Fic: A Dish Best Served Cold, chapter 4

Author: LastMartian

Rating: PG

Spoilers: Story takes place after Pale Demon. This is a direct follow up to my story, Out of the Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own the Hollows or any of the characters associated with it; it belongs to the wonderful Kim Harrison.

We bid good night to Ceri and Quen, closing the door behind them. I was rather surprised (and impressed) that Ivy had managed to stay calm while they were still here. I had no expectations that this would last, though. I had seen the anger plainly evident in Ivy's face; she made absolutely no effort to hide it. Ceri and Quen had obviously been uncomfortable; Ceri even gave me a questioning glance before leaving. I knew that I would need to talk to Ivy about this, so I had just shook my head at her. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have surprised Ivy with this; Ivy hated normal surprises, and this was anything but normal.

Ivy didn't immediately start in on me as soon as the door was closed, but she was ready to do so. I really didn't want to stand here uncomfortably while I got yelled at, so I turned to Ivy and asked, "Can you please help me to the living room? We can talk there." Yeah, judging by her face, it was more to be a lecture. Ivy tersely nodded, coming close to support me while I walked to the living room. While I probably could make it there myself (eventually), I figured playing on her nurturing side might downplay the severity of the upcoming "talk". Plus, I had to admit, I enjoyed being close to Ivy. Her scent was soothing for me, a reminder of home and family.

We made into the living room, Ivy helping me get settled onto the couch. She waited for me to get comfortable. Looking into her face, I could tell she was waiting to make sure that I was okay before the fireworks began. Might as well get this over with…I nodded my head as I gazed into her eyes.

"WHAT. THE. HELL. RACHEL? What are you thinking? Taking that bracelet off will announce your presence to demon-kind as soon as you use a ley line. Do you really want to alert Al that you are still alive? Do you imagine that he will be so happy to see you that all will be forgiven? Damn it, he will probably drag your witchy ass into the Ever After at his first chance! And that's not even considering the psycho demon bitch!"

She briefly stopped, breathing heavily. I knew that she was waiting to see if I would say something. All I could come up with was "You're right." I kept my gaze on her as she continued.

"Damn straight I'm right! And really, Trent? Like we can trust the cookie maker with anything! You seemed quite happy to kick his ass out of your life after San Francisco; now you want to go groveling to him to ask a favor? Why would you trust him when you would be at his mercy? You are depowered right now; he could do whatever the hell he felt like with you. Or do you think he's okay with you, considering how you left things with him last?"

Trent was definitely not happy with me rejecting him completely, especially so since it was in front of the others there in my hospital room. I was thankful that he saved my life, but I was so not okay with how much a manipulative bastard he was. I felt like I had made the smart decision, for once in my life. Still, I knew Trent would not help me out of the goodness out of his heart, so I was expecting him to ask for something. Ivy was right on the money there, so I nodded, saying, "You're right."

Ivy stared at me for several minutes; it was apparent that she was expecting me to argue back. I couldn't; she was right on all counts. I really shouldn't take off the bracelet. It could create as many problems as it might solve. I could see her anger dissipating as she considered me. I'd like to say that this was all part of my plan, but I really hadn't thought any of this through. I just really didn't feel like arguing with her when I knew she was right. It was so unlike me, it felt weird.

"Rachel," Ivy said as she sat on the couch, facing me, "I know how dedicated you are to your friends, that you would take the danger onto yourself to keep them safe. None of your friends would want this of you. Please don't do this." Her voice had steadily grown quieter, until it became an almost whisper. "I couldn't keep you safe if you do." Her head hung down, her hair covering her face with these last words.

She's not angry, she's scared. I reached out to hold her chin in my hand, slowly raising her head so I could look into her eyes. Tears were building in them; one slipped its way onto her cheek. I gently wiped it off her face, letting my hand cradle her cheek. "Ivy, I'm scared too. I don't want to take this risk. I just can't let fear rule my life here. If something were preventing you from using your vampiric powers and you could remove it so as to help protect me and your family, wouldn't you remove it, regardless of the consequences?"

