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The Crossover Christmas Special (TheCorsair, Xanaphia, Madam Mim)

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TheCorsair

Pēdicãbo ego võs et irrumäbo
Joined
Dec 17, 2013
The Blue Moon Crossover Christmas Special

Sam bustled about, feeling giddy with excitement as she checked the food and the decorations one last time. The colored lights on the fir tree in the corner burned with a steady electric glow. They’d been a splurge, but they were safer than candles. And with a baby sleeping upstairs, she’d wanted the tree to be safe. There wasn’t a such animal as an electric menorah, though. So it sat on the mantle, candles burning bright and warm.

“Relax, liebschen,” Erik laughed, sliding his arms around her waist. His hands on her belly, warm through the fabric of her dress, reminded her for a moment that she hadn’t managed t lose all of the weight she’d gained in pregnancy. “Everything is ready.”

“Ah know,” she smiled, leaning back into his embrace. “Ah’m jes’ excited, yeh know? Hostin’ th’ party in our own house this year.” She wrapped her arms around his and smiled. “Hardly feels real. This time last year, you’d jes’ asked me to marry you.”

“I can ask again this year,” he teased, nipping lightly at her bare neck.

“Stop that,” she protested, arching her neck to give him more access. “Th’ guests’ll be here any minute.”

“Then I’ll have to be quick,” he replied, running his hands up her belly to cup her breasts. She made a purring sound, covering his hands with hers as he gently squeezed...

There was a knock at the door.

Bith of them sighed. Disengaging from each other, Erik straightened his tie while Sam adjusted her gown. “I’ll, uhm, get the wine,” Erik said, tugging at his trousers.

“Right. Ah’ll get th’ door,” Sam nodded, glancing at the mirror and checking her hair. She usually didn’t do much more than braid it, but she’d had it done up nice to go with her new dress. And while she had definite plans to let it get all messed up by Erik later in the evening, right now she wanted it to look nice. Someone hammered at the door again.

“All right, all right,” she snapped, stalking into the hall and heading for the door. “Hold yer damn horses!” Probably Kieran, she decided. His manners were even tougher than hers, possibly because he hadn’t bothered with them. Maybe if he’d stayed with Colin. The knocking sounded again, and she scowled. “Ah said,” she snapped, pulling the door open, “Hold yer...”

The words died on her lips. She knew both of the women at the door, and neither one was Anne Marie. One was the Indian gal she’d met in New Orleans, Jackie something. She was bundled against the Berlin winter in a sheepskin jacket, and had a baby cradled in her arms.

“Holy shit,” gasped the Sam Cavendish on the stoop. “Don’t Ah look like a proper lady, hun?”



Elsewhere...

Quentin caught three blaster bolts on the blazing white blade of his lightsaber, sending two into the ceiling and the third back into the chest of a startled-looking mantoid. He slashed sideways, amputating the hand of a Gammorean with a vibriaxe, then spun and kicked another man in the stomach. “You all right?” he called.

There was a surge in the Force, and two humanoids flew past him to slam into the wall. “Oh, I’m just wonderful,” Kaydia complained, her lightsaber flaring green as she deflected a blaster bolt back down the hall. “What happened to covert?”

“It’s not my fault!” he protested, scanning the room. Everyone was down now, either unconscious or dead. “All I Did was look, and their alarms went off!”

“Uhm-hm,” she replied skeptically, catching one last thug with the Force and bouncing him off the ceiling. “I thought Shadows were discrete?”

In the distance, echoing down the corridor, the sound of metal on metal could be heard. Without another word, the two Jedi cautiously approached. It grew louder, resolving into a musical ringing sound that ebbed and flowed in the rhythms of battle. There were voices as well, sharp and taunting but in distinct. Finally, they reached the source.

“Well,” Quentin said “You don’t see that every day.”

Several bodies lay on the deck of the bridge. At one end a woman with long red hair and a green dress wielded a long, straight sword as she fought two of the crew of the pirate ship. At the other, a flamboyantly-dressed man used a slightly curved, basket-hilted sword to fight the ship’s captain, a scarred Mon Calamari with a serrated hook of a blade. The flamboyant man sidestepped, feinted, and thrust the Mon Calamari through the heart. “Everything under control, love?”

“Oh, you know me,” the redhead replied, parrying a sword thrust. “I’ve never minded two at once.” She slashed and the swordsman went down, his throat opened. “Unless they don’t have any staying power.”

“Need any help?” The man asked.

“You’ve watched me with other men before,” the woman replied. “I’ll let you know.” She twisted her wrist and turned a clumsy swing aside, then stabbed her second opponent in the throat. “There.”

“Who areyou two?” Quentin asked, sounding puzzled. They clearly weren’t with the pirates, but there’d been no other ships about.

“Well,” said the man, swaying a little as he waved towards the woman. “I have the privilege of being able to tell you that she is the fearsome reformed pirate Red Jenny, scourge of the South China Sea and my dear and lovely wife. And I, my good sir, am Captain Jack Sparrow.” He sketched a little bow, then looked crestfallen at the lack of response from the two Jedi. “You’ve not heard of me? Jenny, love, they’ve never heard of me!”

A little while ago...

“Right,” Sam said slowly. “You don’t look like no shaman.” He sure as hell didn’t. Someone calls himself a shaman, you expected an Indian. Not some burly white man with close-cropped hair and some kind of strange olive colored coat.

“No,” he corrected. “Not a shaman. The Shaman. It’s my title.”

“Pretty fuckin’ arrogant title, you ask me.” Sam poured herself a cup of coffee and stared at the crazy man, wondering again why she’d allowed him into her house. Jackie was still asleep, since the baby had been up half the night crying, and the last thing she needed was to get woken up by a kitchen full of crazy.

“Maybe it is,” the man agreed, reaching into a pocket and sliding a small box across the table. “Rub this on Jack’s gums, though, and he’ll feel better.”

She picked it up. The label was clearly written in English, but the label meant nothing to her. Children’s Tylenol. “Yeah. A’ll be sure ta feed mah son pills on the word o’ a hobo that’s Putin’s on airs.” She set it down. “Ah said Ah’d feed yeh some breakfast. Ah ain’t gonna...”

“You’re making an unwanted assumption, Samantha Margaret Cavendish,” the man interrupted, then chuckled as she gasped in surprise. “I’m here to...”. He paused, staring at the revolver she was suddenly aiming at him. “Put that down.”

Sam started to obey, then her knuckles whitened as she forced herself to keep the weapon level. “Go fuck yerself.”

He laughed, sounding pleased. “Impressive. But I’m not here to harm you, or Jacqueline Sparrow, or your son. No, I’m here to do something for you.”

“What?”

He spread his hands. “Well, let’s just say that you can think of me as the Ghost if Christmases that Might Have Been.” He searched her confused expression. “Dickens reference? A riff on A Christmas Carol?”

“Suh, Ah got no idea what th’ hell yer talkin’ about.”



Now

Still in her fancy dress, Sam sat at the dining room table and stared at the other Sam as she told her tale. It wasn’t quite like looking in a mirror. The other Sam wore her hair shorter, for one thing. And her nose had been broken, making it a little crooked. And she was a little leaner, her clothes a little more threadbare and patched. But she seemed happy, clearly in love with her Jackie and firing on the little black baby they’d brought along. “So he wasn’t a crazy derelict, was he.”

“Nope,” Sam confirmed. “He brought us here, ta Berlin, in some kinda...” she searched for words.

“Medicine lodge,” Jackie supplied.

“Ah reckon,” Sam said with a shrug. “Opened a door in a damn Rick, an’ led us into a big ol’ room. Like, like a church. One o’ them real big ones. An’ then, We was here.”

“Well,” Erik said, sounding a little dazed, “You and your friend might as well stay for dinner.”

“Wife,” Sam corrected, draping her arm around Jackie’s shoulders. “She’s mah wife, not jes’ mah friend.”

“She’s... What?” Erik sounded shocked.

“Wait.” Sam looked at the other Sam. “In yer Tejas, gals kin marry other gals?”

“Nope,” Sam replied with a grin. “You think Ah care, though?”

Sam laughed then, and took Erik’s hand. “Nope.”



“He was number thirty-four,” John said, wiping his sword off and gesturing at the orange skinned... man? Thing?

“What do you mea, ‘number thirty-four’?” asked the woman with the green glowing sword. Kaydia, he recalled from the brief exchange of names. He took a moment to appreciate the curves her outfit displayed before responding.

“Oh, it’s simple enough. I sail under a curse, you see. No rest beyond the grave for me, not until I deliver a hundred souls wicked enough to be condemned to Davy Jones’ Locker”. He gestured at Jenny. “And my lovely wife volunteered to keep me company as I sail.”

The two... Jettys? Jeti? Whatever. Quentin and Kaydia were their names, and they glanced at each other. “Oh. So you’re cursed.”

It was clear from Kaydia’s tone of voice that she was humoring him. John shot Jenny a questioning look, then turned on his heel. “Come along,” he said, swaggering off. “Let me show you something.” The two... Cheddy? Hell, the two Knights followed, watching him with more than a little caution. He didn’t care. Instead, he paused dramatically before a massive window and spun on his heel. “Look for yourselves.”

