FIC: other things the road to hell is paved with [16/?]

[luciazephyr]

Two things.

1. If you're trying to follow me on Twitter, you might want to let me know first. Anyone friending me who I don't recognize, I tend to block because I get creeped out easily. Just FYI, if I block you, it's not personal, just comment and go "hey, that was me, chill the fuck out, Lucy."

2. This... was not the chapter I intended to write. It was supposed to have two more plot-related scenes, but a Certain Scene went really long. As you read the Certain Scene-- and you will know it when you read it-- I hope you can forgive my long-windedness.


Title: other things the road to hell is paved with [16/?]
Rating/Warnings: PG-13, potentially R or NC-17 later.
Summary: Another way the Baron rose to power. Another way the wizard became a Knight.
Word Count: This chapter: 4748. So far: 86359.

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen

The building was on fire and it wasn't my fault.

... Why do I get the feeling you've heard this one before?

It was loud inside the building. Michael and I had pulled every alarm we could find and he was ensuring the few Friday night workers lingering in the building got to safety. Sirens blared and the fires I'd set burned merrily as I ran down the stairs.

I said it wasn't my fault. I never said I didn't start it.

It'd been a rough evening. I actually took a case from my real job, a client who wanted me to check out some strange goings-on in a stout, old office building on the Loop. I'd tried to call in to get some back-up from John, but either the lines were tied up or the pay phones didn't like me today. John, fussy mob boss that he was, kept insisting I go everywhere with some form of back-up. Bianca and her Reds were getting bolder, striking further and more frequently in John's territory, and he was worried about her threat on my life.

For the most part, I went along with it. Having two mafiosi follow me from a distance was starting to seem commonplace. Most of the time, I didn't need the help. Practically speaking, I was the heaviest hitter against the Red Court and generally ended up fighting off any attackers while the mobsters got their holy water paintball guns ready.

The guns had been John's idea, a weapon lethal to vampires but not civilians. He said he got the plans off a contact of his. I wasn't sure who you had to know to get information like that, but I was grateful anyway.

Today, though, I couldn't get a call through to John's office and instead called Michael to see if he wanted to accompany me on a totally safe, routine case. I'd told him it was going to be easy. Get in, see what was up with the building, get out.

It had been, up until the point an ambush of Reds tackled me and tried to sink some teeth into my neck. Michael took one out with a sweep of Amoracchius. We managed to get away, out of the cramped corridor and into a more open area.

I started lighting things up and Michael set to evacuating civilians, getting them out of the building before they got caught in the crossfire. I insisted that I could hold of the vampire hitters while Michael was busy, but that had been ten minutes ago. The fires were getting larger and I hadn't been expecting a fight like this.

I stumbled and fell down a few of the stairs I was running pell mell down. As I hit the ground and rolled, I brought up my shield, creating a dome over me.

Just in time. A Red leapt down the stairwell at me and landed on my shield, feet planted on the shell of force. I cried out, drawing in my will and trying to keep the shield up despite the onslaught. I could see, past the Red hovering over me, his vampire buddies coming to help out.

I brought up my rod, holding it so it rested against my shield. Time for new hat trick number 14, and I hated how I always ended up testing these in the field when their failure would likely kill me. "Contegus forzare!"

My shield flew away from me like a battering ram, launching the Red on me against the others, knocking them down like a bunch of undead bowling pins.

"Harry!" I twisted my head to see Michael working his way up to me. Above me, fire was raging, and I wiggled under the heat until I could get closer. Michael grabbed my arm and hauled me over to the downward stairs and off we went, We moved fast, because as nice as it would be if the Reds went up in the building's flames, I doubted we'd get that lucky.

We came out of the building in a narrow alley behind it. I looked up, seeing the smoke pouring out of the upper windows, black against the red of the sunset. It was almost nightfall, when the vampires could move around as they wished.

"You get everyone out?"

