| With Friends Like These ... |
| LT. Connie Murphy stalked down the street toward the familiar storefront. // An explosion with *green* fire. And it's just a couple of blocks away from Dresden's place. Tell me that's a coincidence ... // She wasn't taking no for an answer this time.
Much to her surprise, she found the door open. Harry stood there with three people she didn't know. Young blond woman, Asian woman of indeterminate age, and a very sharply dressed black man. She wondered who they were, and if they had anything to do with this ... �Hey, Dresden, mind if I come in?� she called out through the open door. Harry groaned. �You know, Murphy, no, I�m not in �� Murphy cut him off as she pushed in past the people at the door. �I was being rhetorical. There was an explosion in the area this morning. Know anything about it?� "Uh, no not really �" One look at Harry's face said that was a lie. She decided to take a different tack. "Gonna introduce me to your friends?" Harry grimaced. "Nope. Sorry. Leaving?" This last was addressed to his 'friends.' It seemed to be the catalyst they needed. All started moving toward the door. "We�re leaving." From the cute blond. "Leaving." Harry repeated. "Good day, lieutenant," said the man as he shut the door behind them. Murphy frowned; how did he know her? Now that they were alone, maybe she'd get some answers. "Dresden?" "You don�t want to know. Hell, I don�t want to know." Harry's voice was full of stress. "Harry? You ok?" she asked, concerned. Harry shook his head. "It's been a rough morning, Murph. I'm kinda ... I need to get my head back on straight, ok? Now's not the best time ..." Murphy realized she wasn't going to get anything out of him about the green fire earlier this morning, although she was pretty sure it had something to do with his bad day. "Just tell me one thing, Harry. Did you and your ... friends ... take care of whatever happened this morning?" Harry nodded. "Yeah. Nothing for you to worry about, Murphy." His eyes pleaded with her to accept that reassurance and drop it for now. She believed him. And she could see that it was futile to press any further, so she agreed. "OK, Harry. I'll see you later, then." Harry nodded, his relief evident in those dark eyes. "Thanks, Murph. I'll make it up to you, I promise." Murphy smiled and patted him on the shoulder, then headed out the door. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Alone at last!" Bob's voice came from behind him. Harry smiled and just stood there, not even turning. Bob 'walked' right into him from behind, raising his/Harry's arms in a tight embrace. They held tight for a good long time. Finally, Harry gave a deep sigh and relaxed. "Hell�s bells, Bob, I thought I'd lost you for good that time ..." The ghost reached up and touched Harry's face. // I know, Harry. I wasn't so sure I was coming back myself. // "It was that bad?" Harry's body actually resonated with Bob's shiver at the memory of what he'd found in the darkness. // Yes. // Harry's arms came up, his hands gently caressing, comforting. He wasn't about to push Bob any more. Instead he walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling Bob close. More than ever before, he wished he could truly touch the ghost, comfort him the way he deserved. But this was far better than nothing. They cuddled in silence, just feeling each others' presence, and their love. After a while, Harry ventured to ask, "Bob? Do you think she really would have killed us all?" A much calmer Bob considered the situation. // She obviously felt it was important, Harry. Although I'm not entirely sure why. The drake was clearly dangerous, but I think there was something more there. Perhaps it has something to do with your observation about her. // Harry frowned. "Do you think it might be true? Could she really be a dragon?" // In Asian cultures, Dragons are highly respected and feared. The red and green dragons often represent opposing forces. And her energy signature is red ... // "Whoa." This was getting kind of weird, even for Harry. // Indeed. // Time to change the subject � to something less stressful. // Harry? Could we go out for lunch now? All this talk about dragons is making me crave Chinese ... // His voice had picked up a decidedly amused tone there at the end. Now it was Harry's turn to flinch. "No. Not Chinese. Greek." Bob laughed at Harry's discomfiture. // Oh, all right then, Greek! // Ever since