CHAPTER 19 - "Reunion"

We popped out a few moments later in Al's kitchen, which looked like it had fallen victim to a mini-whirlwind. It wasn't as if anything was actually overturned, but everything was just a little out of place. There were papers covered in childish drawings scattered across almost every available surface and his elegant writing tools and brushes lay strewn in various states of disassembly across the floor. There were several new murals of very questionable artistry painted on one wall and one of his creepy, luxurious tapestries was spattered with what looked like some form of mashed up food.

Bright colored baubles and vaguely creepy wooden toys from bygone eras littered the floor. I noticed with intense amusement that Al's biggest spelling bowl was currently on the floor filled with sand and apparently acting like some kind of mini-sand box, judging by the shovel sticking out of it.

In the midst of the truly weird domestic chaos were Lucy and Ray, looking for all the world like little angels.

Ray was sitting near the fireplace, her cheeks still wet but no longer crying. Instead she was smiling with delight and reaching her little hands out towards the magical flock of beautiful blue butterflies that were circling about her. She grabbed one and I winced, but it just turned into a wisp of blue smoke and flowed upward to reform as a butterfly once more. It alighted on her knee and she clapped her hands, laughing in delight.

I wasn't sure why, but something about seeing Ceri's daughter surrounded by Al's blue butterflies made my chest feel funny.

We'd only been there a few instants, but Al caught where I was looking and I could swear the demon looked momentarily flustered or embarrassed, although he covered it quickly by giving an exasperated sigh. "Well, here you are at last then!" He greeted us. "I hope you both realize how much you owe me. You can see what I've been reduced to ... my god you both look like absolute hell."

Lucy was squatting by Al's feet. She was pushing a weird looking wooden horse with wheels around and over his shoes, following the lines of the buckles on his boots like it was a game. Straightening up, she tugged demandingly on the hem of his crushed green velvet coat. "Up!" she said imperiously, lifting her arms to him before she caught sight of Trent and me.

"Daddy!" her squeal of delight and the brilliant smile that lit her tiny face was a joy to behold. She ran to him, and Trent dropped to his knee to meet her, sweeping her up in a full-bodied embrace that made the little girl laugh happily and raised a huge, happy lump in my throat.

Ray looked away from her butterflies at her sister's jubilant call and quickly bolted to her feet. "Abba!" She crowed, her beautiful little features radiating the same pleased joy as her sister as she too ran into Trent's waiting embrace. Trent folded her to him and held on tight, dropping kisses and, I realized, tears, onto both girls' heads.

"Ray, Lucy," he murmured their names in greeting, the words sounding like a beautiful, reverent prayer of joy on his lips. He rose with them both in his arms; Lucy on his left side and Ray on his right as they settled with easy familiarity onto his hips. Trent was murmuring something to them in Elvish that I didn't understand, but the girls were beaming their contentedness and were obviously overjoyed at being reunited with one of their fathers.

"Oh, of course. NOW they're all smiles and bouncing curls again when you show up," Al griped, finally drawing my attention back to him.

The demon was dusting off the sleeves of his coat primly as if there might be lingering baby cooties stuck to him somewhere. Yet behind his smoky glasses I was surprised to see the very faintest flicker of ... something that I couldn't define as he watched the little family's reunion.

"Honestly, Rachel, look at my home!" he groaned theatrically, gesturing about. "You my itchy witch are going to spend your next lesson helping me clean it all up," he added, brightening.

Honestly, at this point I would have willingly scrubbed Al's floors with a toothbrush in gratitude for his part in bringing Lucy and Ray back to us unharmed. Naturally, I wasn't going to let him know that. He'd hold me to it and enjoy it way too much.

"Oh quit whining," I told him with a wry grin. "I kind of like it. I think the suburban soccer-dad look sort of works for you."

Al looked appropriately appalled. "Oh my god, Rachel. Don't ever say anything so foul again! I haven't been able to get a thing done in almost two weeks! They won't even sleep on a bloody decent schedule. Business is in shambles! Not to mention how much extra protection I had to make for my rooms and how bloody hard it's been getting everyone on this side of the lines to keep their grubby paws off what's mine."

