The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Chapter Sixty One: Girls' Day Out
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.

Author's Notes: this was supposed to be a lovely, breath of fresh air chapter. something to show that the girls all have normal lives. that it isn't all just blood and gore and bad shit. instead... we get this. i don't even know anymore. my brain just does what it wants. so... yeah. whatever. here you go.

The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link

"When I suggested we go shopping, this isn't quite what I had in mind," Minette said, making sure she put every ounce of displeasure she felt into her voice. Aedan's gaze flicked her way, briefly allowing her to see just how not bothered by Minette's attitude she was. As if to properly illustrate her state of not being bothered, she hefted the black handgun, muzzle pointed straight up, and turned it so that Minette got a side view of the weapon.

"This is a Sig Sauer P226. This is the kind of handgun that is used by a large majority of the world's military, special forces, and civilian police forces. It weighs next to nothing and has a ten to twenty round magazine capability, depending on which ammunition you use in it." Aedan returned the gun to its display but left her hand resting on the butt of the gun. "Its an excellent weapon for self-defense."

"I already have weapons for self-defense," Minette retorted, voice low. Aedan frowned at her.

"You can't always rely on your lycanthropy to get you out of a bad situation. It doesn't hurt to have more than one method of protection," Aedan replied. Her meaning was more than clear and Minette couldn't help but flashing back to the bruises she'd been sporting not more than three days ago. The physical scars were gone, but Minette was more than certain the emotional scars remained.

"Aedan's right, Minette," Janika said as she joined them. She was eyeing a Browning Hi-Power with the same intensity of a bride-to-be at a strip club after a few too many drinks. "It might not be something you're comfortable with, but you won't always be able to use your abilities in the open. Having a back up will one day help save your life."

"You think that it was some weird coincidence that my shoe heels and my hairsticks were reinforced and capable of doing damage? The minute I decided on that dress, I started figuring out what kind of accessories I could wear that would double as weapons. Because I was not going to go to another fucking party without something to defend myself on hand."

There was a touch of self-loathing in Aedan's voice that told Minette she still hadn't forgiven herself for what had happened the night of Jean Claude's party. "You don't know that you could have stopped him without a weapon that night, Aedan," she said softly.

"Yes. I do." There was so much certainty in the woman's voice that Minette was left wondering what Aedan knew that Minette didn't.

"Guns aren't always the answer," she said. Because she didn't think they were.

"Maybe not, but they're a damn better answer than nothing at all."

"You can't always go to a gun for protection," Minette told Aedan, trying to turn her logic back on her. Aedan stared at her a moment, then shook her head.

"I don't have enhanced strength. I can't make my hands into claws. The only means of defense I have for myself is a gun. Or possibly a blade. Why do you think I never go anywhere without a weapon on me, Minette?"

"Because you're paranoid?" Minette tried to make it sound like a joke, but it obviously didn't come across as one to Aedan.

"Because its the only protection I have." One hand hefted the Sig Sauer again and Aedan took up a shooting stance, making sure that the weapon was pointed away from people. "This, Minette. This is what I have. This is the hand dealt to me. I will use it in whatever way I can."

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to put that gun down or I'll call the police," the shop's owner said from where he stood behind the counter. Aedan took one hand off the gun in order to reach into her pocket. The leather wallet came out of its depths. Minette watched as she flipped it open and let the man get a good look at it.

"No need. I'm already here," she told him quietly. With a definite air of finality in her voice that told the owner that she wouldn't be happy if he interrupted her again. The man shot a glare at her, but he moved off to another section of the counter. No doubt where he could keep an eye on them without Aedan being able to see him. She tucked the leather wallet containing her badge back into her pocket, then slowly put the gun back in its display. Then she turned to face Minette, arms crossed over her chest. "This is the only thing I've got, Minette. And right now, its the only thing that's going to keep me alive."

"You won't let up on this one, will you?"

"No, Minette. I won't. I am not strong enough to see anything happen to you. To any of you." With that admission, Aedan looked up and let her gaze slide from Minette to Janika, then to Rhia, and finally to Isis. "You guys are my family. And I can't.."

Minette sighed. She'd expected some kind of reaction to the events at the MarSin Foundation gala, but she hadn't expected this. She could see Aedan's point. While people were mostly cool with vampires, they were not as cool with the shifters. And she'd be opening herself to possible violence if she dared show the general public signs that she was a lycanthrope. But Minette liked to think that she wouldn't be in the kinds of situations where such a thing might be possible. Maybe it was an unrealistic view, but she was willing to admit she was absolutely unrealistic in that respect. She would be happy to go her entire life without ever needing to fire a gun for anything other than target practice. But in just the few months they'd been in St. Louis, Janika had been shot. Asher had been stabbed. Micah had been kidnapped and tortured. Aedan had been attacked twice. Even Minette herself had been the victim of a kidnapping.

"Alright. We'll pick out a gun. But only if you promise me that when we're done here, we can go do some real shopping. At the mall or some boutique or something. We all deserve to pick out something cute and fun."

Aedan eyed her a moment, as if trying to gauge whether or not she was serious. Finally, she gave a really soft sigh and nodded her head. "Okay. So long as we can go somewhere and sit down to eat later."

"I think we can do that," Minette replied, then leaned in and hugged Aedan to her. She half-expected that same hesitance that had been there for some time to come into play again. But Aedan returned the hug without reluctance, arms circling Minette to hold her close. When they broke apart, Minette turned to look at the gun Aedan had been showing her. "So tell me why you think this would be a good weapon for me."

"Like I said. Its one of the most widely used handguns by law enforcement and military around the world. Meaning its a good weapon. Trustworthy. Its fairly lightweight, despite its size, and you can use several different types of ammo in it. Smooth grip. Nice firing action. The recoil should be minimal. And the gun Janika has been looking at is a Browning Hi-Power. Also a popular weapon."

Minette held back her sigh. It was going to be a long afternoon.

~*~*~*~*~

"Have you and Jean Claude come to any decision about your relationship?" Minette asked Aedan, stare intent on the other woman. Aedan rolled her eyes and sighed, taking the opportunity to bite into a couple of fries. Rhia saw it as the diversionary tactic it was meant to be. No doubt Minette did, too, but she sipped her water and waited patiently for an answer. To be honest, Rhia was kind of interested in finding out where the two of them stood. Because whether they meant it to or not, their relationship affected everyone else.

