Chapter 29

Pyrrha crossed her arms over her stomach and blushed, "I suppose it has been a while since I've eaten." She had, after all, slept through breakfast and it was nearly time for lunch.

Michael grunted, and grabbed his cane, "Well, let's fix that, then. We were just starting lunch anyway."

Before he could begin struggling to stand, Pyrrha got up and came to his side, slipping one hand under his arm and helping him to his feet. He sent her a grateful expression, and settled onto his cane. "Thank you."

Pyrrha smiled and nodded, and followed Michael down the hall. Despite his handicap, the man moved methodically and with little difficulty. There was a great strength in his movement, one familiar to Pyrrha, though she wasn't sure how. It seemed that everything about Michael was stirring up familiar memories for her today.

As they neared the kitchen, a thought occurred to Pyrrha, and she gently grabbed Michael's shoulder, "Um, Michael, do your kids actually… know anything about me?"

He smiled and patted her hand, "You are our guest, I told them everything they needed to know about you. You won't need to hide who you are here."

That was a bit of a relief. Pyrrha would have perfectly understood if Michael had decided to keep her origin on Remnant a secret from the kids. It was a dizzying thought, the idea of alternate universes, one she was still coming to terms with. Plus, Pyrrha was a terrible, terrible liar. She had no desire to go down that road if it could be avoided.

So, assured by his statement, the two continued onwards.

The kitchen was actually a large dining room kitchen combination, one half occupied by a large mahogany table that could easily seat eight to twelve people, the other a simple kitchen with a large island and mahogany cabinets. A large set of windows rested in front of the kitchen sink, showing that, yes, the rain had begun yet again. It was all well maintained, but there was a lived in feel to it all, which given the size of the Carpenter family, was likely an understatement.

Speaking of the family, the kids were clustered in the kitchen with plates and forks and knives, while Alicia was fussing with the oven and Mouse sat by her side, patiently waiting for the inevitable drop of food that would be his. The faint smell cheese and freshly toasted bread wafted through the air. Pyrrha's stomach rumbled again, in a less monstrous manner than before, and she licked her lips with anticipation.

"That smells really good right now." she said.

Harry and Hope both turned to her and the former deadpanned, "It's just grilled cheese."

Hope elbowed him in the side again, "You felt the house shake, right? Obviously she's hungry, dolt."

"That was her? I thought it was an earthquake." he grinned.

Pyrrha felt her eye twitch. So much for a break from Dresden's snark. Trade one Harry for another, literally, in this case. Sometimes, she wondered if the universe took a perverse pleasure in subjecting her to such things.

Michael shook his head as he hobbled into the kitchen and leaned against the island, "That's enough you two. Alicia, how's the food?"

Alicia dropped the last grilled cheese sandwich on top of a disturbingly greasy pile of sandwiches that stretched a foot or two into the air. "That would be the last one, though I'm not sure if this qualifies as 'food' dad."

Michael winced, "I tried my best, but I am not as good as your mother when it comes to cooking."

"At least we know where Molly gets it from now," Amanda snickered.

"Who's Molly?" Pyrrha asked. She'd met everyone in the house, so she was probably one of the other kids in the photo she'd seen in the hall. Maybe the girl with the technicolor hair?

"Molly is my oldest," Michael explained, "She's gifted in the magical arts and was Harry's apprentice for some time. Unfortunately, her skills in cooking were… less than gifted, and there are some things even Harry can't teach."

That was surprising, Harry hadn't mentioned Molly or any kind of apprentice, as far as Pyrrha remembered. Based on what Michael was saying, she wasn't his apprentice anymore, but still it was surprising. Why had Harry not mentioned her earlier, or better yet, why wasn't she brought in as backup? Certainly another wizard would be indispensable in the fight against the Grimm. Maybe there had been a falling out she wasn't aware of.

If Molly was the same girl she'd seen in the photo, Pyrrha could believe that. She did not seem to be of the law-abiding, authority respecting type. Regardless, Pyrrha made a mental note to question Harry on that later. Right now, there was a far greater threat to focus on; the aching hunger swelling in her stomach.

"Everyone at the table!" Michael announced, to unanimous despair.

"What?"

"Come on."

"Do we have to?"

"It's just grilled cheese dad!"

Notably, while the four Carpenter children complained, Maggie reached up on her tiptoes and snatched two sandwiches from the plate. She placed one on the floor for Mouse (Who devoured it with frightful speed) and the other on her plate, then scurried over to the table and took a seat. Pyrrha smiled with amusement at the scene, while Michael got his children back under control.

