Dusk awoke to a throbbing headache and the harsh glow of the morning light peering through a cabin's windows. Her hand went to her head as the throbbing sensation from the impact lingered. Everything leading up to her stepping onto the stage was now just a blur. Now, she had no idea where she was.

She slowly sat up, a groan or two brushing past her lips. But as she tried to walk over to the windows, something pulled her back to the bed. Her left arm was handcuffed to the metal post, and no matter how hard she tried to slide her wrist out of the metal clasp, it was no use. It was too big to slip through. Heavy footsteps and the creaking of wood inched closer to the bedroom. If she couldn't break free and escape now, maybe she could fight her way out when her abductors got closer. She quickly crawled back into bed, tossing the comforter on top of her as she pretended to be asleep.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!" An older woman whispered somewhat sweetly. The smell of ginger tea filled the air, making Dusk's closed eye open. "How about some fresh clothes hot from the dryer?" An older man offered. The brown blonde sat up again, sure enough being greeted by a couple in their mid-50s to late-60s. The man had a greying beard and hair, along with a pair of thin black glasses, while the woman had dark brown hair pulled into two braids and thin brown glasses.

"Where am I? Who are you people?" Dusk questioned. The thought of being kidnapped by them felt strange. She hadn't seen them in the bar, so how could they have possibly found her? Things were not adding up. "I'm Dr. Jean with a J," The woman answered. "And I'm Dr. Gene with a G," The man added. "We'll let you decide which one is the more dominant Jean..." "And which one is recessive," The couple chuckled. But when they saw Dusk was not laughing along with them, they stopped immediately.

The throbbing in Dusk's head returned, a slightly stronger wave that was enough to make her wince. "My head," She groaned. "We're so sorry about Jake. He can be a bit... overzealous, especially when he's excited." Gene apologized, reaching into his pocket as he walked to the post. As he uncuffed Dusk's wrist, her eyes widened with shock. Jake was the one who kidnapped me? And what's so exciting about kidnapping someone who's supposed to be your friend?

"How... how do you know Jake?" Dusk questioned. Jean and Gene looked at each other and laughed, further freaking Dusk out. "Aw, the poor thing is so confused! Shame he never told you about us, we're his parents!" Jean composed herself. Suddenly, everything clicked all at once. "Their names are Gene and Jean, they run an underground organization called the Keepers," The weirdos in fanny packs, the lingering smell of wet sheep and llamas. No... this couldn't be real... Jake is their son?! And I'm their next victim?! This has to be some sick prank!

"He never spoke of you," Dusk shook her head in disbelief. "Not surprising, he tends to be secretive on a lot of things," Gene responded. "But with us, he's an open book, told us a lot of things about you," Jean set down the tray on the bedside table. "What things?" Dusk treaded carefully. "Lot of gibber gabber about your druggie of a husband, dysfunctional family. But that's not important," Jean brushed it off. "What matters now is we have you,"

"What are you going to do? Kill me?" Dusk's heart pounded as she scooted back on the bed until her back hit the headboard. "Oh no, sweetheart. You're our guest!" Gene assured. "Those handcuffs were just a precaution," Jean explained. "We've been looking for you for a long time," I thought they were looking for Jennifer. Why do they all of a sudden want me? What purpose could I possibly serve? The headache's waves kept crashing over her again, her eyes rolling to the back of her head for just a brief moment before being met with blurriness and spots. Whatever Jake hit her with, it must've done a significant amount of damage.

"We have so many questions about The Cleanse," Jean said, pouring water into a teacup and dipping a teabag inside. "I don't know what you're talking about," Dusk looked perplexed. "The Cle... uh... I get it, I get it. It's okay. You've had a rough journey," Jean pouted. "You're tired, your mind is all fuzzy, and given your current condition, you look like you've been to hell and back," Gene added. Dusk's eyes went wide, her stomach had the slightest bump, but unless someone placed their hand on it, they couldn't possibly tell.

"It hasn't been easy, I'll admit that. I've found myself more alone than I thought I'd be," Dusk's voice grew quiet. "Well, thank goodness we found you when we did! Who knows what might've happened to you!" Jean chuckled. "Is this the only reason why I'm here? To just chat?" Dusk looked bewildered. "What do you want from me?" Gene and Jean once again looked at each other, Gene giving his wife a small nod before she looked back at the brown blonde. "All in good time, dear. Here, try some of this," Jean reached over to the tray and held out the simmering cup.

With hesitant and shaky hands, Dusk took hold of it, slowly sipping on the strong yet settling drink. She took another sip, this time without much worry, and when she didn't taste a drop of poison, she eagerly drank the rest, her throat burning with dehydration. "Not bad, huh? You know, a lot of pregnant women drink ginger tea to help with morning sickness. I drank at least two cups a day during my time with Jake, didn't I, hon?" Jean posed the question to her husband, who was now reclining in the nearby rocking chair.