She finally swallowed her fries and shook her head. "No. We're going to take it one day at a time for now. He still hasn't fully grieved and he's still sorting through the feelings left behind after Anita." She paused so she could sip her strawberry lemonade. "To be honest, I'm not even sure I'm ready for what's supposed to come next. The sex is still new and kind of shiny and... I honestly have way too much to deal with right now. I can wait to figure out our relationship until things die down a bit."

"You can't put it off forever, Aedan," Minette reminded her.

"I know that. I do. But I don't know how to do a relationship. I've never done one before. So this is all new for me and..." Aedan trailed off and shrugged. Rhia wondered at that.

"Never?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

"No. Never," Aedan replied. While there was nothing solid in her voice that suggested she wasn't going to say anything further, Rhia could sense it was there all the same. Her past was off limits. Which only made Rhia wonder all the more just what had happened in Aedan's past that she didn't want to talk about it.

"Asher says you and Jean Claude have a date coming up," Janika said, very obviously changing the topic. Attention shifted from Minette and Aedan to Janika and Aedan. Rhia thought that maybe Isis and Minette were trying to figure out if Janika might possibly be jealous because Aedan was going to go out with Jean Claude. Which was an odd thing coming from Minette, seeing as, last Rhia knew, she was dating at least three people herself.

"Yeah. In a couple days," Aedan replied.

"Any idea what you guys plan on doing?"

"Not a clue. All he's told me so far is that it's going to be casual. And that he thinks I'll like it," Aedan replied before taking a bite of her burger.

"He's going to surprise you?" Isis asked, sounding maybe a touch confused by that.'

Aedan nodded. "He seems to like doing that. For our first date, he rented out an entire restaurant just for the two of us. On our second date, he took me to the movies." She sounded slightly amused about that.

"You guys went to the movies? Like, the actual movies? Not a stage play or the opera or something. The movies." Minette sounded as if she was having a hard time grasping that concept.

"The movies," Aedan confirmed. "We went and saw a vampire flick."

They all gaped at her. "Go on. Pull the other one." This from Minette, who was doing her best impersonation of a fish out of water.

"Truth. I swear," Aedan grinned. "I think he was disgusted by just how much Hollywood got wrong about vampires. I know I found it amusing."

"Wait a minute," Isis broke in, sounding like she thought everyone was having one over on her. "You're telling me that the Master of the City took you on a date. To the movies. To see a vampire flick? Is that seriously what you're telling me right now?"

"Yes, Isis. That is seriously what I'm telling you right now. I mentioned to Jean Claude that I never did normal teenage things when I was growing up. So he decided that we were going to do that stuff together. So we went to the movies. Which was interesting, let me tell you. We had the Wicked Truth as chaperones. They went with when we went to the amusement park, too."

The fry that Isis had been about to eat dropped out of her fingers. "You went to an amusement park?"

"Just a small one. One of those that travels the country. We rode the Ferris wheel. And the carousel. And he was kind of amused when I wanted cotton candy. He won me a plush toy at one of the skill games."

"The unicorn that sits on your bed?" Minette asked.

"That's the one," Aedan confirmed. Minette gaped at Aedan across the table. The necromancer sat under that look for a few moments, then frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "What?"

"You're acting like... a teenager!" Minette exclaimed. And then her eyes got really wide. She made a face, like she'd just discovered something fantastic and unbelievable. One hand raised so that she could point a finger at Aedan over the table. "Oh, my gods! You love him!"

Not like it was exactly a stunning discovery. It wasn't like they hadn't already figured that bit out. But Aedan managed a very convincing eye roll and took another bite of her burger. She chewed that bite slowly before swallowing down more of her lemonade. After that, she gave Minette her full attention. "I do not. You're being overly dramatic."

"Liar," Minette replied. "And I don't even need my nose to tell me you're lying. We all know how you feel about him. Why deny it?"

"Love is a complication that I can't afford," Aedan replied seriously. "If I let myself develop feelings for him, its going to make everything that much more difficult. I can't let him, or anyone else, distract me. Not now, when there's so much going on."

"Really, Aedan? You think having feelings for someone will make them a distraction?" Minette asked. It was obvious by the tone of her voice that she thought Aedan was out of her mind.

"Having feelings for someone, anyone, means that your focus can drift away from what's important at a really bad time. People can get hurt because you feel something for them. People can get killed because you hold emotions for them." Rhia didn't like the implications in Aedan's voice and, unconsciously, her attention shifted to Minette. If Minette's face was anything to go by, she was thinking the same thing Rhia was. "Even when you know they can look after themselves, that they're stronger and deadlier and far more capable than you are. You can still lose your focus."

The last part of Aedan's statement was made in a near whisper, with a wealth of emotion lining it. Everyone turned their attention back to her to find that she was staring at Minette, eyes glittering with so much feeling that it was hard to determine what was there. When she realized that everyone was staring at her, she shifted her attention back to her food and studiously avoided looking at anyone else. By some unspoken agreement, the four of them left her to her thoughts and said nothing about the very personal display of emotion she'd presented them all with.

Rhia watched as Aedan nibbled at her fries, one and two at a time as she slowly worked her way through her meal. Rhia turned back to her salad, stabbing a crisp mouthful of lettuce and other veggies with her fork. For the moment, it seemed that their meal would continue in a comfortable, companionable silence. But it was interrupted when Isis put her fork down and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a loud sniff.

"What's that smell?" she asked quietly.

There was more silence for a moment, then Janika spoke. "I don't smell anything."

"I smell it, too. It smells like... rot," Minette added. That brought Aedan's head up and Rhia watched as her eyes unfocused for a moment or two.

"It is rot. Specifically, graveyard rot. Zombie rot. Its coming from back there," Aedan told them, one hand motioning toward the kitchen area. Then her eyes shifted to the front of the restaurant and glared at the glass windows. "There's more undead out front. A handful of zombies. A vampire. And I can feel the energy of several lycanthropes."

"Aedan?" Minette frowned.

"We're about to be attacked," she said softly. Voice empty of emotion. As yet, her hand had not reached for her gun. But Rhia could tell it was a close thing.

