Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I had managed to get most of the items on my grocery list, when my little containment spell began to show signs of falling apart. I sucked in a deep breath, taking a moment to calm my nerves and focus intently on reeling in my magic. The spell stabilized, and despite the distraction of running magical calculations, I felt true relief. No electronics were going to explode, so long as I kept my cool. No one would suspect I was a wizard.

And I was a wizard. A real practitioner of the arts. A few years ago I would have been laughed at for admitting that. But times had changed. They'd changed so much and so quickly I didn't even recognize the world I'd grown up in.

Because a few years ago, in 1994 the Unseelie Incursion happened. As a result, Milwaukee disappeared for two hours. Before then, if something supernatural happened, a vanilla mortal would probably just ignore it, and pass it off as something they must have imagined out of the corner of their eye. Historically, whether it be something big or small, the mortal mind would just bury it deep. But in 1994, for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Mortals noticed. They remembered.

I'd read about the old Salem witch trials, but I hadn't truly understood. I hadn't comprehended the fear and the paranoia that came with rubbing up against the supernatural world. I hadn't understood how normal everyday human beings would react to a perceived threat. And react they did. Except they didn't just bring pitchforks. They researched and read. Standard ammunition became almost exclusively steel. Salt became more than a standard flavoring. Everyone carried objects of faith on them at all times. Stakes were sold next to the school supplies at the local Walmart.

I didn't really consciously notice it. Not till one night, as I walked by the local electronics store. The TV's bright screen was impossible to miss in the dark. The news was playing. They'd captured some sorcerer named Victor Sells. I didn't know the guy, but I didn't have to in order to understand just how much the world had changed.

A swat team had burned his house to the ground, an unknown number of wounded practitioners still inside. I noticed no one went back into the burning building to save them. No one tried to put out the fire. Even with television picture being as blurred as it was, I could still make out what happened. I'd seen them put an unconscious Victor into a dark van, wearing strange thorned manacles, and blood soaking through his shirt at his midsection. But what really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand ramrod straight was the black hood they'd put over his face. It shook a memory loose in my head. An all to recent memory of the worst day of my life. I made a decision in that moment. That was not going to be me.

I'd packed what little belongings I'd had, retired my duster for something less conspicuous, and moved out. Went to the only place any of us could go. Undertown. It wasn't safe, but topside wasn't much safer. I carved out my own little hollow, right underneath a part of Chicago where my topside neighbors cared more about making ends meet than witch hunting. It wasn't just me who made the hop. Anyone who couldn't pass in vanilla society found their way down there. They saw the writing on the wall.

I snagged some ground beef from the cold section and headed to the checkout line. Sweat began beading at my forehead, signs of strain and weariness from maintaining the spell. I could keep it up for about an hour if I remained perfectly calm and didn't move. For grocery runs I typically lasted about 30 minutes. I smiled at the cashier and kept my eyes low. The last thing I needed was a soulgaze. She rang me up. I fetched my wallet from my coat pocket and paid in cash. More urgently, I felt the spell begin to slip dangerously. I grabbed my two bags and made a beeline for the door.

"Sir," a voice called after me. "You forgot your change!"

I really needed the money. Nick didn't pay me nearly enough. But the spell was unraveling, and I had very little time to get out.

"Keep it," I called back, walking as fast as I could into the parking lot.

I didn't slow my pace until I got to a park along my route. I put the two bags of groceries down beside me and slouched onto the park bench, catching my breath and letting the spell fall apart around me.

I slicked my sweaty hair back and took in my surroundings. This park was mostly an open sun-kissed grass field surrounded by weathered trees, and was surprisingly empty of people. Too empty.

I extended my wizard senses, and while I did so, a firm hand pressed into my shoulder, holding me in place. My suspicions helped me keep a level head, and I turned coolly to look up at the being next to me.

"Godmother," I crowed, "What long nails you have?"

A smile stretched across her blood-red lips. "Why Godson," she cooed, "Am I to be the wolf in this scenario?" An almost musical laugh bubbled from her throat, "So distrustful, for one so young."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "What are you doing here Lea?" I tried to keep my voice pleasant, but a hint of something hard seeped into it. "I hope you're not going to try to whisk me off to the Nevernever to become one of your hounds."

She slid next to me onto the bench. "On any other occasion, perhaps, though, events have been set in motion."

I froze, parsing over her words. A cold feeling spread out starting in my belly. Rarely where high Sidhe quite so direct. When dealing with Faeries, everything had a cost. If my godmother was offering up information free of charge with no prompting, it meant that whatever that cost had been, it had already been paid. That narrowed down things considerably.

"And I suppose, these events that have been set in motion, -" I rolled my shoulder, giving myself time to think this through, "- have implications for those caught in the Nevernever, with the potential to spill over the moral world?"

The Leanansidhe's eyes gleamed with pride. "You ascertain the situation well."

"You had some sort of deal with Mom to protect me," I said, "So if you're reaching out to me about this, you think," I rubbed my eyes tiredly, "That whatever is going on, might affect me in a particular deadly way."

She leaned over as she stood up, planting a kiss on my forehead along the way. "Talk to your little Troll friend," she suggested, "Keep your eyes and ears open. Don't let your noble streak get you into trouble." She turned away, her reddish curls falling enchantingly against her back. "I have obligations to which I must attend. Goodbye Godson. Try to be home before midnight."

I watched her go, and gradually the park began to fill with people. I stood up, and once again ran a hand through my hair.

"Huh," I said, pulling my hand away and rubbing my fingers together. No sweat. Not even a little bit of grease. With a single finger, I pulled the neck of my shirt out and chanced a sniff. "Huh," I said again, this time more jovially. Even after all the strain of maintaining the containment spell and the exertion of my speedy escape, I felt clean. I grabbed my groceries and they felt slightly heavier than I remembered. I checked the bag. Nestled next to the noodles and parmesan was a dark bottle of red wine. I grinned. Sometimes, it was nice to have a Faerie godmother.

Sometime later, I unlocked Susan's front door, strode into her kitchen, and placed my two bags of groceries in her fridge.

"Susan!" I called out to the void. "I got the stuff for dinner!"

I heard a commotion coming from her bedroom, followed by a muffled, "Harry! Just give me a minute!"

I listened, more deeply than most people were able, and I heard the steady buzz of electronics go silent, followed by the sound of a plug being pulled from the wall.

Susan and I had been dating for almost four years now. There were times I suspected she knew I was a practitioner, but it was never something that had come up formally in our relationship. Plausible deniability , said a sultry voice in the back of my head. There is no reason to report you to the authorities if she doesn't know for sure. I shoved those paranoid thoughts aside. "Shut up Harry," I told myself, "This is the -one- good thing you've got going! Don't go and screw it up "

Slender dark hands enveloped me, and I felt Susan push against my back. "You're talking to yourself again Harry," she chided playfully. "But tell me," she probed, "What's this 'One good thing' that you've supposedly 'got going'?"

I turned towards her, careful not to break her embrace, and just looked down at her. I don't know what my face looked like, but something in her expression changed and her eyebrows rose in realization. "Oh," she gasped.

She reached up and cupped my cheek with her hand. I leaned down into it. She met my eyes. Unafraid, I met hers. We'd already shared a soulgaze, back in the early days before the world had gone crazy. She'd chalked it up to an intense mushroom trip.

Finally she spoke softly, "Do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?"

"Don't worry so much."

I felt a genuine smile begin to creep across my face.

She pulled away and sidestepped around me to reach the cabinets. She took out a stainless steel pot and her mood switched to something more playful. "But," she taunted, "If you absolutely want something to worry about, I guess you can be in charge of the sauce."

I rounded on her. "But- But!" I sputtered. "But you've been telling me for weeks about this pasta sauce recipe you got from Lydia!" The kitchen lights flickered for the briefest of moments, and I had to forcibly impose calm upon my mind.

Susan shot me a grin that reached her eyes. "Fine, fine." she chuckled. "I'll handle the sauce if you can start on the garlic bread."

My stomach rumbled in reply and I got to work.

We cooked together and then made our way to the couch to eat. Lydia Stern's recipe was every bit as good as the hype made it up to be. And when I pulled out Lea's wine, Susan's eyes got wide. She practically skipped back to the kitchen to fetch two long stemmed wine glasses. Overall it was a fantastic date night, and she walked me to the door to see me off.

"Be careful, Harry," she said, standing on her tippy toes and planting a kiss on my lips.

I leaned down a little to help her out. "I'll try," I murmured before pulling back up to my full stature.

She leaned against the door frame, looking up at me. Her mouth twitched into a frown and her eyes narrowed, debating something unseen. "Just be careful," she pleaded, "I've had to write a noticeable amount of coverage on strange deaths. Some of them around your area." She looked away from me, face pained. "I didn't want to bring it up. We were having such a nice night."

"By 'deaths', do you mean The Crispy Cadavers?" I supplied.

"I mean yes, that's what I called them in my article for the Midwest Arca- Harry," her face brightened, "You read my article?"

"Susan," I raised my hand to cover my heart and wore an expression of mock hurt, "I read all your articles."

She dragged me back down by my coat and kissed me hard and fast.

Susan bade me goodnight and I began my journey home. I stuck to my usual route. One that included numerous alleys, the park, and areas generally avoided by normal people. The plan was to enter Undertown at one of it's entrances, and continue back to my place that way. Years ago, I would have avoided Undertown and its interconnecting network of passageways, filled with creatures that could rend flesh from bone.

But that was years ago. Times had changed. And I had changed with them. My godmother had warned me earlier to stay out of trouble. She needn't have bothered. I was cautious compared to the person I once was. Patient even. Mostly. Comparatively at least.

So when I saw a large riled-up group of men sporting thick leathers, fire, and steel weaponry beating against the door to one of the supposedly secret entrances to Undertown, I didn't act as heroically as I might have in my younger years. I kept walking, taking special care to catalog their faces, and reaching out slightly with magic to gauge the strength of the wards. It would hold till sun-up, provided the gang didn't just burn the whole place to the ground.

All the common entrances to Undertown had wards now. In the time before; the supernatural world held an attitude of arrogance. Humans posed no threat against beings made to hunt them. Then some gangster upstart had taken down Chicago's Red Court faction last year and proved in order to defeat monsters - you didn't a bigger badder monster - all you needed was fire and a little motivation. The wards to Undertown had gone up within a week of that event. I'd personally helped setup a good 1/3 of them with the help of a score of kitchen witches.

"Hey!" a younger group member yelled out at me.

I kept walking. It was an effort to keep my pace constant. Speeding up would have been a dead give away.

"Hey! Where you going?" the boy nudged a friend with his elbow before heading my way. I felt the gaze of the group shift in my direction.

Oh, for crying out loud. Dealing with a mob was not how I envisioned ending the night. I stopped walking and thought about how I was going to play this.

The boy -barely of drinking age with scotch brown hair falling over intelligent eyes- and his friend got closer. I didn't hear the footfalls of the others. A small comfort. It was dark outside. Another small comfort.

"I don't want any trouble," I fumed, turning my head just enough to see over my shoulder.

"R~ight," slurred the boy, "Most people stay indoors when the sun goes down these days." He tilted his finger at his eye, and then towards me. "Everyone knows, too many people-eating monsters live out in the dark." He leaned back and pointed at me fully, his body language itching for a fight. "Which means, you're either one- an idiot, two- think you can take down a monster, or three- are one yourself." White teeth flashed through the darkness, "So which is it mister? Somehow I don't think you're an idiot."

"You give me too much credit," I grumbled mostly to myself. My mind played through a few scenarios in my head. "Besides, couldn't I ask the same of you?"

"Hah," barked the boy. "You saw the folks I've been hanging out with. I watched you take a long look at us." His hand found its way to his side. I saw the gleam of a firearm at his hip. "I think my friends are a testament to my character."

"I told you," I growled, "I don't want any trouble." I sighed and put inflection into my voice, the annoyance I didn't have to fake, "Look! I don't know what this is about! I'm just trying to get home. If this is some elaborate mugging- ," I reached into my coat pocket; and for a moment I saw him twitch towards his gun. Pulling out my wallet I opened it and showed him my last twenty dollars in fives, "You're pretty bad at picking your mark because I don't have any money."

"Toss it over here," he said, slowly pulling his weapon out.

"What?" I gasped, "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

Warning bells were sounding in my head. My options were becoming limited and more inclined towards violence. And if I actually gave him the wallet, he might see my ID, get my name. 'Bad' wouldn't even begin to describe that situation. I could kiss my job, my girlfriend, and probably the idea of a normal life goodbye.

I turned slightly more towards him, opened the wallet wide, showed him the worn and empty inside save the four $5 bills, kept my thumb over my ID. I hoped this would work. I took the money out and flung it at his feet. "Happy now?" I yelled.

His gun remained pointed at me. "Hey, mister?" he asked, and something cruel making its way upon his barely illuminated features. "I didn't get a good look because of the dark, but it looked to me like you didn't have any credit cards in your wallet." He tisked, "No credit cards, debit cards, no gift cards... Now why might that be? I wonder."

Oh shit.

"Hey guys," he called to the larger group near the Undertown entrance. "We got a live one."

Chapter Text

A pleasant dinner with my girlfriend and a relaxing night with my cat - is it really too much to ask for?

"Hell’s bells," I muttered to myself, "It's like the universe has something against me."

The boy in front of me kept his gun targeted at me and waited for the larger mob to join him. His deranged smirk and giddy demeanor made it clear he wanted to savor the violence that he was about to rain down. His streak of cruelty proved to be his first mistake. By waiting on the larger group, to surround and intimidate me with their numbers, he'd given me plenty of time to prepare. I was a wizard, not a two bit sorcerer, I only needed seconds.

