Once a Fae

by Tom Keller

  I took a small sip of the ale and savored it, recognizing immediately that I couldn’t have anymore. He was right, between the alcohol content and the magic infused in it during the brewing process, it was more than I could handle. Damn, I missed being a Fae.

  "Thank you," I said, setting the mug back on the table and pushing it away. "If it makes you feel any better, I have no intention of falling down drunk at your table."

  "I'm sure my patrons will appreciate it," the Elf replied, sarcastically. "Now, what is it you want from me?"

  "You heard about the shootout downtown, right?" I asked.

  "How could I not," he replied. "The airwaves and print media were quite enamored by your performance. What of it?"

  "Then you know I freed six Lilin who'd been collared."

  "Unintentionally," he replied, taking a drink of his own ale. "Your actions were predicated on the fact that the officers were attacked. You had no way of knowing that the Lilin were even there."

  "Semantics… even if it's true," I agreed. "But from reports I've read, someone's targeting your friends and selling them off as toys. I'd like to find them and put a stop to it."

  "We've had this conversation before, Lieutenant," he said, placing his mug on the table. "I have no intention of cooperating with you or anyone else in the government. Such actions would only put those I watch over at risk. Seek your informants elsewhere. We will deal with this as we always have. Without external interference." He started to get up but I grabbed his arm.

  "Your way didn’t do too much for Delia, did it?" I said, pulling him back down. "It's a good thing my officers came across them when they did. The Fae are one thing, but with a collar on, she'd be nothing but some human's plaything by now. You think Demons and Fae have perversions? Wait till you see what humans are capable of? Trust me… she'd never be the same, that's assuming she survives at all. Is that what you want to see?"

  "I do what I can, Lieutenant," he replied, his tone a bit mellower. "But even I cannot change that which is. Demeter's curse is as powerful today as it was when the Lilin were defeated. Their oath and the spell that binds them cannot be broken."

  "Lay down your arms, life I will grant you but expect not kindness," I said, repeating the words I knew by heart. "Where Fae be, you must flee and to taste of ichor is forbidden. Where three or more gather, except to hear my words, I will call down my wrath. One in ten may bear life. This I offer, but no more, and death to any that violate this decree. Bound by the blood of your tears it shall be."

  "I was not aware you knew the words of the Goddess," he said, surprised at my rendition of Demeter's terms of surrender to the Lilin so many eons ago. "Nor that you cared about such things."

  "There's a lot you don’t about me, Elf," I replied, feigning irritation. "I'll tell you the same thing I told Delia when I cut the collar off of her neck. I don’t give a shit what anyone is, no one deserves to be treated like that." I took out a pen and business card from my jacket and wrote down a number, then slid it across the table toward him. "Whether you like it or not, one day you're going to need some help. When that happens you dial this number. If I don’t answer leave me a message. There'll be no official record of the call. No one else will hear it and no one will know where the information came from. I don't give a damn what name you use, or if you give one at all. But I'll do what I can. No questions asked."

  He fingered the card for a moment, then slipped it in his pocket. Then he got up and started to walk away. Suddenly he stopped and turned back. "Why, Lieutenant?" he asked, leaning over the table. "You've never shown any interest in the Lilin before. Why now?"

  I had to think about that one for a minute. Let's face it, I was not the Robert Hoskins he was used to dealing with. What could I tell him that would make any sense? Then I had it.

  "You ever been kissed by a Keres in the moonlight?" I asked, getting up from the table and looking him in the eye. "It's quite an experience. Makes you think about things." Then I winked at him, turned, and headed towards the exit.

  I got about halfway before someone reminded me that I really hadn’t been welcome in the place. By the Gods, I thought to myself, as I stared at the young Werewolf accosting me. Couldn’t Gaea do anything but remakes? How about a little originality here?

  Not that I knew the young Were that was commenting about my smell. No, I'm sure he was just showing off for his three friends in the booth. Unfortunately for him, as soon as he began to shift, I knew I had to act. Being human might suck, but being old and sneaky has its advantages. I knew I had to deal with him sooner, rather than later if I wanted to survive a tangle with a Werewolf.

