never-the-innocent-one

[never-the-innocent-one]

Condemnation Persists

Remus had long since grown out of that inherent fear he faced when going to see his maker. Still, knowing this time he'd failed his mission. That left a sour taste in his mouth. Not only did he fail to retrieve Sage or Andre, but he'd lost Mael in the process. Which could mean the downfall of their seethe. Mael wasn't particularly important in the grand scheme of things, but the things he knew were problematic.

Thalric followed closely after him as he walked towards the library. Nereus, Noctis, Lorcan and Faustus fanned out behind him. Happy to let him take the lead. They'd turned into excellent minions. Laszlo, walked beside him. As he often did, not in front because that would mean he was above him, but not behind as that would mean he was below him. They danced around the hierarchy constantly. Were Morpheus to decide to remove Remus from his current positron, Laszlo would gladly step into it.

As they approached the door, Remus caught the taller vampire by the elbow. "Let me do the talking."

Laszlo gave him an indifferent expression. But Remus knew better. He was angry. Angry he hadn't killed Sage. If Remus failed in his order, then so did Laszlo. Granted, Remus assumed Morpheus wouldn't have been happy if they killed Sage. He was a favored pet for Morpheus afterall.

"What is actually our story here?" Faustus asked, out loud because if they used their mind connect Morpheus would hear them.

Noctis shot him a look, "The truth."

Nereus snorted, gesturing at Remus. "Oh sure...that won't get gizmo here into trouble."

"Your concern is noted." Remus deadpanned. Knowing well enough that Nereus held a certain amount of affection for him. But only behind closed doors. "The story is the Wizard was one step ahead."

"Because that won't piss him off." Nereus replied, rolling his eyes.

"He's going to be pissed regardless." Remus replied, dismissing him with a flip of his head. Then he turned his attention to Lorcan. "And do you have anything intelligent to add?"

Lorcan blinked back at him, clearly he hadn't been paying attention at all. "We could uh...just say we're sorry?"

"I didn't think so." Remus replied, waving him off as well.

Thalric pressed up behind him. His distress clear on his face. There wasn't anything Remus could say to comfort him, so he patted the hand he closed on his shoulder.

Laszlo didn't even bother to ask if they were ready before opening the door to the library and disappearing inside.

There was a heavy sigh in the air, and then they all shuffled forward in unison so they all entered as one. Which Remus appreciated, but not so much he could say so.

The library was a gothic labyrinth. Shelves and shelves of books. As far as the eye could see. The musty scent of old paper, the soft warmth from candlelight on the skin. The dust particles that wafted through the air. Part of it was an illusion Morpheus placed over the space. It provided security, but also intimidated anyone trying to find him. Afraid of Morpheus? You'd be a fool not to be.

Laszlo had disappeared from view now. He always was the best at finding Morpheus. Physically or mentally? Remus didn't know or care really. As long as Laszlo followed orders in combat, he didn't care what the other vampire did with their master. Though if Laszlo thought he could be on the same level as Daeva, that was just stupid.

As it turned out, Remus didn't have to worry about how to find his maker. Because he found him instead.

Come to me. The command came so suddenly, Remus jumped, nearly falling back against Thalric. He cursed himself because he should have been expecting that. One didn't just happen accross Morpheus. Unless he wanted you too.

It wasn't difficult to find him after that. The beckoning tug Remus felt in his head beckoning him along until they came to Morpheus' favorite alcove. He hadn't actually occupied this space since Andre left. A feeling of dread settled into Remus' stomach.

Morpheus was seated on one of the lavishly adorned lounge chairs. Though Remus always thought they resembled a throne more than a chair. He was reading a very old and crumbling book. It was so old, the title could no longer be read. Daeva sat on the floor in front of him. Leaning back against their maker's legs. It didn't look particularly comfortable. But Morpheus liked to have his lovers close. At all times. He took his time finishing the page he was on before slowly placing his bookmark inside and closing it.

The deliberately slow movements made Remus jerk like he was on a live wire. His blood warming to an almost unbearable heat. None of that came as a surprise though. No matter how hard he tried to prepare of being in the presence of his maker, he never managed it.

Remus focused on Daeva. His cold beauty sort of comforting. Because so long as he was there, the rest of them were safe from Morpheus' rage. His expression was completely blank, a haunted look in his eyes. Remus had never known him to be particularly aware of his surroundings.

"There are less of you now than when I dispatched you." Morpheus' cold voice cut through the silence. He counted each of them with a finger until it rested on Laszlo. Frowning he turned his attention back on Remus. "Why is that?"

The attention made Remus jerk again involuntarily. Remus opened his mouth to paint a story of the party. Making sure to make note of the decor and tasty drinks. Morpheus enjoyed stories. Especially dreams. But he did seem interested in Remus' retelling of the fight.

His lips formed a line. "So...you mean to tell me that Laszlo and Faustus were bested by The Soldier and his minions. Nereus was impaled. Noctis subdued by that bitch. Lorcan failed to track The Soldiers movements. Thalric did nothing useful. And Mael was taken by the Wizard?" He tapped a finger on his temple.

The room suddenly dropped several degrees. Though they were all vampires, so it didn't do much good to intimidate. But it was more to soothe Morpheus.

Remus opened his mouth to speak, but the master vampire held up a hand to silence him.

"I gifted you with my most powered vampires. And still...you failed."

Wincing, Remus waited to see if he had anything else to add, before speaking. "When it became apparent we were outmatched I focused on the safety of my people. Mael is unfortunate. But one casualty is surely nothing to you, master."

The resulting laugh was not at all humorous, and the sinking feeling Remus had only went deeper. "I'd thought I rid you of this obligation to your soldiers. Every last one of you is replaceable. You could have come back bloodied and beaten but still had my prize. But instead you chose to save these..." He gave each of the vampires a dark look that made them shrink back. "People. Your people?"

Remus winced. "Your people. Yes." He replied. But the sudden thought that he might just start snuffing them out, rose a panic out of him. "Master....the fault here lay with me. My orders. They were following my orders."

Morpheus was amused. His smile was an eerie, ghostly sort of expression. One that never meant anything reassuring. "You speak for them?" He asked, leaning his cheek on one hand, while the other buried itself into Daeva's hair.

"My orders." Remus replied. "My show." He swallowed hard. "My defeat."

Laszlo cricked his neck. "I want another chance." He muttered loud enough to be heard. "I listened to him..." He jerked his chin towards Remus. "How much longer are you going to make me follow the orders of a little boy trying to be a man?"

In the grand scheme of things, that particular dig meant nothing. But Morpheus laughed again. this time aimed at Laszlo. "You are asking for favors now, Laszlo? No...not yet." He studied his nails, sucking his teeth. "Go find Mael. Kill him."

Remus flinched. "But..."

Morpheus turned a cold, blank expression on him. "He was stupid enough to get himself caught. I have no use for stupidity."

Laszlo bowed down low. "As you wish...and Sage?"

His expression feigned indifference. With a jerk of his wrist there was a echoing crack. Laszlo crumpled to the ground, neck broken. A grotess break, the edges of bone through his skin. He'd be fine, eventually. But complex breaks took more time to heal. "That was for losing me Sage. Again."

"If we're all replaceable." Remus spoke up, feeling much braver than he should have. "Then why the obsession with Sage? You have plenty of soldiers now. And Andre? You have Daeva now."

Morpheus suddenly lurched forward, knocking Daeva aside. His intended target was Remus, but before Remus could even flinch Thalric was there, catching their master's wrist.

Remus exhaled as dread overtook him completely. "No!" He cried, clutching Thalric, the stupid fool, and forcing them both back a step.

For some reason, Morpheus allowed them that, at least. As his dark, cruel eyes settled over the too of them. A gaze Remus could feel even through the bulk of Thalric. His hands had started to shake as they clung to Thalric. The large man covered his hands with his, trying to calm them. In a moment of weakness, he pressed his cheek against Thalric's back. Remus would not cry. But it certainly felt like his world was ending in that moment.

Still though, Morpheus stayed where he was. Which struck a new fear in Remus. His eyes shot open as he realized what happened. He was no longer standing there alone with Thalric. Noctis was now on his right, Faustus on his left, Lorcan and Nereus filling in the spaces between them. All of their arms locked in a circle around Remus and Thalric. Dread sunk into his stomach so violently his legs nearly went out from under him. Maybe they would have, had he not been being held as tightly as he was. "Oh no..." He exhaled through a clenched jaw. "Don't be stupid." He had to release his grip on Thalric so that he could lash out at them. No one seemed to care though. Remus was not physically as strong like the others.

"If he dies. We all die with him." It was Thalric's voice. Even and strong. A man of very few words. But when he spoke, people listened.

The chuckle from Morpheus made Remus deflate a bit. "An interesting turn of events." He mused, he spared a look over at Daeva. Then turned back to them. "You've turned them soft."

"I didn't." Remus whimpered. He had no idea what possessed any of his soldiers to do this. His soldiers. No...they weren't though. That was Morpheus' label for them. To Remus....they were so much more than that. Even Laszlo. Mael too. With a renewed sense of purpose, he straightened. "That's enough." He told them all quietly. "Stand down."

There was a pause then. A heavy one. Had Remus been in their heads, he would have understood better. But, he wasn't. He had to save his reserves for what would happen next.

Morpheus watched with a sickening amusement as slowly the arms around him fell back and the other vampires stepped back enough for Remus to move.

As soon as he could, Remus met each of their eyes, save Thalric who was in front of him. "Stand down." He repeated to each of them. "Stand down and go. Take Laszlo and go."

There was a murmured objection. Several hurt expressions. But he frankly didn't care. What they'd done was stupid. Valiant, but so stupid. And now Remus had to fix it. Which should have angered him more than it did.

I sad GO! He hurled at them through their mental link. That got them moving . Noctis and Faustus moved to retrieve Laszlo's mangled body. Lorcan just stared at Remus in shock. Nereus caught him by the arm and manhandled him out.

As they all dispersed, Morpheus looked even more amused. "Very soft." He chuckled. The sound causing every hair on Remus' body to stand on end. "And this one?" He asked with a raised brow, gesturing to Thalric who still stood between them.

"I'm not leaving." Thalric said stonily.

Now that the rest of them were out of harm's way, Remus shoved his way between Morpheus and Thalric. "Yes you are." He said, the need to face Thalric outweighed by the need to not show anymore weakness to his maker. Because Remus was not weak. He refused to be. "Stand down." He repeated for what felt like the millionth time.

Thalric didn't move. Didn't even acknowledge the order. But he also didn't move from where he stood. Offering Remus his support. And ready to be there. Which, was, acceptable.

Remus stood straighter then, squaring his shoulders and raising his chin defiantly.

"Ah...yes." Morpheus inclined his head just a touch. He ignored Thalric and Remus to speak to Daeva. Who had not bothered to get up off the floor. "He gets one shot. This should be fun."

Anger had started as a simmer but was now a rolling boil. Remus was born a water bender. The psychic connection. A gift. Who gifted it, he didn't remember. The floor below them started to moan and creak as Remus called every drop of water in his cone of power. Steam billowed from beneath him as the consistency of the element chemically shifted. The moment the last molecule settled into place, Remus pulled it like a string into his core. As he spread his fingers and brought them up in a sweeping motion, the room shook as geisers of water came gushing up. The illusion of the library violently burst. Returning the space to its origin. An underground sewage system.

As the acid hit the ceiling, it combusted. Showering them all with droplets of fire. Daeva made a sound like a choked scream, but did nothing else but cover himself with his arms. Thalric made no noise at all. The acid didn't even touch Remus. And Morpheus had shielded himself with a spell.

Gritting his teeth, Remus pulled another wave of water, now effectively parching the ground below them. He gathered the angry burning liquid into a sphere between his hands. Once it reached its full capacity, he hurled it at his maker. Uselessly really, but he was angry and that made him stupid.

Morpheus allowed the hit. His shield dissipating with sizzling pockets of moisture. He brought up a hand, marveling as the acid burned a hole in his skin. "An interesting trick." He mused, turning his hand back and forth to examine the damage.

That was about as much praise as he ever gave. Were he in a different circumstance, Remus might have been proud of that.

