Font of Fertility Ch. 12

"Jerry," Stacey said, gasping as she looked up at me.

"Shhh," I shushed her softly and ran my fingers through her hair to pull it out of her face. "I love you, Stace."

She hugged me tightly, and I hugged her back. "New story," she said. "We're married."

"OK," I said with a smile. We'd come up with a cover story for the bank, but I knew this change would give her a thrill. "Come on, wifey."

We walked into the bank hand in hand. It was old, one of those monolithic types of institutions built before minimalism was all the rage. It had marble steps leading from the doors up to the main floor, and the space felt almost like a cathedral rather than a bank. A security guard watched us for a moment, and his eyes slid over us - we fit in. We were surrounded by a dozen people in suits and ties, and Stacey and I blended in.

I went to the welcome desk and requested a meeting with a manager, and we had to do a bit of a song and dance for the secretary before she would go find someone. We ended up waiting about ten minutes, sitting in the waiting area on comfy chairs, still hand in hand, before a tall, lanky man with a nice suit walked up to us.

"Hello, I am Phillip Singer, the manager," he said, only just breaking a small, polite smile. "I understand you have an atypical issue at hand?"

"Yes, we do," Stacey said. "It would likely be best if my husband and I speak in your office."

"Of course," he nodded. "This way."

We followed him back around into a glass-fronted office, and he motioned for us to take a seat. I was nervous, wondering how the hell we were going to make this work. Now that we were here, the whole plan seemed so ridiculous. I was an eighteen-year-old kid trying to convince a man I was married to Stacey of all people, claiming a mystical lost inheritance based on a bank account number and a passcode.

And it worked.

Stacey spun the story, glancing over at me often and smiling, never letting go of my hand. I chipped in bits here and there, but she ran the show. The manager was sceptical, and I prepared a couple of spell ideas just in case, but they weren't needed. He looked up the account and found a note stating it was to be accessed and transferred to whoever appeared at the branch with the passcode. I rattled off the letters and numbers I had quickly memorized, he had us sign a couple of forms and then was giving me a printout balance sheet.

$1.4 million.

I just nodded, my eyes locked on that number for a long moment, then looked back up at the Manager. "Everything looks like it's in order," I said. "I think I'd like to treat my wife to a little celebration for clearing this up. Could we withdraw - oh, let's say ten thousand? We'll leave the rest in your branch's capable hands for the foreseeable future."

"Certainly, Mr Grant," the Manager nodded. "It will take a few minutes if you're willing to wait here? I'll arrange the withdrawal personally."

He stepped away, and Stacey watched him leave before turning to me and leaning in, kissing me lightly. "Why did that feel too easy?" she asked. "Did you do something?"

"No," I shook my head. "I mean, I was ready to if things went weird, but they didn't."

About ten minutes later, the Manager came back with a large manilla envelope and pulled out two neatly stacked bundles of cash, each labelled with $5,000 tags. "Doesn't look quite as impressive as you'd think," he chuckled. "Fifty, one hundred dollar bills per stack. Is there anything else I can help you with today, Mr and Mrs Grant?"

"No, this is great," I said, taking the two stacks of cash and slipping them into the inside pockets of my suit jacket. "Your service has been wonderful, and I appreciate that you've tackled this strange situation."

"Thank you very much, sir," the manager smiled and gestured towards to door to his office. Then, just as I was leaving, he said, "An honoured Seat is always welcome to perform their business within these walls."

I was halfway out the office door when what he said clicked in my ears and I turned back to look at him as he just smiled and remained half-bent forward in an almost formal bow. Stacey was surprised by my stopping, looking back in surprise.

"You could have said something," I said to the manager.

"I wasn't sure of the protocol, sir," the manager said. "Once I realised who you were... well, I hope you truly are pleased with the service."

"I am," I said. "Thank you again."

"Of course, sir," he said. "I look forward to your next visit."

Stacey and I quickly walked across the marble floor of the bank, her heels clicking firmly. "Jerry, was that what I think it was?" she asked in a hushed tone.

"If you think it was me getting recognized, then yes," I said. "And all I can think right now is whether I should try and leave no trace and erase us from his memory, or do the cool rich guy thing and ask about his kids and shit, and then tip him super well to get him on our side."

