly!" "Hiya Hobbit. Harry, you remember Hope? She's seven now, then Amanda, and Alicia." Alicia was the only non-blond daughter and was the second oldest of the girls, at 12 years old. "Hiya bill" Amanda said to me. I rolled my eyes. Muffy laughed. "Hey Daniel, you remember Harry." "Is it Halloween where you've been staying?" he replied. Another boy came down the stairs after the girls had made it to the door. He waited in the crowded doorway to be introduced. "Hiya, Mathew, you remember Harry." "Hiya, Matt." "Mister, Dresden, sir." Mat replied. "You gonna let us in or what?" Molly chastised the horde blocking the door. They got out the way and as we all entered, Charity came to the stairs and surveyed the horde then retreated before anyone really noticed.

She and Michael came back in matching lumberjack fashion: work boots, blue jeans, white shirts, red flannel button ups. And while Michael toted a duffel bag, I knew contained his sword amorachius, Charity held a boy just a year older than Maggie, who looked like he was fighting sleep tooth and nail. Michael dropped his bag and rushed to hug his little girl. "Daddy!" Molly protested, but she hugged him back. He shushed her then stood back and realized how she looked. I enjoyed the look of creeping worry on his face. Its sick, but I figured that look was going to hurt Molly worse than anything I could yell at her.

"Margaret Katherine Carpenter, what have you done to your… your…" "Yourself" I suggested. "Yourself." He accepted the suggestion. "your body is your temple child, and now it's marred with ink and metal! And your clothing hardly seems appropriate… or am I too old?" He extended his hand to me, and I reluctantly took it. I love Michael like a brother, but he might feel Laciel on me and I couldn't bear to face him as enemies.

"Even I think she looks ridiculous, but I'm not so friendly with fashion myself. But let he who never tie-dyed a shirt cast the first stone." I shrugged. He laughed.

"it is good to see you again Harry. And who is this?" he looked fondly on Maggie. She beamed at him and said 'Maggie Destin' "that so? You never told me you had a little one."

"She showed up on my doorstep one day." I shrugged. "Margret Mary Dresden. Susan's her mom, but she's in the wind. You remember Karen Murphy."

"Chicago Police, Special Investigations, yes. She's helped me out a couple times." Michael shook Karen's free hand with a smile.

"When you said you had a big family I was thinking 3 not 7!" Karen Laughed.

"And when you said you had a little girl to live for, I never imagined her to be Dresden's." I looked at Murphy. Maggie was undoing her braid so she could pile it on her own head like a wig.

"We were caught in a dead end, surrounded by demons summoned by some wannabe sorcerer that didn't even realize what the spell was for. I was investigating him already, and came with a warrant and he just dropped out of nowhere and helped me vanquish the demons and arrested the sorcerer." Karen explained.

"But not without a foot chase, some impressive swordsmanship and singing the ninja turtles theme song out of tune." Michael laughed. Now she was fighting crime with my friends?

Meanwhile Molly was being scolded by Charity with Daniel as backup until a firm look from Charity told him to put the kids to bed. He complied obediently; giving Karen a last look that I use to give pretty girls when I was 16. Then it was my turn to bear Charity's wrath. "is this who you've been with? The vampire?"

"So what if it is?" Molly said while I vehemently denied all allegations.

"Do not take that tone with me, young lady, you are my child, and are clearly incapable of making sound decisions." She looked Molly up and down. "look at you! You look like…"

"Frankenhooker." I suggested. Charity and Molly both glared at me.

"Sorry, he has a condition. The medical term is 'asinine'." Muffy told the ladies, giving me a similar glare. "I'm Karen." She extended her hand to Charity. "Dresden was just driving her home. She called him for a favor, he saw her and dragged her here." Charity didn't look happy but she wasn't angry either.

"Ladies, I'm leaving. I would like to come home and find the two of you have reconciled. It would make me feel more at ease knowing I have a whole family to return home to." Michael added. Charity and Molly looked ashamed and hugged Michael. He picked up his bag and nodded for us to go outside. We graciously followed.

"You got a dog too eh?" Mouse extended his paw to shake Michael's hand with a doggie grin. Michael agreed, let him sniff him then roughed up his fur.

"His name is Mouse."

"he's a foo dog, eh?"

"You know about them?

"Sure, Yoshiro talked about seeing one once. Took pictures with them. This one looks mixed with a Caucasian shepherd but he still has the aura of a foo dog." Michael smiled at the dog. "good demons"

"There's such a thing?" I asked. I knew foo dogs were called demons but I thought it was a broad term relating their power to something similar, but Michael doesn't play that way, he calls things what they are.

"Harry, I know you have one inside of you. A fallen angel of the blackened denarius." Gulp. "I saw you save my son from picking up the coin. But I can't feel the coin on you. Which one is it?"

"Laciel."

"web weaver, temptress, seductress… perfect match for you." He laughed. I looked ill. "hey, you're a good man, Harry. I trust you to do what's right, and give the coin to the church, and renounce your power to wield the power God has gifted you instead."

"what is that?"

"faith, the sword… you would still be a vampire as well I presume."

"I'm working on a cure for that… I don't exactly love being a vampire right now."

"then what are those fangs?"

"Scare tactic. Don't knock it, works on children and singing woodland creatures." He shook his head. "so what's with the lightning in there?"

"Molly was arrested. Possession."

"She was possessed?"

"Marijuana and Ecstasy."

"Ouch"

"She had community service, but Charity added so many restrictions until Molly dropped out of school and left home." Michael whispered "got a boyfriend." To me.

"Yeah, Nelson? Sweet kid. Just bailed him out for aggravated assault." I snarked.

Michael looked pissed but swallowed it, shook his head and took a deep breath. "Is something going on?"

"Hard to say, I'm checking it out after this."

"Is Molly involved?"

"We shall see."

Michael nodded. "May I ask you a favor?"

"Anything."

"Straighten them out."

"Tall order."

"I know you can do it."

"Wait, I know this part, 'have a little faith?' you're asking a vampire with a demonic ride-along to have faith?" Michael shrugged and smiled at me.

"Will you do it?"

"Yes." I sulked. He patted my shoulder, Maggie's head, and shook Karen's hand then got into his jeep to leave. Molly had emerged from the house and looked at us hopeful-eyed and I sighed rolling mine. Muffy smiled up at me. "What?"

"You really do have an evil Karen in your head. It's just so… but truth is stranger than fiction I guess."

"Yeah, yeah, lets go to freaking Splattercon eh?"

We arrived and were forced to register at Splattercon, and chat with a tired mousey looking woman. She smiled and flirted with me and complimented my fangs then we took our polite leave to head for the crime scene. Two sexy co-eds in vampire cosplay stopped me and said my look was awesome. Murphy snorted and went to the ladies room, while I fished out my dentist's card. "Well, I'm a real vampire but nobody ever believes me." They giggled but I gave them the shiny silver look and they stopped cold. The lighting helped. There were blue jells over every other light fixture casting a colder light spectrum that made white pale and Karen's Irish ass ghostly. My eyes reflected cold silver light, and after a flicker of fear and apprehension, I felt the girls get curious then lustful. "I feed on lust and fear, not blood; life energy, you see. I got so tired of the scoffs that I found someone willing to give me permanent fangs. A girl chipped my tooth a few years back," I indicated the left front tooth that Karen chipped when she thought I was involved in the death of one of my friends she was investigating. "So the dentist filed these down so they looked even, then added porcelain to these just a little to make them pointier." I indicated my top incisors It looked fairly natural actually, she did a good job. I could stick a fingernail between my top front incisors and bottoms but if anything, eating had been made easier, and my speech wasn't hindered as badly as if I got a tong ring. The girls took the card and tittered then one gave me her number before the two took off casting sneaky looks back at me. Eyeing me. If I wanted to continue to eat lust this was my demographic.