"Are you alright love?" Morpheus ignored Remus for a moment to check on Daeva who finally uncurled. The skin on his hands and arms and red and blistered. But, his cold beauty untouched. Smiling in smug satisfaction, he turned his attention back to Remus. "Well then...my turn."

FIGHT ME! Was the only warning Remus got as the true power of the Lord of Dreams and Nightmares burst through his mental walls like they were made of paper. Remus shrieked, hitting the floor. He covered his ears with his hands but the attack was not auditory. But he didn't even know how to protect himself. Blood started to seep through his fingers from his ears, and down his cheeks and from his nose. His brain boiling. A second wave of debilitating pressure breaking down the remainder of his mental shield. The sound of it a crack like a whip that echoed through him. Leaving nothing but a weeping void.

FIGHT! The order reverberated through his head. His body seized and contorted. He did try. But as fast as he could mortar a brick, it was knocked down. No mercy.

YOU ARE WEAK! WEAK!

Remus screamed again, his body violently shaking. He'd managed to curl into a ball. But, nothing could shield from a mental attack of that magnitude. Every single image he held in his subconscious cracked, but did not break completely.

I DECIDE WHO LIVES OR DIES!

He was vaguely aware when the pressure started to recede. The crashing sounds of a fight muffled around him. The ringing in his ears deafening most of the noise to a dull roar.

Then arms came around him. Familiar arms, strong, cold. Remus sobbed and curled further against Thalric. The larger vampire was covered in blood and acid. Though nothing seemed to even touch him.

"Take him and go." A soft voice spoken, for Thalric? Probably.

Remus couldn't focus enough to figure out what Daeva had even done to stop Morpheus. Only that it had to have been him. The fact that Thalric was still standing was the only thing that actually mattered to him. He bit back a scream as he was hoisted up into Thalric's arms. His chest reverberated like he said something. But Remus didn't care about that either, just pressed his cheek against the cold chest. There was still a mix of tears and blood steaming down his face. But the blessed darkness of unconsciousness finally won out and Remus went limp.

[never-the-innocent-one]

FC Change

[never-the-innocent-one]

As Ava extended her hand towards him, Alec was there not even a moment later. He gripped her hand tightly, easing her back against him if she needed support. Her body was trembling so hard. Alec felt tears of his own sliding down his cheeks. For Finn, for Lance and Max. It wasn’t fair not at all. But Cassie’s presence there soothed him. Because she was very strong. He gave her a grateful look as he held Ava tightly. Offering her as much support as he could.

~*~

Wulfe nudged Mael’s side with a sadistic little smirk. He was imaging poking holes into him with holy daggers and letting the blood sizzle as it seeped from the wounds.

It took him precisely as much time as he meant to, to come back to himself and eye his prodigy with an amused expression.

It pleased him immensely that she chose to stay with him. Rather than join her cousins. “Very well, grasshopper. I have much to teach you. Hope you are up for a wild ride.”

He grabbed Mael easily by the back of the shirt and offered Calli his other hand. “Side-quest? Ohhhh funnel cakes!”

With her hand secured in his, he stepped into the opening of the hole. Dropped Calli a wink as they pummeled down, but they never touched the ground.

~*~

Hayden was livid. The second floor, despite being practically in ruins was freaking empty. No bodies not anything. except blood and wooden bullets. It would need a proper sweep to gather clues.

But he had more important things to do. Like getting his people to safety. When he arrived back at Finn he looked hurt but not at death’s door thank the angel. Alec was there. Supporting Ava. Hayden put a hand on his sister’s back, letting her know he was there. Turning to the fae healer he asked: “is it safe to move him? We need to get him to the Institute.” Glancing at Gwaine, he gave him a little smile of reassurance. “The family will need some privacy.”

~*~

Shifters didn’t get exhausted easily. So it was natural for Adam to dig dig dig. Stopping to bellow a howl for his people. To vacate the premise just as quickly as they could.

Still. His need to lay eyes on Juliet, his mate threatened to take him over. But he was an Alpha. He had to place the health of the pack above everything else. Later, when they were alone, he could search her over for scratches or bruises. Counting each, to make sure those who hurt her were punished.

~*~

Remus beamed at Constance. She certainly stole the show in a very intriguing fashion. Morpheus would want to know about that.

He merely shrugged about losing the warlock. He wasn’t important. Nereus could certainly come back for revenge but Remus wouldn’t be offering him any assistance.

Turning to face Thalric, he raised a brow. “Did Laszlo succeed?”

“Negative. There were intercepted.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Must I do everything myself?”

Thalric offered him a sympathetic smile as he followed after Remus, dragging Nereus with him. Leaving Noctis at the rear, trying to brush the dust off his suit.

~*~

Bryce made his best effort to curl himself up against Harry’s chest. Ducking his face into his neck

His mouse was screaming in his head to run, seek shelter, disappear beneath the floorboards. All things he normally would have done

But in this moment, being curled against Harry. Being able to hear and feel the steadiness of his heart. It was a blanket of sorts. As long as he was touching Harry like this, he didn’t need to run… did he?

~*~

Thaddeus hadn’t realized how badly he needed to see Desmond. Until there he was. Thaddeus exhaled a shaky breath. “You stayed…”

Letting go of the wall, Thaddeus launched himself into Desmond’s arms. He wasn’t a hero. He wasn’t anything but a strung out hippie. But in that moment nothing mattered other than Desmond being here, physically. Not just in his head.

When he pulled back he could think just a little clearer. Running trembling fingers through his hair he took a few deep breaths. “We have to… we have to find them. Ivy, Zander, Jules…” everyone in his little family. But he was so exhausted. The idea of having to physically move his body was too much. He sank down to the floor, fighting to catch his breath.

~*~

Blaze screamed himself hoarse. But now only a series of pained whimpers escaped him. The coolness of the healing magic spread through him. Leaving him stiff and cold.

Before his teeth clenched too hard to make words, he started grounded out bits of thoughts. Though his voice was hoarse. “Vampires…. Find them… vampires…. Erebus… please.”

Eventually he gave up on even that. He lay completely still. Moving at all hurt. The gentle rise and fall of his chest was the only sign he was even alive.

~*~

Enzo’s vision was blurred with tears. But he didn’t know which of them he was crying for, just that he was.

He cradled Emi even closer, wanting to wrap himself completely around her to block her from anything else.

Sage wasn’t tracking at all. It felt like all of his life force was draining out in a pool around him. Erebus was there. Holding onto him tightly. At some point Sage grasped onto his hands, using them to try and cling to reality.

But then he thought… what good had realty ever been to him? He whined softly. Wanting something, anything to cool the anger and hate swirling in him. Because he wasn’t actually angry at all. Butchered more like. Skewered. All of those sort of things.

Maybe later he would worry about the flashing of images and sounds echoing in his head. But not right now. Right now he wanted them. His brothers and sisters. He released one of Erebus’ hands and extended it out towards where Emi and Enzo sat. He didn’t just want them though. He wanted all of them. All of his brothers and sisters. Because he loved them.

Andre bared his fangs at William. “This is no concern of yours! Or any of you!” His voice had lost its edge though. Now he just sounded tired.

Stefan was going to snap back at him, but the sound of a slow clapping drew nearer.

Andre stiffened even further.

Remus appeared first, being the one clapping. Thalric followed close after, still dragging Nereus along. Then finally Noctis joined, adjusting his cuff links. “That was quite the show!” Remus said. “I haven’t had such an enjoyable evening in a long time. It is bothersome that we lost Mael around somewhere. But I’m sure the master will see to that himself.”

Andre was first to move, shoving past Stefan and William. “You know damned well this has nothing to do with any of these people!” He snarled.

But Remus was not the one to engage him. It was Noctis. “Unfortunately it does, I’m afraid. You made them all targets by coming here. And well… hiding Sage out in plain sight like this. Are you really all that surprised?”

“Andre…” Stefan warned.

The two brothers shared eye contact for a moment. Bringing clarity to Stefan about what this all was. He pat William on the shoulder before joining Andre in front of the group. “Well… this is all truly fascinating. However, Andre has always had sanctuary here as does all his people. So then it would appear the one you should be dealing with is me.”

Noctis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It needn’t come to all of that.” He replied, inclining his head to Remus who once again took center stage.

“The master only desires to have what stolen from him to be returned. As well as the one responsible. Give them both to us. And we will leave. No fuss, no bother.”

Stefan crossed his arms. “I would beg to differ on the fussing and bothering. You’ve made quite a mess here. I would inform about what that all means but it will remain quite clear once he’s got the time to deal with you. There is a reason my seethe has settled here in Chicago. That has nothing to do with the vampires. But as to your request… you can tell your master to go suck an egg. Because he’ll have to go through me first.”

At the pained sound of Helenus' voice, Alec paled. "What? What is it?" He didn't wait for the answer though, just turned himself around. The sight before him made his blood run cold. Finn. His eyes darted between Gwaine, Odette and Ava. "Oh angel..." he choked.

As much as he wanted to stay with Helenus, he knew he couldn't. Someone was calling his name and he turned towards it. It was Jace. He looked fine. And Izzy. Jace had Izzy. They were both alive. He was dizzy with relief. Then guilt. Terrible guilt that his family was safe but not Ava's. He reached for Henenus' hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I love you..." He told him, his voice strong and even. Then he turned back towards his friends and went to them, pulling Helenus with him.

~*~

Remus watched Constance curiously. Watched as the two women seemed to just crumple under her attention. It was fascinating. Who would have thought a vampire could be so easily overcome. His lips tugged into an appreciative smile. Very interesting.

Thalric was a steady presence behind him. He was reiterating the communications happening through their mind link with the others. He was close enough to Remus he could say it outloud. "Laszlo, Faustus and Lorcan, at base. Mael, link extinguished. Noctis and Nereus, links extinguished."

"Well aware of that." Remus muttered as he observed his two brothers in their states of unconsciousness.

Constance returned to his side and he smiled at her. "Nicely done. I appreciate the favor." He nudged the woman closest to Noctis. "Who is she? I don't have any intel on this one."

Thalric moved over to where Nereus lay. The prone vampire was gasping and grunting in pain. Not unconscious but also not any use to Remus. Which was annoying.

There was a cracking sound as Noctis' neck began to repair it self. He shot up into a straight backed seat. His hand came up to work his jaw experimentally. The expression on his face was livid.

"Have a nice nap?" Remus asked with false sweetness.

"That right, bitch." Noctis said, still completely calm about it.

"That'll teach you to make nice." Remus offered as Thalric rejoined them, carrying Nereus by the back of his shirt. When he stopped by Remus he let the vampire hanging from his hand, fall to the floor.

Remus glanced around with a frown. "Where's the pyromancer?"

~*~

At first, the shock of being doused in liquid didn't phase Blaze. Once that wore off though, the pain started to sink in. He'd barely managed to block his face from the assault when he smelled burning flesh.

His arms, his legs, his neck, the entire front of his body lit up in skin blistering pain. It burned holes through his jeans and shirt. The acid slowly licking up his back. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen.

And once he started to scream, he couldn't stop. At first he writhed in pain. Rolling around in vain to try and stop the boiling. Fire had never taken him before. Was this what it felt like for those nephilim when he torched their Institute?

But then his skin started to tighten and seize. So he curled in on himself. Twice he felt himself being physically slid accross the floor. He didn't know by whom, or where he was being taken. Because all he could focus on was the pain. He continued to scream until he'd gone effectively hoarse.

He must have passed out at some point. Because the next thing he became aware of was being being pulled. The sound of a girls voice the only thing he heard. Then, the pain stopped. His skin started to cool. Which he didn't really understand, but it made him sob in relief. The steam billowing around him.

~*~

Bryce was in shock. He couldn't stop shaking, but he wasn't cold and he wasn't hot. He wasn't really in pain either. Which worried him, because surely he should have been. He could feel the blood oozing down his face. The steady thumping in his chest was the only thing he could actually hear.

He'd been through a lot of trauma in his young life. So the fact so much was happening all around him didn't really phase him much. His vision kept swimming in and out of focus.

Several things happened at once. Soothing voices and touching distracted him as the warmth of healing wrapped around his head. It was then that he noticed he was laying accross someone's lap. That someone was Harry. Harry was here? Bryce stared up at him in fascination. Because he couldn't remember having noticed the other shifter's presence. "It hurts..." He whimpered to the vision of Harry that faded in and out of focus.