"Next time, when we aren't in a rush," Stacey said. "Do the rich guy thing then. Better to have people glad to see you than have to keep going through the same awkward shit over and over. Or worse, leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth."

I agreed, and as we walked down the stairs I focused on the bank door. The outside couldn't be seen from the inside, so I decided to just teleportal us from there instead of walking back through the cold. I took Stacey's hand at the bottom of the stairs and opened the door for her, stepping back into my room at home.

Lindsey was working at the computer, and Lauren was lounging on the bed - her panties were conspicuously missing. She sat up as we walked in, not bothering to close her legs when she saw it was us.

"Working hard or hardly working?" I asked Lauren.

"Both," Lindsey said from the desk.

"We may have gotten just a little distracted for a few minutes," Lauren grinned.

I kissed Lauren, and took one of the bundles of cash out of my inner suit pocket and handed it to her, then went and kissed Lindsey and gave her the other. I didn't miss that I tasted Lauren on Lindsey's lips.

"Damn," Lindsey said, looking over the stack of cash and then tossing it to Stacey. "How did we do?"

I handed her the printout with the account balance and started taking off my suit. "Pretty good," I said. "Stacey was a charmer and had the guy eating out of her hand."

"Of course she did," Lauren said. "I mean come on, she's hot and sexy and dressed to the nines."

"Alright, stop it," Stacey grinned. "Just because I don't think I've ever looked better in an outfit than right now doesn't distract from the fact that yeah, maybe I got us in the door, but it was Jerry getting recognized that closed the deal."

"Wait, recognized how?" Lindsey asked.

We recounted the whole bank story quickly to the two blondes while I changed from my fancy suit into a more regular outfit of jeans and a sweater, and then picked up Lauren's panties and urged her to put them on. By the time we were both dressed, the girls were debating the merits of the 'no trace' versus 'positive vibes' mentality. It was something we would have to come back around to.

"OK," I said, taking the stack of bills that Lauren had left on my bed. "We've got cash, which means we can pay for a place for Annalise and Maya to stay. Linds, Stace, can you find us a place nearby to stash them? Somewhere we can pay cash, maybe a Bed and Breakfast or something?"

"Good thinking," Lindsey said. "I'll get on that."

"Alright," I said. "Let's see where Annalise is."

Putting the telepathy spell in place was getting easier, and I had to wonder if I could refine it to take even less power, or even come up with a shorthand in my head. Fuck, I wished I had all those magic tomes from the Vault just to get a hint of what I was considering could actually work or not.

Annalise, I'm ready to come and get you, I sent out to her.I need to know where you are.

I think I jump every time you do this, Annalise thought back.

Sorry. Maybe I need to figure out like a mental doorbell or something, I thought.What's the address you're at?

"OK, she says she's outside a county airport in - and I swear I'm not making this up, Three Way, Arizona," I said out loud.

"Whoever she is, she's gonna fit right in with us," Lindsey chuckled.

"Not the time, Linds," Lauren said.

"She says the closest door is black with a glass window, and it's in a utility barn that's painted a maroon colour," I said.

"Got it," Lindsey said and showed me the Streetview of the place. It was grainy as shit, but I could see the door. I got as good a look at it as we could manage, then had Lindsey pan back out so I could see a satellite top-down view of the place.

"You've got this," Lauren said, taking my hand.

"Be careful," Stacey said, and pulled my chin towards her and kissed me softly.

I nodded, looking Stacey in the eye, then leaned down and kissed Lindsey on top of her head. "Love you all," I said. "Let's hope this isn't a trap."

Lauren and I went to the door and stepped out of my bedroom and into the dry heat of the Arizonan desert.

"Fuck me it's bright," Lauren said, wincing at the sun blazing down at us.

The airport itself was little more than a couple of utility sheds, the barn we had teleportaled through, and two long strips of concrete. If it hadn't been labelled as an airport on the map and I was driving by, I wouldn't have been able to guess that was what it was - it looked more abandoned than used. A beat-up pickup truck that seemed to be more rust than paint was sitting in the shade of the barn.

Annalise stepped out of the driver's seat. She looked - well, she looked not great. Her hair was matted and she was filthy with soot. Her top was a baggy t-shirt that looked about three sizes too large for her and I wasn't even sure if she was wearing shorts under it, but her boots looked like they'd been run through a bonfire a few times.

