Ezekiel
Disclaimer: Do not own Buffy.
Previously:
"…T-that w-w-was when you were a g-g-girl," she stuttered.
"Eh," said Ezekiel, "By the way…don't take this personal, but, ugh…I really can't remember what your name is."
"…Tara. Tara MaClay."
Continued:
"So, Tara," said Ezekiel as he grabbed her shirt and pants off the floor and handed them to his bedfellow, "Do all gay girls hang out in bars?"
"I-I'm s-s-sorry," began the stuttering blonde, "I w-was struggl-ing w-with myself."
"Coming out the closet," quipped the man as he searched around for his shirt.
"Yes," said Tara and, even as she said it, her eyes lit up with determination, as though her very life depended on getting this out, "I've been trying to convince myself that I like boys for so long, and convince myself that I wasn't looking at girls. I was there at the bar, trying to drown my self-loathing. Then, I saw you. You were just like me: drunk and depressed."
"You seduced me," finished the hunter with a smile, "Was it your first time?"
"Y-yes," she stuttered, "I r-realized halfway t-through that I h-had been…"
"Imagining me as a girl," finished Ezekiel, who smiled after her nod, "Well, let me tell you right now, Tara…if that was your first time, and you were only imagining me as a girl…whoever your lucky girl is going to be, you're going to make them very very very (repeat 'very' around twenty times) happy."
"…T-thank y-y-you."
"I should be thanking you," said Ezekiel as he turned around so that she could dress, "So, where are you staying? I'll drop you off at your home."
"You can't," she said quickly, "I-I m-mean, you c-can't drop me off a-at my home. I-it's…not here."
"You don't have a home," he asked bewilderedly.
"I…ran away from home."
Detective Pam MaClay had been in the office early that morning. Her own office was being used by one of the new detectives, so she would have to use an outside desk until a position opened up. She was expecting a new office by tomorrow. What she wasn't expecting for that morning, or any time really, was for her to have a phone call be given to her. From an old friend.
"Detective MaClay," answered Pam into her receiver.
"Well," said a voice she was extremely familiar with, "See you've done moved up to the big times, eh bitch?"
"Jacob," she nearly screeched into the phone, "What are you calling me for?"
"Don't take that tone with me," said her father, "Listen…I need your help."
"Why?"
"Tara's gone missin'."
"…What's happened? Did you knock her out one too many times, or did Donny finally rape her like he'd threatened to before?"
"That's none of your business, girl. The point is that she's run away. We tried to stop her, but…"
"She gave you and the sheriff the slip, right? Well, don't count on me to help you find her, Jacob. She knows what Mom knew, and you know how powerful she was."
"…Look, you know for a fact that I wouldn't be asking you if it weren't that we could find her ourselves. We found her diary. She talks about running away and coming to Paradise to find you."
"…I'll make a deal with you: I'll find her and I'll make sure that she doesn't press charges against you, if you promise to either hand her over into my custody or agree to a visit from Social Services."
"Well, if you won't even consider looking for your sister and returning her to her family, then we'll just come up and get her ourselves!"
With that, the line went dead. Pam just stared at the phone for a moment, then slammed it down. She put her head in her hands and gently rubbed her temples. She sat there like that for a few minutes, then she abruptly stood up and walked over to an office.
"Yes, honey," said Detective Daniel Cohen into his office phone, "Rebecca, you know what we agreed on? Whatever you want, right?"
"Except for the tux, I know," said his fiancée.
"Except the tux," he agreed as he looked up upon hearing a knocking on his door, "Hold on a second, Becca. Come in!"
The door opened slightly, revealing the head of a weary looking Pam. He couldn't see much of her face, but he could tell that she was distressed. She mouthed if it was ok for her to come in and Daniel nodded.
"Listen, Becca," he said into the phone, "My partner's here right now and it looks there's a new case to go over. Just remember, whatever you want-"
"Is mine, I know," he could hear the grin in her face, "Alright, Danny. Have a nice day."
"I will," he said with a smile, "See you tonight."
"Bye," and he hung up.
"What's up," he said, then he got a really good look at her and immediately saw three things: worry, fear, and determination. The latter one was normal for her, in the very short time he had worked with her he had come to notice that. But he had never seen the other two. It just shows how human people truly are.
"Can I speak to you in private, Daniel," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Certainly," I am getting worried, he said and thought at the same time.
"Thanks," she said as she closed and locked the door, then she sat down and took in a deep breath, "Um-"
"If you want to talk to me," interrupted Daniel, "Then anything we say will not be told to anyone else."
