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Chapter 149: Attempt to Negotiate

Nathanial woke up feeling extremely anxious. A glance about revealed that it was 7:05am; Nick's alarm would be going off in twenty-five minutes and his in ten.

Nick was sound asleep, as were Geoff, Dad, and Conor, but everyone else in the house was up and about. Liam, Faelen, Ciaran, Aoife, Avery, and Dirk were all in the gym. Liam, Faelen, and Ciaran were on the mats going through kung fu forms, while Aoife, Avery, and Dirk were at the free weights pumping iron while watching the others. Faeden, Aedan, and Ainbertach were on the third floor watching TV in the pub.

The rest were in the ballroom sitting at some tables by the large windows drinking tea and nibbling on cookies.

It really was beautiful outside, so Nathanial could well understand their choice; the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, the grass was gilded with frost, and wisps of fog drifted through the dips in the lawn. There were even some clouds in the distance this morning that were faintly illuminated, turning them a deep lilac.

Not so far in the distance, two news vans had just pulled up outside his gate, joining the seven paparazzi already camped there, which were likely what had caused Nathanial's anxiety, drawing him out of his slumber. One guy had decided to catch photos of him and his family if they tried to sneak out the back way; he had a ladder set back a bit from the fence, all covered in camouflage to try to avoid detection, and peered at the house through a large telephoto lens. From his position, he could see most of the backyard, the back door, through the kitchen window, and along the side of the house holding the ballroom. The Forest Polecat might even be able to see the O'Conalls drinking tea.

Nathanial cuddled into Geoff to try to find comfort. Why couldn't these guys just leave him alone? He didn't want_to get into a fight, verbal or physical, and having to deal with the paparazzi this early in the morning felt so daunting. Maybe if he ignored them they'd go away. If they were here _this early though, then they were likely prepared to wait him out even if it took hours. It was doubtful they expected him to go anywhere before school.

Sucked for them; Nathanial wasn't going_to school...but his brothers were. Nathanial felt his heart rate nearly double.'Fuckers!'_ Nathanial almost luxuriated in his anger; it made him feel powerful, invincible. He whispered, "Little predators becoming prey, hiding out 'fore light of day. Shadow cloaked on the street, my wrath they're about to meet--"

Geoff grumbled and fidgeted in his sleep. The tenseness of Nathanial's muscles and the vibrations of uncontrolled magic probably disturbed him. Nathanial fell silent and gently stroked Geoff's brow, letting his anger seep away. He knew he'd said something, but couldn't remember what. Oh well. He focused on the Wolf beside him. Geoff had been so scared last night. Even when Nathanial tried to prove he was fine, Geoff still insisted on going no more than an arm's length away. It took Geoff _hours_to fall asleep, too; Nathanial could feel his boyfriend's heart beating more quickly than normal when Nathanial woke briefly some time well after midnight.

The unloading of the news vans drew his attention back outside. When did the first person get there? Had they been spying most of the night? No, he would've noticed if they'd arrived while he was still awake, so they must've shown up after midnight...which, technically, _was_still most of the night. Had they spied on Micah? Nathanial knew his baby brother liked sneaking out after Nick finally fell asleep.

He felt his anger building, but Nathanial tried to keep it at bay. It frightened everyone, and while these guys deserved_to be scared into mindlessly following his will, Agent Ella was probably right; he'd get more in the long run through negotiation and understanding. But these guys were probably just waiting for a moment of weakness to publish horrific crap, just like that Rita Skeeter character in the _Harry Potter books.

'If the villain and the pup can't do it, then let the hero take a shot.'_Nathanial slipped out from under Geoff's arm and telekinetically brought his 'agent's suit' over. It took very little time to dress, just enough to bring some of his fog bombs over from Faelen's stuff in Nick's room. He donned his 'wunderkind' expression along with the glasses and felt his shivering paws still. _'In brightest day, in darkest night.'

Snow sniffed at the barriers between planes. *Are we hunting? We like this prey.*

Nathanial shook his head and opened a portal to the front yard at a spot by the garage where he'd be out of sight of everyone. *No. Not yet, anyway.* Agent Hugh had been really pissy last night after Liam finished arguing with him, and Nathanial didn't want to add any aggravations to the Badger's long list of grievances. *We'll see how they respond to negotiations.*

Snow stepped out of the shadows beside him. *Not_yet? _We can still hope.* He sniffed the air, purple eyes gleaming maliciously. *Fear is close. We recognise the taste from some of these ones. This prey remembers the last time they stalked our alpha and his kin. They remember and tremble. We are pleased.*

Nathanial remembered, too. One of these shitheads stalked Nick the whole way home from school, with others joining as they got closer to home. At the time, Nathanial had thought they'd just confused Nick for him, since they looked so much alike, but he later realised they really couldn't have gotten them confused. Nick went to George Montagu-Dunk Junior High, and Nathanial went to Dalhousie Collegiate; they were in completely different directions. If all those other reporters got the right_school, then the information must've been fairly easy to get, so the other guys must've gone after Nick deliberately. First, they had to find out Nathanial even _had siblings, then what ages, what grades they were in, what they looked like, and so on. Well, if that information was available, it could be used in more than one way.

