Tamsin, Julia, Reed, and Clio all met at a local coffee shop at the far end of the County, away from prying eyes and ears. The tight cabal Tamsin formed to continue the investigation as to the whereabouts of the relic soon after Bo, Lauren, Trick and Kenzi all moved to the Presidium finally had some news.

"How's Dyson?" Clio asked Tamsin as she took a sip of her coffee.

"He's up and back at it already." Tamsin replied.

"What? It's only been a few days since he was attacked, hasn't it?" Clio queried.

"What can I say? Presidium technology mixed in with wolf stubbornness." Tamsin replied.

"I guess." Clio said.

"How's Lauren?" Julia asked.

"Fine. She and Bo are still with her parents in Vézelay. They wanted to take some time for Lauren to reconnect with family and friends before grabbing the four amigos and heading here to the County." Tamsin replied.

"By the way, thank you for letting us know about both Aoife and Agent Chennai." Clio said.

"I thought you all would want to know they are alive, but we need to keep that between us as they are off doing something." Tamsin replied.

"Another secret we've got to keep?" Reed protested.

"These are the days of our lives." Tamsin replied.

"When will Bo and Lauren and company arrive?" Julia asked.

"In a little over a week to celebrate the children's big birthday. At the Dal of all places. In fact, Trick is already here with Eva help preparing for the event among other things." Tamsin replied.

"His Excellency, Rana McCorrigan, and the Taioseach of the Parliament of Fae are both here planning a birthday party for two-year-olds? At a bar?" Clio stated. Everyone giggled.

"If you think that's a lot of brass then you'll really be floored to hear the Ruling Family are also coming." Tamsin replied.

"You're kidding?" Clio blurted in disbelief.

"Nope." Tamsin replied.

"It's just a birthday party for two-year olds, not a knighting!" Clio said. This caused everyone to chuckle again.

"Aside from them being the children of the next Queen, I think Trick is just a very proud grandfather and great-grandfather and wants to show it." Tamsin replied.

"How are they going to fit all those people in The Dal?" Clio asked.

"They have been expanding the space for quite a while now. They do have a lot to celebrate." Tamsin replied.

"No joke! Especially, after that court hearing." Reed said.

"I know, right?" Julia added. "And to find out Dr. Lewis is loaded, like beyond loaded."

"And that her family dates back to the Merovingians? Is that right?" Clio asked.

"Yep." Tamsin replied.

"Who knew Doc had such a complex past." Julia stated. Everyone nodded in agreement.

"So now that the Human world knows Karen Beattie is still alive and goes by Dr. Lauren Lewis, the one who cured Dementia, how is the Fae world reacting to her past as Karen Beattie, the runaway terrorist?" Clio asked.

"That's a whole other ball of wax. Evony, Stasio, and Dyson continue to meet with both the JFM and the Ducal Council to monitor the market since Ash Pharmaceuticals is the front-facing organization for the JFM, and of course, how it impacts the DRM. Investors are confused right now, and Liam is fielding calls from shareholders, trying to assure them that with patience, time, and when a couple more critical medical advancements have hit the market, calm will return."

"Yeah, but that could take years, and Lauren is not Fae, you know. She doesn't have the luxury of Fae longevity." Julia protested.

"I know." Tamsin replied.

"Besides, what about the opportunities available just by who she is and whom she is related to. Her mom is the head of the Plato Foundation and her father runs one of the leading research labs in the world. The joint partnerships alone could be huge money-makers for the JFM as well as the DRM." Julia noted. "That should count for something."

"No argument here, but for the here and now, and for the foreseeable future a sacrifice was needed. Lauren understands that." Tamsin replied.

"How much longer do we have to play this game with the Humans?" Clio asked then quickly glanced at Julia. "No offense."

"None taken." Julia replied.

"We really don't want a war with the Humans, and if we reveal ourselves recklessly there will be one. We are already having problems containing some eager Fae, but until Transparency is fully realized - without war - we play the game." Tamsin said.

"I hate politics." Reed commented.

"So, what's the news?" Clio asked.

"We may have found the relic." Julia reported.

"Where? How?" Clio asked.

"A sighting." Julia replied.

"Really?" Clio asked.

"Yep, Jace caught a picture of it on the Internet." Julia replied.

"You. Are. Joking?" Clio said shocked.

"He had set up a search algorithm to look for anything that looked like the relic or came close, and a ping came up a few days ago when he was out on a stakeout for another case." Julia replied.

"Where did it ping?" Clio asked.

"Somewhere near Bear Valley." Julia replied.

"Bear Valley? Show me the location." Clio asked. Julia pulled up the information on her phone and then handed her phone over to Clio who then examined it.

"The image was captured as part of a larger picture. It looked someone was hiking and then caught it in the background while taking a selfie." Julia explained.

"The one time where I'm actually thankful for people taking those ridiculous selfies." Tamsin commented.

"This is not too far from Deapers Mountain, where I battled that one Monolith and thought I lost both Aoife and Agent Chennai." Clio said as she peered at the picture closer. "Did you contact the photographer?"