they'd discovered that Bob could share Harry's body, they'd been eating out a lot. Partly because Bob wanted to try a wide variety of foods that simply hadn't been available when he lived. And partly because Harry wasn't a very good cook. It was one thing to burn canned spaghetti for yourself, another entirely when your 'guest' hasn't tasted real food in over 500 years. So they went out a lot. Harry often made the choices himself, since everything really was entirely new to Bob. But the variety of spices had made Chinese a favorite of both of them. Until today. While Bob ate, Harry�s thoughts wandered back to Murphy. Just when things were getting back on an even keel, this had to happen. Of course, she didn�t know it yet. It had felt so good to finally tell her what was going on this morning. Despite Mai�s strict injunctions to tell her nothing. And then to find out it wasn't Murphy at all. That really pissed him off. He wasn't sure how he was going to be able to talk to her now, because his brain *knew* that she knew more than she really did. "Harry? You've been awfully quiet," Bob mumbled around a mouthful of gyro. // Huh? Oh, sorry, Bob. Guess I've been thinking ... // It still weirded him out when Bob used his voice. // About what? // Bob also dropped into mental voice, more not to interrupt his eating than anything else. // Murphy. // // Ah. I take it the simulacrum this morning was a very accurate copy? // // Too accurate. // // She really is very lovely, Harry. And quite charming. I see why you are so fond of her. // Harry chuckled. Trust Bob to go that route. He always had been something of a perv when it came to Harry�s sex life. Not that Murphy had anything to do with Harry�s sex life. Much to Bob�s disappointment. Although lately his sex life had gone in an entirely different � and unanticipated � direction. Much to Bob�s delight. But that wasn�t what they were talking about. // I'm afraid I'll slip up now, thinking that she knows something that the real Murphy never heard. // Bob thought about it as he turned his attention to a chocolate chip cookie. His passion for desserts was starting to affect Harry's waistline. // Why don't you just tell her, then, Harry? // Harry was shocked. // You heard how adamant Mai was that we tell her nothing! // // Was Mai talking about Murphy, or the green dragon? // That caught Harry by surprise. // You think she knew? // // She knew. I'm certain of it. And at the moment, we're somewhat in her good graces. And besides, you may want to make the lieutenant a protection talisman so she can't be used against you like this again. // Harry mentally kicked himself. // Now why the hell didn't I think of that a long time ago ... I dragged her into this crazy world, the least I can do is try to protect her. // // Exactly. // Bob finished the cookie, licking a bit of melted chocolate from his fingers. // Thank you, Harry, that was wonderful. // Harry chuckled again. Bob after a meal was such a picture of contentment that Harry couldn't even begrudge him the couple of extra pounds. // Come on, you ready to head home? // When they walked back into the storefront, Harry hesitated. Some of his wards were glowing. // Somebody's been here ... // Bob ghosted out of Harry's body, disappearing into his skull. He could feel it too, very close by. He re-materialized beside the desk. "Harry. Over here." There was something new on Harry's desk, right next to Bob's skull. A small oval of jade with an oriental symbol carved into it, tinted red. "What the heck is that?" Bob's encyclopedic knowledge of the arcane came in handy at times like this. "It's a Chinese character, Harry. It symbolizes an arrow hitting the center of a target, the translation is usually center or middle, but it is associated with success. Interestingly, though, it's used in a modern version of an ancient asian gambling game called Mah Jongg. It represents the red dragon ..." "Mai!" Bob nodded. "I'd say she's answering the question you didn't actually ask this morning." "Why would she tell us?" That question really troubled Harry. Bob contemplated the desk. "Then again, maybe she's not, Harry. You THINK she's the red dragon, so she uses it as a calling card to identify herself. I'm wondering if there's another message here. Is there anything on the other side of the stone?" Harry looked at Bob like he'd lost his mind. "You want me to touch that?" Bob ran a ghostly hand over the stone. "I can't feel any power, Harry. I think it's safe." A bit nervously, Harry reached out and picked up the stone. Beneath it was a piece of paper with seven letters written on it: Harry frowned at Bob. �Tsukata. Any idea what it means?" Bob shook his head. �It sounds vaguely Japanese. I think that perhaps some research is in order. And you, �� he gave Harry a pointed gaze. �Need to go talk to Lt. Murphy. I really would like to meet her for real this time.