"Are you sure?" Janika asked. Her hand was already in her purse. Rhia guessed she had it curled around a weapon. Aedan nodded, her eyes shifting slowly as if she was tracking the progress of their enemy. Maybe she was. Rhia didn't know how Aedan's powers actually worked. But Rhia was capable of feeling fluctuations in power and she was starting to feel one now. Maybe Aedan could sense those power fluctuations with more accuracy than Rhia.

"Rhia, you and Janika will gather up the patrons. Get them to a large, open, defendable area. Make a circle. I want them as protected as they can be," Aedan said quietly. She glanced at Minette, then at Isis. "You two will deal with any shifters that come through the door or the glass or whatever. If you have to shift, do so. If you don't have to, stay human. The less attention you draw to yourselves, the better. This isn't the place to put on a fur coat and pretend you're a supermodel." The last bit might have been funny, if not for the seriousness in Aedan's voice.

"What about you, Aedan?" Minette asked, already inching her seat back.

"I'll deal with the zombies. And the vampire, if it joins in on the attack," she informed them. She didn't bother drawing her gun. Instead, she grabbed the salt shaker from the table top and stuffed it into her pocket. She let her gaze slide around the table, let it land on each one of them so that they could see the worry and concern mingled with the love and friendship in them. "Stay safe. I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Rhia could tell it wasn't what she'd wanted to say. She'd wanted to tell them that she wouldn't be able to stand if someone didn't make it. But she'd kept that part to herself, possibly because she felt speaking it aloud would make it true. "We'll do our best," Rhia promised.

"As soon as the vampire sees that we're moving to defend ourselves, the attack will happen more quickly. So be swift in getting ready. I'm going to get up and pretend to go to the bathroom. Instead, I'm going to slip into the kitchen and see if I can't get my hands on a butcher knife or something similar. A gun won't do anything against a zombie. But maybe a blade will. As soon as you see me round the corner toward the bathroom, count to ten. Then Rhia and Janika will move. Try not to panic anyone. But be as quick as you can."

"Aedan," Minette said quietly. Everyone heard the small hint of anxiety in her voice. "Be careful yourself. You were just attacked not that long ago. I don't want you to get hurt trying to protect us."

"That's the job, Minette," Aedan smiled. But she nodded and rose from her seat. Rhia watched as she headed toward the short hallway that led to the bathroom. As soon as Aedan went around the corner, Rhia started a slow, soft count to ten. When she hit the last number, she looked at Janika and rose from her seat, moving to take one side of the restaurant. She knew Janika would handle the other.

It was hard work, getting people to gather together in an open area that Minette cleared in the middle of the dining room floor. No one wanted to listen to her. She got weird looks and she got called rude names. Only a few people seemed to believe her and they moved without being asked twice toward the center of the room. Until loud, frightened screams came from the kitchen. and the stench of rot filled the restaurant. Then the panic started and everything became a blur.

Some of the patrons tried to head for the doors, but Isis was there to turn them away, motioning them back toward the clearing. It was laughably easy to get people to cluster together in the middle of the room after the sounds of low growls and screams filled the air. After the kitchen staff poured out of the backroom, every last one of them gone pale and their eyes so wide that the whites were clearly visible. In less than five minutes, the entire patronage of the restaurant had made it to the clearing.

"We've got them all, Rhia! Cast that circle!" Janika ordered. Rhia nodded and closed her eyes, taking a moment to center and call up her magic. She felt it respond to her, coming fast and hard in response to her fear. The touch of it along her nerves helped soothe her, warm and friendly and earthen. She began casting her circle, asking the Mother to help protect the innocent from those who would do them harm. Almost instantly, the walls of the circle flowed up around them, reaching for the ceiling and higher. It was so painfully simple to accomplish, and those few who understood and felt the magic relaxed immediately.

There was a crash and a pair of lycanthropes came through the windows. Minette and Isis met them head on, hands shaped into claws in order to aide them in their fight. Rhia watched, fascinated, as the four of them wrestled and grappled, overturning tables and shattering dishes. They growled and kicked and screamed and roared as they fought, flooding the room with the sounds of battle.

Another pair of shifters came through the shattered windows and drew gasps and cries from the people clustered behind the walls of her circle. Rhia took a moment to turn and look at everyone. "There's no reason to fear. We're protected within the circle. They can't breach my magic. And my friends will make sure they don't have the chance."

"Rhia, can I shoot through the circle?" Janika asked her softly, gun raised before her and hands curled loosely around it.

"If there's no magic to the gun or your ammo, you should be able to without problem," Rhia replied. Janika nodded, eyes still locked on their friends and the shifters they were battling.

"Emma!" The voice came from behind Rhia, the name screamed with all the fear that came with a loved one being caught in a dangerous situation. Rhia turned to find that a small girl had crawled out from under a table, brown eyes big and wide and filled with tears. "My daughter! Its going to kill my daughter!" the woman cried.

'It' was a zombie that had come in through the front door, which now hung from torn hinges. And it was heading straight for the little girl. Rhia didn't think, she just moved. Janika's voice called after her. "Rhia! Come back here! You don't have a weapon!"

"The circle is attuned to me! No one can enter or leave it without me. I have to go!" Rhia replied as she ran for the little girl. The zombie moved fast for being dead, and the stench of rot was strong enough to gag her. She didn't dare look at it, instead kept her gaze on the little girl who sat on the floor, crying and frozen in fear. Which is how she didn't realize that the zombie was right on top of her until she felt its hand curl around her arm.

The girl screamed and scrambled back under the table. Rhia turned to find a zombie looming over her. Whoever had raised it had either not been very good at animating or hadn't cared if they'd raised a passable zombie or not. The thing looked like it was rotting away before her very eyes. The stench was enough to bring tears to them and she had to stop herself from covering her nose. Its eyes glittered with a kind of intelligence that was scary and the grip it had on her was painful. Then it opened its mouth and made a hissing sound.

"RHIA!" Janika screamed.

A second after that, the zombie's mouth clamped down on Rhia's arm, its teeth digging into the soft flesh. Pain sizzled its way up her nerves and into her brain, driving all thought or ability from her head. The scream that came out of her mouth was so loud, it echoed over the sounds of the fight still raging just a short distance away.