~*~

Thaddeus made several portals in a matter of minutes. The sheer volume of it left him feeling spent and fatigued. But he'd done it, Ten evenly spaced portals all the way down the hall. Luckily, they all landed in the same place. Torben's hospital. Where they ended up after that? Not his problem.

Once there was a steady stream of people lining up to move through the portals, Thaddeus went in search of Desmond.

It was pretty dumb of him. What made him think Desmond was even still there? He had to look though. He'd never be able to live with himself if the necromancer had gotten hurt on his watch.

There was so much noise around him. His head was already starting to feel fuzzy. Portal creation took a lot of energy. The fact that he'd done so many, in such quick succession meant that he really needed to lay down. But Desmond's whereabouts was far more important than that shit. He continued to stumble along, keeping a steadying hand on the walls as he searched.

~*~

As soon as he'd gotten hands around Emi, Enzo's stamina ran out. But that didn't stop him from pulling her closer to him. As if he could shield her somehow.

He kept her face cradled in his hands as he whispered to her. The tears streaming down her face felt like a knife to his gut. Pressing his cheek against hers, he started to feel his own tears start to fall. Because her pain was his pain. Always had been.

"Shhh...." He cooed to her, pressing soft kisses to her cheeks. "Emi love...look at me...that's it...look at me." He gasped. His throat, it hurt. Healing had begun, he could feel it working. But it just wasn't fast enough to keep up with what was unfolding around them. He didn't think he could physically keep Emi safe. Which was such an awful thing to bear. That on top of the shit happening with Andre, Sage and Erebus. Enzo was cursing everything.

"Emilia..." He said softly, circling his thumbs on her cheeks. "I need you to look at me. Please....please look at me." He pleaded as their world came tumbling down.

Sage's whine felt like a physical blow. Despite everything Enzo knew. He couldn't stop that from happening. He couldn't keep up with the rate that Andre was going. He was self-destructing. And taking all of them with him.

~*~

Strong arms wrapped around Sage as he swayed back and forth. A series of pained whines and gasps escaping from his clenched teeth.

"Sage!" The sound of Andre's voice cut clear through the haze of his mind. His body went rigid. His body finally starting to give out on him due to the amount of damage he'd taken.

The path back to himself was violent. He could hear Andre in his head, over and over again. Words that didn't make any sense to him. Nothing made sense anymore. But also, in the midst of all of that, he could hear Erebus voice. Pleading. Whispering. It was such a stark difference to how he normally sounded. Sage didn't like it. Not at all.

Then he could hear sobbing. Enzo. Emi. Why were they crying? He needed to stop the crying. But somehow, during all of this, he too had started to cry. The tears rolled down his dirt and blood caked cheeks. They were hot and sticky. And then, suddenly he was back in his body. And the pain exploded. White and hot, threatening to render him unconscious. Which would be a relief at this point.

And again, Andre's voice entered his mind. Slowly it started to eat away at Sage. Penetrating every wall he'd built, and then knocking them down. It was like a curtain was slowly parting behind his eyes. What was beneath, was a stage. Flashes of images, voices, taunts, memories. Erebus. There with him. Calli. Andre. When he'd laid eyes on Andre that very first night, he'd thought him to be the most beautiful person in the world.

Once that curtain fell. All that was left was more pain. And a voice in his head. A familiar, pained voice. Sage cried out, clutching at the hands that held onto him. A renewed sense of urgency overtook him. His brother. His brother. Where was he? He had to find him. His struggles started anew.

"SAGE!" Andre barked. "That's enough."

With that, his body gave out completely, and he sagged into Erebus' arms.

~*~

Andre clenched his shaking fingers into fists at his sides. He couldn't let them see how this was affecting him. If they saw, they would know. Know he was a fraud. A fake. A nothing. Isn't that what Morpheus told him? Just a pretty face. Nothing going on upstairs.

As soon as Sage finally fell, the need to just sink down to the floor hit him full force. But no. Not yet. He couldn't give in to the nothingness just yet.

Stefan was there, shouting at him. Telling him to stop. But Andre couldn't. Not yet.

Andre's eyes fell on each one of his children. He memorized their faces. Every curve. Every blemish. Just everything. He'd need those images. Tucked away in the recesses of his mind. Because they were his. His loves. Every last one of them.

"Have you gone mad?" Stefan demanded, finally having had enough of his silence. He grabbed Andre by the shoulders and gave him a shake.

"Not mad, dear brother." Andre said with false sweetness. "I just finally know what's really important. Me."

Stefan snarled, fangs bared. "They are your children!" He hissed. "You made them, its your job to care for them!"

"Like you?" Andre asked with a cruel curl of this lip. "Because you're so happy? They are leeches. Always wanting more and more and more. Bleeding me dry. I have no more obligation to care for them."

His brother's anger hit him full force then. He screamed obscenities at Andre. Calling him all sorts of things. But the most painful one was a monster. Andre was a monster. And would be a monster for the rest of eternity.

"Then kill me!" Andre snarled back at him. "Kill me and be damned well done with it or shut your damned mouth."

Stefan reeled back, sinking into a crouch, preparing to strike.

Andre closed his eyes, opening his arms to welcome his brother's ire. But...nothing happened. When he blinked them back open, he was staring at William's back. He'd stepped in between them. And Andre's heart sank.

[never-the-innocent-one]

At the pained sound of Helenus' voice, Alec paled. "What? What is it?" He didn't wait for the answer though, just turned himself around. The sight before him made his blood run cold. Finn. His eyes darted between Gwaine, Odette and Ava. "Oh angel..." he choked.

As much as he wanted to stay with Helenus, he knew he couldn't. Someone was calling his name and he turned towards it. It was Jace. He looked fine. And Izzy. Jace had Izzy. They were both alive. He was dizzy with relief. Then guilt. Terrible guilt that his family was safe but not Ava's. He reached for Henenus' hand, giving it a squeeze.

"I love you..." He told him, his voice strong and even. Then he turned back towards his friends and went to them, pulling Helenus with him.

~*~

Remus watched Constance curiously. Watched as the two women seemed to just crumple under her attention. It was fascinating. Who would have thought a vampire could be so easily overcome. His lips tugged into an appreciative smile. Very interesting.

Thalric was a steady presence behind him. He was reiterating the communications happening through their mind link with the others. He was close enough to Remus he could say it outloud. "Laszlo, Faustus and Lorcan, at base. Mael, link extinguished. Noctis and Nereus, links extinguished."

"Well aware of that." Remus muttered as he observed his two brothers in their states of unconsciousness.

Constance returned to his side and he smiled at her. "Nicely done. I appreciate the favor." He nudged the woman closest to Noctis. "Who is she? I don't have any intel on this one."

Thalric moved over to where Nereus lay. The prone vampire was gasping and grunting in pain. Not unconscious but also not any use to Remus. Which was annoying.

There was a cracking sound as Noctis' neck began to repair it self. He shot up into a straight backed seat. His hand came up to work his jaw experimentally. The expression on his face was livid.

"Have a nice nap?" Remus asked with false sweetness.

"That right, bitch." Noctis said, still completely calm about it.

"That'll teach you to make nice." Remus offered as Thalric rejoined them, carrying Nereus by the back of his shirt. When he stopped by Remus he let the vampire hanging from his hand, fall to the floor.

Remus glanced around with a frown. "Where's the pyromancer?"

~*~

At first, the shock of being doused in liquid didn't phase Blaze. Once that wore off though, the pain started to sink in. He'd barely managed to block his face from the assault when he smelled burning flesh.

His arms, his legs, his neck, the entire front of his body lit up in skin blistering pain. It burned holes through his jeans and shirt. The acid slowly licking up his back. He hadn't even realized he'd fallen.

And once he started to scream, he couldn't stop. At first he writhed in pain. Rolling around in vain to try and stop the boiling. Fire had never taken him before. Was this what it felt like for those nephilim when he torched their Institute?

But then his skin started to tighten and seize. So he curled in on himself. Twice he felt himself being physically slid accross the floor. He didn't know by whom, or where he was being taken. Because all he could focus on was the pain. He continued to scream until he'd gone effectively hoarse.

He must have passed out at some point. Because the next thing he became aware of was being being pulled. The sound of a girls voice the only thing he heard. Then, the pain stopped. His skin started to cool. Which he didn't really understand, but it made him sob in relief. The steam billowing around him.

~*~

Bryce was in shock. He couldn't stop shaking, but he wasn't cold and he wasn't hot. He wasn't really in pain either. Which worried him, because surely he should have been. He could feel the blood oozing down his face. The steady thumping in his chest was the only thing he could actually hear.

He'd been through a lot of trauma in his young life. So the fact so much was happening all around him didn't really phase him much. His vision kept swimming in and out of focus.

Several things happened at once. Soothing voices and touching distracted him as the warmth of healing wrapped around his head. It was then that he noticed he was laying accross someone's lap. That someone was Harry. Harry was here? Bryce stared up at him in fascination. Because he couldn't remember having noticed the other shifter's presence. "It hurts..." He whimpered to the vision of Harry that faded in and out of focus.

~*~

Thaddeus made several portals in a matter of minutes. The sheer volume of it left him feeling spent and fatigued. But he'd done it, Ten evenly spaced portals all the way down the hall. Luckily, they all landed in the same place. Torben's hospital. Where they ended up after that? Not his problem.

Once there was a steady stream of people lining up to move through the portals, Thaddeus went in search of Desmond.

It was pretty dumb of him. What made him think Desmond was even still there? He had to look though. He'd never be able to live with himself if the necromancer had gotten hurt on his watch.

There was so much noise around him. His head was already starting to feel fuzzy. Portal creation took a lot of energy. The fact that he'd done so many, in such quick succession meant that he really needed to lay down. But Desmond's whereabouts was far more important than that shit. He continued to stumble along, keeping a steadying hand on the walls as he searched.

~*~

As soon as he'd gotten hands around Emi, Enzo's stamina ran out. But that didn't stop him from pulling her closer to him. As if he could shield her somehow.

He kept her face cradled in his hands as he whispered to her. The tears streaming down her face felt like a knife to his gut. Pressing his cheek against hers, he started to feel his own tears start to fall. Because her pain was his pain. Always had been.

"Shhh...." He cooed to her, pressing soft kisses to her cheeks. "Emi love...look at me...that's it...look at me." He gasped. His throat, it hurt. Healing had begun, he could feel it working. But it just wasn't fast enough to keep up with what was unfolding around them. He didn't think he could physically keep Emi safe. Which was such an awful thing to bear. That on top of the shit happening with Andre, Sage and Erebus. Enzo was cursing everything.

"Emilia..." He said softly, circling his thumbs on her cheeks. "I need you to look at me. Please....please look at me." He pleaded as their world came tumbling down.

Sage's whine felt like a physical blow. Despite everything Enzo knew. He couldn't stop that from happening. He couldn't keep up with the rate that Andre was going. He was self-destructing. And taking all of them with him.

~*~

Strong arms wrapped around Sage as he swayed back and forth. A series of pained whines and gasps escaping from his clenched teeth.

"Sage!" The sound of Andre's voice cut clear through the haze of his mind. His body went rigid. His body finally starting to give out on him due to the amount of damage he'd taken.

The path back to himself was violent. He could hear Andre in his head, over and over again. Words that didn't make any sense to him. Nothing made sense anymore. But also, in the midst of all of that, he could hear Erebus voice. Pleading. Whispering. It was such a stark difference to how he normally sounded. Sage didn't like it. Not at all.

Then he could hear sobbing. Enzo. Emi. Why were they crying? He needed to stop the crying. But somehow, during all of this, he too had started to cry. The tears rolled down his dirt and blood caked cheeks. They were hot and sticky. And then, suddenly he was back in his body. And the pain exploded. White and hot, threatening to render him unconscious. Which would be a relief at this point.

And again, Andre's voice entered his mind. Slowly it started to eat away at Sage. Penetrating every wall he'd built, and then knocking them down. It was like a curtain was slowly parting behind his eyes. What was beneath, was a stage. Flashes of images, voices, taunts, memories. Erebus. There with him. Calli. Andre. When he'd laid eyes on Andre that very first night, he'd thought him to be the most beautiful person in the world.

