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toothpastecanyon · 1 month ago

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Return, to the Scene of the Crime - Chapter 11

Playing human again, Alcor makes it longer than he usually does. He's in college now, juggling classes, family, a curious vampire, and a strange, increasingly sinister web of mysteries weaving themselves around him. Without his omniscience to guide the way, he'll have to work hard to get to the bottom of this before it spirals out of control.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

No Lucy Ann. Dipper had a sinking feeling when he made it to his empty dorm room that night, but when morning came still without a sign of her?

He started calling. You know, just to make sure his friend he sent off to do a demon exorcism on her own was, uh, not dead. Please?

“Pick up…” Dipper sat rapping his knuckles on his desk, counting the minutes down to the class he was supposed to have left for. “Come on, Lucy Ann, where are you?”

It was no use - the call rang, and rang, and he sat there frozen, the ringing in his ears drowning out the voicemail, the pit in his stomach dropping forever at the thought of what he’d done.

This was bad. This was really, really bad.

What was he going to do?

But thank his lucky stars the phone rang then. The noise took him by surprise; he jumped, looked down, and saw:

“Lucy Ann…” He breathed. Then he scrambled to answer it. “Lucy Ann!”

“Hey, man.”

“You’re - oh my stars, are you okay?”

“Huh?” She sounded confused. “Of course I’m okay. Why?”

“I just- the demon, I couldn’t get ahold of you…” Dipper ran his hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry, I-I shouldn’t have ditched you! A-and I’m sorry for the whole argument, that was dumb, I-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down, man!” A nervous chuckle. “It’s okay, okay? Sorry for worrying you. I didn’t realise you were waiting up for me.”

“Of course I was waiting up for you, you were exorcising…!” He cut himself off, lowered his voice. “Uh, anyway, I’m really glad you’re okay. Did you… manage to do it?”

“Ah… yeah, about that.” There was a crackling sound on the line. “It wasn’t… it didn’t quite turn out the way I expected.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’ve got an interesting mystery on your hands, so, ah, you’re welcome for that.” A nervous chuckle. “But… I can’t help you with it anymore.”

He blinked. “Huh?”

“Xiaofan… she thinks I’m the demon summoner. We got in a little argument, see, and now she’s probably already gone to the feds.” A pause. “So… this is goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” He shook his head. “But… wait, you’re not the summoner! Are you?”

“Nope, but I’m not sticking around to prove that in court.”

“But-”

“Look, I know it’s abrupt, but this is how it’s gotta be, okay? I’ll just draw trouble to you if I stay.” Her tone softened. “It's for the best. I think you were right - I've been muscling in on your show. Maybe this is the universe's way of giving it a clean break, huh?”

“That wasn't…” he struggled for words. “That wasn't me wanting you to leave, I… I like you being here! You're my friend!”

“That's nice to hear, Dipper - genuinely. But still, this is how it's gotta be.” A little chuckle. “Don't worry, it's not forever. I'm sure, one way or another, we'll see each other again.”

“Yeah…” Dipper breathed. He gripped the phone tighter. “It's something to do with my soul, isn't it.”

“What?”

“That's why you talk like that. Why you just showed up at my dorm one day like we were best friends. You must've known me before I was, well, me.” He smiled. “I've been thinking about that for a while - I guess, if this is goodbye, I just wanted to know for sure.”

Lucy Ann was silent for a long moment… and he wondered if he'd made a mistake. Maybe it was painful to bring it up?

But it was out there now, and he heard her take a breath, let it out, and:

“Dip-”

Knock knock knock!

Dipper jumped in his seat. “Who's- I mean, kinda busy!”

“It's Darren!”

“Yeah, kinda busy right now!” Dipper rolled his eyes. “Sorry, it's Darren.”

“Oh, I can hear.”

Dipper chuckled, but another knock on the door had him groaning and getting up. “I said I'm… okay, fine, I'm coming!”

“Dipper?”

“Yeah, I'm coming!” he unlocked the door with one hand and swung it open. “Kinda on an important call, Darren. Can you come back later?”

Darren grinned. “Hey, dude! You sleep well?”

“Darren-”

“Oh, yeah, right, sorry!” He put his hands up. “I'll catch you later, I just thought you'd wanna know.”

“About what?”

“About class being cancelled today? ‘Cause of the Harry guy who robbed that jewelry store?”

“What-” Dipper paused, then hit the speaker on his phone. “What do you mean, because of the jewelry store guy?”

“He was hiding out on campus this whole time!” Darren shook his head. “Isn't that crazy? Apparently he had a girlfriend here - he was staying with… what was her name? Shao something.”

Dipper had an awful feeling about this. “Xiaofan?”

“Yeah, that's the name!” He chuckled. “Aaanyway, from what I heard from my buddy who lives there, they got in some kind of fight last night - windows were all shot out, it sounds crazy! And he says the cops found all the missing jewels in her room, and led the girlfriend out in handcuffs!” He gave a low whistle. “Man, I would not wanna be her right now! Anyway, wanna go get a burger or something?”

“Uh,” Dipper managed. “Maybe, maybe later…”

“Oh, okay!”

Slowly, he closed the door, and looked down at his phone. “Did you get all that?”

“Yeah,” Lucy Ann said. “That doesn’t make any sense. You sure Darren’s right on that?”

“Checking on it.” Dipper unzipped his backpack and grabbed his magi-orb. “That can’t be right. That… yeah. There’s an article. ‘Search renews for fugitive Harrison Collins’. Xiaofan’s been arrested, they’re saying she hid him from the police.”

“Shit.” She cursed under her breath. “But… no. That doesn't- we were there, Dipper.”

“We were there at Marsh’s, too.” Dipper’s ears were ringing, drowning the sound of his voice. “He did it again. I was right there. H-he doesn’t even have the necklace anymore, how did I…?”

“Hey. Hey.” Lucy Ann cut in. “Don’t beat yourself up. It’s a mystery.”

“But-”

“And you know what we do with mysteries?”

“Uh, we solve them?”

“Yeah! We'll figure this out together, man.”

“Together?” He frowned. “But you said you're leaving.”

“Well, I'll give it a day to make sure no one's on my tail, buuut I was only leaving because Xiaofan was gonna turn me in.” A little chuckle. “I don't think she got the chance to.”

“So you're coming back?”

“Yeah, if you’re not sick of me yet.”

“Of course I'm not!” He grinned. “That's-! I'm really glad you're coming back! I was gonna miss you, Lucy Ann.”

“Heh. Me too, Dipper.”

______________________________________________________________

“And it turns out she was covering for the jewelry store guy the whole time!”

Foundation. Blush. Eyeliner… Mal grinned as she held up the pencil. “Now that's a twist.”

“I know right!” His voice crackled on speakerphone as she leaned into the casket. “He was probably in the room as we were talking to her… I can't believe I didn't see it!”

“I told you, bro.” Mal pinched the corpse's clammy eyelid and started to draw. “I told you there was more to her, but you thought I was paranoid.”

“Yeah, I… I guess you did. Um, sorry about that.”

She couldn't keep a smirk from climbing her face. “Don't worry about it, bro. Sometimes you just gotta see it my way - like how I am nailing this look right now!”

“What?”

“I should put you on video- wait, no, it's a corpse. Darn.”

“What?”

“Don't worry about it. All I'll say is my makeup job's so good, we gotta double check this gal before she goes in the ground!” Mal winked at the corpse before picking up her phone. “Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, the twist.”

“Uh, okay. Well, not much more to say about it - we gotta find more leads. Is tomorrow good for you, or are you gonna be busy?”

“Tomorrow?” She blinked. “For what?”

“For looking for the car?” A pause. “Harrison's getaway car? Remember?”

The car… oh, right! Stupid deer didn't give her a chance to move it yet - best to do it tonight.

“Mal?”

“Uh, tomorrow?” A door opening, she turned her head. “Probably gonna be too busy - oh, speak of the devil, it's Mom. Hey Mom, it's Dipper. You wanna say hi?”

Her Mom was pale, clutching a wad of papers to her chest; she managed a ghost of a smile. “Hi Dipper… uh, could I talk to you, Mallory?”

“Whoa, she didn't grab the phone out of my hands, it's gotta be serious.” Mal tried for a laugh, but it rang hollow before her mother's face. “I'll… call you back.”

Mal hung up the phone and turned to her. “Dad's back from the appointment?”

“Yes.”

“Alive?”

“Y- Mallory, that's not funny!”

“I wasn't making a joke, that's what your face looks like!” Mal met her glare with a fierce one of her own. “So are you gonna tell me or what?”

Her mother opened her mouth, but then she seemed to pause, and clutch the papers tighter to her chest. Her knuckles were white. “It's… he's making some progress, but… not enough. He's not where they want him to be.”

“Okay.”

“They told him we have to prepare for things… not to go back to normal.”

Mal could hear her ears ringing. “Okay.”

“The - the wheelchair, we're getting that sorted, but… the house?”

“What about the house?”

“It's not…” Her mother kept bending the papers. “It's not accessible, they said. It's got steps to the outside, i-it's not a full bathroom downstairs-”

“So?”

“It's thousands of dollars to make this a safe home for him! None of it covered!” She shook her head, shook her head. “We've… We've gotta move. There's nothing else for it, we’ve gotta sell.”

“Sell the business? To who?” Mal tried to laugh it off. “Don't be crazy! Where are you gonna work, Mom? Where are you gonna live? What does Dad think?”

“Your father?” She barked a laugh. “What do you think? He's convinced the whole home modification thing's a scam, won't talk about moving. Won't even consider it. He's not looking at the long term here!”

“It doesn't seem like you are either!”

“Well at least I'm TRYING to!” She snapped, and Mal flinched away. Her mother took a breath, took a step back. “I-I… that was loud. I-I just meant, we can't have an honest discussion about our options, if we don't face what's in front of us.”

Mal crossed her arms. She looked away.

“I mean, he hates being looked after, but he won't even consider looking for a home where he could be more independent?” She gazed out of the window. “We could sell this place, I could take early retirement… we could move closer to Dipper, and have dinner every night!” She smiled at Mal. “And you could go back to college, dear. You’ve been waiting long enough - we can’t keep you cooped up here. Wouldn’t that be lovely?”

Mal stared at those eyes, shining with something other than hope. She scowled.

“It'd be real lovely… until the money runs out.”

Her mother sighed. “Don't worry about that, Mal. It's not your job to-”

“Not my job to worry? Is that seriously what you're going to say?” A laugh. “You barge in here on the verge of tears and tell me you and Dad are gonna be homeless, and just expect me to go ‘Oh, cool, have fun with that! I’ll send you a postcard from NLA!”

“That's not-” Her shoulders slumped. “I'm sorry, I shouldn't-”

“Yeah. Maybe you shouldn't have. But it's too late now, Mom, I'm not leaving you guys.”

“And I’m trying to tell you, it doesn’t matter.” Her mother’s face hardened. “Do you see what I’m saying? It doesn't matter what you do, Mallory. It doesn't matter what your father thinks - we can't afford to move, and we can’t afford to stay here. We're just not bringing in enough money.”