He looked through the wallet of one of the offending paparazzi: a Hamster. His press pass and driver's license gave him a name, address, and age. Wilbur Redenbacher. Lived in Scituate, Massachusetts. Nathanial brought up the address on the computer as he looked at the sundry other bits of info in the wallet. There were five photos. One of a newborn Hamster and one of a young child; both had the same name scrawled on the back, along with some dates. Julie Redenbacher, obviously Wilbur's daughter. Another picture showed Wilbur, Julie, and some Gerbil that was probably his wife. A picture of said wife holding Julie's paw at the door to an elementary school, dated from September. The last showed Wilbur pulling up the 'For Sale' sign in front of a house; it had a date of July 12, 2011 on the back, and a scrawled note: 'First House!' A Toyota Camry sat in the driveway.

The computer search showed the street view of the address in question, and it matched the one in the picture. A young Hamster sat on a bicycle, her face was blurred out of course, wearing a pink t-shirt, and a Gerbil lady sat nearby on a lawn chair watching. Wilbur stood in the driveway washing a newer model Camry.

Nathanial smiled vindictively. 'Perfect.'_Just for reference, he scanned through the other reporters' wallets and purses for their names. First, however, he needed to deal with the scum in his backyard. He _could handle it himself, but the guy wasn't Canadian, so getting him arrested would deal with the problem for a long time -- possibly permanently -- without actually hurting him.

Nathanial pulled out his phone, and dialled 9-1-1. A young male Cat, judging by the voice, answered. "9-1-1. Police, ambulance, or fire?"

Nathanial began trotting toward the front of the property. "Police." A glance through the phone showed he was wrong; the guy was a Red Fox.

The Fox punched a few keys on his keyboard, bringing up a police dispatch window. "What is the location in question?"

Nathanial calmly stated, "Number 12, Victoria Crescent, Halifax."

The Fox quickly entered that, too; he seemed much more efficient than the lazy, brown Dog sitting in the next cubicle over who typed very slowly. "What is the emergency?"

"There's some guy sitting on a ladder at the edge of my property staring at my house through a camera. He's even tried to hide himself in some camouflage netting and branches."

The Fox nodded and typed that verbatim. "Are you certain he's not bird watching?" He clicked the _'dispatch'_button on the window.

Nathanial grimaced. "Yes. My yard is surrounded by a stone wall, and the forest out back is too dense right there to make for good bird watching, He's also aiming the camera toward the windows and doors of my home."

The Fox looked disgusted. "I've dispatched a car. The police should arrive in four minutes. May I have your name and get a call-back number?" Nathanial quickly provided the information. "Thank you. Please don't hesitate to call back if the situation changes."

"I won't. Thanks for your help." Nathanial drew his mind back and hung up. He pocketed the phone and sent his mind to the ballroom. He didn't really want to interrupt Micah, who sat at a table with Lorena and nibbled on an oat cookie as he chatted merrily, but Nathanial had other work to do. *Micah.* He began trotting toward the front wall.

Micah's cheerful grin grew wider in delight. "Hi, Nats! How are you?" The Spirits looked about in confusion. "He's talking in my head. I dunno where he is."

*'Don't know,' and I'm out front. We've got a reporter problem I need your help with.*

Micah frowned and wagged a finger at the air in front of him. *No siccing Snow on them.*

Nathanial smiled and rubbed Snow's ear. *Not unless this doesn't work. I've called the police to deal with someone spying on us out back.* Micah nodded enthusiastically. *You've seen him?*

Micah bounced in his seat, almost spilling his tea over. *Yup! Yup! He's on a ladder not too far from the gate. I snuck right up behind him and did some pranks, but he didn't notice yet. You want me to lead the cops to him?*

Nathanial should've known Micah would have noticed and had to investigate. He wondered what sort of pranks Micah pulled if the paparazzo hadn't noticed yet. *Yes, I do, but try to get them as close as possible -- non-magically -- without the camera guy noticing. The police should be here in a few minutes. I'll be talking to the rest of the paparazzi out front.*

Micah crammed the cookie into his mouth and hopped out of the chair. *Okie dokie, dukey!*

Nathanial smiled at the cartoon reference and sprinted the last few metres to the wall, just in case someone poked a camera through the bars to look about. *I'll send the police to the front door.*_He ended the spell. _'Now for the other vermin.'

