Chapter Text
All was quiet in the Verres household. In the living room Edward Varres and a much younger woman sat quietly. Scattered around them were four clocks, four different ways of keeping time. A digital on the mantle, a mechanical one on the wall, a flat cell phone on the table, and Mr. Varres' pocket watch. They all read 11:59.
There was no one else in the house. Tedd and Grace were off in their dorms. Their various friends and family had joined them in higher education or had decided to take time off and figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. Their absence left the pair alone in silence, watching the clocks.
Within a few seconds of one another, the clocks all turned over to 12:00. The mechanical clock on the wall chimed the hour. Still they sat quietly
The clocks read 12:01.
“That's it,” said the woman. “A year and a day. If he was going to come he would have by now.”
Mr. Verres merely grunted.
“So what happens to me now?” the young woman asked. “Is this the part where you arrest me?”
“Ms. Mattox...” Mr. Verres sighed and put his watch away in his pocket. “Ms. Mattox, I do not like you. Your actions put my family at risk, and a personal willingness to fix the issue does not absolve you of creating the issue in the first place. You have caused me, personally, a great deal of extra work, not to mention several sleepless nights.”
He paused, looking at the young woman in across from him as she chewed on her lip, not meeting his eye. He then glanced down at her hands, to the missing fingernail on her right ring finger that even a year later had yet to grow back.
“Ms. Mattox.” he began again. “I do not like you. But in the end nothing you did was illegal. And so it is my job to deal with you. You are a young woman in an unenviable situation. You have no family here, no life to return to. Even if you could manage to find a way home, you still exist over there, having never left. You yourself now exist as a... How did you put it? 'An imprint left in clay.'” Ms. Mattox had now folded her arms across her arms and was steadfastly looking at the floor.
“Nevertheless,” he continued, not looking directly at her, “over the last year you are someone I watched attempt to fulfill her obligations to the best of her ability. You have continuously attempted to protect those you interacted with, and have attempted to shield others from harm beyond any legal requirement to do so. It is my belief, whatever my personal feelings for you, that you are a fundamentally honest person, deserving all of the rights and responsibilities being a sentient citizen in this country provides.”
Out of the corner of his eye he saw her shoulders slump in relief and she let out the breath he wasn't aware she had been holding.
“You will be provided with government assisted housing. In order to keep this housing you must find some form of employment, and you, like everyone else on this form of assistance, will have six months to do so. You will be provided with vouchers for food and utilities for the first six months, and their value will be reassessed after the six month time frame is up. I would also recommend attending the local community college. Given your situation, I believe the social contact would be good for you.”
Ms. Mattox kept her head down, eyes toward the floor. She waited for a long moment before replying. “Thanks.”
“You are welcome. It might also be possible that, because of your skills, you will be hired on special consignment from time to time, by my department or others.” He looked over the rim of his glasses at her. “That will not be a steady job, however, and you will be required to keep steady employment in order to keep your housing. Tomorrow morning- later this morning I suppose, I will take you down to view your apartment. And Ms. Mattox?” He waited to continue until she looked up at him. “By this time two days from now you will have your items out of my house.”
--A little over one year ago.
Edward Verres is an important man, though few people ever heard his name. He is in charge of all Paranormal Diplomacy; be it international, extraplanar, extraterrestrial or even extradimensional. This afforded him a large desk in a large office in an important and highly secure building in the American Heartland. Unlike many important people, he didn't adorn his walls with trophies or certificates. In truth the little decoration he allowed in his office were taken up with portraits of his child, Tedd. More recent photographs included Grace, the woman he supposed would soon be his daughter in-law. The way things had been going he would be surprised if one of them hadn't proposed to the other by the time the year was out.
The truth is despite his lofty position he'd had very little to do in the last year, barring a few tense days when Earth had been visited by the Deathless Army of Rage. Whatever his impressive title said, the sideways promotion into the head of his current department had effectively sidelined him. He could wield a substantial amount of power if he chose to, and had several time over the last year as various paranormal emergencies had reared their heads. But now for the most part his job was to interact with, to compile and to coordinate agencies and information. And yet the agencies and departments he was supposed to be working with had already been running so well and for so long that he had surprisingly little to do with his time. In fact, outside of emergencies, it sometimes seemed like he had nothing to do at all.
The phone on his desk chimed; the caller ID read 'Nanase—Urgent'. With a sigh the stabbed the button to answer the call and switched it over to intercom. “Nanase, I suppose it would be to much to hope for this to be a social call?” Edward asked dryly.
