CHAPTER FOURTEEN

It wasn't often that Arthur White brought his kids to the psychiatric facility to visit Lydia, but Genie had been terrified for her mother, and Killian had insisted on going with them. As they arrived at her room, Danny shook his head.

"Stay in the common room," Arthur said to the kids. Lydia wouldn't want Genie to see her catatonic. "I'll bring her out to you as soon as I can."

"Come on, Genie," Killian said gently. He took her arm and led her away.

Arthur entered the room. "What happened?" He asked Danny.

"From what I can tell, someone used a glamour or shapeshifted into the form of one of her doctors and tried to abduct her," Danny replied. "He vanished before I could figure out who he was, but I'd bet anything it's the person who's kidnapping the warlocks who switched sides."

"Lydia didn't technically switch sides. She had a psychotic break and has been institutionalized since she was a teenager," Arthur protested. "I mean, I know she's not evil, but as far as most people are concerned, she's just insane and not of any use to them. Why would she be targeted?"

"She's powerful, and since you are her Power of Attorney and Healthcare Proxy, they probably figure she's a weapon for the good guys."

"She's not a weapon."

"I know that, Arthur, but the warlocks only see power. To them, she is a potential weapon, and little else."

Arthur sighed. "She's not safe here... Not if this asshole can take on the forms of others."

"You're right. What do you suggest?"

"I'll take her home with me until this all blows over."

"Arthur, Lydia needs professional care... Maybe we should ask Skip about having her kept in a safe room at the Unit for a while under a doctor's supervision."

Arthur considered that, but shook his head as he looked into Lydia's eyes. She was catatonic, but her fear was clear. "She's terrified, Danny," he said. "Isolating her in unfamiliar surroundings with a bunch of strangers taking care of her will only make her worse. Besides, a shapeshifter could infiltrate the Unit briefly, as long as they avoided people like Shooter. It's too risky."

"If you're sure, I'll make arrangements for her temporary release."

Arthur nodded as he gently stroked Lydia's hair. "I'm sure. Go work on that. I'm going to coax her back into awareness."

Danny left him to it. Arthur gently took Lydia's hand in his. "Hey, sweetie," he said softly. "It's Arthur. I'm here. You're safe, Lydia. You can come back now."

Lydia let out a slight whimper before her eyes clouded over with tears. "Arthur..." She said softly.

"I'm here," he said again.

"I'm scared," she admitted softly.

"I know. We're going to stay right here until you feel better, okay? Then, I'm taking you to the common room while Danny does some paperwork so I can take you home with me for a while."

"Really? I'm going with you?"

"Yes. I'm going to keep you safe, Lydia." He paused. "Is that okay with you?"

"I get to see my Wish?"

"She's in the common area right now."

"She's here?" Lydia's eyes lit up with joy.

"Yeah, her and Killian."

"I get to see them both? And stay with them and you for a bit?"

"Yes. It'll be good for all of us," Arthur replied, his heart feeling lighter at the joy in Lydia's eyes.

She hugged him. "Thank you, Arthur," she said softly. "I know it's can't be forever, but this is a gift."

"I'll help you pack up anything you want to bring with you."

Lydia immediately grabbed her favorite doll. Arthur had given it to her when they were teenagers. "This is all I need," she said. "I'll be with my family."

He smiled before putting some of her clothes and other essentials in the backpack he's brought with him. When he was done, he asked, "Are you ready to see the kids?"

She smiled at him brightly and said, "Absolutely."

Arthur led Lydia to the common room. She practically ran toward Genie with open arms. "Hello, Little Wish," she said as she hugged her daughter tightly.

Genie had tears in her eyes as she hugged her mother and said, "Hi, Mom."

"And little Killie!" Lydia added after a minute, opening her arms wider for Killian to join their embrace.

"Guys, Lydia's going to come home with us for a little while," Arthur explained.

"She is?" Genie asked. Arthur could see the desperate hope in her eyes. At Lydia's request, he only brought Genie by once or twice a year, and only for short periods of time. They'd never spent more than a couple of hours at a time together.