� Harry hesitated, then nodded. There was nothing he hated more then �research.� Mostly because Bob was so good at it, in comparison he always seemed incompetent. Of course, it helped to be a disembodied spirit who could absorb an entire book by osmosis rather than reading each page individually. Bob really would be better off doing this himself. �Thanks, Bob,� Harry said with a grateful smile. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Murphy had been rather surprised when Harry called that afternoon to invite her out to dinner. To make up for blowing her off at lunchtime. // Who are you and what have you done with Harry Dresden? // she wondered. She�d figured that if something �uncomfortable� was going on, she wouldn�t hear from him for days. But maybe she�d really walked right into the end of whatever it was. She met him at a little Italian place a couple of blocks away from his office/apartment. It was off the beaten path, quiet enough to actually have a conversation. She was surprised to find Harry already there, seated at a table in back. There was a bottle of wine on the table, open and two glasses poured. Harry thoroughly enjoyed the expression on Murphy�s face as she approached the table. Bob had been right � it was worth it to go the extra mile, just for that expression. He was wearing his new gold shirt, the one Bob had picked out for him. He even got up and helped her get seated. �All right, Dresden, what�s going on? Who am I gonna have to bribe to get you out of trouble this time?� Harry gave her a pained look. �Murphy. Can�t a guy just be nice to his friends once in a while?� �Not when the guy is Harry Dresden!� Harry looked hurt. He knew she was only teasing � sort of. He would go to the ends of the earth to help somebody in trouble. But stuff like this really was not his usual modus operandi. �Look, Murphy � I owe you an apology, all right? And not just for this afternoon. Let me do it right, ok?� She heard something in his voice, a sincerity that wasn�t usually there. Maybe there was something to this after all. She picked up her wine glass. �OK, Harry,� she said, taking a sip. She was pleasantly surprised; Dresden had decent taste in wines. Probably thanks to that rich uncle of his � Harry caught her eyes. �Seriously, Murphy. I know I haven�t always been straight with you about � you know, what goes on in my world. Something happened this morning � well, let�s just say that I can�t lie to you anymore, no matter what the rules say. I got a wake-up call recently that I�ve been taking the few people I really care about for granted, and that�s gonna change. So if you�ll let me, after dinner we can go back to my place and I�ll tell you everything you want to know.� Murphy looked at him incredulously. He really meant it. But that was such a good straight line she couldn�t let it go. �Dresden, you gotta work on your pick-up lines � if you think I�m gonna fall for that �� She could see Harry re-playing his words in his mind to figure out what she was talking about. �Murphy! I�m serious here!� He looked rather upset. Time to back-pedal. �Relax, Harry, I know. I�m sorry. Just had to yank your chain. I guess I�m just not used to you being so � up front about it.� Harry sighed and reached for his wineglass. �Yeah, I know. I am really sorry about that, Murph. There is a reason, maybe not a good one, but you�ll hear it. So how about it - Here�s to a new era of our friendship. Starting clean?� There was such a puppy-dog eagerness in Harry�s dark eyes that Murphy couldn�t have said no if she wanted to. She smiled. �Sure, Harry.