Fic: Not What it Looks Like (Wizard'Verse) (2/6)

[yakihngenit.livejournal.com]

Title: Not What it Look Like
Authors: Kathie and Ginny yakihngenit
Team: Detroit Red Wings
Series: Wizard 'verse
Warnings: RPS, slash, au, magic, moresomes
Pairings: Chris Osgood/Kris Draper, Steve Yzerman/Brendan Shanahan, Dan Cleary/Johan Franzen, Pavel Datsyuk/Henrik Zetterberg, Nick Lidstrom/Andreas Lilja, Darren McCarty/Aaron Downey
Rating: FRAO
Summary: When they detect strong Demon activity, the wizards already expect the worst, but what they find out, is something completely unexpected
Authors' Notes: Because we can't write just one



"I swear, we just pull out the Demon, it will not hurt..." Chris said.

He rolled out of bed and ran past the surprised Wizards. "No," he snapped and fled down the stairs.

"Johan!" Andreas yelled after him. "Stop!"

He didn't answer and ran out the front door.

"Damn," Chris growled. "What do we do now?"

"Go after him," Steve answered.

"Warn Dan now," Pav added.

"His Companion has been possesed by a Demon," Lils muttered as they rushed after him. "Not good."

"I hope Mule okay," Pavel added and pulled out his phone. "Call Dan now?"

"Yes," Chris said as he swept his stick from side to side, trying to track the Demon that had their friend. "Tell him to be very, very careful."

Pavel nodded and started to dial.

"He not answer," he said a few moments later.

Chris and Steve exchanged a quick glance.

"Let's go," they decided. "Pav, Lils, stay here in case the Demon returns."

Lils nodded and tapped his stick against first Steve's, then Chris'. "Call if you need us."

"You too," Chris replied and touched Pavel's stick with his. "Keep trying to call Clears. Maybe he'll wake up."

"Before Mule gets there," Lils said quietly.

Pavel nodded determinedly. "You hurry," he said. "Before someone get hurt."

"We're gone," Chris said and followed after Steve.

"You think Mule will be okay?" he asked once they were back in his car and he was speeding toward Dan's house.

"If we get to him soon enough."

"I just don't understand why Dan didn't put every spell and protection he knows on Mule's house," Chris continued. "I would've done it. I mean, I did do it. Before Kris moved in with me permanently."

"I don't understand it either," Steve said. He reached down and rubbed at his knee, trying to ignore the ache. "That's the first thing you're told to do when when you have a Companion."

Chris glanced at him. "When did your knee start to get worse?" he asked.

Steve sighed. "When you kicked it," he replied honestly. "We need to talk to Dan as soon as we got rid of the Demon."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Chris asked, pushing away the guilt. "We could have done things to help it."

"House looked at it," Steve said and took a deep breath. "Turn left," he added absently. "Shortcut."

"And?" Chris prompted and did as he was told.

"Nothing," Steve shrugged. "He didn't tell me anything I didn't know before. The knee could've healed if the Demon hadn't tried to rip the leg off, and it only got worse from there. Do you have any idea how many doctors and witchdoctors already looked at that knee?"

"No," he admitted, but he knew it was a lot. He was pretty sure that Steve had gone to every one that he could reach in the hope that one of them could do enough to allow him to keep playing.

"Trust me, a lot," Steve muttered and took another deep breath. "Which reminds me, I need to go to New York for a few days," he then muttered. "Bren's got a new apartment."

Chris nodded, but their conversation was cut short when the car came to a stop in front of Dan's house.

"Here we are," he said. "Let's go in."

"Fuck. He's there already."

"And he has Ella, it seems," Chris whispered when he saw the silhouette of Mule, with Dan's daughter in his arms, through the window.

"Stay away from me," Franzen shouted at the two Wizards when they stepped into the house.

Chris held up his hands. "We don't want to hurt you," he said quietly. "We only want to help."

"It's okay Johan," Dan said quietly. "Chris and Steve would never hurt you, you know that."

"We're just going to get rid of the Demon," Steve said. "You'll feel better after that."

"You don't understand," Johan said quietly and ran his hand down Ella's back. She had her arms wrapped around his neck, completely trusting that he would keep her safe.

"What don't we understand?" Chris asked him.

"This situation," Johan said and waved a hand. "All of this."

"Explain it to us," Steve encouraged.

Johan hesitated briefly. "Whatever you think, it's not true," he finally said.