"…Thank you," she said with a smile, "Do you remember what I told you about my sister?"
"The witch, yeah," said Daniel.
"Well…what I didn't tell you is that my father is an abusive drunk." She paused here for a quick moment to gauge his reaction, and found his face emotionless, so she continued, "He used to beat me, Tara, and my mother all the time. Mom would take the brunt of it to protect me and Tara, but once he got at Tara while we were out. She was in the hospital for a week. Well, Mom put the fear of God into him that time.
"He didn't beat on us for a long while. I went off to college, never once worrying that he'd do anything. Our brother, Donny, on the other hand…he was a freak. He actually tried to sneak into the shower with me once. I knew, however, that Mom would protect her. Then…she died. Tara was all alone, and I was in the middle of college. Jacob, that's my father, took out a restraining order on me the next day, and got myself disowned from the family.
"I swore on that day that I would get my education, become a detective, and then instigate an investigation into his fitness as a parent. Now, Tara's run away from home and is probably in Paradise, looking for me. I'm asking for your help to find her…and when we find her, to get her away from those people and insure that they never hurt her again."
Daniel Cohen made eye contact with the distraught woman who sat before him. He had been raised to respect women and to appreciate the values of life. Though some of those morals had died down over the years, these two stuck with him extraordinarily well, especially for a detective in Paradise. There was, and always would be, only one answer.
"…Yes."
"…Wow," said Ezekiel as he listened to Tara's story about her father's treatment, her brother's sickness, and her mother's death, "I'm very sorry. So, what happened to convince you to leave?"
"My father," said Tara, "F-found out about me buying a l-lesbian magazine. He said that he was d-d-disgusted b-by me…I was struggling still, trying to come to terms with m-myself. I had a Playgirl and a special edition Playboy magazine."
"He found them," the Warrior remarked, "and overreacted and hit you."
"…It wasn't an overreaction," she whispered quietly, "It was…"
"Normal," growled Ezekiel, "So, you want to find your sister?"
"Yes," she answered, not meeting his gaze as she did so.
He sighed to himself, then pondered the situation at hand. She needed help, had been abused, and had just come to terms with herself. She was in an emotional train wreck and showed it through her more-than-average shyness. He also pondered whether or not this girl might be the 'little white witch' with the Codex. He would find that out after he'd dealt with her situation. It was much more important than some book, no matter how important that book may be.
"I'll help," he stated, "That's non-negotiable, Tara. I'm going to help you."
"…Thank you," she whispered, "But, before w-we get started, um…I t-think you s-should know that I'm a-a-a…"
"Witch," he supplied and at her questioning look, he continued, "I could feel your magic. Now, I can't pick up all levels of magic, but…yours is blinding right now."
"…What do you know?"
"I know about everything that goes bump in the night. I fight them, as well. I was raised and trained at the Vatican."
"…D-do y-y-you h-have-"
She stopped in mid-sentence as someone began to knock against the door.
"No, I don't have a problem with witches or warlocks," said Ezekiel as he stood up to answer the door, "In my opinion, if all things are possible through God and you have magic within your soul, magic that is not dark, mind you, then that power must come from a divine source. See, some ancient gods that were overcome actually joined the ranks of the Angels. I don't know who they are, but one of them must control magic."
He flashed her a calming smile and she smiled back with a smile that could light the whole earth for years. He stood against the door and examined himself to ensure that he was at least somewhat decent before answering the door, then took a quick look over at Tara. She was just pulling her shirt over her head, but Ezekiel had (conveniently or inconveniently, all depending on who was on the other side of the door) missed her bra, which was now lying near the bed. He pointed down at it and Tara looked at him in surprise.
"I forgot it," he said seriously.
The witch nodded as though she didn't believe him, which was understandable, and walked over to the piece of clothing and took it into the bathroom. Grinning to himself, he opened the door just a crack and took a gander at who was there.
"Open up, Ezekiel," said the voice of his friendly elemental mage.
"Edana," he said as he opened the door, "How are you this morning?"
"The better question is 'how are you,'" she quipped as she walked inside, then she looked around the room, "Wait a second. Bed's messed up. There's that familiar smell. You had company last night, didn't you?"
"Not that it's any of your business, but yes," answered the hunter as he started to make the bed up.
"So, spill," said a giddy Edana as she sat down, "Who was she?"
"ugh, me," said the tiny voice of Tara as she exited the bathroom.
"Tara MaClay," introduced Ezekiel, "Edana Thorne, elemental mage. Edana Thorne, Tara MaClay, white witch."
