[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

In the dying light of a warm San Francisco evening, one determined young woman marched her way through its streets – the unmistakeable, war-drum sound of heels clacking on concrete.

Ashley had spent all morning in the studio and all afternoon in the gym. It had been a good, productive day and to top it off she’d just received a call from a TV studio in Los Angeles who were looking to feature her on some daytime talk show. To say that she was feeling confident would be quite the understatement – Ashley’s natural state was confident. Right now, she had all the focus and energy in the world.

Some might choose to channel that energy into something productive but Ashley was done with work for the day. Some might choose to ride the high into the late evening, becoming the life and soul of any party, but Ashley was back in the studio early tomorrow morning. No, Ashley was utilising her enhanced self-assurance for one thing and one thing only.

Will Chase was going to explain himself.

She wasn’t actually mad, of course (or at least that’s what she told herself). He’d not long been discharged from hospital after being involved in a huge accident and he was probably busy resting or… whatever. However, on the day of the crash, Will had promised to come visit her. She could accept a few days of recovery time, she could understand the necessity for a bit of peace and quiet, she could even see why he may have forgotten about the pledged social call.

But now it had been days since she found out that he’d been allowed back home and she hadn’t even had one phone call. She’d already broken things off with the guy she’d wanted Will to check out – things had started moving too fast for her liking after just two dates – so that was important information he was missing out on. There was a whole heap of other stuff she’d wanted to tell him over the past week and he had the audacity to forget about her.

Sure, she could’ve just phoned him herself, but Ashley McKenna-Chase preferred the personal touch. It was always nice to hang out with her big brother in person, after all.

Having theorised that Will was a bit of a workaholic, Ashley had decided upon his private office as her first port of call. The building needed a code but there was a security guy who she knew would recognise her – either as Ashley or as McKenna – and she could remember that it was situated somewhere on the fifth floor.

Her plan worked. She took the stairs. Cardio was hardly a problem these days.

Immediately she recognised the correct door and slammed a fist against it a few times in quick succession.

“You better open this door, Will Chase!” she shouted, her tone only slightly tinted with humour. “You skipped out on our lunch date and I’m not happy!”

ψ

[Will Chase]

It had only been a day or so since they met up to talk about what to do next, and so far as Will knew the others were currently off learning more about their abilities. He, on the other hand, had been trying to track down a little more information; he hadn't been successful. They had been hiding for hundreds of years, the doctor and her kin, and they were good at it - most of the things he had found appeared to be mere hoaxes to him, fake werewolf and UFO sightings and the like, even now that he knew more. It probably didn't help that he hadn't been able to sleep properly since the crash, going to bed tired and waking up only slightly less so. and with a raging headache to boot. He was standing in his office and staring at the wall, seeing the utter lack of information he had managed to gather and feeling rather sorry for himself when someone hammered on the door and shouted for him. Ashley. Shit. He'd totally forgotten about the meeting they were supposed to have on the day of the crash, he'd been so wrapped up in the new information that Harry had given him. Dammit, he had done it again; he'd been so busy obsessing that he'd forgotten what mattered. And now she was going to start asking him what was wrong; Will was far too self-aware to not realise that he looked awful - there were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep, and he hadn't shaved since the morning of the crash. He'd been wearing contact lenses since he'd first reached the office with Persephone after leaving the hospital - only taking them off to sleep - because his spare pair of glasses were still at his home, and his eyes were starting to ache. Could he tell her the truth? The whole truth, everything he'd learned. No. At least, not yet. He didn't know enough himself, and he still wasn't sure whether he could trust Harry's word that they were not in danger from his organisation if they dared to reveal any of the information that he'd learned. Will shook himself and walked to the door. Maybe he'd be lucky and she wouldn't notice how bad he looked. He opened the door. "Hey Ash, it's good to see you too." I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts. Will Chase 397 Words

♛

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

“Oh so you do know I exi-”

Ashley cut herself short as she stared up at Will. She frowned.