"Hey, if it ain't the consultant guy… thinks he's a wizard." "Rawlins! An authority figure eh?" "And you expect me to believe you're an innocent bystander?" we commented on each other's Splattercon nametags. "I had a feeling you'd be around soon enough. Where's little Cary?" Rawlins asked. I was confused.

Karen emerged from the ladies room with Maggie changed into another cute ensemble invented by Marion. This footie pajamas looked like she was wearing those converse sneakers that come up to your knees, with pink ribbon shoelaces, white leggings, then pink tulle bustle skirt, and pink corset, then black arm length fingerless gloves that each of Maggie's perfectly manicured (by Thomas) pink painted fingers poked through, with pink ribbon laces, and the white fabric covered her arms shoulders, and hood, with black lining inside the hood. Marion really enjoyed making these things I figured.

"She didn't wet herself, it's just so arctic in here and I forgot a jacket for her." Karen had dawned her jacket that I got her, which she just left in the car forgotten for the longest time. It was made to look like the cute bastard child between a dress and a petticoat. It was lined with silk and the outside was green plaid flannel with a leather belt, and leather flaps on the breast pockets. She grabbed it out the car when we got there saying she felt a chill, but Molly and I were fine. Molly, Rawlins and I traded looks then chalked it up to menopause or something and moved on. "Molly, could you take Maggie, while we investigate the crime scene?"

"Sure, there's a kids area actually. We have toys and things to climb on, and play happy shows." She laughed. She looked like she missed her siblings. She passed us a map and pointed where we were and how to get to the kids place and took the dog, the baby bag and toddler and left.

"Is that little Cary Murphy?"

"Rawlins. How have you been?" Muffy replied.

"Endangered. Mama Rawlins might loose her baby boy yet."

"How so?"

"My soon to be ex wife is going to kill me when I get home. Its already late, my relief called in sick, and I still got shopping to possibly not be able to do on my way back."

"Must be tough. But hey divorce isn't that bad, unless you have a sexy brother to marry your ex. I really wish you drank, that's how I got over mine."

"Well first the damn thing needs to be final, then I'll gladly take it up, if you think it'll help."

"Damn, I know she's the mother of your children and you love her, but she's cold hearted. You were together before you joined the force but you were a cop before you got married. She knew what was in store but now she'd mad that you have a job to do?"

"You're an angel. So this is SI business now?"

"Not officially, but if Dresden says it is, I want to take over. That means more time with the boys for you." She winked, poking him in the bicep.

"Well in that case, I can't let you in, it might contaminate the crime scene."

"Damn, Rawlins, really?"

"Sorry Cary, procedure. You can respect that."

"Yeah, but I don't have to like it. So tell me what happened."

"Well I was here in this spot the whole time, and the security cameras confirm, only the boy and the old man came in or out. I hear something like screaming, which the walls are all soundproof so it must have been loud. I check in the door and the man looked like someone took a sledgehammer to him. The kid was there but he wasn't bloody or bruised, didn't seem out of breath, he looked scared, but not of me, of the situation. He didn't do it but I had to do things by the book… but sometimes the book don't do nobody justice. That girl… the girlfriend?"

"she says he didn't do it. Says it was something spooky." Rawlins snorted then looked at Karen then to me.

"Poke your head in, don't step inside."

"thank you."

"you're an officer and a gentleman." I exclaimed as I prepared the sight and peeked inside. I wanted to scream just like the women in the horror movies, the walls were splattered with terror and pain, and the mirror bore a shadow of someone enjoying every second of it. I watched the assault play out like an old grainy film but saw no attacker, just the silent shadow in the mirror. I put the sight away and still felt the fear in the room. It clung to me like a grimy film and infused itself into me after a while. I shivered, feeling filthy but I think this was what Laciel meant by abundant enough to eat without touching. If I were on a battlefield surrounded by this feeling I would be strengthened by it, and feed on the life energies of my enemies, killing them without lifting a blade. And that excited me.

"you look sick." Karen whispered to me caringly.

"I am-" I spun and entered the ladies room, then puked in a stall, cleaned up, and then came back out. "It's weird alright. Something came out here, specifically to feed on the old man. It enjoyed watching him cry and bleed, and scream… it got off on it, and fed on his fear."

"another white?"

"I'd say a phobophage is more likely. It's a number of entities that eat fear. Has no choice in the matter, but they don't mind, they love it."

Karen shivered and held her arms, at first I thought it was in reaction to what I said but then I felt it too. "crap. Karen is a clue."

"I am? Why?"

"People of faith notice these things earlier. Karen might not go to church but she's a believer. She thought it was freezing in here when it was fine, now look at her teeth chattering. That cold ain't weather, its death approaching." I said gravely before the lights went out and people started to scream.

Karen and Rawlins flicked on flashlights instinctually fast, Karen told Rawlins to help people find their way out, she began calling for everyone to grab a wall and slowly follow her voice, making sure to help anyone they see or feel, to stand up and follow the wall too. I made my pentacle light up, and then rummaged into my pocket for the sheriff badge Karen got me. I had etched some enchantments into it so that one thing it did was cast a light similar to my mother's pentacle. I pinned it on Rawlins willing it to light and then extended my wizard sense to find where the murk was coming from.

"What the hell is going on?" Rawlins asked.

"Magic darkness. It looks like the lights are all still on, but aren't lighting up the room." Karen answered.

"That's right, it's called murk, and is useful when you summon things that don't like light."

"you think a practitioner did this?"

"most likely." I said grimly. I was afraid for Maggie, but murk was hard to spread over a large space. She might not even be in the dark at all, and Mouse stayed with her, so she was safe from a lot of things. I took a deep breath hearing but not listening as Rawlins gathered an old woman who was almost trampled and had a couple teen boys help her out. He gave the old woman his spare flashlight, a thing that looked like a cheap keychain light but was even more powerful than his issued light. It still didn't see more than arms length ahead but it comforted the group. One of the co-eds in vampire makeup stumbled into me, Karen instructed her how to get out and guided her to the wall.

I felt pressure behind my right eye and spun in a small circle until the pressure was between my eyes in front and ran that way. Karen followed, disregarding Rawlins's calls of what we were doing. Karen sometimes dipped out of my light but came back when I slowed to round a corner. Her connection to me must have led her more than sight. We came to a door. Then Karen produced her SIG then nodded at me in silent, 'I'll cover you'. I felt the door, making sure no one would be hit by it then kicked it in, with one kick. Hard to do.

A wave of fear, greasy yet delicious and exciting, flooded over me, and the dark magic pushed against me, like I was wading through molasses. Karen looked at me and asked the problem, I replied black magic. The amulet's light only extended a foot or two here, so I knew it was the source of the murk. She offered to push me but I declined and powered through with my will until I made it to another door. Murphy barked some orders to the crowd of panicked people as we went and they filed out clinging to the walls with their cell phones trying to see from the little light they provided.

One of the doors was slammed open, barely hanging on its hinges by hope and rust. There was a scream, like a whole room screaming as one, in sheer terror. My skin crawled, and radiated, and I plowed into the dark space. I converted that energy with some focus and a lot of effort and it made the light in my amulet flood into the room like a halogen bulb in a dark shed at night. The sooty darkness shied away into thick black shadows under everything and I took account of our surroundings, 20 people, all badly injured, a woman lay beside her wheelchair, a boy in braces beside her with a broken arm, a pile of bodies that made pained noises but no movement, and some huddled few who were well enough to scatter once I lit the area. Murphy gave them calm directions how to leave.