� She clinked her glass against his. // Damn if he doesn�t have the cutest smile � // But she was still pretty sure that particular avenue was closed. Maybe she could get more out of him about his �special somebody� tonight � As it turned out, they kept the dinner conversation to �safe� topics, like Murphy�s daughter, what a dick Kirmani was, and even a bit of hopeful speculation for the soon-to-start baseball season. It was nice, and comfortable. They laughed a lot. And Harry even picked up the check. They left Murphy�s car parked on the street and walked the couple of blocks back to Harry�s place. To sort of set the mood, Harry left the electric lights off and just sent a pulse of magic out to light the candles. Murphy�s eyes widened for a moment, but she accepted it and grinned at him. �Neat trick!� Harry smiled, glad to see her acceptance of at least that much magic. �Yeah. Too bad I can�t use it on a date � would probably really impress the chicks.� He led her back towards the living area, reminding himself that the REAL Murphy hadn�t been here this morning � �Why not?� Murphy asked as she sank down into his people-eating couch. Harry sat down beside her, but not too close. �Same reason I couldn�t tell you anything, Murph. You know how IA gets on your case about talking to civilians about a case?� That got the desired reaction. �Those morons? They�ll make a mountain out of a molehill every time.� Harry nodded. �Well, the magic world has the same kind of rules. In my world, you�re the civilian. If you don�t already know about magic, you�re not supposed to be told anything. And we have the Wardens to enforce it.� Murphy frowned. �Who makes these rules?� Harry sighed. �The High Council. They tend to be the most powerful wizards in any given area.� �So there�s this whole other world out there � it�s own government, it�s own cops �and everybody in MY world is a civilian there?� Murphy seemed genuinely taken aback by the scope of what Harry was telling her. �Yup. That�s about it.� Murphy gave him a good long look. �So why are you telling me now?� Harry sighed. �Because you are involved. The council and wardens may not agree, but I think you�ve seen enough weirdness that we owe you some explanations. And some protection �� �NOW you offer me protection? After what I went through?� In a flash, the old pissed-off Murphy was back, her voice strident with anger. Harry sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. �Yeah. I�m sorry. I should have done this a long time ago, and the council be damned. Murphy, I can�t change the past, but I can do it now. If you�ll let me?� There was real regret in his voice. Maybe it was the wine, maybe it was something else, but she was feeling generous. The anger melted away from her face. �OK, Harry. So what do we do?� �I�ll need something of yours to cast the protection spell on. That necklace you always wear, the one your daughter gave you � that would be good. It�s got a lot of special meaning already.� Murphy reached up to take off the necklace, then looked back at him. �Harry? I never told you Karrin gave me this! How did you know that?� Harry cringed. He knew he�d slip up somewhere. �Um, ok. This morning. That green fire � we had a drake, a dragon. The wardens were fighting it, that was the crisis this morning. The problem was, Ancient Mai, she�s the head of the Council, got hurt, the wardens brought her here to hide. But the dragon can shapeshift, become human. It disguised itself as you, and I invited you in � it nearly killed us all.� Murphy started to panic. �It knew about Karrin? It knew about my daughter? How?� Harry thought about it. �Have you lost anything recently, Murph? Something personal? A hairbrush, some jewelry, something?� Murphy frowned. �I used to keep a hairbrush in my desk at work. It went missing yesterday.� Harry nodded. �That would explain it. That�s how magic works, Murphy. If you have something personal, you can use it to get at that person. That�s why I need the necklace to be your symbol of protection. The drake probably just did a surface impression of you or somebody else, just the shell, got in to your desk and stole the brush. Then it could truly �become� you.� Murphy shivered. �Harry, that�s scary �� It took Harry a minute to realize that this time he actually could offer comfort. He reached out and gently took Murphy�s hands, which were clenched into tight balls. �Easy, Murph. That one�s all over. We killed it. It�s gone, it can�t hurt you or your daughter. Magic isn�t all bad stuff, Murphy, you gotta believe me. I can make this protection for you, that�s good magic. There�s lots of other good things about it too, like the candles, and healing, the wards that protect us while we�re here. I swear to you, it�s not all bad.