"Jace tried." Julia replied. "The hiker is dead. Killed by what local police believe is a wolf attack." Julia replied.

"Legitimate attack?" Clio asked.

"No." Julia replied. "When you were there did you ever hear of a man by the name of Jeremy Danvers?"

"I stuck to observing Aoife outside that one little coffee shop, so no." Clio replied.

"Have you two ever heard of a man called Jeremy Danvers?" Julia asked Tamsin and Reed. Tamsin shrugged her shoulders then looked to Reed who did the same. "Jeremy Danvers is a werewolf and resides in this Bear Valley."

"Is he the local Fae Elder?" Reed asked.

"He is an Elder, in our speak, but he is properly called the 'Alpha' of his pack of wolves, but he is not Fae." Julia replied.

"Wait, how can he not be Fae?" Reed asked.

"He is a Werewolf through some mystical purpose, not by genetic lineage." Julia answered.

"Like Dracula?" Reed asked incredulous. Julia see-sawed her head.

"Unbelievable!" Reed declared.

"Nevertheless, there it is. According to the scuttlebutt, Danvers and his pack seem to be at war against some sort of other pack called the 'Mutts.'"

"What is this? West Side Story?" Reed blurted which caused everyone to chuckle.

"No, basically, Mutts are loner werewolves who operate independent of rules, and will kill anything at will. Given that we may be entering divisive territory it might be wise to reach out to this Jeremy Danvers to see if he can assist us." Julia said.

"I think I ran into one of these so-called Mutts when I was battling that Monolith. His name was Koren. He knew he was a werewolf, but he seemingly didn't understand that the Monolith was Fae, which was odd, but what you just explained now helps make sense of all that." Clio replied.

"Why didn't you say something before?" Tamsin asked.

"I didn't understand what I was looking at until now." Clio replied.

"Is this Danvers trust-worthy?" Tamsin asked Julia.

"From the profile Grace put together, he keeps to himself, and seems to act in accordance with a set of standards. Nothing seemingly untoward. Or at least untoward by Fae definition." Julia said.

"Very well. When do you plan to leave for Bear Valley?" Tamsin said.

"There's a bit of a catch." Julia said.

"What's that?" Tamsin asked.

"In order to make contact with Danvers, we need to be credible." Clio said realizing where Julia was going.

"Meaning?" Reed asked.

"We need Dyson." Clio said. Tamsin took in a deep breath.

"Best way to make our felicitations is to have Dyson meet with Mr. Danvers, werewolf to wolf, so to speak." Julia added. Tamsin pondered her statement, but Julia pressed onward. "There's no other way. Not if we finally want to put this whole puppy to bed." Tamsin inhaled then exhaled.

"I was really trying to avoid involving him in all this, but you're right. I will talk to him tonight then let you know." Tamsin said.

"Great work by you and your Team." Clio complimented. Julia smiled.


Later that evening, Tamsin was standing out on the main floor terrace of their home taking in the evening breeze when Dyson walked into the house and dropped his gym bag in the nearest chair.

"Tamsin!" He called out.

"Out here!" Tamsin answered.

Dyson walked out to the terrace, came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her, kissed her on the cheek, and rested his head on her shoulder. Tamsin fell into his embrace.

"What. A. Day. Couldn't even make it to the gym. I've got to start going in the mornings." Dyson said after they broke their embrace.

"You are the worst in the mornings." Tamsin said as she turned to face him.

"Can't do anything else, otherwise the day will simply overtake me like it did today." Dyson replied.

"How was your day?" Tamsin asked.

"A bear as usual. Had to meet with Stasio on the Transparency Plan. I tell you every time I meet with him it is like a mental fencing match. For once, I would like to have a meeting with that guy without always trying to guess his motivations." Dyson replied exasperated.

"Stasio has ambitions far greater than the position he holds." Tamsin noted.

"Yeah, but still, it's exhausting sometimes." Dyson said.

"You need to take it easy on the recovery." Tamsin replied.

"We have too much going on for me to be lying on the couch all day." Dyson said. Tamsin took a long look at him then kissed him deeply. When they broke the kiss Tamsin looked downward.

"What is it?" Dyson asked.

"I need you." Tamsin replied.

"I am right here."

"For a case."

"Okay. What's going on?"

"I had Clio and Julia continue to look for the relic after everyone left for the Presidium. Contrary to orders. They have been keeping Reed and I updated on their progress, and they have finally hit pay dirt."

Dyson said nothing but let out a smirk.

'What's that smirk?" Tamsin asked.

"I've known about your little clandestine operation for awhile now."

"What?"

"You sometimes talk in your sleep." Dyson admitted.

"I do from time to time, but…"

"At first, I couldn't make out what you were saying until you said relic, and then I started keeping a closer eye on your movements and put two and two together."

"I have got to do something for my sleep-talking." Tamsin said. Dyson laughed.

"Don't you dare! It's one of the many quirks I love about you." Dyson replied. Tamsin smiled. "So, what do you need me for?" Dyson asked.

"Have you ever heard of someone by the name of Jeremy Danvers?" Tamsin asked.