Beyond the pile of bodies was… no way! Well, it was the reaper; an oversized inbred maniac serial killer from the popular film franchise Suburban Slasher, named after his weapon of choice. He lifted a screaming girl to cut her open, Karen shouted freeze but didn't care to give him time to think about it. Bang bang bang, she hit him in the head with all three rounds… but he didn't seem to care. He tossed the girl aside and threw himself at Karen. She dodged, then I loosed an attack of sheer force at him.

He flew across the room into a projector screen and the murk receded. someone ran out the room, I didn't get a good look, instead I went to the wounded while Karen looked for a way he might have gotten away. She swore when she saw the wall covered in ectoplasm. She got on the phone with SI and paced and snarled like she was Molly talking to Charity. When she returned, I had improvised bandages out of tablecloths, and patched up everyone I could move, asking them all to stay to give statements.

There was one sobbing girl who was beaten badly sure, but was nothing life threatening like the others in the pile. It looked like her collarbone was broken. I explained such and agreed to stay with her and told her, she would be all right. Murphy led Rawlins and the EMTs to the room. Rawlins came to me, looking nauseous and asked "my god, Dresden, what happened?"

"good question." I retorted, taking the sheriff badge back. It had two additional purposes, I made it for mortals that didn't do magic. First: it was like wonder woman's bracelets; any magic or projectiles in his space would be attracted to the badge, which was impervious to such things. And Second: it wanted desperately to be with me so after a while it would convince the wearer to come find me. Neat huh? Got the idea from those damned coins.

Soon the EMTs toted the seriously injured folks away, then Molly was allowed in with Maggie and Mouse. "oh my god, Rosie!" Molly cried as she dropped besides the sobbing girl and me. I put up an arm to keep her from touching the injured woman. "she's hurt, why haven't they taken her?"

"the others were hurt worse, she's going on the next one." I answered, letting Molly hold Rosie's hand, and taking Maggie, who was now heavy from being tired.

"what happened?"

"They were attacked, he ran, there's ectoplasm on the wall by where I hit him. I'll fill in the gaps Molly, don't worry." I smoothed her hair down and her fear was like slime on her. I gave it a whirl and tried to drink it in. it went from feeling gross to fascinating and fascinating to positively unique. And it was deep. Mouse growled again, stopping me. Why in all this chaos was I testing out how feeding on fear would pan out? But then again… I cast my hungry silver eyes around the room and felt it like an oily fog.

"Molly?"

"I'm here Rosie."

"He killed them. He killed them!" she was panicking. Her fear was overwhelming to open myself up to, like it was more than necessary somehow but hey some folks cant handle brushes with death like I can. I rocked Maggie and tried not to feel it, but it was pressing against me, making it hard to breath. Every shortened breath drank it in.

"Shhhhh you're safe now, it's okay."

"the baby! Is the baby all right? Will the baby be alright?"

"she's pregnant?" I asked aghast. She was smaller than Molly, maybe even younger than Molly too.

"three months." Molly answered

"The baby. My baby." She panicked.

"the EMTs will do everything they can to make sure you both make it." I told her. "but you need to calm down, the baby can feel it too. You don't want to scare your baby." She shook her head painfully, tears across her face. "just breath slow, try not to move. Think happy thoughts. We can gab all day about babies, mine was an easy delivery for me." Rosie looked up at me and tried to laugh in vane but she wasn't panicked any more. When the EMTs took her, I noticed the signs of drug use, needle pricks in her arms. Molly insisted on riding with Rosie, which the EMTs agreed to, so I brought Maggie and Mouse to Karen. She and Rawlins were explaining what happened to a man who looked like he and Grayson were gingerbread cops from the same cookie cutter. Grayson was old. Gray hair, brown eyes, this man in the tweed suit had brown thinning hair and blue eyes.

"Dresden, this is detective Greene, from Homicide." Karen introduced us. Rawlins was sent home, finally, and Karen took Maggie, who was now officially an exhausted rag doll, and paced around till I gave the same damn story to Greene 4 damn times. Karen was enjoying it too, I could feel her smug through our CPL. She came to my rescue when Greene asked for the fifth time about the escaped assailant, who survived 3 expert shots delivered by Murph into his brain. "can we hurry this along? We need to put the baby to bed." Greene cocked an eyebrow at Murphy and a sadistic grin fought for space on his face against a snarl.

"so you and the consultant huh?"

"no, but I was his ride here, and we need to put his child to bed so unless you have NEW questions…"

"I do. You know Nelson Leonhard?"

"Should I?"

"well you bailed him out of jail a few hours ago."

"oh, boyfriend Nelson!" I realized, "yeah, his girl is my best bud's daughter, she dragged me into all this."

"that so? You understand he attacked somebody else here today?"

"Allegedly. When you don't know but say someone did something, you should say allegedly first. Yes, I know Nelson was accused of attacking a man today, and I understand the facts are stacked against him, but I don't believe he did it, nor do I appreciate you saying he did this. I was here, looking right at the guy. He was no Nelson." I mouthed off to Greene. "We done here?"

"Tell you what, Sergeant, when I find out whodunit, I'll give you all the credit, now, I'm taking Dresden and his little lady home." Murph added.

"you trying to pull SI into this?" Green eyed her with a look of exasperation and anger.

"seems like you can use our help."

"You aren't exactly a team player."

"well you can accept my help or the press can get an anonymous tip about crimes going unpunished due to interdepartmental rivalry. Your call." She shrugged.

"you overbearing, egotistical bitch."

"what? I didn't hear you. Tell me again at the gym tomorrow." Karen smiled triumphantly as we left.

"don't skip town Dresden. I might have more questions."

"what? But I'm supposed to play at Wimbledon this weekend." I scoffed.

We got to the apartment and put Maggie on the bed and I sat beside her. Karen laughed. "I remember you kept Maggie in a drawer as a bassinet when we first got her."

"I. you don't want to be we anymore remember that?"

"cry baby." She grumbled, then reluctantly sat beside me. "I found ectoplasm on the wall. He must have been from the Nevernever. Explains why he didn't fall down when he was shot."

"Hell neither do I." I replied, thinking she was quoting horror. No… no she wasn't.

"I found Suburban Slasher was the film screening in the room. And the old man was screening Hammer Hands when he was beat up in the stall."

"Could be significant, Clark looked like he was hit with a sledgehammer..." I was adding it all up, but missing something to narrow it down. "Remember Horror movie nights, before I started feeding on you the fun way? We would go to the drive in theatre every horror marathon, and just tear the movie apart. You'd tell me all the things real cops would have done, and I'd tell you about the monsters…"

"What's your point?"

"this feels Nightmare on Elm Street to me." I answered but I was just thinking how much better it was when we started watching the horror flicks on her couch, drinking beer, making out when the movie hit boring patches.

"There's an Elm street in every town… So Freddy Kruger is our suspect?"

"Freddy Kruger adjacent, yeah. It's a thing that feeds on fear, so it riles it up in folks, making their favorite serial killers bust out the silver screen and start killing folks, making it dark, being invincible… it killed those couple of people to terrify the others then basked in the room full of fear. And now that people survived to talk about it, the fear will spread."

"shit." Karen swore.

"word." I agreed.

"how do we stop them?"

"The question is, how we stop them before tomorrow night."

"Why what's tomorrow?"

"movie screening. 12 rooms simultaneously screening horror favorites and the theatre will have two more."

"Oh, God."

"nope, just me." I cracked. Karen got it but didn't respond as desired.

"I'll talk to the victims, you prod your skull how this could have been done." Karen got up and was almost out the door when I grabbed her hand. I wanted to beg for her to give us a chance but she was logical above most else, she would be repulsed by it, so I let her go.

"sweet dreams." I said. She shivered and shook her head. I smiled to myself a little.