Once that curtain fell. All that was left was more pain. And a voice in his head. A familiar, pained voice. Sage cried out, clutching at the hands that held onto him. A renewed sense of urgency overtook him. His brother. His brother. Where was he? He had to find him. His struggles started anew.

"SAGE!" Andre barked. "That's enough."

With that, his body gave out completely, and he sagged into Erebus' arms.

~*~

Andre clenched his shaking fingers into fists at his sides. He couldn't let them see how this was affecting him. If they saw, they would know. Know he was a fraud. A fake. A nothing. Isn't that what Morpheus told him? Just a pretty face. Nothing going on upstairs.

As soon as Sage finally fell, the need to just sink down to the floor hit him full force. But no. Not yet. He couldn't give in to the nothingness just yet.

Stefan was there, shouting at him. Telling him to stop. But Andre couldn't. Not yet.

Andre's eyes fell on each one of his children. He memorized their faces. Every curve. Every blemish. Just everything. He'd need those images. Tucked away in the recesses of his mind. Because they were his. His loves. Every last one of them.

"Have you gone mad?" Stefan demanded, finally having had enough of his silence. He grabbed Andre by the shoulders and gave him a shake.

"Not mad, dear brother." Andre said with false sweetness. "I just finally know what's really important. Me."

Stefan snarled, fangs bared. "They are your children!" He hissed. "You made them, its your job to care for them!"

"Like you?" Andre asked with a cruel curl of this lip. "Because you're so happy? They are leeches. Always wanting more and more and more. Bleeding me dry. I have no more obligation to care for them."

His brother's anger hit him full force then. He screamed obscenities at Andre. Calling him all sorts of things. But the most painful one was a monster. Andre was a monster. And would be a monster for the rest of eternity.

"Then kill me!" Andre snarled back at him. "Kill me and be damned well done with it or shut your damned mouth."

Stefan reeled back, sinking into a crouch, preparing to strike.

Andre closed his eyes, opening his arms to welcome his brother's ire. But...nothing happened. When he blinked them back open, he was staring at William's back. He'd stepped in between them. And Andre's heart sank.

Everything seemed to echo around Odette as if she was sealed in glass--a cacophony of screams, fighting, panicked voices, Hayden's soft prayer, Ava talking to... Gwaine. She caught that much. Her eyes were still on Finn then, at the way his glasses had been bent and their lenses shattered. Her hand was still touching his face when she saw the other woman kneel next to him. A fae woman she recognized from her times on Bo's arm at these sorts of gatherings. When the woman met her gaze, Odette slowly retracted her hand from Finn, as if she knew exactly what came next even in so little as that glance. She was here to heal Finn, and she needed space to do so. Odette turned back, seeing the still stunned Gwaine just beside her and taking his hand in her free one. Because in that moment Ava and Gwaine were suffering in the way that only family could. And Odette could only imagine that pain, that worry. Hers felt selfish by comparison.

The glow of the fae's magic caught her attention once more, as she watched the delicate weaving of the light across the injuries that Finn had sustained. And it was beautiful, soothing as much as it could be in the face of such a tragic cause for its use.

-

Izzy had gotten caught up in the crowd for quite awhile, making her way to the rubble pile as the shifters seemed to be freeing some of their people. But her focus was instead in scanning the crowd, desperately searching for Alec and Jace. Her lip trembled a bit at the sight of Finn, of Ava and Gwaine watching their brother. And her mind drifted to Max... She shook her head, forbidding the thought to linger. That wouldn't be Finn's fate. It couldn't be.

When she caught sight of Jace's form, moving through the rubble but clearly looking about for Alec, she rushed right to him. "Where is he?"

As if on queue Alec had arrived alongside Magnus. Izzy nearly went to him until she noticed Helenus, freezing in place for the moment to watch their embrace. It was only when a man shouted just beside her that she snapped her attention back to the rubble pile.

-

Virgil shouting caught the attention of Lenore, Joe, and the nephilim closest to them. The four worked in tandem, with the vampires being the ones to shift the heaviest of the rubble. The shifting of the rocks from below didn't bring any halting to their movements.

After a moment Joe had finally shifted the last of the rock away to reveal a small gap where Nella and a fae man had seemingly been caught. "Nell!" Joe shouted, offering her a hand out and checking her over for any injuries she wouldn't be able to heal on her own.

Lenore and Virgil pulled the fae man free. He seemed relatively intact, though from the slowly healing cuts and the like on Nella it wasn't hard to guess that he'd been shielded.

-

Clara's attention had been glued to the unearthing efforts all this while. It would be too painful to turn and see Ava and Gwaine again. And she needed to do something. To be able to help someone. And then a familiar voice reached her ears. "Casper?!" She called out.

She whipped her head around in search of him, eventually catching sight of the fae being pulled out of the rubble after a vampire women. He was upright, he was alive. And that was enough to send Clara running over at a full sprint, nearly tackling him as she threw her arms around him in a hug. "Are you alright?" She pulled back almost as quickly though, unsure if he'd sustained any injuries that she might be adding to. Her trembling hands remained on his shoulders as she looked him over. He was covered in plaster dust and minor cuts and abrasions, and while none of his limbs seemed amiss, she couldn't account for anything internally. "You bloody hell better be alright, or else I'm going to be cross with you," she said with a flutter of relieved laughter and evidently impending tears.

-

Emma had only just called out to Ciaran when Killian fell to his knees beside her. And she was reminded of every frantic family member she'd ever had to contend with as she tried to rush a child into surgery. But this was all the worse, looking at the pain and panic in her cousin's eyes. "The stairs caved in. She and Bryce were underneath, and now--" She shook her head, forcing her focus back to Rory whose breathing was still sustained, although growing increasingly efforted.

But then the presence of the warlock woman caught Emma's attention. She'd seen her before... with Jonathan, if memory served. At the question she nodded, seeing as Ciaran was rather caught up with Bryce still. "Please." Emma shifted to where she was able to kneel at Rory's head, applying as firm of pressure on her head wound as she could reasonably justify. And she felt Killian shift with her, but her gaze was fixed on the warlock.

-

Bryce was so frail, which made the injury twice as concerning to Ciaran. That coupled with his lack of expertise in neurological trauma escalated the severity of it all, and the speed with which his hands worked to fasten the makeshift bandage around the head wound the younger shifter had sustained. Harry had only just arrived, flanked by a rather tall fae man. Ciaran's gaze fell on the man, a silent question behind his eyes.

-

"I can heal him. And the girl too," Aelin offered, having just tended to a rather minor laceration nearby. He'd seen Jonna stepping in to help the redheaded shifter, knowing her magic well enough to gather that she would sustain the girl's breathing in the meantime. And that meant that Aelin could tend to the boy first, given the larger amount of time that the girl's injuries would take to mend.

"By all means," the older shifter replied, inviting Aelin forward to kneel beside wounded boy.

Aelin brought his hands to rest just up under the base of the boy's skull where the injury had been sustained, his eyes closing now as he focused in on mending the bleeding, the internal trauma, the gash. Aelin's magic moved with a gentle hum that would catch in the shifter's ears, a green glow eminating from his hands.

-

Adonis flinched from the sudden touch to his shoulder, having missed the presence of the nephilim girl entirely. But then he snapped his focus back to the present as he moved her to the spot that the girl instructed him to. "What matter is it if I bloody know her?! She needs healing, not a chaperone!" He hissed, too shaken up to even bother with kindness. Of course, he knew that she was only trying to help, of course he should thank her for that. But right now he couldn't even focus on anything but the blood that coated his hands and sleeves as he pulled them away from Nyla's body. "HELP HER! HELP HER, DAMN IT!"

-

The last thing Desmond had wanted was to be caught up in the petty squabbles of vampires at the previous great party, but the current circumstance made those events pale in comparison. He was bearing witness to some scheme far greater than a familial squabble gone awry. And he found himself lingering, where he might have otherwise been in the wind, especially after noting Constance in the crowd earlier. Even if she hadn't approached him, she knew he was there. It was likely part of her motivation for attending at all... Pesky fucking mouthpiece.

Otherwise he might have helped. He wasn't heartless, regardless of the opinions of some. But instead he watched from the shadows, his gaze fixed on Thaddeus until he'd secured himself over by the wounded, constructing portals to presumably evacuate them.

And that only left one thing. Constance... He caught sight of her by the bar, speaking two strangers--the smaller of whom was clearly in a fit of rage at something, although neither seeming overly concerned at the unfolding events around them. They were involved with the attackers, surely. And that boasted an entirely different danger of its own--Constance had made friends.

-

Calliope held her gaze on Mael, on that achingly familiar loathing and rage in his eyes. She was vaguely aware of someone else arriving, gathering the innocents she'd protected and fleeing. But creeping across her body was that cold she dreaded in the dead of night, when her mind relived the horrors of her past at the hands of the vampire in her clutches. It made her hands tremble, made her focus waver. It was hard enough to maintain her hold on a vampire rather than a truly living being, not to mention the near three centuries since she'd forsaken herself to the use of this tainted magic. And now with her mind adrift in memory, it all allowed Mael the gap to sever her hold on his limbs.

She intook a sharp but shaky breath as she watched him regain each aspect of himself, the way he narrowed in on her, stalking slowly towards her like the predator he'd always proved himself to be. But she steeled her expression the closer he got, baring her fangs as he spoke.

Calli was preparing to strike him when the wind caught Mael's focus. Her gaze drifted down in turn, watching as the hand grabbed and flung Mael against the ceiling. She didn't have time to properly brace for it, although the larger pieces of plaster only really managed surface level cuts along her face and arms to begin with. She brushed the dust from her eyes, smudging it with the blood along her skin.

The sight of Wulfe was more than welcome. In truth his aid was only the half of it--what really caught her focus were the ways he imbued the fighting with his spirit. It set her at ease to remember that she was far away from the land of her memory, that she was the one with powerful allies for once. She couldn't help but laugh a bit, albeit dryly as Wulfe took the opportunity to correct her. "My first mistake," she granted, stepping up beside her maker and placing one of her heels atop Mael's chest and digging it in with an additional force, smirking at the resulting groan it caused. "I think he's incapable of pizzazz... More's the pity."

Her gaze shifted down to Mael as she spoke next. "You forgot one thing about me after all this time. I do not fear death." Calli moved then, in that immediate speed of a vampire, to where she was now crouched down beside Mael, one of her hands directly on his pulse point to hold him still until she chose to move him again and the other knotted in his hair and forcing his chin up to look directly at her. "Have another go," she began, echoing his earlier words, "but the end will still be the same." With that she freed the hold on his head, slamming it back against the floor with enough strength to illicit a sickening crack as Mael lost consciousness.

-

Zehra caught the smile from Sofia, although her expression remained almost deadly neutral despite a grateful glint in her eyes for the sake of her dear friend. The warlock was the least of her focus in the moment as she watched the trapped brute in Sofia's clutches continue to thrash about in rage. When he called her a cunt Zehra actually hissed, baring her fangs towards him. "Know your place, dog!"

-

Esmeralda continued to scan the room now that she'd released Emilia again. There was too much going on to even grasp it entirely. But she did look to the spot where she'd noticed the fireballs shortly before, wondering for a moment if Isak had gotten involved in the squabble. Only she was greeted instead with the sight of Sofia, a vampire she'd skewered, the presumable pyromancer she didn't recognize, and Zehra. The talking shish-kebab seemed to be generating some form of magic, which caught her immediate notice. At that she bolted for her friends, unsheathing the dagger she's fastened to her garter as she ran.

It was too late to shield the warlock, and Esmeralda could hear the sizzling of his flesh amidst the screams it caused. Acid? She didn't really stop to consider any of it, fighting against the sea of bodies around her to get through.

-

Zehra knelt down beside the warlock, not even wincing as the acid on burned through her dress to leave fleeting damage to her knees. She moved him to one side in a swift motion, trying at least to alleviate the damage of the acid that had pooled around him, but then she jumped to her feet again to bare her fangs at the stranger who continued to threaten Sofia. She was about to pounce on the man, but froze as a dagger suddenly whizzed through the air and lodged itself perfectly through the middle of the hand that had conjured the acid magic.

