The judge over the hearing cleared his throat during the next court date. "I have been told we've received threats due to this case." He looked at both sides then at the bailiff. Then at Alex and Tony, who was helping for the week because this was going into a few of his past cases.
"Your Honor, I realize I have to let the bailiff defend the courtroom," Alex said with a nod and a smile. "Unless he falls I'm to go to personal defense and defend the other lawyers if necessary."
"That was one point I was going to make, Mr. Harris. I know you and Mr. DiNozzo both work with the local defense squad we have sometimes. I was going to suggest bodyguards for your team."
"I can ask my twin's boyfriend if I can borrow some of his minions." Alex grinned.
Tony patted him on the back. "Are commandos going to help a lot this time? Stephen works with a really strong bunch of guys who help his twin defend Africa and the baby slayers he has down there."
The judge just nodded. "In the courtroom, the bailiff leads all defense maneuvers unless he's injured, boys." They both nodded at that. "If something should happen I constantly wear body armor. You're welcome to do the same thing but do not be visibly weaponed in my courtroom please. The courthouse guards will freak out. Again. They asked me to speak to a few of you after this morning's scans." He gave DiNozzo a stare.
"I'm licensed to carry concealed, Your Honor."
"I figured you were since they let you carry it in." He looked at Alex.
"They didn't even find half of mine," he said dryly with a smirk. "They're hidden."
"I do not need to know, Mr. Harris, but let the bailiff handle it please, boys." They nodded. "Thank you. I'm to be alerted if they attack you again. Harris, I heard about the one who tried your house earlier?"
"I haven't." He looked at his phone, texting his twin, who was on the couch. "Awww, the spoiled ones who should've melted the other day tried again. They almost burned a tree but Stephen went to beat them for me. That's sweet of him. I need to get Stephen a present." He looked at Tony.
"If he's got a sweet tooth, get him pastries. At the worst he can tease Xander with them."
"True." He considered it and made an order with a note to thank him for that help. Then he put his phone up. "My house is fine, Your Honor. Thank you for letting me know something had happened."
"Did that involve this case?" the judge asked patiently.
"No, this is spoiled neighbors who moved in after I did who hate that I'm not into their country club and Barbie/Sugar Daddy lifestyle. The first one tried to attack in front of an officer she had called while I was watering my trees so I hosed her and she shrieked about wearing dry clean only."
The judge nodded. "I know some wives like that," he admitted. "They give my ex-wife a headache."
"I'm wondering what sort of protection she had up so she didn't melt with her besties." Tony patted him again to calm him down.
The judge just nodded. "Good luck if you have to move."
"I was there first. They can hike it to spoiled baby girl land."
The other side's lawyer was looking at him. "They didn't charge you for that?"
"She attacked me in front of the officer she called to complain about me living there. Her husband tried to sue me for medical costs when I found him trying to burn my house down so beat him. He lost that case. He hired Grobas."
The lawyer winced. "He went cheap." He looked at the judge. "Are you expecting my clients to be the cause of the threats?"
"So far it's been ones who've filed briefs on your client's behalfs. Do warn them that I will not accept them making the actual threats."
"I will, Your Honor."
"Thank you." He looked at the other side. "Are we ready to restart?" They nodded. He looked at the other side, who nodded. "Good, then let's start with the extensive list of cases that have been held on behalf of the community and what sort of case it was."
"We have it in a spreadsheet if that'll help," Alex offered, holding it up.
"That's actually helpful." He looked it over. "Arranged by date or type, Mr. Harris?"
"Type on the first page. The others are by date."
"Okay." He looked at that, looking over the list. "Including which rules had to be altered. That's actually very helpful." Alex handed the other side a copy too. "I'm seeing a lot of health department type of cases?"
"Some," Alex agreed with a nod. "A lot of them were also business rules about taxes and how to set one up, if they're even allowed, and how to implement specific needs."
"The most contentious one was the food source procurement," the senior lawyer said. "That one wanted a lot of very legally risque sources of food."
"I heard something about that when Mathias needed opinions. He asked many of us." He looked at that one and nodded at the results and what had been altered. He went back to the rest of the list. "This one with the spa?"
"They're a naked species," Alex said. "The rules said they had to wear something but covering the skin with even a bandaid would suffocate them. We worked that out with a few hours of work."
"Interesting cases." He looked at the other side. "Why do you think it's wrong?"
"Human businesses don't have these sort of rule splitting and altering, Your Honor."
"Yes they do. I've worked for three human businesses that had the same problem," Alex said. "Two were married into the community, one had a former owner that had been a vampire before he died and she took it over on her brother." He dug up that sheet to hand over. "Those?"
"Oh." He looked them over. "It's listed under Judge Carbinet."
"Yup, her," Alex said with a nod. "She's the other one that deals with business cases in these situations. Outside the district it's usually Mathias for Maryland and Polymar in Virginia."
The judge nodded, making that note for himself. "I've met all those judges." He looked at the list again. "This...grocery store? It's listed a few times."
"The senior agents at the SBA decided to start throwing out complaints without actually visiting the grocery store," the head lawyer said. "They complained about things that were not actually going on."
"The other side's lawyer in those cases had to note that he was beholden to his paycheck having person so he had to follow up on the complaints and his supervising agent had determined he had to go to court even if it wasn't fully necessary," Alex added. He handed over a statement. "From him, Your Honor. He's since left the SBA. Which means I've got to break a new lawyer into not annoying people over petty things."
The judge looked at him. "You've worked with a few."
"Yes but only two have been lawyers. That one's left, the other's on paternity leave for another month."
The judge nodded once. "That makes sense." He read that over and let the other side read it as well. That lawyer huffed. "I'm seeing most of these are minor rules that'll lead to red tape?"
"Mostly," Alex agreed. "Some of it was working out species needs versus government ideas. That spa case was one of those. They had put up a note at the front desk to warn anyone not aware so it came down to 'anyone who went there would probably realize or could ask for a masseuse of another group."
"That makes sense and the government often doesn't." He looked at that side. "Why would that bother your clients?"
"It's special privileges, Your Honor. Human businesses wouldn't get that."
"If humans breathed through their skin they would," Tony told him.
"Yes but they don't. If they can't conform to the rules we all live by they shouldn't have special rules just for them."
Alex looked at him. "Your neighbor can poison you by sneezing near you," he said bluntly. "The one upstairs." The lawyer flinched from that. "Do you want rules to protect you from accidental things or do you want to keep thinking everyone's just like you?"
"How do you know that?"
"She complained about you."
The man shuddered. "That's horrifying."
"So the fact that there's a rule about how to protect others from that is still wrong to you?"
"Yes! It's not what humans would do! If she can't live by our rules she should leave!"
"She can't leave. Her planet was destroyed when she was a toddler thanks to someone like our current president taking control." The man shuddered again, moving away from him. "There's no home there anymore. He literally destroyed their whole world.
"It's dust and ash floating through space. The last two hundred thousand of her people got to flee and her mother was lucky to be one and pregnant. He had killed most of the other pregnant women he had found. So are you still against her living by rules to protect you and others?"
"It's still special rules!"
"Uh-huh. And yet, humans do have special rules. Otherwise we wouldn't have drug laws because humans won't leave stuff that can kill them alone. We wouldn't have OSHA rules or product protection rules." He stared at him. "You sure they're the only ones that get special rules?" The lawyer huffed and sat down. He looked at the judge, shaking his head. "I'm happy she adopted the practical, sensible rules to keep her from accidentally poisoning someone."
"I'm glad they're responsible for that as well," the judge agreed with a nod. "That's reasonable to protect everyone. Are there others like that?"
"There's three from a very rare species of people who are like the gorgons of myths," Brian the lawyer noted. "They're veiled for that reason. One was living in France and they tried to make her take it off until it froze people as she had warned. They nicely decided she could keep her veils on. Gave her a permission card if someone stopped her."
"There's about ninety of their people left," Paul the lawyer said with a slight nod. "They're slowly dying out because of some blood chemistry thing that somehow got introduced."
Alex looked at him. "Allergist," he said bluntly. "Hypathia went to an allergist to cure hers." They looked startled. "She said something about grass."
"Oh!" He nodded, sending that text message. He looked at the judge again. "Sorry, Your Honor. That may well help the remaining members."
"That's fine. I expect things like that. The same as I know that all of you defending members under arrest often give over species sheets."
"That way no one can lie about special needs," Tony agreed with a slight nod. "Food, living, or other needs. We do have two that are allergic to metal so cuffing them could kill one of them and the other will get big, explosive hives. The officers at the courthouse for those cases like that because it means they have knowledge of how to handle needs so they don't get sued and it gives them less chance to lie about needing special things."
"I think that's logical. Does it include all that?" Alex dug one out to let him see. "Oh, I see it does. Species health sheet for allergies, food needs, and sunlight allergic in this case." He handed it back with a nod. "That probably saves some pain on someone's part and a few lawsuits."
"That's why we did it," Alex said with a nod. "They have a manual that has all of them at the jail itself. This lets the transport and holding guys know what's going on too."
"Excellent reasoning." He looked at the other side. "If you had a human with a specific medical need wouldn't they have to follow that?"
"I don't know many humans who have those sort of problems."
"There's humans who cannot stand sunlight," Alex said. "And some who're allergic to water. It gives them hives." The lawyer slumped at that. "And I'm told if you force vegetarians who've been on their diets for too long to eat meat it'll actually give them such bad GI problems they're sickened to the point of possible hospitalization from the diarrhea. Humans have weird medical needs too. We'd expect them to tell the jail."
"We would," the judge said with a nod. "That's not really specially warping rules." He went back to the case files he needed to look up. "This grocery store is a vegetarian place?"