The distress in her face was still present, but Ivy slowly nodded her head. She leaned her head into my hand, letting her face nuzzle into my palm. She gently kissed my palm before straightening her head back up to look into my eyes. Wow. Her eyes are like deep pools; you could easily lose yourself there. My heart was beating so fast right now, it felt like I just ran a marathon. I wasn't sure what to say or do, but my body apparently had other ideas: I let out a huge yawn right then. Embarrassed, I blushed at the temerity of my body to do something so untimely. Ivy looked amused at this, smiling despite the tears she had been shedding moments earlier.

"I guess the potion is starting up. I really feel like sleeping right now, but I don't want you feeling like I am brushing you off. Ivy, I may not act like it a lot, but I do value your opinion. I weigh it when I am making a decision." Another yawn. "And if I don't get to bed soon, I will collapse right here. Is it okay if we pick this up tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, Rachel, I know you need your rest. Let me help you get ready for bed; there is always time later for talking." With that, she helped me to my room, getting me into my night clothes without too much embarrassment on either of our parts. Once tucked, she simply said, "Good night Rachel, sleep well." She turned off the light and closed my door. I was asleep before she even left my room.

Sunlight was streaming into my room as I awoke. Stretching as I got out of bed, I started moving about my room before realizing that I wasn't feeling any pain. I lifted my shirt to look at my wound, but I couldn't find a trace of it. Wow, that worked fast! I felt better than I had for a while. I looked at my clock to see it was already 3:37 in the afternoon, surprised that I had slept that long. It didn't really bother me; I guessed my body needed the sleep.

I grabbed some cleanish clothes, ones that looked and smelled okay (yes, I need to do laundry), and headed to my bathroom. A shower felt much in order right now; I felt pretty grungy and the urge to get coffee was actually beaten out by the desire to not smell so bad. After getting cleaned up I could make some coffee. And breakfast. It was like I was starving, but I fairly stuffed myself on lasagna last night. Maybe the potion revved up my metabolism? It didn't matter much; I was feeling like normal for the first time in a month, so I wasn't worried about such little things.

After what felt like the best shower in my life, I got dressed and headed to the kitchen. As always, Ivy had prepped the coffee machine ahead of time, so all that needed to be done was to add the ground coffee and hit the button. Within minutes, the fresh smell of coffee was wafting through the air. Pancakes sounded really good, so I started whipping up the batter. After scooping some batter on the griddle, I grabbed my mug and poured the coffee. I was just taking my first sip when I heard the unmistakable sound of pixie wings entering the kitchen.

"Rachel! You're awake!" Ah Jenks, always the master of observation. I smiled at him, waiting for his eventual joke at my expense. When it wasn't forthcoming, I became a little concerned.

"Jenks? Yes, I'm awake. Why do you sound so surprised?" Based on the color of dust he was giving off, he was clearly agitated.

"Tink's panties, Rache, you've been asleep for over two days. Ivy's been freaking out. She tried waking you yesterday, but nothing was helping. She called Ceri, who assured her that this did occasionally occur, especially in worse wounds, and to just let you be until you wake up. Of course, Ivy doesn't take waiting well when it comes to you." Jenks looked at me rather pointedly then, before continuing. "She left just a couple of hours ago to try talking to witches or some professors at the university, to see if they had any ideas on how to wake you."

Over two days. I've been asleep for over two days! Stunned, I walked over to the kitchen table and flopped down into my chair. "Jenks, did anything happen while I was asleep? Is there another reason Ivy is freaking out, besides it just being me?"

"No, Rache, nothing happened, at least nothing that I was told. Glenn did stop by two days ago, but it happened while we were taking our afternoon naps. I could smell that he had been there; it's the only way I even knew he was there. Wait, are you getting upset about Glenn?"

That same bothering I had felt in the hospital had returned; I must subconsciously be troubled that Ivy is dating Glenn. Feeling my skin flush, I tried to deflect his questioning, as I didn't want to be grilled by my four inch father figure. "No, it's not that. Just thinking of something else." I realized that I had forgotten my pancakes, and rushed to turn them over. They still looked edible, but they wouldn't be winning any awards.