Rhia heard, very faintly, the sound of Janika's weapon firing. Felt the zombie jerk as it gnawed on her limb. It didn't loosen its grip. It didn't left its head. It kept on chewing, as if trying to dig its way down to bone. She tried to find her magic, tried to pull it up and use it as a means to push the zombie away. But she couldn't think past the pain. Couldn't see past the shadows that already threatened her vision.

Something happened. She felt a rush of magic fill the room around her. She'd never felt anything like it before. It was cold, but not. Empty, but not. Dead, but not. The zombie suddenly stopped chewing and released her. It stepped back, simply stood there and waited. Rhia dropped to the floor, unable to catch herself with her bad arm, and tried to figure out what was happening.

"This is the third time your master has tried to kill me. Tried. And failed. I'm getting tired of this shit." There was nothing in Aedan's voice to give away what she was feeling or thinking. But she was standing beside the zombie, staring out the front of the restaurant. Rhia noticed she was splattered with bodily fluids and bits of flesh. A blood-coated cleaver was clutched in one hand. "You made a big mistake, coming here and attacking my friends. Attacking innocents. For that, you're going to die."

"You cannot kill me, necromancer," a voice came out of the lengthening shadows. It made Rhia realize that it wasn't even full dark out. She had to wonder how a vampire could be out there if it wasn't dark out yet.

"You think not?" Aedan asked. Her gaze flicked briefly toward the group of lycanthropes to her left. They'd all come to a stand still the moment Aedan had called up her power. Rhia watched her lay the cleaver down on the nearest table. "Minette. Isis. If you would?"

Rhia didn't understand what Aedan was asking. But Minette must have, because she grabbed Isis and stepped out of the way. In the blink of an eye, Aedan had pulled her gun and fired. Just once. One of the attacking shifters dropped to the floor, a very large hole in its head.

"What is one lycanthrope against the power of a master vampire?" the voice asked.

"Nothing," Aedan replied. Then her gaze flicked toward Minette and Isis again. "Finish them. I'm tired of the side show freaks. I want to get to the main event."

Rhia watched as Minette and Isis moved as one, throwing themselves at the remaining shape shifters. She wasn't sure what had changed between now and before, but it was almost like the difference between night and day. The two women tore through the remaining shifters in no time flat, blood flying as they ripped limbs from bodies. It ended when a heart hit the floor, followed by another. And then a third. The corpses dropped, leaving Isis and Minette to stand there, barely winded. Covered in gore. Grinning viciously. Their beasts were staring out of their eyes, eager for more carnage.

"Help Rhia," Aedan said, her eyes never leaving the spot they were focused on outside the restaurant. Isis and Minette hurried over to comply, slipping past the zombie without even drawing its attention.

"Your shifters are all dead. Your zombies are in pieces. All except this one. Who is now mine. You're done." Aedan's tone almost sounded conversational. As if she greeted an old friend and they discussed the color of the sky. The heat of the sun. The smell of the flowers.

There was silence a moment. "There is no way you have control of the zombie. You cannot do that."

Aedan smiled. It wasn't a very nice smile. She shifted her focus to the zombie a moment, then back to the spot outside in the shadows. "You obviously haven't got a clue what a real necromancer can do. Nor does your animator. Who, I might add, is not even third rate. Should I show you what a real necromancer can do? Do you want to find out?"

There was a soft chuckle from the shadows, as if the vampire found Aedan amusing. Rhia couldn't figure out what the woman was doing. And she was trying. She was vaguely aware that Minette and Isis were doing their best to tend to the bite on her arm, but she couldn't feel it. She wasn't sure if she was in shock or if she was so focused on Aedan that the pain had faded into the distance.

"Enlighten me, necromancer," the vampire tossed out. It was a challenge.

"Fuckin' A," Aedan replied. And her power swelled again. What Rhia had felt before was nothing next to this. That same touch of cold death slithered over her skin before it reached out and forward. Rhia wasn't sure what was happening, but she heard a muffled curse from outside. Seconds later, the power faded and Aedan held out a hand in the same manner movie vampires held out their hands to their intended victims. "Come to me, slave. Come to me and bring your animator with you."

There were the soft sounds of a struggle, sounds that didn't last very long. Then nothing. Everyone in the restaurant was staring at the door, waiting to see what happened. They didn't have to wait long. Soon enough, a cloaked figure stepped through the door, one white hand curled tightly around the arm of a struggling young man who looked like he was ready to piss himself.

"How?" the vampire asked, voice tight, as if it was trying to fight some compulsion.

"I told you, bitch. I'm a real necromancer. I don't just raise the dead. I control the dead," she said, moving toward the vampire with slow, intent steps. It stared at her from the depths of its hood. She stopped just before it and reached up to push the hood back. The face staring back at them was gaunt and thin. The vampire looked starved. His eyes were wild in their sockets, a touch of red tinting the whites. Rhia wasn't sure what that meant, but she didn't think it was a good thing. "Including the undead."

"My master will gut you for this. Make it slow and painful so that he can watch you squirm and cry and beg for release," the vampire hissed.

"Fuck him. And fuck you," she replied quietly. "Send him a message. Tell him that I'm going to find him. And I'm going to kill him. And I'm going to really, really, really enjoy doing so."

"Aedan," Minette said. "We need to get Rhia some help. This wound is... bad. She's lost a lot of blood."

Aedan's gaze flicked to where she sat, Minette and Isis crowded around her. The other woman frowned at her. Rhia took that to mean she didn't like what she saw. "No worries. I can fix that." Rhia didn't have time to consider what that meant. Aedan's eyes snapped back to the vampire and she reached out to lay a hand on his chest. For a moment, it didn't look like anything was happening. Then the vampire jerked and tried to pull away. But Aedan's hand never moved from his chest. Gradually, the vampire stopped moving. The look in his eyes dimmed. She reached out with her other hand. Minette lifted Rhia's arm up, bringing another cry from her lips as pain shafted through it anew. Then Aedan was touching the bloody wound.

And energy poured into her body. It was cold, like Aedan's power. But it didn't burn. Instead, Rhia felt heat start to fill her, centered mostly where the zombie had bit her. The heat grew, until it rivaled the pain. Until it overtook the pain. Until it was the only thing Rhia could feel. It seemed as if it would go on forever. But it didn't. It ended as suddenly as it started, with Aedan's hands dropping away from Rhia's arm and the vampire's chest. When Rhia looked up, it was to find that the vampire was barely on his feet. He looked even more sunken in on himself than he had. Aedan looked... winded.

