We hadn’t even made it five blocks away from the burning warehouse vampire lair when I saw the ‘Stang.

It wasn’t just any Black ‘69 Fastback Mustang. It was my car. The one we needed to jog Dad’s memory.

Gavin, still driving noticed too. “What do we do?”

“Cut him off.”

We’d taken and hotwired one of the thugs Caprice classics. It was candy apple red and drew too much attention, but we just needed it to get out of Oakland, or so we thought.

The car lurched forward under Gavin’s heavy foot and cut in front of the ‘Stang. My brother slammed on the breaks and the guy driving my stolen ‘Stang did the same.

I shot out of the passenger seat, leveling the Glock, ready to unload on whoever was in the driver’s seat. I’d had a pretty good day so far and was feeling pretty strong. Besides, I wasn’t going to let anyone come between me and getting Dad back.

A familiar brawny redheaded man threw open the door and got out with his hands up. I’d seen him once before but didn’t put two and two together. A Warrior’s jersey did nothing to hide his swollen muscles bulging from under pocked skin. I don’t even know how he fit in the driver’s seat, let alone inside the frame of the car.

“Step away from my car,” I yelled.

He squinted and blinked at me. “Master Sean O’Farrell?”

And before I could react he charged me and threw me in a bear hug. Smells of sea salt, leather, and barbecue ribs filled my nostrils.

“Just the Irishman I was looking for.”

Only one other person called me “master” besides Rob.

“Iarfhlaith?”

“It’s so good to see you. What are the odds I’d run into you while I had this? Must be the Luck.”

We exchanged pleasantries and then I introduced Gavin.

“The family resemblance is strong indeed,” said Iarfhlaith.

“How do you know Sean again?” asked Gavin.

“Rob is an old friend of mine,” said Iarfhlaith.

Gavin looked puzzled. “Oh. Right.”

“Don’t be fooled by the Glamour. This guy is a Fir Bolg.”

“That makes more sense.”

I eyed the car. Having had a break from her for a bit, I saw her as if for the first time. She had taken a beating. I don’t even know if Dad would recognize his old Fastback. Before accidentally charming the ‘Stang with Luck magic, she’d been punctured by the Banshee’s claws and my katana. I’d scraped her up pretty good while driving through a fence when chasing the Sluagh. She held up nice after I’d accidentally charmed her, but the Dullahan had put an end to that. He thrashed the car with a good length of chain, not to mention the new bullet holes that riddled the body. And between my first fight with the Dearg Due and now, some biker thug had stolen her and added more damage. Plus, who’s to say Iarfhlaith was even a good driver? He may have added more damage to her. But I couldn’t blame the guy. He got her back after all.

I sighed. The Fastback was a mess. Once Dad came to his senses, he’d whoop me. Here’s hoping that came true.

What really pissed me off was that I knew a guy who could fix it. Nehemiah could restore it back to better than brand new. But it seemed weird to ask a favor of the guy I just tried to kill. And vice versa. Maybe I could ask him later. Who was I kidding? I didn’t want anything to do with the wizard.

“Do you guys want Brunch? I just ate, but I could use another snack.”

We tried to turn Iarfhlaith down but he insisted.

---

“...and that’s why It’s me and Gavin today, and not me and the wizard,” I said, wrapping up what had happened since I last saw the Fir Bolg.

He lifted chopsticks to his mouth, finishing off the last of his Korean barbecue. “Well, that’s too bad. I’m glad you all got out alive. Where’s Rob?”

“Watching Tain. I mean, our dad.”

“This must be so confusing for you guys,” said Iarfhlaith.

“Yeah. Dad’s the most confused out of everyone. He’s been a dog for so long… we actually came out here to find the ‘Stang to help restore his memory. But we didn’t have to find it. You retrieved it for us.” I smiled and punched his shoulder.

“You wouldn’t believe how I found it. I knew from the moment I set eyes on it, it belonged to you. Had to rough up some biker guys, but I got it back.”

“Thanks a lot Iar,” said Gavin. “We were about to cruise through Oakland when you rolled up. Things could have gotten a lot worse.”

“But now thanks to you, we can hopefully get our dad back on the right track,” I said.

Iarfhlaith smiled and rubbed his stomach. “That was good Korean food, no? Well, if you two don’t mind seeing me back to my kite shack, that would be swell.”

“Of course,” I said.

“Least we can do,” said Gavin.

