CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The house Luigi brought Angelina to was very old. It had clearly not been used in quite some time. "What is this place?" She asked him.

"This property belongs to an old ally of mine. She has not used it in quite some time, but she once granted me access. She taught me the ways of the warlocks when I was even younger than you are now," he replied.

"You've been a warlock for that long?" She asked in surprise.

"I was born a witch, from one of Salem's oldest lines, but she saw my potential. She taught me magick unlike any I'd ever seen before. She was incredibly powerful, Angelina."

"Who was she?"

"Her name was Carlotta Saunders. She opened up an entirely new world of opportunity for me. She knew I was destined for greatness and she guided me there."

"So you weren't always evil?"

"Evil is a relative term. There is no good and evil, Angelina. Magick is not so black and white... Life is not so black and white. Those concepts were made by man. In reality, we are all both dark and light. Even the Gods could be called evil at times, depending on who you ask. Was Hera evil for torturing the illegitimate offspring of her husband? Perhaps, but her trials made them stronger. Was Sekhmet evil for slaughtering the enemies of Ra? Or was she simply doing what she was born to do? Is it evil for a deity to smite those who harm others, or is he protecting his followers? Is the Silver Society evil for killing those who would destroy Salem, or are they just defending their home? Who is to say what is evil and what is good?"

His argument was compelling, and he made a few valid points, but Angelina knew that evil harmed innocents, and that defined things clearly enough for her. Still, she nodded thoughtfully and said, "I never really thought about it like that, Dad."

"You have tremendous power inside of you, Angelina. I can help you reach your true potential. You could be unstoppable. Imagine having anything you've ever wanted, and not having to worry about losing what matters to you the most. You could protect them, Angelina."

"What do you mean?"

"Your friends. Your family... Perhaps even the Silver Society."

"I thought you wanted them dead," she said in confusion.

"I never wanted that, sweetheart. Even when I abducted Aideen, it was to make your brother see reason. I kept her safe when I faked her death. She was never in any real danger. The same is true of Melissa. I pushed her to think in the moment, and she did not disappoint me. She shifted until she had wings and saved herself. She didn't even know she could do that until I forced her to try. I was her High Priest. It was my job to help her reach her full potential."

The way he spun things, he seemed entirely benevolent. It was hard to argue with his logic, but Angelina forced herself to keep a clear head.

"You tried to kill Arnie," she said softly.

"Your brother was trying to kill me. I was forced to defend myself," he replied. "All I wanted was to be reunited with the son who'd been stolen from me."

"You kidnapped his mom."

"I kept her safe, but Dawn had to be punished. She kept my son from me. She needed to learn that actions have consequences."

"Will you hurt my mom?" She asked nervously.

"I could never harm Courtney. I was there the night she and her sister were born. Ambrosia and I blessed the twins together."

She wanted to believe him, but Angelina knew better. No matter how many pretty promises he made, this man could not be trusted.

Suddenly, everything she'd done seemed to catch up to her. Angelina was exhausted and weak. She looked at Luigi as she began to feel faint. "Dad," she said sharply before she blacked out.

Luigi barely caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground. "My poor little girl," he said softly. "Don't worry, sweetheart. You'll feel much better after you've gotten some rest."

Cautiously, he carried his daughter to one of the bedrooms. He gently placed her on the bed, removing her shoes before covering her with a thick blanket. He stroked her long blonde hair before saying, "You look so much like your mother... Rest easy, Angelina. Tomorrow, our journey as a family begins."

~*~

As he searched the cemetery for Angelina's energy, Chris was overwhelmed by someone else's. It was powerful and dark, but it tried to cloak itself with light. He knew it must be Luigi's energy.

"I feel what they left behind," Chris began nervously. He had no real training in using his powers. It was one thing to shoot energy at threats, but reading and interpreting energy was completely different. He had no idea what he was doing.

"Try to focus on the energy... What do you feel?" Joey coaxed him gently.

"I don't know," Chris admitted.

"Don't think about it," Joey insisted. "Just feel. There are no right or wrong answers. You don't need to understand what it all means... Just tell us what you sense."

"He's powerful... Dark, but insisting on acting light... He's angry, but more than anything, he longs for something... Life. He's been longing to live again... And he wants power... He wants to rule Salem."