They did. Kaydia’s eyes widened a little, and Quentin tried to stifle a noise of surprise. “What... What is that?” he asked.

John grinned, waving at the full-rigged galleon that drifted alongside the starship, sails stirring in an impossible breeze. “That is the Black Pearl. Now,” he clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “Care for a little trip, just to prove she’s real. We’re headed for, uhm...”. He cast a helpless look at Jenny.

“Some place called al-Nithiel,” she replied.
 
Three ships waving the flag of the Sons of the Scorpion were surrounding a fourth. Aurelia didn’t recognize the flag on the ship being boarded, and Yusef shrugged as he handed back her spyglass. “Small time pirates, most likely.”

“Still, we might as well help them out. Sons are likely to take them for slaves or sacrifices,” Aurelia decided, turning the wheel two points off starboard.

“More of your self-destructive impulses for heroism?” Yusef teased, pulling himself closer with a strong grip on her hips.

Aurelia simpered. “Perhaps. And if the Sons happen to have cargo on board, well, that can payment for our rescue.”



“What planet is this?” Kaydia grumbled, catching a cutlass on her lightsaber before melting through the steel and searing off the hand wielding the blade. Most of their assailants were human, or near human, but there were several aliens she couldn’t identify. With red and black skin, horns growing from their skulls. They were similar to Iridonian’s but still off. After all, she never met an Iridonian with a tail before.

“Does it look as if I can access a nav sat right now?” Quentin countered, countering a blow from a pink skinned man with great horns that curled around his head. The force alerted them both to danger in the form of a crude iron projectile, 10 cm in diameter. She slowed its trajectory with the force, and Quentin sliced it in half with his burning white blade.

The other couple seemed to be handling themselves well, skilled with their primitive weapons. Still, the pirates that had boarded them had numbers, and for each that they cut down two more seemed to pop up. By now the foursome had been pushed towards the stern of the ship. Kaydia pushed several back with the force, sending them tumbling down curved stairs, but it was but a brief respite. Now two more ships had pulled up to join the fray, waving red flags with black crowns on them.

“More pirates?” Kaydia snapped, “I’m getting about sick of pirates!”



"What in the hells?"

About half the bodies found on board had been killed the old fashion way, ran through on or cleaved in twain by a sword. The other half had similar injuries, but instead of blood, the bodies had been burned where blade met skin. And even from the deck, she could see the glowing green and white straight blades wielded by the strangely dressed man and woman. Was that some sort of pyromancy?

Not that there was much time for Aurelia to question it, not as a body flew past her and into the mast. It wasn't any magic she'd seen before, but she bet the Sons were sorry they targeted a ship carrying a couple of wizards. They were certainly sorry now, pinned between Aurelia's crew storming the deck and the four on the stern. Unfortunately, the Sons didn't have the sense to surrender, and the ship was an abattoir by the time she and Yusef caught up the occupants of the ship.

"I am Captain Aurelia Seabourne, of the Silken Siren, and this is Captain Yusef al-Udan, of the al-Udan Mercenaries.”

There was a pair of redheads, though that was about all they had in common. One was dressed as expected of a pirate in the Jeweled Archipelago, in a green dress that flattered her figure and a bandana to tie back wild curls. She introduced herself as Red Jenny, wife of Captain Jack Sparrow. The other wore a plain black outfit, fitted to her curves without hampering her movement. She still held her green glowing sword before her, meeting Aurelia with caution in her eyes. “Jedi Knight Kaydia, and my husband, Jedi Master Quentin.”

“Wait, knights? Like paladins? I thought you two were wizards?” Aurelia asked.

“I’m a knight, he is a master.”

“Well, I don’t call anyone master.”

“That’s not what you said last night,” Yusef pointed out.

“Hush you,” Aurelia said without any real heat. Without missing a beat, she was back to asking questions, “What did you do to make yourselves an enemy of the Sons of the Scorpions?"

“Existing, apparently,” The male wizard, Quentin, scoffed. He did something to the hilt, and the white blade of his weapon disappeared.

“Yeah, they hate that,” Yusef laughed.

“I am actually here to collect wicked souls for Davy Jones’s locker. Cursed to sail the sea with no rest until I retrieve 100,” Captain Jack explained, stepping carefully over the various body parts to the corpse of tattooed man wearing more cheap jewelry than was necessary for dozen lifetimes. “And this is number 35.”


“Well, I don’t know what Davy Jone’s locker is, but if you need wicked 100 souls, stay in al-Nithiel for awhile. You’ll finish in no time,” Aurelia offered, laughing, “We’ve made it our personal mission to wipe out slavery, so you’re welcome to harvest their souls if you please.”

Fayette peaked her head in at that. “Or if you want a really wicked soul, you can head to the Northlands, and take down a bastard who is responsible for a hell of a lot of pain and suffering in the world. Matthias the Traitor.”
 
"Well then, we may need to alter course to these Northlands." Jenny picked her way over the corpses and wiped the grime from her sword on the clothes of a fallen--well she couldn't rightly call it a man--before sheathing it. "Calypso is fickle as all hell and no common bad egg will do; believe me, we've tried. If common slave traders and owners were enough, we'd have gone home centuries ago. She wants the truly wicked, the ones the likes of which Hell is too good for." She wiped the sweat from her palms and looked over the two appraisingly. "So...coming?"

~*~

Jackie laughed at the tweedy man's surprise that they were married. "My tribe married us. Someone had to make an honest woman outta me, and I sure as hell wasn't gonna let it be a man. I mean, Jack's daddy is nice enough but I wouldn't marry him for nothin'."

"So you don't...but then..." Erik gestured at the baby, confused. Jackie had implied that he was hers, but also that she didn't like men, and she laughed again.

"There was a lot of whiskey involved, and it's mostly Sam's fault for talkin' me into it," she assured him before gazing down with awe and admiration at the little boy in her arms. "But I wouldn't take him back for all the world. I'm just glad he finally got to sleep. Been up for damn near three days straight...the cold seems to agree with him." She tore her eyes away from her son to look back at other Sam's other choice, unsure whether to be pleased or offended that she'd chosen a skinny bookworm. "So y'all got any yet? Kids, I mean."

"Gideon," Erik said, remembering his manners and crossing to the sidebar to pour them drinks, "is three weeks old and the light of our lives, but we feel your pain for the lack of sleep."

"Gideon?" Jackie crinkled her nose in confusion and took the proffered drink. It didn't sound like the sort of name Sam would pick for her kid: they'd been throwing back and forth names like Samuel and Eli before settling on a family name for their son. It was then she spotted the menorah on the mantle and raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Damn woman, you just can't make nothin' easy for yerself, can you?" she laughed, nudging her Sam and pointing out the menorah, recognizing it from them political cartoons she'd seen in the paper talking about how Jews were destroying America. She didn't pay those any mind, though; a Jew had once taken her in during a tornado and led her down to his cellar to shelter with his family.

"Yes, well, we get on just fine," Erik replied stiffly, not sure what exactly she had meant by that but not greatly appreciating her tone. The Apache, realizing how it must have sounded, shook her head.

"Oh no, I didn't mean--" But Erik excused himself to answer the door as there was a rather more polite knock. Jackie watched him go then leaned in to the other Sam. "Yer man got a broomstick up his ass or somethin'?" she whispered.

Madame LaMonte and Professor Swift were rather close together under the mistletoe which hung over the front door, but when Erik answered Anne Marie looked from her companion to her host, cheeks flushed with the cold and grinning. There were enthusiastic words of welcome all around as they stepped in from the snow and shed their coats.
 
“Yer man got a broomstick up his ass or somethin'?" Jackie whispered.

“Naw,” Sam replied, watching Erik head into the hall. “It’s jes’, well, Jews get a lotta shit heaped on ‘em by folk, an’ he gets tetchy ‘bout it.” She shrugged. “But he wouldn’t let me kick th’ crap outta th’ last jerk that popped off about it. Said it weren’t worth it.”

“Last sumabitch talked shit ‘bout Jackie,” the other Sam muttered darkly, “carried his teeth home in a sack.”

“Right! Right!” Sam agreed, grinning broadly. “Ah knew y’all‘ git it!” She leaned forward, eyes flicking from Jackie to the other Sam and back. “Ah wonder who gets it worse? Indios o judíos?”

“Reckon it depends on where you are,” the other Sam laughed. “Now, y’all gotta tell me how y’ended up in Berlin. Ah mean, me an’ Hackie done talked ‘bout head in’ west - California, or even Hawaii. How’s Berlin happen?”

“Jes’ lucky,” Sam replied. “See, after México signed on ta th’ League, they was asked ta supply a few agents fer th’ Meridian Society. Ah was one o’ four Rangers selected fer...”

“Wait,” the other Sam interrupted. “Yer a Ranger? A Texas Ranger?”

“Sure am,” Sam agreed.