"Their people only eat meat when they're in heat and mostly just canned meat and possibly some bacon. They sell a few cans of meat and a few packages of bacon in a corner cooler."
The judge nodded. "I can see that too." He looked at the other side. "So, what rules are you protesting being shifted around? One noted they had to change a single word that didn't change the meaning but it was more inclusive because they changed it from 'people' to 'beings'."
"They should not be able to alter any rules, Your Honor. They would not do it for us."
"That depends on the realm," Paul said. "Some realms do not like humans. Some realms are very open. Most of the open ones have very few rules and they are all inclusive of all species. There's still some realms that treat humans as slaves. They basically won the war against humans. Change is coming slowly to many of them but it will be years. Then again, humans still have slavery in the jails and some illegal versions."
The judge tipped his head but nodded once. "That's actually good to know. I see how that happens, the winner makes the rules." He looked at the lawyer. "Would you go there to argue that they can't flex their rules to be inclusive?"
"I would not go there. Demons aren't decent beings."
Alex cleared his throat. "Throwing such slurs around is beneath you," he warned. The lawyer stared at him so he stared back. "By the way, saw your comments last night." The lawyer smirked so Alex handed over paperwork. "For you, sir." He looked and burst out laughing. "Because you personally drove a few younger beings into violent action." The judge cleared his throat so it was handed over. "They asked me to please deliver it."
The judge looked it over and looked that case up then sighed. "He made them act?"
Alex handed over the file for that case. "I made a copy of their files." The judge accepted it and looked it over, wincing. "Exactly. He's not quite Charles Manson but he's a junior cult leader of the group."
"That's probably not good to handle during this."
"Yes, sir, but I'm tired of the evil smug asshole vibes and I'm fighting off pulling out an inoculation against it with my own version."
The judge stared at him. "There's no egos in here, Mr. Harris."
"I don't have ego, Your Honor. I have a baseline of barbarian warrior going on."
Tony shook his head. "You shouldn't have to put on furs to fight a battle."
The judge shook his head and handed it back. "I'll allow that handover. I want to see how it goes." He went back to the present case and smiled. "I see one wasn't really twisted, they were arguing it didn't need to be twisted?"
"The Henderson Gym?" Alex guessed.
"One of mine," Tony said. "His sister's candle shop."
"He's right," the judge said. "Henderson's Gym wasn't any real twisting it looks like, just a word inclusion." He looked that one case up and nodded. "That was sweet of them."
"They were willing to add on rules in case she was carrying scents that could affect humans more than normal. She doesn't. She runs a nice, normal candle shop. Though the berry ones smell a lot more like woods than berries."
"I suppose that's nice of them. When did all this change?"
"After the last election," Alex said dryly. "About four months before people were starting to complain and threaten the community." He waved a hand at that lawyer. "Then the election. Complaints were made up and acted on. Police raids on businesses that aren't doing anything started. People got picked up by extermination teams again."
"Can you prove that?" the lawyer sneered at him.
"Yeah. I'm one of the defenders of the community and this city," Alex said, staring him down. "Want my bullet count from the last one?" The man flinched back, looking horrified. "By the way, those were children your brother-in-law tried to kill. Which is why he's in jail thanks to the FBI." The lawyer took a swing at him so Alex hit him in the stomach and knocked him down to whine on the floor. "I don't let people hit me, dude."
Tony patted him again. "We're both part-time defenders of the community." He smiled at the judge. "By the way, Your Honor, your wife is in an ER. They alerted us they rescued her in the last hour." The judge sighed and slumped. "She's fine. Not hurt at all. That same gang took her and just put her in a closet.
"Not tied up, just in a closet to protect her. They found someone threatening her and tried to protect her. The community team rescued her from the closet and got an officer to take a statement if they need arrested." He let the bailiff have his phone with the message up.
He read it and handed it back. "The one threatening her?"
"Ask the PD, Your Honor. I've been here." Alex texted someone and handed over his phone so he could see the answer himself. "Or have him ask one of the team."
The judge looked at the answer and thanked them for it. He handed the phone back. "I was not going to let it influence me."
Alex nodded. "We know." He tossed his phone back into his bag. "You're ethical. Unlike many."
"When did you know about that?"
"When one of them asked me if I knew what the kid was talking about. He had called in for help after rescuing her and accidentally kidnaping her to help her. They didn't speak teenager."
"That's kind of you, Harris." He looked at the other side, who was glaring. "I wouldn't start with who tried to kidnap my wife." The man shut his mouth. "Mr. Harris, shouldn't you have told me you knew?"
"No, that's not my duty. My duty is to translate sometimes. The community defense team would've had you called and told from the ER. If you ask your secretary they probably did." He went to check on that, coming back nodding. "Your Honor, if I outed each thing I knew about some of you there'd be a few open spots on the benches considering a few are drunk strippers."
The judge snorted at that. "And I've accidentally caught a few out whoring around on his super religious wife. I believe in discretion and I'm here to help argue the legal basis of the case. If I had heard that she had been kidnaped and come running to you to warn you, that would've prejudiced the case and my place in it."
"Point."
"Plus, I knew she was safe."
"Also a point." He stared at him. Then at the other side. "This really does mean that I should not rule on this."
"That leaves one option of Judge Carpiold," Paul the demonic lawyer sighed. "Who is very biased and would have to recuse himself because he's been involved in killing a young female being, Your Honor. Or they'd have to appoint a special judge. Harris didn't tell me either so I could not ethically be conflicted." Alex nodded he had done it for that reason.
The judge considered it. "I'm going to take opinions on that from our senior judge. We're dismissed for the day." He banged his gavel and went to talk to him after talking to his wife. Who was just fine, no longer scared, and happy that the demon had saved her from being shouted at by biting the idiot human's arm. It made the judge reconsider who was ethically a mess.
It definitely wasn't Harris and the senior judge agreed with that when he took it to his hands. The judge agreed he did not have to recuse himself, he was not the first judge to have a spouse bothered by one side, or saved by the other side, and the senior judge would watch over his case to make sure he wasn't tilted emotionally. He went over the details already presented, groaning at the list.
***
Paul the lawyer looked at his team. "We may have to leak the list because of that current bill up for debate."
Alex raised a hand. "Go to a reporter. Make a statement on the case, note that they're on the list of people who have sold themselves or have been turned down for selling themselves."
"No one's offered. We've put out we're willing to talk about the case."
"You're going to reporters who're real journalists, not the slimy sort. Either that or put a statement up on social media that doesn't hurt the case about that fact." He shifted. "Not like the list isn't known about."
"We can't do that. It'll look bad on us," a junior lawyer said.
"Or we could quip it sometime," Tony offered from his seat. "Someone asked if there was a list and I said yes. They asked if it was made up and was the president on it. I noted his soul's already dirty. They didn't need to buy his soul, they already got to claim it from his cheating." The lawyers winced. "The lawyer didn't mention it again." He shrugged.
"I need to see if those problematic neighbors are on the list." Alex looked at Tony. "That may hinge on the vision Xander had."
"It could," he agreed with a nod. "With how many congressional members are on it." He considered it. "Probably actually." Alex grinned at him. "Great."
"You'll make a fine senator or whatever," Alex assured him.
"True." He leaned back again. "I can leak it. They'll expect it from me and I don't want them in congress. I'm basically an outsider and not part of the case. And really, I hate my representatives." He smiled slowly then winked. "I can definitely do that." He got handed a copy of the list and went to talk to a former girlfriend. Who was married now. He smiled as he walked into her psychiatry office. "I need to talk to your sister but you scared her off talking to me in case she flirted."
"Why?" she asked carefully. That look was almost unholy.
"Because she's dating someone who's sold his soul and they could claim hers if he did the right paperwork for the prenup." He let her see that page of the list and pointed. "Isn't she getting ready to marry him? The announcement was in the paper."
"She is." She winced at the detail for how much and why. "That's...dumb."
"That's actually pretty common. There's a lot of those on the list."
"There's a real list?"
"Yeah. They keep track of that." He grinned. "There's also a betting book that shows owed favors. I have an entry in there but someone owes me three and I owe someone a slight favor for legal fees."
She slumped, staring at him oddly. "Why?"
"That one was poker, the other ones were cases that couldn't pay right off. So if they pay I'll let them free of it. Can you tell her to meet me somewhere? Or would you like to tell her?"
"I'll...I'll ask her what she wants." He grinned, handing that over before leaving her to talk to her sister. She told the next client that it'd be a minute, she had a family problem to make a call about then she'd be with them. She called her sister, holding her forehead. "It's me. There's an issue and my ex Tony, remember him? Yes, him.
"He's a lawyer now with the peaceful community and he found your fiancee's name on a list of those who've sold themselves. Forty percent for test passing." She leaned back, rubbing her forehead. "I have a copy of the page in front of me, Bri. Yeah, I can find a way to see the whole list to make sure it's real but he said if the prenup had the right clauses it could put you into the same debt."
She listened. "Please. I'll get it from him tonight. He said he'd meet you if you wanted." She nodded, texting Tony from her cellphone. "Okay, we'll talk to him tonight at six he said. At my driveway." She hung up and took a few deep breaths before going to see her next patient. It was going to be a long afternoon.
Tony brought over the whole list that night, letting them look up people they knew. She unfortunately found a few, and one client. Her sister was crying about her fiancee's debts. And their brother's slight one to save her when they were little kids. It was only five percent but she hadn't known he had done that. The sister was a staffer in a DC representative's office so her boss being on the list wasn't that great to her either.
Tony had a name of someone who could help her out of the prenup from hell. That lawyer could shout about things since his son was on there.
***
Tony walked up to a senator, handing him the copy of the book. "The one you were talking to? He was part of Wolfram and Hart before they were taken down for being evil. Especially after they had LA invaded." He grinned. The guy was looking horrified. "His contracts probably have partial soul clauses so he can have one back. This is a copy of the debt book."
