Unnatural History, "Caught In-Between" ch.14, rated R/M
Fandom: Unnatural History
Title: Caught In-Between
Chapter Title: 14: Building a Mystery
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: R/M (subject to change)
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Henry/Maggie, Jasper/Maggie, & Jasper/Henry
Warnings: polyamory, UST in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Cartoon Network owns Unnatural History. I only borrow and play.
Notes: In progress. OT3 fic, with mature situations to be added later. (Once completed I'll post to the UnH comm here at LJ.)
URLS: FFnet | AO3
Story Summary:As a strange heat wave hits DC, the gang becomes involved in a mystery that enhances their feelings for one another, with a new fertility artifact as a possible cause. Henry x Maggie x Jasper. In-progress.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Fourteen: Building a Mystery
“It all makes sense now,” Maggie said, craning her neck desperately away from the blade as her captor held her close. “Ms. Crowley could only be the one behind those other robberies. She didn’t start working at Smithson until after the most recent artifact was stolen, and she’s the one who convinced the school board to bring the exhibit here.”
“How clever, Ms. Winnock, but don’t expect any extra credit from this,” sneered the woman as she smirked at Henry. He slowly and cautiously handed her Madison’s bag with Mrs. Farah’s stolen artifacts. When she grabbed them, Henry reached over with his other hand quickly and put a tight grip on her wrist. “Watch it, Griffin. I’m the one that controls the show here.”
“Fair enough,” he said, quietly seething but drawing his hand away. “What I don’t understand is what you want with the stones. It can’t be for money.” He saw a strange flicker of satisfaction in her face. “No, it’s not for money because there must be a reason you have to use Madison, which is another thing I don’t understand.”
“Just let it go, Henry!” Madison called to him with fright, still cowering on the side and watching Crowley as she held Maggie hostage. Henry could see that Madison was a girl after his own heart, and she desperately wanted to find some way to help him and Maggie.
“Quiet!” Crowley said. “If you must know, Madison here owes me a debt. I was kicked out of her coven after she told the High Priestess I was stealing artifacts, so I threatened to tell her parents about her involvement in witchcraft, her very religious parents who would not approve of their daughter turning to Wicca.”
“But Wicca is a nature religion. The magic isn’t real - at least, they don’t believe in Hollywood magic like you would assume,” Maggie countered, still struggling in Crowley’s grip.
“It doesn’t matter. Madison had no choice but to be my accomplice,” she said, grinning at the shame that had appeared on Madison’s face.
“So she is innocent and you used her,” Henry said, giving Madison a pitying look before turning his anger back on Crowley. “But you, however, do believe in the magic that Maggie speaks of, but you don’t want to use it for good, do you?”
“What do you know of magic and its uses? What does that coven know? They call it lower magic, well I call it survival. The possibilities in these ancient artifacts are endless, and simpletons like Mrs. Farah collects them and she doesn’t even know of their true powers,” she sneered with disgust.
“But you do, and that’s why you’re stealing them. Not for money, but for power you believe you can gain from them,” Henry said. “You really think these stones will give you power?”
Ms. Crowley cocked her head and smiled smugly. “Power, love, money, anything I want. I just have to invoke the right spells, make the right sacrifices, and all will be mine.”
“That’s lower magic, and it goes against our Rede!” Madison yelled at her, and suddenly her timidity faded, and she was angry. Henry could tell she’d had enough of Crowley’s speech, that she was offended by her intentions. “We are not supposed to harm anyone, but you have done more than that, and you will pay a heavy price. The coven was right about you! They were right to kick you out!”
“Shut your mouth! The Rede; who cares about that? It’s not my code.” The woman started toward her, dragging Maggie along with her. Maggie shot Henry a look while Ms. Crowley was distracted by Madison, too engaged with fury at Madison’s defiance. Maggie looked down at the knife, and Henry shook his head; however, the expression her face was resolute. Maggie was determined to do something risky that Henry would not like, but he prepared for it anyway. He watched, and as Madison continued to bicker with Crowley on the abuse of her faith and its principals, Maggie watched as Crowley’s grip around her neck slacked for a split second, and then she acted.
Henry watched as Maggie emboldened with some kind of latent energy, for she threw Crowley’s arm off her, twisting out of her grip and then grabbing the woman’s wrist, spinning her as she flipped Crowley onto her back. The knife fell out of Crowley’s grip in her bewilderment, and Madison sprung to retrieve it as Maggie reacted, punching Crowley squarely in the gut. She chortled in pain, cringing into a fetal position and falling onto her side, coughing.
“Wow,” Henry said impressed, removing his belt as he began to make a binding of it. “Pull her up. We’ll tie her to that tree and call the police.”