I watched his eyes in my peripheral vision. Though young he seemed to know enough about magical beings to avoid locking eyes with me. But a soulgaze wasn't what I was trying to do. For just a moment, he looked over his shoulder to check on the larger group's approach. His brief distraction was all the opportunity I needed.

I threw myself to the side and simultaneously shook out my shield bracelet. "Defendarius!" I hollered fusing my voice with anger. A wide shimmering blue dome coalesced between me and my attackers. I heard the expected unmistakable sound of gunfire, and through my semi-transparent shield I could see the boy's face contort in fury as he realized his undoing. I bared my teeth and smiled gleefully at them. None of their bullets hit me. My shield held them all at bay.

I watched the group's faces change. Their certainty replaced both by fear and anger. "All too easy," I mocked in my best Vader voice.

And it was, relatively speaking. This was not my first angry mob, and it would certainly not be my last. They were an unorganized rowdy bunch; knocking on the door to Undertown more for the thrill and the self validation, than anything else. Bullies who had nothing to lose versus someone who had everything to lose. While still dangerous, their motivations were a fragile pale comparison to mine.

With a whisper of power I smothered the lights form their torches. It was a spell I used at home to put out the candles. Extending my right hand in the general direction of the gathered group I snarled, "Hexus". A wave of magical energy shot out and spread, unseen to the human eye. In its path all artificial light winked out. Immediately, I dropped my shield bracelet. The pulsing blue light evaporated leaving us in complete darkness. No streetlights, no flashlights, no flames to light their way.

Quietly, I darted from the last position they'd seen me. My shoes were silent on the asphalt. After all, over the past few years I'd had lots of practice for situations just like these. I heard several 'clicks', as several weapons affected by my hex failed to fire. One sounded, presumably aimed at my last known location. I was already out of the line of sight by then.

Rounding the side of a building, I kept my back to the wall and squatted low to the ground. Adrenaline pumped through me, but I steadied myself with a few controlled breaths. Once calm I Listened.

About two buildings away I could hear the small scuffling sounds of the mob. One of the group was making soft whimpering noises, and was promptly hushed by another. The darkness had blinded them and put their plans for me on-hold. Their advantage of numbers was nothing if they couldn't perceive their target. In a sense, they were lucky to have attacked little old me. An actual monster would have torn them to pieces without even attempting banter.

I'd made my escape and put considerable distance between us, effectively neutralizing their threat. However experience had also taught me that vigilance was a trait oftentimes rewarded. I continued Listening around me, searching for any sound that could signal an observer in our minor conflict. Just because you saw one threat, didn't mean there weren't more out there just waiting for an opening.

When I was as sure as I could be, I rose, and headed for the next known entrance to Undertown along my route.

My neighbor Meryl, a large muscular woman with muddy green hair, answered the door wielding a shotgun. "Mr. Dresden," she scolded. "Do you have any idea how late it is?"

I waved at her suddenly nervous. "Hey Meryl," I blurted, "Got a moment?"

Her eyes narrowed and darted left and right. "Not out here," she hissed before backing up to leave the door ajar. Which, in my neck of the woods, was the closest thing to an invitation to enter - without actually inviting someone in. I took a step over the threshold and followed her.

When I called Meryl 'my neighbor', that didn't truly encapsulate our living arrangement. Undertown is a large and confusing place containing both a vast network of underground tunnels and also the remains of ruined buildings sunk into the swampy ground ages ago. Our area's nearest topside entrance emptied out to an old abandoned office building, which had acted as a front for a speakeasy during the roaring 20s. The speakeasy had naturally connected to the tunnel system for use during Prohibition to transport alcohol. Meryl and I had both moved down here at about the same time, and the speakeasy caught both of our attention. Naturally this caused conflict. We had a less than amicable introduction. Words were said. She punched me in the face and left me for dead in a dumpster. Later she felt bad, and as an apology offered me the storage room attached as an afterthought to the speakeasy's original design. I accepted, blasted through a wall to make a new door, and hoped her temper kept the real nasties away from my new home. It was a symbiotic relationship.

It had been a while since I saw the inside of her home, and my jaw hung open in surprise. It looked like a page out of a magazine: decorated and ornately furnished. Red velvet furniture and warm tapestries accented polished cement floors and ancient stony walls. She'd somehow got electricity running through the whole place because a massive chandelier hung in the main room's center. Not to mention, the large assortment of bottles that overlooked an oak-wood bar.

"You had something you wanted to discuss," Meryl asked, clearly annoyed at this unplanned intrusion.

"Yeah, sorry," I ran my hand uncomfortably through my hair, taking one last look at my surroundings, "I was warned that something was happening in the Nevernever." I frowned, "Something that could affect the mortal realm. Anyways-" I tapered off, gesturing vaguely, "I was told to talk to you. That you would know what's up."

"I hope you're not getting me wrapped up in your funny business, Mr. Dresden," she cautioned. "I try to keep a low profile, unlike you."

"I'm careful," I fired back, still focused on the décor, "My profile is plenty low."

She snorted loudly and rolled her eyes. "Uh huh," she sneered sarcastically. Her playful expression vanished after a second, and the energy seemed to drain from her face. "In all seriousness, there are schemes going on. Things are bad." She melted into a velvet armchair. For a second she allowed herself to look very worried, and very vulnerable.

"Mr. Reuel, was murdered today."

My head snapped towards her in surprise. I looked at her sharply, "That guy who use to come by here sometimes? Old guy? White hair?"

She looked at me, her eyes were wet and glassy. She sucked in a breath, "Yeah." She let out a breath, her voice sounding heavy, "That was him."

I went to the armchair, hunching over to be on her level. I held her hand. "Meryl," I comforted her gently. "I'm so sorry."

Ron Reuel had been a pseudo father figure to Meryl and a group of her friends. I'd seen him come around often enough, always bringing snacks and a smile on his face. As an added bonus, a lot of W inter - y fae had coincidentally stopped frequenting our area. My neighbor had seemed like a happier person with him around, which made him a good guy in my book. For someone like Meryl, who stood out on the topside, friends were hard to come by down below. The loss of Reuel must have been tearing her apart.

"Does Lily know?" I chanced. Lily was Meryl's roommate who worked for a modeling company and spent a lot of time topside. "Do you have someone you can talk to about this?"

Our eyes met for a dangerous second.

As much as she tried to hold her emotions in, a single tear escaped her control, falling down her cheek. "Lily hasn't come home, Mr. Dresden." Her voice came out in a hiccupping quality, "I can't get a hold of her. I don't know where she is." I heard a stifled wail get caught in her throat. "I have a bad feeling about this."

I did the only thing I could have done. I waited with her, held her hand, and let her know she wasn't alone. "We'll find her," I decided. "We'll find her."

She sobbed.

Chapter Text

I opened my door at two minutes till midnight. My home is a speakeasy's surplus storage room, so it was a small place; but I worked with what I had and made it my own. One third of the area I had crudely walled off, into a small kitchenette alcove and a makeshift bathroom. One of Meryl's friends had been kind enough to hook up the plumbing. The other two thirds were warm and cozy and covered with second hand rugs, ambiently lit candles, and all but one wall lined with bookshelves. A well used couch and accompanying end table sat in the middle of the open area. Upon it lounged my foster sister, Elaine, her legs curled up to her midsection, nestling a skull carved with enchanted markings and runes.

I'd thought her dead for the longest time, but after the Unseelie Incursion she'd made herself known to me. At that time the world was scrambling to make sense of the supernatural, and almost everyone in the magical world began to seek strength in numbers. And it just so happened I was one of the few people she trusted. Sort of. Both her and I had issues like that. We both knew why, and we didn't like to speak or acknowledge it.

The skull's, Bob's, orange eyes projected a stream of light against the empty wall, forming a makeshift movie theater. My sister had always been the smart one, ever since childhood. One day she had brought home technical books on radio signals and networking for my lab assistant Bob to read. And as a result, the two of us were probably the only wizards on the planet capable of watching TV like vanilla mortals.

Neither seemed to hear me as I entered. Closing the door as softly as I could, watching the projected screen.

"Proposition A has passed almost unanimously," a male reporter monotoned. "Starting early next year the city of Chicago will move forward with it's plan to update our infrastructure, specifically tying second generation zap-chip devices into the detection grid."

I felt my shoulders slump. I knew what this was about.

"New constructions will be required to have one of these installed." The reporter held up a green electronic about the size of his hand. "These devices have been tested and have been deemed extremely safe to use."

"Miles," a female reporter with dark hair and a small nose injected, "What does this mean for everyone else? Not just the new-constructions."

"Well," the male reporter replied turning towards his companion without ever really looking away from the camera, "While it's not required for business owners of pre-built establishments to install anything, it is highly recommended."

The camera cut away to only show the male reporter's face.

"Once installed and hooked up, these chips will relay any disruption or electrical surges to a central system. The system will ring law enforcement in the event an unusually-induced surge is detected. Additionally the central system will ping the chips periodically. If one manages to be taken down- law enforcement is similarly informed. This significantly increases the response time, and keeps our streets safer."

The reporter didn't have to say it. Everyone knew what he was talking about. Normal everyday mortals were now informed about a variety of magical topics. Everyone these days knew the warning signs of magic: surges, blackouts, eye contact that triggered something more. It had only been a matter of time before they built tools to automatically detect it. Proposition A wasn't about updating the city's outdated building codes. It was about building a city wide detection system for the supernatural. As hard as it was to move about now, with prop A passing, it was about to get a whole hell of a lot harder.

"Hell's bells," I swore under my breath.

Elaine's face turned towards me, her tired eyes acknowledging my presence. "Harry," she greeted me heavily, before returning to look at the screen.

I shrugged off my coat and moved to sit next to her on the couch. She moved her legs to make room.

"Now this?" I shook my head, "On top of all the mess going on in Faerie, this too?"

Her eyes didn't waver from the projection, "So you heard about the death of the Summer Knight?" she mumbled to herself.

I stared at her. "Reuel was the Summer Knight?"

She looked back at me impatient. "Yes," muttered Elaine, "And it gets worse, Aurora has employed my services to work with Winter's Emissary." A small fraction of a bitter smile tugged at her cheek. "By doing this my debt with Summer will be cleared. If I fail," her eyes closed painfully, "Summer and Winter go to war. Normal people will probably die too."

Oof. And I thought I'd had it bad. "So no pressure?" I asked.

Though her eyes were closed, I could almost feel her roll her eyes. A short laugh escaped her mouth. "No pressure," she said sarcastically.

We were quiet for a while, just watching the news.

"Though," she said in a serious tone, "Honestly, I'm considering running." She paused. "This is too big."

"You think you can get away from this by skipping town?"

"No." She shook her head. "No, I guess not." Desperation entered her voice, "I just don't know what I'm going to do."

"We'll get through it," I vocalized resolutely. "We always do. Why didn't you call earlier?" We both knew I wasn't talking about phones. Elaine and I had at an early age worked out a spell that allowed communication mind to mind. We used it to cheat on tests at school.

She let out another barked laugh, "Didn't want to ruin your date silly."

I laid back on the couch, just relaxing. And like most things that had happened tonight, it was abruptly ruined.

A loud fist sounded on my door frame.

"Dresden," a gruff older voice yelled, "Open up!"

Chapter Text

I have never been on the best of terms with my probation officer. Ever since I'd killed my former foster father in self defense , Morgan, enforcer of the White Council, had personally seen to making my life a living hell. After the world had changed for the worse, he seemed to back off. I doubted he thought I'd been reformed; instead I surmised the Council as a whole was laying low during a modern witch hunt. As a result, like the rest of the supernatural world, Morgan's comings and goings, were a lot more restricted. For though he easily beat me in sheer experience, his body was still flesh, and mortal bullets were still deadly to him.

Morgan knocking on my door just passed midnight was not a good sign. I shot a glance at Elaine, but she was already moving. She knew the drill. I watched as she pulled gently at a bookshelf, sliding it open to reveal a hidden closet just large enough to fit a twin sized bed. Secret rooms and compartments were one of the perks of living in a speakeasy. She disappeared under a veil, more complicated than anything I could muster up, and I watched as the shelf seemed to swing itself closed. Turning back to the door, I suddenly felt very sympathetic to Meryl, who'd had to deal with the same bullshit from me, a half-hour prior.

I pulled the door open a little too quickly, and my efforts were rewarded with a broad sword pointed straight at my throat.

"Morgan!" I greeted with obviously fake cheer. "I'd say it's a pleasure, but it is really not." I immediately dropped my false elation, swapping it for irritation, "What are you doing here? It's late."

"The faerie courts prepare for battle, I know you're involved with this!"

I rolled my eyes. Zealots. Like a dog forever chasing a bone.

"Morgan," I spoke sweetly, "I know you truly believe everything bad that happens, is somehow my fault. But for crying out loud," I spat exasperated , "I only just found out all of this is happening."

"From summoning demons, no doubt," Morgan rasped without missing a beat.

"From my Neighbor ." I stressed the words, "Who happened to know the deceased. Not to mention one of the missing."

He didn't seem to know much what to say to that, so he did what Morgan normally did to fill our time together. He shoved me out of the way, and forced his way into my little abode. Mandatory inspections for black magic were a part of life under the Doom of Damocles. I didn't even try to protest, beyond a grunt. Usually he was a lot more dick - ish if I tried, and I'd rather not spend the effort cleaning up strewn tables and shelves. Sleep was calling to me.