I saw Trent stiffen at the casual way in which Al claimed the girls, his gaze shooting over to us as Lucy continued telling him an animated story about something she and Ray and Uncle Al had done that involved "flutter horses", which I took to mean those little rocking horses with wings that I'd seen Al and other demons create before.

"Oh, don't worry," Al drawled in bored tones at the sight of Trent's alarm. He gave the elf a charming smile. "I didn't take either of the little hellspawn as a familiar. No point at all, really, they're much too small; useless for holding line energy at this stage. It would fry their little minds if you tried. Not that that didn't seem like an attractive option, a time or two," he added glancing at his food-speckled tapestry with a frown.

Al had a lot of cleaning and dusting spells. I knew he preferred not to do them himself, but I was still surprised he hadn't set more of this mess to rights already. Then again, if he'd had the girls for two weeks, maybe he'd simply worn out of cleaning up all the time and this was just the latest batch of mayhem he hadn't gotten to yet.

"Actually, that was part of the problem," he sniffed; nudging one of the ugly wooden toys with his shoe and watching it disappear into smoke. "There was some rubbish trouble with several of the other demons claiming I couldn't keep two little elf spawn under my roof if they weren't actually bound to me. Absolute tripe, of course. I can snatch and keep who I want, for as long as I want and it's no business of theirs, never has been. They just wanted to get hold of a little fresh meat," he said casually. "Untainted elf blood, you know? Lots of uses for it. Besides, you never see little ones so young down here. They're quite the novelty. Although I dare say, I remember now why no one respectable bothers snatching children," he added sourly. "The little brats are just impossible. Are they smart enough to quail and be obedient when a demon is upset at them? Nooo, they just want more cookies and don't like the icky burnt taste when they get them," he mocked.

Trent and I were both staring at Al. I was having a really hard time believing everything that Al had apparently gone through to keep the girls both safe and cared for over the past couple weeks. Lucy and Ray looked amazingly healthy and happy for having spent two weeks in the Ever After with a demon babysitter.

It was no surprise that the girls hadn't been in abject fear of him straight off the bat like most people would have been. Al wasn't a stranger, they'd seen him with me before and they were too young to comprehend what a demon was. They did not yet have any learned responses of prejudice or terror. However, true as that may be, it was also true that children could learn fear just as well as any adult if they were hurt or frightened often enough.

Amazingly, Lucy and Ray both appeared to be comfortable with their surroundings and with Al in a way that suggested he must never have given them serious reason to fear him. Looking at the state of his rooms, I found that almost unbelievable. I liked Al, yes, but I also knew him. He was clever, proud and cruel and his temper was harsh. I would never have chosen to leave children with him; much less expected them to come out of it so happy.

"Why?" I asked Al quietly; unable to wrap my head around this and wondering what exactly I was missing here.

He frowned at me like I was retarded. "Because of the burnt amber, love. You know everything down here tastes like that. But try explaining that to a petulant two year old, do. I would find it very entertaining," he dared me.

I shook my head. "No! Not that. I meant, why did you bring them here in the first place?"

"Oh, that," Al said dismissively. "Just more of my usual bad luck. A few weeks ago, Bis comes popping in here in a positive tizzy, looking for you. Felt you disappear he says. Can't find you anywhere, he says. Ivy and Quen think the elves killed you, he says," Al's tone darkened at this. "Well, naturally I help the little rodent look, but you weren't anywhere on this side of the lines so come nightfall I get him to summon me topside to check things out." The jocularity fell away from Al's face and his features became dark, almost ugly. "I saw that perverted little atrocity in the woods where they burned you," he said, his lips curling in a snarl. "Or, where I thought they burned you," he added a little more lightly, looking as if he were intentionally pulling back on his remembered ire. "I knew what they had done. I've seen that ceremony before. I've watched their wild magic melt flesh and soul away, even from a demon."

I shuddered slightly at the thought, remembering again how old Al really was, and all the atrocities he must have seen in his lifetime.