Esmeralda, clearly the owner of the offending dagger, emerged from the crowd, glaring at the stranger as she moved beside Sofia. "Dumb bitch, huh? I think you ought to look in a mirror," she growled.

Zehra used the moment of distraction to her advantage swinging her leg up to kick the vampire across the face, effectively releasing him off of the impaling metal shaft he'd been lodged on and knocking him to the ground. She was on him in another second, straddling him so that her knees bore down against his shoulders, pressing them further into the ground. At the same time mirroring the motion she had used on his comrade moments earlier to break his neck in a swift motion. She growled even at his limp form, "Be silent, foolish brute."

-

Emi whimpered as Sage spoke. He was that helpless that he was almost choking on the words. Erebus seemed to understand what Sage was asking even sooner than she had, but as soon as he gripped the jagged metal to move it she had the good sense to duck her head away, crying out at the same time that Sage screamed.

Only that wasn't the only sound that met her ears.

-

Nic caught Enzo as he regained his consciousness, trying his best to restrain the elder vampire from doing any further harm to himself. But then Enzo caught Nic's arm, with the repetitive and raspy request. "She's okay! Just stop, she's okay!" He pleaded, but knowing all too well that it wouldn't matter one bit. Nic's only upper hand in his fighting against the thrashing was the position they were in, as he practically pinned Enzo to the ground to keep him from charging head first into a true death. "Damn it, stop fighting!"

Nic turned his head to shout. "Emi! Emilia!" Whether it had been the fault of the chaoctic miasma of sound around them or her own lack of focus, Emi hadn't heard him. Hadn't heard the desperate and incoherent shouting of Enzo either.

-

But as Sage's scream rang out in the room and mingled with Enzo's strangled out screaming of her name, Emi's head whipped towards the pair with wide eyed fear. She repeated the motion in the direction of Sage, who was shakily coming to his feet. Erebus seemed to be helping him steady himself, locked in on the effort in a way that rendered her useless now. And it tore her apart, really, to admit that there were instances where she would be forced to choose... and that she would always choose Enzo.

She stumbled in her haste, but made it to Enzo's side in seconds, crashing to her knees beside him and gently catching his flailing arms in the same motion. "Shhhh, amore mio," she soothed, watching as the recognition of her presence and lack of harm stilled his raging torrent.

-

Sebastian wanted to rush to find his siblings, wanted to assure the welfare of his friends all the same. But he couldn't abandon Andre. Even in the brief observations of the exchange with the strange vampire who'd forced himself on Andre and the clear distress of the vampire girl who he'd left with Andre to begin with made him all too wary of the master vampire's state. And wasn't he off form to begin with? Hadn't that been some of the subject of their conversation before this descent into chaos?

Even now as Andre smiled back at him in that forlorn fashion, Bash found himself following along behind him. A silent promise to ensure him on his way to his family, if nothing else. Of course, that landed them in the seat of the pandemonium, with Andre striding up the rubble pile alongside his brother... Stefan Uccello, if memory served.

But another brother stole Bash's focus just as quickly, now within enough proximity to the gathering wounded to hear Adonis' incoherent yelling above the cacophony of the room. Bash cast one more glance to Andre's back before rushing to the side of his elder brother.

-

Emi had been so caught up in her attempts to soothe Enzo and begging him not to speak as he slowly recovered. It took Andre raising his voice for her to finally take his notice, but that made her eyes dart to meet his figure as he shouted at Sage. Sage...

Fully gone, bloodied and broken but fighting on without a care for himself. She watched the scene unfolding with horror, but was frozen in that fear, making no attempt to move. It was only when she'd caught Andre's words about not caring about Sage that Enzo forced her to look back at him, his hands cradling her head as he spoke. Repetitively coaxing her to tune out the cruelty of Andre's voice, to not believe it. But the whining from Sage swirled with the cold hearted flurry of tongue lashing in a way that Emi couldn't miss. She forced her eyes shut, clutching at Enzo's wrists as she began to sob, shaking her head. It didn't block any of it out, seeming to only amplify it and her misery in equal measure.

You are a disgrace. He doesn't mean it. You can't even die properly. It's not real. I don't care. Don't listen. I never cared. He doesn't mean it.

"It's not real... Don't listen... He doesn't mean it... He doesn't mean it... He doesn't," she repeated softly to herself between her sobs, trembling even in Enzo's hold from the chill of Andre's voice. It was too much. It was all far too much.

[never-the-innocent-one]

The crowd kept seeming to close in on itself. Screaming and running, dust in the air, falling debris from the rafters. Somehow in the midst of all that chaos, Alec heard Helenus' call to him. Loud and clear. He stopped following Magnus and turned, just as the fae reached him and he was enveloped in his arms.

Alec hadn't even realized he'd been trembling until then. Not from the carnage. He was a demon hunter afterall. That happened all the time. He could hear Hayden's shouts and then Magnus' booming voice. But then, it all faded away and he could hear Helenus' heart beat. Erratic but strong. He'd been just as scared as Alec had. For him.

He gave a great exhale, then gripped the other man tightly. First his elbows, then his arms, pulling him down and closer. "Oh thank the angel..." His voice cracked. Helenus was safe. He cupped the back of his neck and held him there, pressed against him.

But as much as Alec wanted to stay there, holding his love. They needed to keep moving, so he released Helenus so he could straighten. "I need...." He said as the actual panic started to set in. "Ava! Ava was running this way. I need to find Izzy...and Jace...and Ava." Then he grabbed Helenus' arm. "Cassie? Hektor? Is everyone okay?"

~*~

Once Hayden was absolutely certain Finn was being cared for, he placed a hand on Ava's back, whispering to her. Then did the same to Odette. A nephilim prayer. Asking the Angel to protect them. Then he set to helping the others.

Bodies upon bodies kept getting pulled from the rubble. And it wasn't only the shifters and the nephilim. Some vampires, some fae, humans. Everyone was effected. He felt a bump against him that nearly knocked him off his feet. it was Adam, communicating with him that he had this under control.

Hayden grabbed the first two nephilim he saw. "Upstairs. Now." He told them. And they took off.

~*~

Jay was trying to move forward to Bess, but Kenna had hold of his hand. Suddenly, in a whirl of motion, the vampire jerked backwards, releasing his hold on Bess. He didn't know where to focus, getting to Bess, protecting Kenna or finding out what happened. It was then he noticed a few more people had joined them. Another vampire, only she was engaging the one who attacked them. Then Robbie, Kenna's brother swooped in, grabbing Bess.

The urge to fight was so strong. But not letting anything happen to either of the important women in his life was so much more important. When Kenna's hand grabbed him it was instinctual, and so he ran.

~*~

"Witch!" Mael snarled when the one responsible for his current predicament became apparent. The Wizard's bitch, Calliope. He would certainly have to report that back to Remus. If she was here, Wulfe would certainly be close by.

Still...he closed his eyes, concentrating on the blood moving in his veins, traveling up and up and up until it met the warm glow of her power and snuffed it out. As he regained his footing, he cracked his neck to the left then the right. Taking time to stretch each finger and arm, then his legs. Making a show of it so she would know her little parlor trick wouldn't be enough to hold him.

He stepped away from the hole, rubbing his wrist idly. "Interesting." He said with a sneer. "Has the Wizard taught you nothing?" His eyes opened, a dark crimson glow showing through them. As he came to stand before her, spreading his arms. "You are welcome to have another go...but the end will still be the same. Your head...on a platter. Perhaps we will send an ear or a toe in a little box to your maker."

A rush of wind shot up through the hole he'd just stepped away from. Before he had the chance to wonder what that was, a hand appeared. It caught him around the ankle. There was another crack of magic in the air before Mael's feet left the ground and he was hurled up into the ceiling above. More plaster and dush raining down all over the floor and Calli.

At first, nothing else happened. Mael hit the ground with sickening thud. Seeing stars. And he knew...and it struck fear into him. The Wizard had arrived.

~*~

Wulfe rose up through the hole in the floor. It was a slow ascension, allowing him to assess the area before he hovered just above the ground. He floated another foot or so, landing lightly on his feet next to Mael's prone body.

When the vampire attempted to rise, Wulfe merely touched his shoulder with a finger, and his body violently flattened into the floor. But not quite enough to fall through. He grunted with the impact making Wulfe smile a toothy grin.

He swept an arm towards Calli. "Combat." He lectured. "Never underestimate the stupidity of your partner." Glancing down at the groaning Mael he tsked. "Next time, less stupid. More pizzazz." With that, he made jazz hands.

~*~

Magnus was busy barking orders when Torben appeared beside him. He turned towards his friend with a nod, "Yes yes, of course. All yours. Might find Thaddeus as well. He can open up more of them." He told him.

"Don't bother." The portal hopper said, appearing beside Magnus. "Already here."

Magnus dropped him a wink. "I love a man who always arrives on time."

Thaddeus gave him a sour look. "Says the guy who's always late."

"I am never late." Magnus replied with an errant sniff. "I always arrive precisely when I mean to."

Thaddeus just rolled his eyes, turning to Torben. "Where you want these things?" He asked, rolling up his sleeves as his hands began to glow.

~*~

Remus had just disentangled himself from Thalric when the blonde warlock from before appeared beside them. He shot the taller vampire a sour look, "We aren't leaving. Not yet."

Naturally, Thalric raised no objection, just side-eyed the woman, assessing her.

After taking a moment to adjust his clothing properly, Remus finally addressed her. "Well...I did say we were trying to behave. Not my fault your locals are so explosive. No manners."

Thalric's head shot up suddenly. Then his voice rang out in Remus' head. Mael down, Wizard sighted. Nereus down, unidentified pyromancer sighted with the Soldier's right hand. Noctis down, unidentified master vampire. broken neck. Laszlo and Faustus unresponsive. Lorcan...MIA.

"Are you FUCKING kidding me?" Remus snarled outloud.

Thalric's gaze remained steady on his.

"I have to do everything myself!" He continued to rage. Spinning around to the blonde woman he squinted at her. "Wait...aren't you Marcus' Blood Mage?" He'd read something about her in his research. "Your magic...calls blood?"

~*~

As the vampire crumpled to the floor, Blaze had a momentary panic attack. It was increasingly hard to figure out who was the actual enemy here. Especially because Erebus was gone and not engaging with anyone anymore.

He spared a glance back at the woman who assisted them in impaling the cursing vampire. She seemed nonplussed by the appearance of the...he lost track on how many vampires were surrounding him now.

Turning back he finally exhaled. "Hells bells." He exclaimed. Somehow he'd forgotten just how many seethes there were in Chicago. Making a show of counting them with a finger there were...four plus five if you counted Erebus who left the scene. The odds were not in his favor.

~*~

Nereus snapped at Sofia as she flicked him a second time in the ear. "Watch it you cunt!" He snarled uncharitably. Status. Came Remus' voice in his head.

You know damned well my status. He shot back. Are you coming or not?

I sent you Noctis. Remus replied. It's not my fault he got his neck snapped. That'll teach him to talk so much.

Your compassion astounds me. The other end of their conversation went silent and Nereus scowled. Sending a few rather scathing insults at his brother. He did get a response though, a wave of power that started to build in his bloodied hand. Making a fist, he grinned fiercely. "Fuck yeah!"

His power surge wouldn't do much against two strong vampires. The only water that could hurt them would be holy. However, he could certainly do damage on the warlock. "Hey sparky!" He taunted. "Wanna play with fire?"

The warlock turned towards him, and Nereus released the bubbling liquid from his open palm. He made a wide sweep of his arm turning the sphere into a wall of water before expanding it outward. When it hit the pyromancer it sizzled into his skin.

There was a shriek of pain as the water cascaded over him. He'd managed to cover his face with his arms but it still burned like a bitch. Remus' favored method of torture, acid. The warlock dropped to the ground, it was an interesting effect.

Nereus turned back to Sofia. "You gonna do something about that? Or you just gonna stand here like a dumb bitch."

~*~

There were voices, it felt like they were scraping around in Sage's head. No rhyme or reason to them. And only loud enough to distress him. Because with them being so loud he couldn't focus on anything else.

His blood was boiling. It flowed out of him like a torrent. First from the gaping hole in his middle. Then from the twin sets of fang marks on either side of his neck. His clotting couldn't keep up with the quickness he was losing it.