When I got into the shower I felt deliciously hot firm fingers begin working my muscles. I grabbed one of the hands and pulled it in front of me to kiss it, and bring the chest it was attached to against my back. I was about to wish Karen good morning, but then I thought about last night and realized something. I looked behind me, and it was Laciel as her usual punkie haired Karen knock-off. I sighed in disappointment then grumbled as I tried not to enjoy the sensation of having my back soaped up and full body girl loofa scrubbed. It was sensationally hard to ignore. I turned off the hot water, but the vixen made me feel like the shower stayed the same comfy temperature.

"cut it out!" I half squealed when Laciel started lathering up my front.

"but, my host, you're tired and sore, and all pent up. I can help. Your pain is my pain, literally."

"then giving ME an illusion isn't going to help YOU so scram."

"I felt you try to draw on Fear. Did you find it satisfactory? At this rate, you might-"

"I don't want to psychic arm-wrestle so early in the morning but I will, if you don't get out of here."

"very well, my host." She sulked as she gave me the perception of a sexy adorable woman stepping out of my shower with a pouty face and gathering a towel to cover her and spare another sullen look at me. Ugh I'm a sucker!

"so what do you think?"

"that your phobophage theory is accurate but there are dozens of different kinds of phobophages, who all have different weaknesses and origins, so you are no closer to solving these attacks now than you were yesterday morning."

"then what did it?"

"We haven't gathered enough information yet, but if you examine the effects on the victims, there might be a clue." I gave her a look Karen gives me to be serious.

"Swell, you're saying turn my sight on them, eh?"

"nasty business, but it's the best way."

"thank you." She was surprised by me thanking her but she bowed any way, and then vanished. Then the water turned cold. I made a rather unmanly sound then escaped it. When I was all dry I heard the door open and shut then came out in my towel to investigate.

"Harry, your lips are blue!" Karen passed me a box with a half dozen funfetti custard cream filled doughnuts. She passed Maggie one of her plain, funfetti doughnuts with nothing inside or out, the heathen. There was a doughnut shop that appeased both our mutual love for sprinkles, and her distaste for sugary carbs with sugary frosting, and made whatever you ordered off their mix and match menu that second.

We got the same sixers since we found the place, on a drunken walk around town. She had been on a date and scared the guy away, went bar hopping then I showed up because I was chasing a coven of vanilla mortals that were playing Charmed with the wrong spell book. I got sidetracked into a search for her shoe that ended up being on the stairs out of some nightclub that wouldn't let her in because she wasn't in the dress code. It was called club zero, doesn't that just sound pretentious? 'check it, I'm Cinderella!' she said smacking my shoulder once I put the shoe on her. 'for coming to my rescue, sweet prince, ask me anything, and I shall reward thee that.' And then she puked on the shoes. We went across the street to the doughnut shop to clean her up and fed her doughnuts, then we made it our favorite place.

"there was a problem with the heat, no big." I said roughly. Karen eyed me skeptically, knowing I was lying but not drawing any conclusion what had actually happened. She saw to the animals' needs then dressed Maggie for the day. It was a cute little tier layer dress alternating pink with white dots, black with pink dots and white with black dots and strappy sleeves Karen put white stockings on her and black slipper shoes. Then brushed her perfect black hair to put into pigtails with those balls on elastic that can double as tiny weapons. The balls she chose were pink and white. See, I just throw the child in anything. It usually matches, but even if it didn't she's a Raith, she looks good in everything. Karen makes such a big deal picking stuff out. This ensemble was from Lara. You could tell from the price tag. Some big shot red carpet designer made it. Its kid's clothes ladies, she'll out grow it in a month!

Karen had her hair down for Maggie's benefit, and ironed it from being a blond Merida from Brave, to wide curls that looked more professional. She also wore mascara, but nothing else… makeup wise… that was her professional face. I liked it because I could see her freckles better that way. Her clothes were gray scale tweed slacks, this white silk blouse her mom made her that was business in the front and lace in the back with no sleeves, and the lace kind of started on the front shoulders, not that you could see much of her back through the amount of hair she had grown in 4 years. It went from shoulder to booty in that time. I was surprised but some people just grow hair fast, and she was short so it was just like half a foot a year. It was thick, and plenty too. I wanted to play in it. It wafted strawberries and wildflowers at my nose when she tossed it into Maggie's face to the child's enjoyment.

I gathered my magic arsenal but left the staff. I had lots of magic jewelry for that sort of thing. Plus I got nasty looks from the authority types when I carried a stick around town. I grabbed Bob, too, which made him happy, then eyed my duster and left it behind. Mouse was my best tool against evil. Where the heck was Thomas? I was going to have to bring Maggie along if he didn't show. We headed to the hospital first, interviewed folks, looked at them with the sight, and permanently scarred my psyche with the image of their pain. A couple of them stood out. For one thing Pell looked strong, like the attack didn't phase him, and then Rosie looked like someone pressed hot pokers to her temples till they broke skin. That was not the phobophage was it?

It was almost noon so Karen dropped me at home, I walked the dog where he did business then came inside to fid Thomas with an old pirate looking pistol in my face. He dropped it and sighed in relief and went back to packing. "What's this?"

"I'm moving out."

"you've given me so much time but I still need more to cope." He shot me a look that meant not now. Then put his trunk by the door. "first Karen, now you? You leaving me too boy?" I asked Mouse. "Next, Susan will show up wanting Maggie back." Thomas grabbed me a beer and sat down with one of his own. We clinked them, and took a swig then he looked at me and sighed.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"if you mean will I ever be able to love again, I'll try. But there will always be a hole in my heart where you use to be." He laughed and took another swig.

"I got a job as night security, and I'm going to school now. I got a place. Left a spare key and address on the counter."

"so you just gonna Rabbit on me, huh? Hey how's feeding going? You practicing touching without it and stuff? I did the kiss of death twice last autumn." I tried to make conversation. We were working on controlling our feeding to try not to instinctually feed. This way Thomas could touch Justine, and I could fall in love too. "I'm trying to eat fear now."

"what? Harry, that's Malvora, you're a Raith!"

"yeah, but I've never been much good at the sexy thing. Not like you. I'm a cougar magnet but most of the time I creep people out. I figure I'd play off of that more."

"oh, that's why you got the fangs."

"sure."

"well be careful. None of the nice vampires were ever known for feeding on fear."

"I gotta do something. I can't feed on Karen any more, she broke up with me."

"WHAT!? WHY!?"

"Said she's ice-cream and I'll get sick of ice-cream or she'll grow old and die, and she wanted a family."

"but you and Maggie-"

"I know. She basically said I'd have a chance if I were human. Sha" I said as I watched Thomas shake his head.

"She doesn't want to burn you." He said wisely. I gave that some thought then tried to move on.

"you sure you'll be okay? On your own?"

"its high time I got out of here. Any time you need a sitter, call me."

"any time you need help, call me."

"will do, little brother. I'm kind of getting out of here for other reasons too."

"eh?"

"the white council." He said. I growled in response. He laughed, knuckle bumped and left. So I headed to Mac's pub in time for my meeting. I treated the mutt to steak sandwich without the onions, and he sat in a clear spot by the door, enjoying it and a bowl of water Mac brought him. I sat at a booth waiting for the summer knight Mac passed Maggie a little bowl of fries with my steak sandwich, then found a lided cup to serve her some of his famous lemonaid. When I heard the rumble of a motorcycle, I thought it might be him. And he soon entered, with Lilly on his arm. She brought a fresh summer breeze with her and made flowers bloom out of the wooden support beams, and moved directly to me smiling as I stood to bow over her hand and wait for her to be seated.

She traded formalities with Mac and ordered three lemonades then it was right to shop talk, which was hard because the summer queen put compulsions on them both not to help me, so I had to be clever to get any info out of them. It got too aggravating so we called in a fourth to the party. Maeve. Winter's lady explained that Mab was off her rocker and about to attack Summer because she was now without a knight, but if winter pulled her forces then summer could attack the red court and winter didn't attack the red court either because they believed if they went into battle without a knight that summer would attack them. It simply amounted to this, winter would behave sane and logically if it got a knight. Maeve gave Maggie a queer little look then asked me to give her to her. I responded as one would expect so Maeve countered with "then fill me with your seed so I may have your offspring of my own." I couldn't even begin to form a coherent reply to that.