"Indeed," He nodded in agreement. As Dusk set her cup back on the tray, Jean placed the folded clothes next to her on the bed. "We'll leave you to get changed, and we'll discuss everything over lunch. We'll be leaving in twenty minutes," If it weren't for the harsh impact, Dusk would've burned them to a crisp by now, steal the car keys, and head back to the city to make sure Jake got the same kind of treatment. But thanks to his 'overzealousness' she was unable to even conjure a simple fireball. It was clear that these people weren't going to answer her questions until they were ready. 

She had to play along, for now.

~~~~~~~~~

(Lord have mercy on my soul... I want to commit arson after writing this)

Just as Klaus had suspected, Quinn's brilliant idea to keep Klaus preoccupied with making sure he paid back his debt, was to exploit his ghostly powers and unwanted gifts. The dark and empty room had been converted into a fortress of orange and pink cloths, with burning candles and burning sage scattered throughout. Klaus now wore a kimono, fanning himself in front of the mirror. If he wasn't being held against his will, he might've thought of this as paradise, a chance for him to escape from the dysfunction that was his family.

He looked back to the small windows, knowing it was almost impossible for anyone walking past to see him, but there was a small part of him that hoped someone, particularly Dusk, was out there looking for him. The door unlocked, and Klaus turned around in his seat, closing the fan and setting it behind him. "Looking good, champ," Quinn nodded in approval. "I'll be back in thirty," He turned to Klaus's first customer before shutting the door behind her.

"Please, don't be shy. Come on in, have a seat," Klaus gestured, carrying a large candlestick over the table.  The woman, Loretta, in her mid to late 30s, took off her fur coat and sat in the chair right across from Klaus. "Name of the deceased?" Klaus questioned. "Richard, but he preferred Dick," Loretta answered. "Ha! Don't we all?" Klaus chuckled. "And how old was Dick?" "Sixty-two, died a month ago today. He swerved to miss a deer, and drove headfirst over a cliff,"

"Oh god, that's tragic!" Klaus gaped, waving the wand of sage around them and the table, creating the sacred circle that would ensure everything would go according to plan. "And ever since... I feel like he's been haunting me," She admitted. "Hauntings are rare, honey. He's just stuck, is all. It's when we can't let go, neither can they," Klaus explained. Taking a deep breath and rubbing his hands, he reached across for Loretta's hands, and she cautiously grabbed his.

Klaus momentarily closed his eyes, throwing his head as the summoning ritual began. "Beloved Dick, we are reaching out to you. Commune with us," He spoke dramatically. "COMMUNE with us! MOVE among us!" Klaus momentarily opened his eyes, catching the young woman still feeling uneasy and looking around the room. "Eyes please," he called Loretta's attention back to him, and she nodded, shifting her gaze back to him. "Yes, closed, closed. Keep them closed, that's it," Klaus nodded, closing his eyes as well, returning to the ritual. 

Underneath the table, his foot searched for a small button, and when he finally found it, the fan turned on, sending a chill through the air, the cloth covering the table slightly rising. "He's passing over the great divide between our world and his!" Klaus called out, shaking their joined hands for more dramatic effect. "Don't you feel him?" "I do! I do!" Loretta nodded, her smile slowly forming. Klaus's body involuntary convulsed, as Dick's spirit began to form on the other side of the room. 

With a gasp, Klaus watched as the humanoid figure formed, watching him look around, surprised to be back in the world of the living. "Is... he here?" Loretta asked, catching Klaus's shocked stare. "Oh, I'm here baby," Dick chuckled. Klaus quickly nodded, watching as Dick joined them by the table, his ghostly hand touching Loretta's shoulder. "Well, tell me something that only... only I would know," Loretta requested. "Tell her she has an ass like a Georgia peach," Dick responded.

"He says you have a derriere as beautiful as a Georgia-" "Georgia peach! He's here!" Loretta squealed. But her face soon shifted from excited and giddy to serious and seductive as Klaus watched Dick lean in close, inhaling her perfume. "Can I touch him?" She asked. "Oh baby, come to Daddy!" Dick moaned. "Well, that part is a little tricker, cowboy," Klaus grimaced. "Well, the man outside said you'd be able to provide certain services of a fleshly nature," Loretta explained "He also forgot to mention I'm married, and knowing my wife, she'd have my head on a spike if she found out," Klaus elaborated.

"I don't see her anywhere unless you're hiding her in the closet," Loretta looked around. "So, I think she wouldn't mind," Clearly, you've never met her! He wanted to bite back, he may have constant run-in with his old drug habits, but cheating on Dusk was something he could never bring himself to do. Loretta's disappointed gaze quickly turned angry as she appeared to be shooting daggers from her eyes. But even as she continued to stare into the pitch-black depths of his soul, he wasn't going to cave in.

"I think this ritual is over," Klaus began to blow out the candles and stood up. But as he walked towards the door, ready for Quinn to end the session. Dick was not ready to go back to the other side quite yet, as he sprinted towards Klaus, and before he could even have a chance to defend himself, Dick went straight through Klaus's body, possessing him and taking the reins involuntary. Klaus's body shuddered in defiance, but Dick's power over him was far too strong. Loretta watched with both a shock and lustful smirk.

As Klaus's body settled, Dick smirked before walking back to his wife, taking her hand, and pulling her out of her seat. "Dick?" Loretta questioned. "You bet your sweet peachy ass!" Dick answered gruffly, lifting her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Mmm! It really is you," Loretta smirked as Dick walked backward, falling onto the bed behind them, immediately beginning to suck on each other's necks.

(Congratulations if you somehow managed to get through this part of the chapter without gagging. I, unfortunately, wasn't so lucky. Anyways, back to our favorite Phoenix!)