“I’ll help!” Madison said, and she and Maggie pulled Crowley on her feet as Henry quickly tied her to a thin tree. She groaned as she bent over in pain. They all stepped back when she began to vomit.
“That was some punch,” Henry said, still impressed, and Maggie grinned at him.
“She’ll recover soon,” she said cheekily, and breaking the sweet moment between them, Maggie pulled out her cellphone and began dialing 911 to report the robbery.
Henry felt Madison hovering behind him, and she clasped her hands together in front of him and approached him nervously. “Um, Henry, look, I’m sorry about what happened,” she said.
Henry turned around and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault. She used something against you. Most kids in your position would have done the same thing.”
“It’s just that I’m not ready for my parents to find out yet. I’m only 16, so they may not think this is a serious choice. They may not believe me when I tell them this is what I believe and who I am, and it’s not just a phase,” Madison said, and Henry nodded. For a minute she stared at the bag before squealing, making Henry jump. “I almost forgot!”
Madison turned back to Crowley who was still recovering from Maggie’s intense punch. Madison began to dig around the pockets in Crowley’s long coat, and Henry saw her pull out a small leather-bound book as she found what she wanted.
“It’s her spell book,” Madison said, briefly meeting Henry’s eyes before she rifled through the pages. The girl frowned as she read. “As I suspected, it’s lower magic. She was trifling with some very dark stuff.”
Provided he believed any of it, Henry kept an open mind. “Will you take that book back to your coven?”
Madison shook her head adamantly. “They won’t want it. It’s best if it was destroyed.”
“No! All my work! You can’t do that! I’ll kill you,” Crowley crowed. Henry crossed his arms and glared at her.
“You don’t get to decide that anymore. You’re going to jail,” he said.
“And Mrs. Farah wants to have a word with you,” Maggie said, rejoining them after her call. She sighed as she looked at Henry. Madison put the book down to concentrate on guarding Ms. Crowley before the police came. “I called her. She said she’ll be here as soon as she can.” Maggie turned to Henry with a relieved smile. “She told me she can’t begin to thank us.”
Henry smiled proudly. “Well, I’m sure I’ll hear it when she gets here. Now, Madison, about that book.”
Maggie groaned and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re taking that stuff seriously.”
“You can never be too careful,” Henry said. “Maggie I’ve traveled the world and seen things I can’t explain. I’ve seen darkness and miracles. My mind has always been open to things based on faith, like love,” he said, leaning in and tapping her nose. She smiled back and shook her head as he turned to Madison. “Now, I’ll see to the book. I should think we should destroy it before the police get here. I don’t want your coven getting any bad press.”
Madison grinned. “That’s really sweet of you! Now, here. I trust you will do what’s right, Henry Griffin.”
He nodded, and then he turned to a garbage can in the grounds. He checked to see if anything hazardous was in there before setting it aflame. Seeing only papers and fast food cups at the bottom, Henry tossed the spell book in. Ms. Crowley wailed, fighting her restraints. Maggie turned around and threatened the woman with another gut-punch, and soon she was sobbing as sirens roared nearer and Henry threw a single match into the can. Something flammable must have been in there because the can engulfed in fire with a big whoosh before settling into a steady flame.
After the cops arrived at the scene, the flame in the can smoldered to mere smoke, with the spell book now nothing more than ash. The police proceeded to question Henry, Maggie, and Madison as they took Ms. Crowley into custody. Not minutes later, Mrs. Farah joined them and said some unkind words to Ms. Crowley, who said nothing in turn, and then Mrs. Farah turned to Henry and the others.
“Mr. Griffin, I can’t thank you enough for what you and your friends have done for me. You’ve caught the culprit that had always seemed to elude me,” she said gratefully.
“Well, now I’m guessing you can get all your stolen goods back, and you don’t have to worry about Ms. Crowley ever again,” he said with a pleasant smile.
She nodded. “I just don’t understand...she really thought my artifacts had magical powers?”
“You’d be surprised what people will do for power and money,” Maggie said, “even if it’s believing in the impossible.” She glanced at Henry knowingly.
“This is true,” Mrs. Farah said, and when awkward silence filled up between them, Henry spoke again.
“Well, maybe this heat wave will end now that the artifacts are back at their rightful place,” Henry mused.
“Don’t bet on it,” Madison said chuckling. “Don’t be silly. Those artifacts have nothing to do with the heat wave.” Henry looked at her, and the girl’s eyes twinkled mysteriously.
“Really?” he asked, not entirely convinced.
Maggie nudged him in the arm as Madison giggled. “See? I told you. The heat wave was only a coincidence.”
Henry watched as Ms. Crowley was taken off in a squad car, and he tapped his chin lightly, thinking busy thoughts. “Hrmm, I don’t know. Anything is possible.”
