The pawn shop on 5th avenue was 24 hours and was well known that it catered to the criminal element. The Owner 'Big G' was smart enough to keep all his paperwork this side of the law which kept him in business.

Right now he was online looking up information on the gold brace he had bought. He was angry the fools had taken it to someone honest and had broken the piece into three pieces. He would have bought the whole thing for a thousand and made a killing selling it for a million or more.

In front of him on the computer were three collars that were very much alike. Each had different Celtic knot works on them however. According to the information these bracelets were used for slave wives of conquering invaders. However the story got a little weird when the information stated the invaders were generally members of the Sidhe or fairie breed. The slave collars where given to human brides by those creatures that had no females or took too long to breed on their own. The oldest one was dated almost 5,000 years old. The piece he was holding looked older than that.

Each knot work on the collar proclaimed the clan that the bride was married off to. According to the drawings on the list in front of him the piece he was holding was listed as the O' Darby clan. The drawing was there for references since no such collar had ever been found for this clan or several other clans listed and where even dismissed as not being in existance.

He leaned back. Jesus God he could be sitting on something worth even more than a million. Eagerly he scrolled to the link that simply said O' Darby. He frowned. there was little information. A poem had been placed in the header that simply read;

o'er the hills,
across the rushing glen,
we darn't go a'huntin
for fear of little men.

He clicked on general information for the collar and a page popped up about Leprechauns of all things. He glared at it. Fairy tales were worthless. What kind of history shit was this? The page was filled with strange symbols said to be carved on Stones throughout Ireland and another more menacing page pronounced a legend of leprechaun who sold his soul for his gold and would visit upon he who dared to steal it a horrible death.

" What shit." G grumbled clicking back trying to get more history on the brace he had. He wished he'd been able to pry the second brace from the gang but the first pawnshop owner, the old fool up the road, had told them about it's historical value and talked them into taking it to a museum.

He sighed his browser now completely on a stupid wiki page about Leprechauns, wishes, and that kind of bull.

" Hey Ken?! Ken?!" Big G leaned back and looked over the brace still unable to believe he had gotten something that was going to make him rich. He heard a noise which he took to assume was Ken in the front acknowledging him.

" Made it big bro, found out this is an O' Darby collar and it's hella old and one of a kind. We're gonna be fucking rich!"

" Rich my lad? You don't say? Being that's it's stolen from me, perhaps ye'd best give it back fer free."

Big G turned confused at the voice and his mouth dropped. There was a an ugly dwarf leaning against his door holding a long pipe. In one hand he was holding a dismembered hand which had a death grip around a lighter. Ken's lighter. The creature used the bloody hand to light his pipe and inhaled with pleasure before blowing the lighter out and tossing the hand to the side. He blew the smoke out casually his eyes piercing as they regarded the gold brace.

" What..."

"Stop! " The thing held up on ugly clawed hand " Before ye ask lad...I'm a Leprechaun...see the hat? The coat? The buckles of me shoes? Ask me new question and maybe I won't kill you."

Big G jumped up reaching around and grabbing a gun hidden behind the computer. He opened fired sending the Leprechaun falling back into the shop his hat toppling off his head his lit pipe falling to the ground.

Big G stared his breath hitching. Christ jumped up a cross he thought. Well he wasn't a fool. He trusted his own eyes and that thing had been a Leprechaun. Much more hideous than the pictures he had just been looking at but a Leprechaun all the same. He cautiously moved to the front of the shop. To his shock there was no dead Leprechaun. He glanced behind the counter and he gagged. There was just enough left of Ken for him to be recognized.

Movement caused him to swing his gun around and empty it towards the front of the shop. He heard wild cackling as his glass, which was bullet proof , made popping noises. He shakily took two steps forward.

Nothing.

It was darker out front apparently the little monster had taken out a few lights while G had been occupied. He turned to the counter the gun shaking in his hand to find the Leprechaun standing on the counter grinning at him. Before he could react the little monster punched him hard.

Big G wasn't called Big G for no reason. He was a big man well over 6'5" and he weighed little over 300 pounds but the blow from the Leprechaun sent him into a spin and he stumbled to his knees.

It jumped down in front of him bouncing lightly back and forth fists up.

" Care for a little dance me lad? Winner takes all loser gets beaten bad? You're a large mon come, come give me some hands!"

Big G swung out suddenly. He had pretended to more out of it then he had been to try to get the upper hand but damn he felt like his jaw was broken. His fist connected to the creatures jaw with a crack sending it backwards in a roll. To his shock the Leprechaun merely tucked his shoulder in and rolled right back up to his feet cackling.

" You hit like a wee lass! Care to try again? "

G swung then when the Leprechaun dunked he kicked out catching the little bastard in the gut and sending him across the room to crash into a rack of records and discs which fell over on top of him half burying him.

" HA! Take that you little bastard!" G crowed. He stood up and bounced back and forth waiting. Nothing happened. Had it been knocked out? He cautiously moved towards it.

No movement no sound just a crumpled form under the debris. I knocked him out...I knocked the little bastard out...G thought. Suddenly he realized something. This thing was what would truly make him rich. He had to find a cage or something.

He straightened up and clawed hand suddenly burst up from the floor grabbing both his balls and slicing through his jeans. G screamed and went down. With a laugh the Leprechaun popped up. He brushed his arms off. G looked at him eyes wide and bulging sweat covering his face. The Leprechaun held up his fists again and touched his nose briefly.

" I spoke true! You kick like a lass too. Since you can't move fast, prepare yourself, cause I'm gonna kick your ass!"

An uppercut sent G to the floor and this time he knew his jaw was broken he had heard it crack. The little beast leaped on him planting itself on his chest and faster then could be possible without magic he began a barrage of fists whipping G's head back and forth until his neck broke.

" Annnnnd the winnner!" The Leprechaun threw his arms up in triumph. " Now to collect my prize." He walked towards the back pausing to scoop up his hat which he dusted off. Tossing his long red hair over his shoulder he stepped into to the back room pulling his hat on and froze. The back door was open just a bit and the brace was gone. The computer was still scrolling through popups about Leprechauns.

His scream of rage caused a few people to cross themselves and mutter things about the devil beating his wife.

Running for his life towards his house to get his sister was Daniel spooked beyond anything by what he had seen. He had just meant to ask Big G if he would pay Daniel squarely for the other half of the brace if he stole it from David and made his get a way. Now he would have to use this brace to get him and his sister out of here. He would have to drive to the asylum and warn Kat and Brian then, he squeezed the collar piece tighter, he was going to have to use it to get far away from ...well whoever that freak was.

It was actually a shame he hadn't gotten there sooner. Had he known what he had and who was chasing him he might have tried to bargain for his life instead of running but having shown up in time to see some little guy beating the holy hell out of Big G he had grabbed what he could and split while the splitting was good.

Hopefully Big G's posse' would blame the little dude. Shit how hard would it be to find a guy like that? Couldn't be many little people around but even though had been little he had been fierce and Daniel wasn't to macho to admit he'd had the ho;y hell scared out of him.

It was stupid he thought as he turned a corner heading to one of the cleaner sections of town he would have almost sworn that little man hadn't been human. Daniel sent a quick thank you up that he hadn't been seen and couldn't be followed. No way would a little guy like that be able to make up the leg room Daniel could. Still...just in case...he tucked his head in and kicked off harder with his feet for more speed jigging and jagging between yards and ally ways.

He kept the golden piece close to his chest. He couldn't wait to be done with this shit.