"Pleased to meet you," said Edana to Tara, then turned back to him, "She's hot, Zeke. Good going."
"T-thank you," whispered Tara.
"You know, Tara," said Ezekiel as an idea popped into his head, "Edana here is bisexual. Maybe she can help you adjust to your current…status."
"Huh," asked Edana.
"I-I'm a l-lesbian," supplied the witch.
"Really," smiled Edana, "Well, in that case, I am extremely pleased to meet you. Did he do it?"
"…"
"Yes, he did," smiled Ezekiel as he got out two beers for him and Edana and a Coke for Tara, "And before you say another word, the deal is off for right now."
"What deal," asked Tara as she sipped her Coke.
"This pig here," answered the mage, "Asked me to convince any girl I hook up with to have a threesome with him."
"D-did you really," asked Tara.
"Yes," said Ezekiel with a grin, "I mean, in my defense, I am a man. I do tend to think along those lines, like any red blooded human being and, in some cases, vampire."
"However," continued Edana, "Sense you've just realized this, I'm guessing, right?" At their nods, she continued, "Sense you've just come out of the closet, he's asking me to help you adjust. Do you want my help?"
"S-sure," said Tara with a smile, "Thank you."
"Tara, I want you to know," began Ezekiel, "That I trust Edana and our mutual friend, Adil, very much. They would never ever betray either one of us and, with your permission, I would appreciate their help in finding her."
"…Let me talk to her alone," said Tara with an odd force in her voice, "I'll tell her all about this, and you can start finding my sister."
"Fine," said Ezekiel as he stood up, "Edana, would you mind helping her?"
"Of course not," said Edana with a smile, "Any alone time with a hot girl is always worth helping someone, especially said hot girl."
Tara blushed.
"This is the place," said Daniel to Pam as they parked outside the seedy hotel that showed being frequented by one 'Tara MaClay.'
"Thank you again, Danny," said Pam once more, "I don't know how I can repay you."
"Just make sure that your sister never has to deal with this kind of shit again," said Daniel as he opened his car door and got outside, "Besides, I've got nothing better to do with my time. Thank God that vigilante decided to take some time off after killing Wilks."
Pam smiled at him, and he felt his heart go aflutter. Daniel smiled back, then walked up to the front desk.
Ezekiel started to get everything of Tara's into her bags. It had taken a moment, but Tara had eventually been convinced to stay with him until they could find her sister. Once they did, then Tara would most likely move in with her. He had been forced outside right after that by an irate Edana. She was obviously more than happy to help Tara in her new life, and Ezekiel doubted that it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Tara was smoking hot and, by his own declaration, a fucking succubus in the sack. Oh, well. If everything worked out and those two got together, then the odds were that he'd be having that threesome very soon. But somehow, in the end, he doubted it would happen. Unless, of course, the three got extremely drunk.
"Very happy thoughts," he whispered to himself with a grin.
He had nearly everything of hers packed. He would have been out sooner, but he had been searching for the Codex and had not found it yet. (And it had absolutely nothing to do with finding what was inside her drawers, thank you kindly!)
He sighed aloud to himself and got down onto the floor. He reached underneath the bed and found another bag. He pulled it out from its hiding spot and began to go through it, just to make sure that it didn't have something that she didn't bring. It mostly contained magical items, herbs, and crystals. There were only two interesting pieces of equipment that she had on her: a silver dagger with a red handle and that had odd looking runes on it, ones of which he could not discern; the other had been a Desert Eagle Mark XIX .357 Magnum. While not truly being taught how to use one of these weapons, Ezekiel knew quite a bit about them. This fine weapon was completely white all the way around, save for the trigger, which appeared to be actual gold. The gun handle was also covered with runes and magical symbols, as was the barrel. The odds were that it once belonged to her mother. On that note, he put the pistol back into its case and packed the bag up.
He put all the bags he had onto the beg, three in all. Somehow or another, he knew that he was missing something. He had searched the dresser, the closet, underneath the bed, and…
"The bedside tables," he whispered to himself.
There was one table beside each side, and it had two drawers. He checked the one of the left side of the bed and found it to be empty. He walked to the other side, the one nearest to the door, and opened the top drawer. It was empty. He closed it and opened the next one. There, in the final drawer, lay a small book.
"Pergamum Codex," he read with a smile.
Here it was, the final bit of proof that he had needed. Smiling to himself, he placed the book into Tara's bag, then gathered them all together. He was about to walk out the door when he heard something on the other side. A hushed voice.