After Maeve left Fix and Lilly took their leave and I called Muffy for a ride to Splattercon. Pell shut down his theatre apparently and while the hotel guests were escaping in droves, the Splattercon attendance tripled! Karen called up a cousin in the fire department about the safety hazards to try and cut down the number of potential victims. Greene called in the Feds behind Murphy's back, so now her ex/in-law was around there somewhere. Swell. Karen used a white comb to get the hair that was once bangs out of her face and fixed behind her head. It had a big black bow on it, making her look kind of like a kid. I snickered and gave Maggie attention and unleashed Mouse. Murphy followed me around while I set up wards by sticking blue play-dough in every room and along the hallways every 15 feet or so.

Murphy asked me questions as we went, I explained best I could. Then I realized I needed a clear quiet place to work the spell. But as we passed the elevators I noticed Murphy noticing a hot young looking man in a black suit with black shirt and red tie. "who's that?"

"Darby Crane." Murphy said fondly. Mouse growled. She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing what Mouse was trying to say. "I'll go say Hi." I tried to contain my jealousy but I began to growl too. We elbowed through the fan girls then caught him at the elevators, which I hexed so he couldn't leave. He scanned the crowd, then spotted Karen approach.

"Ah, Miss Murphy, I presume." He said smiling. "excuse me, Lieutenant Murphy of Special Investigations."

"good guess."

"I watched the video of you shooting that creature several years ago. It impressed me, and now that you stand before me, I see you are quite lovely in person, have you considered a film career?" the jerk asked suavely

"what's the point, they're all the same. Some stupid killer stalks some big-breasted girl who can't act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door. It's insulting." OH SNAP a Scream quote! I was so proud. "Mind if I ask you a few questions, Mr. Crane?"

"Well I'm quite busy what with panels and appearances and all. But… my schedule is open tonight at 9. Would you care to meet me at the hotel bar for a drink? I'd be happy to answer any questions for you at that time."

"it's a date." Murphy FLIRTED! She reached her hand out to him, and he reached his to her, and I took his hand, bumping hers out the way, because it was NOT a frickin date, by thunder! Oh and I was fairly certain Mr. Crane wasn't human. A predator can smell another predator.

"Well Hello cousin." I said tightening my grip on the vampire's hand.

"Uncle's bastard, Harry Dresden." He responded. "How'd you figure out it was me?"

"You look a little like pops. And there's nothing but ladies here lusting after you. Madrigal, yeah? The only Raith male, I haven't met."

"indeed."

"you knew I was around because of the elevators huh?"

"when electronics fry out of the blue, a wizard is usually to blame, yes." Madrigal looked at Maggie and cocked his head to the side.

"Who's this enchanting little moppet?" he sniffed the air and smiled. "red court and white court, interesting breed." I had a retort but Darby's phone rang. "try not to hex my phone, cousin, it would inconvenience me, greatly." He stepped aside to chat, so I passed Maggie to Karen and stood waiting for trouble. Darby was chatting with someone named Lucius about his schedule, and was relaxed upon when he mentioned being sidetracked by Harry Dresden. I felt famous. He returned and bypassed me to take Karen's hand and kiss it, without feeding, then winked "9then." And headed to the stairs.

"whew, I was worried he would do the hold and caress thing. It's so pervy. I couldn't help but notice he didn't try and feed on me. You think he's our guy?" Muffy wiped the back of her hand.

"I think he's here for a reason. But he's Raith, they eat lust. They own the porn industry, why's he in horror?"

"you kidding? Horror is half porn, half comedy, with scary stuff in the background: random nudity, long sex scenes, and awkward virginal romance that culminates into passion and relief after surviving. It's a many splendored thing." Karen likes horror movies, can you tell? As we were placing more play-dough, Marlene, another Splattercon worker called for me, "Harry? Harry, please help, it's Molly."

"where?" I asked. Greene and Richard were interrogating her. I asked Marlene to call Charity to come over with an attorney then headed that way. I bumped into Lydia Stern, the editor of the Arcane and brought her along too. Murph, Maggie, and Lydia waited outside the door, that I left cracked open, while Mouse and I went in. Rick was playing good cop while Greene played bad. I barged in, said something snarky, Molly hugged Mouse, and me then we chatted. Just when Green reached his boiling temp I talked to Rick about the wedding. Then I got around to talking to Greene. Told him Murphy brought me in to consult about the case. Then I explained to Molly what rights she had that the nice police wasn't letting her exercise. That was a kicker.

"you're obstructing my investigation! When I'm done with you, you'll loose your license, and I'll see to it your bitch girlfriend looses her job too."

"Karen's not my girlfriend, I just tell people that because I'm lonely. Besides, our track record for resolved cases is far more impressive than yours. I don't see how your word can be construed as anything but backstabbing politics. And now, you're holding a minor without her parents or an attorney." I tisked as I shook my head. We carried on like this for a while, then when I couldn't smile any wider, Lydia came in and berated Greene with questions from recording our conversation. I laughed as he ran off with Lydia on his heels.

Rick shook his head "what's your angle Dresden?"

"The girl's my friend's daughter. He asked me to set her straight, that means watch her back too."

"he's consulting for SI. We're cooperating with Homicide on this." Rick and I both jumped. She's a little blond ninja. Got all the way into our peripheral vision undetected. "There's no time for pissing contests boys, so zip em up and start working together."

"maybe so, but Harry, my advice, is walk away. Greene doesn't feel you're much help here. I'm obliged to agree."

"Hey Molly." Murphy said, letting the little girl go to Molly, after fighting for it a little. "your mom is on her way, why don't you go sit with Sandra up front, so she'll see you." Molly didn't want to face Charity, who would, but with things the way they were, she'd rather be a daughter than a foe. Molly gave Maggie back and retreated.

We finished setting up the play-dough then booked a hotel room. Karen put Maggie on the bed and fished around in the baby bag until she found a stuffed T-Rex toy that didn't make sounds for her to play with. Mouse sat by the door to guard us, then as I was setting up the spell I just kind of couldn't take it any more.

"Get out of your pants" I said to Karen she was standing by Mouse and kind of jumped, startling the dog. As I closed in on her, Mouse went to put himself between Maggie and me. She pet him then curled up to him making her dino bite him and laughing when he bit the dino back.

"Harry, we've discussed this."

"Do me a favor, Murph. Don't scream. Just hear me out, then scream." She snorted. "Those things you said you wanted… I want those things too."

"what things? Love, marriage, and children?" I nodded. "Harry, it's impossible for you."

"I'm working on that." I began to corner her against the door, and I felt her want me but she was trying to control it.

"Were from different worlds, Harry." She pressed her back on the door and grabbed the handle.

"Well, I don't know, we tend to hang out around the same one, most of the time." I took the hand away and kept it.

"You- but." She was trying not to cry but it wasn't working too well. Great job Harry, make the tough as nails, pretty little woman cry. "There are things we need to consider. I'll die way before you, and get old… I don't want you to see me old and fragile like that…" she took a deep controlled breath. And when I saw the Carpenters, I… God I really wanted that. I mean, how many children do you want?"

"infinite. I want one for every year"

"stop joking a second."

"I don't know. I never thought about it, I mean, Maggie kind of sated that primal need, but hey, you want to have a big family, 6 kids it is. I don't care, as long as they're with you. I don't think I could stomach any other woman, especially vampires, fairies, and other such immortals. I want you for as long as you'll give me… hopefully 50 more years at least." I shrugged. "I'll implode if you leave me right now." Karen laughed and wiped off her tears.