~~~~~~~~~

The car ride was relatively quiet as Dusk, Gene, and Jean sped through town, looking for someplace to stop and eat. They zoomed past the restaurants and outdoor dining that had been closed for the season. Though she couldn't see much through the fog and mist-covered windows, Dusk kept a close eye out for anything that could help her get out of her current predicament. The very second the throbbing in her head stopped, she'd make sure to reign down hell. And if anyone tried to stop her, well let's just say, there was always time for another barbeque.

"You know, I could really go for a Chikkadoo right about now," Gene broke the silence as he cleaned off his glasses. "Me too, what about you?" Jean looked through the mirror at Dusk, pulling her out of her daze. "Yeah, a Chikkadoo sounds nice," She answered quietly. Driving a few more blocks, the car eventually turned the corner into the drive-thru of the King Reg fast food joint. He may not be a king, but he's sure living the high life. Dusk rolled her eyes as she saw his smug smile on the sign. The next car pulled up and turned towards the pick-up window as Jean pulled to a stop at the intercom. 

"Welcome to King Reg! Would you like to try our two-for-one King Chikkadoo sandwich?" The worker cheerfully asked. "Once upon a time, I had bad oysters in Cairo," Jean responded. The intercom quietly crackled as silence once again filled the air. What does that even mean? Some weird code? Dusk wondered. "Pull forward to the window, please," The worker's voice grew serious. Jean and Gene looked at each other knowing twin stares, and as they approached the window, Dusk's stomach began to twist and knot in on itself. What the hell is going on?

The window opened and a young woman, perhaps in her early 20s looked out the window before focusing her attention back on the couple, speaking cryptically. "Do you know why my dog is called Rolex?" She questioned. "Because he's a watchdog," Jean replied. The younger woman slid her right hand across her left arm, showcasing a misshapen umbrella tattoo, nearly identical to the one Dusk saw back on Jean and Gene's farm. "Shut her down, hon," Jean instructed before rolling up the window and pulling into a nearby parking spot.

Almost immediately, the customers that had gathered inside the restaurant had been ushered out by a few other workers, telling them to have a great day. Okay, weird, coded language is one thing, but to shut down an entire restaurant is something else. Just as Dusk was about to open her mouth and confront Jean and Gene on their strange behavior, Jean smiled secretively and said, "All in good time, hon. All in good time," That answer did little to soothe Dusk's nerves. And as the last customer's car pulled out of the parking lot, Jean unlocked the car and ushered Dusk to come out.

Slowly, Dusk climbed out, her stomach only continued to twist and turn inside of her. "Mr. and Mrs. Thibedeau, come on in," Bea, the girl from the pickup window greeted them, but she glared coldly at Dusk. "Who is she?" Bea questioned. "She's not a threat, she's our guest. Ms..." Gene answered, leaving for her to introduce herself. "Dusk," The brown blonde answered. Bea's sharp gaze faded into a fake smile. "Welcome, Ms. Dusk,"

As they stepped inside, the restaurant had been converted into a command center of sorts, with whiteboards on wheels pulled into the room, maps laid out across tables that were being held in place by books and cups. Behind the counter, the workers set out rifles and ammo on the table, the registers becoming typewriters as the same sentence was being written over and over again. The cleanse is coming. "Gene, you and Dusk have a seat, I'll be back in a moment," Jean gestured to an empty table before she disappeared into the back.

Gene barely spoke a word to her, only offering a small smile of what looked like forced reassurance. When Jean came out a few minutes later, she brought over a tray of wrapped chicken sandwiches, fries, and drinks. "Smells delicious," Gene commented, grabbing one of the sandwiches and unwrapping it. "So, now that we're here, are you finally gonna tell me what's going on? And why your son decided to assault me?"

Jean sighed, her gaze distant. "So impatient, something you could definitely work on," She commented. "But fair enough, we did say we'd explain everything eventually," "We're the founders of a group called The Keepers. We believe we've been living in the wrong timeline for a while now," Gene began. "At first, it was... it was like a dream. One of those dreams when you don't know whether you're dreaming or not. But then, along came the artifacts!" Jean opened a small folder containing photos of these artifacts. Action figures that resembled Dusk and her siblings, one of Klaus's posters promoting his cult, pretty much anything Dusk had a memory attached to growing up, the couple had photo proof of it.

"Little tokens of proof, slipping through time and space. Proof of the many-worlds theory of quantum mechanics and such," