Work Text:
Buck blinked in stunned surprise. In fairness, the woman looked just as surprised as she stared back at him. Then she threw her hands in the air and began to complain.
“For Eros’ sake! Can I not have one evening to myself? I just wanted to read my book, drink my very expensive wine and relax!”
Buck shook his head slowly, eyes taking in the details as he waited for his brain to catch up. She was wearing a sapphire blue, silk dressing gown, with matching open toe slippers. Her toenails were painted to match the robe. Her hair, black with silvery streaks at the temples, was up in a loose, messy bun. She appeared to be in her late forties, her face lovely even carved with her current frustration.
“I have a bubble bath waiting for me, you know? Why did you cast that blasted summon spell? I thought they had all been recalled.” She paused in her tirade, shockingly blue eyes fixed on Buck's face, waiting for an answer. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?”
“It… worked?” Buck managed to get out, stunned and disbelieving. Then he frowned, feeling a bit cheated. “You don't look like a Cupid,” he accused.
That didn't seem to be what the woman was expecting. She glared at him, hands resting on her hips angrily.
“Do you look like a firefighter on your night off? No, I didn't think so,” she snapped back, not giving him a chance to answer.
Realising that this was not going how he'd hoped (and not really expected because… well, a summoning spell? For a Cupid? Seemed a bit far fetched even to an experienced witch like Buck) he held his hands up in apology.
“I'm so sorry. I didn't even think that would work. I found it in an old book and…”
The woman sighed, dropping her head in tired resignation.
“Well, clearly it did. What do you want that couldn't possibly wait for a more civilised hour?”
And that was the question, wasn't it. What did he hope to gain by summoning a Cupid? An outlet for his annoyance? Help with finding something, someone, to stick around this time? At a loss for words, he gave a tiny shrug, shrinking in on himself.
“I don't actually know,” Buck admitted in a soft voice, deflating completely. “I didn't think it was a legitimate spell. I was just… so fed up.”
Looking up, Buck was surprised to see her reading a thick file that had appeared in her hands, glasses perched on her nose.
“Well, Buck, I can see why you might be feeling that way. You have certainly had a raw deal with these. Good grief, what were those cherubs thinking?” she muttered to herself, flipping the pages quickly. “Your case should have been referred to one of us a long time ago.”
Buck blinked again, suddenly needing to sit down. Now, look, as a witch, he'd met plenty of supernatural creatures in his time. He worked with several, had even dated a few in his time. But this lady was something else, a cross between exasperated teacher and tired civil servant.
“My case? That's all about me?” he asked, looking at the hefty file in her hands. The woman was nodding, pushing her glasses up absently.
“Yes, everything about you is here. This new batch of cherubs are clearly not going to graduate with how they've mismanaged your case. You should have been sent to one of us several relationships ago. Definitely before Taylor. Oh, what the ever loving fuck?!” she exploded, staring at one of the newer pages. “Kinnard? Are they fucking insane? Oh, someone is being busted down to sprite for this.”
Buck was used to strange things, so much that this was quickly becoming almost normal. But to hear the Cupid swear was just a step too far for his overtaxed brain. He sat heavily on the floor, staring dumbly at the woman as she paced angrily in a tight circle, reading with a scowl.
“He was never meant for you, not in any universe. Why would they do that? All they had to do was nudge…”
She trailed off, reading further, her scowl deepening into a rage filled frown.
“I'm guessing from your face, someone really messed up,” Buck guessed, half tempted to try and sneak a peek at the file to see what had upset her.
“You could say that,” she sighed, snapping the file shut. It vanished in a puff of pink edge smoke. “And they will be punished severely for it. But now, I have to fix what they fucked up.”
She lifted her head, glanced around the loft as if seeing it properly for the first time.
“I don't suppose you have any wine, do you?”
***
Half an hour later, Buck was sitting on the couch with a Cupid, sipping wine and trying to wrap his head around what had happened. The book he'd found the summon spell in had just been a normal book from a thrift store. Buck was going to give it to Christopher for summer reading as it looked interesting. When the yellowed slip of paper had fallen out when he got home, Buck had read it with scepticism, not really thinking it would summon a Cupid. He'd been feeling particularly slighted after Tommy had broken up with him without any real explanation, just a shrug, a half hearted shoulder pat and a “we both knew this was only a bit of fun, right?” before he breezed out of Buck’s life as quickly as he'd appeared.
So, feeling annoyed and wanting to hold someone, anyone, to account for his atrocious dating life, he'd set up the circle and read the spell, intending to give the Cupid a piece of his mind. Or feel stupid when it didn't work, drink tequila for the rest of the night and sulk for a few days. He'd honestly been expecting the latter but now…
“Let me just check I've got this right,” he said, setting his glass down. “Cherubs are mostly responsible for nudging new romances together and, when they have enough successes under their… quivers? Diapers? They have a chance to become Cupids.”
“They don't have quivers or diapers,” the Cupid, Alara, chuckled. “They look just like any other young person. The images of little flying babies are nonsense. Humans are a weird bunch.”