I settled on the couch, and though my heart was beating fast with fear and anger, I tried to put on an air of calm and relaxation.

I think this upset my probation officer, because when he eyed me, I could almost feel his hatred tangibly. He turned his attention, rustling around my work bench.

A noise sounded from the secret closet where Elaine hid.

Morgan's head shot up like he'd heard the crack of gunfire. "What was that?" He muttered self satisfied, almost to himself.

My heart froze. It was suffice to say, if a warden of the White Council found another apprentice of a suspected warlock hidden just under their noses, the consequences would be severe for both the one found and the one doing the hiding. And by 'severe', I meant good old fashioned decapitation.

Morgan approached the dimly lit shelving unit, in an almost pantherine motion.

Something gray and fast shot out from the dark top of the shelf, heading straight for Morgan. I heard the cling of his sword hit the stone floor, and the hiss of an angry animal.

I stood up to my full height, my façade of calm abandoned, fury to match his building behind my eyes. The gray bundle le a pt into my arms, and I caught it, holding it protectively. "You almost killed my cat," I snarled. "What?" I mocked savagely , "Do you think this fur ball was guilty of working black magic?" My eyes narrowed and I enunciated each word, "Get. The. Fuck. Out of my house."

I saw Morgan flustered for the first time, his face temporarily twisted in confusion, and dare I say it, guilt. I sighed. My cat gets more respect than I do.

"I have done nothing to you, tonight or otherwise," I added. "Unless you plan to stab an innocent man in his own home -"

" Innocent ?" Morgan cut me off sneering. "You?" He snorted.

"Get. Out."

To my surprise he did. Mostly. On the way out he growled, "This isn't over."

"Of course it is," I replied. "Good bye, Morgan." I followed him and slammed my door shut after him.

After the source of my probation officer was gone, I just sunk, back against the door, and held myself. My cat Mister crawled out of my arms and loped across the room to settle on the couch. Angry mobs and faerie godmothers I could handle; Wardens on the other hand - well - I still had nightmares about them coming for me, clad in their swirling gray cloaks, strong arms hoisting sharp swords.

I felt cool fingers on my shoulder, and looked up to see Elaine.

"You're shaking Harry," she said softly.

I grunted in manly acknowledgment.

"Ugh," she grumbled, "I hate that asshole."

I grunted again affirmatively.

"The only good thing to come out of the fallout from the 1994 Unseelie Incursion, was seeing less of him."

That got a thin smile on my face.

"It's late," she muttered, "You should get to bed. Don't you have work tomorrow ?"

Chapter Text

I paid the price for staying up late the next morning. The sun was too bright, Ragged Angel Investigations acquired two more missing children cases, and my boss, Nicholas Christian, was extra grouchy. The day finally ended, and I walked home topside. It was a rather magic-friendly route. Old buildings with barely functional street lights made up my way home. Even if I hexed a lamppost in broad daylight, people would probably attribute it to faulty wiring or age, rather than witchcraft.

I took a shortcut through an alley way, and tensed when I saw a fast moving, short, figure round the corner. The lithe form twisted to avoid shoulder clocking me, and continued past.

A second later, I saw what the person had been running from. Well, calling it a 'person' might have been an overstatement.

Exposed bone and sagging flesh moved more quickly than any human could in my direction. I recognized it immediately as a black court vampire. I didn't have time to pull my blasting rod from my belt and aim controlled fire at the creature. It was just that fast. But that didn't mean I wasn't ready. Between the angry mobs, mock duels with my sister, and defending my territory from man-eating monsters on a bi weekly basis, I was as prepared as any mortal wizard could be.

I concentrated my will, and a shimmering blue shield materialized before me. The black court vampire, a victim of his own momentum, slammed into it. Hard. I poured power into my shield , and it held solid, letting physics do most of the work. The speeding vampire's neck flung back with an audible and terrifying crack. I heard other bones in its chest cavity simultaneously snap against my shield. From just an arm away I got a good look at it. Through patchy hair I could see part of its skull, its cataract eyes telegraphed nothing, a small round bullet hole bled dark viscous liquid from a spot on its cheekbone.

I sunk my voice and did my best imitation of a certain body-building movie star, "You're one ugly motherfu-"

My line was interrupted by the creature's scream. Its eyes focused on me and I felt its strong arms beat against my shield.

Me and my big mouth were always getting us into more trouble.

I timed my next move, dropping the shield, and activating three of my force rings simultaneously. Kinetic energy lashed out, cutting into the creature, and spraying dark ichor all over my face, before propelling the creature back. It scraped along the alley wall, flesh tearing from its body. I didn't waste a moment on any more smart quips, instead I drew my blasting rod, aiming where the creature was slated to land, and imbued my power into the outstretched rod.

"Fuego!" I roared.

A blast of fire erupted from my blasting rod, spreading forward and out in the shape of a cone. It engulfed the creature, and I heard an agonized scream. However, I didn't let up on the spell. This vampire still seemed a little juicy, and I doubted a single blast would be enough to keep it down. The Black Court were extremely tough compared to the other flavors of vampire. One can never be to sure. Only when the screaming stopped did I extinguish my blast of fire.

I slumped against the alley wall and took a moment to catch my breath. Holding a fire spell that long was no easy feat. It required a lot of energy. I felt tired and exhausted, but I pushed myself to my feet. People would have heard the screaming. People would have called the police.

Law enforcement these days wasn't what it use to me. Now days, being anything magical wouldn't just get you arrested, it would get you dead. They had whole departments for it in almost every branch of law enforcement. The FBI had a notoriously infamous record for training its employees in how to deal with mortal and supernatural threats. Sometimes the police or FBI would even hire consultants, which basically equated to monster hunters for hire.

Basically, I needed to get moving. Fast.

I turned back for just a second and froze. For a dangerous second I met the eyes of a very short blond woman with a cute button nose. She wore the blue uniform identifying her as part of the Chicago Police Department. She looked ready and alert; her arms holding a gun, safely pointed safely down at the ground. Her eyes were wide.

I looked away before a s oulgaze could start. I started gathering power. To do what - I didn't yet know. This is it , I told myself , This is how it all ends . Scenarios played in my head. I'd saved her life a second ago, and now mine was about to be snuffed out. End of the line. I mean, unless I did something about it. Despite the weariness I felt, I'd gathered enough power to create a variety of options.

And then she surprised me. In a world primarily driven by fear, she did the one thing I'd grown to never expect from someone confronted by the supernatural. She returned the gun to its holster, nodded to me, and simply walked away.

I let go of my collected power, and breathed heavy.

A moment later I threw up a poor excuse for a veil to hide the splatter of ic h or across my face and torso, and continued home.

Chapter Text

Upon opening the door to Ragged Angel Investigations, I was greeted by a very particular look on my boss, Nickolas Christian's, face.

He enunciated every word, "What." he breathed with something resembling frustration. "Did." he drew out a pause. "You." lips pressed into an 'O'. "Do?" he asked with the finality of someone who already knew the answer to the question he was asking.

I could have asked him what he was talking about. But it was early, and I was grouchy so instead I grinned and decided to be difficult, "This morning?" I asked. "Or," I raised my hand and wagged my finger back and forth, "Do you mean in my dreams?"

"Harry, I don't have the energy to -"

I cut him off, "Because, in my dreams it would be any combination of bond girls," I breathed in and amended , "At the same time, of course."

Nick's face sagged into his hand and he groaned.

But I wasn't done. "In a luxury yacht, while being served only the most delectable of foods. And -"

"I'm thinking someone a little more,-" Nick leaned back in his chair, moving his hands to grip the armrests, his pot belly almost bursting from his buttoned shirt. "Oh I don't know," he waved one of his hands casually, "Short. Blond. Chicago PD."

Something must have shown on my face. I know my stomach almost lurched out of my throat.

"Yeah, buddy," my boss said. "You ready to drop the humor and level with me?"

Oh boy, I did not need this right now.

I raised both my hands in surrender. "Okay," I babbled, "No more jokes."

"Thank you."

"So," I sat down in a client chair opposite of him, "Someone short, blond, and CPD visited you. Tell me what happened."

He gave me a look that basically jeered the words: 'you first', but after a moment's consideration, he relented.

"She came in here earlier today, asking questions about a certain NBA-sized ruffian."

My fingers dug into my knees, knuckles white.

"Clearly she already knew you worked here, so I said: 'Yeah, I have this one employee who fits that description'." His hands waved in a circular gesture, "And she asked for your name and info. And I asked if you were in any sort of trouble, because,-" he quirked his mouth into a sarcastic smug grin, "There must be some mistake, after-all , you weren't the type to get yourself mixed up in any trouble."

My spine was ramrod straight, and I started to sweat.

"She said you weren't in any trouble. Then she started saying some weird things," He paused.

My attention hung, waiting, silently pleading for him to continue. He could be a little less condescending considering it was my life and freedom on the line.

"Started talking about a joint partnership with the CPD, specifically her department SI."

"What?" I sputtered.

Nick's voice switched from annoyance to something more conversational. "That's what I said," he sounded confused. "Here I thought you'd gone and outed yourself as a wizard, and instead-"

"SHHHHhhh!" I hissed as my stomach did somersaults. "Could you not say that out loud?" I demanded.

"Oh please," he replied, tapping his foot in impatience, "Like there is even anyone around to hear it."

"How did you even know?"

"I'm a detective. I figure things out. It's my job." He groaned and started explaining, "I got suspicious when a large portion of our budget started going to pizza, and the success rates of our investigations started to triple.

"What does that even have to do with pizza?" I blubbered out. My mouth gaped, and I was barely able to even form words. Nick had KNOWN this whole time?

"Even you don't eat that much," he smirked, amused. "Besides, you keep a very consistent routine. We get a case, you put in a huge order for pizza, pizza arrives, you disappear into the bathroom, thirty minutes later you emerge with some 'hunch'. It is all very suspicious."

I stared at him.

"I also looked and saw you with your little pixie friend. Between that and having to change out the bathroom ceiling light every other week, I caught on."

"And you just, what? -" I sputtered, "Figured you'd never mention it."

His fingers reached forward and snagged today's newspaper off the desk. He opened it to a dog-eared page, "Yep."

"I could have been doing the summoning out here, instead of that cramped space, this whole time?" I eyed him, "How long have you known?"

"Years. Also, no magic in the office. Might scare the clients."

"Hell's bells," I muttered shocked. "And you never reported me?"

Newspaper crinkled as he looked over it, his eyes dead serious. "Why ever would I do that?" For a moment his face almost looked sad. "Harry, you've always been a good kid, and there's a whole lot of crazy out there. Besides," he scoffed, "I'm not the sort to do those kinds of things to my business partner. You wouldn't be my business partner if I didn't trust you."

My vision got a little b l urry. Trust was kind of a big thing to me. And the list of normals I trusted with my secret was next to none. Unbeknownst to me, my boss had kept it for years and years.

"The cop," I said, looking down at the ground. "She saw me blast this vampire in an alley way. I saw her running from it, I saved her life, I didn't know she was still there watching." To almost myself I whispered, "How did she even find me?"

Nickolas Christian hummed a note to fill the silence.

"She knows where I work. Did you give her my address?"

"No," muttered Nick, "Not that you live there anymore anyways." He leaned forward, a strained movement, "Kid I don't think this one has it out for you. From what she hinted at, she's reaching across the isle. I think she just needs help knowing what she's up against. The only way to fight the unknown is with knowledge - and you have that." He sighed, "I'm not going to force you. But take some time and think about it, before we burn this bridge outright."

I sighed. My secret was out. I was terrified. But with Nick beside me, it didn't feel impossible.

"Oh yeah," my boss smiled, "Also that girlfriend of yours knows too. In case that wasn't obvious."

I buried my head in my hands and groaned.

Chapter Text

It was half past noon when the phone rang. I answered it blearily, "Ragged Angel Investigations. Harry Dresden speaking. How can I help you?"

"Harry," wheezed Elaine between breaths, "Help me!"

My back went ramrod straight in my chair and I leaned closer to the phone. "Elaine, what's wrong? Where are you?"

She rattled off a pair of cross streets as I bolted to my feet. I snagged Nick's car keys as fast as I could, shrugged on my coat, and was out door in seconds.

I made my way to S Michigan Ave from Nick's place, and from there headed in the direction terrified citizens were fleeing from. When I spotted Elaine, I pulled over and practically leapt from the car, slamming the door behind me.

A large man bald man with hulking muscles under a thick leather jacket threw Elaine singlehandedly into a wall. I heart the woof of air as the breath was forced out of her lungs. She struggled to her feet, clearly disoriented.

I didn't even look both ways as I ran across the street, extending my hand and lining up my aim. I activated my force rings with a bellow, "Forzare". The huge man was struck by three synchronous kinetic blasts. They hadn't had time to recharge much since my run in with the angry mob, but they did the job. Elaine's attacker was pushed off balance, picked up, and carried through the window of a small food mart. I didn't slow my pace in the least.

Wheat colored hair moved, and underneath I saw Elaine's pained eyes barely manage to focus on me. "Harry," she panted, holding her arm at an odd angle, "He cut me."

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled as true to her words I watched blood trickle out from where she held her arm. Blood is a dangerous thing to loose, especially if it's too supernatural attacker. Blood is the strongest of all magical conduits. If you have someone's blood, you have real power of them.

I heard the crunch of boots on glass, and I whirled to face Elaine's attacker. How was he already up? I gulped as I recognized the gleam in his eyes as a look I'd seen on many before him: the need to do violence. In his hand I saw a bloodied knife, slick with Elaine's blood. He adjusted his grip on it and I realized too late his movement was a fake out.