"Alright, alright, that's enough." He said. "We have a guest with us today, so we will eat at the table as a family to help make her feel welcome."

All eyes shot to her and Pyrrha felt infinitely more awkward, "I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Carpenter, but it's really not necessary."

"Perhaps," Michael admitted. "But we so rarely do it nowadays, and it'll be good for all of us. Besides, knowing my children, they'd probably just sit in front of the TV anyway, with the weather as it is."

There was a moment of silence from the children, before Hope said, "Well, he's not wrong."

Despite their grumbling, the rest of the Carpenter kids took their seats at the table, Amanda, Harry, and Hope on one side, Alicia and Maggie on the other. Pyrrha took her seat between the latter two, flashing them both a friendly smile that Alicia returned. Maggie shyly shrank in her seat and averted her eyes from Pyrrha until Mouse padded over, still licking his chops, and took a seat next to Maggie. The girl seemed eased by the presence of the dog, sitting up straighter and unconsciously stroking his big shaggy head.

Michael passed out plates for everyone and set the mountainous platter of food in the center for everyone to reach. Pyrrha noted that when he was close to the table, Michael left his cane by his chair so he could use both hands to pass out plates and paper towels. Only occasionally did he pause to steady himself on the table, and that barely slowed him down. Once all the plates were passed out, he took a seat at the end of the table closest to his children and held out his hands.

"I hope you don't mind Pyrrha, but it's a tradition in this house to say Grace before we eat." Michael explained. Pyrrha wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but saw Maggie and Hope take his hands, and saw Hope, Harry and Amanda link their hands.

Her mind made the connection.

"You're going to pray? I don't mind at all, Michael."

That made Michael smile, and immediately after, Pyrrha felt a small hand wrap around the fingers of her left hand. She looked down at Maggie, who gave a shy smile at her and bowed her head. Pyrrha took Alicia's offered hand on her right and saw as the Carpenters all bowed their heads, and did the same.

When Michael spoke, his voice was filled with a soft reverence, "Oh Lord, we thank you for the food we have before us, and pray that in the coming hours it does not poison us all. We ask that you continue to watch over our dear Charity, and bring Maggie's father home to us safely. And of course Lord, we thank you for our guest, may she find the purpose in this world you have laid out for her lord. In your name we pray, amen."

His kids echoed the statement, even Maggie, released their hands and looked back up, save for Pyrrha. She clasped her hands together for one solitary moment and silently pleaded, 'Father, if you can see me even here, I ask for you to lend me your strength and wisdom in the coming days. Amen.'

It had been far too long since Pyrrha has last prayed to her father's spirit, for anything really. Now more than ever though, it felt particularly appropriate. She didn't feel changed by it, but just a little, it felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Well then," Michael said as Pyrrha raised her head with the others. "Pyrrha, since you're our guest, you get first serving." he cast a glance at Maggie's plate and the grease on Mouse's lips. They both looked far too innocent for their own good.

"Or third, in this case. How many sandwiches would you like?"

Pyrrha blinked, "Oh, well, not too many. Seven or eight perhaps? Maybe just six."

Silence blanketed the table as everyone stared at her. Amanda's eyes looked ready to pop out of their socket, while young Harry just nodded like he understood her request perfectly. And just like that, Pyrrha felt awkward again.

"I'm sorry, what did I say?"

Michael shook his head, with a knowing smile on his face, "Nothing wrong Pyrrha, you merely surprised us. Are you sure you just want that number?"

Pyrrha briefly thought back to her hazy food coma from the stakeout, and nodded. "Yes, please."

To her relief, no one commented on the tower of grilled cheese that went on her plate, and normalcy soon returned to the table. Food was quickly distributed amongst the Carpenters (This was obviously a practice ritual for them) and by the time everyone had their own meal, Pyrrha was finishing her fourth sandwich.

"Where does it all go?" Hope wondered aloud.

Pyrrha swallowed and smiled awkwardly, "I have had a busy few days. I don't normally eat this much unless I've been in a fight or training recently."

Which, given her lifestyle choices, meant she ate like this all the time every time.

"Well that explains that," Alicia said. "We've seen how busy you've been all over the news."

Pyrrha finished inhaling her fifth sandwich and cast Alicia a sidelong glance, "We have?"

"You blew up The UC," Harry deadpanned. "That tends to catch attention."

