Three Times is Enemy Action

## Content Information

“This is an absolute nightmare,” Tamzen declared, for what was probably the fourth time that afternoon, as she paced back and forth within the confines of the small sitting room at the pavilion where her and Xander’s ‘engagement’ party was being held. She had been summoned to Gertrude’s residence earlier in the day, dressed, primped and styled until she finally met the woman’s exacting standards. All the while, Tamzen had been quizzed on the contents of the dossiers she had been set to study. After the other woman had begrudgingly admitted that Tamzen had ‘done well enough, I suppose, given your...*upbringing,*’ she and Xander had been bundled off to the venue, and settled in the sitting room to wait until their presence was required.

Tamzen had *not* managed to avoid the high heels, but the shoes in question were currently laying in a pile in the far corner of the room, where she had kicked them off prior to commencing her pacing.

"Madam I must suggest you stop pacing, it's bad for your reputation" Arsling said in a half-decent English accent before going back to her regular Irish with a casual, "Sup?" before adjusting her regular suit jacket. "So you ready to talk to the scum of the earth? Well you already are but you get what I mean" Arsling smiles, trying to calm her friends nerves.

Tamzen turned and waved Linny into the sitting room. “If you get in here and close the door, only the two will see - and my reputation is already ruined with both of you.”

Arsling sniffed slightly. "Yep, just as I suspected, still a nerd," she grinned.

Tamzen grinned as well, before resuming her pacing. “I’m glad to hear I still smell like a nerd, because I look absolutely ridiculous.”

Xander, his normally curly green hair tucked under a passable medium length blonde wig, sat in the corner.  He was dolled up in a tuxedo, one pant leg having been hemmed to accommodate the cast on his leg.  “We both look fucking ridiculous… I can’t believe she got the goddamn tailor to make this thing so fast!  And this wig...” he yanked at it a bit, “I mean there’s a reason I dye my hair!  Blonde plus Xander equals the most pompous looking bastard on the face of the planet!”

Tamzen turned to look at him, her lips twisted into an expression halfway between a wince and a dry smile. “Thanks for reassuring me, hon…” she teased, one hand reaching up to fidget nervously with her carefully styled updo, only to pause at the last moment and carefully lower her hand again.

Arsling looked down at the suit of her own devising adorning her body “Personally, I look awesome,” she put on a goofy grin and stood proud “I don’t get the point of putting you in a wig, it takes less than five seconds to realise its not real” Arsling says, staring at the blonde wig “Maybe you should’ve asked to be a redhead instead.”

“Trust me, red would’ve pissed Gertrude off even more… no, it had to be my natural hair color unfortunately.”  He ran his hand through the wig, feeling how artificial it was.  “That’s how most of these pompous assholes know me anyways, can’t have them think I’ve been ‘rebelling’ now can we.”  He heaved a sigh and knocked on his cast.  “Though I already know they’ll be grilling me about this thing on top of everything else.  I can hear it now ‘oh dear boy how’d you get such grievous injuries from a simple wreck?  Why my dear son Harold crashed his Lamborghini just last month and nothing so serious happened to him!’”

Tamzen blinked, and reached up to touch her hair again. “Wait… *she* has a problem with red hair?”

Arsling partly raised her hand “Can I kick her if she says anything?” Arsling said in half...quarter jest, an upset almost angry look on her face hearing about Gertrude's problem...amongst the other issues Arsling had heard and figured out about the elder Crossman

Xander looked at them both and held up two fingers.  “One, sorry but yes, and I have absolutely no idea why.  Two, *no*, unless you want her to drag me out of here by my cast and chuck me into the cargo hold of a private jet bound for Missouri.”  He gave a little smirk and a sigh.  “If that wasn’t the case though... I’d totally suggest treating her with the dignity and respect we gave that mannequin.”

“I *feel* like a mannequin right now,” Tamzen fretted, twisting at the heavy necklace at her neck. “Just prop me up and put me in the front window of a boutique.”

“Nah you’re too pretty for that” Arsling smiled, as Tamzen stared at her reflection and made an unconvinced sound.

“I mean she’s right, but like now’s not exactly the best time for flattery…”  Xander poked at his wig some more.

“I just found out my boyfriend’s grandmother hates red hair - now is an *excellent* time for flattery.” Tamzen clutched her hands at her side, and resumed pacing. “This waiting is going to kill me.”

“Sorry, but yeah - you and me both, love.”  He fiddled with his bow-tie.  “I *hate* this monkey suit, and this stupid wig, and everything about this entire situation that isn’t you two…”

“You’d look better without the wig, maybe add that headband you wear all around the place and you’ll look adorable” Arsling says adjusting her own tie with a little smile

At that moment Gertrude Crossman entered the room, quickly closing the door behind her.  “Alright you two enough hiding, it’s time to go greet the public!”  The woman paused and took a sharp turn to Arsling.  “And who might this… person be?”