"Anna," I said, jogging to her, and she let go of her usual stoicism and met me halfway, running into my arms. Her usually hooded eyes were wide as she came to meet me and her brow furrowed in a strange expression. "I'm so sorry."

She broke down in my arms, squeezing me tightly. Holding her felt... it felt terrible and wonderful at the same time.

"Anna?" her sister called, rolling down the passenger side window of the truck. "Anna, what's wrong?"

Lauren didn't stop with Annalise and I and instead rushed to the truck. "Maya? I'm Lauren. It's OK. It sounds like you and your sister have been through a lot, and if I know anything about Annalise I bet she's been bottling it all up. Am I right?"

Annalise was slumped against me, and I slowly lowered us to the ground as she clutched me. She wasn't sobbing so much us panting through gritted teeth, burying her face into my chest as I held her. "Shhh," I tried to soothe her. "It'll be alright. I'm here. I'm here, you did everything you could. I'm so sorry, Annalise. I'm here. You're not alone."

"Is she OK? I- I didn't even think-" Maya was saying. "I can't see. She got us away and explained everything to me, but I can'tsee her."

"She just needs a minute," Lauren soothed the younger sister. "Everything is going to be OK."

Annalise got herself together after a few minutes and sat down heavily. "I didn't sleep," she admitted. "I couldn't. Even hiding way out here in the middle of nowhere, I couldn't. Maya, she- I blinded her, Jeremiah. You saved me, and I saved her, but I hurt her by accident. This is all my fault."

"You saved yourself," I said, taking Annalise's hand. "Anna, you- I felt it. I felt everything you sent me. I'm so sorry, and you're so- You're so strong, Annalise. You might be my hero."

She cried again, but she kissed me instead of breaking down, throwing her arms around my neck to pull me close. I was surprised by that, honestly. Everything in me screamed that she should be hurt and furious with me. She came to me and asked for a judgement. She paid the price with her body. And I fucked up.

But she wasn't mad. Wasn't furious. She just needed me to comfort her.

We got up after another minute. "I'm sorry," she mumbled, wiping her eyes. "I- I don't-"

"Shhh," I soothed her again, rubbing her back with one hand. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

We met at the passenger window of the truck, and Annalise assured Maya she was fine and introduced me to her sister. Maya looked a lot like a younger version of Anna, just with an easier smile than Annalise's toothy and awkward one. It was also obvious that Annalise had spent more time caring for her sister than herself during their getaway. She was dressed in a full, clean outfit of shorts and a t-shirt, and her hair was combed even if they were both lacking any makeup. We quickly came up with a plan - we could have just teleportaled out, but I was worried that George Stoker was a real fucking bastard, so we needed to take some precautions.

Soon Lauren was in the cab of the truck with the keys, and Annalise was squeezed in next to her sister on the bench seat while I hopped into the bed of the pickup. Lauren found what we were looking for on her phone and got us moving - it was a bumpy twenty-minute ride, but we pulled up in front of the motel and I hopped out, renting us a room and paying cash. The teenager behind the counter barely looked up at me from his phone when he said if I wanted to 'score' I could head to room three. I wasn't sure if he meant drugs or sex, and I didn't really care. All we needed was a private room with a shower.

I waved Lauren around the side of the building and walked the key down to room 15. Lauren got Annalise inside the room while I helped Maya navigate.

"Thank you," she said quietly as she took my hands and I walked backwards.

"It's no problem at all," I said. "You know, your sister is pretty amazing?"

"I always knew that," she smiled. "She was always my hero, chasing what she liked. Now I- Well, now I know about the magic, too. She says you're like the President of magic people, is that true?"

"Um, well, sort of?" I said. "It's a lot more complicated than that, and there's nine of us. And I'm still trying to figure out how to do all of this - Careful, there's a step right here."

She got into the doorway and smiled sadly. "Well, you have a kind voice."

"Thanks," I said, blushing a little. It was hard not to ogle Maya - she had the same build as her older sister, big bust included.

We got the sisters on the bed, and Annalise immediately took Maya's hand and held it tight.

"OK," I said with a heavy sigh and locked the motel door before checking out the window and drawing the shade. It was a shitty little dump of a room, just two double beds and an old boxy TV on a dresser, a closet at the back with three bent metal hangers, and a washroom. "So, I'm not trying to be fucking weird here, but we need to be careful. We don't know what your father was doing, or what his plans are, but we do know thathe knew I would have to come for him and he would have to prepare somehow.

