The Keepers
By Elizabeth
Part 25

"Sir! Sir, you can't go in there!" 
 
Jim chuckled humorlessly as he ducked under the crime 
scene tape. "Oh yes, I can." 
 
"This is a crime scene!" 
 
Jim wheeled around to face the slight young uniformed 
cop, whipping out his department badge and shoving it 
under the officer's nose. "Read 'em and weep, 
chief...Special Investigator. You assholes wanted me 
enough to call me in on my day off, goddamnit, so get 
the hell out of my way before I get REALLY nasty." 
 
The uniform gaped at the badge. "Who the fuck called 
in a bronze shield for this one?" 
 
"I don't know, but they did. Now move or you'll be 
chicken feed." 
 
The uniform cleared the way for Jim as he barreled 
through the milling crowd of people. 
 
"Jim! Jim wait!" 
 
Jim stopped long enough for Julia to catch up with 
him. 
 
"Give me a chance to do my thing...they won't let you 
near the body until I've done a preliminary 
determination of the cause of death. It'll go faster 
if you play by the book." 
 
Jim sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. 
"All right...just hurry it up. I wanna go home." 
 
Julia nodded, gathering her hair into a ponytail as 
she was led to the homicide victim. Jim watched until 
the black-streaked head was out of sight. 
 
Jim began evaluating the rest of the murder scene as 
he waited, cursing his bad luck. 
 
"Fuckin' long-ass day like this and my fucking phone 
has to ring." he grumbled to himself as he knelt to 
study a set of footprints. "I need to ditch my 
cell...'homicide on the other side of town, we need a 
psychometrist,' they say. I'm not working. 'It's an 
emergency, we got no backup.' Despite my high opinion 
of myself, I am NOT the only Investigator on the 
squad! Motherfuckers." 
 
"Jim!" 
 
He looked up to see a muscular young man in a black 
suit come strolling towards him. Silver-white hair 
hung to his shoulders, a stark contrast to his 
boyishly young features and well-built frame. 
Standing at nearly seven feet, Jim had to look up at 
him even as he got to his feet. "Gabe, tell me I can 
go home." 
 
Detective Gabriel Redwood smiled ruefully. "Afraid 
not, buddy boy. I'm the one that asked for an 
Investigator...you specifically. We need someone that 
can be trusted." 
 
"By the brass?" 
 
"In court...this case has got to be able to stick and 
only a few of our local boys are guaranteed to knock 
'em dead on the stand...a jury AND a judge will trust 
you, Jim." 
 
He sighed, eyeing the Pixie detective in defeat. 
"Fuck...why they always throw YOU in my lap when 
there's a nasty case they need me for?" 
 
"They know you can't say no to me, Riley...Pixie 
blood law." 
 
"Fuck you, Redwood." Jim griped good-naturedly. 
"You're only half-Pixie, and a Null to boot." 
 
Gabriel grinned. "Hey, I gave you my blood after you 
crashed and burned on your bike, you fuck. Show a 
little gratitude." 
 
"In your dreams. Can I see the body yet?" 
 
"After Julia's done. Meanwhile, you wanna do what we 
used to pay you for?" 
 
Jim sighed, kneeling back down to the tracks. "Fine. 
CSU peg these as the killer's footprints?" 
 
"Yep." 
 
"Then for starters, this woman was a sloppy bitch." 
 
Gabriel frowned. "Woman? CSU said the footprints were 
male." 
 
Jim shook his head and frowned. "Nope...the shoes are 
men's, no question, but look at the stride." 
 
"CSU had some trouble with it...dry spell made it 
nearly impossible to take impressions." 
 
"My eyes are a bit sharper than average, chief...when 
they DO get casts, it'll show the feet are too far 
apart for a male. Big hips and sweet lips do not a 
man make...the width of a woman's hips prevents the 
feet from coming too close. A man's footprints would 
be closer together...these aren't." 
 
"Get CSU to check his story." Gabriel called to a 
nearby investigator as Jim took his feet again. "What 
else?" 
 
"Won't know more until I see the evidence...can't 
show me that shit until I do my reading." 
 
"Got any vibe from the scene?" 
 
Jim gazed around, opening himself to the energies 
surrounding him. "Not a damn thing...official word, 
Gabe, this is a dump site, not a crime scene." 
 
Gabriel did not confirm or deny Jim's impression, as 
was procedure. 
 
"I've got something else, too," Jim realized, walking 
forward a few steps. He continued to search 
psychically for impressions. "There's a primal flavor 
to the air..." He flinched, spinning around. 
"Lycanthrope." 
 
Gabriel remained impassive. At the same time Julia 
walked up behind him. 
 