"You... What did you do?" the animator asked, eyes wild as he tried to pull free of the vampire's hold. "What did you do? You aren't supposed to be able to do that? What did you do?"

"I used his energy to heal my friend. My friend, who was attacked by a zombie you raised. Guess what that means for you?" she asked, not bothering to scrub the anger from her voice. "I'm sure, by now, one of the innocents standing in that circle has called the police. I'm sure that they're on their way. If you're lucky, its only the regular police. If you're not lucky, it'll be the members of the RPIT squad. I can tell you that Dolph doesn't like vampires. Or people who help vampires do terrible things to people in his town. Or animators who break the law and unleash zombies against innocent people. So we'll just stand here and wait for them to arrive."

"I am not going to go to jail!" the animator shot back, struggling against the vampire's hold. Aedan shrugged and stared at him. Lowered her voice so that she and only those closest to her would be able to hear her.

"I can turn your zombie on you. It looks like it needs a good meal. Or I can let the vampire deal with you. He looks like he needs a good meal, too. Or I can just take my gun out and shoot you here and now. Its your choice," she told him. Rhia stared at her, wondering who this woman was. This was unlike the Aedan she knew. That Aedan would never threaten to kill a person in cold blood.

Would she?

"You can't do that," the man whimpered. Aedan smiled at him. And that must have been the last straw, because the animator pissed himself.

"You'll both wait for the cops. Let them decide what to do with you," Aedan said. Her gaze turned to the vampire. "You'll wait here. And you will hold on to our friend here until the police arrive. We'll decide what to do with you then." With that, she turned her back on the vampire and looked down at Rhia. "How do you feel? Let me see your arm."

Rhia held her arm out for Aedan's inspection, still trying to figure out where that other version of Aedan had come from. Aedan took hold of her sleeve at the edges of the hole the zombie's mouth had left and pulled. The material ripped easily, leaving Rhia's arm exposed from her wrist to her shoulder. Her skin was slick with blood, but it looked like the wound had closed.

A handful of napkins taken off the nearest table helped clear away most of the blood. As Rhia had suspected, the wound was closed. There was still a bit of an indent where the zombie had bitten down, but it looked days old instead of only minutes old. "What did you do, Aedan?" Rhia asked, staring down at her arm in amazement.

"Used the vampire's energy to heal you," Aedan replied. "It was better than you possibly bleeding out before we could get you help. And I want you to have Dr. Lillian look it at. I trust her opinion."

"I hear sirens, Aedan," Minette warned. Aedan nodded and held her hand out to Rhia. Rhia took it and allowed the other woman to pull her to her feet.

"You can drop the circle now, Rhia. There won't be any more threats tonight," Aedan told her. This time, she sounded tired. Rhia nodded and put her hand on Aedan's arm, then turned and headed back to the edge of her circle. She put a finger in the metaphysical barrier and drew a rune through it. Just like that, the circle popped and fell. The woman Rhia recognized as Emma's mother dashed across the restaurant and hauled her daughter out of her hiding place, hugging the child to her tightly. She turned and looked at Rhia over her shoulder.

"You put yourself in danger to save her. Thank you," the woman said quietly, voice thick with unshed tears. Rhia nodded at her and watched as she continued to hug her child to her tightly. A flash of lights outside the restaurant let them know that someone else was joining the party.

"Looks like Dolph," Isis said from her place near the window.

"Great. This is going to be a fun night," Aedan grumped. Her eyes sought out the table they'd been sitting at and frowned when she saw that it had been overturned. "Can someone get me a Coke? I think I need a drink."

~*~*~*~*~

She wasn't surprised that Dolph kept them for the better part of two hours, asking question after question about what happened. She wasn't surprised when he wasn't exactly pleased by the answers he got. She wasn't even surprised that he kept getting angrier and angrier. What she was surprised by was that, thus far, Aedan had managed to keep her temper.

Isis stared around the interior of the restaurant, taking note of the destruction that had been visited upon it. Two of the windows had been shattered out of their casements. The front door hung off its hinges, canted to one side like the leaning tower of Pisa. Tables had been smashed. Dinner plates and drinking glasses were in shards all over the floor. Food had been ground into the tile where she and Minette had fought with the other shifters. Blood and brain matter and a trio of hearts made a mess of one section of floor. And, if Aedan was anything to go by, the kitchen hadn't escaped such treatment.

Most of the patrons had already been interviewed and sent home. The staff was still there, as was the mother of the child Rhia had protected and a couple other people. They were still giving statements to a harried team of cops who looked like they wanted to go home, too. Aedan sat at a table with a glass of Coke in front of her. Dolph sat across from her. For the time being, the two of them were simply staring at one another. It looked as if Dolph was trying to intimidate information out of Aedan. He wasn't getting very far on that front.

There were lots of people outside. People who had stopped to see what was going on when they'd noticed the lights of the police cars. News vans that were trying to get a scoop. A dozen or more cops in uniform who had been assigned crowd control. And, somewhere in the full dark, were Damian and Jean Claude and Asher and Micah and Nathaniel and whoever else had come from the Circus. They'd arrived shortly after the police had gotten to the scene, but Dolph had flat out said they weren't allowed onto his crime scene. Isis was sure it was a way to keep Aedan set apart from everyone else. If his plan had been to make her feel the need to talk, it had failed spectacularly.

She didn't need to be right next to the table to know what was being said. Her hearing allowed her to pick up anything that Dolph or Aedan said to one another. In fact, it was enough to pick up most of the conversation happening inside the restaurant. Some outside, as well. "This is the third time, Kinkade. Twice in the same week. Tell me what's going on."

"I did, Dolph. I told you that there's a hit out on me. And I told you that there's nothing you or your guys can do. The type of people who want me dead are the type of people who would kill you before you even knew they were there. You'd never see them coming. They're that good. And they're dangerous. Its better you're left out of all this."

The look Dolph gave her said he was not happy with her answer. Isis could see that all the way across the room where she stood. "Tell me who this group is."

"I can't," Aedan said, shaking her head at him. Dolph scowled at her.

"You mean you won't. You're keeping secrets from me," he retorted. "Just like Anita did. And look at where that got her."