Pam walked down the hall of the second floor to the room where Tara was supposed to be in. She kept her eyes open for her family, just in case they found her. She didn't want to have to deal with them just yet, or else it might cause Tara to run away again. As she neared the door, she could hear some rustling from nearby. She took a look into the nearest room, aside from Tara's: it was empty.
"Danny," she whispered to her partner, "Someone's inside."
"So," he asked in an equally hushed voice.
"The man at the front desk had been on watch all night and he hadn't seen her come in. She usually did because she forgot her keys, and he knows she would this time because he still has them."
He nodded in understanding. He reached into his jacket and retrieved his standard issue weapon, and she followed suit. If her family was already there, she was arresting them for breaking and entering. As of right now, they had probable cause, or at least what probable cause was considered in Paradise. They nodded to each other, then Daniel reached over and opened the door.
Ezekiel gently tossed the final bag down into the garbage pile just outside Tara's bathroom window. He could hear them, two people, one man and woman, entering the room. He could also hear, the slightest sound, the sound of a pistol. It sounded as though it were either Tara's family or the cops. In Ezekiel's life, however, just being caught inside a hotel room with bags that don't belong to you could end up with you getting in more trouble than usual. Aside from that, a visit down to the local precinct might end up breaking the vigilante case that could land him behind bars. And not in a good way. He carefully got onto the window ledge and jumped down. He landed a little off and hit the concrete, but the window was not high enough to do considerable damage. Aside from that, he had survived worse.
He quickly stood up and gathered the bags, making sure he left nothing, then ran around to the other side of the building.
Pam and Daniel combed the room thoroughly. Sighing slightly, Pam then noticed that the bathroom door was closed. She motioned for Daniel to join her, and the two lined up against the door. She watched as Daniel signaled for her to go ahead, then she gripped the doorknob and twisted it, then flung the door open. They found nothing.
"Great," said Pam in frustration as Daniel took a look outside the window, "I know I heard someone inside."
"I think you might have," said Daniel, "Come over here."
Pam looked at him oddly, but did as he asked. She walked over to him and looked outside the window.
"See those garbage bags," he asked, "They're all over the place. Why would someone just toss a bunch of garbage bags around like that? Why not put them into a pile?"
"Unless someone jumped down from this window and ended up tossing them around," finished Pam, "Then that means that whoever was in here is…"
The two shared a look, then they sighed together.
"What has she gotten herself into if whoever was in here had to run from us," asked Pam.
"Maybe it was her brother, or her father," guessed Daniel as he walked outside the bathroom.
"The door," said Pam to herself as she walked out to inspect the door.
"Think it was picked," asked Daniel as he stood up and joined her.
"I think it was," said Pam, "Either that or someone managed to get a key."
The two never noticed the black and blue van drive from behind the building past the bathroom window.
"I come bearing gifts," said Ezekiel as he plopped all the bags onto his bed, Edana and Tara watching as he did so.
"Thank you, Ezekiel," said Tara as she stood up and began to inspect her baggage, "Did anything go wrong?"
"No," said Ezekiel, "Aside from the fact that two people decided to invade your room."
"What," asked Edana.
"While I was there getting your stuff," explained the Warrior, "I heard two people talk in hushed voices outside. Since you're on the run from your family, I decided to not take any chances. Aside from that, I could hear the sound of pistols being taken from their holsters and, just by the sound of their voices and by the their breathing, I could tell that one was a woman and the other was a man. I tossed all your bags out onto a bunch of garbage and escaped out the room that way. Why do they have garbage bags right outside your window, anyway?"
"T-the c-cleaning people dump them out-out there for the garbage people to p-pick up," said Tara as she finished searching her bags, "Nothing's missing."
"Cool," said Ezekiel, "Now, let me know if I get into bad territory with my questions, but I only have two."
"W-what are t-they?"
"Well, I went through your bags to see if there was anything that looked out of place," began Ezekiel, "I found two items that strike my interest: that Desert Eagle you have-"
"It was my mother's," interrupted Tara with a stern voice, "It's one of her creations."
"…Ok," said Ezekiel, knowing that that was about as much as he would get out of her right then, "And, I also found a book. The Pergamum Codex."
"It b-belonged to my mother," said Tara with a smile, "She passed it on to me. It was the only thing of her's that my father let me keep. The only thing he knows about, anyway."
"Are you aware of what that book is," he asked.
"It's got a bunch of prophecies in it," answered Tara, "I can't r-read it, but Mom c-could."
"Those prophecies are about a female warrior called 'The Slayer,'" explained Ezekiel, "The Slayer is a mystical warrior chosen by the Powers That Be, or the Angels, or God if you will, to fight off vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness. How did it come to be in her possession?"