“Hi uncle Edward,” came his niece's voice through the speaker, she was speaking rapidly to convey as much information in as short a time as possible. “Tedd said to call you to let you know what was going on. Several of us had come over at your place for movies. Tedd was watching Justin use his magic like he does when he said there was something like a bolt of lightning that hit Sarah- only the rest of us never saw anything. Sarah was stunned for a minute then she snarled, I didn't even know humans could snarl, and she bolted out of the basement--”
“Nanase-” Edward began. But Nanase, if she heard him at all, simply talked over him.
“-Ellen tried to stop Sarah on the stairs, but Sarah simply flattened her and kept on going--” There was a sudden increase in yelling in the background. “Something's happening. SorryuncleEdbutIgottago.”
“Nanase wait-!” he began, but the line was already dead.
Edward Verres was not by nature a violent man, nor one prone to making decisions in haste. But he was a man with precious little family in this world, as well as quite a bit of authority with which to protect them with. Pulling out his personal phone he opened his contacts and selected the forth one down.
“Wolf?” He asked as soon as his call was answered. “It's Ed. Are you in town? … Good. Gather up anyone that's there and get them to my house now. Something's going on. I'm on my way but you'll get there faster.”
–- A little while before that.
Ellen sat three steps from the bottom on the stairs leading down into the basement watching bemusedly at the sight before her. Tedd had tilted his head a little, pinching his chin between his thumb and forefinger as he watched Justin finish an Anime Martial Arts kata. Doing that thing he does where he actually see can see magic. “Okay now, one more time.” They had just taken a quick break when Susan slipped by to rummage for snacks upstairs.
“With feeling!” Nanase added from her place on the couch with Sarah.
“Ha-ha” Tedd shot back, before thinking about it for a moment. “Actually, do try to put feeling into it, let's see if that changes anything. But then, movies!”
They were all supposed to all be upstairs watching movies by now. The new Occupied Evil movie would be in the dollar theater soon- though why they still called it a 'dollar theater' when it now cost $3.75 to get in Ellen wasn't quite sure- and Justin recommend they watch all the others in a marathon. After the last several weeks of Griffins, Vampires, angry Immortals and a pissed off crazy cult leader, a marathon of bad 'horror' seemed like a nice change of pace. Most everyone had the day free. Elliot had a prior date with Ashley. And the mysterious Sam, Sarah's new boyfriend, had something else to do. That part didn't sit well with Ellen, she definitely wanted a chance to vet this new guy before things got too serious between him and Sarah.
As luck would have it, Justin arrived first, and Tedd used that opportunity to lure him into his basement/lair/lab so he could finally get a chance to study Justin's magic. 'Come down to my lab.' Tedd had said 'I have lots of freaky, sexy stuff down there.'
'Freaky and sexy?' Justin had replied in a low, husky voice. 'That sounds fantastic. The only reason my shirt's still on is because you're dating Grace.'
Tedd blushed. 'Who do you think told me to invite you down there...?' he said, biting the end of his finger.
Or that's how Ellen chose to believe it happened, anyway. Mentally putting Tedd in situations he'd find embarrassing was a very minor way at getting back at him for all of the mental anguish he'd caused her a year ago. Not that she really blamed him anymore, or so the logical part of her mind would say. The events that led to her creation had been a total accident. But logic and emotion were rarely on the same page, so she took silent joy in inflicting the occasional petty torment which would never actually affect him... Plus, you know, he was cute.
Everyone else had drifted in over the next fifteen minutes. But by that time Tedd was already engrossed in Tedd-land, Teddsylvania, The People's Republic of Tedd, Tedd.. Something. where he ruled as his (or her) Teddness.
Susan showed up after Justin. Sarah arrived just after, but she was quite used to Tedd being eccentric, so she simply sat on the couch and chatted. By the time Ellen and Nanase had arrived everyone had already set up shop in the basement. 'Three more minutes. Then movies,' Tedd had claimed. Which, to his credit, had only been around six minutes ago.
“I don't think adding emotion did anything, at least not that I can see,” Tedd said, running a hand through his lilac hair in thought. “If we could get someone else to learn this spell—” His whole body suddenly jumped in surprise. “What?”
“What 'what'?” Grace asked, rocking from the balls of her feet to her heels and back again.
“There's something... Sarah...” Tedd trailed off, now looking intently at her.
Ellen looked down at her. Tedd was right. Sarah was sitting, staring at her hands like she had never seen them before. From where she was sitting Ellen couldn't see Sarah's face but her girlfriend could, and what Nanase was able to see had her concerned.
“Sarah?” Nanase began to ask. “Are-” That was as far as she got. Two things happened. The first was Sarah snarled, not yelled, or growled, but snarled like a beast, which Ellen wasn't even aware humans were capable of doing, the second was Sarah slamming her shoulder into Nanase. Barely over five foot, just this side of chubby, Sarah drove her body into the larger woman so hard Nanase was sent toppling over the arm of the couch.
“What the Carp!?” Nanase yelled.