“You look awful,” she said, blunt and fond in equal measure, before patting him on the shoulder and letting herself into the room. The office was always a good measure of Will’s mental state, particularly the huge pin board on the left. If it was covered in sheets and sheets of material riddled with connections between them then, despite the messy appearance, it was usually a good sign. It meant he had been making progress on whatever case he had decided to obsess over this week.

Unfortunately, compared to his usual efforts, the board seemed rather sparse. That, combined with the dark circles and heavy five o’clock shadow, suggested things were not going well.

Still, Ashley had come here to talk and it would be on her terms whether the sleep-deprived PI liked it or not. She would ask gently about whatever it was he was working on when the time was right, but first, they needed to discuss his traitorous behaviour. Ashley made her way to the desk and moved a few things aside before perching on it, her legs swinging comically above the ground. She motioned towards the empty desk chair, grinning.

“Please, take a seat in my office,” she said in a low voice, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Then she folded her hands into her lap and attempted to look serious. “Now, we both know why I’m here. You promised to come visit me last Saturday.

“I made the effort to acquire a date and everything because I know how much you love investigating the guys I go out with,” Ashley said teasingly. “He’s old news now, just so you know. Mom was terribly disappointed. Anyway, I went to all that trouble and you had the nerve to go and get yourself in a horrific road accident! Then you recovered in like, two days and didn’t even tell me! We had to go to the hospital and ask the lady at the desk who took for-e-ver to let us know you’d been discharged and – by the way, mom’s expecting a call – I haven’t even heard from you since!”

She crossed her arms.

“I’m glad you’re okay, though,” she admitted.

ψ

[Will Chase]

Damn. She'd noticed. Not that she was ever going to miss how awful he looked, but a man could dream dammit. And now she was guilt tripping him, and he was going to let her do it just like always. Sometimes Will Chase took a look at his life, and wondered where he'd gone so wrong. Then he looked at his family and realised that he'd do it all a thousand times over if it kept them smiling. Ash was so fond of telling him off for obsessing that she'd never noticed the greatest of his fixations, and she never would if he had his way. Apparently she'd dumped her new boyfriend as well, which was rather tragic, if not unexpected. Will couldn't think of a single relationship of hers lasting more than a couple of months, though a few days had to be a new record. And of course mom was disappointed, the woman was desperate for grandchildren by this point, and brought it up every time she saw an opportunity. She seemed to have mostly given up on him, thank god, but that left Ash as the main focus of her bizarre and far too persistent match-making attempts. He would've sympathised wither her, he would've. But considering that he was almost as focused on his sister's love-life as their mom was, he didn't think that he had that right. After all, at least Bethan McKenna-Chase left it at encouraging procreation, rather than investigating each and every boyfriend to the point where she knew them better than their own mothers did, as Will did. He may have recognised her attempt to make him feel guilty, but that didn't make it any less effective, and Will found himself shifting slightly and fidgeting. "Sorry Ash, I've just... Well. I've had a hell of a week. First the crash, then this case I've got. There's just no goddamn leads. But anyway, you don't need to worry about that. What's this about your latest boyfriend? You've already dumped him? Jesus Ash, you're gonna drive mom nuts at this rate. All these chances for her to get grandchildren that you just throw away so quickly. At least my relationships tend to last a bit longer, and have longer in between." His tone was humorous, but then he turned serious. "And I am okay, don't worry. The doctors cleared me just fine. Hell, I haven't got a scratch." Will very carefully did not remember the impact of the steel bar in his gut, or the cold. It wasn't like he was even really lying to her after all. The doctor had fixed them up, and left no signs of any of their injuries. That meant they didn't count, right? Understanding is a three edged sword. Your side, their side, and the truth. Will Chase 453 Words

♛

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

Excellent.

She watched with a satisfied smirk as Will squirmed uncomfortably before her. Okay, that was enough remorse. She patted him again, this time reaching for the top of his head.

“Apology accepted, brother dear,” she smiled.

He’d waved away his own problems for now, which was fine. She was still going to pry the details out of him later, obviously, but she didn’t want to start interrogating him. Interrogation was Will’s area of expertise after all. She was very much intrigued in finding out about the case that had Will so stumped but she also very keen to talk about how lame Josh had turned out to be.