Chapter Fifteen
Title: Caught In-Between
Chapter Title: 14: Building a Mystery
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: R/M (subject to change)
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Characters/Pairings: Henry/Maggie, Jasper/Maggie, & Jasper/Henry
Warnings: polyamory, UST in later chapters.
Disclaimer: Cartoon Network owns Unnatural History. I only borrow and play.
Notes: In progress. OT3 fic, with mature situations to be added later. (Once completed I'll post to the UnH comm here at LJ.)
URLS: FFnet | AO3
Story Summary:As a strange heat wave hits DC, the gang becomes involved in a mystery that enhances their feelings for one another, with a new fertility artifact as a possible cause. Henry x Maggie x Jasper. In-progress.
Previous Chapter
Chapter Fourteen: Building a Mystery
“It all makes sense now,” Maggie said, craning her neck desperately away from the blade as her captor held her close. “Ms. Crowley could only be the one behind those other robberies. She didn’t start working at Smithson until after the most recent artifact was stolen, and she’s the one who convinced the school board to bring the exhibit here.”
“How clever, Ms. Winnock, but don’t expect any extra credit from this,” sneered the woman as she smirked at Henry. He slowly and cautiously handed her Madison’s bag with Mrs. Farah’s stolen artifacts. When she grabbed them, Henry reached over with his other hand quickly and put a tight grip on her wrist. “Watch it, Griffin. I’m the one that controls the show here.”
“Fair enough,” he said, quietly seething but drawing his hand away. “What I don’t understand is what you want with the stones. It can’t be for money.” He saw a strange flicker of satisfaction in her face. “No, it’s not for money because there must be a reason you have to use Madison, which is another thing I don’t understand.”
“Just let it go, Henry!” Madison called to him with fright, still cowering on the side and watching Crowley as she held Maggie hostage. Henry could see that Madison was a girl after his own heart, and she desperately wanted to find some way to help him and Maggie.
“Quiet!” Crowley said. “If you must know, Madison here owes me a debt. I was kicked out of her coven after she told the High Priestess I was stealing artifacts, so I threatened to tell her parents about her involvement in witchcraft, her very religious parents who would not approve of their daughter turning to Wicca.”
“But Wicca is a nature religion. The magic isn’t real - at least, they don’t believe in Hollywood magic like you would assume,” Maggie countered, still struggling in Crowley’s grip.
“It doesn’t matter. Madison had no choice but to be my accomplice,” she said, grinning at the shame that had appeared on Madison’s face.
“So she is innocent and you used her,” Henry said, giving Madison a pitying look before turning his anger back on Crowley. “But you, however, do believe in the magic that Maggie speaks of, but you don’t want to use it for good, do you?”
“What do you know of magic and its uses? What does that coven know? They call it lower magic, well I call it survival. The possibilities in these ancient artifacts are endless, and simpletons like Mrs. Farah collects them and she doesn’t even know of their true powers,” she sneered with disgust.
“But you do, and that’s why you’re stealing them. Not for money, but for power you believe you can gain from them,” Henry said. “You really think these stones will give you power?”
Ms. Crowley cocked her head and smiled smugly. “Power, love, money, anything I want. I just have to invoke the right spells, make the right sacrifices, and all will be mine.”
“That’s lower magic, and it goes against our Rede!” Madison yelled at her, and suddenly her timidity faded, and she was angry. Henry could tell she’d had enough of Crowley’s speech, that she was offended by her intentions. “We are not supposed to harm anyone, but you have done more than that, and you will pay a heavy price. The coven was right about you! They were right to kick you out!”
“Shut your mouth! The Rede; who cares about that? It’s not my code.” The woman started toward her, dragging Maggie along with her. Maggie shot Henry a look while Ms. Crowley was distracted by Madison, too engaged with fury at Madison’s defiance. Maggie looked down at the knife, and Henry shook his head; however, the expression her face was resolute. Maggie was determined to do something risky that Henry would not like, but he prepared for it anyway. He watched, and as Madison continued to bicker with Crowley on the abuse of her faith and its principals, Maggie watched as Crowley’s grip around her neck slacked for a split second, and then she acted.
Henry watched as Maggie emboldened with some kind of latent energy, for she threw Crowley’s arm off her, twisting out of her grip and then grabbing the woman’s wrist, spinning her as she flipped Crowley onto her back. The knife fell out of Crowley’s grip in her bewilderment, and Madison sprung to retrieve it as Maggie reacted, punching Crowley squarely in the gut. She chortled in pain, cringing into a fetal position and falling onto her side, coughing.
“Wow,” Henry said impressed, removing his belt as he began to make a binding of it. “Pull her up. We’ll tie her to that tree and call the police.”