"I don't know," she answered honestly.
"…Well, let's get started finding your sister," he said, "Where does she work?"
"She's a d-detective in the police," she answered.
"What," he asked amazed, "Then that might have been her that I escaped from. This is perfect! Now we might have a situation beyond FUBAR!"
"What's FUBAR," asked Edana.
"Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition," answered Tara.
"And how would you know that, missy," asked Ezekiel.
Tara merely blushed in reply.
"Anyway," said Ezekiel as he stood up and got out a beer, "I'm going to go and check out your sister. Pam MaClay, right?"
"Yes," answered the witch.
"Right," said Ezekiel as he began to unload his weapons, "Well, if she's PD, then I'm not about to waltz in there armed to the teeth. I'll just carry a pocketknife with me. Edana, I want you to have Adil start checking around town to see if any of her family has got around here and to see if they noticed her yet. Are you two ok here by yourselves?"
"We're good," answered Edana all too quickly.
"…Just what have you two been doing while I was gone," asked Ezekiel, not really knowing what the answer might be.
"Nothing much," answered Edana again, "I just taught her a little bit about women."
"…Tara?"
"…We m-made out," answered the blushing blonde; Edana just smiled.
"Well, it did teach her something about women," said the mage.
"You're bad, Edana," said Ezekiel, "Not even a day on the market and you've already got underneath her skin. Shame on you."
"I don't m-mind," said Tara, earning an intrigued glance from Ezekiel and a sly grin from Edana.
"You've really corrupted her…Dana," said Ezekiel as he quickly left the room, narrowly missing the beer can that was flung his way. Edana seriously disliked anyone saying her childhood nickname. Oh, well. It evened the playing field for Tara.
Ezekiel felt weird walking into the Paradise Police Department. He had spent much of his time avoiding the people here, and now, here he was, right in the belly of the beast, as one would say. Sighing at the irony, he walked up to the front desk.
"Can I help you," asked the woman behind the desk.
"Yes, I'm looking for Detective Pam MaClay," said the Warrior.
"Detective MaClay should be upstairs," said the secretary as she batted her eyelashes at him, "Would you like for me to show you?"
"Certainly," smiled Ezekiel.
"Pam, I have some bad news for you," said Daniel in his office later on, "Your father and brother are in town. They've filed missing person's report already."
"They didn't file one back home, did they," she asked as she took a swig of her water.
"No, they didn't," confirmed Daniel as he stood up, "I have already had papers drawn up to begin an investigation into your father's fitness as a parent. With your testimony and your sister's testimony, we should be able to have her transferred into your custody. Your father will most definitely file a suit against you and will demand your sister's return to his custody. It'll end up being a legal battle and it will provide a great amount of stress on both you and your sister. The only way to quickly end this is for him to be arrested on charges of domestic violence, or assault and battery."
"They'd have to happen here," exclaimed Pam, "If they happen back home, then he'll be let off in a minute."
"We'll deal with that. The most important thing right now is to find her."
He was about to continue, but then someone began to knock on his door. He shared a quick look with Pam, then walked over to his door and pulled it open slightly.
"Yes," he asked the secretary.
"There is someone here to see Detective MaClay," she said, gesturing to the man behind her as she did so.
The man, or boy technically, was around Daniel's own height. He had dark brown hair, brown eyes, and was dressed in black jeans, a tight brown shirt, a brown leather jacket, and combat boots. From the look of them, they were urban stealth. The same kind that had been lifted off of one of the vigilante crime scenes.
Daniel mentally chided himself. The odds were that this kid was just trying to get a date with Pam, not a reckless vigilante.
"May I ask why," responded Daniel.
"It has to do with a…mutual friend of ours," remarked the boy.
Daniel froze upon hearing this. 'Mutual friend?' Could he mean Pam's sister? He decided then and there to hear what the kid had to say.
"What's your name," he asked.
"My name is…Ezekiel," he answered.
Ezekiel, his mind screamed at him. Somewhere with Daniel's mind, the name Ezekiel was ringing about twenty bells. He knew it had some significance, but what could it be. He inwardly sighed.
"Come in," he said as he made room for Ezekiel to come inside.
Ezekiel let his eyes wander around the two figures before him. One was obviously a veteran detective to have such a spacious office. Most likely the one who answered the door, if the female detective was Pam. If she was, then their mother must have been smoking hot!
Calm down, he said to himself. He didn't feel like making an ass of himself in front of the nice people with huge guns.
