CHAPTER TWELVE

The sea was rougher than usual. Between that and the electricity in the air, Shooter could tell a storm was rolling in.

He watched the water carefully until he felt someone watching him. His eyes fell on the siren. She was floating just off of the shore.

"What do you want from me?" Shooter demanded. "You aren't here to drown me or you'd have done it when I was a kid. So what's your deal?"

"I could never harm thee, Oscar Berkely," she said.

For a second, he cringed at the use of his legal name, but then he realized what had just happened. "You spoke to me!" He said in surprise.

"You remind me of someone," she replied.

"Listen, um... Miss Siren," he began. "You are wanted for murder. I need you to tell me why you're killing innocent men."

"Cora," she said. "You may call me Cora."

"Right, sure... Cora. Start talking."

"I prefer to sing." She looked at him sadly.

"Cora-"

"I am sorry, Oscar." She kissed his cheek. Electricity sparked where her lips touched his flesh. In an instant, she vanished into the sea.

"What the hell is going on?" Shooter asked aloud in frustration.

He didn't get an answer to his question, but he did encounter trouble. The warlock who walked past him raised an eyebrow at his outburst.

"Talking to yourself usually isn't a good sign, Shooter," he said with a smirk.

"Wes... What are you doing here?" Shooter demanded.

"Walking along the water. It's really quite beautiful."

"What are you doing in Salem, Saunders?"

"I'm visiting my cousins."

"The last time you came through town-"

"I seduced that cute bartender you had your eye on. Sorry about that, Shooter, but I'm pretty sure you can't arrest me for it."

Shooter glared at him. "I know what you are."

"Do you? Please, enlighten me."

"Cut the crap, Saunders. What game are you playing this time?"

"Poker, if you're up for it."

"Never again. You cheat."

"I've just got a better poker face than you." He smirked at him. "Come on, Shooter. Let me buy you a drink or ten."

"Why are you being so friendly all of a sudden?"

Wes turned serious then. "I heard about Tammy. It's a damn shame. I liked her."

Shooter punched him in the jaw before slamming him against a tree with a shot of energy. "Don't you ever say her name again, or I'll smite your evil ass where you stand."

Wes massaged his jaw for a moment. "For the record, I meant what I said. I really did like Meadows. She was a pistol."

"What did I just say, Saunders?"

Wes was about to reply when someone intervened. "Maybe you should quit while you're behind, Wes," Clarissa Phillips said as she joined them.

Wes smiled at her pleasantly. "Clarissa! Long time no see!" He said.

"Not long enough. Walk away before I tell my daughter you're in town."

Wes paled slightly, causing Shooter to laugh. "I see the New York warlocks are just as afraid of Deenie as ours are," Shooter said.

"It was nice catching up, Shooter," Wes said. "I'll see you soon." He winked before walking away.

"Was that a threat?" Shooter wondered aloud. "It felt like a threat."

"That would be my guess," Clarissa replied.

"Not that I don't appreciate the save, Clarissa, but what brings you here?"

"I came to check on Danny."

Shooter frowned. "Check on him? Is something wrong?" He asked.

"He isn't answering his phone, and I just have a feeling that something's wrong. It's probably nothing, but..."

"But it's Danny... Let's go ring the bell."

They walked over to Danny Eckerd's house, which was next to Shooter's. Clarissa rang the doorbell. There was no answer after a minute, so Shooter pulled out his spare key and unlocked the door.

Clarissa tensed. "I smell blood," she said.

They began searching the house. When Shooter reached Danny's bedroom, he opened the door. Relief flooded through him as he saw Danny standing over someone. He was covered in blood, but he looked alright. The three people on the floor, however, were another story.

"Danny! What happened?" Clarissa asked as she followed Shooter into the bedroom.

Danny wiped the blood off of his mouth before he said, "They made me bleed, and I hadn't fed in a bit, so they became dinner. Or breakfast. Or lunch... What time is it? This eternal night is getting to me," he said.

"Are you hurt?" Shooter asked. "I can call a healer-"

"I'm alright," Danny replied. "Their blood is already healing me. I just didn't expect to get ambushed in my bedroom."

"Who were they?" Shooter asked.

"Are you asking as a friend or as a cop, buddy? Because if it's the latter, I should probably call Johnny to be my lawyer."

"Off the record," Shooter promised. "I'm just worried about you. Besides, it was clearly self-defense."

"They were hired thugs. Mrs. Eckerd Number Three sent them."

"Laura tried to have you assassinated?" Clarissa asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Apparently, she's still pissed at me."

"Well, you did cheat on her with Sybil," Shooter pointed out.

"We were already in the process of getting divorced. That's not cheating. I might get around more than a drunk sailor, but I'm loyal."

"Sybil is her younger sister, Danny," Clarissa reminded him.