“He was hardly my boyfriend, Will, we just went on a couple of dates. I think he thought he was my boyfriend though… I guess that’s kinda why it didn’t work out.” She rolled her eyes at the mention of her mom’s never-ending quest for grandchildren. “ Ugh don’t worry, I’ve heard it all already. I know, I know, I’m an old maid who’ll never find a nice man to wed me at this rate.”

She giggled, amused by her own impression of a world-weary, Austen-esque heroine.

“If it’s okay though, I’m gonna steer clear of your dating advice.”

What had her mother done to deserve two children with such hopeless love lives? At this rate she was going to have to go to the nearest orphanage and pick out her own damn grandchild. In fact, she’d probably be happier that way. Ashley made a mental note to suggest it later on.

“Aw, no cool scars?” She stuck out her lower lip in exaggerated disappointment. “So your car survived? I could do with a ride home later, if you looove me enough…?”

ψ

[Will Chase]

Ashley was at least kind enough to allow him to wave away his own problems for the time being, even if the smile on her face indicated that she was merely waiting for a more appropriate opportunity. Then she asked a rather... awkward... question. She asked how his car was. It was awkward for two reasons. One, he didn't know himself; he'd been a little distracted since the crash, what with the earth-shattering revelations. Two, considering that he remembered getting skewered by a metal girder, the chances were that it was completely totaled in a way that would single to Ash wide and clear that something fishy was going on, and Will didn't want her involved in this at all if he could help it. He didn't know how it was going to turn out, and if things went sour he'd feel a lot better if she was as far away as he could get her. Not that Will would ever tell her that. Ash... tended to react badly, when she thought he was coddling her. At least, when she wasn't encouraging it. He knew that she'd probably take a long time forgiving him if this ever came out, which it almost certainly would if she stayed around. He found himself in a dilemma, where he wanted desperately to protect her from what might be coming, but was equally aware that doing so could end up having a very negative impact on their relationship. "Yeah, sorry. I don't think I can give you a lift, I'm fairly sure my car was almost totally wrecked. I haven't heard back from anyone about it yet, so chances are it won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it. Will Chase 283 Words

♛

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

“Dang.”

She shook her head. Qualifying "totally wrecked" with "almost" was not exactly any more reassuring to hear. It sucked that Will was without a car but the news of its demise wasn’t too surprising – the news coverage had certainly given her the impression that not many cars involved lived to tell the tale, even those that weren’t caught directly in the thick of it.

“That sucks dude, but that’s okay,” she said cheerfully, shrugging. “I’ll just like, dial an Uber or something. No worries.”

She took a deep breath and combed her hair away from her face with her fingers, a frown on her face. “It’s just… It must a literal, heaven-sent miracle that you’re still with us Will, especially scratchless.” Ashley laughed. “I guess my daily prayers must have done you some good after all.”

In truth, she did think that a miracle wasn’t out of the question, but Ashley was of the school of thought that miracles didn’t just magically happen out of nowhere. They were just products of a little divine intervention setting off a series of perfectly logical events framed as unbelievably fortunate coincidences. There was something that Will wasn’t telling her – to have ended up in hospital despite being apparently unmarked by the event was a little weird in itself. They’d been beyond max capacity, if he could’ve been assessed at roadside he would’ve been.

Unfortunately she was not the seasoned detective of the pair and thus unable to pull any kind of ideas out of a deerstalker just like that. But Will would tell her eventually, when he was ready. No way could he keep a major secret from her like that, he couldn’t.

Speaking of detective work…

“I take it this is quite the mystery in itself,” she said, waving a hand towards the cork board. “Anything interesting? I do love hearing you talk about cases.” She leaned forwards and rested her chin on her hands, beaming expectantly.