Enough money… that's all this was. Jewels glittered in her mind's eye.

“Okay,” she murmured, then turned on her heel and made for the door. She could see her mother looking back in confusion.

“But you're still young, you can... Mallory? Where are you going?”

“I've gotta think, Mom. I'll be back.”

“But-”

Mal closed the door to the viewing room and walked down the hall. Her phone was ringing - Dipper, of course. She hit ignore and texted him that Dad was okay.

Dad was okay… making her way to the darkened living room door, Mal opened it a crack and peeked in. She could hear her Dad snoring on the hospital bed jammed between the couches, could see in the dim light glowing through the curtains the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

Mal smiled… and then felt it fade, felt it press into a thin line. He would be okay - because Xiaofan had given her an idea.

The door, gently closed. The stairs, softly creaking as she crept upstairs.

The jewelry heist - she went about it all wrong. It was this crazy, panicked idea when she heard Harry was out on parole. All day she was hearing about her Dad in the hospital, her grades dropping, the bills climbing… and then here was this guy. He was really the perfect scapegoat; someone she had leverage on, with everything to lose if he didn’t go along with the heist, and if he got caught, well, he was just one more petty thief squandering his second chance. Anything he’d say against her would just sound desperate.

Not that she thought he’d have turned her in. A pause, a pang. Mal shook her head and kept climbing.

Anyway, the point is the leverage - in that whole mess of a scheme, the smartest thing she did was keeping herself out of it. As soon as it was a capital C Crime with the news reports and the cops chasing up leads, that was when she lost the money. That was when the jewels she got turned into cold hard liability.

Turned into evidence.

Mal looked to her parents’ door, standing closed at the end of the hallway. A sense of deja vu washed over her, and ghosts from the past echoed in her mind.

“Shh!”

“Come on, guys, it’s this way!”

“Are you sure your folks are gone?”

“Yeah, yeah, Harry, come on!”

Evidence. Mal walked slowly forwards, her heart beating in her neck. Evidence wasn’t just a liability - it was a tool. It was leverage. Imagine if she’d woken up Xiaofan just before she fired that shot; how much money was her reputation worth?

How much money would an innocent person pay for their innocence?

Mal grinned.

That’s it. That’s the plan. That’s the kind of heist that would never reach the cops. And all she needed?

Opening the door, Mal strode across the dark room to the closet. There was a padlock on a suitcase at the very back, but Mal had picked it open some time ago and, judging by the dust, neither of her parents had ever bothered to check on it.

“Code’s 2504. My birthday.”

“Why’s that?”

“Eh, who knows, Ange. Point is what’s inside.”

Old paperwork. It was stuffed with random tax documents and kids’ drawings and new baby handouts… like they’d wanted to conceal what was beneath. Her fingers found a hard edge…

“Is that…?”

“Oh, wow.”

“No, way.”

“ Yes way. Isn’t this crazy?”

…and, carefully, she drew out a tattered, yellowed textbook, the title almost worn off the old leather binding: AN INTRODUCTION TO DEMONOLOGY

The title still sent chills down her spine. The way her fingers trembled as she cracked it open - all so familiar.

“We are not - no way. No way! Do you know how illegal this thing is, M?”

“Yeah, right? I can’t believe my parents have it - I’ve gotta admit, they’re like ten percent cool now. Maybe fifteen.”

“You’re not taking this seriously!”

“Relax, Harry! Look at how simple this circle is.”

“But-”

“No, look at it. I could draw this thing no problem. Could you draw it, Ange?”

“Oh, yeah, easy.”

“But that’s not… just because you can draw it-”

“And look, nice to kids. Looks like my parents even circled that.”

“But-”

“So we summon Mr Nice-To-Kids, we tell him about your Dad, and… hey, whatever happens, happens, right?”

Harry touched his turtleneck. “I… I don’t know. I want to live with my Mom, but… I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“Oh, that’s new.” Angeline snorted. “You say that about everything.”

“Well-well maybe about a demon, it’s true! We should just put this thing back where it belongs, a-and-”

“And what? Are we just supposed to sit here and let your Dad treat you like this?” Mal’s eyes blazed. “You’re my best friend, Harry, and when someone hurts my best friend, I don’t care if he’s the chief of the fucking police, I don’t take it lying down! And you shouldn’t either.”

“Well… what am I supposed to do about it?”

“This. This is what we’re gonna do.”

“But-”

“No buts, man. I don’t know when we’re gonna get another night alone like this. Come on, where’s that fire you had earlier, huh?”

“Yeah, H. Just imagine - we do this, and you never have to see your dirtbag dad again. Ever.”

“So what do you say? Are the three of us summoning a demon?”

Harry hesitated for a long moment, sweat glistening on his forehead. Then he touched the bruises peeking over his turtleneck, and his eyebrows set into a hard line.

“Yeah… yeah! Let’s do this.” Mal heard his voice as she traced her fingers over the pages. “Th-thanks, guys. I can’t believe you’d do this for me.”

“You really are my best friends in the world.”

Slam. Mal shut the book hard, and zipped back up the case. She hurried out of that stuffy room; she’d gotten what she came for. Evidence. Leverage. She had to focus on the plan.

There was no use dwelling on ghosts.

#transcendence au #toothwrites #alcor the dreambender #lucy ann #return rewind rewrite #mystery #mizar

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toothpastecanyon · 2 months ago

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Thanks Gnome! I love your lines - what is the cocaine distribution plan? Here's mine, it's better to mark which ones I have finished haha:

1. Stuck in the Past

This house was so cold.

2. A Hero or a Killer (or a Brother)

Cold. Hard. Metal.

3. Return, to the Scene of the Crime

Lucy Ann was asleep when her phone rang.

4. Reflections of a Monster (Complete)

Part of me isn't even all that mad you killed me.

5. The Comfort of Agony (Complete)

A century. Once, Alcor thought a century was an unimaginable period of time

6. Dreams That Walk, Nightmares That Talk

No wind, and yet grass that rustles.

7. Laid Out For Me (Complete)

“Stella splendida, te invoco. Te invoco ut facias voluntatem meam. Dico nomen tuum: Alcor!”

8. The Beautiful Lies We Tell of the Dead (Complete)

It’s weird, when a kid dies. Sara doesn’t know if all highschools are this bad about it, or if hers is just uniquely awkward.

9. Human Again (Complete)

It felt like a scream, unending, eternal.

10. Adventures in the Human Zoo

FRONT PORCH CAMERA MYSTERY SHACK 11:57 AM

I'd love to see yours @feferipeixes :D

First Lines Challenge

Rules: In a new post, share the first lines of 10 of your latest fanfics (or all if you have less than 10!) and tag 10 people to do the same

Thanks @angel-gidget for the tag! I'm so psyched to see what you're working on these days <3

1. The Things that Don't Come Back

The Furies drag Cassie in at dawn.

2. Janet Drake Resurrection (WIP)

Janet didn’t know when exactly she swam into half-fogged consciousness.

3. two hummingbirds in the eye of a hurricane

Two days after she watches Bart, bright yellow and news-copter tiny on the Daily Planet’s emergency broadcast channel, tackle that strange alternate universe Superboy into the Speed Force, Helen startles awake to the sound of something crashing into her trash cans at super speed.

4. How to Woo An Alien in Ten Easy Steps (WIP)

Tim woke up to a face full of dirt and the scent of hot metal thick in his nose.

5. In this world, it's just us

Two weeks after Kon quits the team, Cassie shows up in the middle of the night to throw rocks at his bedroom window.

6. One Man's Trash is Another Man's Cocaine Distribution Plan

As soon as Damian picks up the phone, Jon already knows he’s in for it.

7. Breakfast at Timothy's

It is nearing half past nine in the morning when Tim opens his front door to find Bart Allen doing his level best to vibrate through a cardboard box of Splenda packets.

8. And the Headstone Makes Three (WIP)

It is May 10th, 2003, and in two hours, eleven minutes, and thirty-five seconds, it’ll have been 400 days exactly since Conner died.

9. In the eye of the beholder

“How are you feeling?”

10. when i believed in forever (everything would stay the same)

Jon would know Damian’s heartbeat anywhere.

No pressure tagging @luvo27 @vibrantstarfire @ladybirdbeewrites @toothpastecanyon @lemonlimestar

#toothwrites #thanks for the tag gnome! :D

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toothpastecanyon · 3 months ago

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How did it take you 5 year to unlock the rock B?

Were you just that unlucky?

In fly

Bad luck and not always playing consistently, haha. I also don't play boarding ships as much, which is the only realistic achievement after the defense drones one.

#ftl game #suprisingly I usually play FTL most on airplanes #it's a good little game while you're waiting to board

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toothpastecanyon · 3 months ago

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A Hero or a Killer (or a Brother)

Dexter chooses Debra that night. But she hears just a little too much - enough to shake her faith in everything she's believed about her family. Now, with bloody secrets finally out in the open, she's faced with her own decision: does she choose him back? AU where Debra's awake to hear the conversation between Dexter and Brian. See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

Cold. Hard. Metal. That’s the first thing Deb could remember - being pressed to it, packaged like meat. Wrapped tight… but she couldn’t even try to struggle. She could barely breathe, and with all her might not even the tips of her toes twitched.

Fuck, she couldn’t even open her eyes. Like sleep paralysis on steroids… and the monster, she knew, was somewhere. Was he out of the room, or was he being quiet? Was he looming over her right now, knife in hand, ready to drain her dry? A screwed up shitbag like Rudy probably wouldn't miss a chance to gloat first… but maybe he’d had his fill playing fiance on the boat.

Maybe the knife was coming.

Any.

Second.

Now.

…

Fuck. Fuck! She could feel the blood beating in her neck, but still she couldn’t move a muscle. Just open your eyes, Deb. Just get your eyes open, come on, she can’t stand not knowing, if she’s gonna die please god just let her see it coming-

A door shuts. Deb hears footsteps, and there’s no relief in knowing where he is; there’s only terror, and the coldness of the gurney seeping into her bones. She knows the voice that speaks next.

“I prepared her just the way you like.”

It’s funny. You’d think Rudy would sound different somehow, doing something like this. But he might as well be discussing dinner plans after she came home from work. The ring on her finger; everything in her wants to tear it off-

“This time, we’ll do it together.”

And the words take a moment to sink in.

She hears it now. A second set of footsteps.

Another presence circling the gurney.

She knows the voice that speaks next.

______________________________________________________________

Lights flashing, sirens wailing, cops swarming the place - it was strange how something so familiar could shift just a little and become alien.

Alien.

Debra sat in that ambulance, and if looks could kill she'd have stared a hole into the back of Dexter’s head. He looked so ordinary there, hands clasped behind his back, head a little bowed as he recounted his story… and that's all it was, wasn't it?

A story.

A lie.

“Does it have to be Deb?”

Doakes wasn't happy; she didn't have to be over there to see that much. Dexter snuck a glance over his shoulder, raised eyebrows and a shrug like what's his problem with me?