"Don't forget the explosion by Bill's apartment." Hope reminded him.

Another sandwich vanished from Pyrrha's plate as she said, "Oh, that wasn't an explosion. Someone released a giant monster bird inside of Harry's apartment, and despite some… setbacks, we handled it. Speaking of…"

She looked to Michael, "Do you mind if I use your shower after this, Mr. Carpenter?"

"Not at all, and Pyrrha, please, call me Michael."

"Whoa whoa, wait." Hope interrupted, "You can't just go from 'giant monster bird' to 'can I use your shower' in the same sentence. Details, please!"

Pyrrha blinked and looked at the Carpenter children, who all looked curious to some degree or another. Maggie just nibbled on her sandwich, seemingly oblivious to the conversation happening around her.

"Um…" Pyrrha slowly said, and glanced at Michael. He gave a nod of approval, and so Pyrrha told them what happened, within reason. She kept out the more complicated details like Cinder and Cowl, as well as the accident that nearly killed Murphy and her arrest by the CPD. But she explained the events that lead up to it and how they ultimately handled it.

The kids were, by and large, enthralled. Pyrrha wouldn't admit it, but there was something enjoyable about seeing the excited looks in their faces as she told her story. It reminded her of times before the festival, before the world had set itself upon her in an ever expanding weight. Needless to say, by the time she'd finished her tale, the room had gone silent the sandwiches were gone… and Pyrrha was still hungry. But she kept that last detail to herself.

Hope, of course, broke the silence first, "Wow, so you're like… A super amazon or something, right?"

"No," a small voice replied. They all looked to the source, little Maggie. She fidgeted for a moment, until Mouse set his head in her lap, and she smiled, "She's a warrior princess. Obviously."

Pyrrha blinked, then smiled softly, "What makes you say that Maggie?"

The little girl patted Mouse's head and pointed at her own forehead, "The tiara. Only princesses wear tiaras."

Pyrrha resisted the urge to start squeeing over Maggie on the spot. There was a time and place for behavior like that, and as cheek-pinchingly adorable as she was, Pyrrha had a feeling that Dresden wouldn't appreciate it if she did that to his daughter…

Wait…

His daughter.

Harry had a daughter.

Harry Dresden had a child.

How in the world had that happened?!

"Maggie, right?" Pyrrha asked.

She nodded.

"Well, I'm not a princess Maggie. Like I said I'm a huntress. This was just a part of my uniform. The rest is… not in usable shape right now." Pyrrha assumed so, anyway, as noon had long since passed.

"But you're pretty and have the tiara, and you kick monster butt." Maggie reasoned. "That makes you a warrior princess."

Pyrrha thought on Maggie's logic for a moment, and shrugged, "Alright, fair enough Maggie."

Maggie grinned triumphantly at Hope, who rolled her eyes. This was obviously a conversation the two had discussedhad earlier.

At that moment, Mouse came trotting back to Maggie. At some point during Pyrrha's brief train of thought, the big dog had done a circle around the table and vanished. When he returned, he stopped at each of the Carpenter children for a moment, likely begging for scraps, before finally returning to Maggie and resting his head on her lap.

"So if you're a warrior princess…" Maggie said, slowly. "That means you'd be good at a… Nerf Gun Fight!"

Everyones hands went up revealing technicolor plastic guns of various shapes and sizes that Mouse had somehow smuggled back into the living room. Pyrrha barely had time to cover her face before she was pelted in foam darts from every direction. When the barrage ceased, she lowered her arms and raised a brow at them.

"Are you done?"

There was a hollow 'pop!' and a dart with a plunger on its end smacked against the side of her forehead and stuck. Pyrrha slowly looked down at Maggie, holding a little blue pistol and smiling mischievously at her.

A smile of her own spread over Pyrrha's face.

"Oh, it's on now!"

"Look, Harry, we don't mean to nag-"

"Really? 'Cause this feels like nagging." Harry interrupted as he swung open the Carpenters front gate. He had a large duffel bag slungswung under one arm with everything he could salvage from his apartment inside it, including Bonnie. In his other arm, he carried a large plastic pet carrier with a very flustered Mister resting inside and making his displeasure known by constantly moving his oversized mass about in circles.