ψ

[Will Chase]

God, it seemed like no matter what he said she'd ask a question that he couldn't answer. To make it even worse, he'd noted down what he'd learned from Harry on the board, as well as quite a lot of stuff on old myths and legends, from werewolves to witches, and he couldn't let Ashley read that. She'd never let it go, and he just knew he'd end up forced to tell her the truth. But what could he say to dissuade her? Ashley was as stubborn as a mule when she wanted to be, and Will had never been very good at lying. He despised it. She'd pick up on any falsehood in a second; she'd learned it from him after all, and Will had made it a point to be good at spotting liars. He needed to somehow evade the question, convince her that there was nothing about the case that she'd be interested in. He was so screwed. "That's just... something I'm dabbling in. It's.." He trailed off, trying to find a way to explain what he was doing without actually telling her what he was getting involved in. Aha, he had it. "Just looking up a few crazy stories that have been going around lately. There are some interesting correlations between them and some of the old myths; werewolves and vampires and the like." "I've not had much work lately, so I thought I'd look into this stuff just to keep busy." That wasn't even a lie, technically. After all, just not checking if you'd picked up work was the same as not getting it, right? Uncertainty is a very good thing: it's the beginning of an investigation, and the investigation should never end. Will Chase 270 Words

♛

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

Ashley was disappointed – Will was being pretty dismissive of his work. Either he was shaken up from the crash and struggling to find motivation or there was something at the centre of his work, something integral to grabbing his attention, that was too complex to explain to her. The vague reference to “crazy stories” was pointing her more in the direction of the latter explanation but that didn’t mean she could rule the first out entirely.

Will poured his heart and soul into his detective work. For someone who was normally a pretty quiet guy with a relatively good hold over his feelings, he became a whole new person once he engaged with a case. If anything should be affected by personal emotional turmoil, surely it would be that which he was so desperately passionate about. A traumatic ordeal was generally considered quite upsetting by most people’s standards.

She raised an eyebrow. “Will Chase, you have never dabbled in your life. It’s always been all or nothing!” She stood up and made her way over to the board, standing in front of it with her hands on her hips. “You gonna tell me what’s so interesting or do I have to deduce it myself?”

Ashley twirled her imaginary moustache in thought.

“Vampires and werewolves, though? God forbid you aren’t going through your Twilight phase.”

She grinned at him teasingly. He’d been there to witness her own Twilight phase after all. It had been perfect fodder for the average teenage girl and Ashley had consumed it in excess for all of six months before she finally gave in to Will’s pleading advice and read the text more critically. She’d been forced eventually to admit that the books were… not great.

“It’s probably good you haven’t got much work to do, what with the accident and all,” she said with a smile. “I’m swamped, as usual, but I’m always happy to try and make time if you need to catch up – keep busy, as you say.” Her worrying over Will’s mental state had not dissipated when the suspicions that he was hiding something grew. If anything, they blended together into a colourful cocktail of sisterly concern.

Tequia Sunrise? Tequila Sun-Why’s-he-being-so-cagey, more like.

ψ

[Will Chase]

Twilight phase? What? Those books were some of the worst he'd ever even glanced at, they totally ignored established mythology, portrayed stalking as the prelude to a healthy relationship and had the temerity to inspire such garbage as Fifty Shades of Grey! Why, when Ashley had been going through her 'Twilight phase' it had taken Will months to get through to her how awful the bloody things wer... Ah. You know, most of the time Will was so grateful that he had a sister that he could cry. Other times, he wished that he wasn't so close to her. This was the latter. He'd been so close to Ashley for so long that she'd learned how he ticked, and while he would always love her she had an uncanny ability to tell when something was bothering him, and a far too familiar dedication to finding out what it was. He knew her as well as she knew him, but that didn't help when he was the one trying to hide things from her, even if it had been very useful when she'd been in her rebellious phase and was driving mom spare. What made it worse was that he didn't even know if knowing what he was doing would be dangerous for her. Harry had tried to reassure him, to convince him that there were no assassins waiting in the wings, but how could Will know for sure? She was right in front of the board now, her head only a foot from where he had put the notes on his talk with Harry. She only needed to turn her head to the right and she'd see them, and then the cat would well and truly be out of the bag. He should've known even before he started trying that he would never be able to get her to leave it alone. Ashley didn't take after him in many ways, but she did in some. Obsession was genetic, in the Chase family. Will was just the worst of the current generation. "Okay Ash, you win. Let's go have a coffee and I'll tell you what I'm working on." It felt oddly poetic. He'd learned this over a coffee, and now she would too. Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. Will Chase 375 Words

