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This story is a work of fiction and contains adult situations. No character depected as engaging in sexual activity is under the age of 18. No one under the age of 18 should be reading past this disclaimer. All characters are copyright Radical Gopher.

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PINS AND NEEDLES - Part XV

When Victor left Dr. Aryan's office a few minutes later he called Sapphire, telling her he would be coming home early. The finance committee meeting lasted about two hours, after which the todd rearranged his schedule so he could do the progress reports later in the week. Pleading family illness, Victor caught the one o'clock train home and was picked up at the station by Gwen.

When he arrived he sat down with Sapphire telling her about both his dream and the tapestry. When he finished, the djin insisted that the skunkette be included in the discussion. She told Gwen about their original run in with the two necromancers.

"How long has Dr. Aryan had the tapestry?" the dancer asked nervously.

"According to the vault records, about eight days." He looked over at the djin. "I don't know... I'm not an expert when it comes to magic. Am I being paranoid?"

"Maybe," Sapphire replied. "It was no fun dealing with Kurok and Cypriana the first time, so I can understand how much remembering that dream upset you. On the other hand, a good mage is always a little paranoid when it comes to magic. Complacency leads to carelessness and carelessness to poorly managed spells."

"Upset or not, I wish I'd remembered sooner. I didn't intend forget it."

"I've been studying the dream-walking scrolls Sapphire gave me. Dreams are funny things," Gwen said. "Sometimes they're easy to recall, other times they're not. It's not your fault you couldn't remember it."

"Perhaps," said Victor. "Assuming I'm not paranoid then what exactly is happening here?"

"It could be any number of things," Sapphire said, "but given your dream, the presence of the tapestry and what we know about Kurok and Cypriana I'd say it was a dream-walker possession."

"

A what?"

Gwen sat back, flicking her tail nervously. "It's when a dream-walker uses a person's dreams to influence, and eventually control them."

"How far can that control go?" Victor asked.

Sapphire frowned. "If left to her own devices, Cypriana could take over Dr. Aryan's mind completely."

"How? I thought the tapestry spell had them both trapped."

"Don't forget. My becoming mortal weakened the spell. I more or less patched it, but it's not one hundred percent. When Dr. Aryan brought the tapestry into her office, she gave Cypriana a chance to test the limits of the spell's power."

"...And she found a loophole. No pun intended," Victor said.

"It looks that way."

"So how did she get into my dreams?"

"Cypriana's nothing if not opportunistic," the vixen said. "You were unconscious part of the time you were being raped. In all likelihood Cypriana was behind that, riding in the back of Dr. Aryan's mind and using the fog of passion to push her into the act. I'm guessing that hile you were unconscious she detached a small piece of her psyche and wove it into your dream, hoping to extend her influence. She hadn't counted on Gwen dream-walking into your mind. Finding another mage surprised her. She wasn't ready for a fight so she fled."

"Fled where? How did she escape my dream?" the todd asked.

"You dreamt about the tapestry, didn't you?" the skunkette asked. Victor nodded. "Well, it provided her a window to jump through, back into the original wall-hanging. Fortunately, that kind of thing only works one way. You are physically too far removed from the tapestry for her to reach you through the image."

"On the other hand," the vixen continued, "Dr. Aryan put the tapestry in her office right above a couch she probably naps on from time to time. You remember how Cypriana and Kurok said they could see the world go by from the tapestry? Well simply put her mind was still active. All she had to do was place herself into a state of deep meditation to access the dream world then enter Dr. Aryan's dreams while she napped. Once there, she simply became a passive part of her mind, exerting influence only when your boss was asleep or mentally unfocused. The closer to the tapestry she was, the more powerful the control Cypriana could effect. Getting her to sleep in her office the last few days was a major victory for the sorceress. Now she can keep Aryan from getting any real rest. The more befogged her mind, the greater control Cypriana has.

"Alright... Next question. How do we get her out of Dr. Aryan's head?"

Both Gwen and Sapphire looked at each other before the vixen answered. "We have to go into her dreams and kick Cypriana out."

"Is that all..." Victor said. "And here I was worried it was going to be something hard to do."