He lunged forward and his free hand shot out, slugging me on the right side of my face. My limbs were momentarily stunned, and my body followed my head as my attacker drove it to the ground. I felt my head slam against the concrete. It was a miracle my life didn't just end there. Head injuries are nothing to mess around with.

Through a sudden fog, I heard Elaine scream in terror. Half for me, and half for her own well being. And in response I saw my attacker pause, hand posed ready to deliver more blows and violence. Instead, he whirled on Elaine. Time was of the essence, and I quickly erected the mental barriers to suppress my pain. My first magic teacher had taught me how once, at a time that now seemed so long ago.

I pulled myself together in those few seconds and focused my unsteady gaze at the man's hand, specifically the one holding the bloodied knife.

"Fuego," I hissed, my lips rubbing up against the rough concrete sidewalk. My magic leapt, unconstrained by a blasting rod, and enveloped both the knife and the man's entire arm in a hungry bright orange flame. He howled like an animal, and yet still plowed forward towards Elaine. I poured more power in, willing the fire brighter and hotter.

"Fulminaris," Elaine screamed, and her voice sounded desperate. I saw a bright green flash blind my vision. I heard the crash of lighting. My nose filled with the bitter smell of ozone. And the large man in front of me slumped forward, the knife falling out of his hand and clattering on the sidewalk.

Only then did I drop my fire spell. I breathed, exhausted. Who was this guy who could ignore his whole arm being on fire?

Elaine rushed to my side, her long arms pushing me to a sitting position. "Harry," she muttered impatiently, "There are people watching."

I couldn't remember why such a thing was important.

"Harry?" I felt her grab my jaw and move it in her direction, though it felt a little odd, like it wasn't really happening to me. "Where are the keys?" she asked.

I felt around limply in my coat pockets, pulling out Nick's old and weathered key chain. Dazed, I felt them snatched from my fingers.

Her body tucked itself under my arm and I yelped as she pushed me up. "I can't carry you," she growled at me under her breath. "Just focus on walking, I'll lead the way." I tried my best. But my everything felt like Jello.

Somehow, she got us in Nick's car. I don't remember how, nor did I ask.

"Oh my god," she muttered under her breath. Her words sounded far away and distant, "He's getting up. How the hell can he stand?"

And then my world faded into blissful black.

I woke up on Susan's couch. Which couldn't be right. I was sure I'd just thrown down with some supernaturally enhanced body builder in the middle of the city. Elaine entered my field of vision and I felt even more confusion. Perhaps I was dead and this was the afterlife. Nothing made sense.

A bright flash flared and I was suddenly blinded by what I identified to be a pen light being flicked back and forth between my eyes. I growled and tried batting away the hand, but apparently my body wasn't working right and my arm just sort of flopped in the pen light's general direction. The figure holding the light flinched back and I suddenly wasn't blinded by the light anymore. The person on the other end was a short mid thirties male with a shock of black hair and an unusual pair of glasses. And I did not recognize him. My nerves frayed at the edges.

I felt a warm familiar hand reach out and envelop my own. Susan.

"Harry," she soothed. "Everything is okay. This is Dr. Butters. He's one of my informants for the Arcane." Her thumb made soft circles on my hand. "I trust him."

I was confused and bleary, but I tried to follow my gaze to the woman beside me. "Why am I here?" I asked.

It must have come out rougher than expected because I felt her hand stiffen a little.

"You told me to ditch the car and bring you here," a voice belonging to Elaine boasted confidently, "Don't you remember?"

Through a fogged mind I focused and tried to remember. Everything hurt. I vaguely recalled saying something like that. Bits and pieces of directions in a steadier-than-I-thought-possible voice. I couldn't remember 'why', though. Potentially leading any number of supernatural nasties back to Susan's place - what had I been thinking? It wasn't like I didn't have options. Hells bells, my Thursday night gaming group would have been a better choice. After all, they were werewolves, and had a better chance of fending off danger than a vanilla mortal like Susan.

I tried and tried to put the pieces together, however instead, I found myself gravitating towards the conversation of the others around me.

"His pupillary response is fine - which is good - but based on his behavior he clearly has at least a mild concussion." Butters sighed in an expression of annoyance, "Look, someone needs to probably be with him for the next day or two. If symptoms get worse he needs to go to a hospital."

"He can't go to a hospital," both Susan and Elaine replied in tandem.

"Look," the little doctor's voice filled with even more annoyance, "I'm a medical examiner. I don't handle the living. If his symptoms get worse, you need to take him to a professional." There was an awkward pause before he continued, "If you're worried about him getting scooped up by law enforcement, you know as well as I that mob doctors are an option." His voice sunk lower, "Rumor has it they're a lot more apt at dealing with-" he waved his hand in a rolling gesture, urging the two women to fill in the blank.

He didn't have to say it. Everyone in the room already knew. If I went to a hospital and even one light went out in my vicinity, I'd get carted out of there by the police like Victor Sells had years ago. Susan was a reporter, she knew the local mob boss's rise to power wasn't just built on pure human achievement. He'd been dipping into the spooky side of the pond for a while now. She also knew that any help from the outfit was payable in loyalty and favors.

Susan cut through the silence, "Thank you Dr. Butters," her voice was sticky sweet like molasses. "I'm grateful you made the trip and took care of him."

He nodded in reply and started to head to the entrance. Briefly he stopped by me. He looked at me with weary eyes, "I hope you're one of the good ones Mr. Dresden." After a moment he added, "Don't drag Susan down in whatever mess you're making. She's a good person, and she clearly cares about you."

I grunted in his general direction.

Without another word, the doctor headed out the door. Susan followed to lock up behind him. Her head pressed momentarily against the wooden door. Her gaze downcast.

Elaine called across the room, "Look, thank you Susan, but I really need to talk to Harry alone. It's important."

"It can wait," I interjected before Susan could reply.

Both women stared at me.

A little more gently I added, "Elaine, can you give me just five minutes." And over a mental link we'd established in our youth, I added: Please . It's important.

"Alright," she spoke softly. "But only five minutes." Nerves crept into her voice, "We're dealing with some pretty world ending secrets."

I nodded in gratitude.

Susan glided over and slid one arm under mine, and we hobbled to her bedroom. Together we sat at the edge of the bed.

"Thank you," I said.

She nodded, oddly silent.

"And I'm sorry. I'm trying to recall it, over and over again, in my mind. The doctor is right, I brought dangerous business to your doorstep. I don't remember why I did it. I didn't mean for it to happen. But I did it. And I'm sorry."

She held my hand.

The next part was a little bit hard. "How long," I croaked, "How long have you known?"

The words hung heavy in the air. I couldn't outright say it, because in this day and age the admission of magic carried a heavy price. And even though I loved her, and I was reasonably certain she loved me, that final bit of trust was something I could not will myself to do. Even when I could already tell she knew.

"You mean, 'How long have I known you can do magic?'" she asked, and then even more softly whispered, "That you are a wizard?" Her hand squeezed mine and she shivered. She was frightened too. "Since the moment I looked in your eyes."

"And you never told anyone?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe in a different lifetime. So much has changed." She was quiet for a moment. "I didn't want to lose you. I didn't bring it up, and before I knew it the moment to say something had passed."

The words were out before I could think to stop them, "Are you afraid of me?" It was a thought I'd been worrying about for years. Running scenarios through my head of Susan finding out my secret.

Her dark eyes focused on a spot on her knee, and her brows knit in concentration. "No," she said solemnly, "Maybe sometimes," she amended. She met my eyes. We had shared a Soulgaze many years ago, and she was one of the few people who could. "Are you afraid of me?" she asked, her voice cracking as she held back a sob, "Of what I might do? Of who I might tell?"

"No," I reassured her immediately, and then I smiled and chuckled to myself, "Maybe sometimes."

There were tears in her eyes, and she leaned into me. My body hurt and ached, but it didn't matter, because my heart hurt and ached in a completely different way.

I held her in my arms. Once again, my world had changed. And despite the world ending plot I'd been roped into, I felt something I hadn't in a long time. Hope.

Chapter Text

"Dang boss," Bob the skull whistled, "I don't even want to guess what happened here. You're all beat up physically- yet your aura is-" his voice stuttered, "Is that happiness I see? From you?" The skull sounded flabbergasted and spun to Elaine. Dryly he commented, "At least your aura matches how you look."

"We ran into the Winter Knight, Lloyd Slate" Elaine said, refocusing our discussion on something productive. "I found something out that I think is much more important than how Harry's aura looks."

"Hey Harry," the skull said ignoring her. "Get someone else to punch you on the other side, and you'll look like a raccoon."

"Hello? Bone heads," Elaine interjected irritably, "Let's try to get ahead of all this craziness so the world doesn't end."

"Sahiba, the world is not going to end because the Summer Knight died. The mantle simply passes on to the next available host," the skull retorted.

"This," Elaine fumed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Is exactly what I've been trying to tell you both. The Summer Knight's mantle is missing."

Rarely have I ever seen Bob at a loss for words. This was one of those times.

"Uh," I said, raising my hand and feeling like an idiot, "So that means what exactly?"

"We're screwed!" Exclaimed Bob. "The world is ending."

"You all keep saying the world is ending. This doesn't sound that bad," I complained. Then I looked between Bob and Elaine. "Wait. The world's ending just because some mantle went missing?"

Elaine breathed in deeply, her hand held in a fist against her forehead, her face tired and exasperated.

"Bob," She grumbled, "Please explain it to him."

"Harry," The skull stated taking on the professional tone an instructor would use, "The Winter and Summer Faerie courts act in equal opposition to one another. When one court moves, the other must act. Balance is the commonality around which all Faerie operates. There is a Winter and Summer counterpart for all the Fae mantles: the lady, mother, crone, and also -"

I filled in the blanks, "The knight."

"Precisely," congratulated Bob, pleased that his student had caught on so fast.

"And if one of the mantles is missing, that would mean there would be a -?," the skull goaded me.

"Imbalance."

His orange-lit eyes somehow got brighter, "And so what will Summer now be forced to do?"

"Restore the balance."

"Yes," Bob hissed with finality and approval.

"Summer is going to attack Winter," I gulped, mostly to myself. I turned to Elaine and asked, "When? Where?"

"Midsummer," she replied, her eyes distant, "Midnight. Most likely the stone table. Almost certainly."

"How can you be sure?"

Her face looked troubled. "I lived with them for a long time Harry," she whispered, "I'm certain. There are rules. And it is their nature."

"We don't have much time," my voice quivered, "How are we supposed to restore the balance and stop a war?"

Elaine was silent, still lost in thought, but Bob spoke up, "You need to find the Summer Knight mantle."

"Easy-peasy," I snarled sarcastically. Hell's Bells, we didn't even have any leads on where it could be.

"I don't think it will be easy," Elaine retorted, obviously not picking up on my sarcasm. "And I'm afraid the game has been rigged to lose from the beginning."

Silence engulfed our group for a moment. There had been an edge to Elaine's words. Something so seemingly unfamiliar in them. I started paying attention. So did Bob.

"The Winter Emissary is not equipped to deal with this. I've met him briefly."

"So, maybe Winter wants this investigation to fail?" I supplied.

"If they wanted to fail there are better ways to accomplish that goal. He isn't dumb or weak. By most standards he is a decent choice."

I frowned, wondering why Elaine was giving me the run around instead of just plainly stating her thoughts. And an eerie thought hit me. What if she can't.

I thought a little harder, exploring every possibility. Despite the fact that our investigation was preempted by the Winter Knight and that the Winter Court now held the upper hand in terms of power, the same Court is not behaving as an instigating party should. Hiring a seemingly capable enough Emissary, not immediately taking advantage of Summer's weakness. Something wasn't right.

"You think it was Summer."

Elaine did not say anything. And her silence said it all.

After all, when one makes deals with Faerie Courts there are loads of consequences. I knew all too well that my own deals had given my Faerie Godmother power over me. If I stepped into the Nevernever, she could find and hunt me down in an instant. Maybe Elaine's inaction was one of them. Balance, Bob had said. The Summer Court had given Elaine protection many years ago. Perhaps Balance dictated she was bound to do the same.

"If Summer is the culprit," I spoke trepidatiously, "And Summer is the court to which your debt is bound, you may not be able to act as a free agent would." As she'd said, the game was rigged to fail. Unless someone intervened...

I considered my words very carefully. Because I didn't know just how much influence Summer could exert over Elaine.

I felt a grin tug at the corners of my mouth. "I think," I said mischievously, "I will assist you, Elaine." I wouldn't assist Summer of course, but I wanted to help Elaine in any way I could.

Her stone faced features softened for a moment. "Thank you, Harry."

Chapter Text

I showed up to the police precinct the little folk had pointed me to, and dropped a huge stack of papers on the desk of one Officer Karrin Murphy.

She suppressed a little jump and her eyes climbed up the stack of papers in the direction of my face. She was a fierce little thing, and a shiver shot up my spine as she glared up at me from under a furrowed brow.

"Ah," she tsk-ed, "It's you." She paused for a moment. She motioned at my black eye and bandaged other bits. "It's only been two days since I saw you. How did you find the time to get into another fight?"

I smiled brightly down at her, in all the fake innocence I could muster, and changed the subject. "Nick said you stopped by. Said you wanted to work together."

She nodded towards the stack of papers, "What's this?"

"Information," I answered. I tried keeping my interactions brief. Before heading over here Nick had forcefully instilled in me that first impressions mattered, and to not muck-up an opportunity for a potential source of income.

