Title: Tread Lightly
Author: Terion
Disclaimer: Not. Mine.
Rating: Caution for chaos, death scenes, and language.
Book or TV verse: Book verse...sequel to Web Weaving, Life Refreshed, Soul Repair, Loss of Faith, Faerie Fire, Life Anew, Secrets, and My Defending Angel.
Summary:
The worst thing one can do is threaten a man's family when he has a way
to defend himself. Threatening Harry's family is really one of the
stupidest things one can do. Because he will go to any means to make
sure you hurt for it.
This is…interesting.
I growled and skidded to a halt at the edge of the room, sniffing at the air. Just like with all of the rest of the Denarians, taking the coin gave me an alternate form.
That it was wolfish didn't surprise me at all.
Shut up, I snarled. Clawing at the ground, I caught the scent again and leapt to the roof of the next building with a howl full of rage.
Lasciel kept her promise. When I let her in my head, she just sniffed and asked me what next. I told her what I was planning.
Heheh, she'd called me crazy.
Guess I am for taking her help.
I left Murph a note before I took off; told her what had happened. That I was going after the kids.
If she woke up, she'd come after me, I knew. But if I had done something to keep her there…she would have hated me.
I couldn't stand that.
Morgan was gone when I got outside, which was good. The moment I was there, Lasciel smirked and had said, Now, dear wizard, let me show you just what we can do together.
That was how I'd ended up like this, in this form. It was wolfish, sure, but bigger by far than those from the incident with the wolf belts. About the size of Murph's car really…so, yeah…big. Thick, black fur covered me from head to tail in this form – yes, tail – and razor sharp claws sprang from tire-sized paws to rend whatever it touched. A glance at a puddle of water outside showed my eyes to be dark with points of red glowing deep within them, fires in the dark.
And in the center of my forehead, underneath a hank of dark fur, glowed Lasciel's sigil in dark red.
Woohoo, I'm a demon.
Just what I always wanted.
As the roofs of the buildings gave way to the suburbs, I leapt to the ground and kept running, claws tearing up pavement behind me. My apologies to the people that would have to fix those.
So you are actually planning to kill him.
That's the plan.
You truly think you can? She asked. Was that curiosity and hope I heard?
I smiled in the only way a wolf can, with a flash of gleaming ivory fangs.
I intend to.
She was silent for a moment then said, You are still a fool.
More of one for letting you in, I snarled back at her. But I am getting my kids back and I am killing that bastard for daring to touch them. And you're going to help me.
Lasciel seemed to smile at that.
Killing him I cannot disagree with. Though do you truly expect me to let you go when this is over? Do you expect you will be able to let go of my power?
I growled out loud and mentally at that.
Don't threaten me, hellbitch. My family is more important to me than any offer you can make or anything you can tempt me with. They will always win.
So be it, wizard, she hissed. So I am only your…what is the phrase?
Ace in the hole.
Yes.
Yeah, I replied as I skidded to a stop at the edge of the airport. Crouching, I leapt over the fence that surrounded it in a surge of muscles and came down running on the other side. That would be you.
There was a mutter from her that I couldn't hear then, You are a stubborn fool. And he was a fool to think you would fall so easily.
Maybe back then, I growled as I raced towards the building, dodging past the various cars in the parking lot. Not now.
Getting in the building proved to be an easy matter. The doors were open. And everything was empty.
Frighteningly empty.
Growling, I paced into the building then closed my eyes and concentrated. When I opened them a moment later and started walking, I was back to looking normal. Only now I was walking with Lasciel's coin tucked inside my glove.
He's here.
Now that wasn't hard to tell. When Nicodemus was around, you knew it. I hadn't sensed it the last time I'd met him but this time I did – guess it was the influence from my own little Fallen friend.
The whole place smelt of rot and decay. And all of it was coming from the chapel.
The chapel.
Where a Knight of the Cross had given up his life for me.
It was a trap and I knew it.
I walked into it anyway.
Y'know…just like I usually do.
