[Hollows Fic] Return to the Hollows - Rachel/Ivy (4/11)

[jaina47]

Title: Return to the Hollows
Author(s): Jaina
Fandom: The Hollows aka Rachel Morgan aka that series by Kim Harrison
Characters: Rachel Morgan, Ivy Tamwood,
Genre: Drama, angst, romance
Summary: Rachel is always making mistakes. One day things go too far. Some mistakes can't be fixed or gone past. Some mistakes are lasting, and some have consequences that can change lives.
Disclaimer: All characters, and the universe that they go with belong to Kim Harrison. I'm just playing in the sandbox. No infringement is intended.
Spoilers: Goes through White Witch, Black Curse, although I don't think they're particularly glaring or massive.
Notes: My thanks to my beta for this one, infinitlight . She was awesome enough to look over this massive fic for me, and I really appreciate the time, effort and level of detail that she put into looking over this. Also the number of times that she had to uncapitalize were and warehouse. Sorry, dude. My bad.

Part One ||  Part Two || Part Three


Part Four

It was disorienting to wake up in my own room at the church. It looked exactly as I had left it. Rented out, my ass.  At the time, I had figured that Jenks would either take care of my stuff for me or give it back to my mom.  And honestly, I'd had bigger issues to worry about. 

I turned my head on the pillow and surveyed the room.  Sunlight filtered through the curtains.  They looked a bit thinner in spots and there were tears in them that I didn't remember, probably just from age.  The top of my pressboard dresser had been cleared off.  I wondered idly if I opened the top drawer, would I find all of the bottles of perfume that Ivy had bought for me?  The only one that I had regretted leaving behind was the one that completely masked my scent, and so I'd replaced it.  It reminded me of her every time I wore it, which wasn't often.  I told myself it was because I knew how expensive it was, but the truth was, it had made me feel closer to Ivy in a time when I had felt impossibly alone.

Everything was still there - even the furniture hadn't been rearranged.  Not rented at the moment. Riiiiiight.  Not rented ever was more like it.  Ivy had preserved our home exactly as it had been - and had it lovingly maintained by some of Jenks' fifty-four kids, I'd be willing to bet.

My eyes drifted to the closet and I flinched minutely, as I had a flash of Newt possessing me as she tried to search the church for something.  I still didn't know what she had wanted, even after the years that I had spent with Al in the ever-after.  I had done my best to avoid Newt, even as I had become more and more skilled in and knowledgeable of demon magic. 

After Newt had killed Minias, dealing with her had become an even dicier prospect and only the most skilled - or overconfident - of demons sought her out.  Minias had, had centuries to learn how to handle her, and despite his occasional failures he was better at it than most demons had given him credit for.  Now the rest of the ever-after was behind the learning curve and having to catch up fast. 

It had made for some very tense dealings that I had wanted as little to do with her as possible.  I was all too mortal and if Newt could kill a demon, then it would be even easier for me to die.  My best hope was to stay clear of her and hope that without any reminders, she would forget all about me.  It was entirely possible, if not very probable, that I could be dead of natural causes by the time Newt remembered me.  A witch's lifespan was nothing compared to a demon's, after all, and if she forgot about me for another century or so I would be in the clear.

Okay, so I wasn't likely to be that lucky, but it was something that I could deal with when the time came.  I had enough things to worry about at the moment, not the least of which the witch murderer here in the Hollows.

Pushing back the covers, I got out of bed, and walked over to where I had dumped my bag the night before.  I dug through it until I found a comfortable pair of soft, old jeans.  I would save the leather pants for later when it looked like I might need them to save my ass (or other portions of my anatomy, for that matter) from skin grafts.

Once I was dressed I opened the door to the hallway.  I hadn't looked around the night before.  I knew where everything was and I was more exhausted than I had thought.  I hadn't been prepared to see Ivy last night, and the sight of her had dragged up a lot of things that I usually tried not to think about. It made it harder to lie to myself.

Now I looked around, giving the ceiling a careful glance.  There was really no reason that I should be embarrassed about what I was about to do.  It wasn't anything illegal, or even something Ivy had asked me not to do.  She had given me free run of the church with no questions asked. I still didn't want even an errant pixie to catch sight of me, though. 