* * * *

"How long is this going to take?" Saul asked.

The blue-furred vixen smiled sweetly at the massive human. "Not long," she reassured him as she finished drawing the chalk circle on the cement floor of the carriage house. She carefully sketched a dozen symbols around the circle. Finishing, she looked up at the clock on the wall. "Okay... Put him in the circle, but don't smudge the chalk.

Saul removed the lid from the cookie jar and upended it, dumping the figure of George Leonard into the palm of his hand. He carefully placed the diminutive fugitive in the center of the circle. Sapphire looked down at him.

"You need to understand," she warned grimly. "If you move around too much or disrupt the spell I'm casting your whole body will explode. Not that it would be that great a loss, but I hate cleaning up messes."

Other than crossing his arms and glaring up at the vixen, George Leonard didn't say a word. Gwen, Pepper and Victor stood to one side, watching.

"I thought he was going return to normal size without any assistance? And what's all this about him exploding?" the detective whispered to her cousin."

"He will," the todd replied. "What Sapphire is doing is creating a believable cover story so you can turn him in with a minimum number of questions. As to the exploding part... Well how many times have you told a white lie to a suspect to get his or her cooperation?"

"Point taken."

"I wish she'd let me do that," Gwen said worriedly. The spell's going to use a lot of her manna."

"Her what?" the vixen asked.

"Manna... her magical energy," the Lappe explained.

"So what... Isn't she a genie? I mean djin?"

"Since becoming pregnant, using a lot of manna sometimes makes her nauseous."

"Uh... right. So why aren't you doing it?"

"The spell requires too much fine control and manipulation for Gwen's level of knowledge and experience," Victor replied." Pepper noticed that his voice too carried just a tinge of worry to it. Her thoughts were interrupted when, out of the corner of her eye she saw George Leonard begin to grow.

Closing her eyes and concentrating, Sapphire wove her hands back and forth in an intricate dance. A blue sphere surrounded the fugitive and he went stiff, his own eyes glazing over. The blue-furred vixen paused, waiting until he had attained his normal height before continuing the spell.

Saul watched, both fascinated and slightly tense as threads of clothing formed themselves around George coalescing into a blue jumpsuit identical to those worn by prisoners in the local jail. She waved her hands again and several rips and tears appeared in the clothing. Cuts and bruising mottled the human's face, arms and legs.

"Careful..." warned Saul. "Don't muss him up too much or they'll think Pepper and I kicked him around."

"Doesn't he deserve that?" the vixen asked.

"Maybe... but that's not how a good cop operates."

She nodded then proceeded to age the injuries by a couple of days, dirtying up his jumpsuit to match having been in hiding for the same amount of time. "Now comes the hard part," Sapphire said. She walked up to the fugitive and placed her hands on his head, front and back. The glow intensified.

"Listen to me, George Leonard. You were never in this house. You've been hiding in a tool shed three houses down, living on a box of candy bars you grabbed from a local convenience store. You were never a dragon or saw any magic. Any memories of such you will dismiss as a dream. When the police ask you about any crimes you've witnessed or committed, you will tell them the truth because it feels really good when you do it." She paused, took a deep breath then continued.

"You will leave this house and sneak over to the tool shed... You know the way. You will sit there and wait until the detectives come and get you. You will not fight them... understand?"

"Yes."

The djin stepped back and the blue glow vanished. George's eye's returned to normal. Without looking at anyone, he walked over to the door, opened it and left. Saul had half expected to see him shambling like a zombie, but such was not the case. His movements were perfectly natural and unhurried.

"Give him about fifteen minutes then go collect him. He won't give you any trouble."

"Ma'am... With your magic and all, you are absolutely fearsome," chuckled Saul. "I wish we had someone like you on the force."

"Too late," the vixen smiled. "Victor beat you to that wish "

"Mores the pity."

The fifteen minutes passed rapidly and both detectives left to "re-arrest" their suspect and take him to the station for processing and holding. As soon as they were out the door Sapphire took Victor by the ear and dragged him into their bathroom. Closing the door behind her, she turned and kissed the todd long and hard. After a momentary surprise, he returned the kiss with equal passion. When they separated, the vixen pulled back and smiled wickedly.