Arsling grinned. “I’m Arsling Broganson, Daughter of a retired supermarket manager in Kil Kildare, high nobility I assure you Ms. Crossman” Arsling offered a handshake, almost internally *daring* the richer woman to shake Arslings hand

Tamzen, who had retreated to the corner of the room to retrieve her shoes, bit down on the urge to groan and chuck a shoe at her roommate. *Dammit, Linny… you aren’t helping!*

She slipped her shoe on, half hopping in the process. “Arsling is my roommate, and a good friend of Xander’s… since I knew that you’d be introducing me around, I thought it would be good to have her around to help him out while we’re busy,” she explained. “Ms. Potts cleared her for an invite last week.”

“Right, right - Ms. Broganson, a pleasure.”  Gertrude swept past Arsling to stare down at Xander in the corner of the room.  “I do hope you’ll keep him out of trouble today young lady-” she glared over at Tamzen as the girl choked back a laugh. “He has a *penchant* for it here in Night Falls.”  She gripped his recently hurt shoulder firmly.  “We especially don’t need anything happening in front of the other families.  Isn’t that right *Xander*.”

Xander silently nodded, rising onto his crutches.  He addressed her in a highly unusual (at least for him) monotone.  “Of course Granny, it just wouldn’t do.”

Arsling recognised that tone in Xander’s voice, she remembered when he regressed “I’ll make sure our darling Xander is safe as houses, don’t you worry Ms. Crossman” she put on a fake smile, biting her tongue in the process

Tamzen straightened up, brushed her hands down her side to straighten out her dress - and, coincidentally, checking to make sure the dagger Xander had given her was still securely in its sheath strapped to her right thigh - and crossed the room to stand by Xander’s side. She took a deep breath, delicately arched one eyebrow, and looked to Gertrude. “Shall we?”

\* \* \*

The better part of the next hour flew by in a blur of names and faces, as Xander and Tamzen stood in a receiving line next to Gertrude, greeting (and being introduced to) the truly staggering number of personages that the woman had felt necessary to parade them in front of. Finally, the line ended, and the trio made their escape to a quiet(ish) corner of the pavilion, Xander leaning up against one of the wooden pillars supporting the roof. A server passed by, carrying a tray of hors d'oeuvres that was significantly lighter once the three of them had been seen in the vicinity.

Tamzen stuffed a puff pastry filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese into her mouth, her eyes closed in bliss as she savored the morsel. “Gods, I thought that line would *never* end…” she muttered.

Xander, nervously looking at his own puff pastry, nodded.  “Honestly I’m surprised there weren’t more people lined up.  My eighteenth birthday party there were literally hundreds of people I had to greet.  I guess it’s the venue, not as many folks would travel out here in comparison to the mansion.”  He shuddered at the memory, taking a sniff of his puff.  “So… does this have shellfish in it?  I can never tell and I forgot to ask the server before she left…”

Tamzen shook her head. “No, just salmon. There’s nothing on the menu here that you are allergic to, so don’t worry.”

Xander sighed.  “Good, last time there was a big gathering like this… let’s just say the chef *didn’t* follow the allergen directions as closely as he should’ve…”

Tamzen raised an eyebrow. “Did he survive that mistake? Your grandmother doesn’t strike me as particularly forgiving when it comes to your wellbeing…”

He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.  “Last I knew he couldn’t find another job in food, private chef or otherwise… at least that was the threat Gertrude levied on him…”

Tamzen winced, then glanced over at Arsling. “So, notice anything interesting while everyone is busy pretending you aren’t here? Anything we need to worry about?”

Arsling sniffed, getting a lot of scents at once making them hard to distinguish between. "Well obviously there's the fact that these people are rich and for the most part, bastard coated bastards with bastard filling, but there's a few scents I recognize: a succubus, vampire, serpentine that isn't the old witch or prince charming over here, and a few other smells I'm not familiar with"

“Nothing out of the ordinary for the company Gertrude has.  At least half the board are monsters… the other half just happen to be *human* monsters.”  Xander carefully took a bite of puff pastry and sighed.  “Don’t worry, I doubt anyone would be stupid enough to pull a stunt here.  They’d be torn apart in seconds if they tried.”

“Still might be a tempting target for whoever has been going after supernatural types…” Tamzen murmured, starting to chew on her lower lip before she remembered her lipstick, and settled for pressing her lips firmly together in a straight line. “Well… trust your instincts, both of you. If anything starts making you nervous, either get me to Xander or Xander to me - I’ll get him out of here in one piece. If that happens, Linny? Your job is to make sure no one besides security notices that we’ve gone missing.”

“Thought my job was being both of your securities? Not that good at being discreet either when it comes to making sure nobody notices me getting either of you out of here” Arsling asked, curious.

“*You* won’t be getting us out of here - *I* will. Your job is to create enough of a distraction to cover our exit.” Tamzen smiled at her roommate. “I’m *sure* you’re capable of causing chaos.”

“Oh great, I can definitely do that,” Arsling grinned.

Another server passed by, this time carrying a tray of drinks. The young woman looked between Tamzen and Arsling several times, before finally asking. “Ms. Shaw?” Tamzen inclined her head. “Apologies, but the Chairwoman asked me to tell you to-” her face wrinkled in an expression of intense displeasure, and when she continued, it was in a near-perfect impression of Gertrude’s hissed orders. “‘*Stop stuffing her face and get over here!*’ That was...ah, a direct quote, I’m afraid.”