“When did that happen?” The other Sam demanded.

“Shoot,” Sam laughed. “Ain’t nuthin’ new There. Been female Rangers since ‘03, when Mexico incorporated them into the Policía Federal Preventiva.”

“Mexico did what now?” The other Sam demanded.

“Ain’t nuthin’ new there, neither,” Sam laughed. “Happened when th’ Yanks an’ Cassies were tearin’ themselves up durin’ their second civil war.”

“Their what?”



“Well,” Algernon said, making a show of reaching an inescapable conclusion as he stared at the mistletoe, “I suppose it would be churlish of us to fail to participate in the spirit of the season.” Despite the seriousness of his voice there was a playful twinkle in his eye as he drew Anne Marie into his arms. He lowered his mouth to hers, feeling her lips like silk on his skin.

Then he jerked back, heart hammering in his chest as he heard the door of the Schmitt family residence open. He wheeled in Erik, seizing the younger man’s hand and shaking it vigorously. “Chag Chanukah sameach!” he declared cheerily. “Und Fröhliche Weihnachten! And how are Sam and young Gideon this fine winter evening?”

He could heat conversation from deeper in the house as he entered the hall. “We aren’t the first to arrive then?” he asked, assisting Anne Marie with her coat. “Excellent. Friends of Samantha’s, from the sound of it. “ With that, he strode into the drawing room and stopped cold. There, seated on the couch to either side of an Indian woman with an infant was...

“My god,” he murmured. “There’s two of them.”



“So, let me get this straight,” John said carefully, looking at his wife before turning to face the pirate crew that had come to their aid. “You want us to abandon our duties and go sailing off across unknown waters to hunt down some guy who - in a world where devils crew ships - you say is evil?”

“Yes,” Faye replied in a level voice.

John shrugged. “Sure. Why not?” He looked at Jenny. “Fancy a bit of devil hunting, love?”

“Wait a moment,” Quentin interrupted. “We only came with you to see how this, this wooden ship could sail in space. Kaydia and I have our own work to get back to.”

Jack laughed. “Looks like you’ve been pressed, my boy. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life and all. Let’s...”. He tensed as the Jedi’s hand closed around the hilt of his weapon.

“Aren’t you a knight?” asked an older, dark-skinned man.

Quentin glanced at him. “A... well, yes.”

“Well, where we come from, a knight is pledged to uphold certain ideals.” Senzang paused and ostentatiously packed the bowl of his pipe. “Although many only give lip service to the ideals of chivalry, you and your lady have the look of knights who believe in them.” Lighting his pipe, he puffed thoughtfully. “Will you ignore a call to confront evil?”

“Exactly!” Jack declared. “Just like he...”

Yusef laid a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Do you always talk this much?”
 
Jenny shrugged when John asked whether she wanted to go hunt some devils. "Da would be disappointed if I didn't, honestly," she said with a grin. "Shall we, then?"

But Quentin had some reservations. An older man interrupted, pointing out that he was a knight and that it was his duty to confront evil. Jenny nodded along. She liked this man! But John put in as well and she grabbed his hand about the same time another man laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I think perhaps this isn't the time to talk, love," she said quietly, squeezing his hand gently.

~*~

"Danke schon," Erik said with a smile, shaking the Professor's hand then gingerly hugging Anne Marie. She was still intimidating, but there was something about having another person's nipple in your mouth which made that person slightly less scary. "Gideon is finally asleep and Sam is recovering well."

"Fantastic," Anne Marie said with a smile, taking Algie's arm under the guise of old-fashioned propriety as Erik led the way to the parlor. "And this is a beautiful home, Erik. I take it this is to be your home until the family manor passes to you?"

"Ja," he answered, "but as a heads-up, there are--"

"My god," Algernon murmured, and Anne Marie also pulled up short. "There's two of them."

"--in New Orleans?" Jackie demanded. "Ain't nothin' there but swamps and gators. No fuckin' thank you."

"Samantha?" Anne Marie asked cautiously. "Have...have you a twin you've forgotten to tell us about?" That was the only explanation she could think of. Jackie looked over her shoulder at the fancy lady and shrugged.

"We're as confused as you are, lady," she informed her. "Mostly we're just goin' with it."
 
Kaydia could only laugh as Quentin’s complaint was dismissed by newfound allies. “Let’s be perfectly honest, we weren’t getting anywhere in that last wild porg chase. This can be that vacation you’ve owed me for… well, for too long now.”

“So where is the rest of your crew?” Aurelia asked, looking around the ship, “I’ve never seen a galleon like this before, but I still imagine you need a crew of at least a dozen or so to man it.”

Kaydia shook her head, “It’s just us. Doesn’t seem to follow any laws of physics that I’ve studied.” Wary eyes peered around, “I may just have to accept that he is cursed.”

“Doesn’t seem like much of a curse,” Aurelia muttered, wonder on her expression.



The town of Monsford prepared for the winter solstice, building a massive pyre that was to burn from sundown until sun rise. A celebration of strength and resilience, a reminder that no night is endless, for the sun always rises. To Aurianna’s eye, it resembled the eve before the battle of Monsford, when they proved themselves too stubborn to lay down and die.

Each time she tried to help, someone shooed her off, on account of her swollen belly. Protests, –that, after having handled a pair of demons, a pile of logs was little challenge– fell on deaf ears. So she found a task she could help with, one that no one was reprimanding her for, in bringing drinks to the those laboring to finish the pyre. “Looks like you all could use a break.”

Matthias rubbed the back of his hand across his forehead before accepting. The chill in the air nipped and bit, but lugging hundreds of pounds worth of lumber could still break a sweat. “Thanks. How are you holding up?”

“Mostly fine,” Aurianna admitted, passing around more drinks to the others nearby, “Better if everyone would stop coddling me as though I were an invalid.”

Matthias put his hand on her shoulder. “We got this. You’re already carrying enough.”

“Yeah, and I’d trade you in an instant if I could,” she grumbled, before wincing. “Your child keeps kicking me in the ribs.” Still, it gave her an idea, and her steel arm darted out to grab his wrist, and placed it on her abdomen. Even under the layers she wore, he could feel the kicking of the child within her. His golden eyes glittered in amazement, echoed by the wordless sound that escaped his lips.

“Yeah…I think I’ll stick to carrying wood,” Matthias answered in a laugh, pulling his wife closer to kiss her on the forehead.




Aurelia closed her spyglass in a fit of shock, shaking her head. “Holy Hells, how did we reach the northlands so quickly?”

Kaydia shrugged, “The ship traveled through space. It operates on a set of rules I have to figure out.”

“Man, I oughtta get myself cursed like this.”
 
Quentin leaned on the forecastle railing of the Black Pearl, watching the riverbank drift past. In the last few hours he’d seen scattered villages, pre-industrial farming and fishing community buries, and the wreckage of a large wood and stone structure that had spanned the river at some point. A dam, most likely. One that had been r early destroyed.

“There’s something wrong here,” he said.

“What do you mean?” asked a hawk-faced man. Yusef, Quentin recalled.

“The Force,” he began, then reconsidered his words at the puzzled expression on the man’s face. They’d said something about wizards and magic, right? “The, uhm, the energies of life. If nature. They’re the source of my... powers.”

“Ah!” Yusef nodded sudden understanding. “So, You and your wife are a Druidic order of knights? I’ve heard of such things.”

“Sure,” Quentin agreed, wondering what a druid was, “let’s go with that. The Force is...”. He struggled to describe it. “There’s darkness here, a corruption tainting the river. But, out there. Along the shore, it’s... wild.”

Yusef stared at the shire. “Looks like farmland to me.”

“Not wild like unsettled,” Quentin replied, still struggling to describe what he sensed. “It’s... savage. Frenzied, Maybe. Raw and unchecked and burning with potential. The sheer power is, is...”

“Terrifying?” Yusef suggested.

“No. Intoxicating.” Quentin stared at the bank. “And that’s the terrifying part.



John turned the wheel a point and the Pearl shifted course slightly, maneuvering around a sandbar. When he’d been alive, the thought of taking a galleon upriver would have been laughable. But his ship was as changed as he was. She’d make it.

“You’re sure we’re heading for Matthias?” Faye asked, fingering her hilt. Hate blazed in her sharp features as she stared out over the river.

“The Pearl’s never let me down,” he replied. “Except for that time she was stuck in a bottle, and that wasn’t her fault.” He patted the wheel comfortingly. “Was it now?”

Faye gave him a sort of curious sidelong glance, and then shifted away from him a little. “Hey,” she said suddenly, shading her eyes, “there’s a city. And... what the fuck is that?”

That was a monstrous head of some fanged beast, easily the size of a four story house. The eye sockets were empty, staring blindly at an equally massive skeleton that choked the waters of the river. “No idea,” John said. “None at all.”



“Right,” The other Sam said. “Mind tellin’ me who these folk are again?”

She’d followed Sam into the kitchen, making the claim that since she’d dropped by uninvited she should help out. Privately, Sam figured it was because she was feeling a little uncomfortable- and she couldn’t blame her doppelgänger. It was a weird situation.