He leant against the wall and called over. "My, oh my." Just like the Knights at the airport, these people pointed their weapon of choice toward the sound of his voice. "What early mornings some people have. The early predator catches the prey and all, eh?" A chorus of voices, all shouting to be heard over each other, filled the momentary silence. Even with his magical senses, Nathanial could only make out one word in three. He shook his head, and then barked in his most authoritative voice, "Silence!" A pleasing quiet replaced the cacophony. "You were presumably demanding I come out to answer some questions and to let you take some photos, I couldn't tell because of all the shouting, but I must ask: what's in it for me? So, how's about we make a deal?"

A barrage of dollar figures assaulted his ears as the foreign media tried to outbid each other. The representatives of the national outlets shook their heads and stepped back. The reporter from the Global TV news crew called out amidst the bidding, "We don't pay for interviews." One of the paparazzi snickered and upped his bid.

Nathanial smiled and answered, "I know, Samantha. I'm not looking for money." A hush fell over the crowd, again. Samantha, a pretty young Collie, looked a little uncertain. "I'm looking to establish a few rules to this game. First, turn off all cameras and recording devices, so we can negotiate face to face." The individuals and groups on the other side of the wall all exchanged nervous looks. "I'm watching you. Turn them off."

One paparazzo, a British-sounding Ringed Seal, shook her head. "Why?"

An expected question. "When training ferals, it's very important to reward good behaviour. You lot won't see hide nor hair of me unless you show good behaviour. I remember the last time you camped outside my gates, but it's more important to reward the good than punish the bad." The intentional insult increased the ire of the interviewers, but the reminder of the end of said campout raised the level of unease, too.

Reluctantly, they began turning off their cameras. The Ringed Seal, Elaine, and Wilbur were the last two. The reporters and paparazzi showed each other their devices; apparently they didn't exactly trust each other. Good. Wilbur growled as he said, "They're off."

Nathanial hopped up to the top of the wall. "So I see." He stood in that body guard stance he saw the O'Conalls adopt and stared down at those beneath him through the dark glasses. The bottoms of his hindpaws were well above the tops of their ears, so he knew it made for an intimidating spectacle. He intoned, "Rule one. My family is off limits. No questions, no exceptions. This is non-negotiable." He looked directly at Wilbur. "This means you have no reason to be taking pictures of children leaving George Montagu-Dunk Junior High." People began edging away from Wilbur.

The grey Hamster flushed angrily beneath his fur. "To get stories of a target, asking family is the first and best choice. Nicholas grew up with you; who better to ask?"

Again, expected. Nathanial began pacing along the narrow wall. "So, Mr. Reporter -- and thus, public figure --_you're saying I'd be well within my rights to park outside Hatherly Elementary, and follow a certain Julie Redenbacher home along Ann Vinal Road? I don't know if your lovely young Gerbil wife would appreciate that. Or does she pick Julie up in your Camry rather than walk? I've heard Camrys occasionally have problems with uncontrolled acceleration; she should be careful. _Very careful." He stopped pacing and silently glared down at a trembling Wilbur.

The silence stretched on for over a minute, until Samantha cleared her throat. "Family is off limits. Got it. No contest."

Nathanial nodded curtly. "Next, and related, no school photos. No bothering other students. Mrs. Jordan was very upset with you last time, and you frightened a lot of my classmates with your aggressive behaviour."

The faces of many of the paparazzi fell into deep scowls at his demand, including Wilbur's, but he seemed far too cowed to voice his aggravation. Elaine, who seemed to have no family or at least no photos of them, voiced what many seemed to be thinking. "So how are we supposed to get any character references of you if we can't talk to your family or school mates? I'm betting your next demand is to leave your _friends_alone, too!"

He certainly didn't want Geoff's face plastered on papers around the world with his location in bold font beneath it. His smile was tight and thin. "My friends are mostly in my class, those that aren't are adults -- primarily in law enforcement. If you want to pester some cops and tread very close to the legal definitions of harassment, go right ahead. My friends at school fall under the current rule -- off limits."

The sound of an engine at this early hour caused a few heads to turn in its direction. Growls resounded as the police cruiser rounded the bend in the road. Samantha frowned up at Nathanial. "We haven't broken any laws!"

"No, you haven't, Samantha. Clear the drive, please." The police cruiser slowed as it approached. Nathanial mentally tapped the button to open the gate, and rolled his fingers to get the cop to lower her window. Funnily enough, it was the same Rabbit who shot the Hunter when he was car jacked. Liam said her name was...Officer Steinbach? Yes? He was pretty sure that was the name; apparently she was also involved in the troubles at the hospital, too. Liam spoke well of her, which was saying quite a lot. "Hi, Officer Steinbach. It's nice to see you again."

The long-eared Rabbit poked her head out of the passenger window. "What are you doing up there, Nathanial!? Jeepers! I thought it was only your Rottie friend that was part Kangaroo."

Some of the paparazzi began muttering angrily to each other, discussing the possible issues with Nathanial's second rule. It looked like he mightn't get this one without concessions. Even the promise of actually talking to them mightn't be enough when weighed against finding some student -- like Betty -- willing to say horrible things about him.

Nathanial shrugged, grinning a bit bashfully. "I don't like being surrounded. Anyway, I don't need any help out here. My brother is at the front door and will lead you to the trouble. Please, drive in."

She nodded. "Okay. Be careful up there. You could get hurt if you fell, don't you know."

Nathanial smiled a bit more broadly. "Yes, ma'am." Officer Steinbach rolled up her window, and her partner drove up the drive.

Elaine once again took the role of spokesperson. The Seal waved her flipper in front of her broad nose as if trying to clear a foul odour. "Not a chance. Keeping us from your family is understandable, but it's taking a huge chunk out of our potential profits. The public wants to know about you, all about you, and that includes parents and siblings. Now, you're demanding we can't learn anything about your mates and school life? Hah! It's not worth two minutes of tape and a few staged photos. I'd rather say no deal and try to get some photos of you anyway, even if you end up sneaking around."

Wilbur looked really unhappy about that. "If I--"

Elaine cut him off. "Grow a pair, would you? He's not about to go sabotaging your car, especially not when he's up here."

Nathanial put on a contemplative mask. "What if I strongly recommend to my principal that she give an interview and that she 'ask' a few of my teachers to do the same? This way Mrs. Davis gets to keep a peaceful school, her students aren't harassed, and you get some interviews you wouldn't otherwise."

The TV crews looked pleased with that suggestion, but the foreign paparazzi hemmed and hawed. A taxi turned onto the crescent with two more camera-carting crooks crammed in the cab. Nathanial hopped backwards off the wall, and called out, "Two more of your colleagues are joining you. Fill them in, and discuss the first two parts of my offer." He leant back against the wall, took off the glasses and let out a quiet, shuddering sigh.

The discussion behind him began almost immediately -- rather, the very heated argument began. Nathanial quickly saw his third point would be needed and almost impossible to obtain -- that being this deal extended to all paparazzi and they would be policing each other. The employed reporters and photographers wanted to take the offer, but the freelance ones were dead set against it. They argued they'd be giving up too much for too little gain. The freelancers also raised the very reason Nathanial had already thought of his third rule: the major media outlets could easily afford to accept the restrictions on some of their employees, gaining the rewards from it, while sending others out to keep harassing Nathanial and his family. The freelancers quite justly thought the playing field would be tipped too far in the major companies' favour.

Did he think he could actually get the paparazzi to police each other and to stay away from his friends and family? Would any of them agree to short interviews and photo ops in return to forgoing the pay-out they might get from candid photos or interviews with people around him? If they were looking to have more of the adversarial 'J. Jonah Jameson' style relationship with him than a closer 'Lois Lane' one, what good would interviewing him be? They wouldn't be all that likely to get the material they wanted that way... though given his research into the villainous reporters, perhaps that mightn't be true.

The cab pulled up to the sidewalk out front and the two new paparazzi soon clambered out. The argument paused for a moment as the two camps tried relaying Nathanial's words in a way that supported their side, but soon the newcomers were left to figure it out as the argument resumed in full force.

In the backyard, Micah led the police from the corner of the house toward the stand of pine trees using the thicket as cover. Micah skipped backwards and looked up at the police, answering a question Nathanial missed. "Yeah, they were here last time Nats was in the news, y'know, when his principal got knocked out and all? They're not very nice." He stopped skipping and stared up with huge puppy dog eyes. The two police officers stopped, too, and looked down at him like their hearts were breaking. Micah clasped his paws beneath his chin pleadingly. "Can't you do something to stop them? Please? They followed me home, and Nick too, sneaking behind us, staring, and snapping pictures." Micah began shivering like he was frightened; Nathanial took a few deep breaths when he felt the grass beneath his hindpaws writhing. Micah's voice could barely be heard and his large, golden, eyes shone with tears. "I-It was so scary."

Snow's nose bumped against Nathanial's cheek. *The Changeling looks frightened, but we smell no fear. We don't understand. How can he show all signs of fear yet not be? Is this like the words in that book that made you angry? Words spoken by others that are real through the mouth of one not real, saying things that are not true in order to make them seem true?*

Snow was right; Micah was just acting frightened in order to get the cops to crack down on the paparazzi. Why? To stop Nathanial from dealing with it? Micah was annoyed with the reporters last time, but he was far more upset with how Nathanial handled it. Nick was furious with Nathanial, and that upset Micah the most. *Yes, it's much the same. He's trying to make sure the police deal with this so I don't have to.*_Snow stayed silent, but Nathanial could tell he was still confused. But...when did Micah get to be so _calculating? Manipulative, even? This must be some one-off event to keep Nathanial from going overboard again.

The male officer, a very lean Savannah Cat, dropped to a knee and pulled Micah into a hug. "I'm sorry, Micah. This is a very grey area in the law. If someone who wasn't a journalist was doing this, then yes, I'd haul their tails to jail immediately." He gently rubbed the back of Micah's head. "But...they are journalists. Your brother is of genuine public interest, and the law is reasonably clear that reporters can engage in otherwise illegal behaviour in pursuit of a story."

Officer Steinbach took off her hat and turned it around and around in her paws. "That's true, but you aren't newsworthy. If you notice someone stalking you, call 9-1-1 immediately. Go somewhere there's a lot of people and ask for help." She put her hat back on and rested her paw on her pistol. "I, or another police officer, will come to help you as fast as we can. We don't let our kits be harassed like that; there's no possible excuse for it." She raised her head and stared off in the direction of the hidden paparazzi with flinty eyes. "So, don't you worry, Micah, the cops are here to help." She reached over her partner and rubbed Micah's ears. "Let's go bag ourselves a bad guy."

Remembering how skilled she was with that gun, Nathanial wasn't too sure he liked her phrasing around Micah, but that's how he_felt, too. He leant back against the wall and quietly sighed. The argument still raged behind him. Could he actually get some concessions? Yes, from _this_group, but from _all of the paparazzi? Very, very, unlikely. Maybe he should just go back to bed and wait for it all to blow over. He closed his mind to the outside for a minute.

When he looked again, Micah and the police officers crouched down in the pines. Micah smiled at the two police and skipped out from behind the trees in full view of photographer. The Forest Polecat snapped a few pictures with machinegun speed before switching to video as Micah leapt into the air, spinning, and began to sing.

The Changeling's bright voice wove into the morning twilight and held the Polecat's attention firm. A chorus of birds chirped in excitement from deeper in the forest before flying en masse to the pines. Micah smiled widely and spun farther away, still singing. The birds swooped down, swirling about him, and then flew about like he was a Spirit directing them. Their song melded with his and drew forth more forest creatures. Rabbits, a family of foxes, a skunk, and dozens of little mice all slipped through Nathanial's gate to either watch or scamper about with Micah.

'I think I should cut down on the number of Disney movies he's allowed to watch.' Nathanial couldn't bring himself to interrupt, though; it was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen or heard. It was almost as enthralling as watching Geoff strip before the Wolf crawled up the bed towards him.

Micah pirouetted, bending down to scoop up a fox before coming to a stop. He met Officer Steinbach's eyes momentarily, snapping her out of her daze, and held the fox close to his face as he sang another line. The fox yipped and wriggled in excitement, licking at Micah's little black nose. Nathanial would dearly love to have that as a photo.

Officer Steinbach slapped her partner on the back of the head when a few prods didn't get his attention. She jerked her head to the far side of the trees, and the two slipped out from behind cover and sprinted to the stone wall. The guy was as good as jailed. It was conceivable_he could argue coincidence in his location, but _filming Micah playing in the backyard was incontrovertible. He'd be jailed. Nathanial initially figured the guy would plead guilty to some small charge and get deported, but the Crown prosecutors would likely push for a stiffer sentence since he was caught filming pups over their backyard fence. Nathanial felt really sorry for him. It was Nathanial's fault the guy was here in the first place because _he_chose to put himself out in front of the media. If he hadn't made himself so newsworthy, then there wouldn't be a high demand for photos of him and this paparazzo wouldn't have been tempted into breaking the law.

Snow 'whuffed' into Nathanial's ear. *When hunting prey, one must always be mindful of one's surroundings. One must also be careful to not turn from predator to prey. This one had forgotten that law and became prey. Alpha, you shouldn't feel sorry. It was that one's_choice to stalk the Changeling, and it was_ that one's carelessness that changed him from predator to prey.*

Nathanial put his sunglasses back on. Snow was right. He draped his arm around Snow's shoulder and leant against him. There was also a way he could turn this to his advantage. If he couldn't get all the paparazzi to swear to leave his friends and family alone, perhaps he could use the arrest of one of their own to scare them into behaving. This arrest made it_abundantly_ clear Micah and Nick were off limits, rendering his first demand moot, and since nothing happened at the school this time, perhaps Mrs. Davis could use the same reasoning to force the media to stay away from her students. At the very least, Friday should be clear. Nathanial would tell them he wouldn't be there, and Mrs. Davis could tell that to the police, too. It might be a bit of a fight, but one the media might find too much trouble to be worthwhile. Nathanial grinned toothily. 'Wonderful.' Snow panted, quite pleased that he'd cheered Nathanial up.