Normally she’d laugh. But there was a trauma blanket wrapped around her like packaged meat and an EMT shining a flashlight in her eyes and a ring she couldn't fucking get off her finger, and maybe that was why she just stared him down.

“That’s not why I kill.”

Maybe that's what he thought, too - no normal person would blame her for being out of it. Maybe that's why he didn't look too bothered by the look in her eyes, then Doakes got in his face and she couldn’t see him anymore.

Debra shook her head. Maybe she could never really see him… because she was still doing it, wasn’t she? She was still making the same fucking mistake that got her alone on a boat with a serial killer.

She was assuming he was normal.

______________________________________________________________

It used to drive Debra crazy when he got like this. Sitting dead silent in the ambulance next to her; she could feel the little glances he was sneaking her, the hidden thoughts in every puff of breath and jiggling knee she’d spent her life trying to decipher. But now the locks had been blown open right in front of her, and she could read him like a book.

Does she know?

A little tapping on his knee, a mouth half-opened before he thought better of it.

How much does she know?

Too much. Deb turned the ring on her finger, the red jewel glinting like bloodsplatter. He’d been right all along - she didn’t want this.

“So,” his voice made her jump. “Heard you got engaged.”

She looked up at him, at the half-smile slowly dying on his face.

“Too soon?” He watched her fumble to take it off. “Stop, you’re gonna dislocate it, let me-”

“No!” Debra flinched away, shook her head. “No, no, I-I got it.”

“You sure?”

It hurt like hell, but she kept pulling. “Gotta, agh, do this… myself!” It popped off, and she chucked it away, cradled her stinging finger. “Shit. I really know how to pick ‘em, don’t I? Fuck…”

“It’s not your fault.”

Not her fault… she stilled at that, glanced up at him. He looked concerned, his hand hovering over her shoulder like he wasn’t sure how to help. That’s what he looked like, anyway - but she could still see the question burning in his mind, the restraint in his answers as he tried to feel her out.

Okay, Dex. Debra raised an eyebrow. “Not my fault?” She barked a laugh. “Well… whose fault is it then?”

“Deb-”

“I’m the idiot who got on a fucking boat with him, why didn’t I see this coming!” She threw her hands up. “I mean, I’m a goddamned cop, Dexter! How the hell did I miss there was a serial killer right in front of me? I’ve gotta be some kind of idiot to do that!”

“Don’t be like that-”

“I’m serious! That’s probably why he went after me - I mean, he told me himself, I…” The ring glinted at her from the corner, and she swallowed the bile in her throat. “I made it easy, Dex. All he had to do was say he loved me and, I-I would’ve gone anywhere with him. Probably would’ve walked into his fucking freezer if he asked me.”

“It’s not your fault, Deb.” Finally, Dexter put a hand on her shoulder. “He was a monster, okay? He fooled everyone, he put on a mask - that’s what guys like that do.”

That’s what they do, huh? She looked back at him, at his shoulders, suddenly loose, like the tension had gone out of him. Once, she’d have thought that awkward smile he shot her was his version of reassuring, but she saw through it now. The mask - his own private joke, now that he thought she didn’t know. And he continued.

“You were just lucky, I guess.”

Just lucky, huh. She looked over at him, and raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Just lucky, huh?” A laugh. “Weird. Would’ve thought it had something to do with Harry’s code.”

And she watched his. Face. Drop.

The gentle hand on her back recoiled, and he jumped back like she’d shot him. “How-” he started, and she jabbed a finger at his chest.

“Much did I hear? Everything, asshole.” She leaned in closer. “Dad fucking knew about this?!”

Dexter was clammy, his eyes wide, his mouth open. He just glanced over her shoulder - the ambulance drivers. The message was clear.

“I should turn you in right now,” Deb hissed… but, after a moment, she eased off. “But you did save me. How nice to hear, after all these years, you’re fond of me.”

“Debra-”

“You get one shot. No more lies, no more pushing me away, you tell me everything.” She could feel the ambulance turning; they were pulling in. “Okay?”

Dexter swallowed, hard. “I…” He looked away. “I don’t know. I don’t think you can handle it.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t get to decide that after your little friend ties me to a table, okay? You want me to tell Doakes-”

“No! Jeez, Deb, just…” He put his face in his hands. “Just give me a night, alright? Stay at the hospital, I-I’ll pick you up tomorrow, and… we’ll talk.”

“About everything? Even Dad?”

“About everything.” He looked her dead in the eyes, and the nerves were gone. Everything she knew about her brother was gone, and all that was left was… emptiness. “Just give me one more night, Debra.”

Debra shuddered. She could feel the ambulance slow to a stop; they took the keys out and for a moment all the lights went out, and all she could see of the man sitting next to her were his empty eyes, glinting in the darkness.

Then the doors were thrown open. Light streamed into the cabin as the driver stepped past him and helped her out. She cast one last look over her shoulder; she couldn’t quite see him, but she could still feel his stare the same way she’d felt Rudy’s - the stare of a predator, forced out of the tall grass, basking in the light of what it truly was.

One more night.

Debra felt a shiver down her spine. She’d just made a deal with the devil.

#dexter #dexter morgan #debra morgan #toothwrites #watched season 1 finale of dexter at 3am last night and it rules #so here I am a cool 19 years late to the fandom lol #haven't watched the rest of the series #just read this like it's 2006 and you're scrolling fanfiction.net after the finale dropped

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toothpastecanyon · 4 months ago

Text

Return, to the Scene of the Crime - Chapter 10

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

Stuck with the fucking freshman… ugh, Lucy Ann was really wishing she took that second deal. She waited, foot tapping, outside history class, watching the students file in. Their little friend had entered earlier, shuffling in alone with a vacant stare and no books. It looked harmless enough - but, you know, with an unknown and no Alcor, it seemed sensible to wait for backup.

Oh, and here she was. Lucy Ann raised an eyebrow as Xiafan came rushing down the corridor, wearing a bright orange winter coat.

“Sorry,” she was saying. “Got held up in my other class-”

“What are you wearing?”

“Huh?” Xiaofan blinked. “My coat - like you said, for…?”

She mimed putting the hood up, and Lucy Ann had to take a moment.

“Is something wrong?”

“It’s ninety degrees, blue sky outside, and you think that’s inconspicuous?”

“Well, I’m from Winnipeg - all my coats are like this.” She frowned. “I thought you wanted me to bring a hood?”

“Yeah, because I thought you’d have a normal fucking-” Lucy Ann stopped herself. “Okay! Okay, that’s fine.”

“Sorry, I… don’t wear normal hoodies, I guess-”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not part of my fashion, I-”

“I said it’s fine.” She put her hand up. “Let’s just… get to class, alright? I’ll point our friend out to you.”

“Okay… hey, you seem pretty upset; are you sure the coat’s not gonna be a- whoa!”

Dragging Xiaofan into class, she led them to a spot at the very back of the hall. She sat down and dug out her phone; out of the corner of her eye, she could see Xiaofan glancing around.

“Where’s Dipper?” She said in a lowered voice, and Lucy Ann scowled.

“Couldn’t make it.”

“Why not?”

“Cause he couldn’t.” She glanced over. “Are you gonna take out your notes or what?”

“Are we staying for the lecture?”

“Uh, yeah? What kind of a question is that?”

“I dunno, you just - you haven’t given me a lot to go on.” Xiaofan frowned at her. “And you seem really stressed now. Is the coat gonna be-”

“Will you shut up about the coat?” She snapped, and then grimaced as she flinched. “Sorry, that was rude. Look, I don’t mean to snap - just with Dipper gone, I’ve really gotta be on the ball with this. It’ll still be safe, but you gotta listen to everything I say, alright?”

“Of course, but… where is he?”

“Stuff came up. Don’t worry about it.” She scrolled until she got to the Organ Duck’s texts, clicked on a picture, and showed it to Xiaofan. “This is our friend,” she said in an undertone. “Annabelle Strotts, over in the corner there - hey, don’t stare.”

“Okay. Okay.” Xiaofan swallowed. “So we just…?”

“Looks like it’s low on energy.” Lucy Ann watched the bodysnatcher’s head dip forwards. “It’ll be looking for an opportunity to switch, but for now that makes it docile. I’ll walk up to it when class ends, and with a bit of luck, I can probably just lead it outside.”

“And then?”

The professor was stepping up to the lectern; Lucy Ann sat back. “We’ll get to that,” she murmured. “Just keep your eyes on our friend. Tell me if it touches anyone.”

And so history class plodded along, Lucy Ann keeping her hand on her phone in case the Organ Duck had any messages. She tried to keep her eyes on the bodysnatcher, but they'd often stray to the door.

Dipper probably wasn't coming… but damn if she wasn't still holding her breath for him.

It was funny, wasn't it? He thought he was just incidental to the exorcism, so unimportant he could just skip out and leave it to her… but, you know, in a way, it wasn't really him she was waiting for.

Dipper and Alcor - they were the same, but they weren't the same. She liked Dipper, but she could never really see him as more than a thin skin stretched over her real friend. Alcor wouldn't be mad at her right now.

A sigh.

But it must be pretty annoying to be treated like a costume, huh? She had a feeling their next talk was going to be fun .

“Lucy Ann!”

A nudge made her look over; the bodysnatcher had hit the desk with an audible thump. Luckily it was only one of several nappers the professor was politely ignoring, but it was rather odd for a bodysnatcher. They tended to try and blend in.

Hmm. She didn’t like that… but she glanced over at Xiaofan, and feigned a shrug.

“Tired, I guess. Makes our job easier.” She sat back. “What time is it?”

“Uh, nearly six.”

“Lecture’s almost over, then.” Lucy Ann glanced at the sun peeking through the windows. “Gonna be dark soon - that’s perfect.”

_____________________________

Gonna be dark soon. Mal watched Dipper’s lights disappear behind the trees. She could hear her mother approaching, so she didn’t flinch when a gentle hand touched her shoulder.

“Everything alright, dear?”

“Huh?” Mal looked back, and smiled. “Oh, yeah, bit shaken up, but I’m fine. Glad they got rid of the deer, poor thing.”

The hand didn’t leave. Her mother’s eyes tightened as she waited for the real answer… but unspoken questions were easy to dodge.

“Aaanyway,” she clapped her hands. “Dipper's got me way behind on my schedule, so I might try working late.”

“You don't have to do that.”

“Eh, once you get behind it's so stressful playing catch up.” She backed away. “See you tomorrow, Mom. Love you.”

“You don't want dinner?”

“No, no, I've eaten!”

And Mal was off before she could argue, hurrying down the hall to the crematorium.

She wasn't lying, really - she was pretty behind on her plans after that deer business.

And there was a lot to do tonight.

_____________________________

“Heyyy, buddy.”

Just a hand on its arm stopped the bodysnatcher. It didn't turn to look at Lucy Ann, so she leaned forward to look at it.

“You remember our plans? To go out to study at the library?”