"Gwen had her turn this morning. Now I need a hot shower and a major league recharge." She pulled off her silk jacket and let it slide to the floor, followed by her trousers, bra and panties; all before Victor had a chance to pull his shirt over his head. Not wanting to wait, she loosened his trousers and pulled both them and his underwear down in one swift movement, freeing his member.

Kneeling before him, the vixen began kissing and massaging the todd's sheath and balls, gently cupping and stroking them as she coaxed his shaft from its hiding place. A small wave of her fingers brought the shower to life, mixing both hot and cold water in just the perfect combination.

Victor was pleasantly surprised at his mate's passionate aggressiveness so he played along, enjoying the gentle caresses and warm lapping at his member. After a moment, Sapphire stood, allowing the todd to cup and massage her mound as they kissed again. It was already slick to the touch. Without breaking the kiss Victor gently picked her up and carried her into the shower. The master bath came with both a separate shower and a combination bathtub/jacuzzi.

Victor sat on a shower stool he found there and leaned back against the tiled wall, placing the vixen in his lap. She quickly wrapped her legs around him, opening her passage and drawing his shaft into her with a hissing sigh. Hot water washed across both Zorrs, plastering their fur to their bodies. The todd thought Sapphire's passage was much hotter than the water. She rocked gently back and forth against him, moaning delicately. He could feel the slight bulge of her belly brush against him. It excited the todd to think that a child, his and Sapphire's, was growing within her. "I love you," he whispered into her ear,

The vixen leaned back and smiled. Her blue-black hair hung in streams, framing her face. "And I you... Now and forever." She kissed him again. There was a soft blue-white glow as Sapphire absorbed the manna created by their lovemaking.

* * * *

"You want us to do what?" Pepper asked, not quite understanding the request.

Victor sighed patiently, glancing at his watch. It was almost midnight. The longer they waited, the less plausible their cover story would seem. Fortunately they were almost at the museum, thanks to his cousin's willingness to drive them in their rented floater while he explained the situation.

"We want you to stand guard over us while we go into Dr. Aryan's dream and kick ass, so to speak."

"Wait... You're saying your boss is, possessed?" asked Saul.

"Not yet," Victor replied. "But if we don't do something soon she will be."

"By an ancient magician..."

"Yes."

"Who looks like a unicorn?"

"Pretty much," Sapphire confirmed.

"Why does any of this make sense?" the detective mumbled.

Pepper laughed. "Maybe because it's so far out of our purview that we have nothing to form a reference with."

"It's quite simple really," Gwen explained. "I will use a spell to enter Dr. Aryan's dream, bringing both Sapphire and Victor with me. Between the three of us, we should be able to free her from Cypriana's influence and drive the sorceress back into the tapestry. You two," the skunkette added, "Will make sure no one comes into the office and bothers us. If we're not finished in, let's say three hours, you'll wake us up."

"Yes I know," Pepper intoned... "Sapphire first, then Vic then you."

"Right."

"So... What do we do if this Dr. Aryan wakes up?" she asked.

"By now, Cypriana probably has her so befogged with lack of rest she couldn't wake up if she wanted to. That will work to our advantage because she will be trying to control the doctor's dreams and fight us at the same time. Even for the best dream-walker, it's a difficult, if not impossible task."

"Dream-walker?" asked Saul.

"Someone who can enter and observe or even manipulate the dreams of others," explained Gwen.

"Great... One more thing to be paranoid about," he muttered.

The floater pulled into the parking structure next to the museum and everyone got out. All were dressed as if they were going out on the town save Saul who still wore his football jersey and tweed coat combination. Popping the trunk, he reached in and retrieved a large cooler of ice containing several bottles of champaign, a variety of soda and beer. Gwen grabbed balloons and flowers while Sapphire handed out several gaily-wrapped boxes.

"When we get to the door, let me do the talking," Victor said. "If the guard asks you anything, just plead ignorance and say you're my guests. That should get us in with a minimum of fuss and bother."