"I think we need to do a full physical check to make sure he doesn't have any plants on you two. I think we start with Annalise - Lauren, could you take her into the washroom and help her check? I'm talking under finger and toenails, caught in hair, everywhere. Then when Annalise is done you can both check over Maya. Make sense?"

Annalise nodded, tired but focused, but Maya asked, "What do you think he did to us?"

"Anything," Lauren said. "Everything I've learned about magic is that anything seems to be possible. Maybe he could track you through a mustard seed under your toenail. Maybe he could use a grass seed in your hair to mind control you or something. We really just don't know."

"This is the smart thing to do, sis," Annalise said, squeezing Maya's hand. "It'll be alright."

"OK," Maya said. "Just don't take too long, I- I'm still scared, Anna."

"I know, I'm sorry," Annalise said.

Lauren went into the washroom with Annalise and the shower started, and I sat outside with Maya on one bed and me on the other.

"Jeremiah?" Maya asked me.

"I'm here," I said. "You can call me Jerry. All my friends do."

"Can you- Can I hold your hands?" she asked. "That was nice. It made me feel grounded."

"Sure," I said and helped her get turned to face me as I sat directly opposite her and held her hands in mine. "Better?"

She nodded. "Thanks."

"Any time," I said.

"Could you- Anna told me a lot, but I could tell there were things she didn't want to say. I knew her and my Dad were fighting a lot before now, but I never knew why. I thought it was just one of those things, but she explained he was terrible to her, and she went to you for help."

"She did," I said. "She came to ask my help for her, and you, and your Mom. Your father was trying to leverage you against Annalise. We're not sure exactly why."

"Anna said you made a law saying he couldn't do anything to us," Maya said. "I- How does that work?"

"Well, I got to know your sister more over a couple of days, and then I held a sort of trial. It was actually in a motel room not much nicer than this one since we didn't have a better place to do it. Your father sent a cactus to talk through, and he kind of just mouthed off and was awful, and then I heard Anna's side, and I made what people call a Proclamation. It means everyone in the magical world knows about it."

"And you can just do that?" she asked.

"There's a bit more to it, but yeah," I said.

"What are you going to do about my Dad?" she asked.

I grimaced and looked away from her. "I'm going to have to find him."

"And kill him?" she asked

I closed my eyes. "I don't know. I need to figure that out."

"You should," Maya said softly. "Kill him. Anna told me what she saw him doing. He killed our Mom and buried her in the greenhouse, and kept digging her back up again. He was never a good Dad, not since I was super young. I just- I think he's gone. The good him."

Lauren came out of the washroom. "Annalise is clear," she said. "Are you ready, Maya?"

"Yeah," she said softly. I helped her stand, and then Lauren took her hands from mine and led her away.

"Fuck," I sighed, sitting back down on the motel bed. George fucking Stoker was a fucking asshole. I still had to get the full story from the sisters, but everything I knew was just making me...

But could I? Could I kill him? A motherfucker like that deserved it, but that was easy to say.

Could I actually do it?

"Jerry, get in here," Lauren called me firmly from the washroom.

I rushed over. Inside, Annalise was back in that big t-shirt, her wet hair clinging to her, and Maya was standing in the shower with a towel wrapped around her chest and her panties still on. Her abdomen was bare, and there were lines of bruises across her body that infuriated me, but I immediately saw what Lauren had called me for. Under Maya's left arm was a weird splotch of black and green that reminded me of the special effects of infection on medical shows.

"Shit," I said. Annalise and Lauren both moved out of my way so I could get closer.

"What is it?" Maya asked. "I can't- What's wrong?"

"I don't know," I said. "Let me take a look."

"It'll be OK, Maya," Annalise said, reaching over and taking her hand. "It's going to be fine."

As I got a better, close-up look at the weird spot it was like the splotch was almost a tattoo deep under her skin, with veins of black and green whorling out from a central point between two of her ribs. A small cut was puckered on her skin right in the centre. I touched it and Maya didn't flinch, but it felt hard underneath her skin and not just a discolouration.

"Whatever it is, it's not supposed to be there," I said. I glanced back at Annalise and Lauren, both of them wide-eyed. "If I do this, I don't know what's going to happen. I have no idea how much power it's going to take."