Tamzen sighed, and patted the server reassuringly on the shoulder. “No, it’s not...but it was kind of you to try to soften the blow.” She stuffed her remaining puff pastry in her mouth, and claimed a flute of champagne from the server’s tray, taking a sip then raising it in a mock salute towards Xander and Arsling. “Once more to the battlefield, I guess!” With that, she turned and headed off to join the small cluster of people gathered around Gertrude, leaving the others behind.

Xander gave a mock salute in return as she left.  “Good luck soldier.”  He turned to Arsling, looking worried and exhausted.  His tone was almost joking, but there was a hint of seriousness to it.  “You think if I just vanished from existence her life would get better or worse from here?”

“Much worse, obviously, as would my life, you’re awesome - the soon-to-be Mr. Shaw.” Arsling smirked, patting Xander on the shoulder “Don’t sell yourself short, things do suck right now, none of it is your fault.”

Xander blushed a bit, coughing awkwardly.  “I… I know it isn’t.  I just wish things didn’t have to be so damn complicated.  I mean we fell for each other because of who we are, but I *knew* how stupidly complex things would get once my family got involved, she didn’t have that luxury.  I just wonder if it’s worth it for her, if *I’m* worth it for her…”  He paused briefly and shook his head.  “She’s told me multiple times now that I am, that it’s her decision to make.  I just… I can’t help but feel like she’s making a mistake.  That at the end of the day she’s giving up too much just to be with me y’know.  I want what’s best for *her*…” he looked Arsling in the eyes, holding back tears to keep up appearances in front of the others, “and I just don’t know if this is what’s really *best* for her.”

“That's not for you to decide Xander, she chooses to deal with all this ridiculous posh nonsense, for you, because she loves you man. What’s strictly ‘best’ for someone is impossible to actually work out, she could leave you, and maybe that would be the best for her physical health, but on an emotional standpoint it would ruin her not to be by your side. You’re her man, I don’t think she’d have it any other way” Arsling smiled, putting a hand on Xander’s shoulder.

He relaxes a bit, shifting on his crutches to be more comfortable.  “Thanks Arsling… I hope...”  Whatever he was about to say he cut short, looking on as Tamzen was being shown around to a group of sharply dressed business people.  “Just thanks.  You’re a good friend... to both of us.”

“Ah well, y’know what they say about dogs and being friends” Arsling smiled, adjusting her tie. “So, how many of these people do you think will hate me the second I open my gob?” she said, motioning to the room of posh rich business people.

He chuckled a bit.  “Well… if I had to take a stab at it… I’d say at least eighty to ninety percent of them.”  He motioned over to a group of teens and young adults trying their best to stay away from the rest of the party.  “Though you’d probably make a good impression on that crew.  Most of them hate being at things like this as much as I do.”

“Eighty to ninety percent? Score!” Arsling fist bumped celebratorily. “Must be doing something right if these people hate me on sight.”

“They’d hate just about anyone who even slightly breaks their norms, so y’know they hate just about anyone that isn’t them.  Though I do suppose they’d probably hate you more than most other folks, just based off of how great you are.  They’re pretty allergic to awesome people after all.”

“If they’re allergic to awesome people they must be on the verge of anaphylactic shock around you” Arsling smiles “Wanna head down to the warehouse tomorrow, wash off all the prim and properness of today?”

“Absolutely, we still need to blow up that forklift after all.  Our job isn’t done until it’s a smoldering pile of ash…”  He took a wine glass from a passing server and downed it.  “Fuck, that shit still burns, but honestly I need it right now.”

Arsling pats him on the shoulder “Hay man it’ll all be over soon and we can get back to doing actual fun stuff instead of all this peacock nonsense”

“Yeah… that’ll be good…”  He scans the crowd, looking for anything out of the ordinary.  “I hope we can get rid of all this shit for a while and just go wreck shop again.  Heck maybe even Gertrude will leave…”  He chuckles, “Probably not… but I can hope.”

“She better bloody be, not met many redhead haters that had good reasons“ Arsling says with a mix of humour and genuine anger at Gertrude, so many things Arsling wants to say to the old cow, but not enough time and not enough good outcomes

Xander patted Arsling on the shoulder.  “Don’t sweat it, she’ll eventually get too busy with everything going on.  Even when she’s really concerned, she always winds up going somewhere else because of work.  Once I heal up, and we prove everything is good, she’ll leave.”  He watched Tamzen speaking with a few board members.  “Besides, if Tamzen makes a good enough impression, maybe she’ll leave sooner.”

“Yeah, here's hoping” Arsling says with a small smile

\* \* \*

The evening dragged on, an endless swirl of introductions and conversations that were somehow utterly banal, even as she knew that the other parties were probing at her, looking for some hint of weakness. Tamzen suppressed a sigh - at the very least, since Gertrude hadn’t seen the need to yank her up short thus far, she couldn’t be doing *that* badly… right?