"Don't they all?" Solstice asked. "That's one of the defining characteristics of most of the warlocks."

"It's different... It runs deeper... His energy acts like it has a right to be in charge. He's convinced himself that it's for the good of everyone." Chris paused. "I don't know how I know that."

"Just trust yourself, Chris. You're doing great," Joey insisted.

"Do you feel Angelina?" Jason asked.

"It's hard... His energy is overwhelming, but I sense something," Chris replied. "She's scared, but trying to project a sense of calm..."

"She's unconscious," Danika said suddenly.

"Did he hurt her?" Jason demanded.

"No... I think she collapsed. It took a lot for her to bring him back."

Arnie knelt in front of the tombstone. His fingers traced the scythe, and he looked lost for a moment. Echo knelt beside her father, wrapping her arms around him. As he held her, he continued to stare at the tombstone.

Roxy moved closer to them. She touched the scythe before saying, "My bio mom packed one hell of a magickal punch, didn't she?"

"Her energy is all over this grave," Arnie agreed sadly. "I think she fought to keep the spell from breaking... To protect Angelina... To keep him trapped so he couldn't come after me or anyone else."

Their attention was drawn elsewhere when Genie pulled out her sketchpad and began to draw furiously. Her eyes were blank as she stared at the paper but seemed to see something else entirely.

Killian and Solstice watched her carefully as she drew whatever she was seeing in her mind. The resulting picture was surprising. A woman sat on the ground. Her eyes were filled with tears as she pulled her knees to her chest, keeping her arms wrapped tightly around them. Her long, curly hair was disheveled and she was visibly terrified. A hand held a knife above her, but the face of her attacker was not visible.

"Shit..." Killian whispered.

"Who is she?" Solstice asked.

"That's Lydia... Genie's mom is in danger."

Joey moved closer, gently touching Genie. "Come on back to us, Genie," he said gently.

"Nothing will bring her back until the vision's done," Killian informed him. "We just have to ride it out."

Chris suddenly tensed as he connected directly into Luigi's energy. "I feel him," he said. "More than I did... Maybe enough to follow the path he and Angelina took out of here."

"Alright, we'll split up," Solstice decided. "Killian, stay with Genie. Get her to your dad as soon as you can. Lyric, Jagger, Echo, and AJ, go with them."

"Me? This is about my grandfather," Echo protested.

"Exactly. He's extremely dangerous and we don't know what we're walking into. You guys will go tell Arthur that Lydia's in danger. The rest of us will stay with Chris and follow Luigi's path. Joey can grab you if we need you."

"Aside from Genie, we're all fourteen," Lyric noticed.

"You're sending us off because we're the youngest," Jagger added.

"That's age discrimination!" They declared in unison.

"Guys, Sol is right," Joey said. "We have to split up anyway so we can protect Lydia. It's better we keep you all safe."

"Dad-" Echo said to Arnie.

"Solstice is the head slayer in Salem and Joey's your team leader," Arnie said. "Sorry, kiddo, but I can't overrule their decision."

"You don't want to," Echo replied, calling him out.

"Honestly, if I can keep you away from him, I want to," Arnie admitted. "If you're meant to face him, I won't stop you, but right now, we're splitting up, and I'm relieved you have the safer assignment."

Echo sighed. "Just promise you'll have Joey open a door if you need me?" She asked.

"I promise," he replied. He hugged her tightly.

Genie seemed to come back into awareness then. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "Mom," she said. "Mom's in trouble."

"We know, Sis," Killian replied. "We're going to tell Dad right now."

Solstice squeezed Genie's shoulder gently. "Go protect your mother," she said. "The rest of us are following a lead to try to find Angelina." She turned toward AJ. "You're in charge," she said.

"Why not us?" The twins demanded.

"Because you two get distracted by shiny things, Echo's in the wrong headspace, and Genie and Killian aren't slayers. AJ can get you there safely. Now, go."

AJ quickly led his group out of the cemetery. "Why not have Joey open a door for them?" Roxy asked.

"It would draw more attention to them," Solstice replied. "This is safer."

"Alright, Chris," Joey began. "Lead the way."