The argument behind him was ratcheting up. The camps were very clearly divided and neither side was budging. Lights flicked on in several of his neighbours houses, and Nathanial noticed the Bertrands next door were calling the cops to complain about the noise. Mrs. Bertrand complained loudly to the operator as she peered out between the blinds at the media vans in front of Nathanial's home. Thankfully, it was still dark enough that she couldn't see Snow. Nathanial pushed his arm out as if stretching, and settled back against the wall. Actually, given the Naked Mole Rat's eyesight, Mrs. Bertrand probably couldn't see him.

'Let's give them a bit more time.' He had a plan, and time would only help. Out back, the Savannah cop put cuffs on the Polecat. Officer Steinbach had a camera and snapped a bunch of pictures of the paparazzo's setup, and began stuffing the smaller objects into the few evidence bags she had on her.

The radio on the two cops' shoulders crackled. "Dispatch to team delta, we have a 5-0-7 at your address. Are you able to handle it?"

Officer Steinbach put the paparazzo's camera onto the middle step of the ladder before thumbing the transmit button. "We've made an arrest here, but we'll need two trips to gather all of the evidence. We'll grab the critical material and see what we can do on the way out."

Nathanial cast a Minor Telepathy spell. *Micah, let the cops do their job. Why don't you check on Nick? It's almost time for his alarm to go off, anyway.*

Micah bounced cheerfully, sending the foxes and skunk scurrying to the cover of the pines. He dashed over to the police. "Nick's about to wake up! I gotta say good morning to him! Bye!" Without waiting for an answer, he turned and bolted toward the house. The three adults stared after him both dumbfounded and incredibly amused.

Nathanial waited a few more minutes until the police were walking around the house; this time they went past the gardens by the ballroom. The conversation inside stopped cold as each Spirit noticed the police and the handcuffed Fur. He noted unhappily there wasn't a single favourable look directed at the police officers; thankfully it seemed the cops thought the hostile expressions were due to the person they escorted. When Officer Steinbach smiled at Lorena and tipped her hat, it broke a bit of the ice. Lorena's ears coloured a touch and she raised her teacup in a return salute.

Eirne laughed and raised her cup, too. "You really appreciate those old gestures, don't you, Lorena? Even _if_it's from a Fur."

Lorena sipped her tea. "I appreciate manners, Eirne, regardless of who has them. There are so few who remember how to be polite -- even amongst our youth -- that I'm happy when _anyone_remembers."

Timid Tuathla picked up the plate of cookies on her table, and hastened over to the doors. She fussedly shook her free paw as she went. "Oh, I'm sorry, Lorena. You're right. I should've offered them a biscuit earlier." She slid open the door. "Oh dear, oh dear. I'm terribly sorry." The police stopped and looked at her in a bit of confusion. "You took me by such surprise I completely forgot to offer you some tea and biscuits."

Eirne rolled her eyes. "It's _fine,_Tuathla. They're busy at the moment."

Sorcha predicted Tuathla's next reaction and gathered up some napkins; the eldest of Lorena's daughter-in-laws met Tuathla at the door when she turned about crying, "Oh! Oh my. Here, let me wrap some up for you, then."

Sorcha passed over the napkins and took the plate. "You can be such a scatterbrain, Tuathla." Aeden's wife smiled over _her_daughter-in-law's head at Officer Steinbach and her partner. "She won't accept a 'no,' officers." Sorcha tipped her head toward the cuffed Polecat. "Who be this, then?"

The Savannah took the proffered package with a nod and smile. "Thank you. They smell wonderful." Tuathla beamed happily. He next answered Sorcha. "This voyeur was camped out back taking pictures of Micah."

Officer Steinbach pulled her prisoner away from the Spirits... just in case their livid expressions preceded action. "Don't you worry, now; he's under arrest and we have all the evidence any court would need to look him up."

Eirne hissed venomously. _"Vermin."_More followed in the same tone, but it must have been in Gaelic or something.

The Polecat spoke in his own defence. "I was looking to get photos of Nathanial for the papers. I'm not a perv."