The first thing I saw were my children, lying on the floor next to the altar with their arms handcuffed and gags in their mouths. My heart leapt in my throat and, after glancing around nervously, I rushed towards them.
"Lizzy. Nick. Wake up!"
My son opened his eyes first, blinking blearily at me. Then he recognized me and tried to struggle upright. I pulled him to his feet immediately and removed the gag – I couldn't do anything about the handcuffs.
"Are you okay?" I asked, hugging him briefly. "Did he hurt you?"
"I did nothing to them, wizard," said a voice from the back of the room. Lasciel hissed in my head and I rose with a dark snarl to glare at Nicodemus as he stepped out of the shadows.
"You."
He just smiled and said, "Indeed. Come, wizard. I know you picked up her coin…that is what I was hoping for."
"What do you want?" I hissed. Keeping my eyes on him, I bent and pulled my waking daughter to her feet.
"Nothing. Everything."
My own words to Bob thrown back at me.
Stupid coincidence.
"Dad?" queried Elizabeth, looking towards me woozily as I held her up. "What's going on?"
"Take your brother and get out of here, Lizzy," I said, not taking my eyes off Nicodemus. I couldn't afford to with them here – there was no telling what he would do. "Just run."
She blinked at me then breathed, "Daddy…"
"Baby, go. Please."
For a moment she just stared at me then nodded, moving slowly out of the chapel with her brother at her side. Nicodemus sniffed in response and said, "Fatherhood. Just a proud state, isn't it?"
I stiffened and hissed, "What do you know about fatherhood? All you have is a crazy, homicidal maniac for a daughter who looks like she escaped from a mad scientists lab."
"Deirdre is gone."
"Sorry. Can't really bring myself to give a shit."
He smiled grimly at that and stared at me.
"The last coins…are here."
I stiffened at that then snarled, "What?"
"The last coins, wizard. Yours and mine – they are all the Knights need to have our kind locked up forever."
"I am not your kind."
"Oh?"
"Yeah," I growled.
You still going to help me?
To kill him I would help the worst fool in the world.
Y'know, a simple 'yes' would do.
"You're a fool, wizard," sneered Nicodemus. "What are you then? You finally took up the coin and now you are not the same as I? Making a deal with the devil, boy, is the same to everyone that does it."
"What's different is the reason why."
He sniffed at that.
"Oh, yes. Saving your precious little spawn. You are a fool." Then he smiled and said, "I will break you, wizard. Then I will hunt them down and kill them. And then I will rip that coin from you…and give it to your wife."
My heart froze, seeming to stop beating for a moment.
Then it started racing.
Then the rage hit.
Snarling animally, I rushed at him before I really knew what I was doing. His shadow slapped me away easily and as I hit the wall then thumped to the floor, I heard him laughing and Lasciel screaming at me.
You are truly a fool! We would have a better chance at this if I…
Don't, I hissed. Slowly I started moving, shaking my head as I rose to my hands and knees. The rage had been thrown back just like I had…and now I could use it.
"Well, wizard, it seems like this will be a shorter battle than I thought. You still know nothing of…"
His voice froze when I looked up at him with the wolf's eyes.
A feral grin twisted my lips and I hissed, "Know nothing of what now?" Laughing, I got up and dusted imaginary dirt off my knees, then looked at him again. "You blinded me for a second. It won't happen again."
"And why is that?" he asked.
"Because I'm going to kill you no matter what you say."
He sneered then hissed as I lunged forward, faster this time. His shadow darted towards me but I dodged it and tried to grasp at the end of the noose around his neck. It slipped out of my hand as he threw himself backwards and I snarled angrily.
"Afraid of me killing you this time?" I hissed as he tucked the end of the noose into his shirt.
"Not at all, wizard," he replied. "Just protecting my interests."
Uh-huh. Right. I believe that, sure.
Stupid to wear it brazenly anyway.
"Protecting it? What will tucking it into your shirt do?"
I smiled and added, "I'm going to rip it off your neck, after all." Then I thrust my right hand forward, fingers curled into claws, and snarled, "Fuego!"