“Well, Ah done introduced y’all ta Erik,” she began.

“Yep,” The other Sam grinned. “Wouldn’t mind introducin’ mahself a bit more though. He’s kinda cute.”

“Back off,” Sam replied without heat. “The older gent talkin’ like a damn dictionary’s Algernon Swift, mah boss. We call him th’ Perfessor, mosta th’ time.” She nodded at the couch, where he sat peppering Jackie with questions. “Th’ fancy French lady’s Anne Marie LaMonte.”

“Reckon she’s his boss,” the other Sam snickered. “Wouldn’t mind bein’ bossed around by her neither, y’know?”

“You behave yerself,” Sam admonished with a laugh. “Y’done got a wife.”

“Oh, Ah reckon Jackie wouldn’t mind. Long as Ah shared. Who’s th’ new fellah?”

“Colin Drake,” Sam said. “Ah work wit’ him, an’ Ah’d call him a friend.”

The other Sam considered him. “Hm.” She considered him a bit longer. “So, You two ever, y’know... f-“

“Nope,” Sam interrupted. “Fell hard fer Erik afire Ah ever found out he was innerested. An’ We both happen ta be married women, Samantha Margaret Cavendish!” she scolded in playfully severe tones.

“True,” the other Sam replied thoughtfully. “Still, mebbe Ah kin..,”

“Grab then there drinks an’ pass ‘em out?” Sam interrupted. “That’s a mighty fine idea.” She laughed at the other woman’s expression. “Y’all done said y’wanted ta help.”
 
"And he just...showed up in your parlor?" Anne Marie held the sleeping baby, having offered to give Jackie a reprieve for a little while. She didn't know why she'd acquiesced, but did know that if the frog made one move that even suggested something amiss she'd be dead before she ould blink. With the weight of the seven-month-old gone she rotated her shoulder and stretched her arms.

"Well, hogans don't really have proper parlors, but yeah basically. At least that's what Sam says; I was asleep. Finally got him down." She stifled a yawn, not wanting to appear rude. "He's been teething and it's a bitch to handle."

"A little whiskey on his gums should help," Anne Marie suggested with a sly look. There was a raucous sort of pounding on the door and she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Always the last to show, as usual. I swear he purposely keeps us waiting on him!"

"I'll get it," Erik said quickly, jumping to his feet and exiting. He seemed to Jackie to practically radiate hostility, though she didn't know why. It wasn't like she was trying to steal his Sam too; one was more than enough.

"So...do you just call one another 'wife,' or...?" Anne Marie was dreadfully curious. Perhaps another timeline was more accepting than this one of people with alternative lifestyles.

"Well, the state of Texas doesn't recognize it, obviously," Jackie answered with a shrug, "but my tribe sees people like me as holy people. Sam's a proper two-spirit, but I'm called the same thing. Buncha bullshit if you ask me. I'm probably the least holy person you'll ever meet." She snickered and shook her head as there were voices in the hallway before Erik returned with someone familiar in tow.

"So, it's a long story, but this is--"

"Jackie?"

"Kieran!" Jackie jumped to her feet and she and the pirate embraced, much to the surprise of everyone else present. When she pulled away he wrapped an arm around her shoulder in a sort of side-hug.

"This is my little cousin Jackie," he announced. "Er...distant cousin. Every few years there's a big family reunion and she's always stuck to me like a barnacle."

"I've told you, I'm not little," Jackie argued hotly. Kieran had maybe five or six years on her, just enough of an age gap to have been considered "little" when they were children. "Thought I proved that when I nearly accidentally drowned you in the creek."

"Or when you decided to William Tell that apple off my head with a heat ray," the pirate conceded with a shrug. "Still have to part my hair differently, y'know; never grew back."

"When I what with a what?" Jackie crinkled her nose. Was this not her Kieran? Did he actually know these people? Before he could explain a tall, broad-chested Arab who had been standing quietly a few steps behind Kieran cleared his throat.

"Oh ah, this is Hareth," Kieran said, stepping back and putting his other arm around Hareth's waist. "Hareth this is Erik Heinz-Schmidt, Professor Swift, Anne Marie LaMonte, and Colin Drake." He gestured to each of them in turn, avoiding Colin's gaze. "And...who's this handsome devil, Anne Marie?" he asked, spotting the baby who looked decidedly unlike the woman holding him. Jackie stepped forward to take the baby back and nothing was clarified.

"My boy Jack," she explained, then shook her head at his expression. "It's a long story involving a lotta whiskey and a sprained ankle."
 
“A what now?” Sue asked, eyes narrowed in Clara’s direction.

“A pirate ship, on the river.” Clara pointed towards the western wall.

“A pirate…ship,” Sue repeated, pronouncing the words carefully. Half turning towards Thora, she murmured, “How much eggnog has Clara had already?”

“I’m not seeing things,’ Clara grumbled, pulling both women along, toward the walls, “Come on, see for yourselves.”

Sue and Thora met each other's eyes with equal skepticism. Still, they humored her, following her up the stairs, their footsteps echoing their disbelief until…

“Holy hells,” Thora gasped, catching sight of the massive seafaring vessel, “How much eggnog have I had already?”



Mercedes shivered under her winter coat, holding up a lantern so William could look under the hood of the rented car and see if he could figure out the problem. It wasn’t much colder in Berlin than Chicago, but it was past sundown on Christmas Eve, and stranded in a broken car was the last place she wanted to be.

“The oil froze,” William explained, slamming the hood, “They must not have switched to the winter blend before we rented it.”

“Ugh, this is the last time I pick a car based on the fact we share a name,” she grumbled, shivering a bit more. They’d have to find someone who ‘d let them in, just long enough to call for a tow, who also happened to speak English or Italian. She may as well pray for a Christmas miracle. Almost on queue A few doors down from them, a couple knocked on a residence, and when the door opened, and when the host greeted them, Mercedes thought they spoke English.

Nudging William, she pointed that way, “Why don’t we ask them if we can use their phone to call a tow truck and a cab?”





Clara had rushed out to meet the ship before Thora or Sue could stop her, awe filling her eyes. How had this massive ship made the journey up the Sarn? Several people disembarked, most dressed in typical pirate fashion (or what Clara imagined typical pirate attire to be), but one couple in particular were strange, in their black outfits. But that errant thought left her mind by the time the last few people touched upon the backs of the river.

“I know you! You’re that famous pirate captain!” Clara declared. She turned from the light-skinned man with dreadlocks, towards the tall women with ebon hair and umber skin, “You’re the Onyx Queen! You lead the first open rebellion against the demons…except, wait, that was over a hundred years ago. But you look just like the pictures of her I’ve seen.”

She laughed, equal parts embarrassment and pride in the short sound, “Nah, I’m just one of her descendants, Captain Aurelia Seaborne. Not looking into any rebellions either, just hunting a demon known as Matthias the Traitor.”

Clara grimaced, and shook her head, “If you’re looking for a demon, you’re going to be disappointed.”

“He’s not here?” Aurelia cast a sidelong glance at the man with the dreads.

“Oh, he’s here alright but…Well, it’s probably easier just to show you what I mean.”
 
Wearing the shape of a small black cat, Verrier lazily groomed the toes of his right rear foot and watched the new arrivals with guarded curiosity. They stank of the outside to his peculiar senses, beings more alien than the Qlippoth for all their human shape. There were only four of them, though, still frail and still human. If need be, he could destroy them easily enough.

His nostrils flared. There was another alien presence in his domain. One that stank of iron and chaos. A stench he knew, but that he did not recognize. So he rose with a stretch of his spine, yawning widely before setting out in search of his prey. It wasn’t hard to find, not with the reek of chaos in the air. Before his prey could react he lept, smashing it to the earth with one furry paw. “And what brings you here, I wonder?”

The creature wore the shape of a mouse, wrapped with chains of fine steel. It struggled desperately, fighting to escape the implacable strength that held it. “I mean you no harm!” It cried. “I bear you no ill will!”

Verrier plucked at a chain. “Bound like this? I would expect no less.” His fangs gaped over the skull of the false mouse. “Who are you, trickster?”

“I am called the Puck,” the creature declared, shape rippling as it took on the form of a chain-girded serpent. Then it cried out in pain as Verrier slammed it’s fanged skull into the dirt. “And I come at the behest of Auberon, seeking the Black Pearl and it’s crew!”

“I know not this Auberon,” Verrier murmured, pressing the Puck’s skull harder into the dirt. “Tell me his message and, if I approve, then you may live.”



Colin watched Kieran coldly as he introduced Hareth. It wasn’t that the pirate had brought a date to the party - the invitation had made it clear that a “plus one” was acceptable, after all. No, it was Hareth himself. The man seemed likable enough, but their first introduction had been finding him in bed with Kieran. In his bed.

At least Hareth had the good graces to look uncomfortable. Kieran just stared at him, challenging him to say something. He glared back, then opened his mouth to say something.

“Ah didn’t know y’all had an English cousin, Jackie.” It was the younger Sam, a gamine creature whose presence he didn’t fully understand. But the sputter of outrage her statement provoked brought a smile to his lips.