The guy snatched it to look over, finding his name and why. "Hanifold can help you get out of it, Senator. She's done it with others. That thirty percent will slightly grow back I'm told but only about one percent a year. You won't live another thirty-eight years plus a few years for a comfortable safety gap."
"Why did you tell me this?"
"You'd rather everyone find out when it comes out during that court case?"
"No!" He glared. "Why must it come out?"
"Because people in that list who didn't do it by accident started the problems." He walked off. "Hanifold is in Baltimore. She dresses like an extreme drag queen."
The guy stomped off to complain loudly that the list actually *existed!* It was supposed to be some sort of fairytale. They looked at it and realized they had warning that there was a shitshow coming up if that was outed as part of that case. Their kind had started that case and the movement. Now they were going to pay for it. All their plans to ruin the demons were going to bite them badly enough to give them rabies.
***
The judge looked at Tony, who he had called in. "Why did you leak that list?"
"My ex girlfriend's sister was about to marry someone who's on the list and her prenup had her surrendering part of her soul to give to him." The judge winced. "Yes, I warned her. And I warned an asshole I didn't want to but he could get information on a lawyer who could help someone like his son get out of soul debts. Since there's no way they accepted the soul of a five-year-old disabled boy." The judge blinked. "That means he can find whoever did that and stomp them before they get more kids."
"I did not hear that part."
"Maybe he didn't look under his name at his son's, Your Honor. I was trying to save his poor kid's life. And my ex's sister's life. It meant she had someone do a background check and found his two felonies and one arrest that was pleaded down to minor assault instead of domestic abuse."
The judge nodded once. "Okay, that's reasonable. It's logical. It's underhanded."
"We knew it'd leak somehow. Better to warn a few people that it was going to leak to save them than not in my opinion. I could've went on the news and shouted about it instead."
The judge shook his head with a sigh. "That's very underhanded but not unethical." He stared at him. "Were you going to warn others?"
"Hanna Mercator-Plathe."
He looked that name up and winced. "Oh!" Tony nodded. "How?"
"Her father apparently. Her, all her kids, because he decided she wasn't his kid. Even though there's paternity tests showing it. Do I want that woman, who is a foster mother, to be beholden that way?"
"Would it hit the foster children?"
"I'm not sure. I've been referring people to Hanifold in Baltimore. She's gotten a lot of people free of ones they didn't agree to."
"I remember her makeup." He licked his lips. "I will allow you to tell her."
"I'll send Alex if you want."
"Please do." He stared at him. "It's already leaked."
"I find it amusing how many of the other side's team is on it."
"I noticed that." He stared at him. "That's bordering on unethical."
"I'm trying not to." He shrugged. "Sorry, Your Honor. Though that is a major point in our defense strategy."
"Fine." He waved a hand. "Have her told."
"I can do that. Sorry I transgressed."
"Don't do it again."
"Yes, sir." He walked off telling Alex that.
***
Alex knocked on a door. "Mrs. Mercator-Plathe, I'm Alex Harris, and the judge over a case I'm covering had me come to inform you of something. Want to talk out here quietly?"
She blinked. "Is it about my foster children?"
"Your father actually." He pulled her out gently and let her sit down on the swing, handing her the papers. "We were going over the list that was handed to the judge over the case involving the peaceful community." She grimaced. "We're worried that what he did could impact the foster kids you care for." He pointed. "That's your name."
She looked and stared, then huffed, standing up. "Are you certain?"
"Yes, ma'am. We've been referring people to a lawyer named Hanifold up in Baltimore. She's really good at this particular situation. She's gotten a lot of people who didn't agree of their own free wills free. As he claimed your children, she can hopefully get them free and make sure it won't impact the foster children. Which is why the judge sent me. We've told a few people that were innocently claimed without their permission."
"Oh, dear." She nodded. "I'll talk to them. How would they know?"
"I'm pretty sure she has something artifact-wise that can tell. There's about twenty of them in the US and I'm told if she doesn't have it in hand she knows where it is and can use it. We've told *you* about this so you can handle it for your family." He stared at her, getting a nod. "We are not reporting this and the judge has not said this was a situation to report.
"Though one of your former foster children is on there, claimed when she was a toddler." He pointed at that name. She winced at that, nodding once. "We personally find that foul. All of us who work with the community, and they're not their sort of being. They're higher level demons, not peaceful community members."
"I can understand that. I'd distance myself from them."
"No, literally, they're higher level beings. The ones who've immigrated here don't have powers to do that." She blinked a few times. "Whole different species of being. Those are demons, not peaceful community members." He shrugged. "But I did my duty to warn you. Her last name is Hanifold, she's in Baltimore. She has really loud makeup I'm told. I've never met with her but some of the lawyers I work with have."
She sighed and nodded. "I can look into her. Thank you, Mr. Harris."
"I'm sorry I had to alert you to this, ma'am." He bowed a tiny bit and left, leaving her to swear at him, her parents, and others. She had to check on her foster children. She could find that lawyer and have her check the children. She had lived a good life, it wouldn't catch her. The lawyer would prove her wrong but she could help her fix that and protect the children.
***
A reporter caught Alex out and about with Caspian and ran up on him. "Don't get near the dog, if he's threatened he may bite," he warned when he spotted her running that way. She paused out of snapping range since Caspian was growling. "What's wrong, ma'am?"
"Is there really a list?"
"There is. The community keeps track because they're often preyed on by that same sort." He stared at her. "There's also a betting book for those who owe others favors. I have five listed and one that seems to have been lost somehow."
She blinked. "You do?"
"Poker," he said with a grin. "They owe me."
"Oh." She nodded. "But there is an actual list? Of those who've made deals?"
"And a sub-list in it that has people who tried and were turned down because both categories are dangerous for the community." He shifted closer, calming Caspian down. He saw someone sneaking up on them. "If something happens to me, Caspian goes to Tony DiNozzo, that lawyer I work with frequently," he said quietly, nodding at that person.
She looked, her cameraman turning that way too. The man spotted them and ran the other way. He sighed. "Great. I was out to get lunch." He looked at her again. "Yes, there's a list. There's a lot of names on it. There's a number that aren't on there of their own free will.
"It's not often heard of but if someone's sold themselves they can include a capturing clause in a prenup or other legal document. That's one problem that Wolfram and Hart had caused. Thankfully they got stopped." He looked at his dog then at her again.
"There's some that promised their kids. There's some that promised a spouse. A few cases of fully selling themselves over the years. In two cases they somehow sold themselves twice." He grimaced. "They're both in Congress though." She winced at that, nodding slightly.
"Are you on that list?" she asked him.
"No. My parents wouldn't have been answered. They were drunk all the time. They wouldn't have understood the slurring."
"Yet you're not the most upscale lawyer."
"Yeah, I'm not. I was a paralegal at first. Then I went back to law school." He smiled. "School sucked, greatly sucked, but I managed it and got pretty decent scores. I'm proud of that considering how bad Sunnydale's schools had been."
She stared at him. "Is law school really that bad?"
"Yes." He nodded. "It's third hardest after vet school and med school. After us is pharmacy, then specialized medicine training."
She shivered. "I didn't realize that."
He nodded. "Vets have to memorize not only one body system like med students do, but they also have to be able to improvise since not everything's meant for animals."
"I didn't think about that." She blinked a few times. "He's back."
"We're going to get lunch somewhere else," he quipped, walking around her. "Have a better day."
"You..you too," she called after him, waving slightly. She looked at her cameraman, who was wincing. "We'll follow to make sure there's not a fight." He nodded, following her just in case. Sure enough that guy tried something but Alex drove away while he had been shot at. They had caught it all on film. The officers showing up got shown that and they weren't happy. They could find that idiot however. You didn't get to fire off guns in the middle of Georgetown and get away with it.
***
Alex looked at the judge during the next hearing. "Your Honor, is the other side not coming today?" he asked. "They seem to be invisible and I doubt it's because they've been ignored for so long."
"What?" the judge asked.
"In my high school we had a girl who was ignored for so long she turned invisible. Literally." The judge shook his head quickly. "The government took her in."
"Oh, dear."
"Are the other side's lawyers invisible for some other reason?"
"I've called to let them know they're tardy, Mr. Harris. I gave them another ten minutes to let me know what's going on." He checked with the bailiff, who shook his head. "Any word from my secretary?"
"She's at the doctor's today, sir. She'll be back after lunch unless they send her in for immediate tests. Which she said they shouldn't since it was a new medicine follow up."
"All right," he agreed. "Go check my voicemail?"
"She has it forwarded to my desk. Nothing's come in outside your wife saying your son's under suspension for PDA."
"Charming of him." He looked at the lawyers. "Any idea?"
"I haven't asked," Alex admitted, looking at the others, who all shook their heads. Alex did text someone, getting something back. "One of them is missing, his soul debt was called in when he was in a car crash. Not dead from it but the officers saw him being claimed and got him to an ER. He's in a bed. That was one of the junior ones that hasn't been in the courtroom." He put his phone back into his bag. "It wasn't said they were staring at his body or by his bedside waiting on him to wake up."
"That sucks," the judge said. "Did he deserve that?"
"He sold forty-two percent of his soul to get through his bar," Alex said, finding his name in the list and handing it over. "The demon jumped the gun but some of them are panicky girls."
"I know the community sees a difference."
"Yes, most of the peaceful community can't grant gifts or wishes." The judge blinked at that. "The ones they're talking to about those things are closer to what the biblical meaning is. They're not the same sort of being. These guys are the version of what would've been analogous to humans for their realms.
