"Yep. Tecca traded us a solid gold money clip for the little hairball. He said he would give it a good home with someone he knew."
Merlin. Connie thought lightly, and nodded a goodbye.
~oo00oo~
Keeper was smiling; but so still that Yasi thought she was sleeping. As she crept over to kneel beside her mothers cot; Keeper spoke up warmly. "I can hear the celebration from in here." She commented.
"We have a lot to celebrate." Yasi agreed.
"How bad was it?"
"Some of the ropelines are cut; some more of the doorways were busted up. The Bazaar is a mess; but our casualties in the rebellion were fairly light. Neither side really wanted to damage the place; just each other."
"Dorcan tells me that there's a bunch of Shinobi looking for the hero of the hour." Keeper challenged. "You sent Vincent away?"
"For his protection." Yasi defended. "He threatened to expose the Underside. It wasn't a bluff like everyone thinks; and if you've spoken to Dorcan, you know that."
"Protection?"
"Over a dozen trained swordsmen know he was going to do it!" Yasi insisted.
Keeper looked calmly at her daughter. "That same dozen people? They keep bigger secrets than this; and you know it." She paused to let that sink in. "Vincent's involvement in Vandark's plans were minimal. He told Vincent his entire strategy. Put me in a position where I had to make an impossible choice over the protection of my Lostkind; which he did. Put Archivist in a position to chose between himself and the history of the place, which worked exactly as planned. And then challenge you directly; which is exactly what he did. We knew his plan; start to finish, and it still played out exactly the way Vandark intended it. The one thing he didn't plan for was Vincent McCall."
"No." Yasi smiled softly; conceding that.
"You're smiling!" Keeper pounced.
Yasi wiped the smirk off her face; far too late. "I..." She hesitated. "Keep, he broke the rules."
"You saying that because that's the end of it; or because you don't want to admit you might be a little too inflexible about it?"
"If I was going to start making exceptions; I should have started long before Vincent."
"I know. I know. Yasi; you've protected this place a long time. But for someone born in a Secret world; you are disturbingly Black and White." Keeper reached out and gripped her daughter's wrist. "If you were that sure; why'd you let him leave?"
Yasi was silent; unable to answer that.
Keeper nodded. "You tipped your hand Yasi. You never hesitate; and now you're hesitating." The older woman paused. "Yasi... You're a great fighter; a great tactician, a great teacher. But you don't let people in; and that tends to put people off you. Sometimes that's good for your reputation as a warrior. But sometimes; it gives your best warriors a reason to abandon their posts when they hear trouble is coming. That kind of detachment makes you able to accuse your oldest friend after many years of allegiance. You want loyalty? You have to show loyalty. Vincent McCall had less reason to be on your side than anyone; and he came back anyway."
Yasi looked down at that. "Yeah. Yeah he did."
Keeper sighed. "So if you wanted to keep the secrets in the family and make it all nice and neat; I suppose we could just... recruit him."
Yasi looked up at her mother swiftly; hope in her eyes. "Yeah?" It was the perfect solution; making him part of the tribe; bringing all their secrets back into their own fold. "Was this... Dorcan's idea, or yours?"
"Dorcan... is a quality human being." Keeper said seriously. "And he doesn't need you to tell him that any more."
Yasi bit her lip; tempted. "What about Vincent's friends?"
"Who's to say he told them anything?" Keeper coughed a little. "All this is assuming, of course, that Vincent would say yes."
Her mother was giving her blessing and permission; without actually saying it; like she always did. Yasi fought to hide her smile. "Hey, I guess I could ask him?"
Keeper snorted. "Mm."
~oo00oo~
Vincent had made it as far as the Subway. He had slipped onto the platform from a maintenance closet. The payphones were the first thing he'd seen; and he called Connie to tell her the rest of the story. She agreed it was a great tale; but she was in the middle of a mission of her own; so the conversation was brief. He didn't have a ticket, but he knew he'd never be able to sit still at home. So without even looking to see where he was going; he boarded the first train that stopped.