"I think that we can feel there's a Demon in you," Steve told him. "All three of us can."

"But not Ella," Chris realized. "She's completely calm."

Dan paled. "Johan..." he said, his voice shaking, and took a step toward the Swede. "Please..."

Johan fell back a step as he looked at his Wizard. "I - I would never hurt her," he said, his voice cracking when he realized that Dan didn't trust him. "I just need them to listen to me."

"I know that you would never hurt her," Dan said and took another step closer. "But I can sense the Demon in you, Johan. Please. Don't let it hurt her. Please. Give her to me."

"Make them promise they won't perform any spells when I do," Franzen insisted.

"I promise," Dan said quickly. "Please. Give me my daughter back."

Johan kissed Ella's forehead and held her out to him. She laughed and waved her arms at the Swede as her father took her.

"Good girl," he said softly and took another step back from the advancing Wizards.

"Johan," Chris said quietly. "It really won't hurt to remove a Demon from you. I promise."

"Losing organs tends to hurt," he snarked at him.

"You won't lose any organs, I promise," Steve cut in.

"I think I will."

"What makes you think that?" Dan asked from where he was standing, safely behind Chris and Steve.

Johan sighed deeply and collapsed onto the couch. "It's a long story."

"We have time," Steve said softly and sat down opposite him, taking care to leave some room in between them. "Why don't you just tell us?"

"Because I like living," Johan said. He looked at the three Wizards. "Please, you're going to have to trust me."

"We trust you," Chris said. "It's the Demons we don't trust, you know that."

He shook slightly. "I don't know how to say this," he said sotftly, mosty to himself. "I've hid it for so long."

"What did you hide?" Dan asked again. "Johan?"

"My mother is a Demon," he whispered very softly.

The three Wizards tensed.

"She's never hurt anyone," he said quickly. "My father was human. They fell in love. You're going to kill me now, aren't you?"

The terror in his voice made Ella start to cry, and Dan rocked her gently to soothe her again.

"Johan," Chris started, but he didn't know what he was supposed to say.

"Why didn't we know?" Steve asked him. He glanced at Ella. "Chris is right, she wasn't scared. Her father is a Wizard and she should have sensed you. What else aren't you telling us?"

Johan dropped his head in his hands.

"Johan," Dan prompted.

"I swear, not all Demons are evil," he said, his voice muffled by his hands.

Steve snorted.

"That's what I mean," Johan said, his voice shaking now as well. "You don't even give them a chance! You just think they're all evil and bad and..."

"What have they ever done to prove that wrong?" Steve snapped at him.

Johan stood. "My mother never hurt a human," he hissed. His eyes narrowed, and his teeth seemed to grow slightly, until he managed to get himself under control again. "And now she's probably dead, or you'd never found out!"

"How do you know that?" Chris asked. "Tell us everything Johan," he encouraged, keeping his voice calm.

"I don't want her to be hurt," Johan said and turned away from them.

"Then tell us what we need to know," Chris told him.

Johan only shook his head.

"Then we'll find your mother and make sure she's dead," Steve told him.

"What if she's not?" Johan asked and finally turned around again. His eyes were red-rimmed, he was pale, and his skin appeared to be almost green. "You gonna kill her then?"

"Tell me why I shouldn't."

"Because she never did anything wrong."

"Do better than that."

Johan straightened to his full height. "Just because you got injured by one of her brothers," he said. "That doesn't mean she's the one responsible or should be punished for it."

Steve held his stick up, but Dan and Chris both stepped forward.

"Stop," Chris said sternly. "Johan, you have to understand that we have questions. Maybe your mother has never done anything wrong, but you have to admit, that cannot be said about nearly every single Demon."

Johan nodded and sat down again, his head buried in his hands once more.

"How did you hide this?" Dan asked him.

"I didn't," Johan replied. "Mamma did."

"How?" Chris asked.

"Spell."

"That's a complex spell," he murmured.

"How many Demons are hiding?" Steve demanded.

Johan shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "You need to be willing to sacrifice quite a lot to weave a spell like that. Not many Demons are."

"Sacrifice humans?" Steve snapped.

"No..." Johan shook his head. "Not this one."

"What are you going to do to him?" Dan asked Chris and Steve.

Chris hesitated. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "Johan? Do Containment spells work on Demons?"

"Sort of," he said slowly. "But then I couldn't help Dan. And they' don't always work well."

"I think we still need to put one on you," Chris said. "And you have to promise to stay with one of us. We need to figure out if you are a threat to us. All of us."

