A/N: 3 more chapters to go after this one! Enjoy!

angellwings

Episode 03: ...And the War Within

Act 04: Tail Tale

Eve led the way as they reached the end of the gravel drive that led to the Stone family house. It was a large farm house with plenty of land and plenty of rooms but it could use a bit of upkeep. The paint had faded and the wrap around porch could use staining. The gardens around the house were perfectly maintained, however. Cassandra smiled at the flowers in bloom and at the house as a whole. It looked very much like Jake.

They all made their way up the front steps and just as Eve went to knock a fox ran up the steps and stopped in front of them. It was much larger than your average fox, though just as swift and quiet as you'd expect. What really made it stand apart from a regular fox was it's numerous tails. Cassandra counted six just as Ezekiel had described.

"That's her!" Ezekiel exclaimed. "That's Fake Christy!"

Eve put a hand on her gun that was clipped to her belt and backed herself and the others away.

"Fascinating," Flynn said as he attempted to step forward to look at the fox. Eve quickly grabbed the collar of his jacket to hold him still.

"Don't you dare," Eve told him. "Get out of our way," she said as she glared at the fox.

The fox then began to grow and transform in front of them and a mere second later a beautiful ebony haired Japanese woman stood in front of them with an urgent expression on her face. "I can't do that. You're walking into a trap."

"And we should believe you?" Ezekiel asked. "You kidnapped a girl and held her captive in a closet!"

"I needed a way to blend in and I needed someone your friend had a history with. We didn't hurt her," Natsuki said pleadingly. "Please, my name is Natsuki and my sister and I are here to help you."

"So, it is a nogitsune, then?" Flynn asked worriedly.

She nodded. "A particularly nasty one. We've been hunting it for many months now. Each time it escapes us."

"Why can't we go inside?" Cassandra asked. "If Jake's parents are in trouble then shouldn't we help them?"

"The nogitsune doesn't want his parents. It wants a Librarian. Any of you will do. Any being steeped in magic will allow it to grow stronger and maintain a vessel for more than a day or two," Natsuki told them. She pointed to Flynn and then Cassandra. "Either of you would be prime targets. You're soaked in magic."

Cassandra sighed in exasperation. "Is being magical ever going to be an advantage? It's been a bit of let down so far."

"I'm still not sure why you expect us to believe you," Eve said with a wary glare. "For all we know you could be working with this demon-fox and stalling for time."

"If I were stalling for time why wouldn't I just kill you? Why would I bother spinning a tale when it would take next to nothing for me to snap your neck?" Natsuki asked in irritation. "Mortals, you're all so exhausting."

The group exchanged horrified and awkward looks before Flynn cleared his throat and spoke.

"Logically, she does have a point."

The crunching of gravel could be heard from behind them and they all turned to find Jake and another woman approaching them. As they got closer Cassandra's mouth dropped open and her eyes narrowed.

"Guys! We got a problem!" Jake yelled as he ran to the porch and stopped at the steps.

"Who the hell is that?" Cassandra asked as she pointed at her look-a-like.

Jake glanced at Sakura and then turned to face Cassie with a sheepish face. "Um, a kitsune?"

"Who looks like me?" Cassandra asked him.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," Sakura said with a smirk.

"Actually, I think it says creepy stalker more than it says flattery," Ezekiel said with an amused grin. "Any particular reason you chose to flatter Cassandra?"

Sakura shrugged. "I needed to get his attention. This seemed to be the form that would be the most capable of it."

Ezekiel snorted. "Tell me about it."

There was a sudden load roar from inside the house that was followed by a scream. The front door opened and a woman in her early sixties came running from the house. She had dark brown hair and wide frightened blue eyes. The resemblance between her and Stone was very clear.

"Mom!" Jake yelled as he ran up the steps and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled away and then checked her over for any injuries. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"It's—It's your father, he's…I don't know what he is but he's not…" Her sentence trailed away and her eyes watered before she embraced her oldest son tightly. "What is happening, Jacob?"

Another roar sounded from inside the house and Jake used one arm to pull his mom away from the door and then other to back Cassandra down the stairs. Eve stepped out in front of all of them with her gun raised to the door.

"Just a guess, but is that the nogitsune everyone keeps talking about?" Eve asked. "The thing that's roaring like some bloodthirsty monster?"

"Yes," Natsuki told her with a nod.

"Oh, fun," Eve said sarcastically. "This just keeps getting better."

"Gaurdian?" Flynn asked with a feigned lightness.

"Yes, Librarian?" She asked as the group backed down the steps and away from the porch.

"As we know next to nothing about how to defend ourselves against this creature, I highly suggest we regroup and reassess," He said with a nervous gulp.

"I second that suggestion," Ezekiel said as he hid behind the railing of the porch.

"Right, good plan," Eve said as she kept a watch on the door with her gun pointed ahead of her. "Everyone, back to the Door! Now!"

They all turned and ran except for Jake and Mrs. Stone. Jake stared at the open door with concern and moved to go up the steps again but Mrs. Stone tugged on his arm. "Jacob…don't. He wasn't himself. You can't go in there alone."

"We can't just leave him," Jake said as he swallowed thickly.

Cassandra stopped when she noticed Jake wasn't with the group and came back for the two of them. Cassandra placed a hand on his other arm and he immediately turned to meet her eyes. She shook her head but gave him a sympathetic look.