After a while; he gave up on wandering the city and checked the Subway map; figuring out which stop was his... and how he would get out of the station without a ticket; or money to buy one.
He turned away from the map… and felt his jaw drop open.
In the same long coat she was wearing the night they had met; Yasi was waiting, leaning against the pole without holding it, and was having no trouble balancing as the subway train sped them through New York. She tilted her chin to the subway map. "What are you working on?" She asked softly, with the sound of whiskey and promise in her voice. "Whatever it is, it must be far too interesting if you hadn't noticed me trying to make eye contact for the whole ride." She had a small smile on her face.
Vincent didn't hesitate to stride up the length of the almost-empty carriage, and they both leaned in for a passionate kiss. It was a kiss that had been building off and on for three years. It was long and slow and sweet and said all the things neither of them could find words for, until the need for oxygen made them break. They stayed close together, arms around each other. For the first time, Vincent realized she was actually a tiny bit taller than him, but she rested her chin on his shoulder a moment, facing into his neck.
One or two people on the carriage looked over at them; smirking a little; but most barely noticed. To them, it was just one of the millions of stories that began and ended every day in New York City.
~oo00oo~
Owen looked up as the hatch to the Oubliette was raised, revealing a familiar face looking down at him. "Vincent."
Vincent wasn't smiling. "Owen."
Silence.
"Well." Owen said finally. "Here we are again."
Vincent nodded. "Vandark is dead."
"I figured." Owen said without emotion. "It… He's not the sort of person that you can picture as actually being defeated. He's just too… big. Know what I mean?"
"I do." Vincent confirmed. "That why you followed him?"
Owen shook his head. "I… stumbled onto the Lostkind on a vacation in Europe. Vandark brought me in and explained the facts of the real world to me; like Yasi did for you. I've said it how many times? I wasn't a warrior, or a big time hero. But this place… This place can make heroes out of invisible men. People like us don't get noticed. We go through our world without anyone being aware of us, and we are glad for that… Vandark made an offer: Work for him, be invisible, rule like a king and have nobody know."
Vincent nodded. "A certain appeal, I must admit. But it's the wrong way to be."
"Is it?" Owen challenged. "It worked for you. You're like me: Not a warrior, not famous; just making your way in the world and going unnoticed, and you never minded that fact. Look at you now; savior of the New York Underside. You got the result I had hoped to get for myself."
Vincent smirked a bit. "Guess I did."
Owen's head tilted. "Why did you come here?"
"To save the Underside."
"No, not that: Why'd you come to see me?"
"Oh." Vincent rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I never really… I rehearsed this plan in my head a thousand times; but I never really… I don't have a clue what to do now. I planned it out, but never thought about what to do afterward."
"You could make a really nice gesture and let me out of here?" Owen suggested hopefully.
"I think not."
Silence.
"What's going to happen to me?" Owen asked finally.
Vincent shook his head. "I talked to Yasi. She had a few interesting ideas."
; Owen let out a mirthless, doomed laugh. "I think I can guess."
"I managed to convince her that Vandark was the real enemy, and as it happens… He had enemies in many places."
Owen was confused for a moment before it hit him. "Berlin."
"Yasi's working on having you and the others shipped there; but it'll probably take a while to organize."
Owen looked up at him sharply. "Others?"
"A few of the Wildmen decided to go down swinging rather than surrender. They got their wish. The rest are in the Dungeons with you. Nobody's seen the Riverfolk since the battle ended. Some bright spark had the good sense to drop the razor nets back into place before they realized there was nobody coming from Above."
"It was a hell of a bluff." Owen admitted. "I may have to rethink your prowess at the poker table."
Vincent was silent for a moment. "It wasn't a bluff." He confessed. "If I died down here, Gill would have exposed the whole place. If I couldn't save the Underside from Vandark, I could at least make sure he didn't play Kingmaker over all New York."
