Sorry this is so short, but my plot bunnies have gone off to enjoy the sun. Hopefully they will come back after they have eaten. Anyway, enjoy the mini chappie. And stick with me. BTW, I'm going to London! -OMA
Murphy has been apart of my life for so long that to definite what she is to me is nearly impossible. Friend is not quite strong enough for all of the things we've been through together, but we have never crossed the line to something more. The moment I swore on my power to protect her, whatever I felt for her became more intense. The complicated bond that is our relationship seemed to pulse with a power that I had never felt before and then faded.
If a wizard breaks his promise, it can backfire on him tenfold and his own power can turn against him. Trust me, it hurts like hell. If I ended up breaking the promise I made to Murphy's mother, I deserved every single ounce of pain that came my way.
I needed some time to calm down and process the information that I had learned. I grabbed Mouse's leash and he patiently padded across the apartment to the door without asking any questions. Yes, I know he's dog, but he can be pretty damn inquisitive when he wants to be.
As I took Mouse for his walk, I tried to push Murphy from my mind. I wasn't going to learn anything from her anytime soon. I touched the pentacle that hung around my neck and my thoughts began to reform. Mom, The Gatekeeper, Know thyself. I ran through the things that still could be done to prepare for whatever The Gatekeeper saw coming my way. There was my typical call list, ParaNet, Morty, Michael, Father Forthill, the Archive, but it didn't feel right. If self-knowledge was the key to figuring this out then chances were that this case was personal and closer to home than usual.
My list of people to go to for information shifted in my mind. I liked it a whole lot less. When to comes to my mother, even people that like me, can barely say a pleasant thing about her. Do they respect her? Yes, to an extent. But no one ever says, "Your mom saved my life" or "Your mother was a good person at heart." It's mostly something like she was powerful, cocky, stupid and the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree. Still when I think of her, I see the woman who wanted her sons to love and protect each other, I picture the woman that my father described and I think of a woman who I know loved me even though we never really met.
I rounded the corner, holding her image in mind, when I saw another Margaret sitting on the stairs leading to my apartment. Mouse sped up to greet her. She gave the dogosaurus some much-needed attention and then she looked up at me expectantly.
"Hey, boss, you gonna let me in?" Molly asked.
Looking down at her, I had the difficult task of looking at her eyes without staring at her chest. Molly had the kind of looks that brings men to their knees when she tried and causes car crashes when she doesn't. While the effect was lost on me a bit because I've known her since she was in pigtails, low-cut tops still make my job as her mentor slightly more difficult.
"Not today, grasshopper," I said.
She raised her eyebrows at me, "What is it this time?"
"I really don't know," I replied and laid it out for her, excluding what I saw in Murphy's soulgaze. Whatever I had seen wasn't my secret to tell.
"Why didn't you ask me?" she questioned, "We've soulgazed before."
"True, but I wanted a fresh perspective and frankly, your feelings could have clouded what you saw" I finished.
Hurt flicked over Molly's eyes for a second and I kicked myself for it. Today was just not a good day. Molly stood up, making my 6 feet a little less imposing as looked at me directly in the eye.
"Oh," she said and leaned back on her heels.
"Well, I'm older now and little more experienced. Would you like to know what I think I saw… now that my feelings aren't in the way?" she asked tersely.
Why did it sound like she asked whether I would like arsenic or cyanide with my coffee?
"Sure," I said finally.
"Fire," she replied without emphasis, "You, as a little boy, surrounded by fire."