As quietly as if I still shared the church with a moody vampire, I walked down the hall and opened the door to the other room - the room that had been Ivy's and, later, ours. It had never been something that we had discussed, but when I had wanted to be with Ivy, I had always gone to her and we had always seemed to end up in her room.  It seemed obvious now that Ivy had been trying to let me set the boundaries of our relationship, unwilling to push me too far. My hand crept to my neck, finding my old scar involuntarily. 

Touching it now, was like touching any other non-vamp scar.  Being bound to Ivy meant that only her touch, her caress, her bite could effect me anymore.  Running my fingers back and forth over the thin ridges of the scar had become a habit, like worrying rosary beads. 

The realization of what Ivy had done seemed ironic now, given the way that our relationship had ended.  I rubbed at my eyes, trying to erase the exhaustion and tension that left them aching and dry.  Finally, I couldn't stall any longer.

The door creaked a little as it swung inwards and I held my breath, as if expecting someone to jump out at me.  No one did.  The inside of the room was darker than mine, sheltered by the leather curtains that still hung in her windows. 

I reached out to my left, and flicked on the light switch, not even having to fumble along the wall to find it.  I swallowed thickly as the room was illuminated.  It looked exactly as I had left it, too.

I stepped fully into the room, and breathed in deeply.  My eyes fell shut as I caught a hint of a familiar scent. It smelled like incense and redwoods.  What Ivy had, one day, shyly, called "our scent".  The thought of a scent that was uniquely ours, made up of the combination of both of us, had filled me with a happy warmth.  It felt like stepping into my mom's kitchen and smelling that combination of herbs and spices, the metallic tang of her copper spell pots, and whatever pie or cake she had been baking that day. 

My fingers trailed down the door frame until they hung loosely at my side, as I let my eyes fall closed.  We had made so many memories in here both good and bad.

My skin burned where Ivy's fingers trailed across my skin.  My breath hitched, and I stiffened as her lips brushed across my scar.  I arched back into her touch, feeling the line of her body pressed against my back.  Her arm tightened around my stomach, pulling me closer, into the circle of her embrace.

"Rachel," she murmured, her lips brushing against my neck sending all new shivers racing through my body. 

Lazily, I shifted, turning within her arms until I was facing her.  I pulled one hand up from between us to rest over her heart.  I could feel the steady thump of it speed up under my hand.  The knowledge of what I was doing to her brought a faint smirk to my lips. 

Even now, I couldn't quite believe I was here - in bed - with Ivy.  I never thought we would be here, but then, I had once thought that I would never let Ivy taste my blood, and my objections to that were long gone. 

Ivy shifted slightly, her leg slipping between mine, and I pulled my attention back up to her face.  She looked just like I had once imagined, smiling easily at me, her face open.  The sight of her like that made my chest painfully tight and tears began to well up in my eyes.

"Oh, Ivy," I breathed, trying to get a hold of my rapidly shifting emotions. I tried to cover what I was feeling, by leaning forwards to press my lips to hers.  My hand cupped the side of her face, pulling her closer to me.  Her tongue brushed tentatively against my lips.  Without hesitation, I deepened the kiss. It lasted until Ivy pulled gently away from me.

"Rachel?"  Concern filled her voice as she saw that I was crying. 

I sniffled ungracefully.  I hated it when I cried.  My usually pale skin got all blotchy and puffy and red, leaving me looking I had gotten on the wrong end of badly-mixed acne correcting spell.

I blinked and ducked my head.  I felt Ivy gently touch my chin and bring my head up back to face her.  She slowly wiped the tears from my cheeks, and lightly touched her lips to mine. 

"What's wrong?" 

I shook my head, blinking until I could get the tears to stop.  This was not the way I had ever thought we would spend our first morning together. 

"Nothing's wrong," I said softly.  "I'm sorry."  My voice broke as I apologized.  I meant it for every time I had unknowingly hurt her and put her through so much pain.

"It's okay,"  Ivy said with admirable calm for a woman who was being cried all over.  There was a hint of bewilderment in her eyes, but for once she didn't push, and pulled me closer instead. 

I dropped my head to her shoulder and breathed in slowly.  My hand dropped to her side, and traced back and forth over her abdomen.  The absent motion calmed me.  Unbidden, a thought popped into my mind.  It was short, simple and full of meaning. 

I loved Ivy.

