Chapter content warnings: mild discussions of sex, mild physical fighting

Don't forget that you can find me on tumblr: we - are - all - of - legend - now and that my ao3 account is wearealloflegendnow (even though I haven't posted there yet)!

~TLL~

Jake let himself into Spud's house, kicking off his shoes as if he were in his own home. Trixie's beat up black Vans were already in the tray and Jake was glad she was here – even if he was worried about what she was going to say. Lily asking him not to repeat the secret of her twin lest her parents find out didn't extend to keeping things from Trixie and Spud. He told them everything and Lily knew that. And there were things about him that they knew that Lily didn't.

"What's up?" Spud asked, siting up from his slouch. "What did Lily need to talk about? Was it the 'l' word? Or did she touch your peen?"

"One, I will give you good money to never say 'peen' again," Trixie said. "Two, Lovely Lily would never soil her saintly nature by boinking. Two, oh God, Jake, she didn't say love, did she?"

"Why is boink okay but peen –"

"She didn't say love," Jake said loudly. Trixie and Spud could argue for days and Jake couldn't stay quiet any longer. He had been tempted to fly to Spud's instead of skateboard, just so he could arrive faster. "She asked me to help her find her kidnapped twin sister."

They looked as dumbfounded as Jake still felt.

"Run that by us on more time, Jakey."

Jake sat on the couch between them and told them everything Lily had told him. When the twins were fifty-two hours old, they had been in the hospital room with their exhausted mother who had been sleeping on a pile of baby name books. Their father had gone home to feed the dog. It had been broad daylight. A brunette woman in scrubs had walked into the room, picked up Lily's twin and walked out with her. She handed the twin to another woman in regular clothing who had put the baby in a car seat and waked out with her as if she were her own. Neither woman was ever identified.

"I'm going with her to meet Detective Dempsey on Monday," Jake finished.

"Does she really think she can find her sister? Alive?" Trixie asked.

"Stranger things have happened."

If he could be a half-dragon, Lily's twin could be alive.

"Fu could find her through magic, right?" Spud asked.

"I don't know. Every time I've seen Fu cast that spell, he's had a name and DNA. Like when you almost became a love monkey to trolls."

"Hey!"

"Jake," Trixie said, "they're identical twins, right?"

"Right? Oh … Oh!" Jake exclaimed. "I wonder if that'll screw up the spell if there's two of them."

"Let's find out."

Spud called out to his mother that they were leaving for Jake's and then they pulled on their heavy winter coats and their sneakers. With their skateboard wheels to the ground, they flew over New York's slushy sidewalks.

"I can't believe Lily had a secret!" Trixie cackled. "I didn't think she had it in her. Although I thought she'd be a drug dealer or something."

"Trix."

"The girl is too perfect."

"So, you've said. Don't worry, no one could ever ignore anything you've said. Ever. But it's been a year. Eventually, you'll have to learn to like her."

Jake glanced behind him to make sure that Spud was still there. He liked to roll along at his own pace and his sniff the roses tendencies had gotten him left behind before.

"There's nothing about Lily to dislike," Trixie grumbled. "She's just boring."

"Yeah," Spud said, gliding past. Jake hadn't even realized he'd been listening. "You need someone who can argue. Dragon blood runs hot."

Jake rolled his eyes and then asked, "Hey, Trix, wanna go out?"

Trixie muttered something about killing him but didn't have time to elaborate before they were heading into the warmth of Gramps' shop. Fu was exactly where Jake was expecting him to be: in his workshop, surrounded by ingredients that Jake still couldn't name, despite Fu and Gramps' best efforts.

"Hey, kid." Fu didn't even look up from his cauldron. "Gramps isn't having a good day."

Jake sighed. It seemed like that was the news more often recently and he could feel Trixie's and Spud's concern. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"There's no real magic that can cure him so I'm trying to invent things that will treat the symptoms but, so far, I'm not succeeding." Fu threw dried herbs forcefully into the potion. "But, you didn't come here to talk about that. Did you need me?"

Jake explained the situation and Fu let out a whistle.

"Poor Lily."

"We were wondering if the finding spell would work," Trixie said bluntly. "Since they have the same DNA."

"Theoretically," Fu said. "Although, do you really want me to? If we find her at all, you'll have to explain to Lily how you know."

Jake hadn't even gotten that far. "We can come up with something if this works. If I can find her twin and do this for Lil, I have to."

"If she's dead," Spud said, "there's no explanation to finding her body other than magic."

"I'll come up with something," Jake repeated irritably.

Even if that something was simply trying to get Lily away from her sister's case. It had never seemed right to tell Lily of his dragon heritage and though he didn't want to keep her in the dark for twenty years like his mother did his father, Jake had also finally learnt the secrecy that his grandfather had tried to impress upon him. He and Lily were still young and he had no idea how she would react to the news. She certainly wasn't like his father, who took everything in stride and with a certain fascination.

"Well, I'll need a hairbrush or toothbrush," Fu said. "And some time to take a trip to town. I'm low on supplies."

"I can stay with Gramps on Sunday," Jake said. "So, you can go then and I'll swipe something when I'm at her house on Monday."

"If you're sure you want to do this," Fu said, "then we'll do it but you may not like where this leads."

