Fire Work, A Building Faith Side Job
By Ellf
Chapter Ten

Disclaimer: Jim Butcher owns the Dresden Files, any other works of fiction mentioned are not owned by me.

While it had taken us some time to find the warehouse, we hadn't really actually gone all that far from the barbecue, maybe only a couple miles. We'd also been walking in a less-than-ideal path to get to our destination. It took us maybe half an hour to walk from the lot behind the warehouse to the cross street that had St. Mary's on the other side, and I swear we smelled the barbecue long before we could even see the belfries of the church. The combined scents of succulent baby back ribs, juicy hamburgers, and, yes, properly cooked hot dogs wafted down the streets, drawing us in as we walked closer. When we had been there before, the food had been cooking, sure, but now it had the chance to be fragrant, carrying on the breeze. My mouth watered at the thought of the food that was going to be available to us. I might not have been as much of a foodie in this life as in my last one, but I still enjoyed a well-cooked meal. One of the things Daddy did was help with the cooking here, and I couldn't wait to sink my teeth into anything and everything that was going to be available. As we waited at a crosswalk, a loud gurgling sound came from my sister's and my stomachs simultaneously.

I let out a small giggle at that. Neither Molly nor I had eaten much since breakfast, wanting to save our appetites for the barbecue. The only reason we even got the milkshakes in the first place was because the day promised to be a hot one.

"I told the two of you that you should have eaten something at Burger King," Harry said. "But did you listen? No."

"You didn't tell us anything like that," Molly said, placing a hand on her hip. "Besides, there's a barbecue. Right over there. That you're invited to. So don't try to weasel out."

"And you better go find Daddy when we get in, Harry. He'd probably like to talk to you." I smiled at our mentor as the signal shifted. The three of us crossed the street, but as we passed under the crossing signal, I winced as I heard the bulbs short out. Guess the combined aura of the three of us was enough to mess with the older electronics, or it burned out on its own and was just rotten timing. Either way, I still winced, but I continued once we were past it. "I don't think the two of you have talked much since February."

"All right, kid," Harry said with a smile. "I'll go talk to your dad, and I'll stay for the barbecue. The two of you did good today."

Molly and I gave each other a not-so-surreptitious high five, and Harry shook his head. We looked at him, and we grinned simultaneously, cocking our heads to the side. "Thank you, Harry."

"You're welcome. Now, let's go get this party started." Harry gestured at the barbecue as we approached its edge. "Have some fun, you two. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

I chose not to reply, as I really didn't want to bring up something that could have been hurtful here. Molly followed my lead, and the two of us smiled at Harry before making our way into the crowd of people. If anything, the barbecue seemed a little more crowded than before, but Molly and I had a target in mind. We needed to make a beeline for the food. Hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, whatever… We'd get our fill and grab a table. Or a spot at one, either or.

We had been so focused on the food table that we almost didn't notice until too late as we nearly bumped into someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're—Faith, Molly?" Mattie. We'd almost bumped into our little brother. A smile came to his face and he gave each of us a one-handed hug. In his other hand, he held a well-topped hot dog that he kept a decent distance away from the dress. "Finally! Mom and Dad were wondering when the two of you would get here. Danny said that you two weren't coming, but I said you were. Mister Dresden wasn't going to keep the two of you forever."

We smiled and ruffled his hair. "We actually managed to get Harry to show up to this thing. He and Daddy will get to have that talk that they've been putting off."

Mattie looked between the two of us. "You're doing it again, Faith and Molly. Why are you doing it again?"

"Hungry, actually," we said, glancing past our brother toward the food. "Sorry, it's… we'll stop if you want."

"Well, we can get some food," Mattie said, being oddly helpful. "It's just this way."

We narrowed our eyes. Well, there were a few reasons that our brother would be trying to be helpful in this way. Of course, we'd be pretty poor older sisters if we let him get away with it this easily. "You're trying to get rid of us."

"What? No, I'm not. The food's this way." Mattie gestured, but then he glanced back behind us, and we half-turned, following his gaze. Oh, so that's what he was looking at. Suddenly it all made sense.

"She's cute, Mattie," I said as we mutually decided splitting the conversation here would ensure the best results.