Michael nodded. "There weren't many, but they're all out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Harry."

"Okay." I walked back to the door we'd come out of and opened it to look up the stairs. A few floors up, I could see movement coming towards me. To hell with that.

I stepped into the building, just far enough to point my rod up in the center space, the open air around the stairs. I drew in my will, pouring all my frustration and pain into my magic. I hurt, I was tired, and aching in more than a handful of places. I felt awful, like something in my magic had been knocked loose in the fight. I just wanted to be done with this.

I took in a long breath and bellowed, "FUEGO! VENTAS FUEGO!"

A cyclone of fire erupted from my rod and soared up into the stairwell. Things got very hot very fast and I tumbled back out of the building. Michael slammed the door shut after me as I fell to my knees in the dirt, taking deep, gasping breaths.

Behind me, I heard the sound of things blowing up. I was a bit dizzy from overexertion though and didn't move right away. Michael grabbed me, one hand under my arm, and bodily carried me away from the building.



Michael drove us away from the building in his big truck. I could hear police sirens and fire engines in our wake. Hell's bells, I must have really torched the place.

I wearily lifted my head from where I'd been resting it against the window and looked at Michael. "Pay phone," I croaked.

"Are you sure?"

"If I don't call, John's going to have a conniption fit." He was going to get word of the exploding office building fast and he tended to assume the worst.

"All right." He drove a little further and pulled over, so close to the curb and one of the phones, I could probably just lean out the window and dial.

I opened the door, gave it a few quarters, and dialed John's new line. I'd let it slip about Susan having the number for his old one and the next day he'd changed it. I apologized, and he'd told it me was no trouble, but in the most passive aggressive tone ever. I sat back in the truck, my legs hanging out, leaning my elbows on them as I listened to the phone ring. At least it wasn't a busy signal this time, like it had been all day.

Ms. Reynolds, the secretary, put me through to Hendricks instead of John. "Dresden, tell me that building was you."

"Yeah. Me and a squad of Reds. Figured it'd be better to finish burning it down and make sure they didn't get out alive. Or... not alive, seeing as they're vampires."

"You sound like shit."

"Thanks," I grumbled. "Tell John I'm fine and we got all the people out before going Towering Inferno on the place."

"Will do. You need to come by. Boss wants to speak to you."

I scrubbed my face. I just wanted to go home and sleep for twelve hours. "Put him on."

"He's in a meeting."

"Can't he take a break?"

"Not that kind of meeting."

I sat back in the passenger seat, blowing out a breath. Oh, so John was handling some business. The not-legit kind. "Something happen?"

"You try calling in at all today?"

"Yeah, it's been tied up." My eyes widened. "Stars, someone was doing that?"

"Tried to bring down communications between the main office and everyone in the field." Hendricks sounded like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself. "Just get here. He'll be glad to see you."

"Okay," I murmured. "Later."

Hendricks hung up and I returned the phone to its cradle before climbing back into the truck. Michael, who'd overheard everything on my end, put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you and yours all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah." I sighed. "Someone tried to cut off John's people from the office. Phones have been out, I bet the pagers have been too." I sagged back, rubbing my face. "Do you have time to drop me off somewhere?"

Michael nodded. "To Marcone?"

"Yeah, thanks." The truck pulled away and I shut my eyes, letting Michael handle things for a little bit. I was grateful to him. He didn't have to come with me today and if he hadn't I'd probably have been killed or grabbed by Bianca. Things were getting rough, and I was caught in the thick of it. I didn't even want to travel at night anymore. It was fine when I had my local Fist of God helping out, but I'd been noticing more and more attempts on my wards after sundown. Nothing had gotten through, but that didn't stop Bianca from trying. I had to bolster the wards every other day now. It was starting to be a drain.

I mentioned none of this to John, as he'd likely respond by sedating me and moving me to a secure location while he blew up the Velvet Room. That's not an exaggeration either. John built a magical panic room into his mansion, using the office design as a pattern. When I went in to connect it to his threshold, I noticed heavy duty locks on the outside of the door, capable of holding someone in.