Tuathla shook her head and wagged a finger at him. "Then you should've asked." She 'tsked' sternly. "I'm betting you stole your mother's biscuits before supper all the time. Like I always told Dirk, 'steal a biscuit now, and you'll be stealing a pound later.' You must be making your mama cry with all of your criminal activities." She pulled the plate from Sorcha's paws and held it protectively close. "No biscuits for you."

The Polecat snorted. "Loony bird. I'm a photographer, not a crook."

Tuathla drew herself up as tall as she could. "Then why are you being arrested?" She glared at him as she passed a package of cookies to Officer Steinbach. "Hmm? Be off with you before I give you the paddling you should've had as a pup. Don't you think I can't. My son is twice the man you are and he still knows to listen to his mama."

Nathanial turned his attention away from the amusing scene behind him to deal with the Furs on the other side of the wall from him. "Well, now." The paparazzi closest to him fell silent and shushed the ones farther back. "Looks like things aren't getting settled out there." A quick check showed the two newcomers had their cameras off, so Nathanial used his telekinesis to help him jump up onto the wall again. He sat down, crossed his right leg over his dangling left one, and hooked his clasped paws around his elevated knee. "So, how is this going to work? There's no point in making an arrangement like this if not everyone is on board. Stopping a couple of bullets out of dozens won't save a life, and--" He gestured at those arguing to accept his deal. "--keeping this few of you away from my friends and family won't stop them from being harassed." He tipped his glasses up to look directly at the recalcitrant paparazzi. "What do you suggest?"

The police officers set out to load their car up. Officer Steinbach paused after stowing the Polecat's camera away to nibble on an oatmeal cookie; she seemed to rather like it.

One of the offenders, a North American Opossum named... Nathanial quickly checked again. ...Billy Joel Thackert from Thixton Kentucky. Billy shook his head. "Nothing. We carry on as we were planning. We take photos and talk to whoever we want."

Nathanial let his glasses fall back into place, hiding his eyes. "Whoever you want?" He smiled toothily. "That sounds like you plan on hunting down my friends and family."

Wilbur Redenbacher shook his head vehemently. _"No!_No, of course not!"

Elaine snorted. "Wuss." She directed her attention up to Nathanial. "'Hunting down' makes it sound like we want to kill them. No, of course not, we just want statements and photos."

The police cruiser started up and Officer Steinbach began quickly ensuring everything was logged. Nathanial pushed off the top of the wall with his paws and telekinesis so he flew up high enough to place his hindpaws beneath him. "Oh, goody. So you'll just be stalking them, harassing them, terrifying them enough that they may charge into traffic to get away from you. I've heard about Princess Diana. Don't you _dare_forget that when people feel hunted, they do dangerous things to try to escape. My baby brother is only eleven, and the last time you fuckers were here you tried to follow him all the way home from his _elementary school!"_He looked squarely at Wilbur. "A school just like some of _your_relatives go to."

The police car began moving. Nathanial took a deep breath and waved the paparazzi toward the right side of the driveway -- the side the arrested photographer sat on. "Turn your cameras on and move to the other side of the drive. You listened to me and at least entertained my attempts at bargaining. I'll answer a few questions." With the promise of potential reward, his orders were quickly followed. He jumped down and stood by the asphalt, ignoring the blinding beams of light coming from both still and video cameras. "First, however." He opened the gate, and gestured at the approaching car. "It seems we have more news." It'd help if he had the Polecat's name. His passport identified him as Jeremy Porter. "Photographer Jeremy Porter was arrested at 7:26 am by the Halifax Regional Police for filming a young child from a hastily made blind at the edge of my property. The blind was mounted on a ladder so Mr. Porter could see over the tall wall out back, and it gave him a view of most of the backyard and many windows." The car slowed to a stop just before it crossed between the two groups. Nathanial waved it forward and called out to the male officer when he rolled down the window. "Move up so the gate can close. I don't want to set the alarm off in the house; people are still sleeping."

The car moved up and Jeremy Porter found himself on the wrong side of the lens for once. Oddly, he didn't enjoy it. Wonderful. Nathanial took care to keep his expression professional, just like the Wunderkind should look. Officer Steinbach unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the car. "What seems to be the problem, eh? We've received reports of a public disturbance." Her partner pulled the car onto the road and parked by the curb. He climbed out as well.

The paparazzi and reporters unleashed a barrage of questions at the two cops and Nathanial, mostly dealing with the arrest. Officer Steinbach looked taken aback, as did her partner. Nathanial cleared his throat and raised his paws. The crowd fell silent. He walked over to stand by the police. "'Public disturbance' means you lot have been too loud. Keep it down." He pointed at Samantha, the reporter from Global TV. "Samantha."

"What charges have been laid against Jeremy Porter?"