She eyed me, and I averted my own eyes to avoid a Soulgaze.

"Information about your current case." I let my smile fell off my face. For someone who wanted to work together she seemed unusually grouchy. Not that I should throw stones. "Isn't that why you wanted to work together? To become more knowledgeable about... stuff?"

She grabbed the stack of papers and put them neatly in a desk drawer. Promptly she fished out a key and locked it. "Let's take a walk," she said.

I followed her out, confused and a bit nervous.

----

Officer Murphy had brought me coffee from the police break room, and led me out of the precinct. We took a walk around the block. She was so tiny I had to slow my steps to not out pace her. The coffee tasted terrible, but I drank it.

"Honesty is important to me," she began a while into our walk. "Don't ever lie to me. In my job, bad info has a way of costing lives."

Silently, I waited for her to continue.

"I work for a department called Special Investigations. In my department, things are-" her face scrunched up as she struggled to find the right word. It was cute. "-a little different."

I figured the cat was already out of the bag, so I prodded to make sure we were on the same page. "Different? Like you don't conduct witch hunts?"

She frowned. In a low voice she replied, "I didn't say that."

And for a moment I felt a little cold. Nick had reassured me so much that Murphy was one of the good guys, and after my talk with Susan the night before, I desperately wanted to believe it. But maybe I'd been dumb and overeager. Maybe-

"Look, it's complicated." She sighed, "Basically Special Investigations is where cases and careers go to die. We get the unsolved cases and the strange stuff no one wants to touch. And we did it all long before that business in Milwaukee."

Now that surprised me. Little Miss Goldilocks-cop had been in the monster hunting business for a long time.

"But things have gotten worse, and worse. And since the paranormal became normal, I'm not getting simple cases anymore like chasing down low hitters with salt shotgun shells. I'm getting cases that not even the hotshot consulting mercenaries will touch."

And through my nervousness, I felt empathy for her. I suddenly understood what Nicholas had so easily seen. This was a woman punching so far above her weight class, it was a miracle she hadn't been taken down a rung for her effort. Things were falling apart and the center could not hold. Not as it was now.

"I don't just need information, Harry," she pleaded softly. "I don't need just a partnership either." Her confident stance seemed to break ever so slightly. "What you did to that creature chasing me. I need that too. To keep my men alive."

My mouth was on autopilot, "And what if I say no?" I had too much going on. I could barely support Meryl or Elaine. Heck, I couldn't even stay out of trouble myself.

"Then nothing," she said somberly. "It's your choice, I'm not going to threaten you into signing up." She snorted, "Although, I could try to coerce you with a paycheck. We don't have much funding, but-"

"I'll do it." I said, my mouth not even bothering to consult with my brain. "I want to help. I want to make things better any way I can."

She looked up at me with wide eyes filled with hope.

Her words cracked but her face smiled. "Let's get some paperwork filled out then."

And I beamed back.

"So tell me, what's in the stack of papers you brought to my office?" she asked.

"Oh those," I smugly hummed. "Nothing much. Just the details and location of the Black Court vampire lair that spawned Mr. Crispy yesterday."

She spun on me wildly, "You cannot be serious! I've been trying to track that for over a month! How did you-?"

I cackled and wiggled my fingers in the air. "Wizard," I answered, surprised that the admission came so easily from my mouth, "Trade secrets."

Murphy let out a tired breath, and then was quiet for a moment. "You said Black Court Vampire," her brows knitted in thought. "So there are other types of vampires?"

In reply, I wiggled my eyebrows mysteriously at her.

Chapter Text

I called Nick from Murphy's office to let him know I would be doing something extremely stupid and out till Midsummer, - unless - you know, I got myself killed in the process. Murphy gave me a long look and shook her head telegraphing that she was beginning to regret her decision to bring me aboard the CPD's payroll. I flashed her my brightest smile, but it only seemed to darken her demeanor. Nick mentioned that my sister had called and passed along the meeting location.

"Better hurry up kid," he mocked before hanging up the phone.

Staff in hand, I met Elaine at the back entrance of the Rothchild Hotel. She led the way through a dim breezeway that ended at a barely illuminated elevator. Elaine reached for the button, but the doors opened for us almost immediately. In silence, we both stepped in. Elaine pulled out a golden antique key from around her neck, and inserted it into a small, easily missed, key hole. She turned the key with a click, and the elevator stuttered and groaned to life.

We rose for no more than a minute before the doors opened with a pleasant chime and I followed Elaine out. What I saw before me, stopped me in my tracks. The elevator had opened up to a rain-forest landscaped to resemble a garden. At it's center stood a living wooden throne peppered with fresh vegetative growth.

"Wow," I muttered under my breath. I tapped the ground with the tip of my staff - and it felt as soft as grass. I concluded the garden wasn't a glamour, and thus there was no way this was the roof of a hotel. Clearly some sort of Faerie hi-jinx had happened on our ride up. Something subtle enough to get passed my wizard senses.

Elaine jerked her head off to the side, "Come on," she ordered emotionlessly, "This way."

We approached a young woman, wearing an artist's well-used overalls, working diligently on the a clay bust. Even if she heard us approach she made no motion to indicate so. We waited, and after some time, the young woman pulled back from her art. Her fingers were smudged with wet clay.

"There..." she purred with satisfaction. She turned to look at us. "Ela?" she asked questioningly. Her eyes moved to me and gained a level of suspicion, "Who is your friend?"

Elaine's eyes looked distant and her eyes took on a more professional voice, "I sought to inform you I've taken on aid to fulfill my duties as Summer's Emissary."

The young woman's eyes widened, and her mouth formed a surprised 'O'. "But Ela," she exclaimed pleasantly, "Whatever for? You are plenty qualified to act on Summer's behalf."

Though, she spoke the words innocently enough, something felt ever so slightly off. And I understood that her attention was dangerously laser focused on Elaine's next words. By some miracle, during this realization, I managed to keep my face blank and dumb.

I stepped forward, drawing the attention off Elaine. "Hi," I greeted bluntly. "I'm Ela's," the unfamiliar name felt bitter across my tongue, "Friend. I'm here to help."

"Summer," something irritated flashed across her eyes, "Does not require the assistance of Winter."

"I," I began somewhat insulted, "Am not of Winter." And at the back of my lizard brain I recognized the authority with which the young woman before me spoke. And it a moment of insight, I understood what I was dealing with. "And you are not just a mere servant of the Summer Court."

Now that got a response. Her hair turned platinum white in a ripple of un-felt wind. More dangerously still, her attention focused entirely and undeniably on me. Yikes.

Elaine chose that moment to step forward, "My lady," she spoke pleadingly, "Apologies for starting this meeting off on the wrong foot. My friend," she motioned to me, "Never learned manners in his youth."

I snorted.

"This, is Wizard Dresden, he is as capable as myself." She turned to me, "And this," she motioned towards the young woman, "Is the Summer Lady."

"I am called Aurora," the faerie queen supplied.

"The Winter Knight and the Winter Emissary are working in heavy opposition to me. His assistance, freely given, will better our odds of success."

Aurora stared at me with suspicion. "Ela, he reeks of Winter. I cannot in good conscience be sure he is not an agent working against us."

Elaine looked at me sternly, prompting me to say -something - anything.

"My godmother is Winter. I may have made a deal with her in the past. But so long as I don't enter the Nevernever, it is not an issue."

"Your godmother is a cruel creature, dictated by duty to impart her guidance onto you. And your deal was for power. Your assurances are in conflict with your history. Hunger, power, suffering; these are all traits of Winter. And you carry each."

I acknowledged her words with a tilt of my head. "You are correct. All of those shape me. But ultimately I choose my actions. My life and my decisions are my own."

I looked up in determination and for a moment almost met her eye. Instead I focused on a pin point on her forehead. I kept my face blank.

A strange expression crossed Aurora's face, and she chuckled. "Perhaps," she turned towards Elaine, "Ela, I will not so willingly play into Winter's hand, however, I will not deny you aid offered freely. Do what you will. " And with a wave of her hand, she dismissed us to return to her clay sculpture. "Ensure you take care of the Winter Emissary, as of late, he has ventured too close for comfort. Summer cannot afford to show weakness at a time like this. Not when we lack our knight."

Elaine looked at me and motioned for the door, "Let's go."

We rode the elevator down in silence. I gripped my staff hard and dared not wipe the blank expression from my face. For when I stared down the Summer Lady, I saw something in my peripheral. Something I recognized all to well. Lily, her perfect features turned to stone, and expression of fear like none I'd ever seen upon her face. It wasn't just a statue or a figure shaped in clay. It was her. And like a missing piece I began to see the shape of the problem and the odds that were so clearly stacked against us.

Chapter Text

The elevator doors chimed, prompting Elaine and I to step out into the darkened walkway. We walked down it quickly.

"So, that's the one who holds your faerie debt," I remarked with only a hint of smugness. Secrets and information were like crack to wizards. And Elaine had kept this secret for a very long time. " She seems like a peach."

Elaine shot me an eyeful glare.

"So," I chided, "They know you as Ela."

If it was possible, her glare got more intense.

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "Hey hey, I get it. Don't need creatures of the Nevernever knowing your true name."

"You're being obstinate on purpose," she observed.

I let my hands fall to my sides, "I don't know, - maybe this whole thing is bigger than I expected."

She let out a short laugh. "Oh please, Summer and Winter prepare for war. What did you expect?"

"I don't know," I relented, my pace keeping stride with hers, "Maybe a more clear direction. A bad guy to beat up. You know - something more up my alley."

We both stopped in sync where the hotel walkway met the back parking lot, our attention focused dead ahead.

Elaine spoke at me without turning to look in my direction, "Harry. We really need to work on your big mouth’ s timing, delivery, and tempting of fate."

I gulped at the sight before me before answering her, "Nick tells me the same thing."

"Well," she sighed, "You wanted a bad guy to beat up. Here one is. Have at him."

I rubbed my face irritably, and took the first step forward to insert myself into the scene.

Ahead of me loomed the familiar figure of Lloyd Slate, the Winter Knight. He had a mid 30s man of medium height pinned to a steel bolted rail of a large metal bridge. A strong forearm pressed savagely into the struggling victim’s throat, the other was blackened and burnt by his side.

The other man didn’t appear to be a light weight by any means , and managed to maneuver just enough to clear his airway. "We-" he panted out, "Are on the same side, damn it!"

The Winter Knight just smiled in reply and pressed harder.

"That's the Winter Emissary," Elaine filled in before I could even ask the question. I felt my eyebrows knit in confusion. The emissary brought up a very good point. With Summer preparing for battle, there was no logical reason for the main shakers of Winter to be literally at each other’s throats . Something didn't fit. Unless...

"Well, what are you going to be doing when I duke it out with the bad guy?" I asked innocently. I really did not want to fight this guy alone.

"I'll be setting up a glamour," she rummaged in her pocket, withdrawing a clear quartz crystal wrapped in twine. "Someone's got to watch out for the normals. It won’t mean much if we survive this only for them to uncover our identities."

I groaned.

“And”, she continued, “Maybe, just maybe, it would be problematic in other ways, if I were to get involved.”

I groaned again and refocused my attention ahead. I briefly considered whistling to get the Knight's attention, but decided against it, remembering my last round with him. So instead, I swallowed my pride, raised my staff, and sucker punched him with a single wave of force. A single rune on my staff flared for a moment and the Knight went flying.

Slate's contact with the Emissary was broken, but he wasn't propelled as far away as I had been hoping. I had planned to send him entirely off the bridge and into the water below. His severely burned hand reached out to steady himself against the bridge, and he turned to look at me. His expression was one of both recognition and pure hatred. "You," he snarled in a frosty tone . "Oh, I am going to enjoy this." He made a motion to lurch forward, but instead his muscles tensed to a halt when he saw my .38 Smith and Wesson.

I strode forward, confidence in my step, and nodded my head at the other guy, "Hey, you OK there, man ?"

The emissary didn't waste any time on polite greetings. "He's absolutely lost it," panted the man to himself, gulping down air. "Don't squabble , shoot him. If he gets up after, I'll help."

I Spocked an eyebrow, "Aren't you working for the Winter Queen?" And then more softly I added, "Won't she take offense if you encourage the offing of her knight?"

The man spun at me with fury in his eyes, "Does it really matter?" He pointed a finger in Slate's direction, "He's going to kill us."

Suddenly, the Winter Knight started laughing, and resumed his movement forward, more slowly this time.

"Hey," I warned him. "Stay right there-"

He kept walking forward, something dark danced in his eyes, and a hungry grin played across his face.

The stranger next to me cursed, and took a step back.

"I really will shoot you," I told the advancing Knight.

"I don't think you will," he sneered. "Or I would have been dead already."

Slate lunged forward at me. He didn't have any weapons, but from what I'd seen of him before, I didn't think he needed any to end me.

"Defendarius," I howled, extending and compacting my will. A blue shield of energy surged before me and caught a high swung hammer-fist, which, had it connected, would have surely broken my bone. T he shield held, but it wasn’t luck. After all, I knew exactly how hard this man could hit from my last encounter .

I pushed my shield against him, overcoming his physical charge bit by bit. I was a big guy, I had the mass to match him. I just needed a little more distance.

Of course, that's when things went wrong. After-all , as sturdy as it was, my shield was a pure reaction to his attack. I hadn't thought of shaping it into anything more than the half dome I used against human bullets. I’d been foolish to treat Slate the same way I’d handle a vanilla human. My opponent rolled along the edge of my shield until he was no longer pushing against it. Per physics, I fell forward with all the force I'd been exerting against him. Somehow, I managed to leap out of the way, my gun falling from my hand during the process .