Bodysnatchers tried to blend in so a good way to trap them was making up a prior arrangement… but, looking at the thing's blank stare, Lucy Ann didn't think she needed to really build a story.

She tugged its shirt, and it stepped obligingly back. Raising her eyebrows, she gently guided it down the stairs, then looked back up at Xiaofan.

“You coming?”

“O-oh!” Xiaofan grabbed her coat. "Coming!"

_____________________________

Mal grabbed her coat off the wall. She felt around her collar for a coloured glass necklace, ripped it off, then knelt down and held it to the padlocked section of the cupboards. Wards glowed, and then it opened with a click.

And there was that backpack, covered now in dust and cobwebs. Mal took a breath; a box of gloves were next to it, and she grabbed a pair.

_____________________________

“Just a little further.”

Trudging through trees silhouetted by the orange sky, Lucy Ann led the bodysnatcher forwards. It stumbled a bit on the rough terrain, but said nothing.

Xiaofan, on the other hand?

“Where are we going?”

“I said, just a little further.”

“But where is that?”

“What do you want, a postcode?”

“But-”

“Look,” Lucy Ann shot a look over her shoulder. “I'll tell you when we get there, but I'm not playing ‘are we there yet’ like you're a kid on a road trip!”

“Okay, okay, jeez.” Xiaofan put her hands up. “Sorry, it's just - you said we've got to be on the ball tonight, but you haven't told me where we're going or what I'm supposed to-”

“I said I've got to be on the ball tonight. You've just got to listen to me.”

“Yeah, but-”

“It's just a little further.” Lucy Ann raised her eyebrows at her. “That's all you need to know right now, okay?”

Xiaofan didn't respond to that, and Lucy Ann turned back to the front. She didn't catch the way Xiaofan's expression darkened to a tight-lipped scowl.

_____________________________

“Yeah, thanks Gemmy!” Mal stuck a finger in her ear to block out the sound of the ventilator. “Hah, yeah, anyway, I'll pass that onto Dipper. You too. Alright, good night!”

She hung up, and her smile slipped off her face.

Checking around the room one more time, Mal grabbed her mother's car keys, hefted the backpack, and left out the back door.

_____________________________

The bodysnatcher was whispering something. That's what Lucy Ann noticed as she sat it down in the centre of a circle.

“Hmm…”

“What's wrong?”

Stars, Xiaofan really loved asking questions, didn't she? It was the mark of a good demonologist… but when you didn't want a good demonologist prying into shit?

“Lucy Ann? What's-”

“For the last time, nothing's wrong!” She whirled around. “Now have you finished those candles?”

“I-”

“You haven't.” Lucy Ann rolled her eyes. “So how about you spend a little more time on that, and a little less distracting me, yeah? Alright.”

Then she turned back to the bodysnatcher, ripped off a strip of duct tape, and covered those moving lips. She clasped its wrists behind its back and started wrapping them up; once that felt thick enough, she got to her feet.

“That should do it!” She walked over to Xiaofan, and noticed her sullen expression as she lit the last candle. “Sweet, good job with those. You, uh, want a quick exorcism lesson before we start?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you wanted some experience out of this, right?” She pointed to the lines in salt. “Check this out. Salt's fallen out of fashion with modern demonologists because it's harder to write with, but it's so much easier on grassy surfaces like this than chalk.” A wink. “Plus, it's not banned.”

“It won't be banned for me when I'm a demonologist.” A squeaking sound as Xiaofan crossed her arms in her puffy coat. “And trust me, this is the first and last unauthorised circle I'm participating in.”

Lucy Ann snorted. “Oh, yeah, wouldn't want to do something unauthorised.”

“You have a problem with that?”

“Hey, you do you, but I gotta say the Isles are ridiculous about this stuff.”

“About demons?” Xiaofan arched an eyebrow. “You have heard of the California-”

“California Incident, yeah, I know. But you said it yourself: you'd never normally do something like this. So why are you here?”

“I-”

“Because the laws are so strict you can't report it without getting into trouble yourself.” Lucy Ann shrugged at her. “So what does that say about the law? Is it really keeping people safe if it's leading even rule followers like you into dark forests at night?”

Xiaofan didn't respond to that; silence hung heavy in the air as they stared each other down. Finally Xiaofan broke it off.

“I'm here because someone summoned this stupid demon.” She muttered. “And they've gotta answer for the harm they’ve caused - that's what I'm gonna be doing when I become a state demonologist.”

Lucy Ann didn't care to argue any more. “Sure,” she said, putting up her hood. “Stand back.”

A beat, and then Xiaofan jumped back. Lucy Ann stared down the figure in the circle as she raised her arms and began to chant in Sumerian.

A cold wind rustled the trees. The salt lines began to glow in the shadows, and the figure that had been sitting so still in the centre began to shudder.

“Is it working?” asked Xiaofan, but Lucy Ann only raised her voice higher. The circle shone with an eerie blue-tinged glow, and the figure, kicking and convulsing, collapsed on its side.

Its mouth was straining against the tape. As its eyes began to glow, so too did the tape pick up a strange backlight. Now shadows were extending from the figure, lengthening like they were pulling the darkness out of her.

They kept pulling, kept pulling, and the figure hugged itself into a tighter and tighter ball until-

Crack! The tape split, and the figure vomited a dark sludge onto the ground that quickly consolidated. It grew tall, taller, taller, taking on a humanlike form as it raced to the edge of the circle, raising high one forming arm and bringing it down-

Bringing down the blade of an axe, which caught in the wards just above Lucy Ann's head. She couldn't help but crack a grin.

“And that's why you always double the wards you think you need.” She winked at a grey-faced Xiaofan, and turned back to the creature. “Alright, you're an odd bodysnatcher. Why haven't you disappeared?”

“You need to banish it, right?”

“Normal demons, usually.” Lucy Ann's eyes traced up to the creatures face. “But bodysnatchers, they… they usually…”

And she trailed off, because framing two burning blue eyes was a pair of antlers.

Oh.

Oh, no.

Lucy Ann watched the creature slam its body against the wards, and her eyes widened.

What was wrong with the Woodsman?

“Lucy Ann!”

“Hold on, Xiaofan.” Lucy Ann held a hand up. “Let me just- let me just talk to it.”

“Talk to it?!”

“Heyyyy,” Lucy Ann spoke slowly, and the Woodsman seemed to slow. “You remember me, don't you? I'm Lucy Ann.”

A growling sound rumbled through its chest. Foamy spittle ran down its barkskin face, flying off in flecks as it shook its antlers. She reached through the wards to touch its shoulder.

“Talk to me, man, this isn't like you. What's making you possess random students?”

“What's making it do this?” Xiaofan stepped closer. “What are you talking about? I thought we were getting rid of this thing!”

“We're not getting rid of the Woodsman.” Lucy Ann's heart sank at the outrage on her face; yep, this was definitely going to be an issue. “Look, this normally a being that protects children-”

“Protects childr-”

“Yes,” She watched Xiaofan open her mouth. “and I don't have time to debate this with you! I need to find out what's got it terrorising college students instead.”

“It's doing that because it's a demon!” Xiaofan tried to grab Lucy Ann's hand. “Who's side are you on?!”

“Get off me!”

“No!”

“Argh!” Lucy Ann threw her to the ground. “I knew I should have done this alone! What the hell was I thinking?”

“What?”

They were interrupted by a roar, deep and bellowing. The Woodsman had turned away from Lucy Ann to batter at another part of the circle, and she caught sight of something sticking out of its back, glinting in the moonlight.

A knife?

But before Lucy Ann could think on that, its axe went through the wards. Xiaofan let out a cry and tried to stop it, but she took a stumbling step over the salt line; with the main circle broken, the waning wards shut off entirely.

Lucy Ann didn't even try to stop the Woodsman. She watched it stumble its way into the trees, then let out a groan as she put her head in her hands.

She didn't even look up at the sound of a scream - great, the vessel woke up. Perfect. She could hear them get up and run into the trees… and then she could hear a second set of feet, stomping as they approached her.

“It got away!”

“Yeah,” Lucy Ann finally dragged her head up to shoot a withering look at Xiaofan. “No shit.”

“You don't seem too upset about that.” Xiaofan's eyes narrowed accusingly. “It is you, isn't it! You're the summoner!”

“I'm not, but you're not gonna believe me.”

“Don’t play dumb, you let that demon get away!”

“The Woodsman isn't even a demon.”

“It's a manifestation of Alcor. Alcor!” She shook her head in disgust. “That's who's causing the spike, isn't it? I knew it couldn't just be a bodysnatcher - he's come back to the Isles because you and Dipper summoned him!”

“Hey, now, Dipper doesn't know about any of this!” Lucy Ann stabbed a finger at her. “Look, fine, I'm the summoner. I'll leave, okay? But leave Dipper out of this, or you'll be sorry.”

“I'll be sorry?” Xiaofan snorted… but then she looked down at the fangs glinting in Lucy Ann's mouth, and took a step back. “You're threatening me?”

“Oh, yes, I am.” She took a step forward. “You know why I brought us so deep in the forest? No one's gonna hear you scream in here.” Another step forward, an unpleasant smile. “So, I'll ask you again. Are you gonna leave Dipper out of this?”

She could see Xiaofan swallow. She opened her mouth, and spoke very quietly. “Yeah.”

“You promise?”

“I promise.”

Lucy Ann held her stare for another moment, then nodded. “Good.” She looked her up and down. “Now take that stupid coat off. I can see you sweating.”

Casting her eyes back to the broken circle, she ignored the sound of Xiaofan walking, then running away. She sure hoped Xiaofan would keep her world, but there was nothing she could do about that - it wasn't like she was actually going to kill her.

A sigh.

Either way, though… Xiaofan was definitely going to make her leave. That was a shame - but maybe it was for the best.

That was what their whole argument was about, wasn't it? Lucy Ann was overshadowing him; perhaps the only answer was to move out of the way.

It was a shame… but oh, well.

She'd make sure to say goodbye.

______________________________________________________________

“Hi, Gemmy!”

“Oh, Emmy! Did you get back to NLA safe?”

“Yeah! Back in my dorm now… Uh, anyway, I got a question for you.”

“Sure! What's up?”

“Do you know a Yosieto Xiao-”

“Xiaofan, oh my gosh! Met her this semester and we're already besties! I think you'd love her, Mal, I've gotta introduce you two sometime!”

“Hah! Well, ah, Dipper just called me ‘cause he knows I know a demonologist at his uni.”

“Yeah?”

“Said he was studying with this Xiaofan for his history class, but she left one of her textbooks at the library.”

“Oh, no!”

“Yeah, and he didn't get her number, so he was wondering if I could ask you for her address? I think he doesn't share history with her for a few days.”

“Oh, of course! It's, ah… let me text it to you!”

“Yeah, thanks Gemmy!”

“Of course! Anything for you.”

“Hah, yeah, anyway, I'll pass that onto Dipper.”

“Sounds good! Love ya.”

“Alright, good night.”