  I stomped my foot on his instep then kneed him in the groin. Grabbing his wrist in one hand and elbow in the other, I pulled him toward me and then spun him around, clamping my arm around his neck. At the same time, I pulled the dagger from under my jacket and held it below his chin.

  "Shift back or I'll slit your throat," I whispered in his ear.

  His friends started to get up from the table, then froze as I pressed the dagger hard enough into his neck to draw blood.

  "Bjartr!" I yelled out, looking for the Elf.

  "Lieutenant?" he replied, cautiously approaching me from the side with his hands held up. "Please, he is still young."

  "That he is. Then perhaps the lesson here is that he'll never get any older if he can't learn how to behave himself," I said as the now trembling Were shifted back to his full human persona. "Your word that you'll control these four and let the Packmaster know that I didn’t start this fight. In exchange, I'll forget this ever happened and everyone goes home alive."

  "It shall be as you say," the Elf replied, visibly relieved. He looked over at the three still in the booth. "You heard the Lieutenant. Stand down!"

  As the three other Weres backed off, I moved the dagger aside and pushed the Were toward the Elf, who caught him in his arms. Then I walked backward toward the exit, scanning the other patrons continuously until I was at the doorway. Seeing no further threats, I stuck the dagger back in its sheath and threw open the doors, never glancing back until I made it to my car.

  Well, that was fun… NOT, I thought to myself as I turned the key. I pulled out and headed toward my neighborhood, watching my mirrors to make sure no one was following. Friggin Gaea…. I didn’t even want to guess at what she was going to throw at me next.

  Chapter 5

  There was a strange car in the driveway when I got home. Seeing that it was an Omega, I assumed since the guard hadn’t said anything, it must be Nikki. I was only half right. I opened the door and walked in. Hearing voices, I made my way to the kitchen.

  "Kathy?" I said, surprised at seeing my ex-wife at the table with Nikki. "What are you doing here?" I hadn’t seen her in a while in my world, but we'd been friends and talked on the phone frequently. Somehow, seeing her here with my daughter made this place feel a little bit more like home.

  "Nikki just picked me up from the train station," she said as they both looked up. "You know how much I hate those small planes. I have an important meeting at the Neptune tomorrow. Did you forget I was going to be in town?"

  "I left you a message at the office to remind you," Nikki said.

  "Sorry, I must have lost track of what day it was," I said, taking a seat beside them. "It's been a hectic week."

  "I can imagine," Kathy said. "I heard all about your antics on the news. You're becoming quite the celebrity… and kissing a Keres. You'll have to tell us all about it."

  "Yeah, Dad," Nikki said. "That's all they talk about down at the lab. Come on, spill the beans. What was she like?"

  "I wish I could tell you," I replied. "But it was pretty wild at the time. I really didn't get to savor the moment, if you know what I mean."

  "Uh-huh," Kathy said, chuckling. "Knowing you, it's more likely you don’t want to kiss and tell."

  I don’t know why, but I stuck my tongue out at her. She seemed surprised but then began to laugh. The conversation slowly drifted
to talk of family. As in my world, Kathy lived in LA, allowing her to see Jay frequently. She was still in the accounting field, and her company handled several of the larger casino's out of state accounts, including the Neptune's. Which, like she said, was why she was here. Tonight, however, she had other plans.

  "We're going out to dinner," Nikki said, sometime later, as the conversation returned to what was going on this evening.

  "I wondered why you were all dressed up," I replied, noting that she was wearing a dress, rather than slacks as she normally wore when traveling.

  "You're welcome to come," Kathy said. "I made reservations for three just in case."

  "Three?" I asked, slightly confused. It was almost 6:30. I must have been daydreaming and missed some of the conversation.

  "Yeah, Keegan's working tonight," Nikki said, referring to the husband I'd read about in my file. "He got promoted to detective so he's working swings. He can't take a vacation day until next month."

  "Of course," I said, still lost. "Where did you say you were going again?"