He wrapped his arms tightly around himself. "I'm not a threat."

"Johan," Dan breathed and handed Steve his daughter. He kneeled down in front of his Companion and put his hands on his knees. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because of I was afraid of that reaction," he said, waving his hand toward Steve.

Dan leaned forward and wrapped both arms around Johan.

"I'm sorry," Johan whispered to the Wizard.

"It's okay," Dan promised. "Okay? We'll make it okay."

He nodded and tried to catch his breath.

Dan looked up and frowned at Chris. Chris didn't need to read his thoughts to know what Dan wanted to know.

How were they supposed to fix this?

Their job was to kill Demons, not protect them.

"Everything will be fine," Chris said again, glancing at Steve. "It just might take us some time to figure it out."

Johan laughed desparingly. "You're the great Wizard of Oz, aren't you supposed to know everything?"

Chris shook his head. "I'm sorry I'm disappointing you there. I don't know everything. Steve, could you please call the Wardens?" he said softly.

"Yes," he said stiffly.

"Thank you," Chris said with a nod. He sensed that Johan wouldn't do anything to hurt Dan, and as little as he, himself, liked the idea of trusting a Demon, it wasn't as if Johan had given them much reason to doubt him.

"Thank you," Johan whispered to him. He couldn't quite believe that they hadn't killed him.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Chris said with a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Do you have any way to contact your mother, figure out if she's okay?" he asked.

"Maybe," he said doubtfully.

Chris shrugged. "I just thought you wanted to know if she's okay...?" he said, his voice trailing off expectantly.

Johan sighed. "Yeah," he admitted. "There's this really complicated spell..."

"You want to try it?" Dan asked and ran his fingertips over Johan's forehead.

Johan shrugged. "I'd rather call her," he said softly. "If I can."

"Chris," Dan said, "The phone is in the kitchen. Can you go get it?"

A million thoughts went through Chris' head. It would be really easy for a Demon to overwhelm an unarmed Wizard, and Dan was unarmed at the moment; unarmed and he didn't expect an attack.

"I won't do anything," Johan told him. "He's my Wizard."

Chris bowed his head slightly. "Okay," he said, willing for the moment to trust the other man. "Come on, Ella. Let's see if your dad has some cookies in his kitchen."

The little girl gave Dan a brief look, but when Chris held out his hand, she took it and let him guide her to the kitchen, even if Chris felt a bit bad about it. He knew that Johan must be deeply hurt by this display of lack of trust, but while he was willing to let Dan stay with him, he wasn't willing to risk the next generation of Wizards.

Not quite yet.

He gave Ella her cookies and put her in her high chair. After giving her a cup of juice, he put wards around the chair that would keep her in it as well as keep her safe.

Only then did he reach for the phone and carried it to the living room. Johan was still sitting on the couch, his shoulders trembling slightly. His face was pressed against Dan's chest.

"Everything okay?" Chris murmured and reached out to touch Johan's shoulder.

He shook his head but reached out for the phone. "I'll pay you back for the calls," he muttered to Dan.

"Don't be an idiot," Dan answered and bent down to press a kiss into his hair. "Just make sure your mom is okay."

He didn't answer, already dialing the familiar number. "Dad?" he asked when someone picked up.

He listened for a moment, before replying in quick Swedish. It reminded Chris that he'd promised to let Andreas and Pavel know what was going on.

He debated his options before deciding that the kitchen was the best place to make the calls. He was far enough away to give Johan the thought of privacy, but could hear if he needed to. Plus he could keep an eye on Ella.

After a few moments, Dan joined him.

"His parents keep a connection," he said by way of explanation. "And it disappeared for a moment. He said it's back - if you concentrate, you realize that the impulses that lead you to him are fading. He said." He chuckled slightly. "I never felt a thing."

"We didn't think you had," Chris said.

"What's going to happen now?" Dan asked him. "I don't want to lose him."

"We know," Chris assured him. "We're trying to find a solution that works for all of us, okay?"

He nodded. "What can I do?"

"Don't get in the way," Chris advised.

"I won't let you kill him."

Chris looked at him sympathetically. "Dan," he said calmly. "I know how you feel about your Companion, but if there's no other option ... you won't be able to stop us." He held up a hand before Dan could protest. "I don't think it'll come to that. I really don't, but you have to understand the possible outcomes."

"Okay," Dan said calmly and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "But if it comes to that...be prepared for a fight."