♛

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

It was funny, really, the way things had come full circle. Will had (completely unintentionally, admittedly) skipped out on their originally scheduled hang-out, and now they were finally going to go grab a coffee together just like she’d wanted originally. Well… Ashley would probably have to stick to something decaf. An old vocal coach had been horrified to hear of Ashley’s caffeine habit and promptly preached of its dehydrating effects and subsequent danger to her vocal cords. A little coffee here and there was okay, apparently, but Ashley still respectfully avoided it when she was spending a lot of time in the studio just in case that coach popped out of nowhere and chastised her once more.

Vampires and werewolves sounded a strange basis for a case. Ashley was used to her brother focusing on concrete events from the current century – not old fairy tales. She hadn’t heard any recent "crazy" stories but that was hardly surprising. She was working hard and keeping up with current affairs was hardly a possibility let alone a priority.

Maybe it had been a bluff? Some joking comment meant to keep her at bay from the real matter at hand?

No… Not quite. Maybe he’d meant it to sound ludicrous, but he would have no reason to fabricate something so ridiculous. If he’d really wanted to keep his work a secret he could have told her that it was something really boring like… tenancy violations, or something. She wouldn’t ever tell him to his face, of course, but Ashley had preferred hearing Will’s tales of police work. The reality of being a private investigator was actually a little mundane.

She linked her arm through his, smiling up at him. “You’re so kind to let me win all the time,” she teased, poking her tongue out. “Coffee on me? You know, as a consolation prize.”

San Francisco was keen on its coffee shops. Fortunately it wasn’t too late, as Ashley found that there was a severe lack of those willing to stay open past 7pm at the latest. She’d found one that shut at 10pm, but that was it. The late night coffee shop culture just didn’t quite thrive in this city in the same way that it did in other places for some reason.

Will would know a good place to go. She’d follow his lead. Then, once they were settled with drinks in hand, she’d take the reins again and find out all about this mysterious new case of his.

ψ

[Will Chase]