I cannot tell you how awkward it was to tell the Alphas and Michael that if I suddenly dropped off the map without warning, my friend the local Don might've disappeared me for my own good. Billy had found that hilarious. Michael, not so much.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Michael asked, keeping his eyes on the road as he navigated traffic. We were past rush hour, but it was a Friday night and people were heading out to enjoy it. Lucky bastards, oblivious to the minor war going on around them.

"Nah, it's fine. He's apparently got bigger fish to fry at the moment. Besides," I tipped a grin at him. "Charity would kill me if I dragged you into the den of sin that is Executive Priority."

"She told me to invite you for Thanksgiving."

Oh, an olive branch from Charity herself. Interesting. I almost accepted on the spot, but, "Mass or dinner?"

Michael didn't look guilty, as Knights of the Cross tend to be above things like that, but it was a close thing. "Ah. Both."

I made a face. "Can I skip the Mass? You know I get nervous in churches."

"I don't see why. God may not be right with you, Harry, but I am sure you are right with him. You're a good man."

I looked out the window again. "Yeah, maybe."

Michael noted how uncomfortable that remark made me and switched to a safer topic. "You don't have to be Catholic to be welcome at Mass. You may think of it as a family outing. I know the girls would love you to be there." A smile sneaked out over my face. Amanda and Hope liked climbing all over me, as though I was some kind of human jungle gym. They were still tiny enough I could carry them around too. "And you have yet to meet Harry."

My namesake. If Michael's insistence I was a 'good man' didn't make me flush with embarrassment, the fact that he named his youngest after me did the trick. It was an honor I didn't know what to do with. It frankly scared me a little that my friend thought that highly of me to give his son my name. What was I supposed to do with that?

"Okay, fine," I muttered. "Barring any Red Court-related emergencies, I'll... be there." I sighed. "Mass and dinner."

A wizard who hung out with a crime lord going to church on a holiday. I was just asking to be smote, wasn't I?



I got held up at reception when I got to Executive Priority. Apparently, John wasn't done 'meeting' with the latest saboteur. There was something unsettling about that. The way he acted around me made it hard to remember that John was Gentleman John Marcone and tended to punish traitors ruthlessly. The same John who was addicted to hazelnut lattes and surprisingly tasty health food.

I would have gotten caught up in the dissonance, but I was too tired to care. I shelved it for later and asked, "Do you know how much longer he'll be?"

Reception girl Tanya shook her head. "Sorry, Mr. Dresden, but I don't. And Mr. Hendricks said you should wait downstairs until they're ready for you."

"Of course he did." I was being insulated from Marcone's criminal activities again. I didn't mind ninety percent of the time, but right now I felt so out of sorts and raw at the edges, I just wanted to go home and lay down. My magic still felt off from my throw down with the Reds' hit squad, like I'd pulled a metaphysical muscle. I wanted to go see Bob, ask him if my aura looked okay.

Tanya bit her lip, looking deeply sympathetic. I must have really looked like shit. Executive Priority's employees were resolutely professional and polite. To get a reaction out of them was a big deal. "If... If I may make a suggestion, sir?"

"Sure."

"It may be a while before you can be seen. Perhaps you'd like to make use of some of our services?"

How to put this nicely? Tanya seemed to just want to help, but... "Wow, okay. I'm... not... I have a girlfriend, so."

Her face gave nothing away, which I supposed was good when you worked at a secret brothel. "You misunderstand me, sir. I simply thought a massage would help you."

Oh. Right. It was also a legitimate business. The whole cathouse thing made me forget that sometimes. "That's... well, that's actually kind of tempting, but I doubt I could afford anything from here."

She blinked owlishly at me, like I'd said something confusing. "You have a Platinum Membership here, sir. It would be paid for."