"What's her name?" Molly asked. The girl in question looked to be about our brother's age, about eleven or so, and her hair was a dark red. She wore a pair of thigh-length shorts and a blue tank top. She held a cup in one hand and was placing a burger on a picnic table with the other.

"Jenny…" Mattie said in wonder before shaking his head. "Food's over there… Go on."

"Okay, okay," I said. "We'll just be—"

"—on our way. Have fun with Jenny, Matthew." Molly said, and the two of us gave him a kiss on his cheeks in a fluid motion before moving toward the food. We weren't going to be around to embarrass him in front of his new friend. Besides, the two of us really were hungry. When we got to the food table, we each grabbed a plate and started loading up on the foods we wanted and napkins. We needed plenty of napkins.

After gathering up enough food to feed all the hungry in China, we made our way to a table and sat in unison to eat. Given how hungry we were, we ate swiftly, giving only the most casual regard for our neatness. Luckily, most of the foods we grabbed wouldn't have anything fall out and onto our nice new dresses, and those that did, we chose to be extra careful with.

As we were finishing up our last bite, a familiar person slid onto the seat between Molly and I, bringing a smile to my face. She managed to find us pretty easily, but then again, we were a pair of tall identical twins wearing identical patriotic dresses in this crowd. If she was looking hard, she'd be able to find us. Becca snaked an arm around my back and I returned the favor.

"Faith, Molly, you two here to stay now?" Becca asked. "Or are you just stopping for food?"

"We're staying," Molly said.

"Finished up the job that we were doing," I continued. "We'll be here till the end."

"I'm glad," Becca said. "As fun as this is, it'll be more fun with you here."

Molly looked at Becca and I, a smile playing on her face, followed quickly by a frown. "Crap, I just realized…"

"What?" Becca turned toward Molly, and then she noticed what was on the table next to her plate. Heck, I noticed it too. I couldn't believe that Molly still had that with her. "Wait, is that a—"

"Rocket or missile firework, yeah," Molly said, cutting Becca off.

"How'd you get it? I never thought your dad would be doing anything about getting that sort of thing…"

"It's a bit of a long story," I said, glancing at the rocket. "We should do something about it."

"Don't worry, Fai. I'll handle it," Molly said, standing up, but Becca and I stood as well. "No. I forgot I was carrying it. I'll deal with it, Fai. You two hang out for a bit."

"If you're sure," I said a little uneasily. I really didn't want Molly getting in trouble for any sort of accident that I should have remembered too.

"She's sure, Fai." Becca wrapped her arm around me again. "I know that face of hers. Pity that we won't get to light it."

Molly shrugged. "Maybe if we weren't at a church barbecue. I'll bring it somewhere safe. You two enjoy yourselves."

Becca nodded, and I did as well. Molly scooped up the cartoonishly large rocket and slipped it into her dress. If I hadn't known it was there and specifically looked for it, I wouldn't have even been able to tell that she'd had it. My sister gave a grin and she headed off into the crowd. If I were to judge at the time, she probably had been headed toward Harry's general direction.

"So," Becca said, her arm still wrapped around my waist.

"So," I returned. "What now?"

"Well, I did see a more or less private area..." Becca said, and I smiled. My older girlfriend pulled me along and she led me near the shed we'd been at that morning. People mostly seemed to be gathered near the tents that we'd set up and the tables and games that were near them. We happened to be in a nearly perfect area that was blocked from view of most of the grounds.

"Well, you have me all alone now…" I said, my voice taking on what I felt was an intentionally husky tone.

"Mm-hmm," Becca said, and she cupped my chin, pulling me down to her height. Now, this was something that I hadn't really considered doing near the church at all, but I can't say that I wasn't happy about the situation. Becca certainly was. The two of us enjoyed our private time together in ways that probably were inappropriate for the area we were in, but we definitely enjoyed it. The Church would come around eventually, and the day was special anyway. Honestly, I was probably more likely to get in trouble due to my magic than with what Becca and I were do—

"Mo-Faith?" A younger voice coming from a person clearly confused asked. "Oh, eww…"

I pulled away from Becca and looked at the source of the voice. My sister, Alicia, stood not far, near a soccer ball that had somehow ended up back behind the shed. Her glasses were a little smudged from her play, but that didn't mean she didn't just see what Becca and I were doing.

