Mother of All Darkness

Author's note: One aspect of Anita, in the official writings, is all kinds of internal and external dialog about her relationships. Having been very emotionally scarred by her ex-fiancé and his family, not to mention the whole trauma of her mothers death and dealing with her father's new wife and resultant siblings (who were all so blonde… so blonde); all combined with her nescient necromantic powers (which did not cause happy family times). I do find it interesting that the Author has never really explored Anita's family dynamics except in reflections, yet perspective must always be kept in mind, meaning how we remember things happening, and the actions of others, are not always how others remember things.

And no, I'm not 'going anywhere' with the above thoughts, just… noshing as it were upon the nuances of character.

Part 35a: Driving in the hood part 1… (a bit later)

The radio was now softly playing Crossroads by Don McLean. Nice song, it didn't really mean that much to me, I'll confess that it did speak to more then a few things in my past but I'm quite happy now. However, I could feel Illyana's irritation at the song.

But I'm all tied up on the inside,

No one knows quite what I've got;

And I know that on the outside

What I used to be, I'm not… anymore.

You know I've heard about people like me,

But I never made the connection.

They walk one road to set them free

And find they've gone the wrong direction.

But there's no need for turning back

'Cause all roads lead to where I stand.

And I believe I'll walk them all

No matter what I may have planned…

Can you remember who I was? Can you still feel it?

Can you find my pain? Can you heal it?

So… Tammy pissed at Agent Romanova. Agent Romanova pissed at Tammy. Leaving me the (supposed) adult in the car, a situation that is so not my norm as I'm usually the one taking pokes at people; combined with an inability to intervene very much as I was busy.

So, how the hell did this happen?

BEGIN ANITA REFLECTION1 (Back in the meeting room)

I explained that I could find the Fey, assuming that they cooperated, but I couldn't actually explain how. I could navigate there, but… I didn't know where there was.

Clear?

No?

Tough.

Those were the rules, and not my rules I'd add.

Oh, and no guys as well.

Why?

Rules again and no, I don't know why, but I suspected my vampire and were significant others were the reason (they are guys after all); but I didn't explain the full nuances of that thought as most of my guys are not known to the people here; no reason to give folks even more reasons to label me a slut. So that's why Larry got left behind, which the police really wanted anyway as they had a great deal of concern about the dead. He got to dress up with SWAT and wait to see if the dead got all feisty when the sun went down, which not of us magical types expected to happen but I understood their apprehension (and no, nothing did happen so… kudos to us magical types for being right).

So… I was paired with Tammy, and Agent Romanova got to go along because she was kind of Tammy's partner, plus I think Dolph was annoyed at both Tammy and Romanova and the punishment was obviously to stick them together, unfortunately with me (sigh…). I rather felt that it was total malarkey

Yeah! I used malarkey!

Tammy, of course, was annoyed that Romanova was going with us and asked for a few private words with Dolph. Meaning we chilled for a few more minutes while Dolph and Tammy spoke outside the room. Zerbrowski took the opportunity to chat up Agent Romanova, my boss joined in as well as the three of them conversed while Larry just listened (my boss had not met her before).

Hmmmm, my back was to the wall of the connecting corridor and I could distinctly hear Dolph state, rather loudly, in answer to an unheard question from Tammy, about a ten thousand round purchase order for silver grade ammo having been gifted to the department, handgun and shotgun. Must have been one of Illyana's grants that so gave her access. I'm very pleased that the Feds did not skimp on the high end ammo, but local police spending does not usually budget for silver ammo (lots of cops bought a few rounds of it on their own dime). But heck, empty a few magazines and the price really start to add up. Not to mention that you want to shoot what is currently loaded, seconds count and switching ammo is a good way to get dead so… packing a default load of silver means that silver gets fired even when it's not needed. And yes I have silver handgun ammo, plus shotgun, and rifle; solid shot, frangible, and hollow points, as well as copper jacketed lead rounds; if I think weres or vampires are involved then heck yeah my default load is silver. But why do I have lead you might ask? Humans and animals for one, plus there are various magical creatures that just don't care about silver, demons for one, like… like a certain redhead at the other side of the room.