My hand stilled and I considered the thought.  It was true.  I did love Ivy and I had for some time, but only now did I realize that I more than loved Ivy.  I was in love with her. 

The words were on the tip of my tongue.  Something was holding me back, though.  Now wasn't the time.

A faint knock on the church's front door forced my eyes back open.  I didn't have time for this trip down memory lane.  I couldn't afford it; I had a witch murderer to catch.

Quickly I ducked back into my room and snatched my splat gun from my bag.  It was only loaded with sleepy-time charms at the moment, but there was no telling who would be on the other side of that door when I opened it. 

It was wonderful to be back home and back in the Hollows, but with it came all of my problems.  And all of my enemies, several of whom would be none too happy to see me back here.

Stepping to the side, I leaned flush against the wall and then threw open the door.  No flaming balls of ever-after flew through - no gun shots, no spells.  Of course, whoever was out there could be waiting for me to step into view.  Assassins didn't get paid as well when they racked up collateral damage.

"Rachel?" 

It sounded like Glenn, but then there were potions that could alter voices to sound like someone you trusted.  Anything was possible, and witches that looked a lot like me were getting killed here in the Hollows on a regular basis.  If Glenn's theory was right, then it was likely that someone was trying to kill me and these poor witches were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time. 

Few people who had known me knew that I was here now - only my mom and David, really - and even fewer knew that I was staying at the Church again.  If someone was out there, then they had likely been watching me and that was never good.

"Gotten paranoid, haven't you?" 

I still didn't reply.  There was the sound of movement, someone coming closer.  I tensed and got ready to move. 

"How about this?  If you're Rachel, you'll know this is true.  If you're not," he mumbled almost under his breath.  "Then this will definitely make all the papers."  He raised his voice again.  "You took me to Piscary's Pizza and made me eat my first tomato sauce.  After that you got me hooked on all kinds of tomato products." 

He hesitated, and I smirked.  It was Glenn all right, but part of me wondered just how far he would play this out to convince me that it was really him.  

"My favorite," he blurted out just loudly enough to be heard, "Is- was the spicy ketchup."

Unable to restrain my smug grin, I stepped out from behind the door.  "Glenn, you naughty, naughty, human, you.  What would the fine human citizens of the Hollows say if they found out that their beloved, straight-laced FIB detective couldn't get enough of the ketchup?"

Glenn glared. 

"You didn't have to let me go on that long!" he said with disgust.

Smiling, I stepped back and waved him into the church.  The neighborhood still looked quiet and sleepy at this early hour, but, as always, a dangerous edge lay underneath the calm of the Hollows.  Anyone could be out there, watching us at this very moment.  And I didn't like to be vulnerable.

"Just a precaution, Glenn." 

"You really are paranoid, aren't you?" 

"It's not paranoid if they really are out to get you," I muttered defensively. "And I'm still alive." 

Glenn sobered immediately, the hint of teasing in his manner gone to be replaced completely by the serious FIB agent.

"What happened to you, Rachel?"  He waited, like he actually expected me to answer his question.  

I simply tucked my splat gun into the waist of my jeans, and turned my back on him, walking into the kitchen.  

"You want some coffee?" I called over my shoulder, ignoring his question.  

Reaching over the counter without thinking, I stopped when everything was exactly where I had expected it to be.  It was eerie, the way that this place was so perfectly preserved.

"It has something to do with Ivy."  Glenn's quiet voice was much closer than I had expected him to be. 

I tensed, freezing for a moment before I lowered the two mugs I'd taken out to the counter.

"She was under investigation for two years, you know. After you left." 

I hadn't known that, actually. 

"Everyone thought that she had killed you." 

"What?"  That time I did react, spinning around to face him.  "What are you talking about?  Ivy would never-"

I bit my lip and cut the rest of my sentence off.  Ivy had bound me.  There was no denying it. It was something I lived with every day.  For years I had managed to push it to the back of my mind, and now it was back.  The knowledge that if she so much as crooked her finger, I would come running to her without the slightest hesitation was something that I couldn't escape.

"Would never what?"  Glenn pressed.  "Tell me what happened, Rachel."

"You brought me here to solve your murders, Glenn, not look in to something that happened years ago. Back off and let me do my job."

Glenn took the coffee mug that I held out. 