  "Haven't you been listening?" Nikki replied. "The Neptune. Where else? Mom got us dinner reservations and tickets for the show. You're coming aren't you?"

  "Uh…" I stuttered. "The show?"

  "Hades' beard, Dad!" Nicki exclaimed. "Don’t you remember anything? We're going to see the Oracle of Delphi. What other show is there?"

  "The Oracle of Delphi," I repeated, realizing she was serious. "Right."

  So, Diantha had gotten her show here as well. I had to ask myself what it would be like to see her in this world? Was she the same person or had she become something else? Either way, I could be opening up a can of worms by going. This place hadn’t exactly been kind to me when it came to old girlfriends. Then again, this was a show at the Neptune, right? Security there would be tight. I doubted too much could go wrong, at least as far as violence was concerned. I glanced over at Nikki, who was mouthing the word please.

  "Okay. Sure," I said, seeing her look of relief at my answer. "I wouldn’t miss it for the world."

  "Great," Kathy said, reaching for her suitcase. "Then I need to get changed. I still have to rent a car and I'd like to get that done before we go to dinner. It's such a pain in the ass to have to do things the old-fashioned way. You really need to get smartphones to work here."

  "You can always use my car," Nikki said, picking up her purse from the table. "I've got the work car so Dad can give you a ride out there later tonight. I'm working graves this month so I can have the same days off as Keegan. Which means I'll be heading to work after the show. Here, let me get my keys so I don’t forget to give them to you."

  "Whoa… wait a minute," I said, getting up and walking around the table. I suddenly found myself not wanting her to leave. More than that, I wanted to hold on to this little piece of the past for as long as I could. I don't know if the other Robert would agree, but to be honest, I really didn't care. Shooting it out with bad guys and fighting Werewolves was already getting old. Selfish or not, I needed something to look forward to, even if only for a few more hours.

  "Why don’t you just stay here tonight?" I said, taking her suitcase from her. "You said you had an early day tomorrow and you know there's plenty of room. You can take my POV (personal owned vehicle) in the morning. You can always stay at Nikki's house tomorrow night. This way we don’t have to rush."

  "Really?" Kathy asked, somewhat hesitantly. She glanced at Nikki before continuing. " Are you sure? I don’t want to be any bother and I know tomorrow is your day off."

  "No problem," I replied. "I don’t have any plans, and besides, I'm on call this weekend. I'll be using the undercover car if I go anywhere."

  "I guess I can do that," Kathy reluctantly agreed. "It would make things easier."

  "You can have the master bedroom," I said, carrying the suitcase down the hall and tossing it on the bed. "I can sleep in the guest room."

  "Robbie," Kathy said, grabbing my arm as I started to leave. She hadn’t called me by that name in a long time. "You don’t have to give up the master. I'll be fine in the guest room."

  "Don’t worry about it," I said, moving her hand with a smile. "I don’t mind. Oh, and before you ask, the sheets are clean. I changed them this morning."

  "That's not what I meant and you know it," she replied, her cheeks flushed.

  "I do," I said with a grin. "But I'd feel better knowing you were comfortable, and I really did change the sheets this morning, not that they needed it. Anyway, go ahead and get dressed, I'll throw on a clean shirt when you're done."

  She swatted at me as I left the room. I closed the door and went back into the kitchen where Nikki was still sitting at the table. She looked up as I sat down.

  "Thanks for agreeing to come with us tonight," she said, her eyes bright. "And for letting Mom stay here and use the car. I don’t think she expected that."

  "Of course," I replied, sitting down next to her. "But why wouldn’t she? All she has to do is ask. It's not like we're not still friends."

  "Yeah… right, Dad," she said, smirking. "But you've never offered before, so it's not like she was gonna ask."

  "That's my fault," I agreed, wondering what her relationship with the other Robert had been like. I know the file said it was amicable, but that could mean almost anything short of hating each other. I gave Nikki a thumbs up. "You know how it is. I get too wrapped up in work most of the time to think about things like that. I'll try to make sure she knows she's welcome, okay?"