"But I'm scared that I might… God, Harry I've been married twice, and have never been as happy as I am with you. I don't want to fuck that up. But I already have just by feeling that way." She seemed to be calming down. I hugged her and kissed her head, and controlled my hunger from taking from her.

"Karen, I love you." I whispered into her hair.

She stopped breathing. I got inhumanly still, and we heard something move on the other side of the door. "I love you too, Harry. And now I'll burn you like Justine and Thomas." She said, completing the thought but we were getting ready to attack the eavesdropper. She grabbed the door handle and stepped back, I got into the crack with a spell ready.

"Tell you what, if we survive this I'll take you on a real date." I said. She rolled her eyes.

"And if I say no?"

"sleep on it." She laughed and opened the door to reveal Molly with a little pink backpack leaning into the door. She toppled over, being top-heavy and leaning too far forward. Murphy snorted and went to the bathroom to wash her face. I put Bob up to supervise and waited for Molly to explain as I started getting ready for the showdown at sunset.

"I was waiting for a good time, I didn't want to interrupt." Molly said sheepishly.

"We told you to sit at the front."

"I didn't want to face my mom like this." She gestured to herself,

"Yeah, I wouldn't either. Best way to avoid that is to never do this to yourself." I gestured at her much the same way.

"What's all this?"

"Magic, what's it look like?"

"Harry, be nice." Muffy scolded me, looking young as Molly without makeup as she came out the bathroom and sat with Maggie.

Deep breathe. "I'm trying to prevent the attack from hurting anyone else. Whoever is summoning these things needs to bring them through a portal of sorts. When one opens, I'll sense where, and redirect them from the victims to the summoner. It'll be tricky, I'll only have like 8 seconds to do it, and if multiple portals open at once, it'll be extra tricky, but I'll also have Muffy and Rawlins to protect people if it doesn't work." She was about ready to cry. "I'm sorry I wasn't there in time before, but I'll stop it from happening again." She looked down and swallowed then nodded. "This is serious. You need to be with your mother. You need her love and protection, and to talk things over with her."

Molly shook her head. "She won't listen."

"She will. She loves you. My mother died when I was born… murdered by my dad actually. Then the guy that raised me was killed when I was six, which is how I was an orphan… then I ate my first crush by having sex too young… and the man who adopted me ended up being an evil bastard, and I ended up killing him by burning him alive with magic."

"Off subject." Muffy warned me.

"Point is, your life was good; nothing evil following you trying to kill you, your dad hunts evil, not the other way around. But you made poor choices, you lost your mother's faith, and now you try and blame her for your problem. YOU are your problem. But of all the things in the world, YOU are the only thing you can actually change. You can fix the problem." She looked like she was going to hit me. But if it made things better, I'd let her.

"Molly, your dad has survived a lot of crazy things, but one day, he might get hurt, or die. It's scary. My dad was a cop. He died when I was 11. Your mother clings to you so tightly because she wants you to be safe. She wishes she can be with your dad and keep him safe too but she has to protect you first. It's the way moms are. It's annoying and repressing, but it's a good thing."

"It won't do any good."

"Yeah, I don't expect any miracles…" she froze and I swear she wanted to say something but she waited like that then.

"Can I wash up now?" lord I ask that you teach me patience so when my Maggie is this age I don't lock her in an iron maiden.

"Go for it." She shuffled into the bathroom then Bob wolf whistled. Karen shook her head.

"Watch out, Harry, she likes you."

"Hells bells, every aspect of that thought is just wrong." I pulled Muffy in for a kiss, like the kiss at Billy's wedding.

"Need anything?" Karen asked as we broke away.

"Nah. Oh yes, food please. Chocolate too. And a drink. And when you see Rawlins, have him stop by." I sat down and started getting ready.

"Why you so sure Rawlins will be here?"

"I'm a detective." I shrugged and she snorted as she opened the door to Charity and Father Forthill about to knock. "Hiya, Charity. Father Forthill, what are you doing here?"

"He's my attorney." Charity replied.

"He's a priest and a lawyer? God truly works in mysterious ways."

"Oxymoronic." Father said.

"Hey, I don't call you names." I stood and wobbled then shook their hands, offering a seat. "Molly's just ungothing herself right now."

"Thanks for calling me… what are you doing here?" Charity asked wearily.

"A ward against the things attacking convention guests. Somebody has to be summoning these things here, but sending them to crowds of innocents. This is to redirect them to the jerk calling them here, so the only one getting hurt, is the one responsible for calling them."

"The golden rule." Father Forthill said.

"Exactly." Molly came out dressed as modest and not Goth as she could and meekly followed her mother out. Muffy went with them and I was finally able to cast my spell. When Karen returned, it was an hour till go time. I ate the burger king burgers and fries, Maggie got a kids meal, and Karen passed me an assorted mini candies bag like the candy you get for Halloween, because she knew I liked chocolate for a million reasons but not which I preferred. Rawlins was with her, and I passed them both candles and Mouse and told them how the ward flames worked. It would burn through the heat spectrum orange is fine, yellow is dangerous, white really dangerous, blue, kiss your ass goodbye.

"You really believe in that supernatural baloney, don't ya?" Rawlins shook his head.

"Supernatural perhaps, baloney perhaps not." I said darkly. Karen and Rawlins exchanged exhausted eye rolls then headed out. I got to work focusing on the spell. Maggie passed out among her toys and food in the hotel bed. I waited and waited and had to pee so bad, I took a break, saw to my needs and started up again. Then my cell rang. It was boyfriend Nelson certain he was being chased. I managed to calm him down and sent him to the church to wait for me, then got back to work. Then the ward flame suddenly grew and began making it's way through the spectrum. I felt 4 attackers and worked my magic and managed to redirect three of them. I turned to Bob "you have my permission to poses Maggie to preserve your life or hers." Then I took the flame and pushed down the stairs to the ground floor. I thought I heard Mouse bark but figured I was hearing things, the walls were sound proof.

When I pushed through the stairs door, I entered cold darkness. The ward flame was a bright beacon in the blackness. I shook out my bracelet and let my amulet glow as well. There was a lot of panic, and screaming, muffled by the murk but it escalated when panic gunfire rang out. I felt the waive of terror overtake me, and focused on converting it into Dresden chow. Then my ward flame burned magnesium white and for a split second the whole hall was bright and almost seemed void of color. The crowds took advantage and surged together for the exit, but the flame turned blue and the light became something that was scary, letting you see but just enough to let your imagination turn it all into things that want to kill you. The flickering flames made couches into four legged beasts, and crowds into alien caterpillars. The fear was like hot syrup over my flesh, but a chill ran up my spine.

"Fuck-a-doodle-doo." I said trying to joke my way out of panic. A movement caught my eye; something strange that couldn't have been a trick of the light. I positioned the ward flame on the ground so it showed the way out, and then moved into the darkness with my pentacle alight. My vampiric night vision was almost useless in the murk, then it screamed, a metallic screech I recognized. This wasn't good. A girl tried to light a cigarette lighter for light. I tried to stop her. You know that part in scary movies when someone does something really stupid and everyone hates them for it? This is it. The thing tackled her and an undertow of sheer terror surged through the room. There were panicked people trampling each other, heading my way. I turned up my amulet and found the beast then swam against the current to get to the girl.

"Get away from her, you bitch!" I shouted and punched a force ring at her letting out the energy collected within. It flew backward and I leaped over the girl to pursue it. I called a solid force of fire, then hit it while it was down, and again, and again, splattering its neon green viscous acid blood on the walls. It dodged one of my blows and ducked into the darkness. I couldn't do both at once but I didn't have to.