He did not pause or relent, and instead, lashed out with meaty fists. "Not a real bright thinker," he taunted me.

I managed to block his hits with my staff, but could not find an opening to return the favor. For crying out loud, one of his fists was crispy and it was like he didn't even feel it. The wood of my staff creaked in strain, and I worried the only weapon at my disposal was about to falter.

I heard a loud pop, and after a moment the Winter Knight's movements became noticeably sluggish. And he was bleeding. A lot, by my standards. I followed the noise, and saw the Winter Emissary with my pistol, steady, in his hands.

"Take him out!" The stranger's voice cried.

I pointed my staff at Slate and screamed, "Arietius!". All but one sigil on my staff roared to life in bright blue light, and the remaining 76 force spells propelled themselves at the ground just before the Winter Knight's feet.

From what I'd seen, I was sure that monster of a man could withstand fire and even force. But everyone is bound by good old fashioned physics.

My spells struck the earth in a horizontal line, carving into the ground. Chunks of cement and other things shot up in an equal and opposite reaction. Momentum carried the pieces up and over. A wave of rock and asphalt slammed into the Winter Knight, burying him.

I panted. "Thanks," I breathed at the stranger.

"He's still alive," the man stated. For a moment he was still. The he shrugged "Probably for the best." He reached out to hand my gun back.

"How do you know?" I asked.

He raised and dropped his eyebrows considerably for a moment. "I'm the next logical vessel in the area."

I didn’t really get it, and I thought he was going to say more, but he didn't.

"We should go," I concluded. "If he's alive, I don't want to be here when he climbs out of that."

The other man nodded in agreement. His firm hand massaged the bruise that was forming on his neck. "Are you working with Summer?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe. I'm not sure what to call it just yet ."

He stared at me for a second. His expression evaluating. A sense of resolution overcame his features and he said, "I am almost certain Lloyd Slate is responsible for the demise of the Summer Knight."

I nodded, because I'd been thinking the same thing earlier. If Faerie Knights were this super-humanly strong, something equally strong would be needed to kill it and make it look like an accident.

"The only problem," the Emissary continued, "Is I can't work out the why. Or the bigger play here."

I agreed with him fully and was surprised he had reached that conclusion. H e didn't have nearly all the information I did. "Time's running out," I whispered under my breath.

"Yes," he purred, "Yes it is."

A stone fell off the pile of rubble with a clack that cut the air like thunder. Both our attention turned towards it in silence.

Chapter Text

After rushing away from the Rothchild as fast as our feet could take us, we slowed to a walk. It wasn't just the threat of Slate urging us forward. In my show of magic, I'd effectively blown out the hotel's power and several cars on the road. Something that would undoubtedly flag law enforcement, regardless of whether zap-chips were installed or not. Neither Elaine nor I were particularly interested in dealing with a police funded group of witch hunters, whom were almost certainly dispatched to such a large blacked out area. After a while we felt safer and slowed to a walk, only glancing over our shoulders ever so slightly.

We decided to take the topside route to get home, and about ten minutes from our Undertown entrance a dark sedan began to tail us.

My sister shot me an annoyed glare.

"What?" I protested.

A heavy sigh escaped my lips and I looked dramatically upwards. My godmother had warned me about getting involved, and now, instead of listening, I had bitten off more than I could chew. I stopped on the sidewalk and turned to deal with the newest addition to my problems.

The sedan crawled slowly up to us before rolling to a stop. The back-tinted window rolled down seamlessly. A man I was all too familiar with, who had green eyes, the color of dollar bills and short salt and pepper hair smiled at us pleasantly. "Good evening," he greeted us casually. "Miss Mallory, if you don't mind, I'd like to speak to Mr. Dresden for a moment," his gaze turned towards me and he enunciated every word, "Get. In. The. Car."

Even though I wasn't facing her, I felt my companion shoot me a worried glance. "Harry," she stuttered in a worried tone, "We have bigger priorities at the moment."

If he was miffed by her words, he managed to conceal it. "It will be brief," the man supplied.

I threw my hands into the air, frustrated. "Fine," I groaned, "Make it quick."

The door popped open and I slid into the dark sedan with Gentleman Johnny Marcone. He was the famous criminal overlord of Chicago and had tried to hire me many years prior. An offer I had downright refused. In hindsight, if I had accepted, I probably wouldn't have to spend my time topside nearly as afraid or scurrying around like a rat. There were certain levels of protection that came with being associated with the local Don. And it was no secret he had been slowly acquiring supernatural talent.

But I had issues with answering to authority, and even worse issues when it came to dealing with monsters in human form. So I crossed my arms stared Marcone down with my best glare. I didn't work for him, but occasionally our aims reluctantly aligned. Besides, he was far too dangerous to blow off. I'd seen his soul.

"Mr. Dresden," he steepled his fingers, "It looks like you've got your hands full."

"What's it matter to you?" my mouth fired back.

"Is it so unthinkable that I'd be concerned, when I hear reports of one of my informational assets and occasional wildcard, being attacked in the street?"

"I don't work for you," I growled in rote reply. But he wasn't wrong. After all, I had leaked to him the locations of the Red Court controlled areas, as well as critical information about one of their upcoming political events. Information he shouldn't have had access to. Information, my connections through the White Council did. It was a mutual symbiotic relationship. I used him as a weapon as much as he used me.

My mind drifted to the night where Bianca St. Claire's mansion had burned to the ground.

I had watched from afar, as Marcone's heavily armed men surround the area, cloaked in th e darkness meant to hide creatures less human than they. Small fires were set around the building, but nothing near the main entrance. Flames had crawled up the walls, and as it spread, figures ran out the entry way en mass e . Some were human and some were not.

Objects of faith didn't do as much damage to a Red as they would to a Black Court vampire, but it worked well enough to determin e who was human and who was not. Marcone's men were professionals, use to dealing with supernatural threats, and they sifted through the out-coming crowd like a well oiled machine . Humans were pulled out of the fray, while Red Court creatures were shot and sliced across the bellies, emptying out their blood reserves.

I watched as members of the Red Court were gutted and executed, all whilst locking down the Red Court sorcerers' magic with my own. I felt other beings that night with my senses. Stronger beings than I ever anticipated. I was relieved when they simply fled instead of throw ing in with the slaughter. I was certain they could have turned the tide, could have rendered our entire strike force to dust. But it was a different world, and mortals rising up was a nuclear option to the oldest of creatures. To my luck, they'd simply run away, back into the dark.

And perhaps that was why I'd been avoiding Marcone, more than my usual. Because it had been my intel, my plan, my certainty that I could overpower anyone's will with my own and lock down their magic. My arrogance had left us vulnerable that night. Our victory was only a consequence of a coin toss. And if Marcone ever found out just how badly I had messed up. How many of his men's lives I had inadvertently risked. I would be a cold corpse at the bottom of Lake Michigan.

"You should know, I'm working with the cops now." The words were out of my mouth before I could even think of the ramifications.

The gangster's eyes widened. "I thought that only a rumor," he said softly, "I wouldn't have expected that kind of cooperation from someone with your history."

I glowered at him. "They're planning a Black Court hit," I stated, "In case you wanted to join the party."

"Teaming up with the CPD?" he laughed, "The journalists would have a field day. I wouldn't dream of it." His expression resolved back into obscurity. "In all seriousness, I'm here in regards to this building altercation between the Faerie Courts."

"How-" I questioned dumbly, "How do you know about that?"

He looked at me like one would a slow child.

" Never mind ," I grumbled. I knew Marcone had connections, I just hadn't anticipated how far that information network reached. "I'm handling it. Nothing you can do. If the world is still here, you'll know it all worked out."

Marcone pinched the bridge of his nose, as if to ward of a headache.

"Can I go now?" I asked belligerently.

He didn't reply, and instead waved me out of the car in a dismissive gesture. I closed it behind me and rejoined Elaine on the sidewalk. We walked home in nervous silence. My mind racing through possibilities. The normals were noticing, and we were running out of time.

Chapter Text

I slept hard, knowing I would need the strength for the battle to come. Because, of course, with my history for mayhem there would be a battle. When I woke up - I felt better and could think more clearly than the night before . I drank some water, steadied myself, and went next door to use the phone to call Susan.

She answered after two rings.

"Harry?" She answered worried . "What's wrong? Do I need to call Dr. Butters again?"

"No, no," I reassured her as gentl y as I could, "Nothing like that. I just wanted to call you."

Over the line I heard her make a pleased sound.

"How are you?" I asked, and the line was suddenly alight with static interference . Our last meeting had ended on a high note. At least I thought so. But I was all too aware that things could change in an instant. Harboring anything remotely magic related could put a person in a pretty precarious situation, especially with law enforcement . She could have rethought our relationship.

"You'll never guess what happened today," Susan chimed excitedly. "Harry, it rained frogs! FROGS!"

Relief flooded back into me, and I leaned back against the counter where Meryl kept the landline, cradling the phone to my ear .

"Frogs," I repeated to myself chuckling.

"Sure it might be a rare weather occurrence , but I've been doing some reading. And I think it might be related to Faeries. I was going to write about it for tomorrow’s issue. "

It was related to the Fae, but I didn't tell her that.

"Hey," I whispered seriously, interrupting the mood . "Susan. Stars - how do I say this? I might be about to do something dangerously stupid."

There was silence on the end of the line. Then I heard a soft inhalation of breath. "Why don't you come over? My Arcane article can wait till later." Her voice came out, almost pleading. Like she didn't want me to go.

"I'm sorry," I choked. "I can’t. There’s something I have to do ."

"Why?" she asked. She sounded sad. “ Why does it have to be you?”

I wondered if she knew more about my extra curricular activities than she had let on. She sounded like she knew 'dangerously stupid' meant I could be killed.

"Because there's no one else who can." And it was true. Elaine couldn't turn against Summer. Not outright. Marcone was still just a mortal man at the end of the day. The Winter Emissary was completely out of his depth. The Winter Knight seemed to be actively betraying his throne. And ultimately, no one else was as close to the center of this as I was. No one who could piece together the parts of the mystery to find the culprit. And no one more powerful than me to whom I could run to for help. Past experience had taught me the White Council had no interest in helping me.

"That's a good reason," she huffed firmly.

"I don't plan on dying," I muttered quickly. "But if I do end up kicking the bucket, it wouldn't be right to leave you hanging, without an explanation."

"I understand." After a pause, she whispered, "I love you."

My heart thumped faster than I thought possible, and I smiled into the phone cradled against my ear. The words were out before I could stop them, "I love you too."

She was silent. And then very cautiously she told me, "That's the first time you said that."

I ran a hand through my hair, embarrassed , " Yeah, " I affirmed.

"Come back safe Harry."

We said goodbye and hung up together. I felt warm from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I don't know how long I stood there, but I remember being roused from my bliss by Meryl.

She saw my dumb smile plastered across my face, and asked, "Do I even want to know?"

I snapped out of and compartmentalized my little bit of happiness, because I had places to be and things to do. And they wouldn't get done by themselves.

I turned towards my neighbor. "Did you gather the gang? Are they all here? "

"Yes," she replied, "I called everyone you asked me to. Follow me."

The group was situated a round Meryl's small bar. To my left sat Meryl's friends Fix and Ace, both changelings , each perched on bar stools. And to the right stood half a dozen youthful college kids that comprised my Thursday night gaming group. They were also a group of werewolves called the Alphas, whom I had met through the local supernatural community while raising wards on the entry points to Undertown.

I took a deep breath and laid out what I knew and what I planned to do about it.

"Look," I admitted, "I know a lot of you don't know Lily personally. But there is something larger going on here, and she's at the center of it. Whether you know her or not, today our interests align. I've been informed if such an imbalance occurs between the Summer and Winter, its bad news for everyone."

Meryl's face hardened in determination.

Her friend Ace apparently had other plans, his shrill voice shaking, "You've all got to be crazy."

Everyone turned to look at him.

"You're talking about going up against Faerie Queens and heavy hitters." His breathing became faster, "We can't fight them!"

An annoyed look crossed Fix's face, "If you have a better plan, you need to say it. Time's running out."

"Look, I've been doing some negotiating. And the Reds are willing to offer us some level of protection if we take down the gangster who wrecked Bianca's mansion."

"You want to avoid fighting one faction by declaring war on another?" asked Fix logically. "Besides, I wouldn't vocalize that quite so blatantly , you can't be certain who that man owns."

"What about Lily?" howled Meryl, cutting right to the point. "She's going to die! We can't just abandon her!"

"There is nothing we can do about her!" hissed Ace. "We need to start looking after ourselves!" He closed his eyes, irritated, before continuing. "Look, I've got it all worked out. Just come with me, you'll see." He jabbed a finger at me, "Let this madman sort out his own problems."

"Ace," Fix scolded.

Meryl shot up from her stool, moving towards Ace, "Why you spineless, little -"

Fix, the calmest of the three changelings , got his body between the both of them. "Guys, calm down," he pleaded, "We're all friends here. We know what’s at stake, a nd we know tempers are high."

The threat of immediate violence began to dissipate , and Meryl sat back down. She looked lost and exhausted.

"Whatever," Ace rolled his eyes and turned towards the door to go , "Suit yourself."

"Stop him." The authority of Billy's voice rang out, and everyone, Ace included, turned to listen. Billy Borden was the Alpha's pack leader. He earned that rank for a good reason. Billy was strong, kind, good with people, and when he talked people paid attention. "These plans we've gone over are hinged on the trust of all involved." His body language turned more personable as he addressed Ace, "I'm sorry Ace, but you know too much, you could put all our lives in jeopardy. " He took a step towards the other man. "So please, do NOT walk out that door."