Buck nodded, wondering how many he'd passed by without even knowing. He could usually spot a supernatural being easily but cherubs were made to blend in.
“Did I get a new group of rookies or something then?” he asked a bit plaintively. “Because it has been rough on the relationship front for a while.”
Alara sighed, staring into her glass as if it held the answers.
“No, we gave you some of the most promising ones actually. Which is why this is so alarming. You should have been with your soulmate long before now.”
That had Buck sitting up straighter, eyes huge as he stared at her.
“Soulmate? I have a soulmate?” he whispered, hope and terror crashing together in his chest.
“Of course you do,” Alara said, surprised by his reaction. “You didn't know? Your parents were told when they had your future told just after your birth. They didn't tell you?”
Her voice rose in anger, blue eyes furious. She shoved a hand into her robe pocket, snatching out a slim phone. She typed angrily for a few moments before putting it away again.
“They had no right to keep that from you. I've sent some people to sort it out. I'm not letting this shit slide any further. It's been dragging on far too long.”
Buck sank back, feeling crushed all over again. His parents had ruined something else for him, another aspect of his life hidden for the simple reason that they didn't care enough about him to be honest. Alara, astute and compassionate, made a decision right then and there. She was going to get this poor boy his soulmate if she had to drag them kicking and screaming.
Clapping her hands together, she stood. Between one blink and the next, she was dressed in black jeans and a sapphire blue blouse, her hair braided elegantly over her shoulder.
“You and I, my young friend, are going to be seeing a lot of each other. I have to run a quick errands but I'd very much like you to come to this address tomorrow around 1pm.”
In her hand was a cream coloured business card. Buck took it, reading:
Dr A Lauvell
Specialist in Child therapy, relationship counselling, trauma recovery and magical management
Under it was an address and a cell number.
“You're a therapist as well?” Buck asked in surprise. Alara grinned at him, inclining her head modestly.
“I'm a woman of many talents. Now, I do have to dash. So much to set in motion to get this all sorted.” She paused, head tilting curiously. “How do you feel about therapy animals?”
***
Eddie was at a loss. Christopher's emerging magical abilities were far stronger than he knew how to deal with. Even his abuela, the strongest witch of his family, was astounded by the boy's raw power. Eddie was proud of his boy, of course he was. The outbursts of raw magic any time the boy got excited, upset, frustrated or even a little bit tired, however, were costing a fortune in house repairs.
Carla, heaven sent angel that she was, had suggested a specialist in managing magical abilities and promised to give them Eddie's information to arrange an appointment. What he hadn't been expecting, was for said specialist to make a house call at nearly 10pm on a random Thursday night.
The woman standing on his doorstep was tall and elegant, her jewel blue shirt almost seeming to shimmer under the porch light.
“Good evening Mr. Diaz, I am so terribly sorry to come over unannounced so late. I'm Dr Alara Lauvell.” She held out a business card. “When Carla told me about your situation, I had to come over as soon as I could to offer your son an appointment in person. Carla is a dear friend of mine and her love for your son is as clear as day whenever she talks about him.”
Eddie read the card, brows lifting in surprise.
“That's a lot of specialities,” he murmured, a touch louder than he meant to. The doctor laughed, a soft, friendly sound that settled some of Eddie's nerves.
“You'd be amazed at how closely those things are linked. It was just a natural progression really.”
Remembering his manners, Eddie invited her in, glad once again that Hen's wards made it impossible for anything with malicious intent to enter the house.
“Christopher is asleep I'm afraid,” he said, unsure if she'd want to wake him to do an impromptu assessment. The doctor waved a hand with a smile.
“He's a growing boy, he needs plenty of sleep. His emerging power will sap a lot of his energy as well. Carla was so concerned after his last episode that I felt I had to come down as soon as I could. Again I'm so sorry I didn't call ahead. I was in the area and just made a snap decision.”
Eddie thanked her again, waving the apology aside.
“I don't know where he gets it from,” he admitted, running a hand through his hair. “My family has always had magic, to varying degrees, but Chris just blows them all away. He's even stronger than my best friend who is a pretty powerful witch himself.”
Eddie's face broke into a soft smile when he mentioned his best friend.
“Well, I'd very much like to help if I can. I'd like to offer you both an appointment tomorrow. How's 2.30pm for you and 3.30pm for Christopher?” Dr. Lauvell smiled. Eddie's brows drew together, the soft look vanishing.
“Why do you think I'd need an appointment?” he asked bluntly, defensive. The doctor held up a placating hand.
“This is a lot for you to handle as well, Mr. Diaz. I can help you with some techniques to defuse and refocus Christopher when his power begins to build.”
Letting the tension ease from his body, Eddie gave her a sheepish smile.
“Right, of course, sorry. That would be incredibly helpful actually. Replacing windows and drywall is getting pretty expensive.”
“Wonderful! I'll see you both tomorrow then,” the doctor beamed, turning to leave. She paused, looking back at Eddie with a twinkle in her deep blue eyes. “How do you both feel about therapy animals?”