“Kieran isn’t English,” he said, not bothering to hide the chuckle. “He’s Irish.”

“Oh.” The young Sam considered that. “So he’d be Kieran McSparrow, then?” She looked annoyed by the snickers the question provoked. “Ah mean, he sore ain’t no Apache, an’ every Irishman I’ve heard tell of got a name startin wit’ Mick.”

The doorbell rang. Samantha glanced at her husband, looking slightly puzzled. They’d only invited friends from work to the party, and everyone was here. Who could this be. “Ah’ll get th’ door, this time,” she said. “Rate this is goin’, it’ll be another Erik.”



“This gentleman,” John said slowly, “doesn’t seem to qualify.”

Matthias the Traitor had been built up by Fayetteville as a literal demon. A genuine actual demon, wearing black armor and drinking blood and commanding a host of lesser demons. Something out of the stories of King Arthur. Not a big, horrified-looking man in homespun, with a visibly pregnant wife.

Okay. Maybe the glowing golden eyes didn’t look normal. But they sure didn’t scream ‘demon’. Nor did the pack of armed teenagers backing him up as Faye advanced.

“What do you think, love?” he asked, squeezing Jenny’s hand. “He sure doesn’t feel like a candidate for the Locker. Hell, he feels like someone in the same boat I am.” He paused, tensing as Faye gripped her blade with a scarred fist. “Figuratively, I mean. And it looks to be getting lively.”

Faye had torn her blade from its scabbard and hurled herself at this Matthias. He didn’t move, but the teenagers did. One in particular, a brunette wearing a peasant dress, lunged forward faster than he could follow and caught her wrist. Despite the difference in height - the girl was four or five inches shorter - she held Faye’s arm immobile. “You don’t need to do this,” she said calmly.

“Yes! I do!” Fay raged. “Do you know who he is? What he’s done?”

“Yes,” the girl replied. “I do. I also know he helped kill Baath-Me’el, and that the goddess has granted him the hope of forgiveness.”

“Well I haven’t!” Faye snarled, struggling against the girl. She tried to kick her, only to have her booted foot slammed down by the girl’s slipper. “He’s a monster!”

John glanced at Jenny, and then at the two Space Knights. “I can’t help but feel we missed something important here.”



William knocked at the door, one he’d selected from the tow of townhouses by virtue of the fact that it had lights on. No need to start off on the wrong foot by waking someone up to ask for a favor, after all. Rubbing his hands together, he hoped the response would come quickly. There was something odd in the air, and he’d have sworn the tall, tripod-like structures on the skyline weren’t there when they left the hotel. “There really should be an easier way to do this,” he told Mercedes with a sheepish grin.

The door opened, revealing a square-jawed blonde in a sleeveless gold dress that revealed several old scars. She was, well, the word he’d use would be handsome, and something about her skin, muscular build reminded him of his sister. “Guten Abend,” she said, her words flavored with an odd accent. Spanish, maybe? “Kann ich dir helfen?”

“Ja, danke,” he replied, painfully aware of how limited his German was. The last time he’d used it had been to shout insults at the Wehrmacht in France. “Mein Auto...”

“Yer a Yankee!” She interrupted with a laugh. “An’ yer German ain’t much better’n mine. What’s wrong wit’ yer car?”

“It, uhm, broke down,” he replied, startled. “The radiator sprung a leak, I think.”

The woman shook her head sympathetically. “Don’t that beat all. Well, come on in - y’all’ll catch yer death o’ cold, y’will. Y’kin join th’ party while Ah see if’n Ah kin flash a mechanic fer yeh.” She opened the door. “Sam Cav... Sam Schmidt. What’s yer name?”

“William Stone,” he replied. “And this is Mercedes Malone. Thank you so much for this, Mrs. Schmidt.”

“Nah, don’t you fret, it ain’t no bother.” She added their coats to the full hooks by the door. “Might have ta get y’all a cab, though. Most shops’re closed, this time o’ night.” Gesturing for them to follow, she headed for the sitting room. “Erik, hun? Got us a couple extra guests here.”
 
It wasn’t polite, But Kaydia had felt Fayette’s thoughts around Matthias. Not too deeply, just on the surface, hoping to get a sense of this “demon” Fayette had insisted they hunt. Only by understanding him, what he was and what he could do, could they begin to formulate a strategy.

Fayette’s memories on the matter were…horrifying. This Matthias a monster on the level of the Sith she and Quentin spent their lives hunting. And the things he had done, the bits she experienced vicariously through Fayette? It was enough to call up the darkness in her, darkness she worked long and hard to keep in balance.

Now, the man before them? Hardly the monster who lived in Fayette’s memories. Oh, they were some similarities, on the outside, but just as many inconsistencies. Kaydia had seen her tormentors in his acts, but looking upon him now? She saw more of herself. Just a person seeking redemption and forgiveness for past crimes.

She moved forward to pull Fayette back, to try and reason with her, but she started, so did the pregnant woman at Matthias’ side. A metal prosthetic arm rested on Fayette’s shoulder, and her voice was firm. “Let her go, Clara.” Fayette calmed herself just a bit, more cautious of her anger around the pregnant women. But it still burned in her eyes and stiffened her posture, ready to strike if only she had an opening.

“He hurt you badly, didn’t he?” She asked, voice soft. Fayette shook and nodded, unable speak in her pain and rage. The woman caressed her cheek, and wiped away a tear. “And will killing him undo what he did to you?”

Fayette shuddered, the tears flowing freely now. “I don’t know, maybe?”

“The man that hurt you is gone. The demon is no more. All that remains is a man who probably wouldn’t even try to stop you from killing him in retribution. “

“Fuck!” Fayette raged, the word surfacing from a deep well of pain. “So, he gets a happy ending and I get to live with what he did to me all my life?”

“What other choice is there? Tear a family apart? Leave behind a widow and a child without a father? And what if that child seeks you out in vengeance in taking their father away? Where will it end?”

“What other choice is there?” There was a desperation in the question, reaching for hope and reconciliation.

“You have to let go of your hate. You don’t have to forgive him, but holding on to your pain will only cause it to fester and consume you. Trust me on that much.”



Mercedes thanked God for the first time in almost a decade. In her own mind, perhaps, but it was as sincere as anything she did. Afterall, it could only be an act of God that allowed them to find the one house in Berlin occupied by American ex-patriots. Still, this Sam lead them into a sitting room filled with guests. Mercedes face must have flushed a dozen hues of red, made even worse by the dress she wore. It had been perfectly suitable for performing at a darkly lit club but felt brazen in like of the intimate company they barged in on.

Brushing snow dusted curls back behind her ear, she flashed a nervous smile. “So sorry for interrupting your holiday. We will be out of your hair as soon as a cab can get here.”






Mara sat alone from the party happening in the main room of Madame Golb’s estate. Most Zeltron celebrated included an orgy of a sort, but today she was just interloping upon Eventide, the Zeltron celebration of family. Just the sort of thing she had no experience celebrating. Though she supposed, if she were here for an orgy, she’d probably just be missing Luke instead of the parents she barely knew. Instead, she occupied herself with the datapad she had found in her father’s cache. The dozens of pictures told a half story of her parents.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?” Kalin asked, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. The smirk on his face was nearly enough to get her to forget the absence in her life.

With a sigh she set the datapad aside. “I felt like I was intruding. I know your mother just invited me out of pity.”

“Nonsense. Mom considers you a Dafayl, which makes you practically family. At least close enough to seem related without being so close we couldn’t hook up.” Kalin teased, and Mara laughed despite herself. Like all Zeltrons, his good mood was contagious.

“I guess I am just not good at celebrating family. I don’t have much experience.” She pulled one leg up against her chest and rested her head on her knee. “You knew my parents, didn’t you?”

“Not your mother. She…well, she died while I was young. Too young to remember. Your father was around a bit, while I was growing up though. Offered to supplement my gifts with Jedi teachings. Until it became too dangerous, at least. So I don’t think that helps you much, does it?” Kalin sighed and sat beside her. She knew her gloom was bringing down his mood too, and that made her feel worse. She wanted to make an excuse to leave, before Kalin grabbed her hand.

“There is one thing we can do, to help you get in the mood,” Kalin offered. Mara raised an eyebrow, not sure she was up for a Zeltron orgy before Kalin laughed, “Not that mood. But in the right state of mind to celebrate Eventide. It’s actually something your father taught me.” Kalin shifted, sitting across from her, legs crossed and hands facing outward before him. He motioned with eyes for her to do the same. Copying his pose, she placed her palms against his.

“Tafayl Quentin told me about the Dai Bendu, and their ancient beliefs surrounding the force. Apparently they believed the force connected us to all possible lives, even if we are only capable of embracing one at a time. Through meditation, you could shift your consciousness to a possibility that contains your parents. You could…meet them, a version of them, through the force.”

“Meet them?” Mara asked, hopeful disbelief in her question.