"And I always liked her more than Laura anyway."

"Why did you and Laura get married again?" Shooter asked.

"I'm a romantic," Danny replied with a grin. "All of my ex-wives will tell you that."

"How many are there now, four?"

"Five. Ah, Samantha... She was my favorite. I was pretty sure that one was going to stick. Anyway, are you guys going to help me clean up this mess or do I need a lawyer?"

"I'll testify to the self-defense," Shooter replied. "You need to report this, Danny, or she'll just try again."

"Well, Laura is pretty determined once she gets an idea in her head, so you're probably right. Okay, call in the Unit. Can I go shower? I'd like to wash the assholes off of me now."

"Go on. I'll make the call."

Danny walked out of the room. Clarissa frowned. "It's not that I'm surprised that Danny's exes are trying to murder him, but why now?" She asked.

"Mood swing? Laura was always a little unstable," Shooter replied.

"She's a lycanthrope, Shooter. She was infected three years ago. What if moon madness affected her ability to think rationally?"

"Then she'll need a really good lawyer."

"Danny and Johnny are the best options, and they obviously can't represent her."

"She'll have to find one in Boston."

Clarissa paused. "It's odd that Johnny isn't here. Normally, he'd know something was wrong and come running."

"Do you think he's in trouble?"

"I'm not sure... I hope not."

"Call him, Clarissa. Just in case."

Clarissa picked up the phone and dialed. She sighed after a minute. "Johnny's not answering," she said.

"Go check on him. I've got Danny," Shooter said. "Call me if there's any trouble."

"I will," Clarissa promised. She headed out of the house while Shooter contacted Skip.

~*~

The screaming wouldn't stop. Johnny Winston clutched his head in pain as the banshee unleashed the horrible sound. He felt as if his head was going to explode.

His wife and children were dying before his eyes, and once again, there was nothing he could do to stop it. The pain was unbearable as he relived the worst loss he had ever suffered. As he tried to adjust and distance himself from the memory, he relived the day Erin Eckerd had died. That was his very first traumatic loss. This was followed by flashes of the day he lost Benny. Finally, he relived the night his parents were killed in a car accident while he was at a college party with Benny and Danny.

The grief was too much for him. Johnny couldn't carry it all at once. He usually tried to compartmentalize it just so it didn't constantly weigh him down. He was unable to breathe as he sank to his knees and wept harder than he had in years.

Johnny... A voice called in his mind.

He was too caught up in his pain to register the telepathic intrusion.

Johnny, listen to me... I'm gonna shield your mind so you can't hear the banshee anymore, she continued. It's going to be alright, Sugar.

Slowly, the screaming stopped, and so did the flashbacks. Johnny found himself at the edge of Pickering Wharf. A gentle hand steadied him before he could fall into the water.

"Easy, Sugar," she said with a strong Southern drawl.

"What's happening right now?" Johnny asked.

"I'm breaking the rules. Again." She sighed. "I couldn't very well let you fall into the water. The siren would have gotten you, and it's not your time."

"Lou Anne?" Clarissa asked as she spotted them and hurried over.

Johnny's eyes widened in surprise. Lou Anne was one of the Powers That Be. She was meant to assign missions to groups like the Silver Society, but she wasn't supposed to walk around on the Earthly plane.

"I'm afraid I'm confused... To what do I owe the honor?" Johnny asked.

"Well, Aideen would probably burn Salem to the ground if you died, Sugar," Lou Anne explained. "Besides... I feel for you. I wish I could do more to help good people like you directly, but doing this much shouldn't mess up the balance."

Four other entities appeared in a flash. Johnny assumed the woman dressed all in black was Carolyn. The three men radiated with light.

"Lou Anne! You can't keep making us chase after you because you go to this plane on a whim!" The first man scolded her.

"I didn't ask you to come after me, James," Lou Anne pointed put.

"You left us little choice, Lou Anne. It's dangerous here," the second man said gently. "We couldn't risk harm coming to you."

"Lou can handle herself," Carolyn said firmly. "She doesn't need the menfolk to rescue her, Jonathan. Neither one of us is a damsel in distress."

"My apologies," he replied. "I didn't mean to offend either of you. I would have come after James or Nathaniel just as quickly."

"We need to report this," the last of the men said.

"You're such a tattle-tale stick in the mud," Carolyn replied.

"I don't think that's necessary, Nathaniel," Jonathan added quickly. "Lou Anne simply ensured the safety of someone who wasn't meant to die."

"Exactly," Lou Anne chimed in. "Our bosses won't care."

"I'll make sure they know you did it for the right reasons," Clarissa promised.

"Get down!" Johnny said suddenly as he sensed an attack. He knocked Clarissa to safety.

The hex went straight for Lou Anne. Carolyn deflected it and sent it back at their attacker.