This was news to me. "For real?" She nodded. "Double-check."

She waves a hand at her computer monitor. "I'm looking at your account right now, Mr. Dresden."

That did change the landscape a bit. I let her push a neat little brochure at me and flipped through it. My eyes fell on an interesting one. "Hey, you have a chakra therapy?"

They did. Tanya showed me into the now-completed zen gardens, gave me a robe, and pointed me to a shower just off the room. Telling me Anavi would be with me shortly, she left.

I ducked behind the privacy screen and stripped down gratefully. I had some blood and a lot of sweat on my clothes and, besides my duster, everything needed a wash. I left it all in a heap on the floor and got into the shower, rinsing off under the superhot, awesome water. Just because I was used to cold showers didn't mean I couldn't see the nigh-universal appeal of hot ones. It did a lot to undo knots in my abused muscles.

I came out of the shower, wrapped up in a robe that just barely covered my knees. I guess even Executive Priority couldn't find a robe that really fit me.

By the massage table was an Indian women, bent over her work setting up oils and rocks and things. She was pretty in a regal way, her cream tunic uniform completely without crease and wrinkle, her dark hair tamed in a large bun at the base of her neck. It was curly, and a few delicate strands framed her face. I suddenly felt really exposed and took a step back to duck back behind the privacy screen. Then I recognized her. "Hey, don't I know you from Mac's?"

The woman, presumably Anavi, looked up at me and smiled. "Hello, Mr. Dresden."

"I do, right?" I approached the table and examined her face while avoiding her eyes. She didn't try to meet my gaze, instead looking just to the right of my head.

"Mac's brew is amazing," she confirmed dryly.

"You're a practitioner? You work for Marcone?"

She nodded once. "I don't have much of the Art to me, but I have always had a talent for minor healing magics." Anavi patted the table. "I used to work freelance, but I got a job offer here and it seemed like a good idea to take it."

I timidly climbed up on the table, not sure how she wanted me. I'd never made use of a spa before. "How should I..."

"Lay down on your tummy and take your robe off," she said. I hesitated, and she added, "I'm going to cover you with a towel. And I'm a married woman, Mr. Dresden. I promise to keep my hands to myself." She smirked at me.

"It's not that..." I didn't want to say, I don't trust you because that sounded rude, but it was the truth. Another magical person, albeit not with power like my own, having me vulnerable wasn't an easy proposition. And I was extra paranoid in the last month or so.

Anavi held up a hand. "I do solemnly swear to not harm you in any way while you are in my care." She lifted her eyebrows at me. "Better?"

It was, actually. "Sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"Don't worry about it. Can't be too careful." She patted the table again. "Come on. On your front."

I started to comply, opening the robe and laying down. I struggled to get the robe off and stretch out all at once, and Anavi yanked it away. "Hey! You're not acting very professional!"

"Yeah, well, you're the guy who's supposed to help save us all from the Red Court." She pushed my face down into the headrest firmly. "And you've put yourself in this shape?" She tutted loudly and touched my back, lightly at first to warn me, then with more purpose. "Let's see the damage."

I wriggled under the attention. "That bad?"

"Hush, I'm looking." I could feel the soft curl of her magic against my skin, so subtle I doubted anyone not familiar with the Art would catch it. She was sensing, tracing up and down my spine. "Vishuddha is closed off. And..." She pressed her fingers to the area between my shoulder blades. "Anahata isn't much better. And Manipura. What have you been doing to yourself?"

The names rang bells, but not too loudly. Bob talked chakras sometimes, but I tended to tune it out. "Working hard, torching vampires." Anavi oiled up her hands and started to run her hands along my spine. "What's the prognosis, doc? How out of whack are my chakras?"

"Very. I'll do what I can. You may have to come back for another session if you abuse yourself this badly on a regular basis."