"Those demons, they're not. They're higher level beings. Some would've been analogous to mutants on their realm to use comic language, but most are higher level beings. Regular beings can't grant you wishes or give you gifts."
"I hadn't considered that." He did, then sighed. "I can see that point. So even they would call them demons?"
"Yes," Paul the lawyer said with a nod. "We do. Even the ones that are not causing problems. Forty percent of them are peaceful, and the community has two or three that show up for stress relief and to play kitten poker against Alex." He nodded at that. "They're amused by his twin."
Alex grinned at him. "Stephen said I'm the boring twin. No one's amused at me because I don't do much."
The judge stared at him. "You've stopped a lot of problems, Harris. Quit putting yourself down before I mandate self esteem workshops."
"My twin saves the world, Your Honor. I'm realistic. I help save some of the city, sometimes. This is probably what the siblings of those in capes and uniforms feel."
"Probably. Still low self esteem, Mr. Harris." He looked at the amused lawyers. "Can anyone summon them?"
"If you go looking it's not that hard to find. A few sources are online. Mostly they're still in Latin but it's not hard to find a translation. If the translator isn't any good, then it's up to that being to allow that summoning or not. If it's properly done then they have to show up but don't have to grant anything."
"I summoned one to help Xander," Alex said with a slight nod. "To keep him out of a battle. And didn't ask for anything, just kept him in the circle and made him watch Golden Girls with me until Xander said it was done and he could go free. I let him free with a smirk and a 'next time maybe I'll ask for an end to my twin having to fight'. He groaned and went home since he couldn't help the general that had wanted to summon him for help."
The judge blinked. "You didn't ask for anything?"
"No. I just trapped him. The only thing I asked him is if he wanted some water. I let him know up front that I wasn't going to ask for anything, this was just to make the battle easier on my twin. He huffed a lot but laughed at Golden Girls."
"Many of the community like it as well," Paul agreed with a nod and a smile. "I'm almost surprised you didn't try to stuff him into an artifact, Harris."
"Nah. He's needed down there to handle things like his temple. He's not usually dangerous, but they were going to use him to deal with the battle. It brought it back to minor artillery instead of my twin needing to blow up a quarter of a country with a nuke."
The judge nodded slowly at that. "Well, that's interesting. What translator do you use?" he asked then cleared his throat.
"I learned to read Latin in high school from Rupert Giles, the guy in charge of the Council. He was our school librarian so he could work with the Slayer Buffy. The redheaded menace and I both learned Latin that way."
The judge blinked a few times. "What redheaded menace?"
"We do not say her name because she'd hear, show up, throw a fit at Alex, and accidentally get us as well," Paul told him. "The witch has already tried to kill him repeatedly because his twin is helping the slayers and they've convinced her it should only be the girls again."
The judge sighed but nodded. "Is it a soap opera in that world?"
"The main Council building has at least ten teenage girls in it at all times and at least another five older young women of about college age. Plus the tiny minis, Your Honor."
"Understood. That's a soap opera waiting to happen." He looked over as the door opened and a courthouse guard came in with his mail. "Thank you."
"We noticed she was gone, Your Honor." He handed it over. "There's some massing people on the south side of the building for a protest against another case where the judge is letting an abusive spouse do whatever he wants to sue his former spouse."
"We can avoid that when we leave," he promised. "Thank you." He nodded and left. He looked at the mail, checking the time. "Well, they're officially late. I'll have today's transcripts sent to them so they can read what was said. I guess we'll continue this until tomorrow." He banged his gavel and all the ones there left. The judge looked at his bailiff, who checked the phone and shook his head. "My son was doing PDA with someone?"
"Your wife was nearly spitting about him kissing one of the girl's soccer team to prove a point to the teacher that was being an idiot according to her. So he got suspended for the kissing."
"It's nice he wasn't just groping." He shook his head, taking his phone out to call his wife. "What happened?" He listened then sighed. "It's good he was sticking up for her and the others. I won't yell about that but he should be more subtle. I know he's fourteen so he doesn't understand subtle yet, but he should learn how to do that more subtly and politically. Sure, I'll probably be home on time.
"My first case had a side that didn't show up so it was continued. My later schedule is hearing plea bargains." He smiled. "I'll see you for dinner." He hung up and put his phone back into his pocket. "He was protecting a girl being harassed by idiots and the teacher didn't want to help her. So he stopped it by kissing her and then glaring at them. They walked off laughing but they got stopped by a kid that reminds me of Harris."
"The world keeps getting more dangerous so it makes more kids like him," the bailiff said.
"True." He went back to his mail. Filings on other cases. He went to log into the criminal court's time clock so he could get some work done early today.
***
Alex walked in the next morning before anyone else. He handed over a copy of the newspaper, folded to a certain area. He pointed. "On the one who had the crash," he said quietly. The judge looked and grimaced at that. "Also, their office is closed. I spun by there to see if they finally had the amicus briefs ready to hand over copies as a favor and they're locked, no one in the office. No guards even on the office. No sign. The local coffee shop didn't say they'd been in today or yesterday."
"So they left?"
"I have no idea. Just reporting what I saw, Your Honor." He went to sit down and play on his phone for now.
"No briefcase, Mr. Harris?"
"Not today, Your Honor. It's being repaired. Harley decided she hated it and not only scratched it a lot but threw up on the thankfully closed lid." The judge snickered. "She knows I carry that when I leave the hosue without one of them. It apparently pissed her off this morning. She's living up to her namesake's mood swings."
The judge just nodded at that, still snickering. The bailiff looked at him. "You've brought your cats to court?"
"The day we had spraying and an emergency meeting that started this case. My neighbors had put termites on my house so we were spraying. Caspian went to doggy daycare to play but they won't accept cats. No other option so I had Harley in the carrier and Selena in my bag. They came out to sit in the carrier when we had a community meeting.
"I so named them right. Selena's a slinky hairless cat who can sneak around but can suddenly break out in showy cat acrobatics. Harley's a bit homicidal and likes to try to suffocate people with her floof. But between her and Caspian, Selena's never cold."
The judge was laughing louder, nodding at that. "It sounds like an amusing household. Didn't you get another dog instead?"
"I did. We were at the shelter to pick up Santa, which Tony stole from me, and Caspian decided to shoplift Selena." He showed him pictures. A lawyer came in and scowled. "Showing cat pictures." He smiled and showed him. "Caspian demanded we adopt Harley from the pet store's adoption cages one night when we were getting new toys and food." He sat down again.
"Your cat's hairless?"
"Selena is a dwelf, which is a dwarf species of hairless cat. She's still slinky and sneaky and sometime does a lot of acrobatic things." He changed pictures. "That's Harley and she's loud, boisterous, and tries to murder people by suffocation with her floof. Caspian loves his cats. I'm hoping we don't have to adopt a third so I have the Sirens. Finding a cat to name Poison Ivy is going to be hard unless I dye her green."
The lawyer shook his head quickly to clear it. "You're very weird, Harris."
"Yes, but I enjoy myself this way." He smiled. "I swung by to get those amicus briefs as a favor to Paul." They were handed over so he looked through them. "Not our copy. We sent that to you," he said, handing a few back. He read the others, handing them to the team when they came in together. It was the full higher ups on the team today.
Everyone heard a meow and looked at him, getting a head shake back. It wasn't his cat. The judge looked and found it. "Rasputin!" he chided. "What are you doing in here?"
Alex looked at the cat. "Why is it injured?" The judge flinched. "Bailiff, she's got a cut or something on her shoulders." The bailiff came over but the cat hissed at him. Alex came over carefully, because cats would run from a threat to pick them up. He scooped her up, making her struggle. "Shhhhh," he said in her ear, calming her down. "It's all right. My cats do the same thing." He let the bailiff see her shoulders, and the judge, who called the judge who owned that cat.
"I'm sorry, we had a break-in last night. The idiot dropped his knife on him. I had him in my office since he's on meds and partial sedation." She took him from Alex. "That's a good boy." She looked at him. "Don't you have a cat?"
"I have two." He smiled. "He didn't do more than hiss when I picked him up to let the bailiff check the injury."
"That's fine then, Harris. Thank you." She walked off talking to her cat about not escaping her office. He had to stay in there and nap to feel better.
Alex sat down with a grin at his team. "He's a cute cat but if he lives up to his namesake she's got to be driven nuts."
"She's got Rasputin and Ghengis Khan," the judge said dryly. "They're terrorizing her house nightly, Harris. Thank you."
"Not a problem. I'd hate to see an animal hurt."
"Yet, some of the community eat cats," the other lawyer sneered.
"So? We eat chickens. They don't hurt the cats they eat. Most of them are sedated. They're well taken care of before then. Unlike most commercial farm animals." The lawyer looked disgusted. "They're usually adopted from shelters, the ones on their last few minutes.
"So their last few weeks is in a happier environment. And many of the beings who would eat cats also eat fish and chicken and pork and cow and goat. If they need it living, they don't treat goats as nicely but they don't really panic them and scare them to death. They're looked over by the same people that do commercial farm animals for welfare checks."
The judge shook his head. "I hadn't thought about that. They are overlooked by whoever oversees farms?"
"Yes." He smiled. "That was the Anderson case. Noted by the name none of us could say in June of three years ago."
The judge looked at that name then in the system, nodding at that. "They do. They had to set up humane rules for treatment, feeding, welfare, and checks." He closed that file again and looked at the other side. "The USDA noted that was stricter than the rules they had for farm animals but agreed if they were willing to go above and beyond the rules set it was fine."
"Still, they're pets!"
"Some people keep pet ducks and pet goats," Alex said with a nod. "And pet pigs. I know one of his office has a pet miniature pig." He looked at him. "And yet you probably eat bacon since I can smell it on you. You clearly dripped some on your tie." He waved a hand at it.