Johnny was surprised to realize who had attacked. "Rikki," he said softly. "You're a smart girl. You must know this is a bad idea."

"I'm helping an acquaintance of mine," Rikki replied. "I'm only here for one of you. The rest should flee while you can."

"I don't think so, you little bi-" Carolyn began.

"Carolyn, language," Nathaniel scolded her. She raised her middle finger in response.

"We will not allow you to cause harm to one of us," James said firmly, looking Rikki in the eye and daring her to cross him.

"This is for Judas," Rikki replied. She sent an attack at Lou Anne again. Johnny and Clarissa dove in front of her.

Johnny took the blast, shielding both Clarissa and Lou Anne. He was flung into the water. To his shock, a wave rose up to catch him. It gently guided him back to land.

"You should leave now, Rikki," a girl with red hair said.

Rikki scowled at her. "You don't belong in this realm," she said sharply.

"The veil is thinning," the girl replied. "It is easier for my kind to cross between. Now, go." She swept Rikki out to sea using her hydrokinesis. Rikki vanished into the water.

"Nicely done," Clarissa said.

"She will return. One of Rikki's gifts is hydrokinesis. She will recover quickly and be able to reach safety," James informed them.

Clarissa moved closer to the girl. "Step back! This girl is a threat!" Nathaniel said urgently.

The girl looked sad as she said, "I'll leave now... I just wanted to help."

"Who are you?" Johnny asked gently.

"Someone who shouldn't exist!" James replied.

"She saved Johnny," Clarissa said. "She's good in my book. What's your name, honey?"

"I'm Faith," the girl replied.

"She's from the In-Between," Jonathan clarified.

"And I'm a Demon of Darkness, but I'm still one of the good guys," Carolyn pointed out. "Give the kid a chance. She didn't ask to be born."

"She's an abomination, Carolyn," Nathaniel insisted.

"You're an abomination," she countered. "She's a kid. What are you, sixteen?"

"Fifteen, actually," Faith politely corrected her.

"See? Cut the kid some slack. She came to help." Carolyn paused. "Who are your parents?"

"I'm afraid that Mirror Randy is my father. Please don't judge me too harshly for it. He doesn't know. We have never met, and I'm aware that he's vile."

"And your mama?" Lou Anne asked.

"I can't," Faith replied nervously.

"She's from here, obviously," Clarissa said. "Is she good or evil?"

"She likes to toe the line, but she's good deep down. Her heart is very pure, but she likes to deny it."

Johnny sensed something familiar in her magick. He had a feeling he knew exactly who her mother was, but it was not his place to out the girl's secret.

"You said the veil is thinning," Jonathan said in concern. "Is the barrier between Mirror and Valley starting to collapse again?"

"It's becoming unstable," Faith admitted. "The lack of balance between light and dark is causing it to fail."

"Wait... Isn't Mirror stuck in an eternal day?" Clarissa asked.

"No. Mirror Cierra deliberately cast the same spell that Valley Cierra cast unintentionally. It's eternally night in both realms... Darkness has the upper hand everywhere."

"We really need to break this spell," Johnny said in alarm. "If the barrier breaks, we may not be able to fix it this time."

~*~

There were twelve vampires surrounding someone in the Burying Point. The girl looked about thirteen years old at the most. She was covered in dirt and blood. She radiated with magick, but she wasn't a local.

"I just want to go home," the girl sobbed. "Please let me go..."

"You aren't going anywhere," one of the three undead vampires in the group said.

Randy flew into action, staking two of the daywalkers before the vampires even saw him coming. As the remaining vampires swarmed him, he continued fighting, breaking out every move he had.

He started bleeding as he got attacked from all directions, but he wasn't ready to give in yet. As a daywalker stabbed him with a knife, Randy staked one of the others. He felt himself get stabbed again, but he kept fighting. There was no other option. If he didn't defeat them, they'd kill the girl.

Fangs pierced his neck. For a moment, Randy couldn't focus, but he managed to avoid becoming fully entranced by the bite. Using every ounce of strength he had, he focused and telekinetically flung the undead vampire who had bitten him into a broken tree branch, staking him right in the heart. Ignoring the fact that he'd lost a lot of blood, he fought his way through a couple of the daywalkers. As soon as he could get close enough to the undead vampire who'd bitten him, he decapitated him, knowing a stake in the heart wasn't always enough to keep the undead ones down. One of the other undead vampires took the remaining daywalkers and fled.

The final undead vampire grabbed Randy by the throat and squeezed tightly. Randy couldn't breathe as the vampire held him up in the air. He struggled to free himself, but it was no use. Just as he was about to black out, something happened.

The vampire cried out in pain as he lost his grip on Randy's throat. Randy fell to the ground. He looked up and realized that the vampire's hand was no longer there. As the rest of the vampire's atoms split apart, Randy spotted the person who'd saved him.

