Release

"Actually, I prefer the term 'warlock'," Munch said, looking decidedly uncomfortable. "And before somebody says it, because I know one of you will, I couldn't have prevented any of the things that happened." He cast his eyes downward. "Except Kia's death. I never should have asked for her help."

"Who was she?" Alex found herself asking.

"The head of my coven," he said, and his voice caught as he added, "My friend."

"I'm sorry," Alex said, and she meant it. She glanced around at the others, surprised by the hostile looks on Elliot, Fin, Cragen and even Olivia's faces. Sledge had backed away and was practically hiding behind Dr. Huang, who was scowling at Munch. Bobby was observing again, his face absolutely blank. Alex cleared her throat. "So, what do we do now, burn him at the stake?" For a second, she thought Fin was going to go find some matches, but then they all turned away, leaving Munch standing alone at the far end of the room. With a glance at her partner, Alex and Bobby made their way over to him.

"Well, that could have gone better," Munch said dryly.

"They'll get over it," Alex said. "Now, what can you do about this curse?"

"I told you, nothing. You have to do it. I can help; we're all going to have to help, but you have to lead the ritual."

"Ritual?" Alex asked, swallowing hard. He nodded.

"Don't worry, there's no demon calling or animal sacrifices. You just draw a circle and spread some salt. It's all very repetitive, very formulaic. Not even Elliot can screw it up."

"Is Raum like you, a warlock?" Bobby asked. Munch nodded.

"A warlock, yes, but not like me. He works outside the laws of the Council, outside the laws of nature, sometimes. He's one of the most powerful, most dangerous, most deserving of his name." They glanced up as Fin approached.

"How long?" he asked, refusing to look at his partner.

"Long time," Munch replied. "Long before I came here."

"And it never occurred to you to tell me? I'm your partner, John, your friend." He finally made eye contact, not even bothering to hide the anger, the pain in his eyes.

"I know, and I've lost friends, I've lost wives, because of this, because they couldn't handle what I can do, what I am. I didn't want to risk losing you, too." They just stared at each other for a moment.

"Do you have any idea how queer that sounded?" Fin finally said, shaking his head as a cockeyed smile lifted the corner of his mouth. Munch laughed, the tightness across his shoulders easing. There was nothing worse than the thought of losing your partner; Alex knew that first hand. She glanced up at him, but he was a million miles away. Without thinking, she reached up and laid her hand against his cheek, letting his stubble scrape along her palm. He looked down at her, a question in his eyes, one that she couldn't answer. Was it just the incubus driving her to touch him, or something more? She didn't know.

His hand caught hers as she started to turn away, bringing it up to his lips. He planted a gentle kiss upon the back of her hand, then let her go and walked away.

"Okay, um, the curse, yes," she said to Munch, suddenly finding it difficult to convert her jumbled thoughts into a coherent sentence. She kept glancing at Bobby as he dragged his chair a little closer and straddled it, his faded jeans tight across his thighs, his arms resting on the back of the chair. Irritated with herself, she looked away. "Let's fix this."