"Naturally, I knew who was to blame. It had obviously been an attack against Trenton as much as you, which meant his simpering little whore had to be mixed up in the thick of it. So I popped over to his place to have a little chat with the dear woman. Things seemed already a bit chaotic when I arrived, but I must say the look on her face when she saw me was utterly priceless. Dropped the phone and screamed her head off, she did." He grinned with relish at the recollection.

I felt a sudden stab of fear that Al might have killed Ellasbeth in front of the girls. I didn't mourn her loss, but I didn't want them to have seen that either.

"I was going to spend some quality time with her, but I barely had the chance. Such a pity," he sighed regretfully. "Because the next thing I know the whole bloody building is blowing up. I must say, that was something of a surprise. Naturally, my reflexes are excellent and I bubbled myself in time. I didn't realize it was an explosion at first, I thought someone was stupid enough to be attacking me, but the situation became clear quickly enough. The thing was, I was standing next to the two little brats when I bubbled myself and they were more or less caught up in my circle."

I was pretty sure that Al hadn't been accidentally standing next to the children. Knowing Al, he'd been there intentionally. He may even have been holding one of the girls, no doubt implying threat to them to get a rise out of Ellasbeth. Ironically, that was apparently what had saved Lucy and Ray's lives.

"So there I was, building burning like beautiful bloody hell all around me, in a bubble with two yowling ankle biters, a bunch of dead elves and no one left about who was worth flaying." Al sighed as if it had been an incredibly disappointing turn of events.

"So I popped out and took the two rugrats with me. Thought I may as well get something for my troubles," he said brightly. "Elf princesses and all that, right? I figured someone would pay to get them back."

I was finally starting to understand the situation and get a picture of what had happened, although I wondered a little at Al's version of it. The truth was he could only have had instants to react after the first blast. The nursery was on the second floor so whatever kind of bubble he'd made had to have been different from the traditional kind and as the building caved, it would have been broken if he didn't jump out quick enough. There was a little part of me that couldn't help wondering if Al had really had time to be coming up with ransom plans in the heat of that moment, or if he'd simply looked down into the little girls' frightened faces and perhaps seen something of Ceri in Ray's big, beautiful eyes. Maybe I was being much too naive, but knowing now how he'd felt about her I just didn't believe that Al would have let Ceri's infant daughter burn to death when he could so easily prevent it. Naturally, Al would figure a profitable up-side to it afterwards, but was that really what had saved the girls, or was it at least in part the result of a split-moment of weakness? I supposed I would never know, because Al would certainly never tell me. The demon flaunted his wickedness proudly and hid any hint of humanity like a zealously guarded secret. I was on to him.

"But there goes my bad luck again," Al continued his story with a long-suffering sigh. "Wouldn't you know it? The elves were all too busy killing each other off. Then they get bored of that and start a war with the vampires instead. I'm all for a good bought of bloodshed, trust me, but it was damn inconvenient timing, really. The Withons were of course the natural choice for whom to barter with, but the war has driven anyone important in the family deep underground and those damn elves can hide. So I figured I would wait it out, eventually things would settle down and I'd have a nice chat with them. Anyway, it was all profit for me - the more of them died, the more valuable having two little living ones would be. Believe it or not, I'm actually known for my patience in most circles. It can take years to groom a new prospect, after all," he added with a sly smile. "Children, however, are a completely different animal," he added, the smile turning into a scowl. "Two weeks with them was like two years."

It made sense now, and I could even see why Al had kept the girls in good shape. If he'd always intended to sell them back to the Withons, he'd want them in good condition to increase their value. Still ... I looked around the toy-strewn room. He hadn't necessarily had to convert his house into their playroom, had he? And he had to know the Withons wouldn't really be willing to give him that much for Ray, who was not important to them or of their bloodline.

I smiled at Al. "I dunno," I drawled with amusement. "The girls seem mighty happy. Good old Uncle Al mustn't have been too terrible a babysitter." I had heard Lucy call him that to Trent at least twice already and it amused me to no end. I wasn't sure how Trent felt about it, but considering he was holding his two very alive children after having thought he lost them forever, I didn't think he was going to complain.