Despite that, there was an itch forming between her shoulder blades, an uneasy feeling as if something were going to happen. A storm approaching… or a knife. Unnerving.

Finally, the heavily veiled woman made her excuses to Gertrude and rejoined the crowd, falling into conversation with another woman in a heavily embroidered salwar kameez. Gertrude rested her hand on Tamzen’s arm, ready to steer her to the next notable guest. Tamzen resisted slightly, leaning in towards the other woman. “I need a moment to refresh myself - may I bring you something when I return?” she said, *sotto voce*, only waiting a heartbeat before making her escape.

She slipped into a dark corner, one hand slipping down to unsheath her dagger. Holding it in both hands, she inspected it, saw where traces of blood had dried along the knapped stone edge. Then before she knew why, she was moving, fast and sure, her feet guided by instinct rather than thought.

She broke into a run…

Xander was leaning up against a wall at the edges of the crowd, trying to stay as far from the center as possible.  He kept close to Arsling, fielding all of the individuals who came by.  By the time evening approached he was socially exhausted, and could barely keep on his feet.

Using Arsling as a bit of support, he casually talked with her as he gulped down some water to keep steady.  Then he suddenly choked a bit, dropping the glass.  A paranoid feeling hit the back of his skull, something was wrong.  However, before he or Arsling could react, a figure rushed forward.  It was fast, and their eyes could barely track where it had come from.  Hands reached out, aimed directly at Xander’s chest…

Xander staggered back, as someone threw themselves between him and his attacker. A glimpse of red hair, pale arms shooting forward to brace against the wall, sheltering his body with her own. A look of shock on moss green eyes, as if she wasn’t entirely sure how she had crossed the room in time to take the blow. A phantom hand surged, slipped through skin and ribs, chill fingers seeming to clutch tightly at her heart.

Tamzen would have screamed in pain, had she not been struggling for breath, struggling to keep her heart beating. She gasped, breath ragged. “Linny...*now!* Xander...close… eyes... trust me…”

Her vision was darkening around the edges as the attack continued, but she grabbed onto Xanders arm with one hand, and her dagger in the other. Praying she wasn’t about to make a terrible mistake, she slipped into the Archive, bringing Xander and whatever was attacking along with her.

Arsling looked around, before spotting a curtain. She stepped over and 'slipped,' pulling the curtain down on top of her and some nearby guests, shouting out in an English accent - as if that would deflect the fact that Arsling was the one who fell. "Oh bollocks!"

\* \* \*

Everything happened so quickly as Xander was dragged… somewhere.  He shut his eyes as commanded, his heart racing from the previous moment.  *What the fuck!?  What the absolute fuck!?*  Wherever he was now it was far different than the warm open area they’d previously been.  It was cold, far darker, and near silent.  Then it hit him, that attack was meant for him, Tamzen had gotten in the way, she grabbed him then...  The sudden change could only mean one thing, he was in *that* place, the damnable obsidian place.  Wait, that didn’t matter, was Tamzen ok?  “Tamzen, love are you ok?  Did we lose it?”

Nearby, Tamzen had fallen to her knees, coughing and gasping for air now that a fist no longer seemed to be clenched around her heart. All she could see was the regolith beneath her - she wanted to rest, but until she knew they were *both* safe, she didn’t dare. She groaned and got to her feet, still clutching the dagger in her right hand as she looked around.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed movement, turned to face it. A tall, shrouded figure, somewhat feminine in proportion - such as it had, at least - was reaching forwards towards where Xander lay sprawled. Tamzen rushed forward, striking out with the knife, and surprisingly connecting with something solid. Black ichor seeped from the wound she had left, as she struck again, and again. No grace, no skill, just sheer desperation drove her forward again and again, backing the figure up against the walls of one of the buildings that lined the streets.

Tamzen screamed in pain as the figure struck back, drew blood. And then, a slithering sound, leaves against stone, and Tamzen’s voice - cold and imperious: “*Restrain* it.”

The curiosity overtook Xander, hearing Tamzen cry out in pain was more than enough for his eyes to shoot open.  What he saw was a city of low buildings, clustered tightly together around a maze of narrow twisting streets, distant obsidian pillars stretching upwards into a perpetually twilit sky.  He focused on his girlfriend, standing between him and his attacker, the knife he’d given her in hand, coated in what he could only assume to be the attackers… blood?  She was hurt… it had hurt her…  He forced himself to his feet, truly seeing the attacker for the first time.  A specter, hovering just off the ground with open wounds on its arms and torso, black vines reaching out to entangle it.  Xander readied himself to jump into the frey… when his instincts kicked in and screamed to remain still.

“Who sent you?” Tamzen demanded. The spectre shrieked and writhed as the vines coiled around it, filament-thin rootlets sinking into ‘flesh’. Threads of light, near ultraviolet, shot through cellular pathways of the vines, branching out into fractal beauty on leaves and petals, more and more luminous by the moment. “*Who sent you?”* she repeated, more heatedly. Whether the spectre was unwilling or un*able* to answer, the result was the same.