Pam stared hard at the man before her. There was no doubt in her mind anywhere of two facts: that he was deadly and that he knew where her sister was. She was prepared to pull her gun out then and there and make him fess up, but…she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
"What do you know," asked the male detective as he sat down, gesturing for Ezekiel to sit down as well; unsurprisingly, Ezekiel made no move to sit down.
"I need to know," said Ezekiel as he turned to the woman, "Are you Pam MaClay?"
"I am," she said.
"Then, I have news about your sister," he said, and he quickly was looking down the barrel of a pistol.
He reacted instinctively and spun around, lifting his right leg up as he did so. He pistol went flying out of her grasp and into the wall. She made to punch him, but he ducked.
"Hold it," shouted Ezekiel, causing Pam and the detective who had been drawing his gun to stop, "I'm not here to make threats or to hurt anyone. I know where your sister is and I'm here to take you to her!"
The two police detectives shared a long look, then Pam nodded and retrieved her pistol, then she locked the door.
"Hey," shouted Ezekiel, "I just got through saying that I'm here to help! What the fuck is going on?"
"We want to know who you are and who you work for," asked the detective behind the desk.
"…What's your name," asked the Warrior.
"Daniel Cohen," responded the detective.
Ezekiel stared at him for a moment, then broke out into hysterical laughter. For a moment, he remained this way. He leaned against the wall, beating it in his laughing fit, then his laughter finally began to subside. He giggled slightly as he pushed himself off the wall.
"What is so funny," asked a miffed Daniel, ignoring Pam's smile as he asked.
"I'm sorry," giggled Ezekiel, "You're the…vigilante hunter?"
"Yes, I have been given that case," said Daniel, getting more suspicious by the minute, "Though, I don't really care for it."
"Why," asked Ezekiel with a grin, "Too hard to crack?"
"That and the fact that I don't really mind vigilantes," said Daniel.
"Well, that's good to know," said the Warrior, "Well, I guess that, since Tara and I are kind of friends, you're going to want to know a little bit about me."
"…How did you find her," asked Pam.
"That's a story for her to tell if she wants to," And I hope to God she doesn't, Ezekiel said and thought at the same time.
"Listen, I'm glad that you know where she is," said Pam, "However, I am not comforted by the fact that I know nothing about you."
"…You said that you don't mind vigilantes, right," asked Ezekiel.
"…You're him, aren't you," demanded Daniel.
"Yes," admitted the Warrior, "Please don't make me have to contact my sources so that I can get out of prison."
"To Hell with that," stated Daniel, "I'm going to insure that you never ever see the inside of a cell."
"What," asked Ezekiel, "Isn't it your job to…put me in jail."
"Look," began Daniel, "When Wilks was in charge, we were working under orders to bring you down. However, if we had any evidence that would lead us to you, we would have destroyed it. Which reminds me."
With that, Daniel walked outside the office.
"So," began Pam, "Where is Tara right now?"
"At my apartment, with a friend," answered Ezekiel, "I've also got another friend out keeping an eye on your father. If he's in town, that is."
"He is," she confirmed, "How is she?"
"She's doing better," answered the Warrior with a smile.
"Here he is, Allan," said Daniel as he and an extremely thin man with reddish hair walked in, "That vigilante we've been trying to get a hold of."
"Hello," said the man as he walked over and shook Ezekiel's hand, "It is a very great pleasure to meet you. I'm Captain Poe, but call me Allan."
"Ezekiel," answered the hunter as he began to worry if this had been such a good idea.
"Close the door, Daniel," said Allan as he guided Ezekiel into a seat, "I suppose you want to know if you're going to jail? Well, you're not so long as Daniel is in charge of the case. Let me spell this out for you the best way I can: we hated Wilks, and thank you for his untimely demise."
"I didn't kill him," defended Ezekiel, though to him, he truly did kill the man.
"Of course you didn't," said Allan with a grin, "Anyway, I want to extend my greatest thanks to you. You're doing what we can't and we will do anything we can to make sure that you keep on doing it."
Allies, huh, thought Ezekiel as he remembered Bob's warnings, Great. Now I got the whole damned police force watching my ass.
"Well, if it keeps me out of jail, I'm happy," said Ezekiel, "But, don't start sending me your super cases. I've got stuff I've got to worry about that is much more important than a vampire killing."
"What," exclaimed all three in an instant.
"I've actually got a possible apocalypse on my hands," answered Ezekiel, "And, it just so happens that your sister might have something to do with it, so let's go! It was good meeting you, Allan."