Yeah, my control without my blasting rod or staff is still shit. But I'm not going for finesse.
Messy works just as well right now.
Instead of having a fireball rush from my hand, fire lashed up in response. It licked up from the bottom of the walls and Nicodemus gave it a glance before smirking at me.
"Boxing us both in? And here I thought you were planning on escaping later."
"Little incentive for you not to run."
"And why would I run, wizard?"
I closed my eyes at that and everything twisted. When I looked back at him, I grinned the wolf's smile and watched him gap in surprise. I took the opening that gave for all it was worth.
Muscles bunching, I leapt across the room at him with a howl. He threw his shadow in my way as he dived aside and it tore ruthlessly at my paws and face, ripping deep rends into them. As he withdrew it, I spun and grinned at him through the blood as Lasciel threw her power into things and healed the wounds.
Kill him!
Snarling, I rushed forward again, snapping at him with my jaws as he just barely dodged again. His shadow tore into my shoulder but I kept going, following Nicodemus wherever he went. The flames limited where we could move in the room. My bulk limited it even more.
Eventually I was going to catch him.
Even with his shadow helping him.
He did manage to keep up the dodging game for a little while.
But he did slip.
He threw his shadow at me, aiming it at where I was crouched on the ground. I leapt over it and it came after me, arching at my back. But I caught up to Nicodemus and clamped my jaws about his right arm.
You know wolf's can snap the leg of a moose like its nothing?
Multiply that by about seven in my case.
Fuck his precious noose.
You can't withstand something like that.
So I ripped his arm off.
Nicodemus didn't bleed from the wound but he did look surprised. I dropped the arm to the ground and bared bloody fangs at him in response.
Then I lunged forward again, another snarl bubbling out of my throat. His shadow hit me in the chest this time, trying to drive its way in to my heart. Growling, I pulled away from it, blood gushing from my chest until Lasciel healed it.
"You can't keep this up forever," snarled Nicodemus, one hand clamped over where his other arm used to be. "You will fail, wizard!"
I smiled and shifted, cocking my head at him.
"Then why do you look so afraid?" I asked coldly.
He sneered at that and screamed, sending his shadow rushing at me in a blur of motion. I tensed and focused on my shield bracelet, bringing its energies up around me for a moment to rebound the attack. When it did so, I let it fall and shifted back to the wolf, lunging at him again.
His shadow tore into my side, making me yelp in pain, but I kept going. And I saw the fear on Nicodemus' face as I slammed into him, shoving him to the ground.
I thrust my bared fangs in his face, snarling, then shifted back. Then I grabbed the noose around his neck before he could react and started twisting.
As he started to choke, I leaned down so my mouth was next to his ear.
"You made a mistake in your plans, Nic. If you'd come after just me, you probably would have killed me."
"But, no, you thought yourself clever going after my kids," I hissed, twisting the noose more. "That was the stupidest thing you could have done.
"Next stupid was threatening my wife."
"You were dead the moment you dared touch them," I finished in a snarl, leaning back as his face started turning blue. That only made me sneer and twist the noose more.
His body started jerking underneath me and then his shadow pierced my back, causing me to arch backwards with a scream. But I didn't let go of that damn noose.
After a moment, the struggles stopped.
The daggers in my back simply dissipated and I whined through the pain as Lasciel healed the wounds again.
"Where's his coin?" I asked aloud as I took the noose from his neck, holding it loosely in my hand.
I don't know. Let the fire consume his body. Then we will find it.
Nodding, I rose and looked down at the body that had been my enemy. And before that, a fiend. Before that…just a normal man.
I pitied him.
And I swore that I would not become that thing he had.
No more deals with the devil.
Turning, I ran at the door of the chapel, bringing my shield around me as I leapt over the fire. It still singed a bit but I made it to the other side. Then I turned and held out my hand, flicking my wrist at the room I had just escaped from.
I threw my will together and hissed, "Ventus."
Wind roared up in the room, sweeping the fire into a fury and destroying everything within. Small gusts blew fire out the door towards me but I stood far enough away that it didn't touch me.