Mal gazed down at the scribbled address under her gloved fingers. It was so easy to doom someone, she thought.

You could do it without even realising what you were doing.

The car’s clock read eleven, but it was later than that. The roads were utterly silent, and the apartment complex across the street was entirely blacked out, illuminated only by streetlights and the glow of the moon.

It was time.

The first thing Mal did was reach for her invisibility charm; she opened the door, put it on, then grabbed the backpack and got to her feet.

She checked twice before crossing the street - that made her chuckle a bit - and made her way across the parking lot. Once she could see the numbers, she started circling.

221 - this was 235, and to the left… 237, okay, other way. She found 221 up a set of stairs, a grey front door next to a big window with drawn shutters.

This was it, Mal thought, and felt her heartbeat skip up as she drew out her lockpicking kit. It took her longer than it normally did - her fingers were shaking a bit - but with a click, the door swung open.

Mal moved quickly after that. How many doors? She counted only one; good news. She'd packed for roommates, but this made it much easier.

She put the backpack down, drew out a baseball bat, and moved to the bedroom door.

One hand just brushed the top of the handle, her ears on alert for sounds. Slowly, slowly, slowly, she turned the handle, her grip squeezing the baseball bat until her knuckles went white, until she could peek inside.

Mal could barely make out a single lump on the bed. She kept watching, and she could see the gentle motion of Xiaofan's breath.

With a grin, Mal put down the bat and drew out a glass charm. She picked her way over books and clothes, stopping at the slightest creak. She was standing directly over Xiaofan, now, staring at an open palm lying on the pillow by her head.

Mal pressed the charm into that hand. Nothing ostensibly changed… and boy, her heart was thumping at what she had to do next.

She lowered her hands down to Xiaofan's ear, and clapped. The sound echoed throught the apartment, but Xiaofan didn't react.

“Hey! Wake up!” No response. “Wake up if you don't me to ruin your life! No, you're good with it? Cool, just wanted to check!"

Nothing. Mal smirked as she turned around - and immediately stubbed her toe on a book.

“Aahh, you fucking… Ow!” She kicked the book into the wall and stalked back into the kitchen. “Alright. Let's get this shit done.”

Grabbing the grey backpack, Mal opened the pockets and unceremoniously tipped the contents onto the floor. Precious jewels clattered on the wood; Harry's gun fell out, and she picked that up along with a couple of gems. She wandered into the bathroom where she could see Xiaofan's makeup, and placed a ring and a couple necklaces among her things.

The gun she kept as she walked back up to Xiaofan's sleeping form. Her phone was on the nightstand, and when Mal turned it on, she could see a picture of Xiaofan and… probably her mother.

They looked happy.

It was the exact kind of photo Mal had on her homescreen, too; just her and Dipper and her mother smiling on a trip to the Grand Canyon.

…

Mal turned it off, and pocketed it. She took out a bullet, loaded the pistol, and pointed it at the open window.

She was missing something… oh, yeah, hearing protection. Dipper had told her tinnitus was a bummer.

So she put on some earmuffs and shot at the window; the glass shattered and little shards snowed onto Xiaofan's desk, but she didn't stir.

Mal dropped the gun. Already she could hear footsteps above her; she had to move fast.

Grabbing the sleeping charm from Xiaofan's hands, she crept out of the bedroom, walked through the glinting jewelry strewn around the living room, and hurried through the open door. The neighbor's lights were already on; she made her way past them, down the stairs, through the parking lot, and across the street back to her car and then she got out of there.

The first sirens began to echo behind her as Mal started the long drive home, and she couldn't help the smirk crawling up her face.

You know, she should call Dipper tomorrow. See if there's been any new developments in that case involving ohhhh, what was her name? Xiaofan, was it?

Mal snorted to herself. Yeah, that sounds right. Whoa, she's been arrested, you say?

Now how about that.

#transcendence au #toothwrites #alcor the dreambender #lucy ann #return rewind rewrite #mystery #mizar

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toothpastecanyon · 4 months ago

Text

Return, to the Scene of the Crime - Chapter 9

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

"Darn. Well, there's the house.”

Trudging out of the trees, Mal held a branch out of the way for Dipper. He nodded in thanks, but his mind was clearly elsewhere.

Sorry we couldn't find the car, bro.” She said, and watched him slow to a stop. “We could come back tomorrow? I mean, it's a sizable forest; maybe we just walked in the wrong direction.”

“Yeah…” Dipper was nodding. “Yeah, I just- wait, no, you've got your job.”

“Screw my job, I've gotta keep you from getting yourself killed.” She raised her eyebrows at him. “You're not doing this thing without me, alright? I'll figure somethIng out - maybe tomorrow Mom can… Ugh, wait, there's a funeral tomorrow.” She made a face. “Maybe we could squeeze it in this weekend? I'm driving Dad to an appointment; I could pick you up and-”

Dipper's guilty expression had been deepening, and he finally cut in. “No, no, no, that's- don't worry about it.”

“You sure?”

“We could be out here for days, and you're busy enough as is.”

“I don't mind-”

“No, no, I won't- I'll figure something else out.”

“Oh-kay.” She crossed her arms. “But that something’s not going out on your own, right?”

“No. N-no, definitely not.”

“You promise?”

Dipper hesitated for a second, his eyes darting to the side before shooting her a nervous smile. “Y-yeah, yeah, I promise!”

“You better mean it, because if I find you in there-”

“I'm not gonna-”

“-you won't have to worry about the jewelry store guy killing you. Hah!"

She patted his shoulder hard, and snorted at the deer-in-headlights look he was giving her. Oh, dude was 100% gonna break this promise, but that was fine.

All she had to do now was move the car, and then the whole forest would turn into one huge dead end.

With that in mind, she winked and turned away from him. “Aaaanyway, it was nice to hang out! Reminds me of when we were kids, just kicking it in the forest. Not a care in the world.”

“Yeah… yeah!” Dipper's smile relaxed. “Hah - remember that time you tried to make a treehouse?”

“You mean that time I broke my arm and you cried more than me?”

“I thought you were dead!”

“I was fiiiine,” she slung an arm around him. “It was cute how much you worried, though. You're a good brother sometimes.”

“Sometimes?”

“Most of the time, even. I- hey!” She snickered as he poked her. “You little jerk, I'm going back to sometimes!”

They had a little slapfight on their way to the parking lot. There was a deer standing by the cars, Mal noticed. She put an arm out in front of Dipper.

“What?”

“Shh!” She saw it turn and sighed. “Boooo, you've scared him off.”

But it was strange - the deer didn't run. It turned in a staggering, drunken loop, its head bobbing like its antlers were weighing it down. Its hide was slick with sweat, its ribs heaving. White stuff was dripping from its lips.

“Oh, no,” Dipper’s voice lowered. “Poor guy's sick. Should we-”

Thump. Overbalancing, it toppled into a car and started kicking wildly to get up. Mal started pushing Dipper to the door.

“Something's wrong. Let's go inside.”

“Actually, I was gonna - I was gonna head back.”

“Dipper-”

“I was gonna help my friend with, um…” Behind him the deer staggered to its feet. “a history assignment - I'm actually kind of late for something, I'd better-”

The deer tipped sideways and started run-falling right at them. Mal shoved him out of the way. “Shit, go go go!”

She turned to run and the deer must have missed her by inches; she could feel the wind rush past her arm. The two of them scrambled to the front door and slammed it behind them.

For a moment there was just the sound of their breath, the feel of their hearts thumping in their necks. Mal looked over at Dipper, and the two of them broke into nervous laughter.

“What the fuck…?” Mal looked him up and down. “You alright?”

“Yeah, a-are you?”

“Think so. That was-”

“Mal?” Their mother came jogging out. “What are- gosh, are you two alright? You look like ghosts.”

“Yeah, yeah, um…” Mal pushed herself off the door and rushed to a window. “Yeah, can we call, um, what's the name - animal control? I think we got a rabid deer in the parking lot.”

“A what?”

The deer staggered up to the mirror and fell on its side. “Dude, I can see it foaming at the mouth. We gotta get it out of here - I mean, stara, our customers park there!”

No reply. Mal looked back to see them both st frozen.

“Are you gonna call or are you gonna stand there like a pair of lemons?” She snapped her fingers. “Hellooo!”

Her mother blinked. “Oh… oh, yes, yes! Dipper, watch your father a moment!”

The two of them darted off, and Mal stood alone. Her heart was still pounding in her chest; she realised her hands were shaking when she lifted them up.

Jesus Christ, that was close. It didn't get her, did it? She combed over her arm for cuts and scrapes, but she couldn't feel anything.

Okay, that's good, that's-

Mal's gaze traced over to the deer, and she couldn't quite place the overwhelming wrongness that shot her slowing heart back into double-time.

The deer's eye, it was blue. And the shape of it was all wrong, it was…

It was human.

It stared right into her soul with pinprick-pupils, its foaming lips moving in breathless whispers. It shifted its head and many somethings swung from its antlers; pale hands, severed at the wrist and hanging limp.

Mal, frozen in terror, looked back at that awful eye just in time to see it cut its gaze down and then-

And then it was just a sick deer again. One brown-black eye, half-rolled back in its skull, slowly slid closed, and its heaving flanks stilled.

Mal blinked. She swallowed, hard.

Unconsiously, one of her hands strayed over to the other, and rubbed her wrist.

#transcendence au #toothwrites #alcor the dreambender #lucy ann #return rewind rewrite #mystery #mizar

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toothpastecanyon · 4 months ago

Text

The Comfort of Agony, Chapter 11

For the first time in his eternal life, Alcor had been bound. He couldn't leave even if he wanted to... so it was just as well that he didn't want to leave, right? After all, this was what Mizar wanted.

He didn't know what she was so angry with him for, but he probably deserved it.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

Step by step, every one letting off an awful creak. It was dark down here, but, finally, Piper felt a rush of something from the mirror; her vision went double for a second, then blinked open and she could see the stairs.

“Thanks,” she muttered, but immediately froze in place at the sound of a gasp.

“Who’s- Mag?” Said the voice, and Piper’s heart went right to her throat. “Is that you?”

“Dad?”

“Piper!” She could hear the horror in her name, but it was music to her ears; she ran down the stairs. “How are you- you shouldn’t be here!”

She could see him, tied to a chair and blindfolded, in the center of the basement. Dried blood crusted his hair. “I came to get you! Are you- oh my stars, what happened?”

“Mag, he-” A cough; David shook his head. “Pl-please, get out of here, Piper.”

“I’ve just got to untie you-”

“No! Piper, it’s-” He jerked away from her arms. “It’s the demon!”

“The demon.” Piper cast a glance down at the mirror. “There’s- there’s something I found out, Dad. But I’ll tell you later - just let me get you out of here.”

She set down the jar and reached for the blindfold on his face - the knot was at the back of his head, and it was tight. She couldn’t get her nails in!

“Just pull it off,” Alcor muttered, and she blinked. Oh, yeah.

“Who said that?”