I wasn't paying for it, so I didn't think that'd be a problem. Once Anavi got to work, it started to feel really good too. She did a whole back rub first, warm hands against my shower-heated skin. She added some more oil, explaining aloud, "Eucalyptus. Protective plant," before starting again at the base of my spine and kneading up. As she worked at the chakra points, she laid a warm, smooth stone over each spot.

I found myself relaxing deeper and deeper into the table, my eyes going half-lidded and my breath evening out. I had to avoid shifting lest I move the stones, and all the sensation and stillness lulled me deeply. Anavi stopped narrating her work, just diligently working me over until I was completely pliant under her fucking amazing hands. I wanted to marry her hands, or at least have a long, passionate affair with them. Susan would just have to understand.

She took off the stones some unfathomable time later, added a sweeter-smelling oil to my back and doing a full back rub again. "Hey," I mumbled. "Izzat flowers?"

"Yes, you're going to smell like rose oil for a while," she said quietly, though still with that snarky tone to her voice. "It's good for you."

"Imma man. Don't make me smell like flowers," I whined, but didn't even attempt to move to stop her.

"Not secure in your masculinity? Can't handle some flowers?"

"What're you, my therapist?"

"Well, technically..."

She started putting more stones on my back, new, warmer ones. I groaned. "Screw it, I don't care."

Anavi patted my shoulder. "Good boy. Shut up and let me work."

"You're not very nice." She dug her fingers in my shoulders and worked at them. "Oooooh god, nevermind, you're... you're the loveliest woman in the world."

She laughed, but whatever retort she had was cut off by the door opening and the click of heels approaching. "Mr. Dresden?"

"Hi, Tanya," I mumbled sleepily.

"I wanted to inform you that Mr. Marcone's meeting is finished, if you wanted to see him?"

"Nah, I'm good."

"Are you sure, sir? He asked for you..."

"Tell him I had to wait on him, so he has to wait on me." Tanya inhaled sharply, sounding nervous. "Don't worry, he loves when I mess with him. S'my job." I yawned. "You'll be fine, Tanya."

"All right..." Her clicky heels sounded much more reluctant as she left.

Anavi sighed. "Now, let's see how you're doing." She framed my back with her hands and I felt her magic brush against mine again. "Hm. Not perfect, but no longer in the danger zone. You should definitely come back next week though."

"Twist my arm, why don't you." I lay there, unsure of how long ago it had been since the last time I'd moved. I was all nice and mellow. The whole spa thing made a lot more sense now.

Anavi touched my shoulder lightly. "I'll put you down for next Friday. Just relax for a while."

"Mmkay." I listened to her leave, the only sound left in the room the small fountain off to the side. The noise was gentle and nice, and I felt myself start to doze.

I have no clue how long I was out. I wasn't quite asleep, just deeply calm in a way that made me stop caring about how much time was passing. It could've been ten minutes or an hour before I heard footsteps again. Anavi didn't say anything, probably aware I was too out of it to engage in conversation. There was a rustling sound of cloth, the sound of one of the oils being shaken out of the bottle, and I got some hands on my back again.

They just ran soothingly over my shoulders. Blunt, calloused fingers traced lazy circles around the cooling stones on my back, warm against my skin. It was light, barely a massage, but nice. I was about to fall into a real sleep when the door opened again.

Anavi gasped. "Oh, sir, I..."

"These come off about now, yes?" John rumbled from above me and I felt pressure on one of the stones balanced on my spine.

"Ah... yes, they do. I was just about to--"

"That's fine. Thank you, Mrs. Kapoor. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Of course, sir." The door shut again.

It took a full ten seconds for my brain to rev up enough to put together what I just heard. As it did, John carefully plucked the stones off my back and set them aside. He palmed my back afterward, rubbing along my spine, helping the pinpoints of heat over my chakras diffuse. I felt like a big sleepy cat being petted.

"I thought you didn't take advantage of your people. Didn't like mucking up the subordinate-superior thingie," I mumbled eventually, lifting my head out of the rest and turning to lay my cheek back down.