Most of the staff recognised Will when he came through the door. He was a regular after all, often found sitting in the corner and nursing a mug of coffee, or talking to a particularly nervous client who preferred to be in an open space. Hell, this had been one of his favorite places in the city even while he was still an officer, a place where he could just relax, even if only for a time. The woman behind the counter smiled brightly as he approached. She’d been working there almost as long as he’d been coming by, and Will was fairly sure she was a little more interested in him that she probably should’ve been. “The usual Will?” “Thanks Charlie. Hey Ash, you want anything?” Will wasn’t particularly looking forward to this conversation, so the longer he could distract his sister the better. Pretending to scrutinise the menu, Ashley propped herself up against the counter. “Decaf cappuccino, please, non-fat… wait, no!” She beamed broadly. “With cream!” After all her time in the gym today, Ashley thought it important to treat herself. Plus she liked giving herself cream moustaches and it was a solid tactic for brightening the mood in case Will was about to discuss something extra super serious. She turned to him, beam still plastered on her face as Charlie whisked herself off to prepare the drinks. “She knows you! She seems nice.” Will rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, I’m a bit of a regular here. She’s been serving me coffee for ages.” Ash had that gleam in her eyes that meant she was thinking of meddling, so Will quickly tried to change the subject. “How have you been Ash? I forgot to ask before. Any upcoming albums for me to keep an eye out for?” “Eh, I’m in studio at the moment, trying to come up with something at just the right level of revolutionary that my producers will actually let me release it without it being boring,” Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. “It’s a hard life. Got a few meetings with some big people over the next month or so though, so… watch this space!” She laughed. “Other than that, I’ve been working pretty hard so not too much excitement besides continuing to disappoint our grandbaby-crazy mom, of course.” “Honestly Ash, you’re going to break her heart at this rate. I mean, I’m not much better, but you’re so horrible to our poor mom that I’m amazed you’re still her baby girl.” Will was always a little disturbed when their mom called Ash ‘her baby girl’, particularly since it always came either before or after a rant about how neither of them were ever going to give her grandchildren and how it was so hard being a mother with such ungrateful children. That didn’t mean he couldn’t use it to tease her though. Ashley folded her arms. “What, you trying to steal the title from me?” Will was not the most humorous of people, but even he could see the golden opportunity. “Yes Ash,” he said, folding his arms in a mirror image of the way she had and speaking with obvious sarcasm. “I’m totally trying to steal the title of baby girl from you. I’ve always wanted it, it’s my dream.” It was pretty lucky that Ashley hadn’t received her drink yet or she would have spat the entire contents all over her poor brother. “Alright, alright, you goof,” she said slowly, once she’d recovered from her brief spout of hysterical laughter. “It’s okay, we can let dreams be dreams…” Finally (actually, quite quickly) Ashley received her coffee. She spun in a gentle circle, surveying the shop with a gentle smile. “Shall we take a seat?” Will smiled at the expression on his sister’s face. It was nice to see her smile, especially since he doubted she’d be doing much of that once he started talking. He thanked Charlie for the quick service - she smiled and batted her eyelashes at him, making Will feel a little uncomfortable; she was much closer to Ash in age than him - and gestured over to his usual table. They sat down, and Will took a sip of his coffee to give himself a few moments to think about how to start. Then he realised he was being dumb. “So Ash, where do you want me to begin?” Ashley blinked, surprised. “Um, at the beginning, I suppose. How did you find out about the case? Or these uh… crazy stories and their interesting correlations, as you put it.” Okay… Okay okay okay. Right, this was going to be difficult. “You remember what I told you about the crash? I… didn’t tell the whole truth. I did wake up afterwards in the hospital without a scratch, that part at least was true. But I shouldn’t have woken up. I should have died. I remember enough to know that." “There were five other people with me when I woke up. They were all the same, all had injuries that should have killed them and yet didn’t leave a scratch. We were… saved, I suppose, by a woman. A doctor that no one in the hospital had ever met.” Family is not an important thing. It's everything. Will Chase 889 Words

♛

[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

She tried not to feel so numb and nauseous. It was difficult, but Ashley eventually managed to calm herself down with the sudden rather obvious reminder that Will hadn’t actually died. With a deep, steadying breath, she met his gaze.

“I suppose you don’t believe she was an angel,” she said softly.

Will felt guilty for putting it so bluntly, seeing the effect his words had on his sister. But he couldn’t undo that now, so he’d have to make the best of it. “No Ash, I don’t.” His tone was gentle, but uncompromising. “I didn’t know what to believe at first, but the same night I was discharged I came back to the hospital, and met her. I wanted to know why, how she saved us.

“She was annoyingly cryptic, talking about changes and birthrights. But after she left, I spoke to someone else. His name is Harry, and he told me something… incredible, and terrifying.”

Nobody ever notices just how far they’re leaning forward in their seat until they nearly topple from it. Ashley took a moment to correct her balance, not wanting to ruin the drama of the moment with a tumble into her own coffee. “What did he say? Could he tell you what she meant?”

“Are you sure you want to know, Ash? As of this moment, I know more than any of the other survivors, unless one of them was visited by someone after our last meeting, and even I don’t have enough of the pieces to make a coherent picture. Even as little knowledge as I have might be dangerous.”

Wide-eyed, Ashley respectfully considered his warning. Of course she wanted to know everything - there could be no secrets between these two - but the warning label was certainly a bold one. All caps, flashing.

“I won’t force you…” she began, with a tone suggesting that she already knew that she wouldn’t have to, “But I think I do wanna know, yeah. Maybe I can help you figure stuff out!”

Ashley had always known him too well, and he knew her too well to believe that she would ever accept being left unaware. But he had needed to try.

“Harry told me that… well, it seems crazy. He told me that all the old legends, of vampires, werewolves, ghosts and UFOs were all true, from a certain point of view. Not that those things actually exist, but that there was something. People with, extraordinary abilities, who lost control of their powers.