"Yes, honey, she is," Arthur promised.

"You'll love our house," Killian promised. "It's right on the waterfront."

"That sounds peaceful," Lydia replied softly.

"It is," Arthur said. "And we have three guest rooms for you to choose from."

Danny walked into the common room. "They're processing the paperwork now," he said. "We should be able to head out within the hour."

"Thanks, Danny," Arthur replied. "I owe you."

"Just take good care of Lydia. That's payment enough."

"He always does," Lydia replied with a smile. She seemed calm and pretty lucid, which was often the case when she was around Genie. Arthur was positive that being with her daughter was the best treatment for Lydia, but she wasn't willing to risk exposing Genie to anything traumatic, so she always limited their visits. "So, kids," Lydia said, "fill me in on what I've missed since the last time you were here."

~*~

Chris lost Luigi and Angelina's trail after a while. He sighed as he said, "I'm sorry, guys... It's like they just vanished."

"It's okay," Joey replied quickly. "At least we know where they went when they left the cemetery. It's a start."

"We should check in with the others," Solstice decided. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "AJ, give me a status update," she said without preamble.

"Arthur took Genie and Killian to Lydia. Killian texted me that they're bringing her back with them. She's safe," AJ replied.

"Alright. We lost the trail. Meet us at the sanctuary so we can regroup. We can fill Genie and Killian in later."

"I'm on it," AJ promised.

Solstice hung up and turned to the others. "Let's go," she said.

"Wait," Danika said suddenly. "There's something here... I think it's the remnants of a portal spell."

"A portal spell? To where?" Roxy asked.

"I can't say for sure... But maybe Joey can track it."

"I open doors, but I can't track portals made by other people," Joey replied.

Arnie was holding something in his hands. His eyes were glassy, seeing something that no one else could. "Is he alright?" Jason asked.

"He's having a vision," Joey replied. He grew concerned as slashes began to appear on Arnie's arms.

"Stop it!" Arnie cried in a high voice. "Get away from me!"

"What the hell is happening?" Chris demanded.

"Arnie's empathy connects to his visions sometimes," Joey explained. "Someone's being attacked. We need to pull him back before he loses too much blood." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter he carried just for such situations.

"Are you going to set him on fire?" Roxy asked. "I might have to object. I'm starting to sort of like the guy."

"I just need to burn his hand a little. It'll pull him back," Joey explained.

"I have a less dangerous idea," Chris said. He zapped Arnie's shoulder with energy.

"Ouch!" Arnie cried, clutching his shoulder as he returned to awareness.

"Arnie, who did you get pulled to?" Joey asked urgently.

"Oh Gods," Arnie whispered. "Beth," he said. "It's Beth! She's being attacked by shadow creatures."

Joey didn't hesitate to open a door. "Joey, wait!" Danika cautioned him, but he was already racing through the door to Beth. The others followed him, left with no other choice.

An entire army of shadow creatures surrounded Beth. Her arms had been shredded as she protectively guarded her abdomen.

"Aunt Beth!" Joey cried, rushing to her side. He tried his best to defend her from the attacks as the shadow creatures grew more aggressive.

Solstice and Roxy immediately went into Slayer Mode, attacking as many of the creatures as they could. Jason shifted form into a wolf, not hesitating to maul the creatures because he knew death would free them.

Chris began zapping them with electricity, moving closer to Joey and Beth to protect them. "Joey... We have to go," Beth said weakly.

"We'll get you out of this, Aunt Beth," Joey promised.

Arnie was still bleeding. Danika quickly wrapped a shield around him, cutting off his connection to Beth.

"Joey, it's him," Beth said as she struggled to remain focused.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked.

Arnie suddenly paled as he stared at someone. "Spence..." He said in horror.

Joey saw Spencer then, standing beside Bonnie. "Finish this, my pet," Bonnie said to him.

Spencer hesitated for only a moment before he attacked Arnie. Joey could sense his turmoil as he tried to get control of himself, but Bonnie's hold was too strong.

