Thomas Raith (hungerforyou) wrote in blood_red_sky, @ 2011-12-05 18:14:00 |
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Entry tags: | harry dresden, thomas raith |
Catching up with Family (Thomas and Harry, Complete)
Harry still keyed his wards the same way he did in Chicago. That meant that the small charm he'd given Thomas to come and go would still work for him. Which was a good thing. Thomas had seen what happened to people that didn't have the charm and it wasn't a pretty sight. And unfortunately it wasn't like you could tell your wards to discourage every White Council vampire except one.
Even though Harry had said to come over and Thomas had told him they needed to talk about Murphy, Thomas still delayed a little while. It might look on the surface like a petty payback twitch for not being told Harry was alive for as long as he had but it wasn't. Thomas was overjoyed his brother was alive. But at the same time it was hard for him. It was hard to explain even to himself but there it was.
He did finally kiss Justine goodbye...her fingers through a glove since they hadn't found regular assistance for their needs...and climb in his Hummer to drive to Harry's. He left his white monstrosity parked nearby then used his charm to pass up the wards and knock on the door.
Harry unlocked the door and pushed it open, not bothering to look and see who was there before turning back to the kitchen. There was only one person it could be, after all - Murphy had been sadly distant, Molly let herself in, and it was daylight out so Phaedra wasn't going anywhere. No one else could get through the wards, since he hadn't gotten any more crystals made for Dean or Jo as of yet.
"We starting with coffee, or going straight to the beer?" Harry asked, still not looking at his brother. Since he was walking past the coffee maker, he seemed to have a good idea what his choice would be.
"I vote for beer." Thomas wasn't going to pass up the alcohol if it was being offered. "And gee, hello to you too. I've been fine, Justine sends her hello's and we've found a lovely house to camp out in." And he wasn't going to pass up the sarcasm either.
Harry pulled two dark bottles out of the fridge and passed one to Thomas. Since the heater and generator were external from the house, the kitchen seemed to be retaining power under the pressure of Harry's wards. So far. He wasn't sure how much longer that would last. The hot water had already stopped getting to his bathroom, but since there had been no complaints from his housemate as of yet, he figured Phaedra still had heat.
He arched a brow at his brother. "Since we're not out trying to save Justine from something, I figured she was okay. And I wouldn't expect you to find a place anything less than completely and utterly ostentatious." He shrugged. "And I gave you beer. You're welcome." He clinked his bottle against the one he'd just given Thomas, and sat down at the kitchen table.
"So, what do we need to talk about first?"
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe you could start with what the fuck Harry?" He flopped into his own chair while somehow making it look like a planned and graceful move before glaring at his brother. "Want to tell me about the purty girl vampire body guard? Or maybe why I found Murphy investigating something big dark ooky and spooky and she has me helping her?" He took a gulp of beer and pointed at his brother around the bottle. "I've got a whole laundry list of things."
Harry was about to answer the question about Phaedra, but Thomas had already continued, and his jaw was stuck slightly open. "Wait, what? What's Murph investigating? She mentioned something about suicides, but I told her to let me know if she needed my help. What's gotten dark and spooky about it?"
There was immediate concern in his voice and expression. He suddenly felt a bit more awake, more alert, and he gave Thomas a long hard look. "What's going on?"
"Well let's see. She and her partner are the only ones left on her squad apparently. All the rest of them offed themselves." Thomas wasn't going to let the stuff go about Phaedra but Murphy was really the person he was concerned about. Thomas took a swig of his beer to let the pause accent that bit of information. "There's definitely something on the spooky side about it. And for some reason she's avoiding telling you."
Thomas raised a brow at his brother and gave him a curious look. "Want to guess why?"
Harry stared at his brother. "How the hell should I know why? She always tells me when she needs help. I always give her help with this sort of thing." He slumped into a seat, looking hurt and defeated. "Maybe she doesn't trust me? She was angry with me for not turning in the guys who shot at her place. I don't know."
A pained expression skidded across his face, then came back and camped there. "I thought things would change, Thomas. We had plans. A date. An actual date. And then I took a freaking bullet. I don't know how to come back from that. I mean, here I am, I'm back. But how do I try again after something like that? 'Hey, still alive here, wanna try that date thing again?' It's not like I stood her up or something. I died."