Two voices he was somehow able to understand were Erebus and Emi. They were both speaking to him but it only sounded like jumbled nonsense.

His second sense kicked in and he felt Laszlo stir. He wasn't dead. He wasn't even seriously hurt. Sage caught Erebus' hand. "Help me..." He gasped, "I need...I need..." He couldn't even form the words, but brought the other vampire's hand with his over the mass of metal protruding out of his body.

Faustus rose first from the ruins of the wall they'd been catapulted through. It took him only a second to hone in on the most dangerous of his opponents. Which was Stefan. He snarled and launched himself at the master vampire, but Sage didn't have the capacity to worry about them.

With Erebus' help, they removed the jagged piece of debris. It hurt just as much going out as it did going in, and Sage screamed. But there wasn't time to lick his wounds. By the time he got to his feet, he was panting. Whether from exertion, blood loss or mere strength of will, he didn't know.

Finish it. Morpheus' voice rang through his jumbled mind. He wasn't even able to block it. Or the incoming images being blasted at him. A house. A woman with two little boys. Those two little boys grew up into strapping young men. Until the night everything shattered.

Finish it. The voice came again and Sage trembled under the weight of it. All sense of reason started to slowly fade away as the voice became stronger and stronger. Strangling the life out of everything else. And as he staggered forward to meet Laszlo, Sage saw only red.

~*~

Enzo came to violently, clutching at his neck as he forced air into his lungs. It wasn't a necessity anymore, but old habits died hard. Especially in traumatic experiences. But he only really cared about one thing. Emi. He didn't know how he was still alive, but he was. That didn't matter though, only Emi did.

"E-Emilia..." He rasped, clutching onto Nic's arm. He struggled to sit up, repeating her name over and over again. "Emi..." When Nic tried to keep a hold of him, all he could do was thrash. Because if he was alive, that meant Emi did something. Which meant she was hurt, or being hurt.

He let out an enraged scream that ripped through his already crushed windpipe. Fighting, flailing, trying to communicate his need to find her but anything that came out of him was gibberish.

When he heard Sage scream, a new sense of urgency came over him and his fighting became more desperate. "EMI!!!"

~*~

Andre's steps were heavy as he moved through the carnage. The hall was unrecognizable now. The shouting and sobbing was still loud and clear, but it did little to put any sense of urgency in him. He hadn't known Bash was following him until he made it to the bottom of the second staircase.

As he gazed at him, he smiled a little. Oh he really wished he'd met him before now. The concern in the fae's eyes made Andre recoil a bit away from him. Because if he didn't deserve it now, he certainly wouldn't be deserving after this. "You may want to stay here." He murmured as he continued on, not really caring if he continued to follow or not.

By the time he arrived at the main event, Stefan had just snapped Faustus' neck and dropped him into pile of rubble. They met eyes for a moment and his brother scowled at him. "Nice of you to show up."

Andre just gave him a 100 watt smile that impressed even him. "I do hate to get dirty." He remarked, his eyes moving over Stefan. He looked dreadful. Covered in blood and grime. But then again, that was pretty typical of him. He never seemed to mind.

He caught sight of Lorcan and his smile faded. He'd been so hoping that Mael had moved on his own. That the rest of them had not arrived. Yet. Here they were.

"Sage!" He snapped. The snarling and grunting slowed. "Sage! That is enough. Stop!" His second order finally made it through and it stopped.

Sage stood, hunched. Blood dripping down from all sorts of places. His beautiful clothing ripped and stained. And his eyes...were dead on the inside. His lip curled as his met Andre's gaze.

"I said stop." Andre repeated. He didn't move. Didn't blink. Just stared down at him. His adopted child.

The voice that passed through Sage's lips was not his usual soft melody. "Not my maker." The nightmarish voice growled.

That made Andre smile a little. "No. But I am responsible for you. Are I not? Was I not the one that cut you down from your chains?"

Sage moved then, away from Laszlo, and everyone else. He moved stiffly, like he was in pain. But Andre couldn't bring himself to really look at him. When he finally made it to Andre he was shaking. Unable to even make a coherent noise. It marveled Andre that he was even upright at all.

"I said stop." Andre said. "Look at you. A mess. But you've always been a mess haven't you? Do you think I would have cared at all about you? I only stepped in because Erebus asked me too. And do you know why he would have done that, Sage? Think really hard."

But the creature that was Sage couldn't think. He was far too gone to understand anything happening right then. But that didn't sway Andre. He would remember this, he had to.

Andre was the one who closed the distance between them. "You are a disgrace. You can't even die properly. What does one have to do...Sage. Haven't I done enough? I don't care. I never cared. Look at them all." He said, gesturing around them.

Emi had moved and was with Enzo and Nic. Enzo was holding Emi's head between his hands, whispering something to her. But Andre didn't really care about that. The rest of his children were there as well. This would be final scene for them. They wouldn't be able to come along with him to the end of the show. It hurt to know that. Hurt to know that despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep them safe. He'd gone soft somehow. And it only made it worse. So much words. He longed for a time when silly things like emotions played no part in his world.

Sage stood, dripping and rocking back and forth. He was making sad whining sounds. It was cruel what Andre was doing. He knew it. But he couldn't stop. Not now,

"I needed a soldier. Not some sniveling little child. You are of no use to me like this. No use to anyone. What's the use of a weapon that has needs?"

That's when he heard wha Enzo was whispering to Emi. 'He doesn't mean it. It's not real. Don't listen. He doesn't mean it.'

It hurt, and Andre had to swallow the sob currently fighting to be released. But he just wouldn't do that. "Do you hear me? That goes for all of you. Every last one. I'm done. I don't want any of you showing up on my doorstep. I'm done. I've no more obligation to care for you. I-"

"Andre!" Stefan snapped tiredly. "Shut up. Just shut up." His older brother pleaded. Which was an odd thing for him. To plead like that. He wasn't looking at Andre, just at the faces surrounding them.

"You're going need to bigger place, brother mine." Andre said smugly. "If you intend on adopting them all. Stefan's Home for Wayward Vampires. Has a nice ring to it....doesn't it?"

Sage's legs finally gave out and he fell to his knees. In the midst of it all. Laszlo, Faustus and Lorcan had disappeared. Which, Andre expected.

A snarl from Stefan. "You are crossing the line."

"What line would line would that be?" Andre asked.

"The line of no return."

Nic still held Enzo in his arms, ready to run if they needed to go further, but aware of the stampede of panicked party guests that posed an altogether different obstacle. He'd stopped just off to the side of the rubble pile, with Esmeralda at his side. Their agreement was wordless in that moment. Both of them were on edge, poised in the way a first responder and a born fighter only could be.

Meanwhile Damien, seemingly unperturbed by the flurry of insults and blows Emi was landing on him, managed to drag Emilia off to the side of the rubble where Nic and Esmeralda had taken Enzo. He passed her off to Esmeralda, who immediately restrained the younger vampire. "Don't make this any more difficult than it needs to be Emilia," Esmeralda hissed, though she knew that wouldn't be heard given Emi's frantic looks between Sage and Enzo on the ground and her continued shouting.

-

Odette was so far out of focus. She hadn't quite been aware of Ava and Alec arriving, let alone Hayden until she felt herself being pulled away from the crumbling debris. For a second she fought his hold, out of her mind with fear and confusion, but settled as she saw Zehra in their place. She knew her by reputation, and knew even better than to question her good nature as she shifted the rubble off of Finn.

The second Hayden released her and Ava, Odette crashed to her knees beside Finn, one hand desperately clutching Ava's as the other cupped Finn's cheek. She could see Ava searching for a pulse and found herself holding her breath until the relief seemed to wash over the other woman. Odette sobbed again, all too aware of how utterly powerless she felt in the moment, because any comfort she might have felt in the knowledge of Finn being alive was hanging on by a tenuous thread as she watched the blood slowly spreading around him.

-

The Eternity Seethe all gathered on the heels of their Master, leaping into action to help unearth people from the rubble. Lenore wasn't surprised that Virgil had followed her into the fray, nor when he began to lift smaller rocks and plaster pieces to her side without a second thought. This was a matter for far more than just vampires.

-

Bo had been dancing with Cassie not long before the collapsing, so the pair reunited within a minute. He knew better than to ask Cassie to leave for her own safety as she was a healer and those caught under the debris would likely need her aid. So he tucked her arm in his, guiding their path through the panic to the rubble.

They arrived alongside Gwaine and Andromeda, taking in the scene before them with a collective horror. Bo left Cassie and Gwaine to see to an unconscious and gravely injured Finn who seemed to be the first one uncovered. He then ran forward with Andromeda to the rubble pile itself, both of them joining the throng of supernaturals digging through the rubble pile for any people trapped underneath.

-

The last thing Adonis had expected for his evening was to be caught in a word feud with Nyla, let alone one so all consumingly frustrating as to make him storm away from her entirely. But then the stairs caved in behind him, and, well, that made him freeze in his tracks. It made his anger vanish, and in its place came an overwhelming dread with panic hot on its heels. He turned around to where he'd left Nyla, desperately trying to see through the dust obscuring the scene. Surely she'd have left the spot too...

Only he couldn't see her at all, and that could only mean one thing. He clambered forward, having to contend with people rushing and shoving their own way in the opposite direction. They might be fleeing, but he only found himself running to something. Someone. Nyla.

The crowd of supernaturals at the rubble boasted their gifted strength, whereas he held only a desperation to the point of recklessness as he helped dig through the rubble, leaving his hands in bloodied shambles.

It took several minutes before they unearthed Nyla, but sure enough she had been caught in the collapse. Adonis took her limp body from the arms of some vampire woman alongside him, shaking desperately as he brought her to the slowly assembling gathering of healers.

-

Most of the older pack members were the type to jump into action on a near immediate basis, be it rounding up the cubs, evacuating the guests, or in the case of some, charging towards the collapse to lend their aid. Emma and Ciaran didn't shift, both remaining off to the side to help administer at least initial first aid to the wounded.

Jonathan, Rosamund, Daire, and Austin were some of the first to shift alongside Adam, diving into the effort to clear away the rubble. Scenting made it easier to do so in a targeted fashion. But the one scents that caught Jonathan's attention first were all too familiar. He focused on a particular area, and with the help of Rosamund eventually unearthed Rory and Bryce from the rubble there. Jonathan whined as pulled the younger shifters off to the side, catching the attention of Emma and Ciaran immediately. Ciaran took Bryce from Jonthan and Emma gently grabbed Rory from Rosamund, both of them moving the younger shifters to an empty space on the ground to assess the depth of their injuries.

Rory seemed to have taken the brunt of it, likely having shielded Bryce with her body as the rubble fell on top of them. Both of them had severe head lacerations and trauma. Emma ripped the base of her dress into a makeshift bandages, passing a swathe to Ciaran so they could remedially dress the wounds to Rory and Bryce's heads. It wouldn't be enough. They would need intervention beyond either of the doctors means in this environment.

As Emma finished fastening the cloth around Rory's head, she moved onto assessing the rest of her. Several broken bones, including a rib likely puncturing one of her lungs, judging by the uneven breath sounds Emma was able to pick up. "Ciaran! Her lung!" She called out.

-

With the first nephilim freed, Zehra cast a glance behind her to the still unfolding fight. Her children were already setting themselves upon the rubble, shoulder to shoulder with nephilim and shifters alike.

At the sight of Sofia in the midst of impaling a vampire Zehra moved to join her. Only hesitating as she took note of a second strange vampire speaking to a warlock--the pyromancer, evidently. Their words amidst the backdrop of the larger scale fight behind them and Sofia's trapped offender only deepened Zehra's anger and exhaustion with this sorry lot. She moved behind the distracted diplomat, one arm snaking around his torso and pulling him flush against her as the other came around to grip his head. And in one swift motion she broke his neck. It wouldn't kill him properly, of course, but it allowed him to be out of the scope of issue--of which there seemed to be so many at the moment. She freed the stranger's body from her grasp, allowing him to fall in a crumpled heap at her feet.

-

Esmeralda had given up on talking to Emi, even though Nic seemed to still be helplessly trying to reason with her. It was a pointless effort when the younger woman was in such a rage and panic. Esmeralda's gaze was locked on Sage as he was impaled upon the debris, the act making her wince as Emilia cried out all the further.