A flutter of wings momentarily distracted Xander, as an obsidian winged butterfly dipped and wove drunkenly across his field of vision, before gently alighting on the bridge of his nose.

The second it touched his skin he focused on it for a brief moment, then his eyes began trailing off into the distance.  They were searching for something, but he couldn’t quite pin down what.  It was as if they wished to see something specific, and when he found it he’d know what it was.

As his eyes floated to and fro images crossed the corners of his vision.  His family… his siblings… dancing and singing?  Silas sat in the corner, refusing to join in no matter how much Xander tried to convince him it was alright.  The teen with his arms crossed, trying to get the young boy to leave him alone.  Finally he snapped, the boy on the ground crying, blood coming from his mouth.  A tooth on the floor, Silas screaming at him, telling him how it was his fault for being so annoying.  The boy crying, asking why, he only wanted to help.  *Wait, I only wanted to help…*

The images floated by faster, getting more vivid as a commotion arose.  Xander fanned the butterfly from his face, and as it fluttered away suddenly his focus returned.  *Oh… man fuuck this place.*  He turned his focus nearby, where he felt an uncomfortable looming presence.

The wall behind Xander seemed to shimmer and shift, a light rustling of glass against glass, as hundreds of other butterflies gathered, drawn by the vibrant memories of the living...and the dead. Prompted by some unnameable instinct, Tamzen turned to face Xander. “Do *not*!” she ordered the shimmering wall, pointing her dagger at it. “He is not for you to feed on - he is *mine*, and he is under my protection.” As one, the rabble seemed to flinch away, drawing back from Xander.

After a moment, Tamzen nodded sharply, then slowly swung her arm outwards, cutting an arc through the air with the point of her dagger, until it was pointed directly at the ensnared spectre. “*That* one is of no use to me. Take what you will.”

The wall exploded into motion as the butterflies took flight, tumbling and fluttering past her on their way to feed. For a moment, as she stared straight forward at Xander with obsidian-dark eyes, arm extended behind her, butterflies surrounding her, she looked more like a piece of art than a woman. A Mucha, framed in vines and butterflies; a Klimt, ornate and drenched in layers of hidden meaning; a Byzantine icon, haloed in glory like some saint to an unknown and unknowable god - Our Lady of the Archive, in all her fearsome potential.

She was beautiful.

She was *terrifying.*

Gods help him… she was *his.*

The moment passed, the vision shattering. Tamzen rushed towards him, one arm reaching out to wrap around him and draw him close. “Xander! Are you alright, love?”

Xander stood there, wrestling with the absolute clusterfuck of emotions that arose from what he just witnessed.  For a second he just limply stood there, staring down at her in shock.  Then, in a quick but decisive motion, he kissed her.  Pulling back he gave her a nod.  “Y-yeah, I’m uh… I’m ok… only thanks to you love.”  *Wait… love? she just…*  In spite of what was going on around them, he couldn’t help but smile.

She smiled and held him close for another moment. “We should probably get out of here - are you up for a little bit of walking, or do I need to carry you?” she asked, glancing down at his leg.

“Oh no I should be able to…”  He put pressure down on his crutches, and felt dizzy.  Nearly toppling over he caught himself.  He looked to Tamzen apologetically.  “I uh… may need some help actually.”

Tamzen reflexively reached out with one hand to steady him, then smiled at him in fond amusement. She shifted until she could drape his arm over her shoulder, acting as his support so that he could walk. “All right. Let’s get out of here before you realize just what a horrible idea this was…” she teased gently as she led him away from where the rabble of butterflies had swarmed over the spectre.

A few minutes later, the mnemophages dispersed, leaving nothing behind of their meal except for the vines that had once held it in place…

\* \* \*

The sheer adrenaline of their escape was enough to carry both of them through the Archive, not so much following a trail as moving purposefully in one direction as the streets of the city shifted and unfolded around them at Tamzen’s will - knowing that she would inevitably end up where she wished to go.

They arrived at a door, and Tamzen reached out, opened it and led Xander through. This time, the transition was smoother - not grabbed for in desperation, but found with deliberation. They stepped through, and lifeless regolith turned to hardwood as the two found themselves in the same dressing room where Tamzen had spent the better part of the morning.

Tamzen settled Xander down in the small armchair in one corner, then leaned against the wall. “Well… no one will expect to find us *here* - so this is probably as safe as we’re going to get for now.”

Xander nodded, thankful to be alive… and out of the archive.  “Yeah… that whole thing was too close.  If you hadn’t jumped in when you did… well I don’t even want to think about it.”  He stared out the nearest window, slowly catching his breath.  “Tamzen, I uh… thank you… for running to my rescue this time.  I don’t know how you did it, but… I’m thankful you’re here with me is all.”

She leaned down and kissed him, with all the passion and urgency that a near death experience can provide. When she finally broke off the kiss, they were both panting for breath. She nibbled at the edge of her lower lip, then sighed regretfully and straightened back up. “We should probably let Magnus know that you’re safe - before *she* gets riled up.”