That's when I realized I was looking at her red hair again. Crud, the bio/chem gear has covered it up, but now it was so just… there. I really needed somebody to talk to about this. So I pretended to fiddle with my phone as I sent to Jean-Claude. (Jean-Claude… are you there?)

(Yes Ma Petite?)

I got straight to the point. (She now has red hair.) Along with an image of her.

(A most interesting coloration, most flame like.) Was his observation. (But the choice of color is not what troubles you my love, is it?)

(No… it's why she changed it. Last night I said be less blonde.)

Jean-Claude observed that… (Red is very much not blonde.)

(Yeah… no shit… What's bugging me is why did she do it?)

(You have not asked…?)

(No. We're in public and… I have… concerns that it might be a ploy to throw me off my game.)

A hint of concern from him. (Do you really think that Ma Petite?)

I nibbled my lower lip as I pretended to look at the cute cat video playing on my phone. (Not really… but. It bugs me.)

A gentle question from him. (Why?)

Answered with a sigh from me. (Because I like it.)

(And this is bad?)

(It shows she knows how to push my buttons.)

A sense of disagreement from him. (Does it?)

(How would it not?)

(Did you not say to be less blonde my love?)

(Yeah… but… that was… I was trying to verbalize… issues.)

(And now you fear she's manipulating you?)

(Yeah... kind of. Verbalizing it sounds… silly.)

(And if she had chosen brunette or black?)

A flash of irritation. (That… would have pissed me off.)

(Why?) Rather rhetorical from him as I'm sure he knew the answer.

(Because… it would make me think she was trying to replace me.)

(Yet was to not be blonde your… heartfelt desire Ma Petite?)

(I know, I know. I just didn't… think she'd actually do something.)

(Because…)

(She's… for her to change… implies… I'm not sure.)

(Do not your men grow their hair long Ma Petite as you do prefer long hair on your men. Even us vampires lacking long hair expend energy to grow the length as it pleases you.)

Yeah… Jean-Claude had pointed that out to me quite some time ago when I had noticed that his hair was getting longer. That was back when he and Richard were competing to woo me. And yes… all my guys have long, longish, or if you're Nathanael, crazy long hair. Heck, with Nathanial I love to wrap around myself in his hair when I'm in bed after…

Sigh…. (Yeah.)

(What can I say Ma Petite, pleasing you ranks high on our priorities. With the connections now shared between us and her, and the affects upon her that she has shown so far, I do not find it surprising that she might wish you to look upon her and be pleased rather then annoyed at what you behold.)

(Stop making sense, you're making it sound so rational.)

Jean-Clause switched tacks. (Explainable yes, but rational? I ask you… what would a teenager think?)

(She'd be really pleased with herself… or…) I thought upon a boy I once knew in high school.

(Or?)

(She'd be massively second guessing herself about what she's done to her hair.)

(I am old Ma Petite and much that is present today I wish I could have experienced as a child, but this teenage angst is one I am gratefully to have missed.)

I suppressed a laugh. (Please… the image of her being an angsty teenager is one I don't need.)

(We must think upon such things Ma Petite, do not relationship difficulties cause conflict? Adults frequently misjudge, and do not the young, lacking experience and wisdom of experience, do worse?)

Conflicts? We had certainly had them. (Yeah…) I reflected upon more then a few fights my guys had had with each other. And… I with them.

END ANITA REFLECTION1 (Back in the meeting room)

Part 35b: Driving in the hood part 2… (a bit later)

Crap, it suddenly occurred to me, as amusing as it was at hearing Tammy being annoyed, guess I was having some Schadenfreude at Tammy's expense, but Tammy had no idea just what was sitting in the back of her car. A something that was Vampire Council grade powerful. A something that really was a demon, dragoon, the true Master of Egypt, Hell Lord, and… crap, likely a few other things as well. And all things aren't known for putting up with a bitchy detective.

(Crap, please don't kill her.)

I could feel an irritated sigh on the link. (Why do people always assume I'm going to kill somebody just because they annoy me?)

(Ahhh, because that tends to be the norm here?)