"No, Dolph. I seriously can't. To say their name is to invite them in. Its an invitation for them to show up and kill you. I would tell you if I could. But I honestly can't do that. I don't want to put you in any danger. You think I'm joking. But you cannot win against these people." Aedan's voice was soft as she spoke, a touch of her concern coloring her words.

"You really mean that?" he asked. He sounded like he almost believed her, but he wasn't sure if he should or not.

"I honestly do, Dolph," she replied. He continued to stare at her, struggling to accept her answer. Aedan surprised Isis by reaching out and laying her hand over his. "I know that you don't trust me very much right now. And I know I haven't given you much reason to trust me. I know you blame me for Anita. I blame me for Anita. I always will. I'm sorry I failed you and her and everyone else. I swear to you that I am not lying about these people. They are good enough to kill you without your even knowing they were there. Don't push on this."

Dolph considered her words for a short time. Then he nodded and made a gruff sound that Isis took to mean he agreed. "Okay. For now. But if these incidents keep happening... You have to trust someone, Kinkade. And I honestly feel you've put your trust in the wrong people."

"I know you don't like the vampires, Dolph. And I understand the reasons why. But it is ultimately my life," she reminded him gently.

"You're keeping secrets, Kinkade. Just like Anita kept secrets," he returned, making sure he pinned her with his glare. "Something she wouldn't have dreamed of doing before she started hanging out with the undead."

She studied him for a moment, eyes intent on his face. Then she sighed and sipped at her Coke. "Are you honestly telling me that you've never considered what it must be like to be me? Or what it was like to be Anita?" She fell silent, as if expecting him to answer her. When it became obvious he wasn't going to, she pressed on. "Do you know how rare necromancers are? How truly rare?"

"Aren't you all necromancers?" he asked. Aedan gave him a smile and shook her head.

"No, Dolph. Anyone who has enough magic to draw a corpse out of the grave and allow it to mimic life is an animator. The people I work with at Animator's Inc.?" she trailed off and let him put it together. "They're all animators. They can bring a zombie to the surface. Give it enough life to answer a few questions. But that's about it. Me? Anita? Necromancers."

"What's the difference?" he questioned, because he was a cop and he had to know. Had to understand how everything worked. How it all ticked.

Aedan glanced around, making sure no one was paying them any mind. "Necromancers can control the dead, Dolph. Not just call up zombies, but control them."

"All of the dead?" he asked. Aedan only nodded. "I didn't know anyone could do that."

"Necromancers, true necromancers, are rare. Anita had the gift. So do I." Aedan paused a moment, stared straight at Dolph as if considering something. Isis realized then that she was having a conversation with Jean Claude at the same time that she was talking to Dolph. "And they're feared. The vampires once hunted them down with extreme prejudice. Technically, the old law is still on the books. I shouldn't be alive. Someone should have killed me by now. By ancient, yet still upheld, decree of the vampire council."

"And why haven't they?" Dolph asked.

"Because I have power. Enough that I stopped the attack of a master level vampire tonight. Enough that I ended the attack on me the other night before anything more happened than what already had," she told him. Then she paused and took a drink. Heaved a sigh. "People are afraid of me, Dolph. They're afraid of the power I wield. And they're afraid of what that power does to the Master of the City. What it does for him."

"What you're telling me is there's a target on your back. That you'll always be fighting off these threats." Dolph didn't sound happy. Aedan considered it a moment before slowly nodding her head.

"Yes. There's a target on my back. I'll probably always be facing the threat of attack. I might not always be facing attacks like the one tonight. Or the other night at the charity event. If I can find these people and end them... Maybe I end the threat on my life. But I have to find them first. And I have no clue where to look."

"You just told me I couldn't handle these people. What makes you think you can?"

"Because I have to," she replied.

The two of them were silent a moment. Aedan stared at Dolph and sipped her Coke while Dolph stared back. It was obvious he wasn't happy with what he'd just heard. Isis had to wonder if any of it would help the relationship Aedan had with the man or if it would only hinder it further. That thought was pushed aside when the mother with the small girl approached the table. Both occupants looked up at her.

"Excuse me, Detective. I don't mean to interrupt. But I just wanted to tell you that these women are heroes. They saved my daughter from that zombie. I don't know what would have happened if that young woman hadn't left the circle she cast to try and grab Emma."

Emma was curled up, asleep in her mother's arms. The mother looked tired and ready to go home. But the smile on her face brightened up the room and the way she held her daughter close said she wasn't going to let go any time soon. Dolph's gaze slid from the woman's face to her sleeping child, then to Aedan, then over to where Rhia sat talking to Janika. When he returned his attention to her, he offered her a smile. "We're all very lucky that Miss Kinkade and her friends were here to help when it was needed."

The mother turned to Aedan. "Thank you. I know they're inadequate words, given what you and your friends did. But thank you. Emma is all I have. If I'd lost her..."

"Thank you is more than enough. I'm glad I could help. And I'm sure my friends feel the same. Now go home and get some rest. Keep Emma close. She'll probably have some nightmares. Don't be afraid to find someone for her to talk to if you think she needs it."

"I won't. Thank you. So much." The woman's voice sounded distinctly of tears. Isis thought maybe she might need to find someone to talk to, as well. But the thought came and went when an officer in uniform escorted the young mother from the restaurant.

"You don't need to play the lone hero, Aedan," Dolph said, this time his voice much more level. She shook her head at him and rose to her feet.

"I'm not playing, Dolph. I told you. I don't have a choice in the matter. Because if I don't stand up to these people, no one else will."

"What about Forrester? I get the impression he's much better at his job than he lets on."

Aedan shook her head. "Ted's good. Better than me in some areas. But in this? He wouldn't stand a chance. And I'm not going to let a friend fight my battles for me." She paused and glanced out the front windows into the darkness beyond. "Do you need me for anything else, Dolph? If not, I want to take my friends home. I might be used to this kind of thing, but they aren't. They need to spend time with loved ones and I need a bath."

He considered her a moment, then rose to his feet with a sigh. "I should keep you here. Or take you downtown. Grill you until you tell me all your secrets. But something tells me that won't happen any time soon. That you won't give anything up that easily."