Al scowled at me. "You're just lucky the brats were worth more to me un-traumatized and perky," he grumbled.

"Uncle Jali," Ray's little voice made me look over and I saw the little girl in Trent's arms making a reaching motion towards the demon. "Butterflies. Show Abba the butterflies."

The butterflies she'd been playing with before were gone, I realized, and Ray wanted them back so she could show them to Trent.

Al sighed. "You see what I mean? They're so terribly demanding - and she's the sweet one, trust me."

"Butterflies, Jali, pleeaase?" Ray begged innocently. Lucy was giving Al a dirty look from her father's other side, like he'd better make her sister happy or else. She was clearly the one who had kicked him in the shins earlier for making Ray cry and my lips twitched in amusement as I began to imagine how the past two weeks must have gone. Lucy had no idea how lucky she was that she had had the most barter value of the pair. Al really was capable of more patience than I gave him credit for, apparently.

"Oh very well," Al huffed, waving his hand and conjuring a small horde of the tiny winged creatures into existence. "She would pick up on that name," he muttered. The butterflies swirled around Ray, Trent and Lucy and I saw Trent smile despite himself at his daughters' delight.

Then I looked back at Al as I caught what he'd said and realized that Ray was calling him by the name that the other demons used for him, not the one I'd given him like her sister did. Lucy and Ray were used to calling their two fathers by different names - Trent was Daddy to Lucy and Abba to Ray, while the same was true in reverse for Quen. It had probably been natural for the girls to settle into the same sort of pattern with Al. It was perhaps bittersweet to think that that meant Ray was using the same nickname for him that Ceri probably had. I wondered where she'd heard it. As far as I could tell, Al didn't care to go by that name anymore and even most of the other demons had taken to his new nickname by now. The only demon I still heard calling him that on a regular basis was...

My eyes widened. "Al, tell me you did not let Newt in here with them," I hissed in alarm.

He squinted at me flatly. "Oh. Yes. Because I can keep her from doing whatever she bloody wants. Right." He scowled. "Of course she's been in to see them. She sided with me about my being able to keep them until I could turn a profit, the crazy bat, and she somehow felt that gave her visiting privileges. Anyway, I can't seem to make a charm she can't crack if she wants to. Don't worry, they seemed to make her feel disgustingly maternal," he said with a shudder. "The worst thing she did was try to feed them some of her truly hideous cookies. They'd start crying and she'd lose interest and go away." He rolled his eyes. "Honestly, that's the one thing they really were any good for," he added a bit more brightly. "Nothing like a baby throwing a fit to get rid of unwanted company."

"Rachel," Trent's voice drew my attention away from my conversation with Al and back to he and the girls. He didn't say anything else, but I could tell by looking at him that he was anxious to leave and get the girls back to our side of the lines.

I turned back to Al. Now was when we'd have trouble, if there was going to be trouble. I hoped there wouldn't be. "Well, thanks for saving the girls. If you'll pop us back topside, we'll take them off your hands so you can get your house back," I said cheerfully.

Al smiled at me like he knew exactly what I was doing and what I was thinking. He probably did. "Of course, love, naturally..." he said smoothly, but there was a twinkle in his dark eyes that I knew too well. He had his bargaining smile on. He had an unprecedented amount of leverage on Trent right now, and he knew it.

"But as you both know, I'm not exactly in the charity business, love," Al reminded me sweetly. Whenever he started repeatedly calling me "love" in that tone of voice, it meant he was up to something. His gaze focused intently on Trent as he spoke and I tensed a little. I knew Trent would give Al anything he asked for. I was more than a little worried that Al knew it too.

Trent looked over at Al, his children still clutched fiercely to him. He wasn't going anywhere without them, and that was clear. "I understand," he said calmly. "Tell me what you want."

Al grinned and clapped his hands. "Oh that is what I like to hear. No pointless bargaining or pretense. But aren't you just a little too trusting, Trenton?" he purred with an ingratiating smile. "What if I asked for your soul?"

I stiffened, but Trent didn't.