(Grrrrrr. I'm not going to kill her, plus you'd be annoyed if I did as that would upset Marshal Kirkland which would then upset you.)

(Good… um… by people do you mean here or is that a common behavioral assumption for you?)

No response back, but I got the impression that it was not just us who reacted that way.

BEGIN ANITA REFLECTION2 (Back in the meeting room)

That's when Tammy and Dolph came back in the room, with Tammy looking both annoyed and resigned. A final thought from Jean-Claude as I stood up and put my phone away.

(Remember Ma Petite, you are the femme plus âgée.)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's not like I'm her mother…) His comment did trigger a reflection about my maternal grandmother, she'd taught me how to (mostly) control my power when it had manifested. Mom had not had abilities like mine, but Nanna had; though they were much weaker. She was the reason that Dad had really emphasized raising me Christian rather then as a Vaudun (i.e. Voodoo). Hmmm… I thought again upon last night and the conversations I had had with her.

(I'll work on it.) I sent, with that we closed the connection.

Finally, times, and daylights, a wasting. Larry tossed his keys to Tammy (he had driven Tammy's car here) and the four of us decamped as Larry went down with us to get his vampire slaying kit from the car (a red Toyota Camry).

I passed on a thought to Illyana as we left the building. (Tammy appears to be in one of her bitchy moods, with you as the focus. I'll be… busy as we try to get to the Fey and won't really be able to engage with her.)

(Not an issue, she's been snipping at me ever since I met her, although rather extra today.)

After a quick hug between Tammy and Larry, Larry went back inside with his weapons bag. Illyana… Agent Romanova was in the back seat, I was riding shotgun, and Tammy was driving. She turned the key and… the radio blasted forth, apparently Larry had been rocking a bit as he drove here and had forgotten to turn down the volume. Regretfully, the radio station was playing Meredith Brooks' song Bitch and we got an earful of the chorus before Tammy turned it down (the sound blast had startled her and it had taken a few seconds get to the volume knob). Heck it had startled all of us.

I'm a bitch, I'm a lover

I'm a child, I'm a mother

I'm a sinner, I'm a saint

I do not feel ashamed

I'm your hell, I'm your dream

I'm nothing in between

"Sorry…" Mumbled Tammy as she turned it way down. "Larry likes to play it loud when he's alone."

Just shrug from Agent Romanova that communicated annoyance. Which earned her frown from Tammy before Tammy turned to me. "So… where do we go?"

My answer was correct, but described the problem. "I really don't know, drive in the direction of downtown, but avoid the highway."

Tammy put the car in gear. "Okay… don't tell me."

"It's not like that detective Reynolds." Was my formal reply. If I'd been just with her then I'd have used her first name, but I wouldn't have done that with another unknown officer in the car, and of course Tammy just jumps to a conclusion that puts me in a negative light. "I don't know where we're going. But I do know how to get there… kind of."

A sideways glance from Tammy as we exit the parking lot. "Kind of…?"

I explained as best as I could. "I can tell when to turn left or right or to stop, but… other then that I don't know. And the reason I know is because the Fey gave it to me as a gift when I first tried to meet with them."

Tammy had a touch of disbelief in her voice. "And you didn't take note of where you ended up?"

Part of me so wanted to say yes Tammy, I didn't because I'm stupid and such an obvious idea is beyond a dumb slut like me, but I instead went with the adult response. "I tried and no… I wasn't able to. If they decided to meet us then you'll understand. If not then we'll never find the place. And once found we'll have no idea where we are."

"Okay…" Was Tammy's reply.

Gads, even when I play nice there is just tension between the two of us, not that I like Tammy very much, but she is married to Larry so… I endure. "Just go straight for now." I closed my eyes and concentrated upon the chant I had been given when I had first set out to meet the Fey; which was part of a kidnapping case I'd been involved with.

Tammy suddenly declared her irritation at something Romanova was doing. "Are you eating that bagel?"

A muffled "Da?" Then a swallow. "Is problem?"

Apparently Agent Romanova had retrieved what was left of her bagel from her oversized bag.

Tammy followed up on her complaint. "After what we've just got done dealing with?"

"Am hungry."

"That's… gross."