“Uh, don’t worry about it, Dad.” Piper slipped her fingers behind the front of the blindfold. “Just let me- agh!”

It was like her fingers were on a stovetop; she jerked them back, sucking in a breath. Sharp tingles shot down her hand like little zaps, and when she dared to look, she could see her digits were already reddening. What on earth? It was like she’d been burned… wait.

“Piper?”

David. She’d ripped the blindfold halfway up his forehead, and he was peering into the darkness - because it was dark, but she could see.

“Piper, are you okay? What happened?”

She could see - there was something glinting on his chest. Some kind of symbol, attached to a chain, and oh that was the exorcist’s necklace he owned. He’d gotten her the same one when she moved out - it was specifically tuned to repel Alcor’s demonic energy.

“Piper!”

Her hand still stung, and a lump lodged in her throat. He must have put it on because he thought Alcor was with Mag… but how was she supposed to get him out of here if she couldn’t touch him? Maybe if she put the mirror down-

“Don’t even think about it in here,” Alcor shook his head at her. “I think that’s his plan.”

“That voice again!” David was straining against the chair. “Who is that! What have you done with my daughter? Just let her go!”

Shit, shit, shit, what was she supposed to do? If she couldn’t get him untied-

A blinding flash. Piper covered her eyes as they adjusted; the lights had come on! She squinted them open to see her Dad, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Piper…” His gaze raked over the bruises and bloodstains, down to the mirror in her hand. And he blanched. “That’s- i-it can’t be. No!”

“Dad-”

“Drop that mirror! Piper, drop it and run! Now!”

“It’s not-”

He was thrashing against the ropes. “You don’t understand! Drop it! DROP IT!”

Piper stepped back… and heard the door at the top of the stairs slam closed. Both of them went dead silent, heads darting up to see…

To see a pair of boots standing between them and the exit. Her heart in her throat, Alcor’s energy bubbling just under her skin, she watched it step down.

Creak, creak, creak. Step by step, Mag’s towering frame came into view. His glowing eyes covered by sunglasses, yet she could feel them fixing on her. He got to the bottom step and just stopped there, staring her down. She clenched the mirror.

“Well?” She shouted, trying to ignore her Dad’s eyes on her. “I did what you told me, angel! You’re going to let my Dad go now!”

“What?” Her dad shook his head. “No, Piper-”

“Shh, Dad.” She couldn’t take her eyes off him. “So, are you gonna say anything? Before you kill me like you killed Scarlett?”

Silence - she didn’t dare look at her Dad, but she could hear a sharp breath. The angel didn’t seem to respond at all…and then, she saw the slightest smirk lift Mag’s lips. She scowled.

“This is funny to you? What kind of angel are you supposed to be?”

It didn’t speak through Mag’s lips. Its reply seemed to echo too loud in her mind:

You’re trying to ‘tell’ on me to your father, are you? I apologise, but the futility is… undeniably amusing.

It took one last step down.

The truth is, you have all been tested, and you have all disappointed me. There is only one path left to redeem your souls.

“Wha-” Piper stepped in front of her Dad. “He doesn’t have anything to do with Alcor! You said you’d let him go if I came here!”

I said I would kill him if you ran from me. You are reading your own wishes into my words.

“You-” Piper took a half-step forward, but her foot brushed against something on the ground: oh, right, the sludge jar! Maybe she could-

You're going to kick that at me? Thr smirk was back, wider. I can see the thousands of realities where you miss completely, and the tens of realities where it strikes me without shattering, and falls harmlessly to the ground. I can see everything.

Piper scowled. The angel took a step closer.

Piper Wright. Not a particularly athletic human, nor an especially clever one. In all aspects, a perfectly unremarkable example of your species. Listen to me now, child.

Another step closer. Piper felt her jeans brushing against her father's knees, but she couldn't stand aside.

You cannot win. You can only choose how you would like to die.

The angel made a slow, mocking grab for her. She batted him off with the mirror, backed up to her Dad's side.

Drop the mirror, and accept your end with dignity . A pause, heavy with expectation. When Piper stayed frozen, its expression darkened. Or give yourself willfully to the service of a demon, and die choking on your sins. This is your last chance.

Piper's mind was running a mile a minute, but everything was coming up blank. She wasn't hearing any great ideas from Alcor either - what was she going to do?

Her own terrified gaze reflected back at her from the angel's glasses. She saw it move, saw its hand reach down to its hip and draw out a gun.

What was she going to do?

Very well. Its voice boomed in Piper’s head; Mag's hand, slightly tremoring, drew up to point the gun at her. You have made your-

A flash of movement. Lunging forward like a cornered animal, David sank his teeth into Mag's wrist. And, heart hammering in her chest, Piper watched in slow motion.

Ba-dum.

The gun slipping out of his hands. The angel jerking back, the whole chair lurching forwards as David hung on.

Ba-dum.

Red blood welling up, running down. The gun falling down. Piper feels herself welling up, a great overwhelming rush rising from the mirror and winding her arm back as it took

Ba-dum.

a step. The angel was balling a fist. A shattering sound as the gun smashed through the top of the jar. A raw, throat-ripping yell coming from her own mouth filled her ears as the two of them swung the mirror up and into his face.

Ba-dum.

Mag’s body staggered back; David let go as his chair tipped over.

Ba-dum.

Plastic shards.

Ba-dum.

A frame clattering to the floor.

Ba-dum.

His

Ba-dum.

eyes.

Ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum ba-dum

The angel held its face for a good long moment, and when it looked up, Piper was struck by the glow - or the rather, the weakness of it. She could make out Mag’s pupils darting wildly around, and the stiffness it moved with - it didn’t seem deliberate, suddenly. It seemed like a struggle.

“Mag!” The sudden hope in Alcor’s voice mirrored the relief radiating through her. “He’s fighting in there, he must be!”

The angel’s head snapped towards the mirror. It threw itself at her, but it was a clumsy move; Alcor all but danced around it.

“Well, this is new!” He chirped as the angel turned around. “I’ve never heard of a bluffing angel before! He’s really fighting you, huh?” His grin sharpened. “It’s like you’re trying to kill his daughter. Again.”

The gun was right by the angel’s feet, covered in glass shards and demonic sludge. Alcor snorted as he saw him eye it.

“You gonna try and pick that up? Great idea, that’s really gonna help you keep Mag down.” A nod as the angel stepped past it. “Yeah, there we go. Weird, you’ve gone quiet all of a sudden. What’s the matter?”

Alcor may have found something funny in the angel’s death stare, but Piper wasn’t such a fan of the goading. She gave him a mental tug and felt him clear his throat.

“Anyway, uh…” He hesitated, and then let out a growl. “I really got to offer this, don’t I? Look - I can��t drag you out of Mag in this body, and you look like you can barely move. So even though you r̶̛̰e̵̜͊a̷lly don’t deserve this-”

You’re proposing a deal?

The angel sounded oddly amused. Piper felt her fists ball. “Yes, and you better listen up, because I’m only going to say this once. Get out of Mag, leave me and mine alone forever, and I won’t chase you down and r̷̡͑i̷̺̐̋p̵̢̑ y̷̡̓o̶̮̼̐͗ų̶̌r̸͚̿ s̸͉̆̈o̷̡͕͌u̷̠̓͠l into more piece̷͉̠̬̾̈̀͘͝s̸͕͉̬̗̓͒̽̄ ̴ tĥ̵̬͍͍͇̉͗̈́͊͠͝a̸̛̅̿̊͘̚n tḧ̷͉͙̘̼̞̜͍́̑̔̀͂̃̃͘ę̷̜̪̹̪͗̑̓̈r̵͖̜̣̮̀̔͐̓̌͜è̵̻͍͚̣̟̺ ̵̘͍̀͐͐̅ā̵͚̍͝r̷̙̗̟̅̐͊̏͜è̸͒͒̏̀͜͝͝ ̸͇̙͆͊͝ş̴͓̱͈̤̹̣̂̓̏̅̚t̸̥͛͒̒ạ̷̡̤͆͌͋ͅr̷̥͎̝̞̝̯̪̓̈́̃̅̀̔͠s̴̘̝̓͗͂̈ ̶̰̲͙͌̍̏̓͋̓ī̵͈̣̻͆̀ͅņ̷̖̝̱͑̂́ ̸̪̫͓̘̇̋̌t̷̩̳͂̃̿͂h̷̢̫͙̣͉͉̀͑͜é̸͎͇ ̷̜̣̪͐̉ù̴̢̗̣͙͐̈̀̀͋̚n̸̛̥̟͍̋̍̀̊̂́î̷͔̣͓͇̻v̸̘͎̈́̂͋e̶̬̱̯͚̪̽́͆̒̓́̓r̷̻̼̣̜̘̃̂s̶̨͇̻̯̈́̿̎̿e̶̢̩̪̤̙̾̅̔̈́̾͊̄.”

His words sent a chill down Piper’s spine, but the angel didn’t seem to react. Alcor raised an eyebrow.

“Well?”

An angel, making a deal with a demon. You expect me to dignify this with a response?

Alcor scowled. “Seriously? You can’t be-”

And yet I do admit, continued the angel, there is some wisdom to your twisted words. To leave you and yours to your wickedness - this certainly seems the will of this body. Despite all I have done to try and guide it to the light, still it turns from me at this critical moment.

The uneasiness bubbling from the mirror echoed Piper’s own. They watched as the angel seemed to think for a moment… and then break a very thin smile.

Yes, demon, perhaps you’re right. I won’t be taking your deal, but if Magnus truly wants me gone, I would be less than the crudest bodysnatcher to deny him his free will.

I only hope,

in his last moments,

he realises how much I’ve done for him.

The words were still washing over them as Mag raised his hands to the sky, the tattoos on his arm glowing brighter, brighter, blinding- and then they shut off. And like a puppet with his strings cut, he collapsed to the ground.

Piper and Alcor rushed as one to his side.

“Mag!” Piper raced to catch him, but she couldn’t stop him cracking his head on the floor. She grimaced. “Are you okay? Mag!”

He was breathing; she could hear his ragged breaths, but he hadn’t opened his eyes. The angel’s words pounded in her thoughts like an anxious drumbeat - last moments, last moments, what did that mean? He was alive, she was alive, Her Dad was- Dad!

A hesitation, but Mag seemed okay, only that bitemark on his wrist oozing blood. Her Dad… she turned around and cringed. The chair had tipped over and pinned his face between the back and the concrete; he groaned as she turned him onto his side.

“Piper…?” he managed. He was still bound to the chair in thick rope; she looked to Alcor, and he nodded. “What’s going on? Mag… Mag! Is he-”

“He’s okay, Dad.” Piper felt the mirror heat up, and she passed it through the rope with a wisp of smoke. “Are you okay? No, don’t stand up-”

And he grabbed her and wrapped her in the tightest hug and buried his head in her shoulder. Piper froze, but he sagged against her, and she kept him up.

“Dad?”

“You’re okay…” She could feel his whole body trembling. “You’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay…”

She felt a lump rising in her throat. “I’m okay, Dad.”