"Okay," he said finally. "I'll let it go - for now.  But I will find out what happened some day," he added, warningly.

"Let me know when you do," I muttered under my breath as I turned away.  What exactly had happened that night was still a mystery to me, even if the end results were plenty obvious.

"What do you know about these murders that you didn't tell me on the phone?" I asked.

"Funny you should ask," Glenn said.  "There was something pretty strange about the first murder." 

"How so?" 

"Ley line symbols."  

"What kind of symbols?" 

Glenn shrugged.  "We don't know." 

I wrinkled my nose. Of course he didn't know. He was human and he was FIB. 

"We checked with all of our ley line specialists and brought in several outside consultants."  He paused, and saw that I still wasn't impressed.  "I even asked Ceri Dulciate if she knew anything about them."

"Really?"  Now that was interesting.  Before I had become Al's student, Ceri had taught me most of what I knew about Ley line magic.  She had also spent a thousand years in the ever-after twisting curses for Al.  If she didn't know...well, that was very interesting.

"Do you have photos?"  I asked and then shook my head. That wouldn't do. Sometimes the relative position or the even the inner shape of the building could have a great deal to do with what the symbols meant. They were really more of a guide to creating the gestures necessary for the spell and, especially with more advanced, magics context was everything.  "Actually, I think I need to go see this.  Is the scene still intact?"

Glenn looked at me as if I'd had my brain fried by a little bit too much line energy.

"Of course.  But I can't go check it out this morning.  I have to give the mayor a status report."

"Glenn," The whine in my voice was full of disappointment.  When had he become so much the consummate politician.

"I'm sorry, but I can't postpone this again.  The public is putting on a lot of pressure on us to find this killer."

"Then let me do my job and find him - them," I amended when Glenn gave me a look.  Really, I wasn't still after Trent.  I hadn't forgotten anything that he had done from keeping me locked in a cage, to killing a man in front of me, and using people's families to control them.  "Give me the address," I continued.  "I'll go check them out myself."  I smiled at him winsomely. "I promise, I'll even be a good little witch and not disturb your scene."

Glenn stared at me and I could see he was seriously considering it. Finally he dug a small sheet of paper out of his pocket.  He held it out, still looking at me seriously. 

"Fine.  But don't make me regret this, Rachel."

"Hey," I called out, already heading to grab my stuff. "You're the one who tracked me down, remember?"

It was probably a good thing I couldn't hear what he said in answer to that.

***   ***   ***

I drove past the giant, sprawling warehouse deliberately, the first time I passed it, and then circled around the block.  It was amazing how many times a criminal would still be watching the place where the crime had occurred, even long after it had happened.  And besides, I wanted to get an idea of the area around the building.  

It was an industrial area, all warehouses and abandoned factories.  For the most part the area looked deserted.  Trash was strewn across the street and grime clung to the buildings. 

This might have once been an active industrial area, but it had changed a lot since then.  Most of it was the result of neglect and disrepair. The rest was deliberate.  It was a perfect place for some of the city's less desirable elements to use.  I made a mental note to find out which section of the city's seedy underbelly claimed this particular portion of it. 

Years before, Ivy had been one of my best sources for information.  Now...well, now I wasn't sure where we stood.  Last night had been unsettling in its familiarity.  I had felt so comfortable with her, even as the knowledge of what had happened lingered between us.

I pushed that thought aside as I stepped out of my car.  It wasn't the time or the place to deal with the mess that I had made of my life.  I walked around the side of the building until I found an entrance.  Yellow FIB tape criss-crossed the entrance, barring the way.  

I pushed the tape aside as I ducked underneath it and jiggled the handle of the door.  It refused to move and looked rusted shut.  Wondering why Glenn hadn't given me the key, I pulled out my cell phone.  There was no service.

"Great," I muttered, "Just great."  Digging in my bag, I pulled out a small kit.  It was completely illegal.  Well, the tools themselves weren't exactly illegal, but Glenn would definitely have confiscated them if he had seen me with them and what I was about to do was definitely...a creative interpretation of the law.  Glenn had given me permission to go in, after all.  Just not the keys to do it with. 

Several minutes later - I had gotten a little rusty, apparently - I had the door open.  Slipping the tools back in my bag, I opened the door and stepped inside.  It was completely dark, only broken by the thin light coming through the windows at the far end.  On this side of the building it was barely visible. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a flashlight. I always kept one in there as part of my survival gear.