The judge snickered. "He's right. You did drip onto your tie." The lawyer took it off and put it into his bag. "You know this how?"
"Seen her at the pet store getting food."
"Ah." He nodded.
The lawyer grimaced. ""She eats pork chops in front of her pet too. We all find that disturbing."
The judge nodded. "I would consider it odd of her." He looked at Alex. "Do you go there?"
"No. Even if you owe someone some cats from a poker game, you can even it out in cash."
"Oh, I didn't realize that. Is there a chart?"
"Each one's equaled out at about fifty bucks each for me," Alex said. "Owing me or me owing them."
"Younger ones are usually worth more," Brian said from behind the briefs he was reading. He put them down. "Many of us find poker to be distasteful but Alex uses it to keep track of what his twin is doing." Alex nodded. "And any rumors of problems coming up for the area."
"Your twin doesn't share?"
"No. Now and then I get a letter saying 'if I die my comics are yours and let Stephen avenge me' but otherwise he doesn't like to worry me." He shrugged. "Every now and then I yell back about him handling something that a military should have."
The judge shook his head. "Is he in that sort of danger?"
"Yes!" He nodded. "Including last week!" He huffed. "I need to go kick his butt again. I really do. I'll have to distract his boyfriend Stephen, but I can do that. I'll just ask a few of my former dates to help."
The lawyer next to him patted him on the head. "You can beat your brother later, Harris."
"I know. He's injured. Again." He grimaced. "Thanks to the redheaded menace actually."
Willow showed up. "I did not hurt Xander!" she complained. He threw something at her, making her duck. "Hey! I'm going to smite you!"
The bailiff knocked her down and cuffed her. "Sir, let me get someone to arrest her for threatening people in your courtroom." He called that in. Within a minute the security team came in to carry her off.
"Thanks, guys," Alex called after them. "Watch out, she's an addicted magic user." Willow struggled but she wasn't getting free of the flexcuffs. He took a few deep breaths. "Excuse me for a moment. Let me go calm down and call someone," he said as calmly as he could. He went into the hall to do that while he finished losing his temper. He found her coming up the hall and hit her, just the once, knocking her out. "Escaping prisoner!" he shouted, staring down at her. More guards came running. "This one?"
"This one knocked out that team, sir. Thank you."
"She's a witch who has an addiction to her skills," he told them, staring at one. "Fully. She's tried to kill myself and my twin over our duties. If I see her next time I'm going to let someone need a mop."
"Understood. Why was she arrested?"
"I was complaining about how she had hurt my twin during a recent battle on purpose so she showed up to complain about me hating that my twin got injured. She got arrested for that." They nodded and took her with them, in two pairs of special flex cuffs. She was still unconscious.
Alex had been on the phone with Faith during that so he heard her venting. He put it back up against his ear. "She's back under arrest, Faith." He hung up and calmed himself again then went back in there. "She's back in custody. They're using the special restraints on her this time." He sat down. "Sorry for my needing a moment, Your Honor."
"No, I like that reason. Better in the hallway than in here, Mr. Harris." He opened the session. "Let's get back to the case." A new, older witch appeared so the bailiff led her out to talk to her about how to appear outside the courthouse so they wouldn't be arrested for that. He let the security team have her to let her go nag Willow. It wouldn't get her released but she could nag.
***
Up in Cleveland, Faith hung up and looked up then around. "Giles, Willow got arrested in DC going after Alex because he had complained she had hurt Xander during that battle!" she yelled. She sat down, shaking her head. He came in to stare at her, handing her some tea. "Thanks." She sipped it. "He complained about her hurting Xander, not by name, and she showed up in the courtroom. He said she's under arrest. She got free and came for him so he knocked her out apparently so she's still under arrest."
"I'll have the older ladies go nag her. If they want her out of jail they can bail her out." He left to do that and swear in his office at that girl's actions. She was now firmly Coven instead of the Council so she didn't look as bad on them. He did send an apology email to Alex for having to deal with her.
***
Alex came out after they had won the case, and realizing that the government would appeal that ruling, but he felt good, he felt right. He felt like he was going to be sick because a lot of people were staring at him and he couldn't tell how many were dangerous to him. "People," he said. "The legal team is going out a more safe exit," he announced, getting a few grimaces.
"The judge's ruling will be formally announced in another hour from his office. He was a bit worried about safety issues with the week we've had of threats." He looked around. "I'm not authorized to speak for the community or the legal team. You'd have to talk to their spokesperson, who was on the news this morning on that daytime talk show." He looked around again. "But you've already missed them leaving so you should probably wait on the judge's announcement."
He walked around them, being helped there by a few of the courthouse guards. With two attempts to get the judge in the courtroom, and another few attempted assaults, no one wanted to see another attack today. He was the most vulnerable, and he knew he was a sitting duck for the sniper on the building he had noticed. He glanced at the guard then at the sniper, getting his attention.
He called that in subtly as he escorted Alex to the guarded car service he was using today. He had on body armor, but that was chest guarding, not head guarding. He got into the car then winced and held his head, getting out in a hurry. The driver still set off the bomb, blowing him to his knees with the blast radius. He groaned, getting helped up by one of the guards. The sniper tried to take a shot so Alex moved them both out of good view. He'd have to lean over to shoot at them, which if he did would expose him to being harmed.
Cops showed up to handle the explosion and the sniper. The reporters were covering it, mostly. Two weren't filming anything, just staring and smiling. He hated that station anyway. Alex glared at the sniper, then flipped him off. "You missed, worthless motherfucker! Come down and try it again, coward!" The guy tried to shoot at him but didn't manage it, but it did let the officers know where he was and they got him. He sucked in a breath, looking at the staring officers. "He was a coward!"
"You're pushing your luck, Mr. Harris," one said.
"At least you knew where he was, he's not sneaking down to try to blend in with the crowd." That got a slight nod of agreement. He looked around. "It's nice two of the reporters didn't even film anything," he quipped loudly. The others turned their cameras on him so he faded into the shadows to be snuck off by the cops. Who were guarding his house too.
He walked in and shut the door, leaning against it. His security system went onto high with all the special systems. His pets were safely with Tony tonight. He made himself stand up and go take off the dirty shirt, checking his new bruises in the mirror. He thought about taking a shower but he wasn't sure if someone could still break in so that was dangerous.
He took some tylenol and went to make dinner from the leftovers Tony had left him. Pasta with veggies was good. He called his twin on the video system, getting Stephen, who was grimacing. "You let him get injured again?"
"Bad outcome of the case?" he asked back.
"Nope. But a sniper and a bomb and I'm really tired. Xander injured or just hiding from you?"
"Working with his mini outside. Xander, it's your twin," he bellowed, taking the phone out there to him.
The little girl stared at the phone then at Xander then back at the phone. Xander patted her on the head. "I told you I have a twin brother. That's Alex, my twin." He stared at him. "Bad outcome?"
"Good outcome unless the judge changes his mind. But sniper, bomb..." He shrugged. "I'm tired."
"That figures. You okay?"
"Bit bruised. I had a sudden headpain that showed me I needed to get out of the car so I was about twenty feet away."
"Damn," Xander said but nodded. "You all alone?"
"Tony has the pets. Just in case."
"Security system?" Stephen asked.
"Yup, all on." He nodded, eating something, then grimacing. "Tony made them with peanut butter?" Xander snickered at that. He shrugged and ate it anyway. "Even if it was poisoned I'll be fine." He grinned at the girl. "It's great to meet his trainees, sweetie." She said something. He beamed back and answered.
"I made sure I learned the same languages Xander did just in case I had to help one of you girls." She asked him if he was a watcher. "No, I'm a lawyer. I talk to judges for people. Mostly people who own businesses who're having problems." She asked him a lot of questions to take his mind off the bad day he had had. It was sweet of her and he promised to send Xander pictures for her to see his pets.
He hung up and laid down to watch tv, sighing in displeasure. Caspian would be a great cuddle right now. But it wasn't safe and he needed his dog to be safe. People knew about Tony and his pets but no one knew where Tony had moved. Or that he was off on vacation this week at some spa that allowed pet guests too. Santa and Caspian were probably loving being pampered and spoiled by people who brushed them. The cats, they'd put up with it.
He sighed when his security system went off but it was a client so he let him in and went to see what was going on. A few mundane things would be nice right now.
***
Tony showed back up a few days later, after all the attacks had been stopped, breezing in with the two pet carriers and bags over his arms. "We're back! Harley nearly freaked out at being brushed."
"She tried that with me so we cuddled a lot. She quit before I had to keep cuddling," Alex said as he came out of the office, taking each pet to cuddle and love on then put in their usual spots around the cat tree/couch area. He sniffed Caspian then grinned. "Did you get oiled, Cassie?" He nuzzled noses and put him onto his spot on the cat tree. Selena curled up around him and Harley flopped on top of them to snuggle. Santa went to the couch to dig under the pillows and get comfortable for a nap. "Were they good?"
"They were fine. The dogs really enjoyed the spa. Harley liked it once they made her smell nice and feel soft. Selena liked their whirlpool attachment during her bath. It was sweet how she lounged for a few minutes until I took a picture. Then she huffed and let herself be gently cleaned off." He handed over the bag of toys and treats.
"They gave them so many treats it's not funny. I don't think they ate regular food the whole time." Alex gave him a hug too and petted everyone again before going back to the office. All the pets came in to lounge around him in there with Tony following Santa since he was the last one going. "How bad was it? The news covered some but your yard looks like a bomb went off."
Alex looked at him. "Two," he said blandly. "The electronic shields held though. Still are."
Tony blinked a few times. "Were they stopped?"
"I hope so!" Caspian looked at him. "I'm okay, Caspian. Cuddle your cats." He looked at Tony again. "They tried the judge a lot too. His family's in hiding too. The other lawyers haven't been seen in public for their own safety.