"Gabriel?" she announced. "I've got my preliminary 
report." 
 
The half-Pixie detective took the clipboard Julia 
offered, assessing. 
 
"Okay, Jim." Gabriel announced. "Body's just that 
way...have at it." 
 
********** 
 
Ben rocked back on his heels, watching in fascination 
as Black Diamond lapped gratefully at a bowl of pig's 
blood. "Shit, darlin'...you must've been real 
hungry." 
 
A grunt. I WAS...I AM. MORE PLEASE? 
 
He stood up and headed for the kitchen, extracting 
another container of blood that he'd obtained at a 
nearby butcher shop. "Okay, we got more...just a sec, 
sweetheart." 
 
Abruptly, Black Diamond lifted her head from the bowl 
and cocked her head, whimpering. MASTER? 
 
"Not master, Di...Ben." 
 
A keening sound. WRONG...YOU'RE MY MASTER. TOOK ME 
IN. 
 
"I helped you." Ben corrected her, walking back 
around with a styrofoam cup. Removing the lid, he 
squatted and dumped the red, viscous contents into 
the bowl. "I'm your friend...I don't own you." 
 
Another soft, high-pitched howling. THEN WHAT DO I 
CALL YOU? 
 
"You call me by my name." 
 
The cub seemed to think for a moment before letting 
out a yip. MISTER BEN. 
 
"You don't need to call me 'mister.' Really." 
 
I SHOULD BE NICE...YOU SAVED ME. 
 
Ben chuckled, oddly touched by the animal's need to 
show him respect. He reached out to scratch her 
behind the ears affectionately. "Fine...Mister Ben 
works for me." 
 
He was suprised when the cub nodded before returning 
to her bowl of blood. Just then there was a knock at 
the door. 
 
"Enter at your own risk!" Ben called out. 
 
The front door whined as it opened, and Anna walked 
in. 
 
"What, you forget your key?" Ben chuckled. 
 
Anna simply shook her head no, running her fingers 
back through her chesnut hair. "Nope." 
 
He stood up slowly, frowning. "You okay? You sound 
weird." 
 
Anna walked...no, GLIDED over to him. He noticed that 
her movements were fluid and predatory...almost 
seductive. 
 
TOTALLY unlike the woman he knew. 
 
"I'm fine, Benji...just fine." she assured him in a 
husky whisper. 
 
Ben grew nervous as Anna pressed herself against the 
length of his body. It was only then that he realized 
Anna wasn't wearing her glasses. "Anners? What's 
going on?" 
 
Black Diamond raised her head and growled. BAD! 
MISTER BEN, RUN AWAY! 
 
Anna ground her hips against his and purred softly. 
"Nothing, baby...nothing at all." 
 
The words were a soft sigh of warm air against his 
lips as she wrapped one powerful hand around the nape 
of his neck and drew him in for a violent kiss. 
 
********** 
 
Pain. His head felt ready to explode. A moan escaped 
his lips. 
 
"Ace? Ace, are you in there?" 
 
Ace drew in a breath, fighting to speak. 
"What...who...Anna, where is she?" 
 
Moe helped him to a sitting position. "She knocked 
you out and stabbed me. She's made a beeline for 
Ben." 
 
"Peter?" 
 
"He's gone after her...to warn Ben before she tries 
anything." 
 
"I have to go." 
 
Moe gripped his arm firmly. "You're no good to 
anyone...The Mark is affecting your abilities." 
 
Ace squinted at her, still disoriented. Why was it so 
hard to think? "The Mark? Peter told you?" 
 
Moe nodded. "He explained it to me...Morpheus played 
on Anna's abilities as a Traveler and infected her 
spirit with pure dark energy. That incident outside 
the doctor's...he used his presence to force her out 
of her body long enough to do the deed." 
 
"He controls her now." Ace realized. "And the seed of 
The Mark...the energy itself..." 
 
"That's what went into you. Skin to skin contact. If 
Anna touches him, she'll infect him with Morpheus's 
poison." 
 
********** 
 
Peter stalked carefully down the hallway of the 
apartment building, keeping his senses alert as he 
moved. Hundreds of heartbeats echoed in his ears, but 
his attention focused on only one. 
 
Steady...pure...powerful. Ben lived. 
 
Peter found the apartment and stood before the door. 
 
Smelling. 
 
Listening. 
 
Praying he wasn't too late. 
 
One stiff kick sent the door flying. Peter thought 
nothing of it. 
 
He stormed into the dwelling, feeling the emerald 
fire bleeding into his eyes as he prepared to attack. 
 
And saw there was no need as he witnessed Ben with 
Anna hanging limply in his arms, his lips pressed to 
her neck.