� Murphy nodded. It was kind of nice feeling Harry�s big, strong hands holding hers. So much of the time, she had to be the strong one � at work, with Karrin. It was nice to let somebody else be strong for a change. Not that she�d ever let Harry know that � Somewhat reluctantly, she freed her hands from his and took the necklace off and handed it to Harry. He wrapped it in a field of magic, making it glow softly as Murphy looked on in awe. Then he took it over to his desk and tucked it in a cubby to keep it safe until he could perform the enchantment. While he was there, he couldn�t resist gently caressing Bob�s skull. Murphy had gotten up and followed him over to the desk. �You know, I�ve been meaning to ask you for a long time why you keep that creepy thing around?� Harry chuckled. �You know, Murph, he wants to meet you too. And he�s definitely one of the nicer parts of the magical world.� He raised his voice, calling loudly so Bob could hear down in the lab, �Bob? Somebody wants to meet you.� After a few moments hesitation, a spray of black mist shot with red and gold appeared out of the skull and formed itself into the figure of a man. He was a little shorter than Harry, with striking pure white hair that looked as silky as a baby�s, dressed very sharply in a deep blue shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes, a blue and silver vest, and an old fashioned velvet dinner jacket. He was, in a word, exquisite. �Bob, this is the REAL Lt. Murphy. Murph, this is Bob.� �Hrothbert of Bainbridge at your service, milady.� Bob practically purred in that mesmerizing voice of his as he bowed to her. Murphy wasn�t sure if it was the man materializing out of nothing, or the MAN, but her heart was pounding in her chest. She gaped like a fish out of water for several seconds until she remembered to close her mouth. �B � Bob?� she managed to stutter out. The beautiful man�s smile widened. �Well, that�s Harry�s affectionate nickname for me. I suppose I�ve gotten rather used to it. Not many Hrothberts around anymore, I suppose. And I should call you � ?� �Connie,� she gasped as Bob reached for her hand, as if to kiss it. It seemed the natural thing for him to do. But much to her surprise, his hand passed right through hers. �Oh, bother! Sometimes it is just so utterly *frustrating* to be a ghost!� �A ghost?!!!!� For a second, Harry thought Murphy was going to pass out. But she was made of sterner stuff than that, and quickly pulled herself together. Harry could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she put things together. �You � you came out of that skull. Is it � yours?� The look on her face said she thought that was a little creepy. Bob was nonplussed. He just nodded. �My home these past 500 years. Although just now I was down in the lab doing some research. I merely opted for the grand entrance. I hope it didn�t startle you too much, my dear?� His voice had turned solicitous, smooth as velvet. Murphy felt her insides melting at the look Bob was giving her. Here was a man who knew how to treat a lady. Harry could stand to take a few lessons from him � �A bit, but I�ll be fine,� she finally managed to reply. Bob placed his ghostly hand over her arm; she felt an odd tingle and a sense of cold. �Please, my dear, sit down. Harry, where are your manners?� Harry had been watching the exchange with amusement. He hadn�t really thought about it, but he should have been able to predict this. Bob always had a thing for the ladies Harry brought home. But he never got to even let them see him. This must be a real treat. The ghost was definitely showing off. Harry shook himself out of his thoughts and wandered back over to the couch where Bob now �sat� next to Murphy. Harry took the chair opposite. Murphy was talking. �So � how long have you known Harry?� �Since he was a scamp of but 11 years age. When he came to live at the Morningway Estate, after his father�s death.� The ghost�s eyes sparkled with the promise of no end of embarrassing stories. Harry jumped in to try to avert that possibility. �The skull had been with my mother�s family for quite a few generations by that point. Let me tell you, Murphy, the first time I saw him, I was pretty freaked too.� Bob pouted at him. �As I recall, Harry, you talked about me as if I weren�t even there.� It occurred to Murphy that Bob�s pout would win just about any argument by default. Who could resist it? �Hey, I didn�t know, ok?