"Okaaay," Jenks replied, looking at me suspiciously,"anyway, I'd best call Ivy to let her know you are awake. You know how much she worries about you." He kept staring at me, as if he was trying to uncover some secret I had. I nodded at him, trying to keep my attention on my breakfast before I completely destroyed it. Jenks shrugged, and flew off to call Ivy. I tried my best to overhear the conversation, but Jenks was talking so low that I couldn't hear unless I were right on top of him.

I shrugged my shoulders; I'd be hearing soon enough from Ivy if there were problems. I needed to call Ceri, to arrange a meeting with Trent, hopefully later today. I needed to plan on how I was going to handle Al; I wanted to be the one to contact him first. If I had the initiative, then I had a better chance of making a deal that better suited for me, than whatever Al would propose. But enough thinking, time for my breakfast.

I was finishing off the last of the pancakes when I heard Ivy's motorcycle coming home. Jenks had apparently made himself scarce after his conversation with Ivy, and I wasn't sure how to take that. Was Ivy mad? I can't imagine that I did anything wrong during my sleep, so I wasn't sure why she might be angry. Ivy came in the door quickly, not bothering to be quiet about it. I decided to just stay sitting for the moment, as I was still unsure about her emotional state quite yet.

Ivy stopped at the doorway to the kitchen, simply staring at me. I could see the fear in her face; she had genuinely been scared for my wellbeing. I sympathized with her; it seemed like that there had been too many health scares for me recently, even more so than normal. I knew she needed comfort, and that was something I could provide.

"Ivy, I'm okay." I stood up, moving towards her slowly. "I'm sorry that what happened scared you, but the potion worked. I'm not feeling any pain, and the wound has healed completely. I'm okay now." I reached out to her, pulling her into a hug. She resisted for a moment, and then crumpled into my arms. I just feel her sobbing at my shoulder. I knew that she was somewhat against using the curse in the first place, so I figured she might be feeling at fault that something seemed to have gone wrong. She needed to let this out, this pain where she felt that she was to blame.

After a few moments, she slightly pulled away from my embrace to look my in the eyes. "Are you sure you are okay? Do we need to call Ceri?"

Smiling at my worrywart of my roommate, I pulled up the hem of my shirt so that she could see the evidence for herself. Ivy crouched down, looking intently at where the wound had been. She lifted her hand but stopped herself from touching me, looking to me first. I nodded my head; she then took her long fingers and gently probed at my side, as if it would magically reappear with her touch. Her fingers glided over my skin, causing a pleasant tingle to spread throughout my body. I inadvertently sighed, causing Ivy to jerk her hand away from me. She stood and turned away from me; blushing, I lowered my shirt back down and resumed sitting.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" Ivy had moved over to the sink, placing her hands onto the counter edge to support herself. "We agreed to move on. I am dating Glenn now; why are you acting this way?" Her grip on the counter was tightening; I could see her body tensing further and further.

"Ivy, I…" I didn't know what to say. In just moments, it was like our friendship had gone back to the way it was, where we couldn't be in the same room as each other. I needed to fix this, as apparently I was the cause of the problem, yet again. "Ivy, I'm sorry. My side appears to be really sensitive to touch right now; your… well, caress of it sent tingles throughout my body. I didn't mean anything by it; I don't want to ruin what we have now."

Ivy looked at me; I hoped my face was showing the contrition I felt in my heart. She took a deep breath in; I knew she was testing the area for my feelings. I was honestly surprised at my sigh; I hadn't been expecting that reaction at all. When she turned to regard me, her face had resumed a guarded look that I had seen so many times before. She still seemed conflicted, so I wasn't surprised when she walked out of the kitchen. I heard her bedroom door close, but at least it wasn't slammed. I would give her some space right now; she just needed to work things out on her own. Figuring that I could check in with her later, I decided to give Ceri a call.

I went back to my room and picked up my phone, seeing that there a voicemail present. I listened to Ceri's voice, saying that Trent had reluctantly agreed to see me. She gave me a date, which ended up being tonight at 9pm, so I didn't have to wait too long. I called her number, leaving her a message that I would be there.

There wasn't much for me to do right now, so I figured that I could create some sleepytime splat balls for later use. It never hurts to be prepared, I thought. In the middle of making my potion, Jenks flew in. I'm guessing that he hadn't heard any shouting, so it was safe for him again. "How's Ivy doing?"