As I watched the wind start to die down, banking a few of the fires as it did so, I heard the thump of metal behind me.
I knew who it was.
Waiting until he came to stand beside me, I said, "You're late."
Michael grunted and replied, "I didn't know of anything until Karrin called me."
Oh.
"Guess she told you what I did?"
"Yes."
"Elizabeth and Nick are in my truck," he said as I ducked my head. "And I found Mouse along the road. He's wounded but he'll live. Sanya's taking care of him."
"He's here too?"
"He actually felt something coming," replied Michael. Then he looked at me and said, "Harry…you could have come to me instead of doing this."
"He would have killed them if I had, Michael. I couldn't allow that."
"So you gave in."
I hissed and growled, "I made a deal to save my children, Michael. Not all of us have the Almighty to help us when we need it." When I realized what I had said, I breathed, "I'm sorry."
He cannot understand your choice, whispered Lasciel.
Looking up at my friend, I said, "I had no other choice."
"You fought him before."
"And nearly died. It was madness to take the coin up, yes…but it would have been mad as well to come here without it."
Michael sighed at that.
"Harry…"
"It's done, Michael." I tossed the noose at his chest and he caught it awkwardly in his mailed hands. "Nicodemus is dead. I don't have his coin to give you, unfortunately." Nodding at the enflame room, I added, "It'll be in there somewhere."
He nodded then said, "Harry…you know that if…"
"I know you'll be there if I start going off the deep end. Its reassuring." I turned and smiled at him as I said, "But you won't need to."
"You…you cannot trust her to keep her word."
"Yes, I can."
I know why you call me a sentimental fool now, Lasciel.
She was silent for a moment at that then, Why is that, wizard?
You're one too, I replied.
Michael stared at me.
"Harry…"
You're a fool, wizard.
"Michael."
But a brave fool.
He sighed then said, "Be careful."
"I will," I assured him. When I heard the sirens, I said, "We probably shouldn't be here when they arrive."
"No," said Michael. Then he asked, "Is there anything that can come back to you from this?"
I smiled at that and replied, "Not unless they can connect fang marks to dental records."
Leaving him with that, I started walking towards the outside. It took him a moment to follow me.
Guess he had a hard time figuring out what I had meant.
When I reached his white pick-up, the passenger door flew open and Nick practically flew to me, his now free arms extended. I swept him up before he had quite reached me and hugged him tightly, not ever wanting to let go again.
Elizabeth slowly walked up to stand nearby and I could feel her frown. She stared at me as I looked at her and breathed, "Daddy…what did you do?"
I looked squarely back at her and replied, "What I had to in order to get you two back, munchkin."
She shook her head then moved to hug me, wrapping her arms around Nick as well. Her head leaned against my shoulder and I heard her sniff.
"I looked at you as I left," she whispered. "I couldn't help it. Not when I felt something was so wrong."
"Worse?" I queried.
"Complete."
Well that was a shock.
Though I guess it made a kind of sense. Picking up the coin had twisted me but not entirely. Taking it…I guess that finished what it was started.
Elizabeth turned her face up to me and said, "You look…like a wolf given human form. I…I guess that fits you, Daddy. But…"
"Still bad?"
"Still confusing."
Oh, the old 'how could an angel love a monster' thing.
Sighing, I said, "Lizzy."
She looked up at me and I continued, "Sometimes you don't deserve what you get. It just gets given to you because someone loves you." I shifted Nick to one arm and touched her face with my other hand. "I don't deserve you, Nick, or your mother. But I have you anyway and I will do anything to keep you."
My eldest stared at me then blinked when my son leaned back and looked at me with an understanding in his eyes that was stunning. He then looked down at his sister and said, "Daddy did something bad to do good. For us. 'Cause he loves us." Then he turned his dark eyes on me and cried, "I don't care! I love you always, Daddy."
Hells bells. The things children can say sometimes.
It can floor you.