Ace, seemingly recovered from his previous startlement, leaned his head back, and laughed. "Man," he chorkled, "I don't have to listen to this. Fuck you."

Two of the Alpha's were on him in an instant. The toned muscular arms of Kirby reached up behind and underneath Ace's arms, lifting him up like a wrestler. The second Alpha, a man I was much less familiar with, named Alex, grabbed Ace's panicking legs. Together they brought him back to the bar.

I inclined my head towards the lady of the house. "Meryl, Billy is right. Do you have a place we can put him for the time being?"

"You can't do this!" Ace gasped.

"Oh yes I can!" she snapped back. “ Believe it Ace, it’s happening.”

After securing Ace; the other changelings, the Alphas, and myself split paths to begin preparations for what was shaping up to be my moronic match-up to date.

I ended up gathering almost my whole armory. My staff, blasting rod, force rings, shield bracelet, and a knapsack filled with my secret weapon - in case everything went to Hell. Which, given the circumstances, was becoming more and more likely.

Finally I donned the black leather duster Susan had gifted me a few years back, a simple black shirt, some comfortable black pants, and some similarly colored boots.

I met Elaine at the door, and held my arms wide, "How do I look?"

She looked over my outfit, spocked an eyebrow, and a hit of a grin crept on her face. She shook her head. "You look ridiculous. I really don't know why Susan indulges you," she motioned at the coat. "But once you get your game face on, this might be exactly the outfit you need for where we're going."

"The duster is enchanted," I said, pretending she hadn't just insulted my fashion choice . "I don't see you wearing anything that can block bullets."

She glared at me in reply.

And just like that, I followed Elaine out the door, raising the wards behind me.

Chapter Text

Patience is a virtue I don't often exhibit. Tolerance for bullies - even less so.

Not trusting my mouth to betray me, I clamped my jaws tightly together. Elaine snuck me a worried look.

The two of us stood flanking Aurora and her two fae servants. Before us, in the forest outside the Faerie Mothers’ cottage, contained within a ring of toadstools, was the Winter Emissary. His face was down-turned, his shock of blond hair angled towards us. His fists were clenched; and though he was trapped, he still looked dangerous. The Summer Lady twirled the fragile strands of the Unravelling between her two fingers. Her attention ensnared. A triumphant smile upon her face.

I unclenched my jaw enough to let out a low impressed whistle. After all, I was playing the roll of the thug-for-hire. It was the least I could do to keep up my end of this façade.

Aurora flicked her fingers, "Korrick," she commanded, her face drawn and serious, "Kill him."

"Gladly," savored the large centaur fae at her side. He moved forward in a pleased slow trot.

The bottom dropped out of my stomach and my eyes widened. My finger twitched, and I fought down every instinct I had to defend the man who had done nothing but try to complete his job. This was not supposed to be an execution.

My jaw clenched tighter.

I heard a distant howl echoed from the surrounding darkness.

"Wait," snapped Elaine's panicked voice.

Aurora raised a hand to halt the centaur's approach. "What is it, Ela?"

My foster sister cocked her head, as if to hear better, and listened for a moment. She turned to me, "You hear it, right?"

I Listened closely, and the sound came again, this time closer. "Wolves, perhaps," I concluded, "Or dogs of some kind."

“What about hounds?” Elaine asked.

I shrugged. “Could be. Too far to tell.”

"Why is this a concern?" snarled an irritated Korrick.

Elaine ignored him, instead pressing me for details, "Do you think it is her?"

"You think it’s my godmother?" I asked. "Hard to say. She has no reason to be here. Although, they do sound oddly reminiscent of her beasts."

"My Lady," Korrick urged, "Let me handle the Winter Emissary quickly, and we can be gone from this place."

"Korrick is right. We cannot let what he knows be conveyed to another. Within this night, there is still the opportunity for failure."

"Wait," urged Elaine. "We are being too hasty."

"Haste is what is called for," muttered Talos as he put a gentle hand on Elaine's shoulder.

"My Lady," Elaine pleaded, unhindered, "How much do you know about the Winter Emissary?"

"As much as you," the Summer Lady replied. "Ruthless, competent, a mortal man chosen by the Queen of Winter herself."

"Is he a Wizard?"

Aurora's eyes narrowed to slits, "Does it matter?" she inquired through pursed lips.

"As you well know, I think it is unwise to make suppositions of the Winter Queen. Is it like her to entrust such a vital mission upon someone un-equiped to carry out her will? Along that train of thought, how did this seemingly mortal man make his way towards the Nevernever? How did he find the Mother's cottage?"

I saw a flicker of doubt cross Aurora's face. It was gone in an instant.

"It would make more sense if he was more than mortal. If he was a wizard he might level his death curse at us."

Aurora didn't speak.

"Or perhaps he is a mortal man, and the being who enabled his coming here has already returned to issue word of what they have seen."

"What do you suggest?" drawled the Summer Lady.

"Engineer his death such that it occurs once we are free of the Nevernever. Bind him, drown him, and be on our way. We need to move our intentions may have already been compromised."

Aurora nodded seriously, "Alright." And she swung her arm in a sweeping gesture. I watched in awe as the land around us was terraformed before my eyes. Cliffs rose, the area around the emissary depressed, and water spouted from the newly created cliffside and spilled into the depression. If her intention hadn't been so morbid, it would have otherwise been a beautiful display.

"Mr. Dresden," Elaine addressed me, careful to not give away more of my name than was strictly necessary. "If you will, please bind him. You're better at the physical magic than I am."

Still keeping my mouth forcibly shut I nodded. As the Summer Lady finished changing the land, I wove the threads of a spell I'd learned long ago, together in my mind. Within it I made a hole, a timer of sorts. It would hold for a while, then collapse in upon itself. I was not about to murder a man. I raised my eyes to meet the target and I uttered a word of power. I threw the binding at him. His arms snapped down forcefully and pinned against his side. He fell back in a tiny splash, and lay there unmoving, his face blank and staring in my direction.

"It is done," Aurora affirmed, and she turned away from the scene. Talos and Korrick followed suit to tail her on either side, like show dogs. Elaine lingered for a second, looking out upon what we'd wrought, before following them. I gave the Winter Emissary one last look. Our gazes met for half a second, and I winked. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and I hoped he'd gotten the message.

I turned to go, my jaw ached and my stomach churned with anger. Just a little while longer, I willed myself.

Our surroundings seemed to blur around our little group. The forests blended into mountains. And then once again into open fields. At some point I vaguely remembered crossing a small bridge over top of a quaint creek. Not fifteen minutes later, our environment seemed to stabilize. I suddenly felt as though we'd somehow traveled a very far distance in a very short amount of time.

My eyes evaluated our destination. Bloodshed and violence raged all around us as Winter and Summer fae flung themselves at one another. Swords clashed, arrows found flesh, and some of the nastier folks used teeth and claws. I saw one Malk tear into a creature resembling an elk. Another pale-haired figure clad in light armor separated an ogre's head from its frame. Battle ensued all around us, but never seemed to touch our group. I extended my senses and felt more than saw some sort of veil hiding us from view. We came to a stop in front of a tall wall of rose hedges.

With a flick of the Summer Lady's fingers, huge rose hedges parted, revealing the statue of Lilly and the fabled stone table. "Wizards," she commanded, "Do not let anyone or anything get passed these defenses."

Elaine and I nodded in tandem.

Aurora walked through the open path followed by Korrick and Talos. With a fluid motion, a breeze kicked up, and the hedges reformed into a thorny wall.

How long do you think it will take? I asked Elaine over our mental link, my eyes not straying from the violence around us.

I don't know , she replied. Something about the sending was nervous and on edge. Minutes maybe. She nibbled at her lower lip anxiously.

"Harry," she whined out loud. And over our link I felt hopelessness and loss roll off of her.

I'd intentionally kept her out of my plan. The stakes were too high for everyone if she knew. Despite her well intentions, she was compromised and things would go from bad to worse if she was somehow compelled to alert the Summer Lady of my plans. As a result of my decision, with metaphorical minutes to midnight, she was understandably distressed.

I couldn't deny, we were cutting it close. And a cold feeling like ice inched through me as my eyes desperately searched the battlefield for my allies. Seconds felt like minutes, and minutes felt like hours. I still could not spot them. Sweat dripped from my brow and my eyes darted nervously to Elaine. I steadied myself and reached out my hand to hold hers. She took my small gesture of comfort and weakly squeezed back. My friends would come. This wasn't the end. I had to believe that.

When I heard a familiar howl not so far away, I felt my lips peel back from my teeth in a wild grin and excitement shot through me. Following the sound I looked and saw the furry silhouette of a certain werewolf I recognized all to well, Billy Borden.

All the Alphas were in wolf form surrounding Meryl and Fix. Protecting and surrounding them were the terrifyingly beautiful forms of a faction of fighting Winter Sidthe. When I saw who was leading them, my grin fell flat.

The Winter Lady, Aurora's counter-balance in power, clad in not nearly enough clothing, gave me a chilling smile and a little wave. Completely unintentionally, on reflex, I waved back. A moment later, the veil that had been shielding us suddenly fell and became raindrops against my skin.

Elaine , I urged her with my mind, Open the rose hedge! Let us through! Now!

Her face turned towards me and went through a few expressions: fear, confusion, worry, indecisiveness, and finally, determination.

There are plenty of people who wouldn't have trusted me in that moment. I had provided no explanation and the fate of the whole world was on the line. But she had faith in me, and that made all the difference. She turned towards the rose hedge and willed it open. Force and air magic forcing apart the tangled vines and thorns.

"Go," she stammered. "And don't touch the thorns, they're poisoned."

I motioned for my allies, and ran. Billy and the Alphas shot forward to accompany me, and the forces of Winter slew any fae, Summer or otherwise, that came after us.

The end of the rose-hedge came closer and I focused on the figures in front of me.

Aurora lingered over the rune-covered stone table. The strands of the unraveling pressed against Lily's head. What had once been statue had turned to skin. The young woman's eyes shot open, wide with fear. She screamed.

Behind me, I felt the pressure of Elaine's air and force spell come to an end.

Aurora lifted her eyes towards me, a knife raised. Hurt betrayal crossed her features and maybe a hint of smug satisfaction. "So you were working against me." she whispered, "Still too late Wizard." The runes on the stone table flared brightly and changed from gold to blue, signaling the change in power of the faerie courts. Midnight had come.

Unlike her, I hadn't stopped for chit-chat. I kept running forward. I didn't know if any of my comrades had failed to make it through. There wasn't time enough to check.

I raised my staff, channeled my will, and roared, "Forzare!"

Kinetic energy lashed out before me and struck the knife and the Summer Lady like something out of the movies. She was flung back from the table, eyes bright with fury. I still didn't stop. I didn't falter. I was facing a faerie queen. I would be a fool to assume I'd gained the upper hand after issuing a single blow.

Instantaneously, I pulled out my blasting rod, aiming at where Aurora was set to land, and yelled "Fuego!"

A giant fireball blazed into her chest. But she was an agent of Summer. I didn't expect a little fire to keep her down.

Lily finished screaming and I hurled my body over hers, getting between the girl and the furious, slightly crispy, faerie.

In my peripheral I saw Aurora's two enforcers come at me only to be taken down by my friends. Billy and Georgia bit into Talos' thighs as Meryl swung a giant bloody axe straight for Talos' head. She might have been successful if the freaking Winter Knight hadn't pulled her back, and turned to stab a frozen sword through her belly. Where the hell had he come from?

I heard Lily scream again.

From the opposite corner, Fix, clad in armor and wielding a steel sword, sobbed Meryl's name. His opponent, the centaur Korrick, took advantage of his distraction by knocking the young man flat on his ass, with a hoof. It reminded me of the time I'd spent on a farm with Ebenezar. Some of the other Alphas protectively shielded Fix, while Andi and Kirby circled the hoofed creature. They nipped at it’s heels and drew back as quickly as they’d come.

Somehow through all the worry and fear for my friends, I managed to focus on my task. Without sparing her a glance, I pushed Lily off the stone table and onto the soft grass below. I reached into my spell-laden duster and yanked open the knapsack I'd left home with.

The Summer Lady's eyes followed my motion, evaluating the situation. She looked confused when nothing changed. I used her momentary pause against her, and used the full force of my body to hold hers down.

Faerie queen she might be, but she was very small, and I was much larger.

"Now," I shouted. And a hundred tiny pixies, armed with steel box-cutters shot out of my opened knapsack. Each of them cut into her. And they kept cutting.

Aurora's eyes glanced around fearful, distraught, and in so much pain.

"Wait," she said weakly. For a moment, she looked younger than she was.

But it was already too late. Over and over again my parade of pixies cut and cut and cut. Tiny steel knives that might have well been hundreds of poisoned daggers.

Her struggling grew less and less.

Korrick was down for the count. The wolves' teeth had torn through his legs and Fix's sword had found it's mark.

Talos - I couldn't find Talos anywhere without taking my full attention off Aurora.

But I did see the Winter Knight stalking towards me, brow furrowed, eyes ablaze. I knew what was coming. But I could not - would not - move.

"Lily," I hissed, "Run. Don't let him spill your blood on the table."

She skuttled back before crawling out of Slate's path. Lucky for her, he was coming for me. I had knocked this guy down two times. Granted it was by the skin of my teeth, but he didn't know that. I saw the flash of his teeth as he grinned.