Owen couldn't help the glimmer of respect in his eye. "Well. Looks like you won." He said finally. "I think that… If I had to do it over again; I would go to the West Side and pick up some bagels."
~oo00oo~
There was a party in the Underground. Fire-Dancers, circus acrobats swinging back and forth on the repaired ropelines. The wonderful electric atmosphere of the Underside came back with full force, as though the excitement had been building up the entire time Vandark was there; now let loose again, unrestrained.
Everyone knew that Vincent was not one of the Lostkind, but they had all heard his voice coming from the Whisper Gallery; leaving him in a hard to define, but easy to appreciate position among the general population.
Here and there, a few party-goers were staggering their way along to the Labyrinth. The entire population was either shouting, smiling, singing, dancing or drinking.
"Feels good to have people happy again." Yasi let out a happy sigh, like the universe had been set right again.
"I came through the Underside when Vandark was here; and I couldn't get over how quiet it was on the Steps." Vincent agreed. "When I heard about all the things that was disappearing up above, I started to worry. You guys never would have taken that sort of stuff if you weren't in a bad way."
Yasi nodded. "Gives me chills to think about how easily Vandark would have done it. For a little while there, I honestly thought he was going to buy our loyalty... with chocolates."
Vincent grinned. "Based on what I saw, they were just enjoying the treats, and biding their time."
Yasi smiled. "Harder to tell when you're chained to the Bad Guy's Throne."
Vincent peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Wish I'd shot him a third time, now."
Yasi bared her teeth. "It wasn't as bad as he could have made it. Of the three of us, you and me are the ones... not dead."
Vincent nodded. "Does Keeper think it was a bluff?"
Yasi rubbed her face. "Keeper figured it out. You weren't just protecting our city; you were protecting yours too. She's agreed to keep her mouth shut; as has everyone who knows the whole story."
"A lie?"
"An omission. We're Lostkind Vincent. Such secrets are common."
Vincent's response was simplicity itself. "Thank you."
~oo00oo~
The Healers escorted him to the back of the room; where Keeper's cot waited.
He made his way toward the old woman and settled next to her, when he suddenly noticed a new painting on the wall, in an out of the way spot. It was a drawing of him and Yasi; instantly recognizable as the moment they had reunited on the Subway; arms around each other. He had no idea that the Gremlins were even close enough to see; but the drawing of them was sweet and honest and wonderful in the emotions it conveyed.
"Rule Three." Vincent said, quiet and victorious. "Be Beautiful."
Keeper's eyes opened slowly at the sound of his voice. "S'about time you got here." She creaked. "I'm an injured old woman you know, it's not nice to keep me waiting this long."
"I'm sorry I took so long; but it's hard to push your way through a party that size." Vincent said, grinning as he knelt down next to her. "What are the Healers telling you?"
"They say I'll live, but I won't be pretty. At my age, I care less about that than I used to." She struggled. "Help me sit up."
Vincent came forward and did so, helping her upright.
"I've been hearing the stories, and I suppose I should be very impressed with you." Keeper grunted as she settled.
"Oh please don't be." Vincent insisted. "We have such a comfortable relationship disliking each other; I'd hate to try and mess that up."
"I agree." Keeper nodded, pleased. "You got back fast. I think Yasi half expected you to be with Connie by now."
"And I half expected Yasi to be with Dorcan." Vincent shot back. "Dorcan stepped quite nicely into the role Yasi always wanted for him."
"So has Connie; by taking in young Tecca." Keeper nodded. "Timing, Vincent. Things come at their own time; and sometimes that means missing a chance you would have killed for in earlier days."
Vincent smirked; because it was true. A year before; Dorcan would have given anything for Yasi to respect and notice him the way she did now. A year before; Vincent would have given anything for Connie to be as accepting of all things Secret, the way she now accepted Tecca. But that passage of time had changed them all.
Her lightning quick eyes focused on him. "Now; one thing I'm not getting. You set up a connection between our Round Table Communicator, and your Archives Room at the Planner's Office? How did you do it?"