“He told me, essentially, that magic, or psychic powers or whatever you want to call it, is real, and that there have been a group of people with such powers living, hidden from ordinary people, for centuries.”

Huh, that would explain the apparent Twilight phase. “You’ll forgive me for agreeing with you in saying that yeah, that does seem crazy.” She frowned for a second, hoping that this wasn’t all the result of Will hitting his head a little too hard. He seemed genuine, at least, but that didn’t exactly dispel the brain damage theory.

“You’re telling me superpowers are real and somehow connected to you?” Ashley laughed, nervously. “What, can you fly now? Or is the doctor the secret superhero?”

Of course she didn’t believe him. Not that Will was particularly surprised. Ash had always been the more grounded one, the one most comfortable in the world as it was. For Will, something had always been… missing. Particularly since he’d left the SFPD.

“I don’t know. Hell, I don’t even know if Harry was telling the truth at all. But I think he was. Dominic, one of the others, can throw lightning now. Claire apparently has impenetrable skin. Mason is invisible. Jesus, maybe I smacked my head a little too hard and all of this is one huge delusion.

“I don’t even know whether the doctor has altruistic motives. She didn’t seem malicious, she saved six people for seemingly no reward after all, but Harry said she wanted to reveal them to the world, and he was pretty damn convinced that would be bad. I’m sorry Ash, I really am. I just don’t know.”

The story was so wild, so weird, even for Will’s tastes. Yet… Ashley was deciding to believe him. She had nothing to lose in doing so and so much to potentially gain if she could understand this wonderful, colourful tale that Will was spinning for her. Wonderful, but scary too. Will’s expression was certainly not trying to convince her that any aspect of this was trivial - far from it.

“The doctor did all that? She gave you guys these abilities?” Ashley leaned back. “I don’t know if she seems so bad, sounds like this Harry dude is the one with something to hide. Is that what you’re trying to figure out?”

She gasped. “And wait! What’s your power?!”

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[Will Chase]

At times like this, Will was reminded why he loved his sister. Even when she was unsure, she’d still always choose to believe him, rather than doubt him. “I don’t know what my power is. I don’t even know if I have one. And yes, I’ve managed to convince the others to wait for now, rather than revealing what they can do, so that I have time to figure it out. I want to know more, I want to understand, rather than risk giving out inaccurate information, or information that people would be better off not knowing.” “What I really need is a third opinion, but it’s not like I can just walk up to some random person and ask if they have superpowers.” Ashley nodded. “Yeah, not exactly subtle. Do you know how many of you guys - those guys - there are? Maybe they collect together somewhere…” She looked around the coffee shop, miming binoculars. “Maybe right under our noses…” Yeah, she probably shouldn’t quit her day job for PI work. Will snorted. His sister, enthusiastic as she could be sometimes, was not particularly cut out for his line of work. “If there are any in here Ash, I very much doubt we’d be able to tell. If Harry was telling the truth then they’ve stayed hidden for hundreds of years; they’ll be very, very good at it by now. As to how many of them, I don’t know. Hundreds, no doubt. Maybe even thousands, but Harry certainly didn’t talk like there were very many of them.” “Well, he’s one of them, can’t you find out where he is? Must be based somewhere around here for him to have caught up with you so quickly. Maybe he meets up with people like him - we could tail him!” Her eyes lit up with a childish excitement. Then, with an effort, she lowered her voice once more. “Though I guess they’d be someone who agrees with him if they hang out together… ugh…” Ashley pouted. “So what’s your current plan? Stare at the big old board of yours until something reveals itself?” “It’s not like I’ve got many other options. I have no idea where to even begin looking for Harry, and San Francisco is a big place. He could be anywhere from North Beach to the airport, or even further. Hell, he might be across the bay, or not even in the goddamn state anymore. The doctor managed to vanish just by going through a door, I’ve no way of knowing if he can do the same.” Taking a long swig of her cappuccino, Ashley gave Will an attempt at a reassuring smile. “Kinda tricky dealing with these magic-powered people, huh. I’m sure something will click into place for you, it always does.” She knew that Will hadn’t exactly breezed through every single case that had come his way, but she did know that he was an excellent detective. This was new territory - super powers! What the hell? - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t adjust to it quickly. He needed a boost though, she thought. Poor Will. What a bizarre new world to be thrust into. “I mean come on, you’re almost bound to develop something yourself by the sound of things. Are you sure you haven’t noticed something different? Even just something really small and simple, I don’t know. Anything?” If there was anything that could level the playing field against superhumans, surely it was becoming one. Will was good at picking up details, sure, but there could have been something he dismissed as insignificant just because it didn’t quite fit with his current line of focus. He was so busy paying attention to the people he was investigating that he might not have been paying attention to himself. “Nothing’s changed for me, so far as I know. I mean, I haven’t been sleeping well, but I’m fairly sure that’s a normal consequence of experiencing mortal injuries. Besides that? Nothing.” Will shrugged, not overly concerned about his apparent lack of an ability. “Maybe I just don’t have the spark. Or maybe I do have something and it’s just so weak that I can’t tell when I’m using it.” Although… Come to think of it, Harry had seemed surprised at how much he had revealed. And there were those strange dreams he’d been having; the knowledge that he shouldn’t have had but did upon waking. No, he was imagining things. Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. Will Chase 751 Words