Charity Carpenter followed behind him. She was a tall woman, nearly six feet, with light blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. She wore an arming jacket, modernized with Kevlar ballistic fiber and black cotton, and a heavy mail coat over it, secured with a sword belt. Charity carried a steel helmet under one arm and a sword hung from her belt. In every sense of the word, she looked the part of a female viking ready to charge into battle, helped by her youthful appearance. Charity had wonone the genetic lottery in that department, as, even in her early fifties, she could easily pass for a woman in her early thirties.

This was a trait she had passed onto the third member of their party, her eldest daughter, Molly Carpenter. For all intents and purposes, Molly was a slightly taller and noticeably younger version of Charity. Same strong features, same strong and sensual body, and the same capacity to nag Harry senseless. She wore a light blue silk blouse and dark vest over it, and a dark pair of pants and business shoes. Her blonde hair was cut short, neatly framing her face.

It was after Harry and Charity had finished scavenging from the apartment that they had runran into Molly. She had gotten his call (Finally) and rushed to his apartment as fast as she could, conveniently intercepting running into the two as they prepared to leave. The details of the adventure were long, complicated, and ultimately irrelevant to the events at hand, but had needless, to say left Harry with a dozen new bruises and his hair standing on end.

"It's not nagging," Molly insisted as they approached the front door. "All we're saying is that you and Murphy need to think about your future."

"Exactly," Charity agreed. "You two are together now, and you're not children. You need to think about where you'll go with this relationship, and what affect it will have on Maggie. It's important to consider Harry, you know this."

Harry let out an annoyed groan, "Ugh! Remember when you two couldn't stay in the same room together, let alone agree on anything? Let's go back to those days for like, five minutes please."

"Still stubborn as ever, Harry," Molly sighed, shaking her head.

"No, I just have different priorities." Harry grumbled, and stepped aside. "Now, um… can one of you get the door? Hands are full."

Charity stepped forward and opened the door for him, "Very well, Harry. We'll talk about this later. I just hope that your friend adjusted well to the family."

The door swung open to the sound of half a dozen giggling and screaming voices, and Nerf darts everywhere. The walls, ceilings, floors, if it had a surface, there was probably a nerf dart on it. Charity's arms and jaw dropped, while Harry and Molly peeked inside.

"Stars and stones, it's like a warzone!"

At that very moment, the house floor shook, and Pyrrha came sliding around the corner with two nerf guns in hand, firing down the hall. Her tiara had gone missing and her hair was a wild wreck, but what surprised Harry was that she was smiling! And laughing too!

One of Pyrrha's guns clicked empty and she tossed it aside and started running while firing behind her. Mouse came loping behind her a moment later, with a giggling squealing Maggie riding on his back like a horse. Pyrrha got maybe five feet before Mouse bowled her over and all three of them slid to a stop at Charity's feet, with Mouse planted on top of Pyrrha.

Still giggling, Maggie pointed her gun at Pyrrha and fired another dart at her. "Bang, you're out!"

"Oh...darn." Pyrrha laughed, as Mouse got off her. It was only then that she finally became aware of Harry and company.

She pushed herself off the floor, and let out a merry laugh, "Harry, glad to see you again. Oh, and you must be Mrs. Carpenter, a pleasure."

Charity shook her hand and smiled, "The pleasure is mine."

Pyrrha turned to Molly and blinked, "And I… don't believe I know you."

"Molly Carpenter," she said, offering her hand.

When they shook, Pyrrha had to resist the urge to let out a surprised gasp. There was a… power in Molly's touch, an inhuman power that Pyrrha had experienced briefly and knew very well. It was the same power that Lea had possessed, which meant that… Molly was a fae?

She gave Harry a confused look. The man was busy at the moment, setting the pet carrier down and opening it. Mister prowled out and glared at Harry with an injured indignity that only a feline could muster. Then he padded over to Mouse and flicked his tail once at the big dog, who promptly sat down and gave Mister a doggy grin. With the pecking order re-established, Mister trotted off up the stairs and vanished, likely to claim one of the rooms as his new domain.

Harry shook his head and finally noticed the look Pyrrha was giving him.

"Right, Pyrrha, Molly is my former apprentice, and she's here to help us get your memories back."

And like that, the last of Pyrrha's giddy joy from the last half an hour evaporated.

A/N: Holiday, sickness, and difficulty with this chapter all delayed me. In the future I plan on rewriting this and chapter 28 to some degree. For now though, it serves its purpose in giving Pyrrha and the reader some levity... Which will all be crashing down, next chapter!

Plots coming back friends, we're on the third act and the climax is coming!

I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you next chapter!