"Oh, fine," said Poe as he stood up and left the office, "Just remember that we have your back and will keep you out of prison."
Daniel waited until Allan had left the room, the scoffed after him.
"He's one of our worst politicians," he explained as he grabbed his stuff, "However, he does have a heart. And that is very rare these days."
"Great," said Pam in annoyance, "Can we please go get my sister? Before my father does, preferably?"
Edana sat on the bed later that day, reading a book. Tara was inside the bathroom, taking a shower. Edana had offered to join her, but…Tara had declined. Edana knew, however, that she wouldn't have done that. She was willing to make out with Tara, just to get her adjusted to what it was like kissing a girl. But, she wasn't willing to use her like that.
On the one hand, Edana was genuinely attracted to her. On the other, Tara had just discovered herself and might not be up to a relationship just yet. Another hand was Ezekiel and her's deal. Considering that Tara had already had him, she would probably not agree to it. While Edana knew that Ezekiel was only joking, it was an experience that Edana herself had always wanted to enjoy. But, Tara was shy and reserved, though stern and powerful when she wanted to be.
Sighing to herself, she went back to her book and away from her thoughts. However, that too was robbed from her upon the pounding on the door.
"Open up, Edana," shouted Adil's voice.
"What's wrong," asked Edana as she hurriedly opened the door, letting a pale looking Adil inside.
"I found Tara's family at the courthouse," said Adil as he locked the door, "Her father's on the way here with some dude, probably her brother. They're both armed with pistols."
"How did they f-find me," asked Tara as she stepped out the bathroom.
"I don't know," said Adil as he got out a few knives and handed one to Edana and another to Tara.
"Tara, don't you have a gun," asked Edana.
"I'm not using it on them," she answered in a voice that left no room for argument.
"OK," said Adil, "We'll stay here until Ezekiel arrives. Then, we'll-"
"TARA MACLAY," shouted a voice from the other side of the door, "COME OUT THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW, DAMN YOU!"
"oh, no," whispered Tara in a scared voice as she ran over to the other side of the bed.
"Whoever the Hell you are, you'd better get out of here before I have you arrested," shouted Adil.
In answer to his shout, a solid kick forced the door off its hinges. Standing there before the two teenagers were Jacob and Donny MaClay. They leveled their pistols with the two and Donny got off a shot before either could do anything. The shot clipped Adil in the shoulder, forcing him down to the ground.
Edana glared at the two, then began to heat the weapons in their hands. They glared at her, then gasped and dropped their guns.
"Hey," screamed a fat guy as he cascaded to the door, "What the Hell is going on?"
"Renaldo, get out of here," growled Edana to him.
Instead of doing so, he just bellowed more about firing weapons. Donny groaned and picked up his gun and, before Edana could do anything about it, jammed it into Renaldo's face.
"Where is she," growled Jacob.
"Tell us where she is or the fat guy's done for," shouted Donny.
"Leave them alone," shouted Tara as she came out from her hiding spot.
"…There you are," smiled Jacob.
Ezekiel parked his van outside the apartment building and got out. He watched as Daniel parked his car. However, before Daniel could even turn it off, Pam was out the door and running up to the building.
"What is it," shouted Ezekiel as he ran after her.
"My dad's here," she shouted as she gazed at a car, "TARA!"
"Follow me," shouted Ezekiel as he ran ahead.
When the two arrived at the apartment, they found a horrid sight: Renaldo was sprawled on the floor, blood oozing from his nose, with some punk kid standing over him with a gun; an unconscious Edana with a huge bruise along her forehead; Adil, lying unconscious on the floor with a hole in his shoulder; and Jacob MaClay, standing over his daughter, bringing his pistol down upon her face.
An enraged Ezekiel charged forward. He first went to Donny and, as the boy raised his pistol, grabbed his wrist and twisted it violently, causing it to break instantly. He slammed his foot into the boy's stomach, making him nearly through up. Ezekiel finished the assault with a bladed hand to the back of the neck, causing the boy to slip into a near-coma.
Pam, on the other hand, drew her gun and leveled it with her father.
"Stop," she shouted.
Jacob stopped his battery momentarily to turn and glare at his daughter and, in that moment, he felt his arm get dislocated from its shoulder as Ezekiel wrenched him around and threw him into the wall. He grabbed Jacob's wrist and twisted it 360 degrees, making all sorts of noises within the bones as he did so. The Warrior of God then stuck a bladed hand into the vein beneath the beater's neck, causing him to nearly pass out.
"You just made a huge mistake," growled Ezekiel as he tossed the poor excuse of a man to the floor.