"She was upset, but it was more from fear than anything. Her emotions are probably all over the place right now. She's in her room right now; I want to give her some space, to give her the chance to work things out on her own. I figured that I would go see how she was doing after I finish these splat balls."

"Rache, maybe you should just wait until she comes to you? Tink's diaphragm, she's gone through a lot this week; hell, even the past few months haven't been very pretty. She's probably close to breaking." Jenks was agitatedly flying back and forth in the air; trying to keep my eyes on him felt like I was watching a tennis match. Starting to feel a little dizzy, I closed my eyes and turned back to my spelling.

"Jenks, when someone is at their lowest, that's when they need their friends the most. What kind of friend would I be to Ivy if I didn't try to support her now? Besides," I reluctantly added, "I need to ask her to go to Trent's with me tonight."

"TRENT? Why in hell would you be going to that cookie maker? Do you have a death wish?"

"Jenks, I already had this argument with Ivy; I'm not starting a new one with you. I need his help removing the bracelet, so I can access ley lines again. I need that magic to find the ones who attacked all us. I can appreciate your concern for me; it does mean a lot. Now, be quiet," I admonished the pixie, "I don't need any distractions right now; I need to finish this so I can go speak to Ivy." I could tell, even without looking, that Jenks was pissed. He didn't say another word, which was unusual, but I was thankful for it. I was too afraid that I could be talked out of seeing Trent; I knew I needed to, but I really didn't want to face him. I turned to Jenks to apologize, when I heard a "Humph," as Jenks flew outside quickly. Great, another satisfied customer at Rachel's. Even when I was trying to be more sensitive, I end up being a jerk.

Determined to finish here so I could at least try to make it up to Ivy, I completed the potion, quickening it with three drops of my blood. Then, using a syringe, I carefully injected the potion into the splat balls I had. I had once accidentally let some potion out of the syringe and onto my hand. I had quickly found myself on the floor asleep, being awoken later by a splash of salt water by an amused Ivy. I never heard the end of it from Jenks for at least a week, so I was more than careful now when making these. Satisfied with the ten I had created, I loaded my splat gun. I wanted to have it just in case anything went south tonight. However, my next immediate concern was Ivy.

Walking up to her door, I gently knocked on it. "Ivy?" Waiting but hearing no answer, I turned the doorknob to find it unlocked. I opened the door and let myself in. I found Ivy on her bed, her knees brought up to her face, her forehead resting on them. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, balled up as if she were an armadillo protecting itself. Protecting herself from me, I thought sourly. I softly lowered myself to her side on the bed, placing my hand on her shoulder. "Ivy, you can talk to me. And I mean about anything."

We sat there in silence for several minutes before Ivy sighed and looked up at me. "Rachel, I told you I had moved on, that I couldn't keep holding onto the idea of the two of us together. And I had! It felt freeing, like a weight had been removed from me. I didn't have to guard myself around you so much. I started dating Glenn; he's a good guy and we have things in common, so it was easy to be happy with him.

"Then you got hurt, the shot that placed your life in danger was a wakeup call for me. Waiting there in the hospital caused me to think, bringing back memories of our time together, first as partners, then as friends. Despite all I had done to try to convince myself otherwise, Rachel, I realized that I still love you. I probably always will.

"So, yes, I am feeling your emotions about me again, your willingness to be closer to me. You hug me more, you reach out to hold my hand, and you snuggle up against me. I want this to be a sign that there is something new between us. But I have to know: what do you want? If you tell me that there is nothing else to this, then I will go back to just being your friend. It won't be easy at first, but I will adjust again. Your friendship is important to me."

I was stunned at first, but, looking back I could see all the ways that Ivy had been showing her love for me. Like normal, I couldn't see the forest for the trees…How did I feel? I knew I felt differently about Ivy ever since the talk. Something was growing within me since that goodbye kiss we shared in San Francisco. Ever since we returned home, Ivy had been a different person. She was more open with me and more demonstrative with her affections. We had hugged more in the past two months than we ever had since I've known her. We had grown closer, and I was glad for the physical contact. I enjoyed it. I loved the time we spent together, feeling as if we could genuinely talk for the first time in our friendship. Just her touch would send tingles through me now, when before it would inspire fear or dread.