Chris nodded and squeezed Dan's shoulder. He really hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

"What now?" Dan asked and lifted Ella out of her chair.

"We'll do some research," Chris said. "And Johan will be watched very closely."

Dan nodded. "I want him to stay with me," he said. "I'm not risking some overeager, overzealous junior Wizard coming to hurt him."

"Mac or Aaron will stay with you then too," Chris warned him.

"That's okay," Dan said. "I trust them."

Chris nodded. He reached out to touch Ella, who had fallen asleep against her father's chest. "Has she ever been afraid of him?"

"No, never," Dan said with a sigh. "I better put her back in her bed. She suddenly woke up, crying, you know. Wouldn't stop until Johan came here."

Chris nodded, looking thoughtful. "I'll be down here."

"Okay." Dan sighed again and slowly left the room. Chris heard how he stopped in the living room, exchanging a few words with Johan, and then he heard him walk up the stairs.

He sighed. Why couldn't things, for once, go easy and as planned?

It would make life so much easier.

Steve limped back in the room.

"They will be here in about half an hour," he reported and sat down on one of the chairs with a slight wince. "Give or take ten minutes."

"Can I get you something for your knee?" Dan asked him.

Steve shook his head. "No, thanks," he said. "It's better already."

It was a lie, and all three of them knew it.

"Could I try something?" Johan asked hesitantly, pretty sure he knew how Steve was going to answer.

Steve stared at him for a moment, taking in the nervous shifting from foot to foot Johan displayed, and the way his hands were pushed deep in his pockets.

He opened his mouth to decline, but something made him stop.

Chris had told him numerous times that he was impressed by the accuracy he displayed when reading energy lines. And what he felt now was everything, from nervousness to fear to something unspecific Johan felt toward them all, something between love, friendship and affection, but he didn't feel a single trace of maliciousness.

"Fine," he said stiffly. He knew he was being rude, but it had been hard enough just to say yes.

Johan gave him a surprised look. "Okay," he said and knelt down in front of him. "It's something my mother taught me when I started playing," he explained while resting his hands on Steve's knee.

"Okay," Steve said, closing his eyes.

"It's an old injury," Johan said. "Very old." He frowned slightly and rubbed his fingertips over the injured knee. "Tell me if anything changes?"

Steve opened his eyes in surprise when some of the pain faded away. "How did you do that?"

Johan shrugged awkwardly. "Honestly? I have no idea," he admitted.

"You just can?" Steve asked, amused despite himself.

Johan shrugged again and rubbed his fingertips against Steve's knee once more.

"Yeah," he said. "Mamma showed me how to do it. When I was younger. She said..." he stopped and swallowed against the sudden tightness in his throat. "She said to be careful," he finally whispered.

It was very obvious that he was worried.

Steve sighed and pushed away his hatred of Demons for the moment. "For your sake, I hope that she's all right," he told the young man.

"Thank you," Johan murmured and stood.

"Where are you going?"

"Bathroom." Johan shook his head. "I promise, I won't try to run again," he added. "I just..." He grimaced.

"Go," Dan said with a soft smile. "It's fine."

Johan nodded and disappeared.

Steve sighed. "This is complicated," he realized.

Dan nodded, but didn't say anything.

"Yeah," Chris agreed. "I don't know if we're doing the right thing here."

"What would be the right thing?" he asked uncertainly.

"Under normal circumstances, I'd say...kill the Demon," Chris sighed. "But I don't think it would be here."

"You're not killing him."

Chris lifted both hands. "I hope not," he replied.

"But," Steve pointed out and stretched his leg carefully. "Obviously the spell his mother put on him protects him from detection by us. What happens if something happens to her, for real? All Wizards in the area would be pulled toward him, trying to kill him."

"Maybe our first priority should be trying to figure out how to help him hide," Chris said.

"Maybe," Steve agreed and sighed. "Let's see what Mac and Aaron say to this."

"He's my Companion," Dan said quietly. "If another Wizard tries to come here and kill him, I'm going to fight."

"We know," Chris said and sighed again. "But what if they don't stop coming? You can't fight the whole Wizard population of North America and Europe. And you can't force him to hide behind you all his life."

"Then you'd better figure out how to fix this."

"We'll try, okay?" Chris promised and turned as he heard the knock at the door. "That's either Pav and Andreas or our Wardens."

"Both," Dan answered as he looked out the peephole.

He opened the door and let them in.

TBC

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But if he's a demon and it's for the greater good of the world?