"No mystery there. You know very well I've sold it before and will do so again if I have to," Trent replied evenly. His tone was serious but conversational, as if he and Al were two business men hashing out a negotiation. I suppose in a way, they were. "But I don't think you really want my soul, Al. Not right now, anyway. I'm more interesting and more useful to you on my side of the lines," he pointed out. "Besides, I was Rachel's familiar first and you know she wouldn't like it. Keeping me would be more trouble than it's worth."

Al shrugged, seemingly pleased by Trent's canny insight and the straightforwardness of their conversation. "Indeed. Besides," he grinned at Trent and tapped his forehead. "I know what nasty old spells you have up there and I'm through keeping familiars that could kill me. It's far too exhausting."

"So, I repeat," Trent said. "What do you want?"

Al smiled devilishly. "A favor. Just one. Anything I choose to ask, you will grant without question, condition or hesitation."

Trent simply nodded, applying only one condition, despite what Al had said. "As long your request does not in any way bring harm to Lucy or Ray, then I agree." He had to know how dangerous that level of cart blanche was, but clearly wasn't going to quibble over his daughter's lives. Besides, I realized with a start, I could see in his eyes that he felt he truly did owe the demon, and Trent paid his debts.

Al did not seem put off by Trent's terms. "Let's word it as not bringing direct physical harm to Lucy or Ray, and I'll concur," he amended, a rolled up contract popping into existence in his hand. "Emotional harm clauses are much too messy to define, love, we'd be here all day."

Trent seemed to accept this. He gave a small nod. "Very well."

Al unrolled the document and placed it on the table. Rescuing one of his quill tipped pens from the chaos on the floor, he offered it to Trent with a smile. "Not that I don't trust you, but, let's just have that in writing, shall we?"

I frowned, more than a little concerned that Al was making Trent sign before telling him what the favor was. "And you'll also jump us home," I added my own condition. Bis could probably come get us if we needed him to, but I'd rather just make Al do it, and I knew better than to leave anything assumed with him.

Al gave me a narrow-eyed, but amused look. "Always the demanding one, aren't you? I begin to think you consider me your personal taxi service, but very well, love, very well."

Trent shifted Lucy on his hip so he had his right hand free. Moving forward and bending his head, I could see him reading the document on the table. Trent didn't sign things without reading them. I was surprised he didn't want his lawyers to look at it first, but then, Al probably would have wanted to keep the girls until he did, and I knew Trent wouldn't go for that. Instead, Trent's gaze shifted to me as he took the quill from Al. "Rachel will act as guarantor that this contract contains exactly the terms we've discussed, nothing more, nothing less," he said, looking to me for confirmation of that before he jotted his signature on the bottom line.

I inclined my head in agreement, a little amused when I realized that Trent remembered what I'd told Al I'd do if he padded contracts with me. Unlike Trent, I didn't like to read paperwork.

Al simply nodded dismissively, most likely having expected that that would be the case. Taking the signed contract back, he rolled it back up with a delighted grin. I knew he had no reason to complain. Even with these precautions, Trent had essentially just agreed to do almost anything he wanted. Given who Trent was and the power he was capable of commanding, Al was getting a very good deal. It would have been a lie to say I wasn't worried. I'm sure Trent was too, but he hid it well.

The elf shifted his arm back under Lucy to hold her more easily. "All right," he said to Al. "You have your binding promise. So what is it that you want?"

Al grinned slyly and touched the side of his nose. "No, not now. Patience, Trenton. I'm banking this favor for the future. I'll let you know when I'm ready to collect. For now you can just take the brats and go home, but you owe me, Trenton Aloysius Kalamack, do not forget it."

Trent actually smiled at him wryly. "I don't think I'm likely to do that. Now, if you would be so good as to send us back to Rachel's?"

Al gave us a mock bow and a moment later I felt the line take us. This time, I noted, Trent remembered to not only bubble his thoughts, but to protect his children as well.

A/N: I love Al. :) Wish I could have worked more of him into this story, but hey, he got to actually show up and kind-of save the day and how often does that happen? LOL. Short chapter, I know, but this was the only place to break it. I'm posting the next / final chapter at the same time though, so... :)