Xander, stiffening a bit, nodded.  “Yeah… suppose we have to let the old bat know.”  He pulled his phone out from inside his jacket, and selected a number.  It had barely rung once when someone picked up on the other end.  “Hey Mag- yes we’re safe...  At Gertrude’s place...  Let’s just say we took an express path to the safest place we could think of…  Ok see you soon big guy.”  Hanging up he turned back to Tamzen.  “They’ll be on their way shortly, Gertrude is doing a bit of cover up at the party right now.  There are guards on the perimeter so we should be good.”

“Well, hopefully Linny caused enough of a distraction that no one noticed us disappearing into thin air… it’s going to be bad enough for ‘appearances’ that the guests of honor disappeared - and right now…” she glanced down at his cast and grinned impishly. “We don’t even have the ability to pretend we just snuck off to have some fun.”

He gave a sly grin in return, laughing a bit.  “Ah but Tamzen, we’re young adults.  I feel like where there’s a will there’s a way with those types of things.”  He was trying desperately to lighten the mood… while also running through the logistics of how such a proposition would even work.  Tamzen’s eyebrows raised in surprise, momentarily, her gaze suddenly calculating. “Anyways, I’m sure those people are all too used to attempts on their lives being made.  Perhaps not by ghosts per say… but they’ll understand strategic retreat for safety at least.  After all, I know the stories their bodyguards have told Magnus over the years.”

“Next time I throw myself in front of an assassin, I hope it won’t be one that can reach through things… that was a *deeply* unpleasant experience.” She sighed, and stretched. “I mean… *obviously* I’d prefer there to not be a ‘next time’ - but I’m not liking my odds on that.”

“Yeah…”  He sat in silence for a bit, just letting his eyes wander the room.  “Maybe next time… ugh I hate that there’s a non-zero possibility of a next time for this… *gods*.  But yeah… maybe next time I’ll be healthy and we can fuck them up together.  So you won’t have to throw yourself in front of me… yeah?”

“That would be nice,” Tamzen admitted. She walked over to the vanity, and grabbed the stool, dragging it over until it was next to the chair and slumping down on top of it. For a long while, she was content to just sit there in relieved silence, happy that both of them seem to have come through all this with no permanent harm.

After a while, she cleared her throat. “So…. do you think she’s going to make us go back to the party, or can I finally get out of this thing?”

“I’d imagine, if Arsling did her job properly, that the party may be ending relatively soon.  So I can’t imagine she’d…” he paused, “Actually yes I can.  Probably best to stay in it for right now.”

Tamzen muttered something unintelligible from her position leaning against his shoulder, then sighed again. She glanced up at him, and then smiled. “Well, at least I can fix one thing…” She sat up, then reached over to quickly free Xander’s natural hair from it’s confinement. “There. *Much* better.”

He shook his head, letting his green curls fall back down.  “My gods, I’d entirely forgotten that stupid thing was on my head.  Thanks, I *hate* how blond looks on me.”  He ran a hand through his locks, freeing some of the tangled clumps that had started forming.  As his bangs fell over his eyes he quickly produced a headband from his jacket and used it to roll them back.  “Yeah gods, so much better love.”

Tamzen smiled, then frowned. “To hell with this - at the very least I’m getting out of these torture devices…” she muttered as she leaned forward to pull off her heels. She sat back up, kicked the shoes under the stool, and sighed in relief as she flexed and stretched her toes.. “Y’know...Iva has strong opinions about heels, and I believe I’m coming around to agreeing with *all* of them.”

Xander sat back in the chair, kicking up his good leg.  “The one benefit of the cast at the moment, no stupid pointed toe fancy shoes on one foot.  Though the pain my foot is in must be magnitudes less than your poor soles love.”

She laughed suddenly. “Do you think we could convince Frank to make us a picnic basket for our one month anni-” she stopped mid-sentence, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, lips moving slightly as she silently counted... “*Sonnova…*” she swore suddenly, then looked over at Xander. “In all the chaos of the last week, we *missed* it.”

“Oh shit we did.”  He began gesturing with his hands towards his legs.  “To be fair to us, almost dying, then having your psychotic grandmother step in and start dictating your life *even harder* is a valid reason to accidentally forget something like that.”  Looking to the ceiling, he sighed.  “Man, what did I do to have three separate things try to kill me in a month?”

Tamzen looked thoughtful. “I’m not entirely sure the Fae was trying to *kill* you… I’m pretty sure if it had wanted to do that, it would have just done it…”

“I mean… yeah… yeah it *really* could’ve.  Gods that’s horrifying to think about…”  He sat up looking at her.  “Well, thankfully they were just asshole pranksters and not a homicidal cult or ghost...”

“Homicidal what now?”  Striding into the room came Gertrude Crossman, looking far more frazzled than usual.  Following at her heels was Magnus on full alert.  She stopped directly in front of Xander, bending down to stare him directly in the eyes.  “I asked a question Xander, homicidal what now?”

He stared back into her eyes, dread overtaking him and his skin going even paler.  His mouth tried to form words, but each attempt fell flat as he stuttered and mumbled.