"The other side's lawyers have been threatened too but only one attack on them by the people who were mad they had failed them. We're *hoping* the president puts out something to stop it." Tony nodded, sitting across from him. "Otherwise, it's just a day in the land of paranoia really. We've had them before."
Tony nodded once at that. "But it's good when it's not that bad."
"It is," Alex agreed. "It'd be nice if this point of hell is done with for real. I'm a bit scared you came back early."
"No, this is when I was planning on coming back."
"Not what I meant."
"I know." He grinned. "We'll handle it and I'm camping on your couch for a few days to help." Alex nodded at that, smiling some. "New case?"
"Cases are suspended until the appeal is filed. We know they will. The SBA's people are happy enough to not have the work right now but they're not sure when things are going to start getting back to normal. I'm not sure if I will get cases to help with again. The community's happy but cautious. We're on eggshells."
"I fully understand that. We'll figure it out. If they come here again we'll handle it. Though I saw you yelling at the sniper on the news?" He gave him a pointed look.
"It drew him to expose himself."
"Yeah, still boldly stupid." Alex shrugged but grinned. "Your back healing?"
"Still a bit bruised but I'm fine. It didn't do more than bruise me." He leaned back. Caspian jumped up to sit in his lap. "Okay, I can pet the doggy." He petted Caspian, keeping himself calm. "I'm happy you're staying over but if they're threatened you're taking them back."
"Agreed and I'll get you another security person."
Alex nodded. "If I need it, I won't argue."
"Good!" He grinned at the cats, who rolled over at the loss of heated fluff over them. Santa let Selena snuggle into his side to stay warm. Tony looked at the thermometer in there, then reached over to turn it up. Then Tony got her some clothes to put on. She didn't like it but it was warmer and cute.
Alex had picked up cute cat clothes for her naked self. Alex grinned and got back to his email. "Did you use peanut butter in that pasta dish?"
"No. Why would I have?"
"It tasted like peanut sauce."
"Huh. That's weird." He considered it then went to see if there was more of his leftovers left. Yup, other things smelled like peanut sauce. "Alex, is it possible we're in a dream thingy?" he called, putting them back.
"Yeah, it's possible. If we are, are we in yours or mine?"
"I'm hoping mine." He considered it then nodded once and tried to wake himself up. Nope.
Alex came out to open a hidden doorway behind a bookshelf, then the safe door in there with the fingerprint. He looked at something on the shelves in there. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"
"They gassed you," the vase's denizen said. "You're unconscious. Your friend isn't but he meditated his way in. It's nice he brought the pets."
"How do we end it?"
"I have no clue, Second Xander. It's not something a demon can do."
Alex looked at the vase then nodded. "Thanks, dude." He closed the vault door then centered his mind, then pushed, hard. The spell broke and he woke up with a sigh, sitting up on the bed and taking the things on his chest off. Nurses came running. He glared at one, making her back away slowly. "How long has it been since the judgement?"
"What judgement?" she asked. She had a suspicious accent. Alex grimaced. "Sir?"
"I'm an American citizen. Are we in the US?" She shook her head slowly. "I should be. I live near DC."
"You're in England."
"I shouldn't be. How did I get here?"
"Someone dropped you at the ER, sir."
"Ah." He nodded. "Mysterious. Female, like the coven, female like a slayer, or someone else?"
"I was not informed."
"Can I ask the security guys if they saved a picture?" She went to get one and call the police on him. He clearly wasn't supposed to be in England. Alex looked at the security guy, who was demonic. "What am I doing in England?"
"We're in Canada, sir."
"She just said England."
"What? Maybe you misheard?"
Alex stared at him then around. He felt his link to Xander twinge and grimaced then yanked on it. Xander's link to the cosmos as a shaman helped pull him back. So he woke up again, staring at the guy beside his bed, who was petting his cat. "They let Selena in and not Caspian?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah. She's hairless so I snuck her in. You good?"
"Is this another sub-dream thingy?"
"Nope."
"How long since the judgement?"
"Three days. They tried to blow up the house. Didn't make it. You got knocked out."
"Yeah. By someone not with the bomb. Because I was trapped in a vision. Tell Xander I'm fine? I had to yank on our connection."
"He called me." He did text him, getting a note back from Stephen that he had felt that and smiled but was yelling at some higher being. "Stephen said he's yelling at a higher being."
Alex nodded. "Not a bad idea. Is the house okay?"
"It's fine. Which is why it was weird you were unconscious."
"Yeah. The second vision had me in a hospital in England."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Were they helping?"
"The security guy tried to tell me Canada but he looked like Giles' cousin that's a watcher." He lifted the head of the bed up, then took some water to drink. "No nurses?"
"Not yet. Which is weird." He handed over the cat so he could check that. Yup, the nurses were being held by a witch. Tony cleared his throat. "We do not threaten nurses. They really run the hospital, ladies." He stared at them when they glared at him. One tried to attack. It shed off him. "Yeah, that won't work, ladies." They tried to send things to hit him. He blocked it.
"You're very Sith today, huh?" One shrieked and tried to physically attack so he knocked her down and stared down at her. "If this is a third vision thing, we'll fix that too. You always underestimated the twins." She tried to pull up a spell so he pulled his gun. "Mine's faster." She went limp, looking horrified. "Great!" He grinned at the free nurses. "Alex is awake. His cat is being fussy."
"We don't allow pets," the nurse ordered. "They shed fur!"
"She's hairless! He doesn't have physical injuries."
She went in to check him, then blinked at the cat. "You are hairless."
"My keeshond Prince Caspian decided to try to shoplift her from a shelter. This is Selena."
"From Cat Woman?" she guessed. He grinned and nodded. "That's sweet. She's sweet seeming. We don't allow pets...."
He shrugged. "I didn't sneak her in."
"You didn't summon her?"
"I don't have magic."
"Oh!" She smiled. "That's interesting. So what happened?"
"Some sort of psychic landscape thingy. My twin helped."
"Twins can be odd." She came over to check him. "Do you know those women?"
"Yeah, one tried to kill me once. I hear older British women?" She nodded. "So the Devon Coven."
"Oh, that's then." She went to tell the others that and help them get arrested. She glared at Tony. "Only service animals and I doubt his cat is a service animal even if she is good therapy."
"I was going to let some kids upstairs pet her too if you want." He smiled. "She's a good girl. She worried a lot and started to stress lick Harley, who's furry. I'm saving us hairballs from hell."
"She goes home with you."
"Alex will probably try to go home with me too."
She huffed. "Maybe." She went to check her fellow nurses.
Tony went back in there. "The older witches are mad that you had this problem. They're also insane."
"As long as this isn't another psychic landscape."
"I doubt it. They wouldn't have been drawn in."
Alex shrugged, petting his cat. "She's got some more peach fuzz/cashmere feeling stuff."
"She does?" He took her to pet and nodded. "She does. Huh." He sat back down. "I promised to let kids pet her too."
"She's usually calm so I don't mind if she doesn't."
"Cool." He looked over as Xander strolled in. "Maybe we are in another landscape."
"Maybe," Xander said, looking at his twin. "What did you do?"
"I have no effin' clue," he said dryly. "Yeah, we are. I can't swear." They shared a look then looked at Tony, who grinned as he petted the cat. "You're not DiNozzo." The landscape of the hospital room faded out. Alex and Xander were left together. They shared a look and pulled up their status and limited gifts, then yanked.
Willow appeared and attacked so they beat her back until she was begging for mercy. "I have no mercy anymore," Alex told her. "I lost it somewhere in one of these landscapes. And my cat had better be in good shape or else I'm going to kill your dumb ass and leave you locked in here, Willow." She tried to magic him but Xander kicked her on the skull, knocking her out. "Tony?" Alex asked.
"No idea. I'm meditating and out of my body. I'm not sure if you're out of your body."
"It's a psychic landscape so it's her fault. How did you get into it?"
"You pulled me in when you yanked. I was trying to find you." They shared a hug. "Let's go." He led him back out to the normal non-physical plane. Alex got pulled back to his body. Xander went to his and opened his eyes, looking at Stephen. "Find out if DiNozzo is all right? He had the pets."
"Yeah, he's good. I've been texting him. He woke up out of the dream, he had been napping on Alex's couch. He woke up swearing at witches."
"Yeah, the redheaded addict did it apparently." Stephen growled. "She's probably trapped up there for now." He made himself stand up, get a drink, go pee, then come back in to deal with physical things. It was too easy to get trapped on the astral plane for him.
***
In DC, Alex woke up but he was at home. He hummed, looking around his room. He got up to go get a drink, pee, find something to eat because he was starving. He found Tony on his couch with the pets around him. Alex handed him some coffee as he walked past him again. "Going to shower. How long ago was the judgement?"
"That's tomorrow. I'm going to the spa tonight. I stopped by to get the pets." He sat up to drink and pet everyone to check them over. "What was that?"
"Psychic landscapes. The redheaded one."
"Damn. Are we still in one?"
"No. I didn't need to pee in them."
"Oh, that's good." He nodded, taking the pets to the spa with him. They all faded out once he walked out the door with them. That wasn't good. He woke up in the spa and it was nicer. He checked them then called Alex's phone, hoping to wake him up. Nope but he did call Xander, who was awake and out of it.
He had been kicked out by Alex, who was fighting something. Alex finally won and got free by himself. He won against whatever was going on. Was a bit more injured. Was a bit more bruised. Was really, really angry. Tony sent pictures of the pets being fine and all being cuddled. It calmed Alex down enough to not want to fly to England.
***
In Africa on the farm, Xander blinked himself awake again and looked around. "Huh, I thought he had decorated more with wall hangings."