“Something's wrong,” said Tedd.
“Are you okay!?” Grace cried, though Ellen wasn't sure if Grace was asking Sarah or Nanase.
Sarah leaped to her feat and made for the foot of the stairs. “Sarah, are--” Justin hurriedly began while stepping in the way, putting his hands up but not trying to touch her. Everything in the basement was happening so fast he never had time to cancel his spell. Sarah lunged right for him, grabbing at his wrists, not knowing or not caring what that spell could do. An instant before they touched Justin's magic flickered and died. Rather then give him time to be relieved Sarah jerked his arms out, rotating them both with her momentum and, using her body as a counterbalance, flung the much heavier man out of the way. Sprawling him into Grace and knocking them both into the wall.
“Stop her!” Tedd yelled. “Don't let her out!”
Ellen was already on her feet, at some point in the last few seconds she had moved down to the bottom landing. She knew Sarah well, all her life in some ways. Even without her magic she knew she was a lot stronger and, unlike Sarah, Ellen knew how to fight. She was ready for this. “I'm sorry, but you aren't leaving,” she said as she reached out to grab Sarah by the shoulders, ready to force the much weaker woman back onto the couch. Tedd could find a way to fix this.
Ellen wasn't ready for the forearm that came up, batting her's away. She wasn't ready when Sarah's hands latched down onto her wrist and elbow, trapping her arm. She wasn't ready when Sarah's leg slammed into her own, crushing her ability to maintain her balance. She was barely able to make herself ready when Sarah used the leverage she had gained to twist both their bodies around and began to throw. At that instant, vividly she was able to recall Sensei Greg once demonstrating to Elliot, back when she still was Elliot, what to do in this situation. “If anyone ever grabs you like this when they go to throw you, you have to roll into it like so. If you don't, your own body's torque will break your arm at the elbow.'
Ellen used what little control over her body's momentum that she had to rotate herself around the throw. Twisting so as to keep her feet under her and her arm intact... And it worked. She still landed hard, hitting the ground in a crouch; her knees were going to hate her tomorrow. But for now she was elated. Not only was she okay, but she had properly executed a difficult maneuver which she had never once physically practiced.
Sarah congratulated Ellen by driving a fist into her sternum, knocking her backwards from her precarious crouch and laying her flat out on the floor.
It would take Ellen several moments to collect herself. At that instant she was aware of the ceiling, of Justin running past her up the stairs and of Tedd yelling at someone to call his father.
Justin took the stairs three at a time, launching himself through the doorway at the top of the stairs in into the kitchen. Sarah was rattling the locked patio door, howling in frustration that she couldn't get it to open. She began to turn around, whether it was because she heard him or she was looking for another way out he didn't know.
“Sarah, wait-” he began again, only to have the words die in his throat. Her face was bestial, inhuman, a twisted mask of anger that suddenly made him regret recommending zombie movies for the evening.
Once again, she charged him. By reflex Justin powered up the magic in his fists but he couldn't bring himself to do more than hold them out in front of him. Even touching her with that spell up could be disastrous. Sarah was his friend. He knew he had no idea what was going on, but he didn't want to hurt her.
In the end the decision was made for him. She knocked his hands away, once again his magic flickering away and dying an instant before she made contact, and shouldered him hard. Driving them both back through the kitchen and into the far wall. This time he wasn't surprised. He grabbed her upper arm with his right hand to hold her still. Sarah responded by rearing back for a headbutt but in doing so telegraphed her intentions, Justin stopped it by grabbing her forehead in the palm of his left hand.
It was that moment he realized. She's good at what she does. She's been taught. She knows what she is doing and is applying her lessons well and with extreme aggression. But even so her skills are no more advanced than a moderate student's. Her motions are sloppy. She telegraphs her movements ahead of time. She's been getting by on pure aggression so far.
He realized in that instant that she was good, but he was better.
Justin let go of her arm, placed his right hand on her sternum and he pushed. Sarah stumbled back, arms cartwheeling in an attempt to stay upright. And very nearly loosing her feet anyway.
“Sarah,” he began again. “I don't want to hurt you.” But she wasn't listening. She turned around and bolted down the hall towards the front door, dragging a chair out with her foot as she did so, knocking it over in his path to slow him down. He knew it wouldn't matter, the front door was locked too. Knowing what he knew now, all they had to do was get any two of himself, Nanase, Grace of Ellen together and they'd easily be able to subdue Sarah.
That's when he looked down the hall and saw her charging straight for Susan.
Susan froze. She looked at her friend and saw a face contorted. She saw a face of anger. She saw a face of rage. She saw a face of hate. Susan had only seen a face like that once before. In France. Her nightmares had come to life, and now one of her friends wore that face.