I still wasn't sure how I would describe my emotions towards Ivy. I knew how I felt about her as a friend and a partner, but did I feel otherwise? Ivy is good for me; she challenges me in ways that no one else ever has. In a lot of ways, we complement each other more so than any guy I've ever dated. I do love Ivy, but am I IN love with her? I do have feelings, feelings that I think are more than friendly or sisterly. Is that enough?

Usually I approached relationships like I approached everything in life: by jumping in feet first. I'm not sure that I could do that with Ivy. I'm not sure I would want to do that with Ivy. Every other relationship I've had ended disastrously. Maybe I can try this out slowly, to not only see if it's for me, but to also try a relationship that isn't going full blast…

"Rachel? Was this too much for you? You look like a deer caught in headlights; it wasn't my intention to scare you. I'm sorry I brought it up, please just forget that I said anything." There was no mistaking the pain in her voice. She sounded miserable, just like so many times in the past. She started pulling away from me, increasing the distance without removing herself from her bed. I knew she believed that I was scared of her, of her overwhelming emotions for me; while I was scared, it wasn't for the reasons she was thinking.

"Ivy, no, I'm sorry." I reached out to take her hand, gently squeezing with my own. "I was caught up in thought. Ivy, I admit that the way you have been over the past two months has been stimulating to me. You've been more demonstrative, you've been more open with your emotions, and you've been more loving. Yes, I find this very… attractive compared to the way our relationship used to be. I want to be closer to you.

"Maybe there is something there. I do have feelings for you and I am willing to explore them, but please understand that this is all new to me. Just talking about this is scaring me to death; I don't want to rush anything and hurt you because of my inability to cope. I have had so many bad relationships, ones that I just jumped into. If this is to be, I want it to start it right. Please just be patient with me. I'm not running away this time; I just need some time. I just want the time to make sure that it's not only good for me, but good for us."

Ivy looked uncertain; it seemed as if hope and fear were waging war across her face. I reached out and softly caressed her cheek. Realizing she needed more reassurance, I decided on a course of action. "Ivy, don't read more of this that what it is." I brought my head down to her and lowered my lips to her own. Her lips were soft; they gently caressed my own. I sighed, this time on purpose. Her lips felt heavenly, encompassing my own in their gentle embrace. She was very tentative at first, which surprised me. I had always assumed that she would enthusiastically participate if I did ever kiss her, but, as I contemplated it, it probably meant she was still afraid of me changing my mind. After a few minutes, I felt her relax into the kiss, becoming more involved. Her tongue peeked out to swipe my lips. I smiled into the kiss, knowing that she was accepting what I was offering. I disengaged myself from her and gave her a broad smile. "Wow. Just as good a kisser as I remember."

Ivy smiled at my words; I could tell my kiss had done wonders to her mood. She reached over to hug me, which I gladly accepted. This is the Ivy that I love. It was comforting to be in her embrace, like all the worries of the world melted away. Nothing seemed more important right then and there than just being with Ivy. I felt like I could stay this way forever, but, unfortunately, our happiness, the joy we were both feeling right then, couldn't last. I hated to interrupt this wonderful moment, but I really needed to speak to Ivy about a couple of things.

Pulling back slightly, but keeping her within an embrace, I asked, "Hey, Ivy, Jenks told me that Glenn stopped by yesterday; did he bring any news?" I was hoping that it was work related and not a social visit; while I was still trying to understand my feelings about Ivy, I had come to realize that my feelings toward Glenn and their relationship were a bit on the jealous side.

Ivy's face contorted into one full of pain and distress. "Yes, he did," she responded softly. "He came to tell us of two things related to the case. First, while they couldn't ID the Were in ICU, his jacket had a patch on it that is associated with the Blood Moon Were pack. He also had an identical tattoo, so we know it was definitely that pack. They are going to pick up the leader for questioning, to see if this was pack sanctioned or a rogue element. And he also told me…" At this her voice faltered, as if she couldn't bear to say the next words. "He wanted to personally let me know that someone had broken into the penitentiary and killed Skimmer."