Stefan's immediate arrival and treatment of Sage's attackers finally made Esmeralda cave in, releasing her hold on Emi, who nearly tumbled to the floor upon the lack of tension pulling against her strength.

Emi rushed to Sage's side, joining Erebus there. But her focus was only on Sage, only on his face. Her voice cracked with return to a soft tone, but she spoke to him gently all the same. "Sage? Sage, je suis là... Sage, look at me. It's okay. You're here with us... Come back to me, mon cher," she quietly pleaded.

-

Calliope had made her way to one of the farther edges of the swarming crowd, not all that far from the bar. Her head was whipping around madly, trying and failing to catch sight of her Maker even in this corner where she'd last seen him. Scenting was even harder to do, what with the scope of conflicting blood permeating the air.

Amidst all of the running figures around her, she could see three maintaining a stillness by the bar. Thalric and Noctis to either side of Remus. She felt her hands instinctively clench into fists upon her recognition of the trio. They had yet to make note of her, clearly too caught up in each other and their own amusement as it--

The gunshots from off to her right made Calliope flinch, but it wasn't until she saw the way Thalric clutched Remus and Noctis made his exit that she quite put two and two together. Wooden bullets. From where?

Only then did her focus dare to leave the other vampires, catching sight of one of a blonde woman wielding the offending gun, still trained in the direction of the bar. Behind her stood two others. Calli concentrated to the best of her ability on their scents--a shifter, and two half faes. No less helpless than humans, and putting a bright red target on their backs.

She abandoned her mission to find Wulfe for the moment--because, truth be told, he had all the means to defend himself even if he wasn't the type to let on. Calli was still struggling through the crowd, particularly now that everyone seemed to be running towards multiple exits rather than any single one.

The shaking brought about by Mael jumping up through the floorboards momentarily set her off balance--costly seconds that she knew would mean harm to one or more of the three innocents the psychopath was about to descend on. And sure enough he'd managed to grab ahold of the blonde's wrist, breaking the bones there in an immediate and audible fashion.

She wasn't close enough to fight him before more damage was done--the fatal sort. And only then did Calli fully decide her next course of action. She would be breaking a centuries old promise to herself in doing so, and alerting Morpheus' mouthpieces to the persisting scope of her magic, but it was her only option. She halted in her tracks, steeling her gaze onto Mael, zeroing in on his jugular as her connection point. There. The movement of blood through his murderous limbs, flowing even in undeath. Her hands raked through the empty air in front of her, beckoning the current of his bloodstream towards her. Calli watched Mael's grip on the woman's broken arm slip away, as the invisible tether to his torso pulled him backwards into a heap on the ground, teetering on the edge of the the hole he'd created from below the floorboards. She flicked her wrist back in a sharp motion, causing Mael's head to bend backwards enough to catch her eyeline. And in a tone only vampires could hear did she then speak. "Miss me?"

[never-the-innocent-one]

Hayden was suddenly there between Ava and Odette just as Alec got there. “Get Magnus!” He ordered as he started to dig into the rubble. Not even caring that his hands were bleeding from the effort. He wasn’t strong enough for the larger pieces. But with Odette and Avalon’s sobs in his ears, he pushed on even harder. “FINN!” He screamed.

Zehra, Hayden remembered, the master of one of Chicago’s seethes, appeared. Once he realized what it is she wanted, he offered a nod and a “Please.” Knowing she heard him.

He caught both sobbing girls. He held both of them at his sides, covering their heads as the debris lifted. Once it was safe, he released them to tend to Finn.

Staying back he ordered the nephilim that started to gather there. “There are people in there!” He shouted at them. “Help Zehra dig them out!”

All of them listened save for one. Jace looked washed out. “Alec..” he said. It was drowned out by the noise, but Hayden knew anyway.

Hayden caught him by the shoulder. “He went to find Magnus.” He said into his ear. “Go!” Pushing Jace forward towards the mountain of rubble.

Several of the shifters appeared in animal form, attacking the mound. Pulling out bloodied bodies with their teeth. Hayden recognized one of them as Adam.

“WHERE THE HELL IS MAGNUS?” He yelled at no one in particular.

The crowd lingering around the disaster suddenly parted for Magnus as he strode purposefully through, Alec in tow. “Right here, Hayden. No need to shout.” Clapping his hands once, the hall burst into bright white light. All the furniture and decorations disappeared. “I need healers.” His voice boomed. “And find me every last vampire in the building. I don’t care who belongs to who. The rest of you…GET OUT!!”

All the doors slammed open and with them crowds of people.

~*~

Remus didn’t know anything was wrong until he was jerked off the bar and against Thalric’s chest. Trying to get free was useless.

Wood bullets. Noctis’ calm voice echoed in his head.

Remus pounded on Thalric’s chest. “No no no!” He screamed out loud.

MAEL! UPSTAIRS! BULLETS!

WHO HAS EYES he shouted at all of them.

Little busy. Came Laszlo’s lazy drawl.

Remus grit his teeth. He cast a side eye at Noctis who merely shrugged. Nereus is too it seems. Impaled by Erebus’ little friends.

An annoyed voice cut through. Some help would be nice.

Remus rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath about crybabies. He jerked his chin in that direction. You heard him. Go.

Noctis made a sweeping bow and disappeared into the chaos.

His lip curled. No respect. The lot of you.

~*~

Mael and Andre were trapped in a stare off. Neither willing to budge. That is until a shrill voice invaded his head. Ordering him to move on. What about the Courtier? He snarled.

Do you want to meet eternal death? Remus asked.

Mael cursed.

“What did he say?” Andre questioned.

His lip curled. “We will meet another day, it seems.” He purred. There was a crack as Mael jerked forward backing Andre back onto the couch he’d just gotten up from.

“Dog.” Andre spat, slapping him across the face.

Mael let the hit land. A familiar tingle rolling down his spine. Andre had always been like a drug to him. Before he could pull his hand back, Mael caught it.

Bracing himself against Mael’s chest, Andre’s glare was cold as ice.

“Until we meet again.” He promised, catching the other vampire around the waist and kissing him.

Andre let out a growl of indignation. He always had been feisty. “You’re going to pay for that.”

“I certainly hope so.” He replied, stealing one more kiss before disappearing.

~*~

The sight of Kenna at his arm stopped Jay in his tracks. He took a moment to assess her. She looked fine, he was going to ask just to be safe but then Bess also appeared. Effectively corralling him.

“Wait just a second!” He objected as Bess grabbed his gun from his holster instinctively, Jay’s arm circled Kenna’s waist, ready to pull her to safety as Bess fired.

There was a tense moment before Jay frowned at her. The floor gave a great shake that nearly knocked Jay off his feet. A dark shape shot up from below. Landing on the banister. The snarled fangs were the first thing that appeared and Jay had a split second to pull Bess back with him and Kenna.

The vampire swayed a bit, moaning softly. His eyes were cold and dark. Inhuman. None of the other local vampires looked like that. Then he scoffed in irritation. “Humans? That little brat spoiled my play time for two measly humans?” He barely even looked at Kenna. “And a mongrel.”

That pissed Jay off. “The fuck you say, bloodsucker?” His gun fired again, Bess continued to fire.

The vampire gave Jay a curious look before setting his attention on the bullets flying at him. It was far too easy for him to be just one step ahead of Bess. It was almost a dance. Until it wasn’t. He caught Bess’s arm, easily shattering the bone with a sickening crunch. And the gun clattered to the ground.

~*~

Nereus snarled and snapped at Sofia who was nearest to him. “Stupid bitch! I’ll kill you!”

Blaze was torn between making sure this vampire didn’t move and finding where Erebus ended up. Placing a hand on his hip, he considered the situation. He was about to ask Sofia to move so he could torch the bastard when someone cleared his throat behind him.

Whirling around he started to gather heat in his palm, but it snuffed out as the man spread his hands in a placating gesture.

“Pardon my intrusion.” He said to Blaze then tipped an imaginary hat to Sofia. “Ma’m.”

Blaze shot her a questioning look before turning his attention back to the vampire. “Um… yes?”

The vampire smiled. “Very good. Yes. You’ve got my brother there…impaled upon a stick. Would you mind terribly if I were to take him back?”

Nereus snarled again. “Stop that and help me you sadistic bastard!”

The other vampire didn’t even glance at him. “He has a rather terrible case of Tourette’s.”

That comment sent Nereus into another fit of cursing.

Blaze pressed his lips together in thought. “And if I told you no? He did just attack my boyfriend. That’s not okay.”

He shrugged. “Well I’d have to rip out your heart and drink your blood through straw.” He replied politely.

“Huh…” Blaze replied, tapping his bottom lip with a finger. “That’s awfully barbaric.”

The vampire considered that. “I suppose.”

“So about i just torch both of you instead?”

The grin that answered was eerily calm. “You can try.”

~*~

Sage’s body was moving, meeting Laszlo’s strikes blow for blow. But his mind was elsewhere. Trapped in a place he didn’t want to be.

Laszlo managed a kick that sent Sage skidding back several feet.

Laszlo you moron! Hurry up and finish it! Remus voice rang in his head.

“When I finally get him alone I’m going to roast him on a pike.” He snarled.

Sage managed to get back up but was blocked from Laszlo by Faustus. The other vampire leaned on Sage’s shoulder.

“You’ve got quite the little fan club here.” He mused.

Blinking rapidly, Sage was fighting to keep his coherency.

“Your little lap dog.” He said gesturing toward Erebus. “Princess Buttercup.” He added, nodding towards Emi who was cocooned against Damien. “Then the amazon over there about to maim Laszlo.”

At that remark, Laszlo caught sight of the girl beneath him. His lip curled, as he grabbed her up by the hair. “Our fight is not with you!” He snarled. Sending her flying into a mound of debris.

Faustus tapped Sage’s temple to get his attention. “Nor is our fight with any of them.” He added, gesturing towards Emi and Erebus. “Well, maybe teddybear maybe. He did help.”

Sage met Erebus’ eyes as if only now realizing he was there. He breathed in shakily, wanting to go to him. But then there was a great piercing pain as Laszlo skewered him on one of the rafters that fell off the ceiling.

Sage gasped out a scream, catching it as it pushed through his back and out his chest, somehow missing his vital organs.

Faustus winced then glared at his brother over Sage’s shoulder. “Well now you’ve covered him in blood. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“Yum.” Laszlo replied before Sage was buried beneath the two of them in a feeding frenzy.

There was an incredible burst of energy, as Stefan appeared through then gloom. In only a moment more he had Laszlo and Faustus flung into the brick wall across from Sage. Now a crumpled mess on the ground.

As the dust of Stefan’s dust began to fade, Lorcan came into focus looking a little sheepish. “The soldier is here.”

Rattled was an understatement for how the revelations from Andre had left Emilia feeling. It was a slowly all-consuming tidal wave of panic. Because anything could happen to any of them. Anything could happen to Sage. Sage.

She still couldn’t find him in the ballroom, in her increasingly unsteady searching through the crowd. Fear never made her steady to begin with, and the threatening vice of her own anxiousness was having to contend with the lingering effects of her drinking earlier in the evening. It left her clumsy, stumbling into some people rather than just brushing past. And the narrowing of her vision didn’t help.

She was descending into shambles, and was achingly aware of Enzo looming nearby, likely struggling to get to her just yet through the disgruntled party guests she’d left in her wake.

It was impossible to hear anything, to smell anything clearly. And Emi damned the part of her that ever let Sage out of her sight… but how could she have known?

But then the crash of the caving in stairs made her freeze, her head whipping towards the unfolding scene nearby. She scented the air, vampire blood… Sage’s blood. And someone who seemed to contend with his strength. And that awoke another fear in her entirely. That could only mean that it was beginning, that this was not happening by chance.

Emi ripped through the stunned crowd, throwing people to either side of her as she ran as fast as her stumbling feet could allow. Damned be reason, she would die for Sage if she had to. And that didn’t require even a second thought.

She could hear Enzo shouting just behind her as she reached the rubble of the collapsed staircase, could feel his hand on her shoulder. But he didn’t grab her to hold her back, simply pushing her behind him as he jumped on the offending vampire attacking Sage. Even as she stumbled at the interference, Emi regained her footing quickly, steeling herself as she charged forward into the fray, wrapping her arms around Sage’s abdomen and pulling him against her.