  "That would be nice," Nikki replied, letting out a deep breath. "Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it. I like it when you guys get along."

  "I'm done if you need the bathroom," Kathy yelled from the hallway.

  I smiled at Nikki and then got up and went into the bedroom. I grabbed some clothes from the closet, then went into the bathroom to wash up and change.

  "I don't need a tie, do I?" I asked, bumping into Kathy as I came out of the door.

  She'd been leaning over the dresser, looking into the mirror and putting in an earring when we collided. I grabbed her by the waist to steady her.

  "Oops," I said, our eyes locking as she straightened up and faced me. She looked nice. Okay, she looked more than just nice. She was wearing a simple black dress. But between the way it showed off her curves and the whiff of perfume that hit me as I gazed into her green eyes, she took my breath away.

  "What?" she asked, looking embarrassed.

  "Sorry," I replied, the moment lost. "I, uh, didn't mean to knock you over."

  "That's what I get for standing in front of the door," she replied, pulling a strand of hair back behind her ear. She reached up and patted my collar. "You look fine and no, you don’t need a tie."

  This was probably stupid, and maybe even unfair. I didn’t know how long I'd be here and if the other Robert came back, who knew what his reaction would be if their relationship suddenly changed. I knew I was being selfish. This wasn't my Kathy, but the way Nikki had reacted bothered me. Then I found I couldn’t help myself. I had to at least try to mend things between them. I held out my arm and stopped her from walking away.

  "Kat," I said, using my old nickname for her. "I know I can be an asshole sometimes. I just want you to know that you're always welcome here."

  "I don’t know where that came from, Robert Hoskins," she replied, turning to face me. "Although I'm not sure if asshole is the right word. But you always were a difficult man to live with, especially when work got in the way, but thank you."

  I didn’t move.

  "Was there something else?" she asked.

  "It's just that…," I replied, stumbling over the words.

  "What is it, Rob?"

  "Well…I just wanted you to know that you look absolutely stunning." Then I kissed her on the cheek and left the room without saying another word.

  Kathy was quiet on the drive to the Neptune. I hoped I hadn’t said the wrong thing. There wasn't much I could do if that was the case. Fortunately, by the time I followed Ni
kki into the Neptune's parking lot, Kathy seemed to have opened up a bit. I'd let Nikki lead because, to be honest, I wasn't sure where to park our cars at the hotel. Since we'd both taken our Undercover cars, Nikki led us to a series of spots designated police parking only and I pulled up beside her. We got out and we made our way through the overhead tunnel and down the escalator into the casino.

  Let me tell you something about casinos. There's very little that goes on in them that management doesn’t know about. Even in the old days before surveillance cameras, they had eyes in the sky, meaning employees that walked above the casino floor watching all the action. There were few places inside one where you weren't being observed. Toss in a few magic spells and I doubt you can go the bathroom without someone knowing whether it's number one or two.

  Back when I worked foot patrol in downtown Vegas, every time I walked into a place one of the casino managers or security personnel would just happen to show up. Surprise! Yeah right, they knew I was coming as soon as I walked up to the door. It's not that they were being dicks about it, it was simply that they wanted to know everything that was going on in the place.

  Why is a cop coming into the joint? Hey, maybe it was just for a meal. If that was the case, they'd escort you to the coffee shop and lay a comp down on the table. Otherwise, they'd have security assist you in any way possible. Up to and including asking you nicely not to arrest the big-time gambler that had too much to drink and punched out his best friend. But that doesn’t happen much anymore. At least not back home. Laws nowadays restrict a lot of a cops ability to use discretion in those kind of matters.

  Of course, that wasn't the case here. I'd only been on this world a short time but I'd learned that quickly enough. Not that I'd thought about being recognized when we got here. Even though I wasn't here officially, I was the Lieutenant of the Magical Affairs Division, my face wasn't exactly unknown in the community. Not to mention that it had been plastered all over the news and airwaves the last few days. But by the time I thought about any of that happening to us tonight, it was too late. Not just because someone had come to greet us. Like I said, I should have expected that. But it was who showed up that got my attention.