The Dresden Files/Codex Alera is copyright Jim Butcher. This story is licensed under the Creative Commons as derivative, noncommercial fiction.

Thomas woke me early. He jumped up and down on my bed. "Wakeup WakeupWakeup!" he said.

I moaned and threw a pillow at his head.

"You need to get going. Her appointment is at 10."

I rubbed my face, "Coffee."

"Already in the next room. He sniffed. "So, how did it go yesterday?"

I yawned and got dressed. And told him.

We hadn't been able to glean much more from the interwebs about 'Mrs. Martin' other than she did live in Chicago, and her first name was Delores. Susan, Mab, and I had chatted for hours, drinking and enjoying each other's company until late into the evening when we partook of Harold again. After his resurrection, I carted him back to Murphy's then came back to the Penthouse and quickly passed out in my luxurious bed.

"Wow, a Phoenix, huh? That would be very advantageous to us."

"I know, right? Figures it has to be in the most despicable character in Chicago."

"Despicable, huh?"

I nodded. "He did take my entire life and identity from me."

He grinned and picked up my wig. "Sit down."

I sat at my vanity, and he helped me put it on, arranging the hair perfectly.

"You know, with your skills as a White Court Vampire, you can appear as anyone."

"Wow, really?"

"We have limited shape-shifting ability."

"You never told me that. How come I don't get that from Lara's memories, either?"

"She might not have transferred that to you, like her Tantric practice."

I nodded. We had discovered many 'gaps' in my skill set. I had the hypnotic abilities, but not so much the Tantric skills she had developed.

I wore a one-piece thigh-length pink silk dress with matching heels. I adjusted my hair slightly, then applied foundation, mascara, blush, the works.

"How do I look?"

"Suitably Tiffanized."

"Golly!" I said, making a pout. I purposely pitched my voice a bit higher. "Like, you are so good at this, Mr. Raith!"

"Cut that shit out." He snatched up his hat and a scarf. "Come on, let's get some breakfast on the way."

We got in his car, and stopped by Starbucks, where I found I liked a peppermint white-chocolate mocha frappucino.

"Oh Goddess," I moaned, taking a drink then looking at it. "Yet another elixir of life."

He took an Americano, and grinned. "You were way too angular for Starbucks when you were Harry."

I giggled, sipping my drink as we sped toward the salon. He opened, and we got to work.

Mrs. Martin came in exactly on time.

"Delores!" Thomas said. "I want to introduce you to Tiffany. She will be taking care of you today."

I smiled. "Hello, Mrs. Martin."

Delores Martin was older, easily in her seventies or eighties, though I knew it had to be far older. There was no way a human being could be the parent of Martin; he had been part of The Fellowship of St. Giles for more than a hundred and fifty years.

Since Martin had been part of the half-turned Red Court, Delores also must be some part of the Fellowship, I knew. She had silver-grey hair that surrounded her head in a curled cloud, with blue eyes, sallow, wrinkled skin, and what was obviously dentures of some kind.

"Oh, thank you for taking care of me," Delores said.

"You're very welcome, dear." I helped her to her seat. "What are we doing for you today?"

She smiled. "Thomas gave me a set last week. I always come in for a set and blow-dry."

Thomas nodded and winked at me.

"Then that's just what we'll do." I ran my fingers through her gray locks gently. "Anything else?"

"Just wax the hair in places that shouldn't have hair, dearie." She said, pointing to her upper lip.

I smiled. "Will do."

I got to work.

"So, do you have any children?" I said after I'd trimmed up the bottom of her hair.

"Oh, I did. A boy."

"Yeah? Where is he now?"

She sighed. "Dead and gone, five years now."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

She shrugged. "It wasn't his fault."

"I'm sure it wasn't. Was he in an accident or have an illness?"

"Oh, he was sick, but that's not what killed him."

"Oh?"

"No…he was murdered."

"Oh, no!" I leaned over and gave her a hug. "That must have been so sad."

She shrugged. "The girl who killed him also was killed. So I guess she got what was coming to her."

I finished rolling her hair. "Let's get you under the hairdryer."

I texted Susan as her hair was drying. She told me she'd be right over.

Fifteen minutes later, Susan walked in. She immediately saw me, and I glanced over at Delores Martin. She nodded and took a seat in the waiting room.

After her hair set, I unrolled it and back-brushed it using quite a bit of hair spray to hide all the bald patches on her head. After I was done, she smiled into the mirror.

"Lovely," she said. "You do wonderful work."

"Thank you, Mrs. Martin!"

I helped her to her feet, and I took her payment. Then I said: "Delores, there's someone who would like to speak to you. Can I bring you into the back room for a moment?"

Delores blinked at me. "Who would ever want to talk to me?"

"I think she'll make that clear. Can you follow me?"

I led her to a small breakroom the stylists used. Susan stood in the room.

Delores entered, then saw her. "You!"

Susan nodded. "Hello, Delores."

Stunned, the woman almost fell over. I helped her to a chair. "What is the meaning of this?" She said.