Stephen blinked a few times. "Hey, Alex. Did you possess your twin?"
"I think I'm in the wrong body. Let me fix that." He meditated until he found Xander, switching with him to send him back to his own body, and woke up in his own room. That was nice. The room was a bit smokey but there wasn't an alarm going. He got up to check, scaring a firefighter. "Did they actually manage to set the house on fire, guys?"
"We thought you were dead."
"Some witch tried awfully hard," he said dryly. "She's presently damaged enough that she may die on the psychic plane." He looked around then at them. "So what happened?"
"They tried to set the house on fire. You have some smoke damage from a tree. You have protections up?"
"Yeah, I do." He nodded. "How did you guys get in?"
"The security company let us in the side gate."
"Oh, okay." He nodded. "That's sweet. They never told me how they'd do that since the front one's fingerprint coded." He got some water from the fridge, going to check his office. He got into his safe room behind the bookcase again, looking at the demon in there. "Are we actually back home?" he asked the vases.
"Yup," another one said. "We're all back to normal, Alex. Can we have the witch?"
"Don't tempt me. She's on the psychic plane and injured."
"Awww," they complained.
An artifact who never spoke up cleared his throat. "She could come back."
"She'd better keep her ass over there then." Alex sipped his water. "You sure we're home?" They all said 'yes' so he smiled. "Thanks, guys. Let me know. Okay?" He closed it again and looked at the staring people. "I've hoarded some dangerous artifacts for years. They're safe in there. Not out eating people." They groaned. "Though I really want to throw one in the middle of the beings who keep trying me." He walked off again. "I've got to pee. Thanks for the house saving, guys. I'd miss my fussy, too big house."
"Not a problem. We're glad you're not dead and the house was saved. That's a lot of wood in your study."
"It is, and one of the reason why I bought this house. Someone tacky would've painted it."
The firemen left after making sure the smoke was cleared and the house was okay. They told the officers watching the house that the owner had woken up after something weird but he was walking around and talking to the artifacts he held in a safe.
When the next attack happened, Alex decided he was mean. He got something out of the other safe, throwing it at the people trying his fence, making them scream as it broke on them and spread gasses that made them hallucinate. He grinned at the officers who hadn't stopped them. "It's a hallucinogenic gas. It's making them think I'm Godzilla."
He sipped his water with a smirk. "I've got more." They hurried the people to the hospital and one came to see what that gas really was. Alex mixed a new batch for him so he could figure that out since he didn't know the name of it. They were happy it wasn't lethal and was only a bit mean. Alex grinned at him. "I have worse. I was being pleasant."
"We understand. We're going to keep guarding you, Mr. Harris."
"Since I got trapped in a psychic landscape earlier, it is after the judgement, we won?"
"You did," he agreed with a nod. "How does that happen?"
"A few witches. I beat one so she's stuck on the psychic plane until she can get back to her body. I doubt she'll try that again." He went back to get more water. He had to make sure he was fine. Xander said he was fine and still in his own body. Stephen hadn't been in the other ones. Alex corrected that since Tony had talked to them by text.
Alex went out to check his car. His new car. Willow wouldn't realize he had traded cars right before the last few hearings and it hadn't been pictured since it had been in the garage this whole time. Yup, his car. His car he could drive and go get a burger somewhere far from the house that she wouldn't know existed because it wasn't on social media or talked about. Crappy burgers but it was a local place that no one not local ate at. It had been near his original law firm.
So yeah, it looked like he was back in his body for good.
***
It had been a month since the last attack. No one had come to Alex for a case. No new cases were filed. The President had put out an executive order stopping the attempt. But still, he didn't have any work to do. So he went to play poker. He got a few dirty looks. "What did I do this time?" he asked as he sat at a table.
"You attacked the witches."
"They attacked me. They had me stuck in a psychic landscape that I couldn't come out of without help from Xander." They hissed and winced. "If they were helping her and got some of the beating she got for that, then oh well, they shouldn't have attacked me." He smiled prettily at the one who had told him. "Any other sins you guys think I've done?"
"The judge said you're slightly an asshole."
"Half the judges in DC think I'm an asshole and I'm okay with that. Me being an asshole means that I've solved a lot of cases. Which also means I don't have any current cases so I'm bored." They groaned at that. He grinned at one. "I'm still taking new cases."
"No one's had any cases. They're working things out themselves without our help," one of the defense lawyers for the community lied.
Alex smirked at him. "Really?" That one groaned at being caught lying. "Your eye twitches when you lie. Thankfully not when you bluff." He paid in and the dealer stared at him. He stared back. "Are we still stuck in a psychic landscape?"
"I hope not. If so, my girlfriend wouldn't want to breed. She's in heat."
"Oooh, I found the greatest oils for massages. It's for fur so it'll help." He looked it up to show him. "It smells really nice. Tony took Caspian to a spa with the pets to protect them and they used it. He's totally soft and extra fluffy."
"That's not that expensive. Smells nice?" He let the guy sniff his shirt. "That's nice. He still smells of it?"
"Tony got him more so I conditioned him earlier."
"That's nice smelling." He took the addres down. "The higher ups hate you."
Alex shrugged. "They can do that. I don't know why."
"You outed people's deals."
"No, I outed one person's deal that she didn't make. Her parent promised her and her kids." The dealer shuddered. "I warned her on the judge's orders about that so she could go to Hanifold up in Baltimore. Tony outed that to some who had the same sort of problem."
"That makes more sense. They're still mad at you."
"They can come tell me why they're mad at me. I know one's in the back room. I can hear him complaining loudly." He got up with his cards and money, going back there to stare at him. "You bellowed something?" The demon blinked at him. "Why are you mad at me this time?"
"You injured the witches."
"They trapped me in a psychic landscape. The only witch I hurt was Willow, who had trapped us. Anything else?"
"You're keeping evil things."
"I keep them in a safe and talk to them now and then. So? I always have."
The demon looked at the others then at him. "You...you lost many money by not winning at the fighting ring last week?"
"I didn't go last week. I was still sore." He went to change out cards and came back after his betting. The dealer had huffed but oh well. "So why does that make you hate me? If you bet on me being there you should never do that. It's the worst betting practice ever." He went back to take two new cards, ante in, then fold his hand and go back to talk to them. "Any other reason everyone thinks you're mad at me?"
"You could have cost many a lot of money."
"From?"
"Last week's fight card held a higher level being that wanted to fight you."
"I warned them I wouldn't be in because I was sore. Did they have me listed anyway?" They shook their heads. "Then why expect me?"
"He wanted to win your status."
"I doubt he could. If he wants to try me that much I'll go to one tomorrow if he wants." They whined at that. "Because I didn't hear anything about a challenge." He leaned on the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. "Any other reason? I'll go to Paul's ring tomorrow night. I'm a bit sore but I can handle it."
"He is mad that you did now show up."
"If I had heard I would have. No one told me. I don't get visions. I'm not Xander." They sighed. "I'll be at Paul's tomorrow unless he sends me to another one. You can let that one know. If he prefers a different one, let me know that and if I'm allowed there I'll go. A few won't let me in because of how I'm a human." He went back to the table. "Any other pettiness, let me know. I can't fight back unless you let me know."
"You're not the interesting twin," the higher being complained.
"No I'm not. I'm interesting in my own way but be damned if I want to be the warrior Xander is." He shot a look that way. "Xander's a special breed and I honor and love my twin for that, but I'm not Xander. I'm Alex and I'm different. And nothing's going on that leaves me with entertainment. I haven't even had a date," he complained more quietly. "It's like they're avoiding my magnificence."
The dealer snorted at that. "The agents got better at arresting those sorts."
"Probably." He nodded. "So what higher being is this anyway?"
"Someone who wants the status you hold from that law firm."
"Dude, I have so much more from other, more interesting sources." The dealer stared at him. "Look in the book." He went to get it and came back nearly crying. He looked at it. "Hey, Xander took some of mine. Mean ass." He handed it back and turned to his page. "They didn't list me there." The dealer looked at it and did burst out crying. He grinned. "That is my actual, true name." He shrugged but smirked a bit. "It's nice I did finally get a rating of my own in the other name." The dealer went to show others. "Am I dealing this time?" he called after him.
"No." He came back to handle his table and let Harris lose a few times then he won somehow. "Did you hide that card?"
Alex grinned and shook his head. "You missorted when you shuffled. You put me as the third, not the fourth." The dealer moaned at that but did start to deal straighter so he wouldn't get caught and eaten. Though Harris would only beat him probably.
***
Alex showed up at the fight ring, nodding at Paul. "Did he show up here?"
"He did. He's waiting on you. This is very bold, Harris. He's very good."
Alex grinned. "Did he forbid weapons?"
"Yes. He's good at hand-to-hand."
"I'm not horrible. And if I get a black eye, I don't have court this week." He shrugged. "So I'll be fine." He went that way, tossing his after-fight bag on the desk for it. "That's my lidocaine patches and towels." They put it where it needed to go for him. He stretched until he was called for. Then he walked into that ring and took his t-shirt off, smiling at the demon. "You rang?"
"You hid!"
"I didn't hear. I'm not psychic, I don't get visions, dude. If you don't email or text or have someone tell me, how would I know?"
"I will take all of your status!" The crowd cheered.
"You sure about that?" The demon glared. "Which ones were you wanting to win?" The demon attacked so he fought him back and got beaten up a lot but was winning. The demon pulled a weapon. "They said no weapons. You said no weapons." The guy had a knife but Alex looked up. "Permission to pull one?" he called.
"No! He's broken the rules, you may not," the referee called back.
"Can I have a staff?"
"No! No weapons. His dishonor is his."