Jake didn't really want to think about that. Lily wanted to know and it was Lily's twin. Jake wasn't here to make those decisions for her; he was helping her through the only way that he could. He wasn't insanely smart; he didn't have any good detective skills. He just knew how to do and do the right thing, which was how Gramps had raised and trained him. And Jake was sure that doing this and finding out for sure about Lily's twin was the right thing. It was already what Lily had decided she wanted and that was what he had to help her accomplish.

"You want us to come over on Sunday too?" Spud asked. "Help out with the old man?"

"No," Jake said. "I can handle him by myself or Mom will come with. Thanks, though."

"If you're sure," Trixie said.

Before they could say anything ese, one of Fu's surveillance orbs lit up, giving the room an eerie glow. The Huntsgirl was on the move and Jake actually groaned. Given how long he'd been balancing his human personal life and his dragon protective persona, he should be used to constantly being interrupted but that didn't keep him from being frustrated.

"I gotta go."

"Meet you at the theatre later?" Spud asked.

Jake shrugged, transforming. "I'll do my best."

Which was what he always said and what he always did. At least Trixie and Spud understood when he was late. Lily just looked at him with her hurt eyes but then never brought it up again. Which made Jake feel guilty. Not guilty enough to share his secrets but guilty enough to always show up with flowers to her art showings and chocolates for her and her mother to family events.

"See you," Trixie said.

"Bye."

Jake slithered out the door and took flight, hefting himself high enough that those on the streets would think him a large bird. Luckily, New Yorkers were desensitized to the strange and probably wouldn't look at him twice.

He found the Huntsgirl uncomfortably close to the entrance of Magic Town and he clenched his jaw to keep him from overreacting. It could just be a coincidence and the less he gave the Huntsgirl to work with the better. Her mind worked in ways that his didn't and he'd accidentally given her more intel before by running his mouth. The thing that aggravated him the most about the girl in front of him was that she seemed to understand him more than he understood her.

"Dragon," she snarled, her slight English accent lilting the curse.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

The Huntsgirl rolled her eyes. "It's not any of your business."

"Whenever you leave your ivory tower, it's my business."

The Huntsgirl actually laughed at him. He could see the honest mirth around her eyes, although her mask hid the rest of her face from view.

"I'd say you need to pay more attention."

The comment dug at Jake because the Huntsclan was always the centre of attention and there was no way that she didn't know that.

"Maybe it's you that needs to pay more attention."

The Huntsgirl didn't look perturbed but her hand flinched slightly toward the place on her belt where she kept her staff. The movement was enough to make Jake smug. Leave her wondering for once, he thought.

"If believing that helps you sleep at night."

"I think it's sweet that you worry about how I sleep, Huntsgirl."

She frowned so forcefully that her pale eyebrows dipped into sight from under her cap.

"I think you get more childish with every passing year," she said. "Let's try settling this like adults, hmm? I'll go my way, you go yours, and we'll forget that we ever ran into one another."

"Not a chance."

Jake stood from the wall and the Huntsgirl drew her staff. They circled one another warily, waiting for the other to strike first. They had been fighting each other too long. Jake was waiting to get at her left side where she was not as strong while the Huntsgirl would be looking to get behind him, knowing that he could not turn as quickly.

She was edging from side to side and Jake refused to let her pass. If given the opportunity, she would flee, knowing that she could not capture him on her own but he could capture her. The Huntsgirl never seemed to fight to kill but Gramps had drilled into Jake to never trust in that. They had never been able to successfully guess at the Huntsclan's plans and, therefore, had no way of knowing when the Huntsgirl's orders would change.

Jake tired of their dance. His movie with Trixie and Spud was to start in half an hour and if he chased her off right now, then he could probably make it before Spud ate all the popcorn.

He feinted to her left side and as he expected, she overcompensated. He swung his tail around to catch her with it but the Huntsgirl ducked underneath of it and started running. Jake loosed a jet of fire after her, turning the sides of the buildings around him black but he didn't so much as singe the end of the Huntsgirl's long blonde braid. Jake growled and bounded after her; she was more agile than he was but Jake was faster than any other living creature. Even one that trained as much as she clearly did.

She was heading for a more populated street and Jake knew that he had to cut her off before she got there, otherwise he would lose her completely. He leapt over her and landed in front of her. She brandished her staff, the end of it crackling with electricity.

"You didn't think I'd make it easy, did you?" Jake asked.

"I always assume things will be easy when they come to you."

Jake winked at her and, as it always did, that little bit of flirtation caught her off guard. It was probably because he was a giant reptile that she had the response but it was still entertaining. And that was something he liked about running into the Huntsgirl, even though she was probably his biggest problem, she was also the most interesting villain in and around New York City. He had always suspected that he and the Huntsgirl were about the same age but he had no way of knowing for sure. Underneath that mask, she could be years older.

"I warned you."

She leapt at him and her the barbed end of her staff scraped his side. The pain seared him and Jake snapped at her with his jaws. He caught the end of her staff and nipped off the end of it. With a grunt of effort, the Huntsgirl ran at him, put her foot on his back, and launched herself upward and winded him at the same time. Jake swung around after her but the Huntsgirl was already on the move. Too far away for Jake to catch her.

He admitted defeat and took off once more.

He was definitely going to make his movie.