Rawlins came up the hall then put his torch down by the girl to check her wounds, and pull his gun. We both looked around, then I was attacked from behind. I rolled then put up my shield pinning it to the wall, thrashing. We both looked at it, Rawlins was stunned, but he did me proud when he spoke. "If I weren't about to shit my pants right now I'd be fuckin fascinated." I laughed, but the thing rose it's barbed tail to strike and I had to dodge. After taking a couple gunshots, it lunged and I called up a cyclone of hellfire to crush it into the ceiling, and then let it fall. Then I stepped on its skull like I was squashing a bug. It dissolved into ectoplasm and I looked to Murphy as she arrived and smiled.

"We came, we saw, we kicked its ass." I announced. The murk receded and the true horror was revealed. Three former people were smeared across the walls floor and ceiling, acid stains and dents, and charred wallpaper accented the blood and entrails. I found a potted plant and puked. Murphy rubbed my back and a guy in white scrubs, who looked too buff to be a nurse checked on the lighter girl and shook his head, then came and checked me out and said I was in shock but okay.

"You don't look so good." Rawlins observed as I wiped my mouth.

"No, I don't think I am… I let her die."

"She was dead when I got here. Bled out. Nothing you could have done." Mouse whined and gave my hand doggie kisses. "Come on let's get back to the lobby." Rawlins helped me move, I could hear Karen barking orders to EMTs and uniform cops. The chaos was gone in seconds. "Your dog ain't normal, you know that?"

"Yeah."

"This candle blew up in my face, turned yellow, I started telling people to get out. Then the lights went out… and your dog starts barking, and I heard everyone stop screaming for like a second, and they just started coming toward us. I directed them out of the building and the dog took off. I was following the strap of his leash; he would stop and wait for me at cross-halls then get on running again. It's how I found you."

"Good boy." I scratched the mutt's ears. We came to the lobby and I found Muffy talking on her radio then she stopped and got that look she got when she was an emotional wreck on the inside but Stallone Cobra on the outside.

"This is nuts! And I have a very high tolerance for nuts." She said to me. I nodded. "Please tell me its done."

"I returned 3 to sender, but the fourth cut loose."

"Those bodies."

"I got him good Murph. He won't be coming back."

"Where did the others go?"

"I'll hunt them down right now."

"My brother, Michael, is on his way over to take Maggie, if that's okay."

"Perfect."

"Rawlins, you mind babysitting Dresden for me?"

"Like I got nothing better to do." Rawlins drawled.

"Suffer." Karen put her hair into a bun and walked to a bunch of suits with Rick and Greene who both got trampled but otherwise were unharmed. There were three uniform cops hit with panic fire as well as five civilians. We slipped away unnoticed to the hotel room.

"Wizards and demons." Rawlins shook his head. I tried to say something but he shushed me. "Uh, uh. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to know. Let me get through tonight, and then you can shatter earth till you're blue in the face."

"Sounds like a plan." We got to the room and I worked the tracking spell and was horrified to find it was pointing at the Carpenters' general direction. I cleaned up as best I could and threw bob into the duffel bag with the other cool magic things, and Michael soon arrived. He was the youngest of Karen's triplet brothers, and the leanest. While the others were in the Marines, he was in college following his sister's footsteps. He became a cop and was put in a precinct on the other end of town from his sister. His real name was Colin Michael Murphy after his dad Colin James (Jack) Murphy, but refused to go by junior because the trio would be introduced as Jack, Joseph, and Junior. Lame. But it flowed better than Jack, Joe and Mike. That's beside the point. All in all, Mike was my favorite Murphy boy. I passed him the rag doll that was my child and her bag and kissed her little fingers. We walked to the parking lot together; he drove off while we crossed the lot to Rawlins' car. I heard an engine roar, Mouse suddenly tackled me, then saw Mouse get T- boned by a van and land in a heap of gray and black fur.

I looked at the van, furious, and came to my feet as it backed up trying to hit me. "Well you just pissed me off." I said to mister Van, but I heard Rawlins try to yelp, and then pow, I was out.

I awoke, which surprised the hell out of me, to a blindfold and gag, and thorn manacles holding my arms over my head with my tailbone on the ground. I called for Rawlins, he answered, and he reported he was cuffed to a wall in his own cuffs. The indignity. He reported we were in a garage, and I realized the familiar scent was what I smelled when I was kidnapped by the lycanthropes. He reported that a fish lipped fatty was guarding me like a dog and I remembered my dog was hurt and lashed out, to get shocked with the cold of my manacles. My feet weren't bound so I started kicking. He laughed. Then I heard someone enter.

"Awake, cousin? Lucius, would you be so kind?" Fish lips tore the hood off my head showing it was one whole piece. I spat blood out and looked for Rawlins then any exit, then up at Madrigal Raith.

"No please don't kill me mister ghost face, I wanna be in the sequel" I begged ingenuinely.

"I was just going to kill you, but after making a few calls, I came to find you were…"

"Ruggedly handsome, good for a laugh, a good dancer?"

"Marketable. You see, it's very important to be well connected in my line of work. My connections don't like you." I got nervous, and he smelled it. Like I was now better tuned to fear, he was already on it's station. We were both Raiths, but Madrigal was a fear sucker, all the way. He smelled my fear, and tasted it. And that made me afraid, very afraid. He sighed happily then his phone rang and he left to chat on it. I turned to get a look at Lucius. He looked like a fish with teeth in a lawyer costume.

"You killed my dog." I snarled at Lucius. He smiled then shrugged smugly. "Here's where you say, sometimes dead is better. Come on." I joked but I was searching for something to get me out of this.

"Keep your tong in your mouth, wizard." Lucius snarled.

"Or what?" Lucius wanted to shoot me, he really did, but instead he shot Rawlins in the leg. "NO!" Madrigal ran in and saw what was going on then snarled.

"Please, behave, cousin." His phone distracted him again.

"You all right?" I asked Rawlins.

"He missed, but the stitches in my arm opened up."

"Crap…" then Laciel poked out from behind me like she was sneaking into the room to break us out. She examined the manacles… her hair was red auburn… 'What are you doing? And why'd you change your hair?' 'There are too many blonds in your life, my host. I wished to set myself apart.' 'But you still choose to look like Karen?' 'I am an angel. I kill firstborns while their mamas watch. I turn cities into salt. I even, when I feel like it, rip the souls from little girls, and from now till kingdom come, the only thing you can count on in your existence is never understanding why.' I rolled my eyes. 'The manacles, you know how to get me free?' 'Certainly, my host.' We talked; devising a plan, then set it to action.

I slipped out the cuffs by mutilating my wrists then hexed the lights. When they went out my vampire nightvision came in handy. I force pushed Lucius across the shop then broke the chain on Rawlins's cuffs. I ushered him to the hole I used to escape the Lycanthropes a few years back and we got outside to see that white sedan from before pull into the alley. Crap. The driver came out and worked the pump on his shotgun but I soon adjusted my eyes to see it was my brother. "Get down!" he hollered. No sooner than we spread on the floor than he let a shot rip, and knocked Lucius back. We retreated to behind Thomas, who wore my duster, and spotted Madrigal come out the shop with a big chrome pistol and open fire on us.

"Thomas!" Madrigal spat.

"Cousin! Back off, and I won't have to kill you."

"Don't push me. I'll make you regret it."

"Please." Thomas said, shooting Madrigal in the thigh. Rawlins cheered.

"You can't beat me in a fair fight. Neither of you can. You look like two starving wolves, waiting for your whores to-" Thomas shot him again. He sprawled on the ground.

"Distraction!" I shouted. Lucius healed his wounds then pulled out a curved blade and leapt for us again, with our attention and one gun on Madrigal. I focused a spell, but before I let it fly, Mouse tackled Lucius and grabbed his neck with glowing blue teeth, snapping it, and then came to me. I wanted to cry in relief. "Good dog." I looked back to Madrigal and snarled, "Spill it."