"I saw the set-up you have here, and the method is the same as stage magicians used to use to fake conjuring ghosts." Vincent explained. "It wasn't that hard finding the secret of a hundred year old magic trick, so I was able to set it up."
"How'd you find the frequency we use?" Keeper demanded.
"I work in the City Planners Office, remember? The television equipment in your Round Table Room is from the 1950's. Nobody's watching those channels, or frequencies anymore. It wasn't hard to track the frequency down. All that information still exists, it's just completely forgotten. What do you think I've been doing for the last week?"
Keeper burst out laughing; before clasping at her chest, breaking down into a cough. When she settled; she looked up at him. "There was a time, when I was convinced you couldn't be trusted, just because you were from the Upside. Ironic, when you consider that I used to be one myself, back in the caveman days."
Vincent chuckled at that.
Keeper softened. "Now, that's the Chief of the Underside talking. Can I speak to you as Yasi's mother a moment?"
Vincent took a deep breath, preparing himself. "Of course."
"Yasi told everyone that your plan was to bluff the Riverfolk; make them think this place was about to be exposed." She looked at him evenly. "As long as we all agree on the story; nobody need feel awkward about the facts."
Vincent looked down. "I heard some of the Shinobi talking about Yasi while we were setting up the counterattack... Do her own people really think of her that way? She's not like that."
"She's not like that with you. Yasi's only ever had two kinds of people in her life. The ones that needed her protection; and the ones she protected them from. You think like that long enough..." Keeper broke down coughing a moment. "It was nice to see her getting close to someone; but when we learned it was you; we were worried. We didn't know about you yet; except that you had all the keys to all the doors."
"It's why you called me, back when we first met." Vincent pointed out.
"Yup. And if you decided to tell the world about us back then?" Keeper challenged. "What do you think would have happened?"
"The same thing I expected to happen yesterday." Vincent retorted.
Keeper settled. "Things are different now."
"I wonder." Vincent admitted.
"No; t
hey are. Yasi has never accepted help with anything, from anybody she wasn't related to." Keeper said. "I think it came from being an only child... And the child of the two people in charge of her whole world, no less. She never accepted the help of others; she had to do it all herself. It made her strong. It also made her isolated. The great truth of the Lostkind is that everything we have, and everything we are, is what your world has discarded or misplaced. We took that and made it beautiful; but without that, we are non-existent. You managed to prove the point quite nicely, because you were not of our world, but you were what was needed to save it. You followed the rules, Vandark didn't, and you prevailed. It wasn't a Rambo plan; it was a Lostkind plan."
Vincent nodded. "I... am a bad liar Keeper. Outside the Chapel; they're trying to figure out where to put the statue of me. I'm more the one that put the place in danger than the one that rescued it."
"You're both." Keeper said easily. "It is our way. We pass into legend. This whole place is a collection of secret stories that we agree to tell each other. Consider it part of your entrance."
"And Owen?" He asked lightly; almost afraid to ask.
"Owen will be seen to appropriately." Keeper dismissed. "You really want to get into all that again?"
"I suppose not." Vincent admitted. "But... I've never known Yasi to leave loose ends; and Owen's one of them..." He left the ending of the thought unspoken.
Keeper finished it for him. "And so are your friends. The ones who helped you do this." Keeper sighed; understanding his worry. "Yasi had an idea that might make things easier for all concerned."
Vincent nodded. "What is it?"
"Well; if you were Lostkind yourself; then your word would be enough to vouch for your friends; and of course; anything you did? It would be up to our security chief to decide if what you did was forgivable or not."
Vincent struggled not to lunge forward. "Yasi had this idea?"
Keeper laughed, and coughed. "Welcome to the Underside."
Vincent smiled, not pretending to be surprised. "I was hoping somebody would say that."
"There's a lot of work to do... And we need people we can trust." Keeper smirked wryly, painful though it was. "I think it's fair to say you weren't working for the bad guys."
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