"Alicia, this uh…" I looked down at Becca and where her hands were… and where my hands were.

Becca smiled up at me and gave a squeeze before turning her head toward my sister. "Hi there."

"You two were…" Alicia shook her head, but then she took a good look at me. "Faith. Why were you kissing her?"

"Uh…" How was I supposed to answer my seven-year-old sister here? She might read on a seventh or eighth grade level, but this was the early 2000s. That sort of literature didn't really cover my current situation much yet. "I like her…"

"Huh." Alicia blinked. "So girls can like girls too?"

"Yeah, they can, sweetie," Becca said. "And I like your sister."

Alicia came over and hugged me, something that surprised me a little as she was usually a little more withdrawn. Maybe it had something to do with the soccer game she was playing earlier. "I like her too. She and Molly lend me books."

"Yeah, and I've got a few new ones to recommend to you if you're done with those last ones, sis." I ruffled my sister's hair and gave a slightly apologetic look to Becca. "So, what brought you back here? The ball?"

"Yeah. Sarah Mitchell kicked it too hard and I volunteered to come get it."

"But then you saw us," I said with a knowing smile. "Sorry for interrupting your game."

"I'm glad you're here, Faith." Alicia smiled up at me, her dark bangs framing her face in a cute way.

"Yeah, me too. Score a goal for me, will you?"

"One for me too, sweetie." Becca untangled herself from me. The two of us walked over with my sister after she retrieved the soccer ball and we watched her play a bit. As I'd noted earlier in the day, Alicia had been damn good. It wasn't long before the rest of my family ended up joining Becca and I on the sidelines, each of us cheering for Alicia and her team as they went along.

Harry and Daddy were having a pleasant conversation with each other, clearly enjoying their company, and I was pretty sure that not a single word out of either of their mouths had to do with work. Well, other than maybe Uncle Sam. That had been a weird enough experience that it was worth sharing with those in the know, but obviously we couldn't go into any huge detail in the middle of the barbecue.

Later that evening, after the sun had gone down, most everyone had managed to find a seat somewhere. Molly and I sat together with our friends and family. Becca sat to the left of me, Molly to my right. Drew sat behind me, near his folks, while Mom and Daddy sat near Harry with Hope and my younger brother Harry near them. All of my other younger siblings were seated nearby, and we were all sorts of ready for what was coming.

The fireworks display that the barbecue committee had arranged was a testament to the professionalism of those hired. The show was beautiful and fun, and it lasted about thirty-five minutes in all. It was one thing to see and hear fireworks exploding within a warehouse, and it was a different thing entirely to watch the show done in person. This was how they were meant to be used. Having them explode in the warehouse had seemed to be such a waste.

Around the time the fireworks show ended was when the people gathered for the barbecue started to retreat toward their homes. Mom loaded up the jawas into the minivan and took them home, leaving Molly, Daddy and I at the barbecue alongside Harry. Becca'd had to go home with her mom, but she'd promised to contact me after the holiday was over.

While we were supposed to help with the cleanup, Harry had gestured for us to come over to him, and we did so.

"All right, Grasshoppers. You did good today, and we all had a little bit of fun. But there's one thing that I'd like you to try before I say the lesson is over for the day." Harry reached into his duster and pulled out the rocket Molly had had earlier, planting its stick into the ground.

We understood what he wanted immediately, but we looked to Daddy, given that the rocket was obviously illegal.

"Go ahead, girls," Daddy said. "I'd like to see this."

Oh good. No pressure.

We drew the circle around us in the dirt, and we snapped it closed. Focusing our combined will, we knew what we needed to do, what we needed to have done, and we knew that this spell would be possible to accomplish without having to use something that would focus it. All we needed to do was focus properly, and we'd be able to get this done.

We each stretched out a hand at the rocket, letting the buildup of will and power do its thing. We focused the anger and annoyance we felt, compressing it. We broke the circle, grinning and we released our spell. "Infiernius!"

Well, what do you know? The fire worked.