"It's okay, Spence," Arnie said softly as he tried to deflect the attack without hurting Spencer. "I know this isn't you. I love you."

Spencer grabbed Arnie's head. Joey stared in horror as he realized that Spencer was about to break Arnie's neck. He was about to intervene when a voice boomed inside of everyone's minds at once.

Stop! Jade commanded. The force of the single word made everyone freeze in place. Bonnie sank to her knees and clutched her head in her hands as Jade walked into view. No one else moved an inch.

"Kill her!" Bonnie shouted as her nose began to bleed.

Spencer tossed Arnie aside and turned his attention toward Jade. As he marched toward her, Roxy ran to Arnie and helped him get back to his feet.

Joey wanted to run to his mother, but she shook her head. He understood. She needed him to focus on protecting Beth.

Jade closed the distance between herself and Spencer. She looked incredibly sad as she touched his cheek gently. "I know you're in there, Spencer," she said softly.

"Do it! Kill her!" Bonnie shouted again.

Spencer twitched as he visibly tried to fight the command. He tried to speak, but only a hiss came out. He grabbed Jade's wrist roughly, but after a moment, he opened his fist and placed his hand over hers as she continued to touch his cheek and look into his eyes.

"Go..." He hissed out.

"Spencer..." Jade whispered.

"Go!" He hissed again, releasing her hand and moving away from her.

"He can't fight her orders for long, Jade," Arnie said, gently touching her arm. "We have to get out of here."

Jade forced herself to look away from Spencer. Joey opened a door to Om Shanti, knowing they'd be safe once they reached the shop. He and Chris helped Beth through the door. As soon as Jade was inside, she started pulling ingredients out for a healing spell. Joey helped her, knowing what she needed without her having to tell him.

As they gathered the necessary ingredients, Echo burst through the front door. Jagger and Lyric were right behind her. Joey's eyes widened as he realized that they were carrying AJ. The twins set him down on the floor several feet away from Beth.

"I tried to heal him, but I couldn't break the connection, so he kept getting worse," Lyric explained.

Looking at Beth, Jagger added, "I guess we know who he got pulled to now."

"Joey," Jade said.

"I'll double the ingredients," Joey replied automatically before grabbing more.

Echo set to work on Arnie, healing him but managing not to take on his injuries. "Are you okay, Dad?" She asked.

"I am now," he replied.

"This is what happens when you send me away!" She scolded him before hugging him tightly.

Lyric moved closer to Beth, focusing on keeping her stable so Jade and Joey had time to finish making their potion. She gasped before saying, "They poisoned the baby... I can feel it spreading. I need something to counteract it fast."

"Baby?" Jagger repeated in surprise.

"Later," Joey replied.

"Here," Danika said, pulling a blue pouch from her pocket. "When I left the house today, I sensed we'd need this."

Lyric didn't question her. She immediately removed the necklace from inside of the pouch and clasped it around Beth's neck. The clear quartz crystal dangling from the chain began to glow. As it started pulling the toxins out of the baby, the quartz turned smokey grey. The longer it was active, the darker it became. After about a minute and a half, it was as black as an onyx. A single crack went down the middle.

"The baby's stable," Lyric said with relief. "Beth still needs help."

Jade sat beside Beth, pulling her head into her lap. "Open up, Bethany," she said. Too weak to protest, Beth obeyed the command, opening her mouth as wide as she could. Jade poured the potion into Beth's mouth as Joey did the same to AJ.

Since his injuries were empathic in nature, AJ healed almost immediately. He looked at Joey in confusion. "What happened?" He asked. "Where's my mom?"

"She's right over there with my mom," Joey replied soothingly. "She's going to be fine."

"The baby-"

"Is already fine."

AJ looked visibly relieved as Joey helped him sit up. "Mom," he said nervously.

Beth tried to sit up, but Jade held her in place. "Not yet," Jade said firmly. "Give your body a minute to adjust or you'll black out."

"I'm okay, sweetie," Beth told AJ.