“I’ll help!” Madison said, and she and Maggie pulled Crowley on her feet as Henry quickly tied her to a thin tree. She groaned as she bent over in pain. They all stepped back when she began to vomit.
“That was some punch,” Henry said, still impressed, and Maggie grinned at him.
“She’ll recover soon,” she said cheekily, and breaking the sweet moment between them, Maggie pulled out her cellphone and began dialing 911 to report the robbery.
Henry felt Madison hovering behind him, and she clasped her hands together in front of him and approached him nervously. “Um, Henry, look, I’m sorry about what happened,” she said.
Henry turned around and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry. It wasn’t your fault. She used something against you. Most kids in your position would have done the same thing.”
“It’s just that I’m not ready for my parents to find out yet. I’m only 16, so they may not think this is a serious choice. They may not believe me when I tell them this is what I believe and who I am, and it’s not just a phase,” Madison said, and Henry nodded. For a minute she stared at the bag before squealing, making Henry jump. “I almost forgot!”
Madison turned back to Crowley who was still recovering from Maggie’s intense punch. Madison began to dig around the pockets in Crowley’s long coat, and Henry saw her pull out a small leather-bound book as she found what she wanted.
“It’s her spell book,” Madison said, briefly meeting Henry’s eyes before she rifled through the pages. The girl frowned as she read. “As I suspected, it’s lower magic. She was trifling with some very dark stuff.”
Provided he believed any of it, Henry kept an open mind. “Will you take that book back to your coven?”
Madison shook her head adamantly. “They won’t want it. It’s best if it was destroyed.”
“No! All my work! You can’t do that! I’ll kill you,” Crowley crowed. Henry crossed his arms and glared at her.
“You don’t get to decide that anymore. You’re going to jail,” he said.
“And Mrs. Farah wants to have a word with you,” Maggie said, rejoining them after her call. She sighed as she looked at Henry. Madison put the book down to concentrate on guarding Ms. Crowley before the police came. “I called her. She said she’ll be here as soon as she can.” Maggie turned to Henry with a relieved smile. “She told me she can’t begin to thank us.”
Henry smiled proudly. “Well, I’m sure I’ll hear it when she gets here. Now, Madison, about that book.”
Maggie groaned and rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you’re taking that stuff seriously.”
“You can never be too careful,” Henry said. “Maggie I’ve traveled the world and seen things I can’t explain. I’ve seen darkness and miracles. My mind has always been open to things based on faith, like love,” he said, leaning in and tapping her nose. She smiled back and shook her head as he turned to Madison. “Now, I’ll see to the book. I should think we should destroy it before the police get here. I don’t want your coven getting any bad press.”
Madison grinned. “That’s really sweet of you! Now, here. I trust you will do what’s right, Henry Griffin.”
He nodded, and then he turned to a garbage can in the grounds. He checked to see if anything hazardous was in there before setting it aflame. Seeing only papers and fast food cups at the bottom, Henry tossed the spell book in. Ms. Crowley wailed, fighting her restraints. Maggie turned around and threatened the woman with another gut-punch, and soon she was sobbing as sirens roared nearer and Henry threw a single match into the can. Something flammable must have been in there because the can engulfed in fire with a big whoosh before settling into a steady flame.
After the cops arrived at the scene, the flame in the can smoldered to mere smoke, with the spell book now nothing more than ash. The police proceeded to question Henry, Maggie, and Madison as they took Ms. Crowley into custody. Not minutes later, Mrs. Farah joined them and said some unkind words to Ms. Crowley, who said nothing in turn, and then Mrs. Farah turned to Henry and the others.
“Mr. Griffin, I can’t thank you enough for what you and your friends have done for me. You’ve caught the culprit that had always seemed to elude me,” she said gratefully.
“Well, now I’m guessing you can get all your stolen goods back, and you don’t have to worry about Ms. Crowley ever again,” he said with a pleasant smile.
She nodded. “I just don’t understand...she really thought my artifacts had magical powers?”
“You’d be surprised what people will do for power and money,” Maggie said, “even if it’s believing in the impossible.” She glanced at Henry knowingly.
“This is true,” Mrs. Farah said, and when awkward silence filled up between them, Henry spoke again.
“Well, maybe this heat wave will end now that the artifacts are back at their rightful place,” Henry mused.
“Don’t bet on it,” Madison said chuckling. “Don’t be silly. Those artifacts have nothing to do with the heat wave.” Henry looked at her, and the girl’s eyes twinkled mysteriously.
“Really?” he asked, not entirely convinced.
Maggie nudged him in the arm as Madison giggled. “See? I told you. The heat wave was only a coincidence.”
Henry watched as Ms. Crowley was taken off in a squad car, and he tapped his chin lightly, thinking busy thoughts. “Hrmm, I don’t know. Anything is possible.”
Chapter Fifteen