John kept his eyes on my back as he rubbed idly. His suit jacket was gone and his sleeves rolled up. "You are hardly my subordinate." I shut my eyes again, wondering how bad it'd be if I ignored him and went back to half-sleeping. John's voice was feather soft, less than a whisper as he said, "I wonder, are you aware of what you're doing right now..."

"Mhm. Sleepin'."

He chuckled and stepped away, drying the excess oil off his hands on a towel as I blurrily watched. "I see that." He eyes finally flicked to me. "You burned down one of my buildings."

"Was yours? Sorry." With more than a little effort, I pulled up my arms and folded them under my head, propping myself up. I was slowly waking up. "Red hit squad. Tough ones. Didn't want to take chances." John nodded. "Heard you had a rough day too."

His eyes darkened. "The Margravine turned one of the men working in communications."

"I thought we were looking out for bites now?"

"We don't tend to check the entire body. The bite was on the man's inner thigh." He pursed his lips, expression frustrated and unhappy. "I would have a very hard time justifying full body checks of all employees."

I waved my arm at the robe hanging off Anavi's work table. John handed it to me, eyes gleaming. "Turn around," I told him sternly and waited for him to do so before pushing myself up and pulling the robe on, knotting it as I thought. I sat on the side of the massage table, not quite sure if my legs would hold me yet if I stood. They were a bit jelly-like at the moment. "I can see about finding something to help us out there. Some way to be warned when a Red or one of their thralls is nearby."

"Thank you," John said sincerely, turning back around. He stepped closer to me solicitously, hands careful folded behind his back. "May I ask another favor of you?"

"'Course."

He smiled. "There's a gala coming up soon. Formal party I have to attend. Come with me?"

That wasn't what I expected at all. "A fancy dress party?"

"Yes. Music and high society. It's a benefit I go to yearly."

Maybe I wasn't firing on all cylinders, but the idea was confusing. "Why do you want me to go? Do you expect trouble?"

"No, not of that sort. It simply gets boring after attending so many times."

I shook my head. "John, I'm not... you know I'm not a high society kind of guy. I don't even own a tux."

"I can get you one."

"I don't have time to get fitted."

He waved a hand. "I have your measurements." Which was creepy, but not surprising. "Harry, you're a figure of the community now." He reached out, touched my knee with just two fingers, so light I might've been imagining it. "Let yourself be seen a little."

I turned it over in my head as much as I could. My head was still a giant fog of contented repose and I think John was taking advantage of that. I couldn't think up any reasons to say no. "Can I bring Susan as my date?" John's smile slipped. "I know you don't like her, but she is my girlfriend."

John sighed. "I suppose." Something flickered in his face, an emotion too quickly covered for me to catch. "Provided... she is not otherwise indisposed." His lips curled up again. "So, is that a yes?"

I shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"

"Thank you, Harry." He nodded briskly to himself. "Now, I'm afraid I have to go. I have something to take care of."

"Anything interesting?" I leaned back on my hands, thinking about my empty plate for the rest of the evening. I could tag along if he needed.

But he shook his head. "No, just something to attend to out of town." He stepped back, towards the door. "Mr. Hendricks can give you a lift home, seeing as you arrived with Mr. Carpenter."

"Staaaalker," I sing-songed at him.

He laughed, picked up his discarded jacket, and was gone without another word. I lingered in the zen garden, enjoying the refreshed, newness in my body, fueling my optimism. I could take on Bianca herself right then, ready for anything the world could throw at me.

Or, so I thought. Turns out I really, really, really wasn't.

Chapter Seventeen


I regret nothing.

ETA: oh hey readers, question. Next part of the fic is kind of a Big Deal as two major, major events happen right after each other and I intend to write it as one big chapter. That okay, or would you guys prefer two sanely-sized chapters? I'm good either way.