“I-I was so worried about you. When I heard the news, I-I didn’t…” He squeezed her tighter. “I hate it but part of me was…I-I didn’t th-think I’d see y-you again… I’m sorry, I’m-”

“Don’t be sorry.” She shook her head, squeezed tight. “D-don’t be sorry, okay? You saved me, Dad.”

He tried to speak, but it just came out in sobs of sheer relief. Her eyes blurred as well.

“I-I thought I was gonna die. I thought we both were. B-but we’re okay, aren’t we? We’re gonna be okay.”

He squeezed her tighter- but a cough behind them, and it froze. David saw something Piper didn’t; she could feel him tense up.

“Mag? Mag!”

She turned as he nearly pushed her away and stumbled to Mag’s side. Mag- her eyes widened.

He was bleeding. A lot. Red blood was wetting the rags on his chest, and as she ran to him she could see him dissolve into bodyshaking coughs; red rimmed his lips, his eyes dimmed but meeting her gaze.

And he smiled.

“Piper,” he said, quietly. David was trying to stop the bleeding, but there was a sickening crack, a wince. His hand half raised to cover a sudden bulge on his collarbone. “Ow.”

“Mag?!” She saw the white scars on his arm - they were reddening, opening, bleeding. “Wha-what’s going on?!”

“It’s the angel!” Alcor’s voice was low and horrified - David’s eyes shot over like he just noticed the mirror. “It’s taking its gifts back - every time it healed Mag, it’s… oh, no.”

Piper watched in horror as a pattern of road rash peeled down the side of his face. “No… no, no, no! Alcor, you’ve got to- you can heal him, right?”

“Alcor?” David blinked, and started forwards as she pressed the mirror into Mag’s hand. “What-”

“Trust me, Dad.” Piper curled Mag’s hands around the mirror. “Come on, Alcor!”

“I’m trying!” It seemed like the bleeding was slowing - and then his shoulder popped out. “He’s not- Mag, you gotta… let me help you! Please!”

“Mag…” Piper looked back to those eyes. She put a hand on his shoulder. “I need you to do something for me, Mag. You need to unbind Alcor.”

Mag didn’t respond. He just looked at her, and smiled. She shook his shoulder.

“You’ve been lied to, Mag! Listen to me - it wasn’t Alcor that killed Scarlett! The angel framed him to get you to bind him!” In the corner of her eye she could see David flinch, but she didn’t have time. She leaned in closer. “You’ve got to say you unbind him, and then he can heal you! That’s all you’ve gotta do, but you’ve got to do it now! Please!”

Her jeans were getting wet. Slowly, steadily, blood was pooling under him. His lips, turning blue, quivered, and moved.

“I lost it,” he said, hardly louder than his breath. Piper didn’t know what he meant, but she shook her head.

“Mag…” she started, but he was speaking again.

“The photo… I lost it.” Tears formed in his eyes. “I-I was going… it w-was going to be the last thing I looked at.” A laugh, that dissolved into a cough. “B-b-ut th-this, this is the real thing! Th-this is so much… so much more than I deserve.”

“Mag, stop it!” David grabbed his other hand and held it to his chest. “Just unbind Alcor! You heard what Piper said.”

“I heard.” He finally looked away. “I-I gave my life to that angel. I did… I-I don’t even know what I did. I don’t wanna know.” His eyes closed. “If you still love me, just let me have this. Let me die not knowing.”

“If I-” Piper scowled. “I do still love you, and I’m gonna try to save you! Come on, Mag!”

“Mag. Heh.” His face was going deathly pale. “Even now, I don’t get a ‘Dad.” Those eyes fixed on her; the slightest smile graced his face. “That’s okay, I… I get it. Just… remember I loved you, Piper. I loved you more than anything.”

“If you loved me, why won’t you let me save you? I don’t want to watch you die!”

“It’s best this way, kid. I… made my peace a long time ago.” The slightest head shake. “There’s nothing but prison waiting for me if I live.”

“There’s us waiting for you!” She grabbed his face when he turned away. “Mag - Dad, we’re right here!”

“What, you’re gonna visit me?” A coughing laugh. “I-I’m just a stranger to you. I-I’m just guilting you, aren’t I? Should’ve kept my damn mouth shut.”

“Stop…” Piper’s voice shook, but she pushed through. “Stop telling me, how I feel, about my family!”

Mag looked at her again, and she stared him down.

“All I ever wanted to do was know you, Mag! You keep saying you love me, you’d do anything for me, but I finally have a chance to a-actually-” Her voice broke. “-to actually know who you are, and you just want to leave me again like you always do!”

His eyes widened a little. Piper could feel David’s hand come to her shoulder, but she shook him off.

“I’m not dead, Mag! I never fucking died, I’ve been here this whole time! “ She slapped her chest. “I’m not just a photo, I’m right here! And I don’t want you to die!”

“Piper-”

The energy that had seized her was leaving. “I don’t want you to die, Mag.” She sagged back down. “I’ll visit you, I’ll do anything, just don’t… don’t do this. Please. Please.”

The blood soaking her jeans was cold. Mag’s eyes slid closed, and his breath had slowed to a rattle. Piper looked to David, still holding onto Mag’s hand with a white-knuckle grip, staring into the middle distance.

It was so quiet in here, she thought. But Mag took a big breath.

“You promise…” He managed, eyes still closed. “You promise you’ll… visit?”

“Yes. Yes!”

“I promise.” David cupped his cheek. “Please, M.”

A pause, a tension.

“Then…” Mag took another breath. “Alcor the… Dreambender, I… release you… from your bonds.”

And with those whispered words, the whole world seemed to shudder. Piper heard the mirror shatter, and then a deep boom rocked the foundations the same way it had done all those years ago.

She looked behind her, and she saw, from the glowing frame, a hand, reaching out. Alcor the Dreambender wasted no time with theatrics; pulling himself out of the mirror, he immediately pounced on Mag and dug his claws into his chest.

“Wha-” David stood up quickly, but Piper pulled him back.

“He’s here to help,” She said. “Just trust me, please.”

David hesitated, and then bowed his head and took her hand. They watched Alcor pull some wispy, shiny thing out of Mag, and the last flickers of light on his tattoos went black. Casting it away, he then put his hands on Mag; they started to glow, and, before their eyes, the wounds began to close.

Mag didn’t respond at first. Then, like a drowning man breaking the surface, he took one big, full gasp, and then settled into something more regular. He was still covered in blood, but the pink had returned to his skin.

“He’s gonna be okay.” Alcor’s voice came as a surprise to both of them. The figure Piper knew in the mirror was now here, physical, and her eyes widened as she watched him rise to his feet, watched him turn around with something like a smile on his face. “He needs to rest, though. From this, and… well, everything else.”

His eyes looked from her to David, and the smile tightened a bit. She cast a glance at her Dad - stars, how was she even going to begin to explain the last few days? The last time she saw him felt like years ago.

“Dad?”

David glanced over at her, and then back at Alcor. He looked the demon up and down, from the wings twitching on his back, to the gold-on-black eyes and pointed ears. He swallowed. “You… really didn’t kill Scarlett?”

“I didn’t.” Alcor shook his head. “I swear.”

“He’s the only reason I’m alive, Dad.” Piper put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s… a lot happened the past few days, Dad. I don’t know how to start.”

He seemed to take a breath. “Well…” he started, stiffly. “You saved Mag. And you saved my daughter. Thank you, Alcor.” Then he looked down. “I’m going to need some time to… adjust. Let’s just figure out what we’re going to do now.”

Piper looked around the basement: the blood on the concrete, the chair with the rope, the gun, the Mag. And that’s not to mention the demon standing in front of them… she sucked in a breath.

“Uh, yeah,” Alcor’s wings fluttered nervously. “And, bad news, but the angel’s a sore loser. My omniscience is telling me it just used one of its pawns to tip off the cops - oh, and the cop getting the call is named Frank, and his favourite food is, eww, prawn salad?”

“What?”

Alcor blinked. “Oh, sorry, gotta get used to omniscience again. My point is, we’ve got about two minutes.”

“Two minutes until… the police show up?”

“Yeah.” Alcor seemed to see the pallor on both their faces, and put his hands up. “But it’s okay! I’m a demon, remember? I can clean this all up and get you out of here - it’ll be like nothing happened.”

Piper frowned. “But wait. Mag’s wanted, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, but-”

“He’s got the whole country looking out for him.” David crossed his arms. “Piper, too. You can make people just forget about this whole thing?”

“Uh… not really, that would be a pretty big deal.” He gave a nervous laugh. “But hey, if they never find you-”

“Never find us? We’ve got lives to get back to!”

“That’s not what I meant, I-” Alcor looked back at Mag. “Well, we gotta get him out of here, at least! You remember what he said, he’ll go to prison if they find him!”

A pause, a tension that filled the air as they all gazed at the sleeping body. David broke the silence first.

“I promised I’d visit him in prison, Alcor.” He spoke quietly. “He knew what that meant. We all did.”

“But it was the angel, guys!” Alcor turned to Piper. “Come on, this isn’t - this isn’t fair!”

“What’s not fair?” She frowned as Alcor recoiled. “What’s wrong, Alcor? Look, I-I didn’t want him to die, but… you know, he killed people! That can't... you can't just whisk him-”

“So we’re just gonna throw him in prison? He needs help, he doesn’t need to be punished!” Alcor paced in place. “After all these years, I-I can finally help him! I can finally do what I should have done the second I saw her that night… and what, I-I’m just supposed to do nothing again?

“Alcor-”

“I̵ s̸h̶o̵u̸l̵d̵’̷v̵e̷ ̶b̶e̵e̴n̷ ̵t̷h̵e̶r̴e̶!” Alcor bellowed, and then shrank back, holding his head. “N-not even that night in the basement, I-I should have been watching over Scarlett. This whole thing happened b-because the angel wanted to get back at me, and I just let it happen! I can’t do nothing again. I-I can’t just leave her to this, I-I won’t!”

Piper reached out… but she didn’t know what to say. She could hear something in the distance.

She could hear sirens.

Piper looked to her Dad, but only saw the same speechlessness reflected back at her. The demon kept sobbing, and Mag was snoring on the floor.

There were no easy answers, and the sirens were getting louder.

______________________________________________________________

“Can’t we do this later?”

Standing in a foil blanket outside her house with the red-red-blue-blue police lights flashing in her face, Piper found herself feeling, of all things… impatient. Yes, stars, she was happy to be alive, relieved this was over - but she just wanted to go home. She just wanted to go home.

She just, wanted, to go home, but the cop didn’t seem to hear her question. “Just hang on one second, Miss Wright,” He muttered, tapping away on his magi-orb, and a thought popped into her head.

She’d never told this guy her name.

Piper cast a glance around the scene. There were a lot of cop cars in front of her house; the whole front of it was flashing. And there were a couple black vans, too - men in body armour and rifles huddling in groups lit by that same flashing light. There were orders being shouted and police tape being rolled out and a growing crowd that was - Piper didn’t know why they were twinkling at first… but then she realised they were cameras.