"No one is going anywhere alone," she said with a soft grin as she repeated his words to her from earlier that day. "Jake, we'll come back. We're not leaving him forever," she said softly. "We just need to figure out how to save him first. We've got to have a plan. Please, let's go."

He nodded hesitantly and allowed her to lead him away. Mrs. Stone followed closely with an interested expression. What had her son been up to while he was away? And who were these people that seemed to know him so well?

"The diner?" Mrs. Stone asked. "We're retreating to the diner?"

Eve and Flynn gave her a startled look as if they'd just remembered her presence.

"Um, Stone?" Flynn asked leadingly. He was asking whether he thought they should take her with them.

Cassandra saved him the trouble of answering. "We can't leave her here alone. We have to take her with us."

Jake gave her a grateful smile and nodded. "I'm not leaving unless I know she's safe."

"Alright," Eve said with a nod. "Then you may want to break it to her now. Might be a bit of a shock."

"Wait," Ezekiel said in confusion. "Can she even go through the Door? I thought only people who came from the Door or exceptionally magical people could go through the Door?"

"What is this door yall keep talking about?" Mrs. Stone asked with a huff. "And take me where?"

"Mom," Jake said softly as he pulled her aside. "Y'know how I told you and dad I was in Texas? Well…I wasn't."

"Oh we knew that, sweetie. We heard from your dad's friend Sam about a week after you left, you know the one who works there, and he was very firm that he'd not seen hide nor hair of you," She told him gently.

He blinked at her. "You knew? You and dad knew that I was…lying?"

"Of course we did. Honey, you're not a very good liar," she told him with a shake of her head. "I could always tell when you snuck out to go where ever it was you used to go. You were nervous for hours before."

Cassandra grinned at him and suppressed a chuckle. "With the cover stories you make up for us sometimes I believe it."

"Cover stories," Mrs. Stone said with a perceptive stare at her oldest son. "Jacob Stone, what have you been up to?"

"Yes, Jacob, what have you been up to?" Ezekiel asked him with a pointed smirk.

"You, young man, you stay out of this," Mrs. Stone told him sternly. "I know a trouble maker when I see one."

This time Cassandra really did laugh. Ezekiel looked startled and glanced down at the ground sheepishly. For that reaction alone, Cassandra decided she liked Jake's mother.

"Mom," Jake said with a small smile. "I'm a Librarian."

Her brow furrowed. "A Librarian who needs cover stories? Jacob, you tell me the truth right now."

"If you know when I'm lying then shouldn't you know if I'm telling the truth?" He asked her. "I am a Librarian, just…not a traditional one."

"Maybe," Flynn said as he interrupted. "It's best if we show you. Mrs. Stone?" Flynn asked as he offered her his arm. "Allow me."

"What about the Door?" Cassandra asked worriedly. "Did we decide if we could take additional people through?"

"Or if we should take additional people through," Eve said as she gave Sakura and Natsuki anxious glances.

"I have enough magic in me to share," Flynn said with a grin. "So does Cassandra for that matter. The Door will allow for additional travelers. Mrs. Stone just needs a proper escort."

Mrs. Stone smiled warmly at him and patted Flynn's cheek before she accepted his arm. "Now, you, I like. Charming."

Eve chuckled. "You have no idea."

Flynn led Mrs. Stone through the diner ahead of them.

Cassandra then turned to Eve and spoke quietly, "Are we taking them?" She nodded her head toward Natsuki and Sakura. "Also, the fact that she still looks like me is seriously weirding me out."

"The question is," Eve asked her. "Do we need them? Because if we can make a solid plan without them I'd rather leave them here."

"They've been hunting this nogitsune, haven't they?" Cassandra asked.

Jake heard them whispering and leaned toward them. "Not just this one. This is what they do. Sakura told me."

Cassandra quirked a brow at him. "Did she? What else did she tell you?" She asked in a snippy tone.

Now that Ezekiel had told him about Cassandra's jealousy he could definitely hear it. "Just things regarding the case. That's all."

Eve sighed. "So, we need them. Damn it." She then turned to the women and nodded toward the diner. "Alright, Foxy and Loxy, you're with us. You make one wrong move, and I don't care how immortal you are I will shoot you. Got it?"

Sakura nodded and her copper hair shined in the Oklahoma sun. "Got it."

Jake walked on ahead with Eve. Ezekiel, Cassandra, and the sisters brought up the rear.

"Okay," Cassandra said with an irritated huff as she waved a hand at Sakura while they walked. "Can you…change or something because you're really freaking me out."

Sakura bowed her head briefly before she waved a hand down the length of her torso and her appearance faded into a slender raven haired woman who was close to identical to Natsuki. "Better?" She asked as they stopped at the front door to the diner.

Cassandra let out a relieve breath and nodded. "Yes, thank you." Ezekiel opened the door for them with a chuckled and Cassandra glared at him. She turned to the sisters as they approached the door to the kitchen. "So, if someone magical who previously went through the door had to escort Mrs. Stone I suppose that means I have to escort the two of you." She nodded for them to follow her. "So, come on then, let's go."

"Jenkins is gonna love this," Ezekiel said with a chuckle as he walked through the door behind them.