A grumbled reply. "Так говорит сука."

"What? I don't speak Russian."

"I said… why problem?"

I don't know what she'd said in Russian, but I'm rather certain it was not that.

"We just got done spending hours moving heaps of bodies, and don't get me started about all the blood and other ick."

Some more chewing sounds, then. "Again yes…"

"I just can't believe your eating after that."

More chewing sounds, then. "Finished am I." Followed by what I think was some tea being drunk from her thermos.

Tammy was not impressed. "Unbelievable."

I made a request. "Detective Reynolds could you please slightly turn up the volume and hit the scan button on the radio. It… helps, and no I don't know why. Suffice it to say the Fey like music." And maybe it would get Tammy to tone it down a bit.

She did as I asked (wow, that was a first…) Now it Hazy Shade of Winter by the Bangles was playing.

Time, time, time

See what's become of me

While I looked around

For my possibilities

I was so hard to please

Look around

Leaves are brown

And the sky

Is a Hazy Shade of Winter

That's when Agent Romanova commented. "Beguilement maze."

My eyes were closed, but my hearing was just fine as Tammy replied. "Come again?"

"Beguilement maze. Fey hide love to. Concealed they are so navigate a maze we do to get to them."

Agreement in Tammy's voice. "I… agree. I've heard of such things. Nice to see you're better at magic then processing a crime scene, and hopefully dyeing hair. It would be a shame if it ran and faded. Hope you didn't pick a cheap band."

I find Tammy's bitch side to manifest way too often around me, and her tendency to disregard my statements if it doesn't match her perceptions (I can't prove it, but I'm convinced she was the source of the rumor that I had had an abortion back when she first got pregnant, so the catty commend about hair dye was so on the mark coming from her.) I think Tammy was one of those women who work fine with men, but just can't work well with other women. But… Tammy was right in that Illyana had shown that she had shown no real knowledge of police procedures in the work we had just done.

Agent Romanova gave a resigned sigh. "First Bagel… now hair? Odd you complain now, before you wanted how I did it."

"Not any more, but… why did you do it? Did you get too drunk to notice what you were doing?"

"Drunk yes… but… wanted to…"

"To what?"

She sounded hesitant. "Maybe just want to… attempt different, make change. Be… other then am. Is that wrong?"

"You are what you are, changing your hair won't change that. Won't change just how little a cop you really are."

And the hesitancy vanished. "Correct you must be detective. Focus magic is, as said before. But you much more experienced, and older then I."

"Not that much older, but how odd that you know so little… even though all of the Marshals I've worked with all know such procedures, some better the others."

"Turn left…" I said. Great… I guess no stopping Tammy getting her bitch on.

You could almost hear the shrug from Romanova. "Not job. Magic and… other things job are."

"Like killing?" And Tammy showed some claws.

A bit of a sneer in Romanova's voice. "Da… as you say. Detective Reynolds, remind me again what husband does?"

A hiss of anger from Tammy. "Leave my husband out of this."

"Why? In part do what he does, yet shit I get from you. What reason am so blessed?"

Tammy got right to the point. "Because of how you feel. Evil, cruel, and yes I'll say it, only practitioners of black magic feel like you do. Crap, you feel almost like…"

"Like what detective Reynolds?"

"Kind of like a… demon."

A pause, then Romanova's comment was slightly confusing at first, sounded sarcastic. "Good thing arson this is not."

"What?"

"Smoke. Oh dear… smell smoky you do. Arsonist you must be."

Tammy was not buying. "That makes no sense."

Romanova clarified. "Escape from burning building and see what you smell like."

"Turn right." Unlike Tammy I was focused on what we were trying to do. "Detective Reynolds, please remember on why we are here."

"I am." Bitched Tammy. "The only reason she's here is that Russia bought her way onto the squad. Which leaves me, and others, asking why? Why is she really here? Why did she show up just days before that horror at the warehouse was found. What's the real reason you're here Agent Romanova? And just what were you really doing the night before last. Did you by chance visit a certain warehouse? Maybe that's why you didn't find it so horrifying and gross."

I was growing annoyed. "Turn left."