AJ quickly moved to his mother's side. He held her hand as Jade finally allowed her to sit up. Reassured that everyone was safe, Jade stood.

"I need some air," she said.

"Do you want me to come with you, Mama?" Joey asked.

"Not this time, Baby," she replied softly.

He understood. Now that the immediate threat was gone, Jade needed time to process what had happened with Spencer. Joey gave her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Be careful, Mom," he said gently.

"I will, Baby," she promised. "Tell your dad I'll be home before the sun comes up." With that, she left the shop.

"Alright, everyone needs to go home and regroup," Joey said.

"We need to find Angelina," Jason protested.

"Look, I want to find her, too. She's my best friend, Jason. Trust me, I'm as worried as you are, but we're all exhausted. If we go after her like this, we'll all end up dead. Go home, get some rest, and we'll all meet at the sanctuary tomorrow morning. I'll let Genie and Killian know."

"That's good leadership, Joey," Arnie said. "Alex would have been proud."

Joey managed to keep his emotions in check as he said, "Thanks... Let's go, guys. I'll bring everyone home."

~*~

When Donnie awoke, he was confused. The last thing he remembered was walking home from Ronnie and Maya's house. He'd made it all the way to Chestnut Street before he suddenly had a bad feeling, and then everything had gone black.

"Man, my head hurts," he mumbled as his eyes adjusted to the light. For a bad guy's evil lair, it was remarkably bright, as if whoever had brought him there wanted to ensure that Donnie was able to see everything that was going on around him.

He looked at his surroundings and realized that he was chained to a wall. Several other people were in the large room. He spotted Mary Baines close by. She was unconscious, but her chest was rising and falling steadily. Jezebel Horner was sobbing softly in a corner.

"Jez... Hey, Jez!" Donnie called. Jezebel didn't respond.

"Don't bother," a familiar voice said. "She hasn't spoken since right after I ended up here. He broke her mind."

"Reid..." Donnie said as he recognized Reid Lyons. He was chained up on the other end of the room. "What the hell is this place? Who did this to us?"

"He calls himself Judas," Reid replied. "And he calls this place Purgatory. I think we're in another realm, one no one can access."

"Everyone's looking for you guys... Where's Tricia?"

Reid pointed to a bloody pile of bones. "She didn't make it," he said with a shrug. "Judas peeled the skin from her bones while she was still alive... I was confused when the screaming stopped until I realized what it meant."

"Holy shit, dude... Seriously?" Donnie demanded.

"I tried to stop him... I pissed him off so he'd come at me instead, but he was completely focused on Tricia. He's done some pretty brutal things, but that... That was rough to watch."

Reid sounded casual, but Donnie could tell that he was genuinely horrified by what he'd witnessed. "Alright, we need an escape plan," Donnie decided.

"I've tried to find a way out, but there isn't one," Reid replied. "And our magick is blocked. So are any psychic abilities we have." He hesitated. "Are Addie and Imogen safe?"

"For now, yeah," Donnie replied. "Rikki, Cam, Bev, and Gabby have been keeping a close eye on them. Chad even stepped up and put a protective order on them."

"Good... Good, they'll be okay," Reid said. His relief was clear.

"Yep... So now, we need to worry about ourselves. I've got this. Whoever the hell Judas is, he can't block me from Ronnie. Twin telepathy never fails."

"Donnie... I wouldn't do that if I were you," Reid said cautiously.

"Why not?" Donnie demanded.

"Because he'll just capture your brother, too. He's a collector. I guarantee he wants the set. He's expecting you to lure Ronnie right into his trap."

"Crap. I didn't consider that."

"You never were much for thinking. You two are the most impulsive warlocks I've ever met."

"That just makes us unpredictable. I'm going to find a way to outsmart this Judas guy... Just wait and see."

"Good luck with that," Reid replied. "I'd hate to see you end up like Tricia."

Donnie looked at the remains of the previously beautiful, cheerful young warlock and gulped. "Yeah," he said. "I'd hate to see that, too."