I began walking around, trying to get an idea of the interior of the building and searching for the symbols on the walls. It was not a small warehouse and it seemed as if it could definitely take a while to find what I was looking for.  I hung the flashlight around my wrist on its thin cord.  It swayed back and forth, casting uneven shadows on the wall.  It would highlight a patch of the wall and then swing away again, leaving me in darkness. 

It wasn't the most efficient way to search, but right now I was just trying to get a feel for the building.  Context was often very important in magic, just as much as the ingredients and symbols used. The wall was cool and a little bit rough under my fingertips. Suddenly, pain blossomed in my foot. 

"Turn it!" I swore, as I hopped awkwardly around, trying to pinpoint whatever it was that I'd stubbed my toe on.  

The light swung wildly, giving me a glimpse of movement. It was all the warning that I got.  Instinctively I threw the light in his face, and in the process lost my concentration on the ring of light.  The ley line energy drained back into my chi in an instant, and the light vanished. 

Out of the darkness, something slammed into me.  I couldn't breathe.  There was no air.  I snatched wildly, grabbing for whatever had hit me.  I connected, and dug my nails in, planting my feet and yanking back on my attacker.  

The throw, one that I had used countless times and practiced even more failed me.  My attacker didn't move.  Oh shit did not even begin to cover it.  I was flying through the air before I could even try to take another breath and then slamming back into the ground. 

Not good, not good.  My thoughts raced through my mind as I scrambled for anything that I could use as a weapon.  I caught the edge of my badge as I tried to pull myself away from the direction I thought my attacker was in.   I jerked back as I ran into the wall behind me, and slowly let out a breath.  

This guy could see in the dark.  That meant he was either a vampire or a were.  Either one could handily kick my ass without magic and in the dark, I didn't stand a chance.  Thank goodness it wasn't full dark yet, or I would really be in trouble.

Right, like I wasn't already up to my ears.  I would give my left arm for Jenks right now.  I bit my lip.  Think, Rachel. Not the time to be dwelling on Jenks.

A gust of air brushed across my face; suddenly, my breathing sounded far too loud. I crouched, pushing myself off the floor.  I took a deep breath and held it, before letting it out slowly.  My best chance was to get outside.  I ran.

I hadn't taken more than two strides when something caught me around the waist.  I lashed out, aiming above me, and hit as hard as I could.  The blow jolted up through my arm. 

There was a sharp groan.  Snapping out a kick, I aimed for where I thought his leg would be.  There was a painful-sounding crack.  The hands around me tightened. Continuing to struggle, I kicked out again.  This time I didn't connect.  I was starting to feel faint, my strength was slipping away.  In desperation, I tried to tap a line.  Nothing.  There was only one line running near by.  It was faint and old.  Barely a thread of power.  

Each time I tried to tap the line, it seemed to fall away, slipping through my fingers like water.  It was frustrating and unbelievable.  I was not going to die because the stupid ley line was withered and ancient.  It was just not going to happen. 

Something - maybe it was determination or adrenaline - suddenly surged through my veins.  It was an almost tangible sensation - like the cold burn of the injections that I used to take for my Rosewood's Syndrome.  It electrified me, and I slammed my foot back again, hoping to connect.  This time when I did, something underneath my foot gave way.  A scream of pain echoed in the room.  I had never felt so strong before.  

The arms around me loosened and I hit back, again and again. A moment later, we both hit the floor, the heavy weight of my attacker on top of me.  I shoved myself up off  the ground, hard enough to throw my attacker off me, and raced towards the door. 

I was there almost before I knew it and then I was stumbling out into the too-bright light.  As my eyes adjusted to it, I blinked rapidly, trying to restore my vision before something else hit the fan.  Glenn. I should call Glenn.  My mind was on autopilot now, telling my body what it needed to do without any conscious thought from me.  

That was why I was a little bit surprised when I looked up and saw three more of them standing in front of me.  I didn't need my second sight to see that they were Weres.  There was something primal in the way they moved and the distinct scent of them.  In David, it only added to the way he looked, increasing the sense of power and charisma around him.  These guys just looked like they were ready to beat something to a pulp - namely me.

Oh, goody.