"Oh Ivy." While there was no love lost between myself and Skimmer, I knew she was important to Ivy. Ivy had once thought she was in love with Skimmer, and it's never easy losing someone you felt a connection with. I hugged her again, simply saying, "I'm so sorry." I leaned my forehead against hers, just sharing this moment of sorrow that she had. "Why are we just hearing of this now?"

Tears were coursing down Ivy's face, her reliving this loss once again. "It was so stupid. The warden was so afraid that he would lose his job over someone breaking into the prison and killing her. It took an anonymous tip for the FIB to find out about this. Glenn was kind enough to not just simply call me on this; he felt he should tell me in person."

"Glenn is a good man. Ivy, sweetheart, I am so sorry. I knew Skimmer meant a lot to you at one time. I am here for you, if you want to talk." I couldn't help but think back about my dad; I was so glad that I had my mother at the time. She was there for me; I wanted to be there for Ivy if she needed it.

"While we had grown apart, a small part of me still loved the girl she was in school. I kept hoping that that girl would come back, but Skimmer had moved on." She wiped at the tears she was still shedding. I raised her head by her chin, looking deep into her eyes. I slowly gave her a gentle kiss, determined to show her that she was loved, that she had someone who cared for her right now in her time of loss.

I felt like saying something more, but saying anything good about Skimmer would have been a lie. Well, that's not completely true. "Skimmer and I never got along, but I will always be thankful to her for saving your life from Piscary. I think that, in that one moment, she was once again the girl you loved, the one who truly loved you."

A bittersweet smile came to Ivy's face, tears unabashedly falling down her cheeks. "Thank you, Rachel. That means more to me than you know."

We simply held each other for several more minutes. Unfortunately, I was, once again, feeling the time crunch. I felt horrible about the change of topic, but I needed to ask this of her before it got too late. "Ivy, I got a message from Ceri that Trent is willing to see me tonight at 9pm. I really need to do this, but I would really appreciate it if you would come with me. I will feel a whole lot safer if you are there." I'm not sure that a hobbled witch and a vamp would be able to stand up to Trent and his lot, especially Quen, if it came down to it. I could only hope that Trent was being honorable.

Wiping her eyes once more, Ivy quickly nodded to my request. "Of course I'll go. I would have insisted on going anyway. You'll invite Jenks as well?"

"Yep. I am going to go shower. I can talk to him afterwards."

Come 8:30, we were on our way to the Kalamack estate. Jenks had opted not to come with us; Jih was having problems with some pesky raccoons, so he felt the need to help her stop the regular nightly excursions into her garden. We wished them good luck and headed out. We wanted to arrive early; I didn't want to give Trent any excuse to be more of a jackass than he was going to be. I had no illusions that tonight would go smoothly. Trent had tried to kill me multiple times, had lied to my face on numerous occasions, and then was summarily dressed down in my hospital room after that stupid kiss. I really didn't care if he didn't like me; he just had to take the bracelet off.

We got stopped at the security gate, as if they didn't know we were coming. Jonathon was being petty, asking us for our IDs to "ensure that no unsavory types were let into the estate". Yeah, I'm sure he considered me an "unsavory type". As I passed him my ID, I looked him in the eyes and said, "Sit boy. Roll over. Bark!" He stared venomously at me. Considering that his last attempt to kill me ended with him being changed into a dog, he more than earned my taunting. I guess Trent had forgiven him, but I still would have chances like this to take him down a peg.

We were ushered into the estate, being taken directly to Trent's office. I guess dinner's off the table at this point, thinking amusedly. While I had seen the majority of the estate already, this direct route meant that Trent didn't consider this a social call. He wanted to deal with us and then get back to his work, whether that was his Brimstone network or the illegal biodrug laboratory or some other undoubtedly nefarious design.

I will admit that I was being watchful as well. I hadn't crossed Kalamack off of my list of suspects yet; despite the fact that he was "attacked", I wouldn't put it past Trent to fake an attack to throw suspicion off of him. That's another reason why I wanted Ivy with me; she would be able to tell if Trent lied to me about anything.

Entering his office, we found only Quen present. He nodded to Jonathon, who then left, closing the doors behind him. Quen gestured to the chairs in front of Trent's desk; I sat in the one closest to the door. Ivy chose to stand opposite Quen, which was her way of saying that she was protecting me. Quen gave a brief smile at this and nodded.