"No charges have yet been laid. The police have just made the arrest and will be bringing Mr. Porter back to the station to speak with him and review the evidence." He looked over at the Rabbit. "Officer Steinbach."

She cleared her throat and looked a bit wide-eyed. "Yep, er, yes, that's correct. We... We will review the evidence, but for more information you'll have to call media relations. They should have an idea of when we'll make a statement in a few hours." She shot Nathanial a pleading glance.

Nathanial raised his paw palm up toward the CBC crew. "Colleen?"

The Arctic Hare spoke into her microphone. "Nathanial Marks, when you spoke to us earlier and asked the media to respect your family's privacy, did you know Jeremy Porter was looking over your back wall and that the police were on their way to arrest him?"

Now that he was being recorded, Nathanial realized he needed to take care to phrase things in a way that couldn't be taken out of context. "Yes, I was aware of Mr. Porter's location; I made the call to have him arrested. No matter the dispensation given to the media to pursue a story, no person has the right to invade the privacy of another like that -- especially when children are involved. I may currently be in the public spotlight, but I still have the reasonable expectation of privacy in my own home and on my own property." He looked over at the two officers. "Now that we have someone more knowledgeable on legal matters, perhaps we can find out how family members fit into the public versus private domains."

It appeared Officer Steinbach was the senior partner, because she answered again. "Nathanial Marks is considered 'of public interest' under the law, but his family isn't." Her voice firmed up as did her gaze. "We've already told the youngest Marks to phone us the moment he feels threatened by strangers following him, and we _will_arrest anyone caught stalking him or the middle Marks child. If anyone in the media wishes to speak to them, make those requests to the family lawyer, if they have one, or their father."

Another reporter was about to speak, but Nathanial raised his paw. "So, for the record, Officer, no reporter has any right to continue questioning, photographing, or filming any child when they -- or an authority figure -- have requested they stop?"

The Rabbit nodded sharply. "That's correct."

Nathanial turned to face the cameras and spoke to them. "No one has permission to approach Nicholas or Micah Marks. Any attempt to photograph them or interview them will be considered harassment, and charges will be filed. This is your only warning. No reporter has any reason to go to their schools or talk to any students at them. I will not be going to school today, so no one has any business at my school or to sit outside my property. Lastly, permission must be obtained from the parents of any of my friends that attend my school before photographs may be taken or requests for interviews given. That will be all." He nodded to the police and jumped to the top of the wall. He ignored the calls of the reporters and hopped down on the far side.

Behind him, Officer Steinbach's partner clapped his paws together. "All right, you heard him. Interview is over, so clear out. We've received complaints about the noise, so move on before we get another one and start issuing citations."

Calls for more statements from the cops started up, but Officer Steinbach put a quick stop to them. The two police people climbed into their vehicle and drove away.

Nathanial pulled his sun glasses off, closed his eyes and leant back against the wall with a sigh. He was so tired of this. A week, just one week, to relax. That's all he wanted. Was it too much to ask? He knew the upcoming week wouldn't be quiet, not with the test in Ottawa on Tuesday. Maybe after that would be better; Geoff had a soccer game across the harbour Wednesday, and a double-header in Truro on Saturday. That was an hour away -- a half-hour beyond Shubenacadie, which seemed an extremely long drive with Sgt. Heimdolph -- but it would a really nice change of pace. Micah would be requesting a lot of help in redecorating for his Hallowe'en plans, which could be fun, too. Yeah. A few bits of stressful things, then a lot of interesting, but calming, events afterwards. Next week should be a lot better.

Snow bumped his head against Nathanial's chest.*Does our alpha still want our company?*

Nathanial moved around to stand next to Snow and draped his arm over the thick neck. *Of course.* They began plodding back toward the house, taking care to stay out of sight of the dispersing paparazzi. *I just wish you didn't have to stay hidden so much. You really help keep me stable.*

*We have more legs, Alpha, but you don't seem to fall over very often.* Snow sounded a bit confused. *We are happy to help, though.*

Nathanial laughed, and Snow's tail wagged slowly in response. The large mastiff must be even more perplexed, now. The Akita rubbed his friend's ears. *Mentally stable, not physically. You help me put everything in perspective. Keep what's important in the forefront, and let the other stuff go. You, and Liam, and Faelen, plus lots of others. I don't know what I'd do without all of you.*

Snow raised his head and licked the side of Nathanial's muzzle. *Don't wonder or worry. We are here. We are always one step away from you. The Ancient One will always find his way to you, too, as will the Mist One and Dark One. You are our alpha and...friend.* Snow's mental voice gained an extra bit of certainty. *Yes. You are our friend...Nathanial.*