“A version of them, yes. It wouldn’t last long, though it will feel longer to you, while you are present in the alternate possibility. It won’t change anything, not in this reality, but maybe it would bring you some comfort?”

“Maybe,” Mara said, shrugging, "but I would like to try." Brushing a strand of curly red hair back, she settled into position and closed her eyes, sinking into the depths of the force, and focusing on her parent’s image in her mind. For a long while, there was everything, the connection between all living things, from the beginning until the end, and every infinite moment in-between. Everything, too fast and large and dense and much absorb. All she could do was let it pass through her, seeking one single moment along the infinite line of time.

Just when she thought she might give up, she felt cool. Cold. Shivering, she rubbed her arms and opened her eyes. She didn’t recognize the planet she was on, but it wasn’t Zeltros. Covered in snow, the dwellings were tightly packed in straight lines, and decorated with vibrant glowing lights. Where was she? Were her parents really nearby? Without a better idea, Mara decided to try the one nearby with it’s indoor lights on, knocking three times and trying not to hope too much.
 
"English?" Kieran sputtered indignantly. It was Sam, but it wasn't Sam. Sam was sitting on the couch in some sparkly number, still much curvier than she had been before the baby, then excused herself to answer the door. This other Sam seemed more comfortable with his cousin than anyone else, and was rangier and more scarred than he'd ever known her to be. Her hair was shaggy and shoulder-length, and looked to have been cropped with dull scissors, and the way she looked at Jackie told him everything he needed to know. He didn't know how this had happened, but it had.

"...An' every Irishman I've heard tell of got a name startin' wit Mick."

"That would be the Scottish," he corrected through gritted teeth. "Jacqueline! What...who...?? Will you please--!" Being mistaken for English had thrown him for a loop and the pirate had lost his usual cool demeanor. Hareth laughed and put a hand on his shoulder, murmuring something in his ear which seemed to make him relax a little.

"His last name is Shane," Jackie informed her wife with a laugh. "Not every Irishman's name starts with Mick or O. We got the same...great-great-grandma I think, so we don't share a name. But it's probably a good idea not to ever call him English again. Ever."

"Erik, hun? We got a couple extra guests here," Other Sam announced as she brought the guests through. The gentlemen who weren't already standing stood and Erik took the unannounced company in stride.

"I suppose it's a good thing we've got extra room then," he said good-naturedly before making introductions. He introduced his wife as Samantha and Jackie's wife as Sam but didn't bring up the physical similarities for now. It was confusing enough for him as it was. The woman, Mercedes, promised to be out as soon as they'd found a cab but he waved it away. "Nonsense! It's Christmas Eve! Unless you've got somewhere to be I don't see a reason you can't be here. We've got more than enough to go around, and--" There was yet another knock at the door. "...And I suppose there might have to be room for one more." Bewildered, he went to the door to find a young redhead on the stoop. "Kann ich Ihnen helfen?" he inquired politely. "Sind Sie in Not?"

"My dear what a fabulous dress," Anne Marie commented on Mercedes's outfit once introductions have been made. "Awfully chilly for this time of year, I imagine, but beautiful nonetheless. Wherever did you find it?"

~*~

"We've most definitely missed something," Jenny murmured in agreement as the woman attacking Matthias broke down. "But he doesn't seem the type to deserve the locker, does he? He does remind me very much of you." She squeezed his hand but didn't interfere with Clara and Fayette's conversation. This seemed to be something a long time coming and she didn't want to intrude.
 
Faye let her shoulders sag for a moment, dropping her eyes at the same time. "Maybe... maybe you're right," she whispered tonelessly. Clara loosened her grip on the other woman's wrist, then gasped and gagged as Faye's knee slammed into her gut and blew the air from her lungs. "But I'll risk it!" she snarled, ripping her arm away from the young Paladin and charging towards Matthias. "And you die, you... you... What? Fuck! Who's doing this!"

Everyone looked around, then slowly all eyes turned towards Quentin. He stood with his right arm raised, palm upwards, watching Faye as her legs kicked helplessly a good foot above the ground. "Maybe you should listen," he told her, voice sounding strained and unnaturally calm. "He's..."

"He's a fucking demon!" Faye roared, snatching a dagger from her belt and hurling it at him. "You don't know what he's done!"

Quentin reached out with the Force and caught the dagger, stopping it dead a meter from her hand. "I know exactly what he's done," he answered, voice shaking as he fought for control. "I can read it in the Force. He is... marbled with darkness. But I can see his destiny, and he is reaching towards the light."

"So fucking what?" Faye spat. "So he gets a pass, because some magic knight says he's trying to be good?"

He barely heard her. The Force was... was wild here. Savage. Not of the Dark Side, but not of the Light either. It was primal. Feral. All of his training was required to hold on to himself, to resist the urge to run wild with the strength that flowed through him. He could feel the trauma she'd endured. Taste the atrocities that this Matthias had inflicted in the past, atrocities that the ancient Lords of the Sith eclipsed only because they'd possessed the ability to travel to the stars. "No... one... is... beyond... redemption..."

"I'll..." Faye began.

"You will be silent!" Quentin roared, wind whipping around him as his control began to slip. Between blinks his eyes became crimson double-slitted orbs, and he could feel his body struggling to change. Struggling to become something other, as his back ached and his skin crawled and he could feel his teeth transforming into daggers. "Do you dare defy..." and then he tripped, crashing heavily into the ground as a black cat got underfoot. Before he could rise to his feet it lept onto his back, and he cried out in pain as it bit the back of his neck. Faye and the dagger dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

"Good gentle folk!" cried a new voice as a red-haired young man dressed in a motley assemblage of furs and chains lept into the sudden silence. He clattered and jangled as he spun and whirled, throwing his arms wide. "Well met, people of the Twelve Kingdoms and of al-Nithiel, and of merry old England and of worlds long, long ago and far, far away! I trust the solstice finds you all well?"

"Oh fuck me," John breathed, "it's one of the Good Neighbors."

"You have it right, Captain Jack Sparrow!" The ragged man bowed, clattering and jangling. "Queen Titania speaks often of you, and of your fair lady. I have the honor of being that fair and noble sprite known to some as Robin Goodfellow and to others as the Puck, and by the leave of the lord of these lands I have come to extend the invitation of my master Oberon to attend a midwinter revel!"

"What if we refuse, djinn?" Yusef asked, gripping one of the amulets that hung about his neck.

"Why then you would make me foresworn," the Puck replied, becoming a dark-haired woman as she dropped into a crouch. "And call me a goblin, or call me a fool, but none has ever the Puck a liar called!" Chains jangled as she shifted, watching.

"I've always liked a challenge," Yusef replied with a smirk. "So, we refuse."

"It is too late, oh Consort of the Onyx Queen," the Puck laughed. "Look you around. Is this the city in which you once stood?"




"His last name is Shane," Jackie informed her wife with a laugh. "Not every Irishman's name starts with Mick or O. We got the same...great-great-grandma I think, so we don't share a name. But it's probably a good idea not to ever call him English again. Ever."

"Ah reckon not," Sam replied with a laugh. "Be like callin' me a Yankee, Ah reckon." She bounded to her feet, grabbing Kieran's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Sam Cavendish," she declared. "It's a right pleasure ta meet ya, it is. Ain't hardly met none o' Jackie's family, outside her ma. An'... hello, who's this? More members o' yer family?" The newcomers were introduced around by the other Sam as Mercedes Malone and William Stone, so most likely they weren't. After shaking hands, and possibly checking both of them out just a little more than was strictly proper, she plopped back down next to Jackie as Erik went to answer the door.

Samantha offered both the new guests a mug of coffee. "Here, warm yerselves up. Ah'll see 'bout graphin' a garage in a minute." She took her seat, looking both of them over. "Y'all sound like Americans, if'n y'don't mind me sayin'. Where y'from?"

"Chicago," William said, sipping his coffee.

Samantha's expression changed suddenly, becoming softer and far more sympathetic. "Oh. Ah see. Yer people from there? Originally, Ah mean?"

William looked at her curiously. "Well, yes. There have been Stones there practically since Fort Dearborne was built, back in 1803."

"Ah'm so sorry ta hear that," Samantha breathed. "Ah mean, you musta been one o' th' lucky ones. Ah mean, damnit, Ah'm..." She took a deep breath. "Did... did any of yer people survive? Or was it jes' you?"

"What?" William drew back a little, curiousity turning into concern. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"Well, not that Ah've heard." Now Samantha was looking at him curiously as well. "Ah mean, Ah'm pretty sure th' city's bein' rebuilt still. But if yer people been there since 1803, well..." She shrugged uncomfortably. "Ah mean, th' Martians fair destroyed th' whole o' th' city back in '98."
 
"My dear what a fabulous dress. Awfully chilly for this time of year, I imagine, but beautiful nonetheless. Wherever did you find it?"

Anne Marie’s words brought a crimson crawl to Mercedes olive skin. “I picked it up in Paris while we were there, about a month or so back. I’ve been traveling about Europe, performing in all the big cities.” No need to mention how William had whisked her out of the country after she agreed to turn states evidence on her mob boss husband. “I was performing at a club in downtown, and I didn’t think I needed to bother changin’ outta it.”