Trent's voice proceeded him. He walked into the room on his cell phone, speaking a language I couldn't recognize. I guess that's the best way to ensure I don't eavesdrop. Trent, as always, was dressed to the nines, wearing slacks, a nice dress shirt, and a comfortable looking sports coat. Yes, he always looked the proper businessman. If only they knew what businesses he actually ran. He sat roughly into his chair and continued his conversation for a minute before ending the call. He looked at me for a moment before rumbling out, "Ms. Morgan."

"Trent. You know, you can call me Rachel."

A slight sneer appeared on his face as he considered my words. "I'm afraid not, Ms. Morgan. Use of the familiar name would indicate friendship. We are simply business associates at best."

"Seriously? I thought we had moved on from all of that, when we helped you get your daughter back."

"Mr. Jenks assisted me. Your firm was well compensated for his assistance. Our business dealings then were concluded."

Great, he was going to be petty as well. Sighing, I pushed forward. "Well then, Mr. Kalamack, I came because I need you to take this bracelet off of me."

"Ah, a deal. You wish to procure my services. What are you offering in return? I am almost sure you don't have the money to spare, so I am supposing you have something valuable to trade?" Trent had a smug look on his face, one that I really wanted to knock off his face. Of course, that was my reaction a lot of the times that I dealt with him, so it wasn't anything new.

"Trent, you are the one who shackled me in the first place. I just want to remove what you put on me without my permission." I was starting to get annoyed, my face flushing to red. A small voice was telling me that this wasn't the best way, but I ignored it. Why the hell can't he ever be reasonable?

"I shackled you? So, it was nothing more than that? It didn't keep you safe by hiding you from demons? I suppose that my saving your life is also a problem for you?" He had raised his voice, undoubtedly due to my reaction. Of course, being yelled at is a pet peeve of mine, so it wasn't helping the situation.

Starting to really get mad, I retorted, "Yeah, it saved me from demons and you saved my life. I wouldn't have been put in that position if you hadn't been summoning Ku'Sox like an idiot. You got to profiteer off that though; you came out in support of San Francisco by promising to rebuild it, making you look like a hero. What did I get? I got magically neutered! Turn you, Trent, just take the damn thing off of me!"

Ivy stepped forward by my side, obviously concerned by how this was progressing. "Rachel, maybe we should..." I stopped her there; I really wanted to see how Trent would respond. I could almost see the veins popping out on his forehead; I'm not sure I have ever seen him angrier.

"Why should I, Ms. Morgan? You can't pay for my services and any goodwill I had for you went away during the fiasco in the hospital."

With that, I got out of my chair, leaning over the desk towards him. "Damn you, Trent! I didn't ask you to make out with me in front of my friends, especially since you lied to me about it. What kind of person does that? So, yes, you deserved the crap I gave you, and more! You're just too damn stubborn to admit you were wrong!"

Both Ivy and Quen were both looking nervous, undoubtedly wondering if this was going to escalate into more than words. Trent was on the verge of getting out of his seat, and it probably looked like I was ready to jump at him over his desk, which was not far from the truth. I really had a strong desire to shake some sense into him…

Trent took a few minutes and managed to regain his composure. Looking at me, he shook his head. "I committed no wrongdoing to admit to. It is pointless to continue this conversation. I agreed to speak to you for Ceris' sake. I should just order you to get out, but I know you would just keep badgering me until I did something. For Ceri, I will take it off of you, but I never want to see you or hear from you again."

"Fine, Trent. I'll be sure to take you off of my Solstice card list."

"Mock all you want, Ms. Morgan. This also means that you will have no further contact with Lucy or Ray. The future of the elven race depends on them, and I will not have them sullied by being in the presence of a…demon." He spat the last word out, with more venom than I had ever heard from him.

"WHAT? Trent, you lowlife scum, you have no right! I am Ray's godmother, you can't bar me from seeing her."

"I have every right. The law sees me as her father. I have already revoked your godmother privileges with Ceri. I cannot forbid her from seeing you, but the children won't leave here without my permission and you are barred from these grounds."