"My secrets are all boring and they'd put you to sleep before I even got past the first one," Aedan replied. The smile on her face let him know it was meant to be a joke. Dolph didn't return the smile. But he nodded his head.

"Go on. Let's try not to meet again for a while. I don't like meeting like this."

"I'll do my best, Dolph," Aedan replied. She meant it. He nodded and stepped out of her way. She turned and let her gaze find each of them. "Come on, ladies. Let's go home."

Isis thought that was the best idea she'd heard all day.

~*~*~*~*~

She waited until they were well away from the restaurant before she let Asher pull her into his arms. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, telling her silently that he'd been worried. They sat on the bench seat directly across from Aedan and Jean Claude. She was settled beside Jean Claude but had denied him when he'd tried to slide an arm around her shoulders. Janika wondered at it, trying to figure out why Aedan would deny herself the comfort of Jean Claude's touch. She had yet to come to a reasonable conclusion.

"Is Rhiannon well?" Asher asked.

"The wound is healed," Aedan replied, gaze focused on the glass that separated them from the outside world.

"Thanks to you," Janika added.

"You healed her?" Asher turned his gaze Aedan's way.

Aedan shrugged a shoulder, as if it was no big deal. "The bite was bad. She was losing a lot of blood. I did what I could to keep that from happening," she replied. "I want Dr. Lillian to look at it. Maybe give her some antibiotics. I can only imagine how disgusting the interior of that zombie's mouth was."

"Are you okay, ma mie?" Jean Claude asked. It was the first he'd spoken since they'd gotten into the car. "You are very quiet."

"Tired," she replied.

"You taxed yourself tonight." It sounded like part simple statement, part accusation.

"I was trying to protect people. Because this chicken shit mother fucker attacked me in a public setting. Where friends and lovers and families were having a quiet meal. Where they thought they were safe."

"You are mad," Asher said.

"I'm pissed as hell. Because that was cowardice. Attacking where there was a crowd of people. Hoping that doing so would make it harder for me to protect both them and myself. If I'd been by myself, people would have gotten killed before I'd have been able to manage to get a hold on things. As it was, I was with my friends. Who were put in harm's way because these assholes have a hard on for my pain and suffering."

"You handled yourself, and the situation, very well," Janika told her. "You delegated tasks to all of us. You made sure the innocents were protected. You put yourself in harm's way to ensure that none of those innocents got hurt."

"Rhia got hurt." Aedan's voice was loaded with accusation. It was directed at herself.

"Rhia made a choice to help a child, Aedan. That wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself because she believes in helping people as strongly as you do. As strongly as any of us do. Don't belittle her efforts because you think you have reason to have a guilty conscience. You wouldn't have been able to live with yourself if that zombie had gotten hold of the little girl. None of us would."

"Janika is correct, ma mie. Rhiannon put herself in danger because she believed it was the right thing to do. Do not take that from her. You are lucky to have such loving friends," Jean Claude reminded her.

"The threats are supposed to stay with me. They aren't supposed to extend to my friends. To people who are my family. Whoever is responsible for this is going to pay. I will find them and I will make them suffer my wrath," she vowed, voice soft and silent and filled with truth. She meant it. She would hurt anyone who was responsible for the attack.

"Enough tonight, Aedan." Asher's voice was smooth and soft. Soothing. She finally turned her attention to him and Janika could see she was far more tired than she let on. "Put it aside for now. Concentrate on the good things. There will be time to worry about the rest later."

Janika watched as Aedan stared at him across the short distance, as if she was searching for something. Finally, after several long seconds of silence, she sighed and Janika watched her shoulders slump. Jean Claude reached for her, obviously intent on pulling her in against him, but Aedan shifted away. "Stop that. I'm covered in gore. You'll get dirty," she ordered, though there was little actual order in her voice.

"My clothes will wash. You are in need of comfort," Jean Claude replied with a faint smile on his face. She shot him a look, then glanced pointedly at the car seat. That brought laughter up his throat. "The car will clean, too. Are you afraid of me now that we are here with your other lovers?"

Aedan's look turned annoyed, telling Janika that he was terribly close to the truth. "You make it sound so... normal," she said. But she let him pull her into the circle of his arm, so that she was pressed up against him. The touch of his body to hers seemed to pull more of the tension from her shoulders. Her eyes slid shut as she drew a deep breath.

"I have been alive for many years, Aedan. I have learned that normal is what you make it. There is no set normal, because everyone has a different idea of what normal is. If you worry that I will be jealous of you when you spend time with Asher and Janika, then you worry for nothing," he told her softly.

She opened her eyes to look up at him. Janika could see that she didn't believe him. His hand came up to cup her chin and tilt her face up just a little bit. "I wish to see you happy. If Asher and Janika make you happy, then that is good enough for me. As I told you before, we have time to explore our relationship. We will discover what there is between us."

Janika already knew what was there where Aedan was concerned. But she could understand why Jean Claude wouldn't know what it was he felt. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. She only hoped that he didn't do anything to hurt her friend before he figured it out.

Jean Claude leaned toward her slowly, as if giving her both a warning of his intent and time to decide if she was willing to accept it. But Aedan let her eyes flutter closed a moment before his lips touched hers. The kiss was very brief. And very chaste. And when he drew back, it was plain to see she wanted more. Janika studied them a moment, then turned to look at Asher. "What do you think about spending some time with them?" she asked him. She could have done it in her head, kept it a surprise if he agreed. Or kept it a secret if he said no. But Asher let his gaze travel over the pair of them, letting it linger intently on Jean Claude, before he shifted his eyes back in her direction.

"I am more than willing to entertain both of them if it is something all three of you desire," Asher replied. Though his tone was steady and even, normal, Janika just knew that he both excited and frightened by whatever answer came their way. Excited because he loved Jean Claude and had spent so much time kind of pining away for him while Anita had kept them apart. Frightened that Jean Claude would turn them down, that he'd be left out in the cold yet again.

Janika turned to them again. "Would you both like to spend the night with us?" she asked.

Aedan stared at her a moment, then turned her attention to the man at her side. Janika did the same and found Jean Claude staring across the space between them, his eyes gone dark with hunger and desire. The touch of Aedan's hand brought his attention her way and the other woman physically shivered when the intensity of his gaze landed on her. "I won't keep you apart, if that's what you want. I will never stand in your way. I know how much you love Asher."