Thomas sighed but at least he knew now if he touched Harry he wasn't going to get the same burning he got from Phaedra outside the club. It was good to know that his brother was still completely in love with Murphy but was just being his normal self. Always making things too complicated. That was Harry Dresden 101.
"Harry...didn't you ever think that maybe having a pretty vampire lady living in your house might be part of Murphy hesitating to talk to you?" Thomas wasn't supposed to be the one winding up to give the bat of reality speech. He was supposed to be the obnoxious older brother that got lectured on what was right from Harry! "Outside of me when have you ever gone and trusted someone that could technically be a monster that fast? And you didn't even trust me that fast it was just you gave me more the benefit of the doubt because we were brothers." He stopped and took a large drink of the beer before putting down the bottle that was basically empty.
"Yes, you died. Murphy had to deal with the guy she has a major thing for dying. Maybe she's having the same issues you are with you coming back to life. Where does she start? Are you still the same person? Is he holding me at arms length because he changed his mind while dead? Should I go on?"
Harry gave Thomas a blank look. "Kincaid. He recommended her. That got her a level of trust. He owes me big time. Then Phaedra saved my life." He ran a hand over his face. "I mean, yeah, she's pretty, but she's a vampire. And I didn't trust you because you were a liar, but I still helped you out. And when Justine asked me to help you, I did. And after we 'gazed..." They'd both heard their mother's voice during that soulgaze. A voice Harry had never known in his lifetime, now forever burned into his memory.
He outright winced when Thomas voiced the concerns that Murphy must have been having. "Hell's bells," he muttered. "Why am I such a freaking idiot?" He pushed himself to his feet, then stopped and looked at his brother. "Um. Is there anything else I need to know before I run out of here and track down Murph?" He needed to set the record straight with her. Now. But he wasn't going to just walk out on Thomas.
"Hey I'm just pointing out how people think. Most of them don't think you should trust me still because I'm a big lying vampire who only looks out for himself." Thomas gave his brother a pointed look because he's heard what Harry's other allies say about him on a regular basis when they don't remember just how sharp his hearing is.
"Well if you want to see her and talk to her why don't you come help us dig up a body?" Thomas' smile was practically beaming. "I'm getting to perform grave desecration in the name of police investigation. Hopefully I don't break a nail or five. Oh and some creeper talked to Murphy mind to mind about some local murders and the fact these people have the same symbol Phaedra has on her wrist carved into them. Is that enough starting points for you?"
Thomas stood up and chucked his bottle in the trash before Harry could run out. "And you know if you need a body guard you've got me now. Not some vampire I don't trust who can't go out during the day." He didn't trust or like Kincaid. If Harry did that was his own look out.
"Well, most people don't know you're my brother. Even Ebenezar doesn't get why I trust you." That made him frown a bit. Ebenezar McCoy was someone Harry held in great respect, even before he'd learned that the man was his grandfather. Margaret's father. So Thomas' grandfather as well. He hadn't told this to Thomas yet, especially since McCoy was on the Senior Council of the White Council. McCoy had protected one grandson already, and few knew of their family connection. He didn't want to endanger any of them by putting another in the open.
Harry arched a brow. "You were planning to meet with her? Or are you just planning to come along when I want to talk to her and possibly admit to having been an ass?"
He wasn't going to argue with Thomas about the bodyguard issue. Phaedra was still under contract, and that would remain. His Queen had given that instruction. But Thomas was more than welcome to stick around and watch his back. He was good at that sort of thing. And, he was family.
Thomas chuckled lightly thinking of the conversation he'd had with Murphy over the bad fries and coffee at the diner. "Oh Murphy and I have both admitted we only trust each other only so far. Someday she's going to probably shoot me on general principal." Harry had that 'I just thought of something frown' on his face. There was more going on under there and he didn't like that. "Besides I am a liar and untrustworthy most of the time." He shrugged slightly.
"I'd love to see you tell her you were an ass but seriously we're digging up a body. I couldn't get much off the crime scene other than it wasn't natural." Thomas had his little black market detection device to thank for that. "Honestly I'd think it was Skavis but I'd have been able to tell that much for sure. I think. Anyway I need to look at the body."
Harry nodded. "Well, that's Murphy. She still threatens to arrest me. But I keep breaking her handcuffs." He let out a sigh. "Fine, let's go digging. But you'd better fill me in on the way."