Gertrude, growing impatient, got even closer.  “Look, I just had to explain why my grandson and his *fiancée* disappeared into the blue during their own *party*.  I also had to apologize profusely to the guests your… *friend*… inconvenienced so inappropriately.  So you’re going to tell me right now,” her fist slamming into the arm of the chair, getting inches from his face and screaming, “What the hell happened Xander!”

He shrank from her, his eyes watering and full of fear.

“What happened…” Tamzen said, her voice remarkably calm, considering how badly she wanted to scream at Gertrude. “Is that some...*thing* tried to reach into his chest and stop his heart. I stopped it. Then I got him out of there. Kept him *safe.* Like you *asked* me to. We’d hoped that everyone would be too busy focusing on Arsling to notice our absence.”

Gertrude pulled back from Xander, stepping over to Tamzen.  Looking to see Tamzen’s recent wound (which was only *just* outside of the category of “things one should probably be seen at a hospital for”) she sighed.  “I see… well then…”  She looked between the two, and for a brief second she almost seemed… amused.  “Pray tell Ms. Shaw, how did you get away from said attacker so quickly, where is said attacker now,” she twirled to face Magnus, “and how did a *killer* slip into that party?”

“It’s dead. Well…*dead-er*, I suppose. Since it was already a ghost when it tried to kill Xander… that’s probably how it could get in without being noticed...” Tamzen tried to explain, realizing that the whole thing sounded absurd, when trying to explain it to someone else. She knew she was babbling, and she couldn’t quite bring herself to care. “Anyways I had… a sense that something was wrong, and… I was lucky enough to get between it and Xander. Well, not *lucky*… I don’t recommend letting someone grab onto your heart by the way… but we survived it. Except for the ghost… I killed it. Well, not killed, re-killed… oh! You *know* what I mean!” She threw her hands up in frustration. “It’s not a threat anymore, is the point.”

Throughout Tamzen’s explanation Gertrude’s eyebrows rose more and more with each passing word.  The older woman now stood in the middle of the room, a combination of confusion, amusement, and panic swirling in her head as well as on her face.  After a moment to process what the girl had just told her, Gertrude took a seat and waved to Magnus.  “Get one of the girls to bring me some wine, another to tend to Ms. Shaw, and a third to begin gathering my things.”  As he hurried out of the room to distribute the tasks, she turned back to the other two.  “Tamzen, dear, sit down so the girl has an easier time trying to patch that wound.  While she is, tell me everything about what happened.”

Tamzen sighed. "I'm not sure how much clearer I can be, but…" She proceeded to recount the events of the evening, carefully avoiding going into any detail about the Archive, or her connection to it. She ignored as best as she could the woman who had been summoned to patch up the long scratch the spectre had left across her chest - not because she wanted to be rude, but because treating the wound involved her sitting with the top of her dress pulled down somewhat further than was strictly appropriate for company.

"...and then we arrived here, called Magnus, and waited for someone to show up. That's about all there is to say about it."

Xander, glancing over to look at Tamzen’s wound, winced a bit.  Not only did she have a fairly bad gash, but some of the skin on her back had gone much paler than usual right around where the specter had reached into her.  *A message, a fun dinner out of town, a hot air balloon ride maybe?  Yeah, we’re gonna do a fun super awesome date when this is over.*

Gertrude slumped forward in her chair, wine glass already drained empty, a servant coming to replace it with a full one.  “Alright…”  She slowly raised herself again, now gazing at Xander.  “That accident you had, was it actually an accident, or was there something more to it?”  As he froze up and gave pause she pushed him further.  “Xander, if you don’t give me an answer this instance I’ll-”

“I was attacked.”  He looked her dead in the eyes, hyperventilating and holding back his emotions.  “A group attacked me, ok.  They hate… our kind… well any supernatural being really.”

Gertrude hissed in anger, her forked tongue flying loose for the first time in years.  “Thisss placce isss ssso fucking-”  She stopped and recentered herself, regaining her composure with a deep breath and closed eyes.  As her tongue slid back behind her teeth she looked to Xander.  “This place, Night Falls, the university… it isn’t sufficiently safe here for you.  Xander I cannot sit idly by while your *life* is threatened by killers and *monster* *haters*.”  She turned to Tamzen, who had one hand raised, as if to interrupt, to protest what must surely be coming next.  “I must apologize Ms. Shaw, but our arrangement can no longer be upheld with these conditions in place.  Xander needs to come home, immediately.”

Tamzen hesitated, mouth still partially opened as if to speak. Then she clearly thought better of it, and closed her mouth, lips pressed tight into a thin line. She shot an apologetic look at Xander, who looked absolutely dead inside, then nodded once in acquiescence.

“I need a moment with Xander. In *private*.” She said, gaze firm, tone brooking no opposition.

Gertrude cautiously rose.  “You may, however, and I’m sure you already understand, but don’t try to run away with him Ms. Shaw.”

“Your insult is noted, thank you Chairwoman.” Tamzen said, coolly.