"My mistake," growled Jacob as he looked up at the man who had easily beat him, "Are you insane? Here you are, harboring a demon, and you call what I've done a mistake?"
"Demon," asked Pam, "What the Hell, are you still on that kick? That's bullshit and you know it!"
"Backstory here," asked Ezekiel in confusion.
"Every woman in our family is a demon," explained Jacob.
"Oh, now that's not just bullshit," exclaimed Ezekiel, "That's just fucked up! If either she or Pam were a demon, then I'd sense it. I have a gift for picking them up."
"And just who are you, anyway," growled Jacob as he struggled to stand up.
"I am a hunter for the Vatican," stated the Warrior of God easily.
"…You work for the church," asked an awed and frightened Jacob.
"Yes, I do," continued Ezekiel, "And if they learned of what your family has been doing, I'm just guessing, for years, then they would have you displaced in a second! Now, get out of my home!"
"I am going to sue your ass off for damages," shrieked the man.
"I doubt that very much, sir," Daniel calmly stated as he walked into the room.
"Who the Hell are you," growled Jacob.
"Detective Daniel Cohen," he answered, "And you must be Jacob MaClay?"
"I am," answered Jacob, "And I want these people arrested!"
"I will be arresting someone, definitely," said Daniel as he got out his cuffs, "Please put your hands behind your back, sir."
"Excuse me," snarled Jacob.
"I am arresting you," said Daniel as he forced the handcuffs onto Jacob, "On the charges of assault and battery, attempted murder in at least four counts, and child endangerment. Am I right, Pam?"
"You are, Danny," smiled Pam, "Book his ass."
"I'll see you both in Hell," screamed Jacob.
"Call the ambulance," shouted Ezekiel as he examined his friends.
"On it," said Pam as she went over to the phone.
Ezekiel checked Adil's pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Right now, the worst was blood loss and it was probably killing him. He sighed and went over to check Renaldo, who had a huge hole going through his nose to the other side of his head.
"No pulse," whispered Ezekiel, "Better make that murder in the first degree, Pam."
When she didn't respond, he looked up to see what was happening. Pam and Tara leaned against the wall, cradling each other and crying softly. Sighing slightly, Ezekiel stood up and held up a finger to silence Daniel as he came back inside to collect Donny. The detective looked at him oddly, but then saw the two girls and nodded in understanding. The two stood on either side of the comatose boy, bent down and grabbed his head, in Daniel's case, and feet, in Ezekiel's, then took him out to the car where Jacob sat fuming.
"Hey, Adil, how are you," said Ezekiel two days later in the hospital; Edana was there also, but she had been released the day before, along with Tara, Daniel, and Pam.
"I'm alright," said Adil with a grin, "I just hate how this thing burns like shit every now and then."
"Well, you'll get over it," said Daniel to the young man, "By the way, I'm Daniel Cohen. Everyone calls me Danny."
"That good cop," asked the Yemenite.
"Yes," said Daniel.
"Well, Danny," grinned Adil, "It is good to meet you. And how are you doing these days, Tara? Adjusting well to your new living conditions?"
"Very good, actually," smiled the witch, "Pam and I just got all my stuff moved in. I'll also be starting school in a week."
"That sucks," smiled Edana as she took Tara's hand, "So, how are you and Pam doing?"
"We're reintroducing ourselves," answered Pam, "I've missed out on so much. I still don't know how I'm going to get used to having another person in the house. And I do not want to see you two in the room together, do you understand me?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," shouted Adil, "You two are a couple? Why wasn't I informed?"
"You were only around for a moment," said Edana, not letting go of Tara's hand as she did so, "Aside from that, we're not a couple. Yet."
Tara blushed.
"I still don't want to find you in bed with anyone," said Pam sternly, "I may not be as much of a bitch as Jacob, and just because you won't get pregnant, it still doesn't mean that you can just sleep with everyone underneath the sun."
"What about at my house," suggested Edana as she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Then that's fine," said Pam, "I don't have to clean up the mess after it."
"Mr. MaClay," a man with gray hair, dressed in a suit, said as he sat down across from Jacob, "My name is Matthew Hodge. I'm a lawyer."
"…From which firm," asked Jacob.
"Wolfram and Hart, Attorneys at Law," said Hodge as he pulled out his files, "Your daughter is a white witch named Tara, is she not?"
"Don't even mention that bitch to me," growled Jacob, "It's her fault that I'm in jail and my son's in a coma! If I ever see her again, I'll kill her."
"Would you like for us to do something…else?"
"….Like what?"