"There are no words for how deeply I love Asher, ma mie," Jean Claude told her. She smiled up at him.

"I know. But I still know how much you love him. And I would never keep you from him. Don't think you have to stay away from him because you don't want to upset me." She lifted her hands and settled them on his cheeks, cradled his face between her palms gently. "You don't need to ask me or anything. Just be with him."

"That is a generous gift to give, cherie," Asher told her, voice a touch hoarse with emotion. Aedan turned to look at him, gave him a soft smile.

"You're his family. He's yours. You've known each other since before you were turned. Your love for one another is deeper than the ocean. How could I ever keep you apart?" Aedan took her hands off Jean Claude's face, reached down to take hold of one of his hands. Then reached her free one out toward Asher. When he put his hand in hers, she brought both men's hands together and clasped them between her own.

"Anytime you need Jean Claude, Asher," Janika echoed softly. She reached out and put her hands over Aedan's. He turned arctic blue eyes filled with love her way, his gaze scorching her with the heat in it. She smiled at him, leaned toward him so the could kiss him. Asher tugged his hands free of the cluster so that he could put them on her cheeks and draw her face closer to his. The kiss that he pressed to her lips was laced with promise. With love. With a vow. She returned it, opening for him when his tongue brushed her lips. She slid her arms up around him while he offered her his thanks, while his tongue delved deep and offered her a sample of what was to come.

He broke away when Janika's lungs screamed for air, leaving her slightly dazed and gasping for breath. Then he reached across the distance and took hold of Aedan. Pulled her forward until her mouth met his. Kissed her the same way he'd just kissed Janika. Aedan's eyes fell closed as she slid from her seat to end up on her knees on the floor before him. As if making an offering of herself. He kissed her senseless, hands holding her in place so that he had complete access to her mouth. And he didn't draw back until she needed air, same as he'd done to Janika. Aedan was left kneeling on the floor of the car, trying to relearn how to breathe.

Janika watched as Asher turned his gaze Jean Claude's way. The two men sat and stared at one another for a long, long time. Both were silent. Either there was no need for words, or they were conversing mentally. Then it was Jean Claude who reached for Asher, The two of them met in the middle of the distance between the bench seats, focus so intent on one another that it was almost as if she and Aedan were no longer on the same plane of existence as they were. Jean Claude ran his hands through Asher's hair, stroked it softly as a lover would.

When he reached the ends, he slid his hands up under the heavy blanket of Asher's hair and laid his hands on Asher's cheeks. There was a moment where tension snapped into life across Asher's shoulders and Janika knew that was when Jean Claude pressed his palm to the scars carved into Asher's face. But the tension slid away as Jean Claude brought his face closer to Asher, then was gone completely when their lips met.

Aedan whimpered softly at their feet, drawing Janika's attention her way. She was staring at the two of them, watching them with wide eyes. Janika could see goose flesh rising up on Aedan's arms. "Aedan?" she asked softly, her gaze flicking back to their companions.

"Their power..." she whispered softly. Almost reverently.

"What about it? Is there something wrong?"

"No," Aedan shook her head. She didn't look away. "No. Its... I don't know. I can't really describe it. But I can see their power and its... twined together? I didn't know it could do that. And it feels so good. Its calling to me."

Janika fully shifted her attention back to Asher and Jean Claude. It was to find that they'd deepened their kiss, that tongues had become involved and they appeared to be lost in their own world. Janika wished she could see their power, wished she could experience whatever it was Aedan was experiencing. She felt like she was missing out on something intensely intimate and private.

The car hit a bump then, jostled Aedan so that she swayed. One hand came out to automatically steady herself and it found Janika's arm, fingers grazing her flesh. All at once, she was consumed with flames in two shades of blue twisting and twining around one another. The darker, sapphire blue that almost looked black, danced with icy blue flames. They were intense and she could swear she heard a faint crackling sound.

But more than seeing them, she could feel them. They were hot and cold at the same time, burning bright as the sun at midday. Janika felt like she could reach out and touch them, that she could become one with them. She watched as Aedan put a hand out, obviously unable to resist the call she said she heard, and put her hand on Jean Claude's arm. Flames shot up her arm, crawled over her, and then moved on to Janika.

They were calling to her, some primal song that had no words that beckoned her to them. She found herself sliding off the seat so that she could inch closer to them, even though she'd been sitting right next to Asher. Janika reached blindly for Aedan, hands pulling the other woman toward her. She heard Aedan hiss, felt her tense, but she didn't give Aedan a chance to pull away. She brought their mouths together so that she could press a kiss on the other woman, prodded on by the feel of Asher and Jean Claude's power twining around her, through her.

But Aedan wasn't fighting her. She went willingly and Janika felt something cool slide over her. It took her a moment to realize that it was Aedan's power, that she felt Aedan's power calling to her the same way Aedan had said the vampires' power was calling to her. Janika felt a moment of confusion, almost pulled back to ask Aedan what was going on. But Aedan's hands came up to cradle Janika's face and she pulled her closer, took what she offered and then some until their bodies were pressed together tightly.

And she was drowning in power. So much power.

She found herself on her back on the floor of the limo, Aedan straddling her waist and trying to remove her clothes. There was a soft chuckle from somewhere above her, then hands were there to pull the two of them apart. Jean Claude pulled Aedan off of her while Asher helped her back up onto the bench seat. "Wait until we make it back to the Circus," Jean Claude whispered, his arm holding Aedan close to his side.

"I want her now," Aedan replied. The heat in her voice made Janika shudder.

"As much as I would enjoy seeing the two of you naked and entwined in each other's arms, you are still covered in bits of zombie. Perhaps a shower would be in order?" he suggested lightly. Janika watched as Aedan glanced at herself in surprise. It was clear she'd forgotten how messy she was in the rush of desire. Her cheeks pinkened just the slightest.

"Maybe we can all shower together," Janika suggested. Aedan's eyes landed on her, once more filled with that heat she'd seen earlier. Then the other woman let her gaze shift to Asher. And Jean Claude. When she brought her attention back to rest on Janika, there was such an intense look of hunger in Aedan's eyes that it left Janika breathless.

"I really like the way you think," Aedan told her.

Janika grinned at her. If Aedan liked that idea, she was going to love the next one. "I'll bring the toys."