There was a helicopter flying overhead, too - it was loud.

Oh, this was…

This was a big deal, wasn’t it?

“Just, ah, talking to her now,” The cop muttered into his radio, and she looked back to see him clear his throat. “Sorry about that, Miss Wright. This’ll only take a second.”

Piper blinked slowly. “What?”

“I said, it’ll only take a second! Sorry, I know it’s loud-”

“No, I-I mean, um… what’ll only take a second?”

“We just have some questions for you.”

“Questions…?” She could see the back of a news reporter standing a couple feet away. “Here?”

“Oh - yeah, I see your point,” said the guy, and then popped open the door to his police car. “We can do it in here if you’re more comfortable.”

“You’re not gonna… take me to a station, or…?”

“It’s best to do the interview as soon as possible - just to get the details down while your memory’s fresh.” His radio was going crazy, and he pressed something to silence it. “I’m sure this has been an ordeal for you, so I promise I’ll be quick. Then we can let you go to the station and see your father - how’s that sound?”

Then he flashed what seemed to be a reassuring smile, but Piper’s mind really stuck on the word ‘let’.

She just wanted to go home, but the helicopter’s spotlight swept over the house, and then curved around to land on her. The officer tapped his magi-orb.

“So, Miss Wright,” he said, and the forced-gentleness he spoke with couldn’t clothe his naked curiosity, couldn’t disguise the way he leaned forwards, ready to hear a good story. “Why don’t you tell me, in your own words, what happened here?”

#transcendence au #toothwrites #magnus wright #mizar #alcor the dreambender

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toothpastecanyon · 5 months ago

Text

The Comfort of Agony, Chapter 10

He didn't know what she was so angry with him for, but he probably deserved it.

See most updated version on Archive of Our Own.

______________________________________________________________

Worse than prison. Worse than death. Slumped against the basement door, cradling his burning arm, Mag looked up at the sunset coming through the window. He looked at the sun, stared it down until two spots formed in his double vision.

“You tricked me,” he said. Pins and needles poked deep into his arm.

Tricks are for demons, said the light. I am an angel.

“Fuck you. Fuck you! Don’t lie to me, you said they’d be safe! You made me-”

He started to get up, but the light intensified around him. It was like there was light in his bones, burning deep inside, warning him no. With a black scowl, he sat back again.

“We had a deal.” He spoke carefully, fighting to keep the fury from his voice. “You can’t do anything to Piper. That’s - that’s the reason I did this, you can’t… Just let her go, okay? Call this off. I’ll do anything, just… please. Come on, please.”

Silence. Utter silence. Mag didn’t know if it was considering something, or if it didn’t care to reply. He didn’t know anything about this creature anymore.

Finally, it did speak.

Deals are for demons, said the light. I am an angel.

The sun was rising, but Mag felt so cold in its embrace. He shook his head, shook his head, shook his head.

“No. No, come on. No.”

They’re almost here, said the light. You wanted to see her, did you not? You wanted to see her so badly you defied me.

“I don’t want to see her! I’ll never - I’ll never do that again, please, I don’t-”

You don’t need to plead. You’re tainted, and you’ve let yourself taint her in turn.

“I…”

You taint everything you touch, said the light, and Magnus turned away and put his head in his bloody hands. You always have. From the moment that curséd soul entered your body, you were unforgivable. You think this is my fault? No, Mizar. This is always how it was going to end. You were always going to betray me. You aren’t capable of anything else.

The sun beat down on the broken figure on the floor. The light brushed over every scrape, every blemish, every drop of blood. There was a moaning sound coming from the basement.

Ah, said the light. But it is your nature. I forgive you for this.

Weep no more, my child.

This will all

be over

soon.

______________________________________________________________

This fucking drive. The darkening trees rushing past Piper, the potholes that jolted her around as she drove too fast over them, the ever-lingering memory of that night. That night. The thought of it always put a pit in her stomach, but now it felt like an open wound yawing wide in front of her, dragging her back into the mind of that helpless little girl who watched her family tear itself apart on that night.

Another jolt, and her hands tightened on the steering wheel. And she wished she could say she was different now. That she wasn’t helpless anymore. But truth be told, both her parents were in deep trouble, and she wasn’t sure at all what a 20-something paper pusher was going to do to save their lives.

A glance towards the front seat, the mirror clinking against the cups. She was probably gonna die, wasn’t she? From the moment she touched that mirror, the angel was after her… but her Dad, he didn’t do anything! He didn’t deserve any of this! All he ever wanted was for his family to be happy, and he doesn’t even know who took that from him.

Who killed Scarlett.

Who drove Mag away.

Who pulled apart their family just to use them as pawns to bind a demon, and now has the fucking gall to tell her she’s the guilty one?!

Piper could feel it like fire in her blood, a wardrum beating in her ears. Oh, she was probably going to die, but she was going to do it clawing this angel’s FUCKING EYES OUT!

…Her hands were hurting. She was breathing hard, she needed to calm down. They were-

“Nearly there,” came Alcor’s voice, soft and hesitant. He hadn’t spoken much at all this car ride, and she glanced quickly over.

“Yeah,” she managed. “Yeah.”

It was emerging from behind the trees, now. That old house at the end of the road, lit with the fire of a sunset, almost glowing amongst the shadows. At first, nothing at all seemed odd about this place, but as she slowed to a crawl, she noticed how the image of it seemed to waver like the air above a hot road, like a mirage.

“Look at the ground,” Alcor said, pointing out a thin, unnaturally white line seeming to encircle the entire property. “Wards. He’s got something set up in there, I’m sure.”

“Well, we already know it’s a trap, right?” Piper tried for a shrug. “We’ll just have to… We’ll do something.” She picked up the jar of sludge. “We’ve got this - we hit Mag with this, the Angel stops possessing him, right?”

“It only weakens the hold.”

“It’s still something.” She saw Alcor turn away, and picked up the mirror. “Hey, come on, you were full of ideas this morning. Just tell me how I should approach this.”

He didn’t answer immediately; he stared off into space, and then sighed. “I’ve been thinking it over, I really have. I’ve been trying to find some way to save you and Mag and your Dad, it’s just…”

“Just what?”

“It’s just…” He took a breath, let it out, and looked at her again. “I know what you should do.”

“Wh-“

“You should get out of the car, put this mirror on the ground, and drive away fast.”

“Put… wait, drive-?“

“And call the cops too!” He was speaking faster now. “Get them to meet you somewhere, take you into custody, tell them Mag’s coming after you so you get a big guard. You-“

“Whoa, whoa, wait, I’m not running away!” Piper shook her head. “I’m not leaving! Besides, the angel’s gonna kill me if I do that, that’s what you said!”

“The angel wants the mirror. If it gets that and sees you’re surrounded by cops, it might write you off as too much of a hassle to kill. Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Piper scowled. “Wh-, what happened to ‘angels always follow through’?”

“It’s just a general rule. Angels and demons, we’re… we’re fickle beings. We like to think we’re infallible just as much as you do, but we’re n-not.” His lip trembled, his face crumpled. “Sometimes we’re hypocrites, y-you know?”

“Alcor?”

“I told myself I’d always look out for her. I-I’d always be there for her, I’d always be there to protect her!” He shook his head. “But I let her down- I let him down, I let him be used against me, and now I don’t know if I’m doing what he wants - does he want to be saved? Does he want this, if it means… i-if it means his daughter…”

Suddenly, Piper knew where this was going. “I’m not leaving my parents.” She said, and watched him sigh. “I’m not! Listen, we need to focus on what to do about the angel.”

“That’s what I’m doing! Piper, if you go in there, you’ll die. You think they want you to die for them?”

“It’s not about what they want.” She fished out a plastic bag from the back. “You know what I want? I want this stupid angel out of my life one way or another!”

“Piper-”

“One way, or another.” Wrapping the bag around her hand, she picked up the mirror and held it up to herself. “So are we in on this or not? Because I’m definitely gonna die in there if I can’t trust you not to do something stupid.”

“But-” He started, and trailed off, avoided Piper’s stare. He paced nervously in the mirror, wings fluttering behind him… and then he put his head in his hands. “I can’t even do this for Mag, can I. I can’t even keep his daughter safe.”

Piper glanced up at the house. “I know you’re upset, but… we really don’t have time for this. Are you in or not?”

A moment longer he stood still, and for a moment Piper really did worry she’d have to go in alone after all… but then, he gave a deep sigh, wiped his watery eyes, and looked down.

“I’m in,” he said, quietly. “I’ll… do what I can.”

She slipped off the plastic bag. “Thanks,” she said, and when she gripped the bare handle, she could feel the sadness rolling off of him. It was like he was already mourning her; she tried to push that aside. “Let’s go.”

He didn’t respond. Grabbing the jar, Piper opened the car door and slowly approached the ward barrier. It was a glowing white line drawn in the dirt; she stuck her hand through, and it didn’t seem to do anything, but she wasn’t ready to trust it just yet.

“What is this?” She asked the mirror, but he didn’t reply. Piper grimaced at the despair still emanating from him - it seemed she was on her own for this. Trying to rub it out did nothing; it seemed there was only one way forward.

One foot, and then the other. It all seemed normal until her eyes passed through the barrier, and a sudden flash of light had her covering them. When she squinted them open…

“What’s…going on?”

The house had changed. Blinding white light streamed from every window, and a harsh sunlight had bleached the colours out from the world. The wind had absolutely stilled, and silence pressed down like a weight.

There was one more thing that changed. Piper glanced down at the mirror, and noticed her hands, dripping with the only colour the angel ever left behind - red blood.

She left a steady trail on the way to the door. It creaked open as it always did, and the sound made her cringe. Inside, the lights were off, yet everything was lit like the roof had been taken off on a cloudless day. The way it enstranged the house she’d grown up in was jarring; for a moment she just wanted to take it in, get her bearings-

Crrrreak.

A flinch, a turn. Piper gripped the mirror tight, shading her eyes and straining to see anything useful up the stairs - and wow, she really couldn’t. If the angel came from up there…?

Backing up sharply, she headed into the kitchen. The first thing she noticed was the table; nothing’s displaced but for two chairs conspicuously missing from the ends. Odd.

Piper glanced further down the hallway… but in her mind, she knew where to go. Heart hammering in her chest, she took a deep breath, and turned around.

I did it for you.

She saw it first in memory, in the blackest shadow of that night: the glowing door, the shouting the ranting the laughing that plagued her childhood dreams.

I did it all for you.

And now, years later, she stood in the glow, looking into darkness. It was just a little ajar, and the unnatural light didn’t reach inside. And as she edged closer, she didn’t hear shouting.

Please don’t go!

She heard, like ice through her heart, the faintest moaning.

Piper!

She stood on the precipice of her memories. The tape stopped here, at the top of these stairs. What laid below, for better or for worse, was resolution.

And Piper stepped down.

#transcendence au #toothwrites #magnus wright #mizar #alcor the dreambender

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