"You lousy sack of crap! I'm going to ensure that you go down, do you hear me? This isn't over, Trent!"

Ignoring my protests, he moved over to my side. Crouching, he brought the arm with the bracelet up to his face, where he proceeded to whisper to it in what sounded like the language he was speaking on the phone. Elvish? When he was finished, the bracelet simply melted away into nothingness. As soon as it had, it felt like my senses were overwhelmed; I was feeling the ley line going under his house, the feeling sending a tingling throughout my body. It was as if blinders had been taken off of me, and I could finally see. I relished the feeling, but remembered to resist the temptation to grab onto the line; I needed to wait until I was prepared to deal with Al.

Trent stood up, dropping my arm as if it were the vilest thing he could imagine. Probably how he sees me now. How dare he bar me from seeing Ray? I was prepared to start the argument up again, when Trent turned to Quen, nodding at him. Trent then walked out of the room, not bothering to say anything to us as he departed. Quen moved to the door, opening it while gesturing for us to exit. I was more than happy to leave the Turn forsaken room, so I stood up and walked out with Ivy. Damn it, I forgot to ask about the attack! I had gotten so riled up by him that all reason went out the window. I just wanted him to do what I asked; nothing else seemed to matter.

We quickly found ourselves outside the estate once again. We climbed into the car and drove off, heading back home. Ivy tentatively smiled at me, saying, "Well, that could have gone better. Were you hoping that getting him ticked off would get him to accede to your wishes?"

"I wasn't hoping for anything beyond getting it off. He just gets under my skin like no one else. I'm still mad at him over that stupid kiss as well. And really, barring me from seeing Ray?" I sighed. The only reason it got removed was for Ceri's sake. I sure didn't do anything to help my case in there. In fact, I made it worse. "I guess there was no way that this was going to be civilized; neither of us like each other very much. It just hurts that I won't be able to see Ray anymore."

Ivy nodded, her eyes full of sympathy. "Maybe Ceri will change his mind? I'm sorry Rachel, I know that this must be hurting you."

I simply shrugged my shoulders. I knew going in that Trent would be vindictive, I just didn't think that he would carry it this far. Sighing, I knew that I had to have faith in Ceri; she wouldn't let this go so easily. Ceri and I were friends; friends fight for each other. That's why I went to see Trent in the first place. "Thanks, Ivy. I just need to trust that Ceri will do what she can. I wish it hadn't come to this, but I had to get the bracelet removed."

We rode the rest of the way home in silence. Ivy had, at one point, reached over with a free hand and entwined it in mine; this show of support was what I needed. Once home, Ivy quickly took my hand again in hers after we had exited the car. I smiled shyly at her; despite her occasional protests to the difference, Ivy was really good at being an emotional support. As we came into the church, Jenks saw us holding hands; he had a huge smile on his face. He didn't tease us about it, which was surprising; I guessed that he realized that this was new for us, and didn't want to cause us any awkwardness. I would often forget that he could be wiser than we ever give him credit for.

Jenks reported a successful foray against the raccoons, miming how he easily defeated a score of them by himself. We smile and laughed at his rendition of the fight. We decided on pizza for dinner; I offered to make it. Ivy had done so much cooking for me while I was recovering; this was my chance to show some appreciation to her for this. Plus, I wanted a chance to think while I was busy making dough; I really needed to come up with a plan for my confrontation with Al. While I was deep in thought and hands deep in dough, Ivy came into the kitchen and sat at her computer. Nothing like a sex goddess to distract you from thinking… Openly staring at her for a moment (ok, ogling), I thought back on our earlier kisses, bringing shivers to my body. I noticed Ivy glancing up, her eyebrow raised. I smiled at her, undoubtedly blushing. She smiled back and returned to her computer.

Back to my plan, of which there is none. I had to give Al something he would want, but what could I have or get that he would need?

TBC

Author's Note: The chapters are getting longer and longer. I have an idea of how I want them to start and finish; I just want to express the details so as to make the story better. Speaking of which: how are the details? I've tried to flesh the story out more for this chapter; is it better? Worse?

As for the story itself: yes, it will pick up. In fact, the story is starting full swing next chapter; I just needed to get all the players where I wanted them. (Mostly Rachel needed to be back in the game.)