We got there in a few minutes and were waving goodbye when he held up a finger. “Oh. Almost forgot.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a new fully formed kite. “No that’s not it.” I realized he was reaching into his magic bag of holding. Gavin, who’d never seen this trick before stared wide-eyed as Iarfhlaith produced all sorts of things that should not have been able to fit in his pants before finally finding what he was searching for.

“Here you go, Master O’Farrell. Let’s see if it fits.”

He held out a new leather jacket.

“Oh yeah. I forgot. You made me a new one.”

“Well, it’s the old jacket with a new feature.”

I put it on. It fit better than I remembered. As soon as it was around me the strong sensation of endless space behind and around me, which made my senses go haywire.

Iarfhlaith nodded. “Fits perfect, if I do say so myself. Go ahead, store something in there.”

I reached into the ‘Stang and pulled out Fragarach. With a slight hesitation, I pushed it bottom first into the jacket under my arm. To my surprise it went all the way in and disappeared.

“Ta-da,” said the Fir Bolg. “An honest to goodness jacket of holding. Now you don’t have to carry around an armory on your back. Just don’t lose the jacket.”

“Wow. Thanks so much.” My mind raced with all of the convenient ways I could use the jacket.

“Any time,” said Iarfhlaith.

I gave him one last firm handshake. “Hate to go but—”

“Go help your dad,” he beamed. “Say hi to Swellfellow for me.”

---

“Iarfhlaith found it?” asked Rob.

“Yep,” I said.

Dad was dressed in my jeans and an old t-shirt. But he still was crawling around on all fours and resting on his knuckles.

“Gavin, help me make him stand up.”

We each put a head under Dad’s arms and helped him stand up. He tried to lick Gavin’s ear.

“Gross. Stop Dad.”

With determination we got him to the car and helped him sit behind the wheel. He sat there with his tongue hanging out of his head, panting. I eyed the neighborhood making sure no one was watching. Thank goodness Sensei Hector’s neighborhood was quiet during the day and he and his wife were not home either. I could not imagine explaining this to him.

“Now what?” asked Gavin.

My dad seemed...the same.

“Maybe he needs to have the windows down and the car turned on. Turn over that old engine. Let it purr,” suggested Rob.

“Great idea.”

I reached over the steering column and started the car. The engine turned over and roared to life. Dad got real excited, sticking his head out of the window, waiting for a breeze to rush over his face.

“He wants to go for a ride,” said Rob.

“No duh,” said Gavin. He opened the passenger door and slid into the car next to Dad. He grabbed Dad’s hands and placed them on the steering wheel. My Dad held on. He blinked and brought his tongue back in his mouth. For the first time he looked down at his hands gripping the steering wheel and he seemed to realize that he had hands, not paws.

“I think it’s working. You remember the old ‘Stang, Dad? You like that? Wanna take her for a spin?”

My Dad raised his eyebrows and barked at me.

I sank my head into my hands. “It’s not working.”

“Give it time bro,” said Gavin.

After about an hour of trying we both gave up.

We led Dad back into Sensei Hector’s in-law unit. Gavin and I sank into the small sofa, cracked open some Dr. Peppers, and shared a sigh.

“It’s going to take time guys,” said Rob. “It won’t happen with the snap of your fingers. Your dad was Tain for a while. Even I don’t stay in animal form that long when I shift.”

Gavin nodded, sipping on his soda.

“This sucks,” I said.

Disappointment threatened to water my eyes. But held it in. “To try to move on after I thought Dad was dead, only for him to turn up alive and like this,” I motioned to Dad, who lay curled up on the dog bed asleep. “This isn’t cool. It’s hard to witness.”

Gavin agreed.

“Don’t give up Sean,” said Rob. “You never do. You got your ‘Stang back. You got your dad back.”

“That,” I pointed, “is not my dad. Not yet.”

I slurped some Dr. Pepper. By the time I set my drink down, Dad had shifted back into Tain-form. It was a weird sight to witness. It sent goosebumps running over my arms.

“That’s normal, right?” Gavin asked. “I mean, he shifts back and forth a lot now right?”

Rob confirmed that was the case. “A few times this morning while you guys were out.”

I racked my brain trying to remember if there was something we’d forgotten to try, something we were missing that might bring Dad’s memory back. But there wasn’t anything short of bringing him home to see Mom. But we could not do that to her. Not yet. That was the last, last resort.

“Any other ideas?” asked Gavin.

“Yep,” I said. “We’ll ask the Morrigan.”