"Great." Alex kicked the knife and attacked more brutally. The demon screamed as Alex broke his arm then his hip. He took the knife to throw away, staring at him. "Hey." He grinned and waved. "What status did you want to win again?"
"I will win," he growled. "I will avenge my sire!" He surged up to grab him.
"Which one was your sire? There's been a few I had to defeat in the last decade." The demon tried to lunge again. Alex timed it poorly but he did break the demon's other arm. Then his ribs. The crowd oohed at that move. "So. Do you give up? I'm not going to claim anything from you."
He smiled a bit, licking at the blood on his lip from his gums. He looked up. "Can I have some water?" A bottle was tossed down and he sniffed then tossed it back. "Undoctored water?" Some was tossed down so he sniffed then sipped. He put it out of the way and came back. "You still want to go?"
The demon stood up, wincing as he did so. "You are not so tough."
"No, I'm really not. I'm still a human." He waved a hand. "Still wondering if this is a psychic landscape thingy." The demon lunged so he beat him back down. The guy was tired and not that great. They were both injured but the demon could barely move. "I tell you what. I'll let you go. You banish yourself from this city. You never come after me again. I won't kill you." He stared at him. "Is that good for you?"
The demon moaned, trying to stand. "I do not agree."
Alex kicked him on the back of the head. "You sure? Really?"
"I must live here!"
"As long as I don't run into you trying to kill me again or trap me or anything like that, I don't care, dude." He shrugged and winced. "I hate needing to stitch my shoulders." He stared at him. "Do you yield and agree to leave me alone?"
"I..." He looked down. "I have shamed my family name."
"Bullshit. Being beaten by someone better isn't shameful. It's a learning experience. I have beings who beat my ass every single time we spar for training. I don't shame myself with that. You don't shame yourself by trying something that didn't work. Failure's a part of life and something you learn from." He helped him up, staring at him. "Do you understand that?"
He nodded. "I do. Knight." He bowed. "I yield. I will not attack you again."
Alex grinned. "Who's your sire anyway?" he asked quietly.
"Gorth."
"The one I won it from at seventeen? I think that went to Xander actually. I'd have to check the book." He found the knife and handed it over. "I recognize a clan marking." He waved a hand. "Go get treated. The healers are just up the street." He followed him out. The demon tried to turn to stab him but Alex pushed him and he stumbled instead. "Don't even." The demon moaned but limped off to the healer's. Alex got handed his bag so he could clean up his injuries. Another fighter was barely leaning on a wall so he helped that one too. The demon tried to push at him. "I can help, dude." He tipped his face up. "It's Alex."
"I should not."
"Yeah, suck it up." He bandaged him and let his buddies show up to take him to the healer's or home. "I didn't do more than bandage it. I know some beings are hateful about being treated by healers."
They nodded, leading him outside. The ring owner came over, handing him cash. "You are not usually that mean."
"The psychic landscape meant I traded places with Xander for a few minutes." He grimaced. "I really thought he had more hangings and stuff to make the farm more cheerful looking for Stephen and the girls."
The ring owner groaned. "Twin things?"
"Redheaded menace trapped us in a psychic landscape. Am I still in one?"
"No, Harris. Though it is disorienting I know." He let him head for his car and go home. He looked at the others, who were amused. This Harris was amusing at times. Sometimes. Rarely.
***
The next morning, Alex had to go help someone get out of jail so he limped into the court room. The judge stared at him, mouth open. "Were you attacked, Mr. Harris?"
"Fight ring. Someone challenged me, Your Honor." He grinned. "I won though." He nodded at his client. "May I have thirty seconds?"
"Shouldn't you be in a hospital?"
"I'm just sore and bruised, Judge Mathias." He leaned closer to his client to hiss in his ear, getting hissed back at. "Okay, I don't speak that one. Can you do it again?" He got it in another language, nodding. "Okay." He looked at the judge. "What are his charges?" The bailiff read them. He looked at his client, hissing at him, getting a head shake. "Your Honor, I'm not sure they got the right person. Those are about women. There's no women in his species, and they're not fully compatible with humans. Very few species are actually bodily compatible."
"Interesting. Do you have a species sheet on him?"
"I can look it up real fast." He did that and then looked at the being, letting him see it. He shook his head and said something else. He looked that up and read it over then let the judge see it. "I was thinking he was a cousin species but his is even less compatible. So how would he even do that?"
The prosecutor looked over. "Are you doubting the victim's testimony, Harris?" he asked, looking concerned.
"No, I'm wondering how that would have happened. He doesn't have a penile extrusion of any sort."
The prosecutor looked at the forms. "Hm. She didn't mention that." He looked at the judge.
"I would never doubt a victim's testimony," Alex said. "And I'm known not to help people who're rightly accused. But there is the question of how that would have happened." The prosecutor let him see the file and he nodded once. "Okay. So my client needs to give me two minutes."
The judge nodded so he took the client aside to hiss at him, getting him to admit to something by tripping him up. Alex gave him the honest truth and told him he did not want to represent him if he was not looking for a plea bargain. The demon huffed at that but didn't want to. Oh well.
Alex told him what his options were and who he could go to for a defense if he didn't want to plea bargain. He would handle today's and then he was gone. He had ethics. They came back to the table. "My client wants an interpreter, Your Honor. That way I cannot put words in his mouth."
"Is he going to plead guilty and ask for a deal?" the judge asked.
"No. He is not willing to entertain that at this time. Which does mean he'll be employing full time counsel after today."
"Are you taking yourself off his case, Mr. Harris?"
"After this hearing, I feel I cannot be his defense attorney. I do not want to be the one who questions a victim about her bad experience and try to run her over for suffering."
"That's reasonable. A lot of defense attorneys won't handle rape cases because they don't want to hurt a victim. For today, is he pleading not guilty, guilty, or insane?"
Alex looked at his client, who burbled something. "He said not guilty, Your Honor. I would ask that in the future he have an interpreter. He doesn't speak English and he actually uses another version of his people's language that's not standard for the US."
"I can make that note for later meetings." He did that. "His species sheet doesn't list any special needs."
Alex looked at it and shook his head. "No. He can eat both meat and vegetables." He looked up. "May I have a healer check him? Just to make sure he's regular?"
"I don't see a problem with a healer seeing him in jail," the judge decided. "Since there's a question in there about...apparatus. Can you call one?"
"I can. I'll stop on the way home."
"Thank you. Is he going to ask for bail?"
Alex considered it then stepped out of the way. "Shake your head sideways for no, up and down for yes. Are you asking for bail?" he asked in his language then repeated in english. The demon nodded.
He looked at the judge, who stared at him then shook his own head. "Not at this moment. We'll entertain bail in a few days, once the healer's seen to him. There's something weird here and I want to know what before I agree to bail." Alex repeated that for the demon, who slumped and pouted. "I'm sorry but I'm not sure if that's going to matter." He looked at Alex, understanding what he was doing. "You'll talk to a healer today?"
"On my way home. There's a good one a few blocks up who can call one who could specialize in his being's needs."
"That's fine, Mr. Harris. Thank you for your temporary service, and do feel better."
"I feel fine," he said with a slight shrug. He went to talk to the healers he liked. "Hey, Marilyn," he said to the desk nurse. "I need to ask a healer to go see a guy in jail. If I translated right, he did something very unlike his people." The nurse gave him an odd look. He leaned over to hiss in her ear. "He's been remanded into custody for now."
"I can have Healer Barra told so she can go check him over, Alex. Do you need tylenol?"
"I'm fine." He grinned. "Thanks. He'll need a new lawyer and he speaks an odd off-shoot of a German version of his language. I've only heard it a few times."
"I know about that group. We can ask the healer to look him over. Did he do it?"
"I'm not comfortable taking his case, I don't ever want to hurt a victim of abuse. And I truthfully cannot say."
"Okay, I'll let her know. Thanks, Alex."
"Welcome. Thanks and tell her I said thanks." He left, going to let someone else know he had been arrested and for what, and that he'd need another lawyer. And a translator. The legal defense team agreed with what he had done. He hadn't implicated his client but had used a personal reason to avoid that case. It was ethical of him. The addition of a healer meant that the guy would be treated fairly if something was actually wrong and if not, she could report to the courts.
***
Alex looked at Tony as he came over that night. "Are you having any cases?"
"Only a few divorce cases. There's been no business cases but wait until tax time." He settled in next to him and the dogs. Who hopped over to pet him. Alex frowned at that. "You know they love me."
Alex nodded, then pinched Tony, making him disappear. "He doesn't wear that shirt with that outfit," he called. "Nice slip though, Willow." He concentrated and woke himself up. Again. This time he was back in a hospital but the nurse was one he recognized. "When?" he asked quietly, licking his lips. She gave him some water.
"You've been suppressed by something," she said.
"Dumbass witch."
"Really?"
He nodded. "Really." He winced as he moved. "Judgement?"
"Went to your team, Mr. Harris." He sighed in relief as he raised the head of the bed. "It's been a week. You're fine."
"I need Tony. I had a longer time there."
"Okay. He's been by each day, sneaking your hairless cat in." He frowned. "You don't know your hairless cat?"
"He did that in one of the psychic landscapes."
"No, this is reality. I can assure you this is reality."
"I thought it was when I beat Homer's nephew."
She smiled and patted him on the cheek. "No, he hasn't shown up yet." He stared at her. "Oh! That's ...your twin has visions," she sighed, realizing it. "I'll call DiNozzo to tell him you're awake."
"Thanks."
"Welcome." She went to do that and then called Xander. She was a halfie in the community so she knew who they were. He had talked to her college class about law school once. Her mother was a nurse at a healer's office. She explained what had happened and what he had asked. That made them both feel better and Tony show up to talk to him about what he had foreseen. And if Willow was still alive they needed to fix that.
***
Law and Orderly Chaos.