[never-the-innocent-one]

Remus knew before the initial crash that Laszlo had done something really stupid. He huffed with irritation. He had been enjoying himself. Hoisting himself up on the bar, he surveyed the frenzy. He felt Thalric's hand close around his ankle but he ignored it. Easy big guy...His heart skipped a beat as he laid eyes on Laszlo and Sage appearing in the dust. Lips twitching a bit, he glanced down meeting Thalric's eyes. Things were just heating up. Nereus went in on his own accord, no surprise to anyone. Noctis appeared down by Thalric. He could feel the mental tug as Noctis requested a link with him. Remus allowed it.

Status? He inquired once he felt his brother enter his mindscape.

Laszo intercepted, currently engaged. Nereus moving in on the target's left side. Lorcan has eyes on the Soldier, he's moving to intercept. Mael has eyes on the Courtier, waiting for orders. No sign of the Wizard, but he is in the vicinity. Faustus is moving in on target's right side, apparently there is some interference.

Remus' lip twitched. That was not surprising in the slightest. As he laid eyes on the battle itself, he quickly made up his mind. He kept his mental link with Noctis, but then spread out to touch the minds of the other members of the seethe. Pushing his way in.

Mael, secure the Courtier, the Master wants him alive.

Nereus, disengage and move in to assist Laszlo.

Lorcan, let the Soldier pass. Let's watch the fireworks, standby

Faustus, disengage. Locate the Wizard, stat.

Thalric, Noctis...hold on tight boys, the show just got hot!

Once he got the affirmatives, he closed the links to allow his people to focus on their tasks. He and his two bodyguards settled in for the show.

~*~

It wasn't the sudden crash and shouting that startled Blaze. It was the fact that one moment Erebus was there beside him, and then the other he was not. The mayhem that came after was a mass of confusion. Blaze didn't have supernatural sight or hearing. So, as the dust began to rise, he had a difficult time finding Erebus in the fray.

The vampire was locked into a fight to the apparent death when he reached him. Though it was less swift and more flatout brawn. Erebus landed hit after hit, the other vampire deflecting and then pummeling the smaller vampire. Neither seemed to be getting the upperhand.

Blaze really had no clue who they were supposed to be fighting. There were vampires everywhere. But he could deduce that Erebus was fighting one of the bad guys at least. Worse than he was anyway. The odds weren't in his favor, fire magic was unpredictable.

Despite the overwhelming urge to simply light both of them on fire, Blaze saw his shot. He skidded into the rubble, taking hold of a splintering 2x4 and lit it up. The fire didn't burn him, but the vampire would be toast.

~*~

PYRO! BEHIND YOU! Remus' voice in his head came without warning. Nereus blocked an incoming blow from Erebus, while expertly ducking under the flaming torch that was aimed at his head. His grin was feral as Nereus laughed. "You brought a friend." He said to Erebus before doing an aerial backflip over the both of them, landing behind the warlock.

Wrong direction though. The warlock turned as well, dropping the wood and pulling his hand back. "Fuego, incinerate." He said in a voice only audible to vampiric ears.

Nereus barely had time to dance out of the way as a blast of wicked hot flame soared over his hand. Damn sparker threw a fireball at him! Nereus' lip curled. "Spicy little thing aren't you?"

The warlock pulled his extended arm back. "Not what you should be worried about." He said with a serene little smile, but fire dancing in his eyes. He stepped aside and Erebus came barreling back at him.

~*~

When the commotion happened, Alec had two...well three concerns. 1. Locate the disturbance. 2. Find his infuriating parabatai and intercept. 3. Make sure Helenus was secure. Honestly, Helenus had been his first concern, as he'd been out looking for the fae. But that didn't really matter now, did it?

People were screaming and running about. Which wasn't difficult to ignore. That was basic nephilim training. Isolate the threat. He knew there were other nephilim there. Somewhere. His sight rune started to burn on the side of his neck as his eyes slowly started to sharpen. Crumble staircase. People screaming. Blood everywhere. And ah yes...vampires. No surprise there. But the more concerning part was spotting Ava running towards the rubble. The world stopped around him. That was his focus. And he was off, running to his best friend's side, bow at the ready.

~*~

Being in the supernatural division of the Chicago PD, Jay was ready for things like this. Mostly. After his last encounter with the vampires he came to the party armed with wooden bullets. Honestly though, you had to be able to target one.

Luckily, he'd been on the second floor, so he was able to have a height advantage as he took aim. His gun moved with one vampire before jumping to the next, trying to follow each intended interaction. Which was increasingly hard to do as things heated up. Literally. There was a burst of flame followed by a heavy dark smokey cloud.

Jay cursed under his breath as his sight quickly became obstructed. What was the point in being halfblood when your half of the blood didn't include supernatural sight? He thought sourly. Sniping out. He quickly slid his gun into its holster at his back as he ran for the staircase on the other end of the floor.

~*~

Andre had been nursing his bruised ego when he noticed a figure lurking in the shadows near him. It took less than in instant to recognize him. Mael.

But he didn't have time to finish the thought about the implications of that. His head buzzed a bit. A familiarity from his time with Morpheus. The Master Vampire liked keeping mental links with his people. Easier to control them that way. He'd only managed it once on Andre. But Andre also wasn't at his best currently.

Hello, mi amore. Morpheus voice slid into his consciousness. I've finally found you. It was almost a purr. The sound of it made Andre feel sick.

It took a great deal of focus for Andre to be able to think coherently enough to send a message back. He only managed a simple ?.

The answer came as a laugh. It turned his insides to jelly. He loved that laugh. As much as he loved the man behind it, until he found out the truth.

Aw. The voice cooed. That's sweet. And very unlike you.

Andre had managed to get himself up off the couch and staggered a few steps. Mael suddenly appeared before him, a blurry image. "Sage..." He whispered, that was what he was trying to focus on. Finding Sage.

"He's been found." Mael answered coldly. "As have you, I'm afraid. Laszlo broke your compulsion quite easily."

"Move." Andre hissed, his vision finally seeming to clear. The fuzziness in his mind fading as Morpheus' laughter echoed in his head.

Mael's smile evened into a line. "All I ever wanted was for you to see me. Even now..." His voice was velvety smooth, though his lovely face contorted in anger. "WHY WONT YOU PAY ATTENTION TO ME!"

~*~

Enzo knew he was outmatched. Laszlo knew it too. He was torn between keeping up with him and worrying over Emi at the same time. The stupid girl was clinging to Sage. And by the vacant look on his brother's face, that was not a safe place for her to be. "EMI!" He shouted. "LEAVE HIM!"

The sounds of her tear-strained voice made him hot with anger. Not anger at Sage who was posing the danger. But at the entire situation. They'd all been schooled in what to do if this situation ever came to pass. He was too get Emi to safety. To not engage any of Morpheus' people. It was a death sentence. But here he was. Facing off with the Lieutenant. In absolutely no position to protect Emi. "STUPID GIRL! LEAVE HIM!"

Laszlo's voice reached him. "I am offended that your attention seems to be elsewhere. On the girl? Ah. I see."

That snapped Enzo back to the matter at hand. "Leave her be." He snarled, "She is not for you."

"Isn't she though?" He smirked. "Your whole seethe belongs to us. In one manner or another. Perhaps if you begged me, I'd let you live. Keep the girl even."

It sounded like something he ought to consider. Keep Emi safe. Damned be the rest of them. But it wasn't even really a choice. Emi would never forgive him for that. Abandoning their family. Which, he wasn't likely to do anyway. Enzo didn't play the game. That was Andre's job. Enzo just played the dutiful soldier. But oh...how he wanted to.

"Sorry, mate." He smirked. "I'm not that smart."

"Pity." Laszlo sighed, almost like it mattered to him. "I had always thought you were more than just a pretty face."

Then talking time was over and Enzo saw flashes of a life he'd never get to have. With Emi. With Andre and Sage. Erebus and Calli. Nic and Luciana. Damien and Esmerelda. His little family, his whole world. In that last moment, before everything went dark, he turned his eyes towards Emilia. His light. His love. She sobbed, holding tightly to Sage and singing some silly french song. Please let her death me swift.

~*~

KILL. MAIM. DESTROY. Those words echoed over and over again in Sage's mind. A cruel smile. A whisper. The scent of blood and other bodily fluids.

All he saw was blood. It was dripping from the ceiling. Coating the walls. Draped over his eyes. Covering his skin. Sticky and sweet smelling.

Laszlo's blood tart on his tongue.

Then, singing. A soft voice that seemed to waft through the carnage. He had no recollection of who the voice belonged to. Just that it was beautiful. That it was familiar. That it meant something.

Laszlo had someone by the throat. Crushing it in his fingers. The crack of bones. And in Sage's head, he could hear his brother chanting the same words he'd just heard in his own head.

KILL. MAIM. DESTROY.

But also, the voice. He could feel the hands then. Wrapped around him. Trembling. The tears soaking through his shirt. A strangled gasp came through his chapped lips. They hurt. Everything hurt.

A second voice joined the first. He did recognize that voice. Erebus. He could see the other vampire's face so vividly. His lips moving, as he spoke to him. A soft smile. The promise that Sage was safe. And he wanted that.

Things started to slowly come back into focus then. As he put a name to each of the voices in his head. Erebus. Andre. Damien. Nic. Callie. Esmerelda. Luciana. Emi. Oh Emi. She was crying. That's when he realized. The last voice was Enzo, as he screamed.

What have I done?

Mutant. Laszlo's voice invaded his head again. You belong to us.

It was too late then though. Sage caught hold of Emi's hands, not bothering to be gentle, this wasn't the time for it. As he shoved her away he moved forward. He slid under Enzo's legs, as he was held off the floor. With a great thrust, Sage's fist came up, catching Laszlo under the jaw.

The suddenness of it, caught the older vampire by surprise. And he dropped Enzo. And the fight raged on.

Rattled was an understatement for how the revelations from Andre had left Emilia feeling. It was a slowly all-consuming tidal wave of panic. Because anything could happen to any of them. Anything could happen to Sage. Sage.

She still couldn’t find him in the ballroom, in her increasingly unsteady searching through the crowd. Fear never made her steady to begin with, and the threatening vice of her own anxiousness was having to contend with the lingering effects of her drinking earlier in the evening. It left her clumsy, stumbling into some people rather than just brushing past. And the narrowing of her vision didn’t help.

She was descending into shambles, and was achingly aware of Enzo looming nearby, likely struggling to get to her just yet through the disgruntled party guests she’d left in her wake.

It was impossible to hear anything, to smell anything clearly. And Emi damned the part of her that ever let Sage out of her sight… but how could she have known?

But then the crash of the caving in stairs made her freeze, her head whipping towards the unfolding scene nearby. She scented the air, vampire blood… Sage’s blood. And someone who seemed to contend with his strength. And that awoke another fear in her entirely. That could only mean that it was beginning, that this was not happening by chance.

Emi ripped through the stunned crowd, throwing people to either side of her as she ran as fast as her stumbling feet could allow. Damned be reason, she would die for Sage if she had to. And that didn’t require even a second thought.

She could hear Enzo shouting just behind her as she reached the rubble of the collapsed staircase, could feel his hand on her shoulder. But he didn’t grab her to hold her back, simply pushing her behind him as he jumped on the offending vampire attacking Sage. Even as she stumbled at the interference, Emi regained her footing quickly, steeling herself as she charged forward into the fray, wrapping her arms around Sage’s abdomen and pulling him against her.

[never-the-innocent-one]

"Generally no. We run around as we please. Assuming there isn't some dastardly plot to pursue. But its personal this time. Have to make a show of the intimidation factor. Stealthy like."

"Oh? You have to be told to behave?" she questioned, tilting her head with curiosity, "How very intriguing,"

[never-the-innocent-one]

About approaching Xypher...

"I would approach him..." He murmured as he watched the warlock fling a suitor accross the ballroom. "But this is a Brunello Cucinelli." He said gesturing to his suit. "Plus that would wreak havoc among the masses and well...we're to be on our best behavior tonight."

[never-the-innocent-one]

231205

poompps: Soon...

[never-the-innocent-one]

Poom Phuripan as seen through the lens of Singto Prachaya 📸