Samantha offered both the new guests a mug of coffee. "Here, warm yerselves up. Ah'll see 'bout graphin' a garage in a minute." She took her seat, looking both of them over. "Y'all sound like Americans, if'n y'don't mind me sayin'. Where y'from?"

"Chicago," William said, sipping his coffee.

Samantha's expression changed suddenly, becoming softer and far more sympathetic. "Oh. Ah see. Yer people from there? Originally, Ah mean?"

William looked at her curiously. "Well, yes. There have been Stones there practically since Fort Dearborne was built, back in 1803."


“My folks came over from Italy by way of Sicily in the 1880’s, but I was born there.” Mercedes filled in, sipping her coffee to shake off cold from outside that lingered in her bones.

"Ah'm so sorry ta hear that," Samantha breathed. "Ah mean, you musta been one o' th' lucky ones. Ah mean, damnit, Ah'm..." She took a deep breath. "Did... did any of yer people survive? Or was it jes' you?"

"What?" William drew back a little, curiousity turning into concern. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"

"Well, not that Ah've heard." Now Samantha was looking at him curiously as well. "Ah mean, Ah'm pretty sure th' city's bein' rebuilt still. But if yer people been there since 1803, well..." She shrugged uncomfortably. "Ah mean, th' Martians fair destroyed th' whole o' th' city back in '98."


Mercedes laughed nervously, brushing her hair back behind her ear, “Is that some sorta joke?” But the look in Sam’s eyes was anything but playful. “I dun know nuthin’ about Martians, but Chicago was just fine in ’99 when I was born.”



Mara didn’t recognize the man who answered the door, nor the language he spoke, but after moment, she picked up understanding in the force.

"Entschuldigung. Ich suchte jemanden. Ein paar, eigentlich...” She explained, trying to figure out what exactly she was going to say. Conversation echoed down the hallway, another unfamiliar language, different from the one she’d been greeted in. A dozen voices, but not the familiar voices she’d hoped to hear."Ich bin vielleicht nicht am richtigen Ort, aber ich habe nach einem Mann und einer Frau gesucht. Die Frau würde irgendwie wie ich aussehen, und der Mann ist größer, mit blonden braunen Haaren und blaugrünen Augen, wie meiner. Oder wären sie vielleicht grau?"

Finally, she was able to decipher the language those on the inside were speaking, picking up some last of conversation, "Ah mean, th' Martians fair destroyed th' whole o' th' city back in '98." Through the force, she was able to gather that Mars was the nearby planet, and this planet was Earth, neither planets she recognized.

"In welchem System sind wir? Wie weit sind wir jenseits des Outer Rim? "




Suddenly she was somewhere else, with Lady Ari and Matthias, and the Onyx Queen (or her descendant?) and “her consort”. With the redheads who weren’t Thora, and their respective husbands, and the thing that called itself Puck, and the cat that was clearly Verrier. Clara didn’t think about how she knew that fact, or how she knew she was an older version of the girl who had traversed time and space in the first place. No one else would know, not with her hardly looking any older. She picked up cat Verrier.

“So?” She demanded, glancing around at unfamiliar scenery. Great metal constructs with glass eyes lined the streets, guarding the uniform houses in neat rows. Finally she turned towards the one called Puck, “Why are we here?”

“Oh good, we have arrived in a time with rudimentary electricity,” one of the redheads said. Jenny? No, Kaydia. She’d helped her husband to his feet. Unlike the rest of the group, they wandered a bit, heedless of the metal guardians.

“Wait,” Clara cautioned, waiting for the steel beasts to awaken, “How do you know these won’t attack?”

Kaydia laughed. When no one’s expression changed, she stopped, “Oh, you are serious...No, these are just primitive vehicles, requiring a pilot to operate. None of these has the technology to self-activate. Nor do they seem to possess any weapon systems. Now, let’s see, where are we?” She was quiet for a time, before her head and eyes parked, “Quentin, do you feel that? There is another force user nearby. A strong one too. There is darkness in them, but they are striving for the light.”

“Yeah, that’s all well and good, but where are we?” the Onyx Queen –er, Aurelia demanded.
 
"Hear that? I'm your fair lady," Jenny nudged her husband with a grin. The grin dropped quickly, though, and she folded her arms over her chest. "But seriously, what do you want? Nearly lost my head last time." The Puck extended an invitation to attend a midwinter festival, and by the time they had an opportunity to protest it was made clear that they had no choice. "Oh bloody hell!"

Aurelia and Kaydia wondered aloud where they were and Jenny turned in a circle. "Berlin, I'd say," she speculated, "some time shortly after the war, I imagine. Between 1918 and 19...mmm...22?" She looked to John for confirmation. "Unsure of the timeline though. Don't suppose we'll know for certain until we ask someone."

~*~

"Paris has some of the best shops in the world," Anne Marie agreed with a smile. "Not that I happen to be biased in any way, of course." Her smile dropped, however, and she put her hand over her mouth when the mentioned that they were from Chicago. "Oh mon dieu," she murmured, and her hand instinctively sought Algie's.

"I ain't heard nothin' about Chicago either," Jackie put in, looking at Sam for confirmation. "The hell are Martians, anyway?"

"The hell are--? Jackie, Kermit was leveled." Kieran looked at her with disbelief. "Texas was devastated. You and your mum had to stay with us for a month. Half your village was wiped out fighting the tripods."

Jackie frowned and shook her head. "Kieran I ain't seen your brothers and sisters since your ma died."

"I think," Anne Marie said slowly, "perhaps Monsieur Stone and Madamoiselle Malone may be from the same timeline as Sam and Jacqueline."

"Sounds like, but don't call me Jacqueline."

"Yeah, she much prefers Birdie," the pirate added with a smirk. He shied away when his cousin got to her feet but accepted the punch on the shoulder with grace.

"I'm sorry...a different timeline?" Hareth frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

~*~

Erik frowned. "Es tut mir leid," he said slowly. "Dass ich sie nicht gesehen habe. Aber--"

"In welchem System sind wir?"

"System?" His frown deepened.

"Wie weit sind wir jenseits des Outer Rim?"

He began to grow concerned about the health of the redhead on his stoop. "Komm bitte herein," he said slowly, standing aside. "Es ist kalt, und es ist Weihnachten. Es gibt viel Platz, und vielleicht konnen wir sie helfen. Mein Name ist Erik Heinz-Schmidt. Und Sie?"
 
“Kin one o’ y’fellahs get them something a mite stronger ta drink?” Sam drawled, leaning back and crossing her denim-sheathed legs. “A coupla shots’ll make th’ batshit crazy go down easier.”

William looked at her curiously. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll get them,” Colin offered, pointed not looking at Kieran. “I could stand to stretch my legs anyway. You didn’t move the drinks cabinet, did you.”

“Nope,” Samantha assured him, a touch of concern in her blue eyes. “Still there.”

“See,” Sam said, “a few o’ us ain’t where we think we are. Like one o’ them dime novels, me an’ Jackie an’ you an’ yer gal, we’re on a different world.” She used her thumb to gesture at Samantha. “One where Ah done married a cute German fellah, an’ where some Martians leveled Chicago.”

William nodded carefully. “I see. Of course, that makes sense.” He set his tea down. “Perhaps we’ve imposed on our hosts for too long, Mercedes?”

“You could simply be honest, and say you do not believe her,” Algernon remarked.

“No, no, of course not!” William insisted. “I simply...”

“Tell me, Mister Stone,” The Professor continued, “since you have never seen the Martians, I assume your world has no heat ray weapons?”

“No,” William said carefully. “We...”. He tended as the older man produced a pistol-like device made of crystal and brass. Without ceremony he pointed it at the fireplace and pulled the trigger. A crimson beam flickered for an instant, cutting a log in half. “...don’t.”

“Do sit down, sir,” Algernon said mildly, returning the heat ray to it’s holster. “And... welcome to our world.”



“It does remind me of Berlin,” John agreed, looking around. He flashed Jenny a grin. “Not that I’d dare contradict my fair lady.” He watched, both amused and concerned, as Clara rounded on the Puck and demanded to know why they had been brought here. The Puck laughed aloud, chains jangling as she bowed.

“Why, t’is the will of Oberon. And you have little enough to fear.” She gave the cat a wary regard. “I have promised this, and never will the Puck be a liar called!”

“And why, good Puck,” John asked patiently, “is it the will of Lord Oberon?”

“Because,” The Puck said, “it is.” She grinned, offering a broad wink. And then she was gone, transforming into a gust of wind that caressed bodies and pulled at clothes before departing. Only Clara was left untouched, Clara and the bored black cat in her arms.

John rolled his eyes. “Typical. Refuse to answer and cop a feel on the way out. Why do I ever expect sense from the Gentle Folk?”

Quentin, meanwhile, watched the ground car crawl past. “I... Yes. I feel it.” Casting a wary eye in the cat, he opened his perceptions. “Dark, struggling towards the light. And... familiar, somehow.”