� Harry. Harry Dresden. Looked contrite. See, even Harry couldn�t stand up to it. They really were too cute together. Wait a minute, this was � �Bob? You were Harry�s tutor?� �Yes, my dear! How did you know?� This was his �somebody special!� Murphy tried to downplay that discovery. �Oh, he�d just mentioned his old tutor once or twice, never by name. Or that you were a ghost �� With that she gave Harry a challenging look. Harry shrugged and nodded over a half-smile �It was all part of the whole �don�t ask, don�t tell� thing. I couldn�t talk about a ghost.� �Believe me, Connie dear, Harry has struggled with this. Many times he�s wanted to tell you what was going on, only the threat of the Wardens stopped him.� Murphy noted how quickly Bob jumped in to support Harry. There was definitely a bond of affection between these two. �I guess I can understand that. And I really appreciate you finally telling me now. And getting to meet you, Bob. I guess there aren�t many people who know about you?� Bob shook his head. �Sadly, my dear, other than the Wardens, nobody but yourself.� �You mean you don�t have anybody else to talk to? Except Harry?� �I�m afraid not. I do hope that will change? Harry, could we reset the wards to allow Connie to come visit me when you�re not here? It would be so nice to have someone else to talk to!� // Uh oh! // There was an eagerness in Bob�s voice that Harry was a little wary of. And yet � how could he say no? This was another aspect of Bob�s exile that Harry really hadn�t thought about. Harry didn�t hang around with the �magical� crowd, and his few non-magical friends couldn�t know about Bob. So who *was* the ghost supposed to have as friends? �Sure, uh, if you want me to, Murph �?� Murphy sensed Harry�s hesitation even if he didn�t � jealous! Harry didn�t want to share Bob. But he didn�t quite realize that yet. Murphy really sympathized with Bob�s loneliness. How could she refuse him? And besides, he was so utterly charming � �Yeah, Harry, I�d like that.� Bob beamed at her, delighted with his newfound friend. �Oh, thank you, Connie! I promise, I�ll tell you all of Harry�s most embarrassing moments � well, except for the *really* embarrassing ones �� Harry groaned. �Bob, anything that you consider *really* embarrassing is probably something I�d never do in the first place. Murphy, don�t believe a word he says � about me at least!� Murphy laughed. They were really cute together. And despite their verbal sparring, she could tell they really cared about each other. Just then her cell phone beeped. She checked it � not an incoming call, just an alarm she�d set. �Guys, I hate to interrupt this, but I�ve got to run. Karrin�s sitter has a big exam tomorrow, can�t stay too late tonight.� She turned to Bob. �Bob � Hrothbert? Did I say it right?� Bob beamed back at her for her use of his proper name. �Perfectly, my dear.� �It has been lovely meeting you. I promise I�ll come by and visit. I want all the dirt you�ve got!� Bob gave Harry a sideways glance, then grinned at her. �You shall have it. Well, perhaps edited just a bit �!� Harry just laughed and shook his head as he got up to escort Murphy to the door. �I�ll work on that protection talisman tomorrow, give you a call when it�s done?� She nodded. �Yeah. Thanks, Harry. For letting me in �� Harry shrugged, a bit embarrassed. �I really should have done it a long time ago, Murph. I am sorry �� �At least now I understand why. It�s ok, Harry. We�re ok.� Harry just smiled at her, glad to finally have that awkwardness between them behind them. Murphy couldn�t resist; she stood on her toes to plant a gentle kiss on Harry�s cheek. �G�night, Harry,� she said softly. Then she called �G�night, Bob!� over her shoulder as she ducked out the door while Harry was still standing there doing his own gaping fish imitation. continue to Chapter 2 Send me some Feedback Back to my Dresden Home page Back to the Jade Palace Home Disclaimer: I don't own them, just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Chapter 1 |
| A/N: This story picks up at the end of "Bump in the Night" from the real Murphy's POV. I've changed what was shown just a little. After everybody else leaves, Harry does not ask Murphy out to lunch ... although I let Bob have the joke a bit later. Oh yeah ... and since they had to change Murphy's first name on the show, I've taken the liberty of naming her daughter after Butcher's Murphy. |
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