"You have my word, I never orchestrated any of this. I enjoyed it, and fed off of it, but none of the events were of my design."

"Then why did you grab me?"

"Attack of opportunity." He shrugged. "And I wanted the cop." I scorched a ring around Madrigal faster than I could spit out the spell word. Have you ever seen the first power ranger series with the pumpkin rapper? Well Darby Crane here made a horror movie where the pumpkin rapper, but a lot scarier without the ability to flow, terrorized people in the autumn months. It's long legs were enough to straddle the van, and it climbed over it to tear Lucius's head off.

"Good god!" Rawlins swore, Mouse snarled, Thomas looked at me confused.

"A phobophage…"

"It's the scarecrow!"

"I'll handle him. Get everyone to the van and pick me up. Ill draw him away." I moved so his attention was away from the van then I really let myself fear. It was liberating actually. I wanted to crawl under a rock, and there was nothing but self-preservation that stopped me. I called hellfire to create the torrent around him, but he stepped through it and wrapped pumpkin vine fingers around my throat.

Rawlins and Madrigal made it to the van, but Mouse and Thomas came back for me. I told Thomas to make a circle and he complied, running around us with my blasting rod dragging on the ground. He touched the ring and the thing turned to goo, and I dropped the 10 feet to the ground. We ran for the van then Madrigal gunned it, but the goo coalesced and became the scarecrow again as my retreat broke the circle. The scarecrow pounced onto the roof of the van and it's vines lashed against the windows. I risked leaning out the window that he shattered first and blasted my force ring into him while Madrigal swerved. A bunch of water bottles scattered across the floor as he swerved and I got an idea. We tripped him with ice and got away clean.

"You helped!" I looked over to Madrigal. He shrugged.

"We're family. I would have died without your help."

"Sure, sure." I responded. "You were just about to sell me on ebay, after trying to kill me, kill my dog, and steal my girlfriend, but now were family."

"Truce then. Until the convention is over."

"I want you gone the second it is. Or I WILL kill you." I responded. Motherfucker shouldn't have tried to pop my pooch and poach my cop friend. "In the mean time, lets take my buddy here to the hospital, then go get some movie monsters."

"Yavol Heir Dresden." Madrigal answered. We dropped Rawlins at the hospital then I followed the tracking spell to the Carpenters. The fear was real, but how? I thought Lucius was the one, considering he had been attacked by the scarecrow. I circled around the house first, to check out the scene and saw an arm hanging over the balcony of the tree house. If it wasn't attatched to a safe and sleeping human I was going to puke. It was attached to a bloody beaten Daniel. He explained to us that two people came to the door and Molly let them in then he blinked and hammer hands and the reaper were suddenly there taking Molly away.

Madrigal Thomas and I found Charity and the kids and loaded them into Charity's van then all went to the church of saint mary of the angels then brought the family inside. Charity was awake, making demands which we complied. I called Murphy and explained the whole thing, she told me to sit tight, and wait for her at the church. I admitted what happened to Father Forthill, who helped me understand it was unintentional and meant something that I didn't understand yet. I thought it over. I opened my sight and looked over the children. Aside from Daniel no one was hurt, but then my sight fell on Nelson and I realized something. His psyche was burned like Rosie's, and by someone other than the phages.

I went to Charity and asked her about what I found. She admitted she was a sorceress once, but renounced her power for faith when she met Michael but now her daughter had it and was using it the wrong way. The phages grabbed her because she was using fear, black magic, and they would feed off of her until she ran dry. And I knew what kind of phages they were now. I called Murphy back and said I'd be home, come asap. I called the summer knight and asked an audience with him and to please call me back, then we went to little Chicago. I didn't want Madrigal around my place so I let him get away when we left the church. I had Charity get me something of Molly's she found me baby hair from a baby book. It didn't work. I was feeling truly low, and got on my knees next to Charity and said "what the heck, lets give faith a try." She nodded and I prayed for something to help me find the little girl." That's when Muffy arrived.

I explained things then she asked questions, then I realized I was dumb and Murphy was an angel. I mean everyone says it since she's blond and pure good, but the fallen angel chose to cosplay as her for a reason, she's an angel. I kissed my angel and Charity gave me some blood and I tracked the little girl to Pell's theatre.

We were arming up medieval style when the growl of a Japanese motorcycle, the one I knew the summer knight drove, came around the alley revealing Fix and Lilly. We strategized then I kicked the door in. "I came to kick ass and chew bubblegum and I'm all out of bubblegum." I loved that line. I felt pretty rowdy too. Nothing. Well crap. I went on in, making my way to the silver screen then they finally attacked. Fix and Lilly made short work of them. 2 phobophages made to look like the mutant zoo animals from Nature Red. We got to the screen and were ambushed by a fetch made into a doll. Murphy killed that one. Lilly opened the way and crap. It headed to Arctis Tor. When we arrived we saw signs that someone already blasted their way in and left lots of carnage behind.

"What happened?" Thomas pondered aloud. The fetches descended on us at that time, and we kicked their asses. Thomas and Karen watched our back while Charity and I stormed the ice fortress to save Molly. Scarecrow had her. I couldn't kill him when he was weak, and here he was strong. I needed something. I tapped into summer and blasted his ass. Then hunting horns howled and I had to escape. We got back in time, Thomas carrying the armor, and I carried Molly. When we got back and closed the way, then returned to the church, we realized time passed quickly. Karen rushed back to work, Thomas had to go too, and I had to talk to Molly about black magic. It was rough but she and Charity agreed to let me bring Molly in. We made a show for the council.

Lilly came and presented awards to Morgan and me, and then I gave a long-winded speech about justice. The merlin tried to execute Molly, but then her dad and the entire elder council came through a way through the nether and the council said let the girl live. I drove Michael and Molly back to her house, and then went home to sleep in my bed, in my empty apartment save for Mouse and Mister.

I woke up to Karen tugging my shirt off then rolling me over, then checking my eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I noticed something. Thomas doesn't heal as quickly as you, but sometimes you don't either. Look. Still bruised. You were concussed for a good long time too."

"I do it consciously. Its not totally a vampire thing."

"Ah, a part of being both?"

"Bingo. It's been a funny sort of day hasn't it?"

"Cut it out already. The convention is over. If I hear another horror quote from you, ill die."

"No more dead bodies for daddy tonight." I answered. She pretended to die choking and sprawled next to me. After I threatened to take her pants off she sat up. Awe.

"Maggie's in the living room. I left breakfast on the counter."

"Where you going?"

"My first shrinks visit."

"How'd things play out?

"I'll be evaluated and investigated. I'll be demoted and busted down to sergeant. Stallings got SI and I got a new partner." Please don't say O'Toole. "Rawlins."

"Ain't he suffered enough?"

"That's what I said." She smiled at me. "Well I better take off."

"Wait… um… what do we do about us?" I asked sheepishly. She gave it though, then looked me in the face and said,

"I don't know, but you should just feed off me the old way. I don't want to burn you."

"I'll figure something out. Promise." She smiled, then kissed me again and left.

I debriefed Bob then waited for Molly to arrive for her first lesson. I taught her how to feel wards then how to put them up and lower them. I taught her how to act, and gave her her apprentice necessities. Then I explained to her she wasn't getting anywhere with me and I wasn't going to go easy on her. I also banned her from sex with anyone. I showed her how scary magic could be and explained to her she slips up or disobeys me at a critical moment she was dead… and so was I. when she started to cry I hugged her and said, "No tears please, it's a waste of good suffering." Then she laughed and i took her back to her mom. Later Ebenezer came by to let me know about a conspiracy in the council, after which, to lighten the mood, I took him to Hooters.

I dunno what the hell's in there but its weird and pissed off, whatever it is.