Behind him rose a hideous hulking green form. The creature roared in challenge, and the Winter Knight turned. My vision became blurry as my head made sense of what my eyes were seeing. Meryl, my friend and neighbor, had been struck down by Slate. But before she could succumb to her wounds, she'd made a decision. As many changelings had done before her, she'd chosen. Chosen strength over choice, magic over freedom, fae over humanity. But not to save herself. To save her best friend and the future of the world she lived in. Meryl's axe lay forgotten on the ground, ash her huge form lunged at Slate weaponless, pummeling him into the ground. Fists the size of bowling balls pounded, one after another, into the Winter Knight.

Underneath me, though the pixies continued to cut, Aurora's struggles stopped. I watched the light fade from her eyes. She died. And I lost track of the world around me.

----

When I came to, I was in the presence of the remaining queens. The Winter Knight, Slate was bound in fairy-make chains and beaten bloody. I followed the trail of red to the form of a troll. Meryl. She wasn’t moving. Her skin which had once been green, was now a dull graying. Apart from the Winter Queens stood the form of the Winter Emissary. His eyes were hard, and fixed on me. I felt as if I was a bug being examined under a microscope. But I was too tired to care.

I felt someone's hand grip my shoulder and I turned towards Fix. His face was drawn. Right. Meryl had died. My neighbor. My friend. It didn't seem real. And then, just thinking about it I was angry. Red hot anger burning in my belly.

"I was with her when she passed," Fix said, "She told me she didn't regret it. She got to save her friend." His voice softened, "And told me to tell you 'Thank you'."

I looked away, my eyes watering and my fingers balling into fists.

That night was a whirlwind of magic and emotion. Somehow I made it back home and on to my couch. I suspect Billy and Elaine played a role in my return. My body felt sore, but everything else about me felt numb.

I went next door to use the phone to call Susan, and realized on the third knock, that the owner wasn't there to answer it. And never would be again. I turned to leave and almost ran into Lily and Fix.

"Harry," they greeted me. "What are you doing here?"

I motioned to the door limply. "Nothing," I said, "I was just here to use the phone. I wanted to let my girlfriend know I was ok. In the past, Mer-" I choked on a sob.

Lily reached for my hands and held them. "In the past, Meryl would let you use her phone."

I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing you ran into us," Fix interjected, "Lily's still got her copy of the key."

I raised my eyebrow inquisitively, "What do you mean 'still'?"

"Look Harry," Fix nudged forwards towards the door, "Things have changed." He sucked in a lot of air, and blew out slowly. "Lily isn't going to be living here anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you were sort of out of it, towards the end, but-," He slid the key into the door knob and turned it with a click, "Lily's the new Summer Lady. And I'm the new Summer Knight."

My jaw hung there. My head injury, courtesy of Slate, really must have been worse than I thought - for me to forget something of that magnitude.

"This place," Lily spoke softly. "It was our home. With Meryl gone and this new Summer Lady responsibility," she looked at Fix. "Maybe it's a good time to go our separate ways." Her voice cracked a little, "Even standing here, on our front door. I just don't want to go in, knowing she isn't coming back."

I looked away.

Fix gently opened the door and stepped through. "I believe you had a phone call you wanted to make?"

Chapter Text

I sat on the ledge of a mid-sized office building, binoculars in hand. It was just before dawn, but the night was still as dark as ever.

Before me I watched Murphy's Special Investigations Department, clad in dark SWAT gear, breach an otherwise unassuming building that hid the largest of Chicago's Black Court Vampire nests.

My new CPD boss hadn't asked me to be there, nor had she mentioned a hit was going down. But I dealt with the little folk on a regular basis, and to date there was no information they couldn't find in my city. I had simply dropped by to get a more sincere image of how this city's boys-in-blue operated.

Whether the little blond officer was intentionally hiding the CPD's violent intentions, or if she simply didn't fully trust me with her mens' lives was still a little unclear.

For a pack of vanilla mortals, they were trained and deadly effective. But I'd known that - since I'd been the one to send the pixies out for information. Karrin Murphy's partner Carmichael was incredibly quick moving and good with firearms, more so than his appearance implied. Another department cop, Stallings was nimble and carried both a pistol and a more traditional machete. A friendly family man, Micky Malone, wielded a flamethrower and seemed to be heading the charge for another group of men clad in SWAT gear.

Murphy was the most impressive of all of them. With her cross pendent, state-issued gun, and certainly-not state-issued - sword, she'd taken out four vampires. Carmichael had taken out three with major support from Stallings, who was unexpectedly talented with his machete. I wonder how many times he'd done this before. Malone had seen the least of the action, and had only toasted one. The other members of the strike team had taken down maybe 4 others in total.

I've fought Black Court Vampires. What they'd done was a major achievement.

Still, after the nest had cleared out, and the team was drawing back to go home, none of them saw the two creatures stalking them from the roof of the building next door.

I pulled the binoculars from my eyes, squinted, and flicked my fingers in the monsters' direction, hissing "Fuego". A blast of fire enveloped one, and I moved my pointed fingers to the next figure . Fire followed my aim and within seconds, both were ablaze.

I heard the screams and shouts of several surprised men down below as the burning vampires became immediately visible to them. Their dried dusty bodies lit up in flames. Carmichael , seemingly the most level headed of the bunch, simply raised his firearm and fired a controlled burst of bullets. One after the other. Bullets didn't normally kill Black Court Vampires, but where these struck, the creature seemed to foam and twitch. I felt my eyebrows rise in surprise. They were not using standard ammunition. Stallings and Murphy put them both out of their misery with their blades. It's like the Bram Stoker story. Vampires don't die easy, but beheading them was a surefire way to make sure they stayed down.

For a moment, Murphy turned her head in my direction, gaze searching. I didn't move and comforted myself with the fact there was no way she could see me clad in black against the darkness. I smiled. She was intelligent that one, and spunky. I'd have to convince her to train me in some of those martial arts techniques she’d displayed earlier.

The members of S.I. began to file back into their cars, when the temperature behind me dropped considerably. An icy chill spread through my body and frost coated the ledge around me.

I spun around, and for the briefest of moments my eyes met those of the Queen of Air and Darkness.

The Winter Queen, who I'd only seen for only seconds some days before, looked at me curious and evaluating. "Wizard Dresden," she greeted me.

"Mab," I replied politely with a curt nod . Though it was the first time we'd spoken, I'd heard her name thrown around cautiously by my mentor, Ebenez a r McCoy.

She smiled with too many teeth. "You've heard of me," she purred , "Yet how is it, up until now, I've not heard of you?"

Uh oh.

Her expression sobered and she pacing around me in a slow and stealthy way, "Child of LeFay. Ward to DuMorne. Godson to my handmaiden." Her serpentine movement stopped, and she stood unnaturally still, "And more recently you've orchestrated the escape of my Emissary while kill ing the Summer Lady, where he could not."

It just goes to show you that no good deed goes unpunished. While I'd been shadowing Aurora, I'd had Meryl and Billy's team shadow my movements through the Nevernever. There was no magic involved, the Summer Lady would have picked up on that. Billy's wolf ears were more sensitive as a human's. When he'd heard my whistle it had been a signal to the group, and they'd headed in my direction. Evidently in time to save the Winter Emissary. A pack of werewolves working in tan de m with a wizard, eased through the Nevernever by a chang e ling. Such things just didn't normally happen.

Mab continued, "And I've heard other rumors." She glanced out at the scene before us. A fire truck had arrived to deal with the unintended aftermath of using fireballs and flamethrower against vampires. "Which appear to have some ring of truth."

I smartly said nothing.

"I look forward to working with you in the future, Wizard."

"You," I growled, "Hold no power over me."

Her eyes snapped to my form and the unnatural smile returned and she turned, taking a step closer towards me.

I held steady, willing myself not to flinch.

"You see," she purred grabbing my left hand with hers, "That, Harry, is simply not true." And her sharper than human nails raked into the skin of my hand. I did not look down, my gaze transfixed on her beautiful and terrifying face. Somehow her smile got even wider and more uncanny. "Not anymore. I've purchased your Godmother's debt."

Oh j eez.

"Three favors you now owe me. That is your payment." She stepped back, heels clicking on the rooftop. I felt the hint of blood trickle from one of the scrapes she'd given me. "I think this relationship will be most advantageous. "

Gulp.

In that moment the first rays of dawn lit the sky, and the Queen of Air and Darkness vanished from my sight.

I dropped by Murphy's office later that day, bringing with me two coffees. I set them down on the desk. I hoped the coffee would buy me into her good graces, because until I got my first paycheck from the CPD, this was all I could afford.

"You look like five miles of bad road. You OK ?" I asked.

Her hair was a mess, she smelled of cinder, and it was clear she had come straight to the office after the raid. She looked up and eyed me suspiciously. There were bags under her eyes.

I wiggled my eyebrows at her and plastered a n innocent smile on my face.

"Long night," she said plainly before adding, "We took down that nest you found."

My eyes widened in mock surprise, "Oh, really? No more vampire problem?"

"No more vampire problem," she affirmed, "Your information really helped. We coated all our blades with holy water. Seemed to be extra effective." Her pen bobbed up and down in her hands, "Still, there was a moment where we ran into a bit of trouble."

I pulled out a chair, sat down and leaned towards her, my palm cupping my face attentively.

"Two of them almost got some of our men. But-," she made an exploding gesture with her hands, "Then they spontaneously combust ed ."

"Crispy-fried," I supplied, "They got crispy fried."

Murphy's eyes narrowed and she glared at me with pursed her lips, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that - now would you Mr. Dresden?"

"I think," I said, pulling the coffee to sit directly in front of the grouchy petite officer, "What you need, is a coffee."

I felt her study my face for a second, and then her eyes flicked down to the coffee cup. Her irritation melted away, and she snagged one of the cups, leaned back in her chair, and asked, "Any ideas on what to put in the official report?"

I shrugged, but ultimately gave her a few.

After work I showed up at Susan's place. It was my first time seeing her since I'd gotten my head clonked by the Winter Knight, and to say I was nervous was an understatement. Sure, I'd phoned her the moment I found out I'd survived the night. But I hadn't actually visited. Being with Susan always made me feel good, even happy. In my mess of a life, she was a bright spot. Even more since I'd learned she knew my secret, and still accepted me. Between Meryl's funeral preparations and the reoccurring nightmares of the Summer Lady dying limp beneath my hands. I felt contaminated, unclean. I was horrified at the thought of staining her. So I kept my distance.

I knocked a jingle against her door, and I waited. With one hand I tried to straighten my wrinkled cloths and with the other I held a copy of the Midwest Arcane. The headline read "Mass Grave of Crispy Cadavers found near Garfield Park". Underneath the title was a blurry black and white photo of a vampire set ablaze and in the midst of being beheaded by a group of geared up figures, whom I knew to be members of the Special Investigations Department. Underneath the picture was the date and a bolded name that read "Susan Rodriguez". As I waited for the door I smiled down at my edition of the Arcane. My first smile in days. I'd read through it earlier that day, and felt a pang of sharp pride. Susan's articles were the closest to the truth I'd seen from any agency - government or otherwise- in regards to the supernatural. She had a knack for investigation that rivaled my own.

I heard the padding of feet, and the clink of the lock turning. The door swung open. She was smiling as she greeted me, "Harry!"

And I felt a sudden pang of warmth in my chest that cut through the numbness and the distress of the last couple of days. She lead me inside, and pulled my head down to hers. Her lips pressed into mine, almost hungry-like. I kissed back. To my dismay, she broke the contact, looking up at me through beautiful dark eyelashes. "I missed you," she said.

I peeled off my coat and deposited the items in my hands. I held her for a little while, allowing myself to indulge in her comfort. To feel something other than grief. Finally I replied, "I missed you too."

She led me to the couch and we sat down together. "What kept you?" she voiced casually, while her body language seemed worried and hesitant to let me go.

For the past few years I'd brushed off that question with small boring responses, like 'work' or 'missed the L'. Another half truth lingered at the tip of my tongue. But something had changed. Susan knew my secret. Had kept it. Trust wasn't something I came into comfortably or did often. But after all the risks she'd gone to on my behalf, all the loyalty she'd shown where others would have cut and ran. I owed her better than another excuse.

"Well, there was this big faerie battle where all of reality was at stake."

She eyed my scrupulously, but then her expression slackened as she must have caught on that I was being serious. An intelligent twinkle lit her eye and her smile turned eager. She looked as voracious as any journalist would be with a new willing informant.

"I teamed up with a troll and a bunch of werewolves. Together we took down a faerie queen, and in the process saved all of existence. "

Susan's smile fell, replaced by a gaping expression. Her jaw hung wide open.

"I also got a new job, with the CPD."

Somehow, Susan's jaw managed to drop lower. "How the hell did you wrangle a job with law enforcement?" she gasped, "I thought they had a shoot-on-site policy for the supernatural."

I grinned and I shrugged, "My warm demeanor and stunning personality?"

Susan cocked a disbelieving eyebrow.

"And," I concluded, "I just read some of the finest journalism that this side of the globe has to offer."

Her face lit up at my complement.

"I mean," I asked, truly curious for her response, "How did you even get such a good quality photo? Or know when this operation was set to go down?"

She leaned into me and replied, "Trade secrets."

We sat like that for a while, just being content in each other's presence. I thought back on all that had happened. The bad and the good. And though my life had become infinitely more complicated, there were still moments like these. Moments where the good outweighed the bad. And despite slippery faerie queens, scary mob bosses, and angry villagers with guns and pitchforks upsetting my place in the world; so long as I had people like Susan to return to, it seemed the good was worth the price of the bad.