~*~

When Doctor Kimura came into Lydia Blaire's room initially, she didn't think much of it. He was a nice man, and he'd always been very good with her. As he moved closer to her, however, Lydia saw his face begin shifting from his familiar, soothing features into hundreds of others. He wasn't just Japanese, he was Latino, and African-American, and Middle Eastern. He was Native American, and then he was Caucasian. He was male, then female, then androgynous. Whoever this entity was, he was not Doctor Kimura.

"No! Go away!" She screamed.

"Lydia, sweetheart, it's me," he replied soothingly. She knew his face wasn't really changing, but she was seeing through his illusion. Lydia's gift of Sight extended far beyond simply having visions of the future, and he couldn't fool her.

"No it's not! You're a liar!"

"I see your hallucinations are getting the best of you today," he said in a disappointed tone Doctor Kimura wouldn't have used. The real doctor was incredibly patient and sympathetic to her trauma.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Lydia sang.

As he moved even closer, she curled up in a ball on her bed. "Liar, liar, pants on fire! Liar, liar, pants on fire!" She insisted.

"I'm afraid that I'm going to have to sedate you, Lydia," he said.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire!" Lydia shouted with force.

Suddenly, his pants burst into flames. This, unfortunately, immediately sent Lydia into a flashback of her own leg burning back in Bishop High School the day her mind had broken. She screamed in terror and tried to hide under her blanket.

The man's leg seemed to heal as quickly as it burned. Light burst from inside of his borrowed form, repairing the damage easily. Soon enough, the flames vanished.

"Not bad," Judas mumbled. "Even completely insane, you remain a powerful threat, Lydia Blaire. I must collect you as I have collected the others."

He moved to grab her, but was suddenly stopped by an unexpected opponent. "Step away from her," Danny said sharply.

"Well, you were certainly not the person I imagined showing up to help this wayward warlock," Judas replied.

"What can I say? I'm an excellent lawyer, and my services extend to all sorts of situations," Danny quipped. "Now, get the hell away from her."

Judas smirked before vanishing in a burst of light. Danny moved closer to Lydia, who was still hiding under the blanket.

"It's okay, Lydia," Danny said. "You're safe."

"Fire... It burns..." She whimpered.

Danny tried to wrap his arms around her, but she started screaming. "Shhh, Lydia," he said soothingly. He managed to pull the blanket away just enough to catch her eyes. "Everything's alright. There's no fire. Just breathe..."

His words and soothing tone mixed with his vampiric powers soon calmed her mind a bit. "I want Arthur," Lydia whimpered, her voice childlike and frightened.

"He's on his way," Danny promised. "The kids told him you were in danger. He called me because I'm a body splitter and am one of the only people with the clearance to come see you without needing to jump through hoops. You're safe now, Lydia, I promise."

"Arthur's coming?" She repeated.

"Arthur's coming. He'll be here soon."

She nodded, finally allowing Danny to touch her. He stroked her hair soothingly.

"He'll be back," she whispered. "The bad man... He'll come for me again."

"We'll make sure he can't get to you, sweetheart," Danny promised. "Arthur and I are going to keep you safe."

"Safe," she repeated. "Arthur... Safe..."

"That's right. Just hold onto that, alright?"

Lydia nodded before falling silent. Danny knew she'd retreated into the safety of her own mind, and she wouldn't return to awareness until Arthur arrived.

~*~

Chester Connelly-Eckerd was pretty good at sensing trouble. Growing up in the In-Between had required him to constantly be aware of his surroundings. That was why, when he sensed someone lurking outside of the house he shared with his wife, Faith McPherson, and their daughter, Maeve, he made an excuse to slip outside without either one of them.

He'd never met the figure who lurked in the shadows, but he knew exactly who he was. Chester decided a direct approach was best, so he walked right up to him.

"Hello, Brother," Chester greeted the creature Spencer had become. His slight British accent floated in the night, standing out as everything else fell eerily silent.

Spencer hissed in response. His eyes were cold and nothing like they had looked in pictures. In life, Spencer's eyes had been kind and wise. Now, they were hostile and dead.

"I had hoped we'd meet in a different way," Chester said.

Spencer hissed more aggressively. He looked like he was prepared to rip Chester's head from his body.

"Yes, yes, you're very scary with all that hissing," Chester replied dismissively. "Good for you, but guess what? I'm a vampire, and when I hiss, my fangs come out." He demonstrated, making a good show of exposing his fangs with an exaggerated hiss. "It's far more impressive."