The sarcasm just dripped off of Illyana's voice. "Superior detective skills have trapped me detective Reynolds. I… how you say to move without moving… teleport, da, that is the word. I teleported from apartment, met with mysterious people and due to magic going wrong, engaged in massive orgy with… one, two, three…"

I think she was counting on her fingers, like she couldn't quite remember. "four… Seven, it was seven others. Not voluntary by me, or them, but really good sex none the less, as you say, rocked my world. Causing me to make them familiars, seven in all, as demonic hell lord am I visiting this dimension. Then teleported back to my apartment, called in sick because… well… night rough. Just lazed about recovering, apart from leaving once, get sandwich at the Quizxons down block, good sandwich, should have such in Russia. Oh, I am also reason the great pyramid in Egypt blew up, likewise secretly the ruler of the vampire and weres of Egypt."

Tammy was not pleased. "Bitch…"

Illyana replied back in kind. I think she said witch, but the accent made it sound like "Vitch."

Wow, complete truth I think, don't know about the sandwich, and of course she's not believed. "Left again."

END ANITA REFLECTION2 (Back in the meeting room)

Part 35c: Driving in the hood part 3… (a bit later)

After some silence, and a few more driving directions from me, Tammy came up with a new complaint. "Would you drop the fake Russian accent. No ones buying it."

"Russian I am."

"Sure, but you sound like Natasha Fatale from Bullwinkle the moose. The only thing that could make this worse is if you started complaining about squirrel."

Illyana dropped the over done accent, but there was still a touch of that eastern European accent. "Fine…" Then a question. "Squirrel?"

Tammy sounded triumphant. "I knew that accent was fake!"

We had arrived (thank God, both for because that meant I could get Tammy to shut up and because the Fey had apparently agreed to meet with us). I opened my eyes as I said. "And… Stop. Figuratively and literally. It's a reference to a cartoon called Bullwinkle the moose and Rocky the squirrel."

We were… Somewhere. Everything was fuzzy outside of the car. The only thing that was clear was a plot of land with very green grass and a large dark wooden door in a stone wall on the other side of the plot of land.

"Where the heck are we?" Asked Tammy as she and Agent Romanova looked around.

"Somewhere in the city, no idea where." Was my answer. "A place where the Fey congregate. I learned about it from a case a few years back."

And now Tammy understood what I'd tried to explain. "But we were just… just… Crap, where were we?. So this is what you meant."

Having Tammy and Agent Romanova in the same space was just not working. Yeah I get that Tammy was reacting to the bad vibs from Illyana, after all I had rather reacted badly myself the first time I'd met her, but this behavior was extreme even for Tammy. "Agent Romanova, do you mind waiting here while detective Reynolds and I attempt to speak to the Fey?"

A shrug from her. "Is okay, perhaps is best. Not being around detective Reynolds would be nice. I will sit here, wherever here is… and wait."

She pulled out a graphic novel of all things out of her bag, something called the Umbrella Academy, and got comfy.

Tammy shook her head in disbelief. "A comic book? Geeze, just how old are you?"

Another shrug from her. "Old enough. Story is good. Older man runs school for children with powers. But old man not nice as appears. Has secrets. Does bad things. I find the story… interesting."

Tammy and I got out of the car after Tammy had first, reluctantly, given the keys to Agent Romanova.

Agent Romanova stated. "Be carful detective as to what you eat or drink. Fey are not to be trusted. Not knowing the consequences is not considered lying by the Fey."

"No warning for Marshal Blake?"

"No, is she not… girlfriend of the Master of the City? Stupid the Fey are not."

"Okay… thanks for the reminder."

Romanova then asked a question of Tammy as we started to walk towards the gate.

"Oh, detective. A white witch you are, right?"

Tammy answered with a touch of suspicion. "Yes, a Christen witch."

Such a simple question she asked. "So… how does one such as you know what a demon feels like?"

And Tammy didn't have an answer as she opened her mouth, then… closed it. Hmmm, why… indeed was my sudden thought.

And that's how I found myself walking across the grass with Tammy. We were about halfway to the door when I stopped as we were far enough away from the car as I asked.

"What the hell is wrong with you detective Reynolds?