The Hunter

The Hotel Dominique sat just on the outskirts of the Redwood City boardwalk, close enough to the pier to boast an oceanside view, but far enough to escape the bustle and noise of the shopping district. It wasn't the fanciest joint in Redwood by any means, but it was comfortable and clean, out of the way of the crowds, with only a handful of bookings for the weekend. In other words, it was the perfect spot for two people to sit in conversation without being overheard.

Alec met with his cousin in the hotel restaurant after sunset, choosing a booth well away from the windows and other diners to ensure absolute privacy.

"Nice place," he commented as they slid into their booth, the movement causing the unsteady table to rock back and forth between them. He eyed the décor and hummed his mild approval for the sake of the waiter who took the time to pour them each a glass of water before setting down a couple of menus and scampering off.

"One hell of a step up from the roach motels and gas station food," Maggie replied with a snort, but she still grimaced at the mention of her previous accommodations. She rolled up the sleeves of her oversized button-down shirt in the same way Alec wore his, just covering the tattoos that started above the elbow, and then they really started to look alike.

Her skin was a shade lighter than his, but she had more dark freckles than he did. Where his hair was kept short and peppered gray, she dyed hers with caramel streaks and had twisted it into a fluffy bun of curls atop her head. Through their mothers, they shared a broad nose with heavily hooded brown eyes and oval jaws, but Alec thought the one feature that made them most alike was the patchwork of scars that littered their bodies. Maggie sported a pink, jagged line from the corner of her mouth that reached all the way up to her right eye. Alec's scars were more obscured than hers, easier to hide under long sleeves and pant legs, but they had learned the same lessons from them.

"Been on the road awhile?" he asked conversationally as he picked up his menu to browse.

"A couple days," she said with a little shrug like traveling didn't bother her as much as he knew it did. "So, how's the small-town life treating you? Getting bored yet?"

"Nah, it's alright," Alec answered, taking note of her quick deflection. "I've got a job a monkey could do and my neighbors keep sending passive aggressive notes about my lawn, but none of them are trying to kill me and devour my flesh, so I guess it's nice."

"I don't know how you do it," Maggie said, shaking her head. She picked up the straw that had accompanied her water and began to pick at the paper wrapping, probably just looking for something to do with her hands. "Don't you miss working for a real purpose? Miss home?"

"Every day," Alec admitted, watching his cousin as she carefully avoided meeting his gaze. He set down his menu and picked up his own straw to mirror her, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger. "You know, for thirty years I lived and breathed hunting, and that part of me hurt something fierce for a long time after I gave it up...but then there's the part that's grateful to finally be slowing down. These last few years in Jericho, for the first time in my life, I'm not looking over my shoulder and surviving from one day to the next. I actually have something of a future beyond 'work until it inevitably kills me.' After everything I've been through, everyone I've lost...I needed it. Can't feel bad about that."

"Honestly, since you've been gone, I've been thinking about it more, myself," Maggie admitted, her expression growing a little heavy as she finally set down her straw, a little pile of shredded wrapper littering the table in front of her. "For a while there I was so mad at you I could spit, mad enough even my mother said I was overreacting. But ever since Jeannie was born, and now she's old enough to ask where I'm going and when I'll be back...that small-town life is starting to sound real nice."

"Did I just hear you right?" Alec asked, emphasizing his shock in an effort to work a smile out of her. "The Margaret Jameson is looking to retire?"

"I'm trying to be serious here, jackass," Maggie said, kicking his leg under the table even as the corner of her mouth twitched with humor. "That's the whole reason I came out here! I mean, yeah, I'm on a job, but I also really needed to talk to my cousin. You're the only one I trust to give me some honest advice."

"Only one?" Alec repeated, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah, no one back home has ever up and quit the way you did." Maggie brushed her paper scrap pile aside and leaned forward with her elbows on the table, lowering her voice to talk conspiratorially. "Alec, before I go home, I have a huge decision to make. I can't carry on hunting like I have been, fighting with sticks and stones while I'm carrying a whole arsenal in my family blood. I'm either going home to announce my retirement, or I'm going to start the trials."

Alec leaned back in his seat, blowing out a long gust of breath like the weight of her words had just punched it out of him. "Alright, you are serious."

He folded his arms and looked out across the restaurant, thinking for a long minute. It was enough time that the waiter finally returned to take their orders and left, and then a while longer after that.

"You know, you always used to tell me how much you hated your mom," Alec reminded her, not missing the way Maggie's face twisted into a grimace at some unwelcome memory. "After she survived the trials, she wasn't really your mom anymore. The hunter was all that was left, and you were six years old and you needed more than a cold, emotionless machine could give you.

"Now, imagine Jeannie's life, growing up, becoming her own woman. Do you think she's going to be grateful that you made this irreversible decision to cut off your emotions and empathy and everything that makes you a great mother? Sure, you'll win every fight, you'll live long enough to retire, but you won't be her mom anymore. I think, if you want my honest opinion, undergoing the trials is the wrong choice for both of you."

Maggie's mood seemed to darken as she took in his words, as she processed the many reasons why she knew them to be true.

"Mag, why do you have to decide one way or the other?" he asked, trying to lighten up his tone and shift the conversation in a more optimistic direction. "Why can't you just go home and take fewer jobs, or take up a partner?"

"Because I'm not good enough," she said, the edge of her voice betraying a note of frustration. "Alec, the reason why I have to decide now, why I can't just coast anymore, is 'cause I seriously messed up...a few times. I was on a hunt last month and the target got the jump on me and escaped. I barely escaped with my life. My dad was furious; my mom benched me and hired Jensen Calloway to finish the job. The only reason I'm here is to identify the target and sign over the contract."

"Calloway, huh?" Alec said, wincing sympathetically at the uncomfortable predicament his cousin had found herself in. "You don't call the pro over spilled milk. Is the job that serious?"

"Not really; it'll be over by tonight, which is why it's so bad that I couldn't handle it myself. It seems like every hunt keeps almost getting me killed, and I know if I keep carrying on like this, I'm going to get seriously hurt, or worse. Then what would happen to Jeannie, orphaned with no one but my parents, my mother, to raise her? I just really feel like this is it, like I'm at a crossroads. I've either got to take the dive and become invincible, or get out. I guess...I think I know what I'm going to choose. Everyone is going to hate me."

"Maybe, but Jeannie won't," Alec pointed out, and to that, Maggie smiled. "Tell you what, after you finish this job, you make your move and come stay with me awhile. I'll even clean out the guest room and get you a futon or something."

"I hope you like toddler tantrums and all-day marathons of Pony Princess Adventures," Maggie joked, attempting a smile despite the look of quiet dread which had paled her features.

"Ah, shit. My landlord has a strict 'no Pony Princess' rule," Alec teased, waving his straw in her face to encourage that smile into a full-blown laugh. "Sorry, looks like y'all are going to have to live at the daycare down the road with the rest of the babies and outcast hunters. Tough break."

"Cousin, you are too much."