"Delores, I needed to tell you something." Susan sat down next to her. "I know you know some of what happened. What you don't know is why it happened."

"What are you talking about?"

"Your son got into some trouble with some very bad people. As a result, he betrayed me, betrayed all of us. I ended up killing him because he betrayed me so deeply I thought it was the only action I could take."

She sat, shaking, her frail bones trembling.

"I want to apologize. It wasn't my intention to take James from you. Not my intention at all. I'm very sorry."

Delores continued to shake, taking out a lace handkerchief from her handbag. She wiped her eyes.

"Can you ever forgive me?"

Delores sighed, looking at Susan, the lace handkerchief in her hand.

"You know, I started coming here because I knew Thomas was friends with Harry Dresden," she said.

I blinked at that. "Oh?"

She nodded. "They are friends or relatives of some sort. I never figured out which. But I'd hoped to get in touch with him."

"Why would you need to do that?" Susan said.

"Because Susan…you have it all wrong."

Susan frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Because my dear. I'm not Delores Martin…" she paused a moment, again dabbing at her eyes. "I'm James."

Susan stared at the older woman. "How can that be?"

She shrugged. "After you killed me, I went to this place where I was on a railroad track."

"Oh, come on!" I said, standing up. "You too?"

"I went into this building, and I met a former supervisor of mine. David Bartholomew. I hadn't even thought of him in a hundred years or more.

"Yep, been there, done that, got the t-shirt," I said.

"Anyway, they told me I was going to be sent back. They said I had a very short amount of time, two weeks, and I needed to find my killer."

"Oh, ho!" I said. "Yes, that was what I was told."

"So, when I woke up, I found myself like this. I couldn't very well tell everyone I was James Martin, so I made up the story that I was his mother."

"And because you couldn't find your killer, you've been stuck like that ever since?" I said, horrified.

She nodded. "It hasn't been all bad." She paused. "So, does this mean you're actually Dresden?"

"Sort of but not really."

"Sort of?"

"Let's say at one time, I was Harry Dresden, yes. I don't consider myself to be him anymore."

She nodded. "Me either. The longer I was Delores, the more Delores I became. Now I can hardly remember what I was like."

Susan looked up at me. "So what happens now, Harry?"

I shrugged. "How close are you to finishing the rest of your list?"

"I finished it. Just before you called."

"Delores was the last person?"

"Yes."

"Then, I'd think, by apologizing to him, or…well, her, you've performed your atonement. Plus, she has found her 'killer' so I'd think two birds, one stone."

"Then why am I still here?" she said. "I still have 48 hours on my time."

"James, do you forgive Susan for your murder? You know why she had to do it, right? You were a turncoat. I mean, we've learned differently since then, but at the time, she firmly believed you had betrayed her, me, and our daughter. It was the only way we could enact the blood curse."

"Exactly. I knew what I was doing. It was the only way to rid the world of the Red Court."

"So you forgive her, yes?"

She sighed, and reached into her purse, with shaking hands. It was so strange to think of Martin stuck in that old body. At least her hair would look nice for the next week or so.

She took out a picture. "You were so worried about your daughter with Harry," she held out the image to Susan. "But what about our little girl?"

Susan held the picture, confused. She blinked back tears.

"Is that true?" I said in a soft voice. "You had a child with Martin too?"

Susan looked at me, with such pain in her eyes, I instantly knew the truth.

I felt a sound then, like a rushing. At first, I thought I was back on those train tracks, but I realized it was just the truth of her words, causing me to sink onto my knees.

"Tell me that's not true, Susan."

"I'm sorry, Harry. I always meant…"

"You meant to tell me? Did that get conveniently left out? When did this happen?"

She shrugged. About a year after I went down to South America. Martin was…well, he was with me, every day, day in and day out. And…well, something happened between us one night. And nine months later…"

I looked at Delores/Martin. "And where is this…child?"

Delores handed me an address. I glanced at it. "Arizona."

She nodded.

Strange how my life was coordinating like this. Inari had also been discovered in Arizona. What would be funny would…

"Who is raising her?" I said.

"Ahh, so you're starting to see," Delores said.

"You're telling me that it's my sister?"

She touched her nose, then pointed at me.

I blinked, looking at Thomas. "Did you know about this?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

"So," I said. "A child of two half-turned Red Court Vampires being raised by a White Court."

"The curse wasn't passed on in birth," Susan said. "She's a normal human."

"You can see the sick, kinda twisted logic, though," I said. "Plus, now you know why you haven't been taken yet. You need to see her."

Susan looked at me with such pain in her eyes. "Harry, I can't…"

"You must."

She shivered. "Are airlines even flying right now?"

"We can take our jet." I pulled out my mobile and shot a text to Malcolm.

"I'll join you," Thomas said. "She's my sister too."

I nodded. "More the merrier. Let's get going."

As we walked out to the car, I helped Delores get into the back seat. She smiled gratefully.

I sighed. Susan had another child. By Martin. I had a sick oily feeling in my gut I didn't think would go away anytime soon.

Getting into the passenger seat, I put on my sunglasses.

Pointing with my finger, I said: "Make it so."