Spencer hesitated for a moment as if he hadn't expected such a condescending response. He might be under the control of a misguided young warlock, but some part of him was still ruled by a thirst to understand the world around him, and he seemed to contemplate the younger brother he'd never met as he stood with him.

"I don't want to hurt you, Spencer," Chester said gently. "Unfortunately, it's the only way to free you. If our mother sees you like this, it will break her heart, and she has already been hurt enough."

Spencer hissed once again. This time, he moved to attack Chester. As his hands gripped Chester's arms, Spencer drew blood. The small blade in his hands was charged with powerful warlock magick, and it burned Chester's flesh each time Spencer slashed one of his arms. Years of torture in the In-Between had taught Chester how to take pain silently, but he still had to bite his lip to keep from screaming.

Suddenly, Spencer was flung backward by a blast of water. "Ches!" Faith cried in alarm as Spencer slammed against a tree.

She rushed to Chester's side and immediately began using water to heal his wounds. "I'm alright," Chester said weakly.

"You're lying," Faith countered.

"I'm lying," he admitted. "Faith, luv, we need to stop him before he escapes."

Spencer came toward them again. This time, he appeared to be casting a spell.

"I didn't know the shadow creatures could use magick," Chester mumbled. He skillfully deflected the attack. It hit a tree, causing it to break apart. Splinters flew everywhere.

That caused Maeve to run outside. The thirteen-year-old had her father's light brown hair, but she had Faith's blue-green eyes that resembled the ocean. Chester's eyes were more of a sky blue, and they widened in horror as Maeve came perilously close to Spencer.

"Maeve, go back inside, luv," Chester said, trying to keep his voice calm but firm.

"He's unnatural, Dad," Maeve replied.

"We know, darling. Go back into the house where it's safe. Your mother and I will be inside shortly," Chester insisted.

Spencer zeroed in on Maeve. He tried to touch her, but Chester grabbed his wrist and snapped it backward.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Brother," he said firmly. "This is between us."

Spencer hissed at Chester and pulled his hand free. He stared at Maeve, looking fascinated. Chester was pretty sure he knew why. As far as he knew, Maeve was the only surviving child born of two Children of the In-Between. Reproducing in the In-Between was forbidden and usually resulted in the immediate death of the child and its parents, but Chester and Faith's existences had been validated when Joey made them guardians of the balance fifteen years earlier. Thanks to that, they were free to do whatever they pleased in their personal lives. Chester hadn't expected to fall in love with Faith, but after spending nearly half of his life with her, he couldn't imagine existing without her by his side.

Spencer once again focused on Maeve. His eyes still looked devoid of life, but there was a deep sorrow behind them.

He's fighting, Chester realized. He wants to free himself.

Maeve unconsciously moved closer to Spencer. He reached toward her, and Chester was pretty sure he wasn't trying to harm her, but Spencer was suddenly surrounded by shadows. He vanished in an instant.

"Damnit!" Chester cursed.

"Dad... What just happened?" Maeve asked.

"He's gone for now," Chester replied. "That was your uncle, luv. I'm afraid he's seen better days."

"Come on, Ches," Faith said gently. "Let's get Maeve back inside. You should call your mom."

Chester nodded, walking his wife and daughter back into the house. "Finish your homework, darling," he said, sending Maeve upstairs to her room. He turned toward Faith.

"You're not okay," she said softly.

"Physically, I'm fine now," he replied. "Emotionally..." He hesitated.

"This wasn't how you hoped your first meeting with your big brother would go," Faith guessed. "It's okay, Ches. That's not Spencer. Not really."

"He's in there, Faith. He's trapped in that body, and he wants to fight the warlock's commands, but he can't. I saw his struggle when he looked at Maeve."

"We'll find a way to help him, Ches. He's family, and we both know that's not something to take for granted."

Faith wrapped her arms around him and Chester felt like he was cradled in the waves of the sea. He inhaled her scent deeply, trying to ground himself. He hadn't expected to be so shaken up by meeting his older brother, but perhaps it was due to the fact that Spencer had achieved almost a legendary status in his mind over the years based on the stories people told about him. It was strange to face him in person, especially in his current state.

I'll find a way to help you, Brother, he promised. That's what families are for.