“So,” Yusuf said, clapping a hand on both Quentin’s and Kaydia’s shoulders. “The two of you know someone in this strange city? A fellow knight, perhaps?”

“No...” Quentin answered slowly, trying to explain. “Just a presence. Someone I recognize. Or, maybe, that I will recognize.”

“Good enough,” Yusuf decided. “You might be comfortable, but I’m freezing my balls off. Maybe this maybe-friend has a warm fire and some wine.”

“And if it proves to be a foe?” John asked, idly curious.

Yusuf laughed. “Then maybe he has a warm fire and some wine!”
 
Mara accepted the man’s invitation in after getting a sense of understanding about “Weinatchen.” A holiday dedicated to an earth deity, those not the same one (or at least not the same version) as the one the man before her worshipped. But she could sense that even nonbelievers celebrated the holiday as an excuse to gather together and be merry.

“Danke. Mein name ist Mara Jade Voss-Hall.“

As she followed Erik into the living room, she caught wind of the conversation happening, as the gathered guests seemed to figure out they were from different worlds or realities. Perhaps she had come to the right place, even if her parents weren’t here yet. She switched over to what seemed to be the dominate language of the group.

“Timespace has warped to bring us all together, for some reason,” Mara interjected with a shrug, “I actually came here on purpose, to meet my parents, but it doesn’t seem like they are here yet. So, while I wait for them, does anyone know what system we’re in? Or has the greater galactic population not made contact here yet?”




Kaydia was beyond bewildered by this point, but trying to figure everything out seemed a futile exercise if they froze to death. The sabers could give off some warmth, and if absolutely necessary, force lightning on a tree would start a fire, but neither were long term solutions. Yusef made a good point about seeking out the familiar presence, in hopes of retaining some shelter tonight. And then, perhaps, some answers.

“This way,” she pointed, joining Quentin’s perceptions in the force to pinpoint the source. The house they came to was decorating in simple electric lights in an array of primary colors, and lights on the insides suggested the occupants where home. “It’s here, all right,” she decided, sinking deeper into the force to get a sense of the inhabitants. There was a general sense of joviality, with a touch of confusion. Well, that wasn’t anything new to the evening.

“They seem to be having a party or get together inside. Here is too hoping that hospitality will extend to a few more?”
 
Anne Marie struggled not to jump Algie right there, if only because to her knowledge Samantha was still the only one who knew about them. He was a quiet, dignified, graceful man...and God how she loved it when he took charge and put someone in their place like that! Instead she settled for a exchanging with him a sly smile with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. His confident nonchalance was incredibly alluring. Her eye was distracted, however, by Kieran moving toward the kitchen. She cleared her throat and he glanced briefly over at her, but ignored the dowager.

"Hey." Although it was a carefully planned gesture, Kieran's hand ghosted lightly over Colin's back and shoulders as if by habit. It had been his habit, after all, and he couldn't be blamed if he still occasionally slipped. Right? It had only been four months, after all. "Insane sort of Christmas, yeah? Other worlds and all that. Jackie's not changed much though...well, except for the part where she allowed a naked cock within half a mile of her, never mind having a baby. That bit's weird." He made an awkward attempt at a casual smile as he helped Colin make drinks. "So how's London?"

~*~

"This is Miss Voss-Hall," Erik announced, leading the young woman into the drawing room where everyone was gathered. "She's looking for someone and is a little...lost." He gave his wife a significant look behind Mara's back, then raised his eyebrows mildly when she announced her purpose and something about timespace. "And she speaks English, apparently." He remembered hearing something about spacetime from Professor Swift when he was recounting a lecture he'd gone to a few years ago by a promising German Jewish physicist...but Erik himself was an engineer, not a physicist. Not a quantum physicist, anyway.

"Timespace?" Jackie cocked an eyebrow. "Galactic population? The hell's that even mean?" She exchanged looks with her wife. "It's been a crazy night, lady, but that's just a little too crazy."

"Now Miss Sparrow, I--" Erik made a noise of frustration when someone else knocked on the door. When he opened it there was a rather large party--and one cat--standing on his doorstep.

"Guten Abend," one woman with curly red hair--perhaps Miss Voss-Hall's mother? though she looked too young for that--said with a tentative smile. "Wir--"

"Yes, yes, come in," Erik said with exasperation, standing aside and gesturing widely. "Always room for more, it's Christmas, all that. Please do wipe your feet." Secretly a superstitious part of him which he hated thought maybe a Jew celebrating Christmas was bad luck and a bunch of random gentiles showing up at his door was what he got for it.
 
"Kris mus?" Yusef repeated, sounding the odd words out.

"I... don't know," Quentin replied. "Some sort of holiday, I suspect."

"That it is, mate!" John declared, clapping him on the shoulder before doffing his battered old tricorn and bowing to the bespectacled man who'd invited them in. "Captain John Sparrow, at your service." He stepped in, taking Jenny's coat and hanging it before removing his own. Then, after a moment's hesitation, he unbuckled his sword belt and hung it with their coats. "Shall I introduce everyone else? I would, only it seems you have other guests and I'd hate to have to go to the effort again."

Everyone else filed in, and followed their host into an increasingly crowded living room. A large tree glittering with lights stood by a fireplace, upon which also stood a menorah. Everyone stared at them, eyes full of curiousity and suspicion. Fair enough, he decided. They were a motley-looking group. "Happy christmas!" he called, bowing towards the blonde woman in the gold dress that their host sat next to. "I'm Captain John Sparrow, oh! And you're heard of me?" The last was directed towards a startled-looking red Indian lass sitting next to the blonde's younger sister. "It's mostly lies, I assure you. Except that one thing."

Counting people off one by one, he continuted. "This lovely lady is my darling and exceptionally patient wife Jennifer. This is Captains Yusef and Arelia, and I hope you aren't offended by not including your last names because I've yet to pronounce them correctly, and this is Sir Quentin Hall and Dame..? Sir..? Dame Kaydia Voss-Hall." That seemed to elicit a gasp from the redhead in the jumpsuit. "And this is... uhm..." He stared at Clara curiously. "I'm sorry. I missed your name in all the excitement."

"Clara Olgasdottor," she replied, looking around curiously. The black cat in her arms meowed once.

"Clara," John repeated. "Clara and her cat... cat, I assume. It doesn't matter, they have their own names for themselves and don't respond to ours anyway." He bowed again. "Our apologies for intruding, ma'am, but we're lost and the gentleman at your right was kind enough to offer us shelter."



Colin bristled at Kieran's touch, out of a combination of aggrivation and jealousy and - he had to admit it - the irritated realization that he'd love to tear the man's clothes off and have him right here in the kitchen. Goddamn it, how did Kieran still have that effect on him? "An insane Christmas is putting it mildly," he grumbled out. "And London is, well, London. It's..."

He let his voice trail away as Erik returned yet again, this time followed by a troupe of costumed performers. Although only the one calling himself John was really performing. The rest just looked disoriented and bemused, really. "John Sparrow," he mused aloud. "Wasn't there a pirate named that, once? Do you think they were going to a masquerade?"
 
Mara’s heart caught in her chest as additional guests entered, and she saw her parents among them. She probably didn’t need the confirmation of their names by the

“I’ve missed you so much!” She declared, throwing her arms around Quentin, recognizing the face from the pictures Kalin had shown her. Even though it was far different from the desert hermit who had challenged her very world view and gave her a purpose far greater than any the Emperor tried to impose upon her. Despite the confusion she could feel from his thoughts, he returned the hug.

“And how do you know my husband?” Kaydia asked. Based on the journal she had retrieved from her father’s cache, she knew her parents had been able to share memories, and there was no memory in Quentin’s mind of having met her. Yet. Pulling away from Quentin, she turned towards the mother she’d spent she entire childhood imaging, and still falling short. Kaydia was still confused as Mara took her hands, but didn’t resist.

“This might be a little hard to believe but…I’m your daughter, in your future. In a possible future for you two, anyways.” Kaydia’s went eye wide at that, and lips parted in stunned silence. She sought answers in Quentin’s eyes, but he was still stunned.

“Ain’t that sweet,” Aurelia cooed, wrapping an arm around Yusef. Then she scanned the room, appraising each of the guests carefully. Whispering to Yusef, she added, “I think we are safe from any similar surprises.”




Clara couldn’t help by be warmed by the family reunion on display, even if it made no sense to her. But the Gods worked in mysterious ways, and it wasn’t her place to question them. Still, in many ways it was a reminder of what she’d lost, in gain Verrier’s immortality.

And right now, the reminders were everywhere, with the baby held one of the guests they intruded upon, and the baby furniture in the room. In Quentin and Kaydia’s awkward hugging of this future daughter and Lady Ari’s proud swollen belly. Standing here and now with Cat Verrier in her arms, Clara wondered when she’d become the crazy cat lady.

With a nervous laugh, she looked around the living room picking out similarities between this chris-miss and the Solstice. “So, what is this holiday we’ve so rudely interrupted?”
 
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