caveat uxor

[older_and_wiser]

Tamara is beginning to be concerned.

There's a pattern here. She knows there is. But it's subtle, it's so subtle she thinks she might be imagining it. A flyer appears on the wall of the coffee shop, announcing that his band has a show there that week. There's so few details that she thinks she must be mistaken, someone else here must have decided to use that same band name, it wasn't that creative- but she goes back to look again the next day, just to see, and it's gone.

She finds a jelly doughnut left on the hood of her car while she's out shopping. They're Kevin's favorite, and she has to talk him out of eating it- they don't know where it came from, it can't be safe, just throw it out, see how someone's already cut it open? It's oozing red jelly out over the roof of the car.

Little things, one at a time. Spaced apart enough that she's never quite sure they're related to each other. A week before something new happens? Two? Once there's two incidents in three days, then nothing for almost a month. She could be imagining it.

...maybe.

She finds a stuffed dog in their front yard. It's very generic, one of those silly plush dogs you can get at any store for a few bucks, and it's arguably, plausibly, a dog toy. But the tag on the dog's collar says 'Tammy'. And it's been torn almost to shreds, viciously. And none of her neighbors have dogs.

Tamara calls the Watcher's Council. And then she calls Bella.

Comments

[older_and_wiser]

"Talk to the Council, I suppose. My sister might be able to take him, or maybe Charles' parents. Ideally he'd stay near you or the Council until someone tracks down that... thing. Moving halfway across the world didn't help the first time."

[cross_and_bow]

"I might be able to get Charlie - my dad Charlie - to finagle keeping him in my house as protective custody... I'll look out for him, anyway. Any idea why you're being stalked now, why it's becoming obvious now instead of a while ago?"

[older_and_wiser]

"Charlie is dead. I will call this thing Charles if I must, but not Charlie." She shakes her head. "Only theories. None of them particularly plausible. Perhaps he's upset we moved?"

She thinks for a moment. "I'll... look into naming the Andersons as his godparents. It gives you a better shot keeping him around if it... becomes necessary."

[cross_and_bow]

"My dad's name is Charlie and I call him that and it's going to be hard for me to remind myself to call him Dad when he's not around being disgruntled about the use of his first name," Bella reminds her. "Okay, that works. I will try very hard to prevent it from coming to that but I had to ask. Okay... when and why do you leave the house during the day?"

[older_and_wiser]

"I have work, Kevin has school. We need to shop sometimes, or get deliveries if we can arrange it safely. That's all I can think of. I can tell the school Kevin has chicken pox, but work is less tolerant, and then I'd need someone to watch him." She doesn't know where to look, so she gestures vaguely. "Someone substantial, unfortunately."

[cross_and_bow]

"Once school's out for the year - and you could probably coast that far on chicken pox - I can bring you stuff, but I don't have a good way around your work requirements. Soph will babysit if you pay her, I'm probably better poised to be out looking for your ex. I'll have Soph look into spells for finding people, because I'm not exactly Batman here and I'm getting the impression that he's not going to make stupid mistakes."

[older_and_wiser]

"He was never stupid in life," Tamara agrees, rather glumly. Stupid would be easier. "Could you have Soph call me? We can discuss minutiae like times and rates."

[cross_and_bow]

"Yeah, will do. Pencil crosses, home to get water gun and tell Soph to call, then out looking for likely hidey-holes - if you do wind up sending Kevin to any more school maybe warn them that there could be attempts at unlawful custody seizure by a male relative, supply description. I can think of plenty of ways for a risk-tolerant vampire to get around during the day if they really wanted."

[older_and_wiser]

"I'll let them know. And, Bella? Thank you."

[cross_and_bow]

"You're welcome. Look after Minnie. Leave the TV on for her unless you need her on high alert."

Bella borrows a pencil, and goes out, and draws a long, long row of careful waist-high crosses all around the house. Then she goes home.

[keyed_up]

And then the phone rings.

[older_and_wiser]

"Hello?"

[keyed_up]

"Hey, little bird told me you're in the market for a babysitter?"

[older_and_wiser]

"The little bird didn't lie. Could you? Are you even done with school yet?"

[keyed_up]

"Nnnno, but I will be in a week and I could say I have mono."

[older_and_wiser]

"...in a week, then. There are other babysitters, I do not need to endanger your education. You must have exams, if nothing else."

[keyed_up]

"Okay. But in a week?"

[older_and_wiser]

"In a week. I work what I'm given to understand are fairly standard American work hours; if that's too much of your day, I can find someone to alternate with you?"

[keyed_up]

"I mean, if he's a total holy terror, it might get to be a bit much, but Bella doesn't describe him like that, so I could do other stuff. Can I bring you my DDR setup and wear him out playing it?"

[older_and_wiser]

"I haven't the foggiest notion what that is, but assuming it's as harmless as it sounds, by all means."

[keyed_up]

"It's a video game that you play by dancing!"

[older_and_wiser]

"If you can convince him to dance, by all means. And if possible, videotape."

[keyed_up]

"Will do. Okay, I don't want to totally wreck your bank account, here, and if it was just a couple of days of crisis I'd do it for free, but Bella's not sure how long it's gonna take before she can find the dude - and after she finds the dude are you still going to need a babysitter what with school being out?"

[older_and_wiser]

"By themselves, summers aren't an issue. I've found an affordable day care that Kevin likes well enough. But the day care doesn't count as a residence, and none of his minders know enough to be properly warned. I'd much rather the both of you were safely behind an invitation-only barrier."

[keyed_up]

"Right. Aaannd Bella thinks that a smart vampire will set the house on fire so I will get on learning how to make things be not on fire in case extinguishers don't cut it or require unsafe amounts of going outside."