I hugged Nick close then and kissed his head, murmuring, "I love you too, grasshopper. And I'll always protect you." Looking at Elizabeth, I brushed my thumb across her cheek. "And you too, Lizzy. Remember that."
She started crying silently at that and just nodded, smiling at me through the tears.
"Harry."
I turned and blinked at Michael, who had stripped off his armor at some point, and said, "Yeah?"
"Need a ride?"
I smiled at him and nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I think we do. Plus you have my dog."
He just nodded and I felt a pang of regret. Because of what I'd done, I don't know if he would ever be able to trust me again. He would always think of the fact that I had let one of those things in my head and had done nothing of it.
And I didn't know what to do to get that friendship back now.
But that was something to worry about later. When things were settled and I had some other things figured out.
The ride was quiet and when we pulled up in the parking lot next to the Beetle, Elizabeth was the first out. I followed her with Nick in my arms, he having fallen asleep on the ride over. Sanya and Michael pulled Mouse out of the back of the truck and the big dog managed to make it on his own from there. He was limping but he was okay.
The door was open when I reached the bottom of the stairs and I saw Murph hugging the life out of Elizabeth. When she saw me, her gaze hardened and I steadied myself for what was to come.
Her hand slapping my face was expected.
Her then tugging me down into a kiss wasn't.
"If you ever worry me like that again, I'll kill you," she hissed in a cold voice. Then she softened and I heard tears when she spoke again. "God, Harry…"
"They're safe, Murph," I assured her. "And I'm still here. I promise."
She looked at me for a moment then nodded, kissing me again. Then she went back inside and I followed, waving at Michael and Sanya before I closed the door. Their calculating gazes on my back was disturbing but they were justified in it.
Mouse settled down by the fire next to Mister and Elizabeth went downstairs, carrying a somewhat awake Nick with her. When the door into the sub basement closed, I sank down on the couch and pulled off the glove covering my hand.
Lasciel's coin made a loud, hollow sound as it hit the rug under my feet.
Murphy stared at it as it lay on the floor then said, "That's it?"
"That's it." Sighing, I picked up the coin and studied it in the light from the fireplace. "The last one now that isn't in the hands of the Knights."
"Harry…why haven't you given it to them?"
"Because doing that wouldn't have helped any. I would have had to give up my magic to be free of her influence, Murph."
I closed my eyes and finished, "I can't do that."
She sighed and I heard her move across the floor before her weight sank down next to me. Her arms wrapped around me and she leaned her head against my shoulder.
I could sense her gaze was on the coin in my hand.
"Now what?" she asked in a soft voice. "And do I know that this is really you and not this Lasciel?"
"Its me, Murph," I breathed, trembling. "Stars and stones, do you really think I would succumb to that?" I opened my eyes and looked at her, staring straight into her eyes. There was nothing to fear there…we had soulgazed years ago, right as our relationship began. "I have you and the kids here. And there is nothing that can tear me away from you except death itself."
"God, Harry. I'm sorry."
"I know," I said. Then I smiled and added, "I love you, Murph."
"I love you too, you idiot," she said, laughing and crying all at once suddenly. I laughed too and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her forehead.
After a moment of sitting there, we both rose to our feet, our arms still around each other. She stood there looking at me for a moment as I held up the coin again.
"What are you going to do with it?" she asked.
I frowned then replied, "Put it away. And hope I never have to pick it up again."
Very well. What I wanted done is done. I can abide being naught but a shadow in your mind, wizard.
Murphy nodded at that, saying, "I hope so too."
We walked into our bedroom then and I hid the coin at the back of our closet, in the same box I had stored everything left of Susan in. When I turned from doing that, I was grabbed and thrown onto the bed with Murphy hurling herself on top of me a moment later.
She kissed me and everything left my head – every worry and fear and all else. There was suddenly nothing but her, my angel.
I didn't deserve her.
I hurt her and did stupid things like striding right into the black heart of darkness itself, and charging in like a fool.
But I had her anyway, despite all that.
She loved me for a reason I couldn't begin to fathom.
Bless her for that.
I would be lost in the dark without her.