"What if she isn't here?" asked Pepper.

"She's here. I called the guard before we left and confirmed it. As far as he knows, we're throwing her a late night surprise party.

"And the occasion?"

"Call it an anniversary celebration. Next week is her second year on the board of governors. We're just jumping the gun a little."

One corner of Saul's mouth turned up in a quirky half-smile. "I can tell you and Pepper must have been cut from the same cloth."

"Yeah, we're a matched set," Pepper chuckled. "He's the waistcoat and I'm the skirt."

"I was thinking of something more devious... like plaid."

The banter stopped as they approached the side entrance of the museum. Victor slid his access card through the reader then punched in his personal code. There was a buzzing and the lock clicked open. Saul held the door open until everyone was in then closed it behind him. The todd repeated the process with the inner door. A middle-aged human wearing a security guard's uniform greeted them.

"Evening professor... Got some friends with you I see."

Victor engaged his most personable smile. "What good is a surprise party without guests? Is Dr. Aryan still here?"

"Yeah, she's in her office like I said before."

"Fantastic." He turned to the others. "See, I told you we could take her by surprise." The todd looked craftily at the guard as he slipped him a hundred credit chit. I'd appreciate it if you'd turn off the cameras on the executive level. No sense in ruining our private little party."

The human smiled and winked. "Sure professor, but only on that level mind you. If that's okay with you."

Victor signed into the visitor's as V. Peabody and Par-Tee. "We don't plan on going anywhere in the museum you won't know about, Marcus." Grinning, the guard waved them through.

Riding the elevator to the executive level the five figures remained silent, lost within their own thoughts. When the doors opened Victor peeked out to look at the security camera. The red light was off.

"Okay everyone," Sapphire whispered. "From this point out, no loud noises. We don't want to take a chance of accidentally alerting Cypriana that we're here."

"Can she really hear us?" Pepper asked.

The blue-furred vixen nodded. "Anything that might startle Dr. Aryan while asleep could easily warn her of our presence." At Sapphire's urging, everyone removed their shoes and left them next to the elevator. Victor then led them silently down the hallway.

Using his access card he managed to get them as far as the outer office. When he tried Aryan's door however he found it locked. He looked up at Sapphire. "Looks like we need a little magic here," he whispered,

The djin raised her hands preparatory to casting when Pepper gently touched her shoulder.

"Can this sorceress of yours sense magic?"

"Perhaps," the blue-furred vixen said.

"Allow me then." Reaching into her purse the detective pulled out a small pouch and plucked a couple of long, thin tools from it. These she deftly slid into the lock and moved back and forth. After about ten seconds of work there was a small click. The office door swung slowly open.

"Show-off," muttered Sapphire. Pepper responded by giving her a toothy grin.

The group stealthily entered the office. There was very little ambient light, but that presented no problem for the anthrops. Saul on the other hand had to be carefully led in by Pepper until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Looking around, Victor quickly spotted Dr. Aryan lying on a large, fold out couch underneath the tapestry. The woman was not resting quietly. She tossed and turned several times as Victor and the others spread out around her. Alyssa wasn't wearing anything save her underwear.

The two detectives found themselves staring up at the hanging, their eyes drawn to it by some, undefined sense, almost like that of a moth to a flame. They looked back to see everyone else in the process of removing their clothes. "What's going on?" whispered Saul puzzled.

"We have to lay next to Dr. Aryan and physically touch her to enter her dream," Gwen explained. "There's no sense getting our clothes wrinkled, and the more contact we have with her, the better the dream connection."

The three furs settled upon the bed, crowding around and enveloping the restless human. Gwen reached up and touched Alyssa's forehead. "Sleep," she whispered. The human immediately went quiet. Closing her eyes, the skunkette once again reached into herself and evoked the dream-walking spell. There was a soft glow. Everyone's eyes closed and the figures all seemed to fold in on each other.

Observing from nearby, the two detectives heard and felt a soft sigh escape from their friends. Saul looked over at Pepper. "Doesn't look like there's much more we can do except watch."

"That and hope," she replied.

To be continued.