Beth stood protectively in front of the teenager Randy had saved. She held her hands out and radiated with power as she split the vampire's atoms. Randy had seen the way she glowed when she used this power before, but that night it was even brighter.

A door opened. Joey stepped out. He motioned for the girl to follow him. Although she was clearly terrified, she did as he asked. They vanished inside and the door sealed shut behind them.

When Beth was finished eliminating the threat, she turned toward Randy. The rage in her eyes soon shifted to concern as she stopped glowing. She knelt beside him.

"Randy... Oh God," Beth said softly. "Stay with me, okay? I'm going to heal you."

"The empathy..." Randy protested weakly.

"I have better blocks than I used to. It's okay. I can help," Beth insisted. She started trying to heal him.

The stab wounds closed up pretty quickly. The matching holes in his neck took a little bit longer, but soon enough, Randy stopped bleeding. Beth looked a little pale, but she wasn't bleeding, much to Randy's relief.

He smiled at her weakly. "You're a Goddess," he said.

"You've known that for a while now," Beth reminded him.

"No, I mean... You're amazing, Beth. You really saved my butt tonight. Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me."

"Where did Joey take the girl they attacked?" Randy asked in concern.

"I asked him to take her to the Unit," Beth replied. "She needed medical attention, and since she looked like a tourist, I figured they should modify her memory, too."

"You covered all of the bases. I'm impressed."

Beth blushed slightly. "I'm just glad I was able to help. What were you thinking taking on that many vampires on your own? You should have called for backup."

"There wasn't time. They would have killed her."

"They could have killed you, Randy."

Her concern was clear in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Beth. I didn't mean to worry you." He gently reached toward her and touched her cheek.

Beth looked deep into her eyes. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then, to Randy's shock, Beth leaned closer to him and kissed him.

Randy's confusion lasted for a few seconds before he began to return the kiss. He had wanted this for so long, but he'd never expected it to happen. Beth had made it pretty clear that she would never allow him to get this close to her again.

When their lips finally parted, Randy took a moment to catch his breath before whispering, "Beth..."

"I shouldn't have done that," Beth said. She shook her head. "This can't happen."

She stood up and began to walk away. Randy was suddenly filled with a lot of unexpected emotions. "Bethany Ashford, don't you dare walk away from me after that!" He snapped.

She stopped walking and stared at him, clearly not sure what to say after his outburst.

"You can't just kiss me and then act like nothing happened, Beth," he insisted.

"Randy, I'm not the weak little girl you fell for who had no idea how to defend herself, or that evil hides in plain sight," she said. "I'm broken, but that's what gave me my strength. I'm a warrior. I don't need a big, strong hero to protect me. I'm not the kind of girl you'd want to be with."

"Damnit, Beth, you are not the only one here who's changed!" Randy replied. "I'm not the kid I was when we dated, either. I've literally been to hell and back. I watched one of my best friends and my girlfriend and a woman I respected the hell out of get shot in front of me and I couldn't save any of them. I live with the weight of that every day. I live with what my father did to me and my Ma, and I live with the fact that, no matter how hard I try, I'll never feel like I'm perfect enough. I don't need to feel like I'm saving you to love you, Beth... I never stopped loving you!"

She watched him closely, looking confused but also curious. "You moved on," she said.

"The first girlfriend I had after you put a spell on me and turned me evil, so that doesn't count... As for Pauline..." His voice shook a bit as he said her name. "I loved her. I loved her so much... But I still loved you, too. It never went away. I just found more love that I was able to give to her..." He closed his eyes and pictured Pauline's smiling face in his mind. He didn't realize he'd started to cry until Beth gently wiped his tears away.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"I know you aren't a damsel in distress, Beth. I've known that for a while now. It only made me love you that much more. I see the real you, and you're beautiful, and clever, and a warrior, and all I want is to fight at your side as equals."

"Randy..." She paused. "I don't know if we can make this work... Neither of us is who we used to be."

"I get it," Randy replied with a sigh.

"But I'm willing to try."

Randy stared at her for a moment. "What?" He asked softly, certain he'd misunderstood.

"I still love you, Randy... I just told myself we could never work as anything but friends. But you're right... We're both different now... So maybe we should try and see where things go from here."

She kissed him again. This time, Randy didn't hesitate to kiss her back. She might be different, but her lips were as soft as he remembered. He deepened the kiss shyly. Beth seemed surprised, but soon, she relaxed.

Randy felt like he was full of light. He realized that Beth was actually glowing again. Her warrior side was in control, and kissing that side of her was different and new, but he liked it just as much.

When they finally stopped, Beth smiled at him. "To trying," she said a little shyly as she raised a bottle of orange juice to him.

Randy returned the smile as he raised his water bottle and agreed, "To trying."