The older woman turned, leaving the room at a brisk pace, snapping for a guard to stand just outside, Magnus seeing to it personally.  He looked into the room, giving them both a look of regret.

Xander sat in silence, motionless and unblinking.  He looked at Tamzen, and seemed completely hollow.  Before anything could even be exchanged, silent tears started rolling down his face.

Tamzen immediately moved forward, placing a hand on either side of his face, and pressing her forehead against his. “Shh… love, stay with me for a moment here,” she said, in a soothing, coaxing voice. “We have decisions we need to make - I’ll get your stuff packed - is there anything you don’t want Gertrude knowing about? I’ll send it off to Kitty and Abby to hold on to for now. It’ll be safe there.”

Choking back his tears he nodded.  “My gift, she can’t touch that, she’s not allowed to throw away what you gave me…  All of my fencing gear, she’ll just ‘misplace’ that too…  That’s… that’s… that’s it.”

Tamzen nods, brushes a tear from his cheek. “Okay. I can do that. I’ll call them tonight and make arrangements - there’s stuff of mine that I don’t want to give Gertrude an excuse to “lose” either, so they’ll come down and take all of that back to Indianapolis and store it up in the attic for us.”

“Wait…”  He looked directly at Tamzen, locking his eyes on hers.  “Tamzen… you can’t… you shouldn’t…”

“Yeah, probably. But I am.”

“There are people who need you here, what about Arsling, what about-”

“She’ll be fine. Linny’s my friend, and I love her. But she doesn’t need me the way she used to. She’s got her pack now.”

“But the station, and your education, and… Tamzen I don’t want you packing up your life for my sake!  You’ve already done so much, given up so much, I couldn’t ask you to-”

Tamzen sighed and placed a kiss on his forehead. “Xander, *think*. We just had a very fancy party where I was introduced around to *everyone* as your fiancée - and introduced around to other people as the person she’s trying to mold into her heir apparent… even if I was inclined to leave you alone with that woman - which I assure you, I am manifestly *not* - what part of this makes you think that *either* of us have a choice in this?”

He sat in silence, tears continuing to roll down his cheeks in a never ending stream.  “Y-you’re right, s-sorry love.”  *Gods… I’m ruining her life.  It started the day she met me, and her life is just going to get worse and worse from here.  Fucking hell Tamzen I’m so sorry… so so damn sorry love.*

“Not to mention, I might not be able to keep you safe from fae, or cults, or really awkward social events - but I can at least protect you from her.” She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. “She’s going to do what she thinks is necessary, and when you can’t win, then you surrender, maintain your dignity, and sue for better terms.”

He leaned into her, his tears starting to subside.  “I… thank you Tamzen.  I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you in my life (*I proba-).”*

“You didn’t freak out when I came tumbling out of your closet door a few weeks back,” she said, with a teasing smile.

“Ah you forget so easily that I actually did madam.”  He began cracking a grin of his own.

“Only because you weren’t dressed at the time.”

“Funny how my shirt being off freaked us both out, when not an hour later…”  He gave her a quick peck on the cheek.  “Well I suppose you can’t really gauge how you’ll react to a situation until you’re faced with it.”

“I suppose not,” she agreed. “Are you going to be okay here, while I go make arrangements?”

“Yeah,” he sighed, “Yeah, I’ll be good, thanks to you love.”

She hugged him tightly for a long moment. When she finally released him, she gave him a crooked smile. “Wish me luck - I’m off to negotiate terms of surrender.”

He gave her a faux salute.  “Good luck out there general, we’ll all be pulling for you.”  From the doorway Magnus turned ever so slightly, and locking eyes with Tamzen gave her the smallest of salutes followed by a slight nod.

She swept a formal bow in Xander’s direction. “My Prince…” she murmured, eyes twinkling with amusement, before she turned and left the room to go find Gertrude.

\* \* \*

“I have a few obligations I need to make arrangements for,” Tamzen said matter-of-factly, as she faced Gertrude in the older woman’s study. “I need a day or two to take care of them, and then I’ll be ready to go.”

“Alright Ms. Shaw, it’ll take my staff a few days to gather their own possessions as well, some of them packed far *heavier* than expected anyways.  Saturday morning seems to be an appropriate amount of time for all parties to collectively gather their belongings, and of course say their goodbyes.  I’ll allow Xander to return to his room to do the same, though of course Magnus will be directly supervising him.  I admittedly am hesitant to permit this, however, I recognize the value in leaving contacts on good terms rather than simply vanishing.  Especially as there are quite a few… affluent individuals among his associates.”

*And I’m sure you still wish that I was one of them…* Tamzen thought to herself as she smiled serenely at Gertrude. “Then with your permission, I’m going to go change out of this dress, and go back to campus. We have a great deal to get done, and not a lot of time to do it in.”

“The gathering is over regardless, so you may proceed Ms. Shaw.  I expect you both here at 10am on Saturday.  I’m arraigning for a private plane to meet us here, and fly us back to the Crossman Manor directly.”  Gertrude drained another glass of wine, waiving a hand.  “That’ll be all Ms. Shaw, I’ll see you then.”