Dresden Files: Talking to Harry
Title: Talking to Harry
Fandom: The Dresden Files
Author: Keenir
Summary: Ancient Mai stops by to talk to Harry (who has someone she wants)
Spoilers: What About Bob?, and possibly Bad Blood
AU: Harry's mum is different. (listed here: Table of Changes).
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The door is not an obstacle - its bolts slide out and the wood tumbles down the stair. Nobody sees this because it is cold and dark out, and because Morgan's castings discourage inquisitive eyes. Inside the door's building, theres an audible noise of both alarm, surprise (no surprise there), and disbelief (the presence of which only confirms the reports).
Morgan steps inside, and then I do.
"Who are you?" the owner and resident asks us.
"Harry Dresden," I say to him.
"No, see, that's me."
"I know."
"Huh."
"The Astounding Dresden."
"That was my dad; everybody's heard of him. Well did you know you didn't have to rip out my door just to get my autograph - I'm not the magician my dad was, but I dabble now and again; at parties mostly - or schedule an appointment?"
"Show respect, Dresden," Morgan tells him.
"Respect? Look, I'm not the one who's breaking and entering. Now if the two f you leave now, I won't be forced to call the cops."
"You already called them," I say. Not to deal with us, but to help the one you're sheltering.
"How did you know that?"
With a fraction of my attention, I sever the link between his phone and its cord (the loud explosive spark is purely for show).
Dresden flinches. "How'd you do that?"
"My name is Ancient Mai." Out of habit, I give it a few seconds to sink in, but he has the facial expressioni of a man who's never heard of me. "You have one minute to surrender the troublemaker you are presently sheltering."
"My cat? Why do you want my cat?"
Not your cat. Your vampire. "You should be more like your father."
"You knew my dad?" Dresden asks. "Big fan?"
"I knew him by reputation mostly. He was smart enough to not open a quarrel with dangerous elements." He had started to court the Morningway daughter, but was convincable enough to call it off.
"Yeah well," Dresden says, "it didn't exactly save him from a heart attack, now did it?" Looking around myself and Morgan, "Shouldn't the police be here by now?"
"This isn't a police matter," Morgan says.
"Oh really? Then whose is it?"
"This is my jurisdiction," I inform him.
"Chicago's finest might disagree with you there," Dresden says.
"That would be difficult, Harry," says the vampiress Bianca, coming out of the hiding place Dresden had placed her within. "The police don't even know we exist."
"What?" Dresden asks, a question that tells me how little she's told him.
"I appreciate that you tried," Bianca tells Dresden, sliding one palm against his cheek. "It's more than most would've done - I owe you, and I don't forget."
"Thanks. Know any good repairmen?"
With a thought, I bring Dresden's door back to where it was, bolts and all. Dryly I say, "You owe me for the door."
"Excuse me?" he asks, almost in my face now.
I permit my face to ripple, showing hints of the fetal god gestating within me. Dresden stumbles back, and is in shock until the three of us are gone.
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The End
Author's note: I tried keeping Dresden recognizably Dresden - though a strict application of the Butterfly Effect would say that Harry wouldn't neccessarily be recognizable (after his dad's death, he might've ended up like Leverage's Eliot, like Primeval's Helen...anything. So I played it close to canon.
Fandom: The Dresden Files
Author: Keenir
Summary: Ancient Mai stops by to talk to Harry (who has someone she wants)
Spoilers: What About Bob?, and possibly Bad Blood
AU: Harry's mum is different. (listed here: Table of Changes).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door is not an obstacle - its bolts slide out and the wood tumbles down the stair. Nobody sees this because it is cold and dark out, and because Morgan's castings discourage inquisitive eyes. Inside the door's building, theres an audible noise of both alarm, surprise (no surprise there), and disbelief (the presence of which only confirms the reports).
Morgan steps inside, and then I do.
"Who are you?" the owner and resident asks us.
"Harry Dresden," I say to him.
"No, see, that's me."
"I know."
"Huh."
"The Astounding Dresden."
"That was my dad; everybody's heard of him. Well did you know you didn't have to rip out my door just to get my autograph - I'm not the magician my dad was, but I dabble now and again; at parties mostly - or schedule an appointment?"
"Show respect, Dresden," Morgan tells him.
"Respect? Look, I'm not the one who's breaking and entering. Now if the two f you leave now, I won't be forced to call the cops."
"You already called them," I say. Not to deal with us, but to help the one you're sheltering.
"How did you know that?"
With a fraction of my attention, I sever the link between his phone and its cord (the loud explosive spark is purely for show).
Dresden flinches. "How'd you do that?"
"My name is Ancient Mai." Out of habit, I give it a few seconds to sink in, but he has the facial expressioni of a man who's never heard of me. "You have one minute to surrender the troublemaker you are presently sheltering."
"My cat? Why do you want my cat?"
Not your cat. Your vampire. "You should be more like your father."
"You knew my dad?" Dresden asks. "Big fan?"
"I knew him by reputation mostly. He was smart enough to not open a quarrel with dangerous elements." He had started to court the Morningway daughter, but was convincable enough to call it off.
"Yeah well," Dresden says, "it didn't exactly save him from a heart attack, now did it?" Looking around myself and Morgan, "Shouldn't the police be here by now?"
"This isn't a police matter," Morgan says.
"Oh really? Then whose is it?"
"This is my jurisdiction," I inform him.
"Chicago's finest might disagree with you there," Dresden says.
"That would be difficult, Harry," says the vampiress Bianca, coming out of the hiding place Dresden had placed her within. "The police don't even know we exist."
"What?" Dresden asks, a question that tells me how little she's told him.
"I appreciate that you tried," Bianca tells Dresden, sliding one palm against his cheek. "It's more than most would've done - I owe you, and I don't forget."
"Thanks. Know any good repairmen?"
With a thought, I bring Dresden's door back to where it was, bolts and all. Dryly I say, "You owe me for the door."
"Excuse me?" he asks, almost in my face now.
I permit my face to ripple, showing hints of the fetal god gestating within me. Dresden stumbles back, and is in shock until the three of us are gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The End
Author's note: I tried keeping Dresden recognizably Dresden - though a strict application of the Butterfly Effect would say that Harry wouldn't neccessarily be recognizable (after his dad's death, he might've ended up like Leverage's Eliot, like Primeval's Helen...anything. So I played it close to canon.