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[Ashley McKenna-Chase]

Chase You Down

“Mortal injuries that were magically fixed overnight,” Ashley pointed out. “I’m gonna throw out a wild guess and say that it’s more the stress of all this new information to figure out - not to say that mortal injury isn’t a traumatic experience,” she added hurriedly. “Not what I meant.”

She tipped her head back as she finished off her cappuccino, savouring every last drop. A little cream that had stuck to the rim of the cup left a trace on her face, which she wiped away with a giggle. “Oops.” Ashley took a moment to put her serious face back on. “Literally, don’t overlook a single thing. You could be… um… a shapeshifter? Have you been feeling feline lately?”

Will decided to do his sister a favour and ignore her misstep; Ash was many things, but she would never be deliberately dismissive of someone’s traumatic experiences. “I’ve been getting some bad headaches lately, but that’s all.”

“Have you been drinking anything else besides coffee?” Ashley demanded, adopting a mock-scolding tone. “You should take care, headaches aren’t fun. Although… maybe it’s a sign that you’re gonna grow horns or something.”

Wow Ash. ‘headaches aren’t fun’. Honestly, Will did love his sister. But sometimes, she fell into the bad habit of treating him like a child. It would’ve annoyed him more, but he still remembered her being a child, which was always good for helping him deal with her mock-scolding.

Will gave a long-suffering sigh. “Yes Ash, I’ve been drinking stuff other than coffee. And I very much doubt that I’m growing horns right now, that would just be silly. If people’s powers changed their biology against their will, we would’ve found them much earlier than now. It can’t be easy hiding horns or a tail.”

“Just checking.” Ashley pouted. “And it might not be easy, but I bet that at some point people with powers were close to being exposed. That’s why we’ve got all those myths and stories, right?”

She rested her chin on her hands, pulling a face. It really didn’t seem like there was much she could do to help Will with this which, while not super surprising, sucked. Without having access to this secret world of people with supposed supernatural abilities, gathering facts was going to be a tricky process. Ashley looked around the room, desperately seeking some kind of inspiration.

Suddenly, inspiration struck.

Unfortunately for Will, it was entirely irrelevant.

A mischievous grin spread across her features, lighting up her dark eyes. “Do you like her?”

The change in subject caught Will off guard, and he was lost for a few moments as his mind shifted tracks. It was no help though, he was still just as confused, though Ash’s grin was sending a cold shiver down his spine. She only ever smiled like that when she thought she was going to have fun, and Will had been her victim far too often to not be worried. “What? What do you mean? Do I like who?”

Ashley nodded her head towards the friendly barista who’d served them, grin still firmly in place. “Her, silly. Are you finished with that?” she added, gesturing to his cup.

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