Panicking she summoned her sword, but found suddenly that she had forgotten how to use it. Justin was yelling something that she couldn't make out as her brain was frantically trying to remember what the Immortals had told her about how to use the blade she now held. Only one coherent thought was able to force its way through the fog of her brain as the monster closed in: 'Please let this be a nightmare.'
Sarah ducked in under Susan's guard and grabbed her by the forearm, hammering the side of her free hand where Susan's thumb met her wrist. Susan yelped and let go of the blade, unsummoning it as she did so. Sarah was already lunging for it, but paused for a moment, confused, when her hands only grabbed empty air.
“Sarah?” Susan asked, her voice trembling. Tedd and Justin were already coming down the Hall. Her friend looked back at her, snarling, before bolting into the only open path left, the living room.
The kitchen was empty by the time Grace had gotten to the top of the stairs, she turned left, Ellen and Nanase followed her. Heading through the dining room and round into the living room seconds after Sarah ran in from the front hall. Grace, Ellen and Nanase were between Sarah and one door, Tedd and Justin between her and the other. Now Sarah had no way out.
Sarah took turns snarling towards one group, then the other. Her posture and movements aggressive, bestial, inhuman. Her face contorted by hisses and growls, roaring if anyone made a move closer.
To say Grace was feeling upset was an understatement. “Sarah,” she pleaded as Sarah looked at her. “please tell me what's wrong.”
“Grace...” Tedd answered. “That's not Sarah.” Sarah looked at him.
“Then who is it!?” Nanase yelled.
“I don't- I can't tell. Everything about her that I can see,” he replied, gritting his teeth in frustration, “It just keeps changing.” At some point Susan had overcome her fear and slipped into the room behind Tedd, but Grace wasn't entirely sure just when that happened.
“Sarah,” Justin said while stepping forward, but still out of reach. His hands held out in front of him non-threateningly, ignoring as Sarah snapped in his direction with her tiny human teeth. “Sarah, we're your friends. We care about you and we only want to help you.”
Something in Grace's mind clicked that no matter what else she did, Sarah would look at whomever said her name. On the verge of tears Grace pleaded with her. “Sarah!”
Sarah turned toward her with a renewed snarl, her head canted at an almost unnatural angle.
“Your name is Sarah Brown. Sarah. Brown.” Grace pleaded. “Please, you're my friend, you have to remember!”
Sarah's posture shifted as she turned slightly towards the squirrel, tilting her head again to flick her now wild hair out of her face. “Brown?” she replied, in a voice little more than a low growl. “No Brown.”
Grace took half a step forward, but for once Sarah did not shy away. “Sarah. I don't know what's wrong. But please, please, let me help you.”
For a long moment nothing happened. But then slowly, cautiously, Sarah began edging towards her. At all times shifting to keep maximum distance between her and everyone but Grace. Legs bent, posture hunched. Her movements more akin to a great ape or a feral dog than a human.
“Graaaace...” Tedd said, softly and calmly so as not to spook Sarah. “Is that such a good idea?”
Grace kept her eyes on Sarah, but never looking directly in her eyes, as she replied. “She's my friend.” She found she had to pause to swallow her suddenly dry throat. “I'm not scared. We keep her calm and we can find out what's going on.”
By now Sarah had made it most of the way across the room towards her. Creeping closer like a stray cat being offered food, moving cautiously and ready to leap back at the slightest provocation. Grace closed her eyes for a long moment and controlled her breathing, keeping her hands at her side and allowing Sarah come closer at her own pace. Everyone else in the room waited silently, desperate not to challenge the fragile peace.
Grace and Sarah were normally about the same height, or whatever passed for normal for a shapeshifter. But with Sarah crouched over the way she was Grace had to crane her neck down to keep her friend in view as she crept the last few feet closer. Less then a foot away Sarah stopped and did something unusual for a feral animal, she looked Grace directly in the eyes. Grace looked back, attempting to keep her face a careful neutral mask, praying her eyes did not give away her anxiety. In Sarah's blue eyes she no longer saw the rage from before, now they were clouded by suspicion.
'please-please-please-please-please' were the only words in Grace's mind, repeating over and over again.
Slowly, without breaking eye contact, Sarah leaned up. Carefully coming closer, stretching until her face was level with Grace's neck. Then Sarah leaned in, causing Grace to stifle a small jump when Sarah's face pressed against the hollow of her throat. She could feel Sarah take a single long breath in through her nose, before rocking back slightly, pondering whatever it was she was able to smell.
She watched as Sarah, less cautiously this time, leaned in towards her collarbone. Bending down to inhale a single long breath from shoulder to elbow.
Then something began to happen. Sarah's legs and back began straightening, she raised her head and after a few moments, for the first time since the change, stood as a human would.
“Alright.” She said in a voice that was definitely not Sarah's. “I'm listening.”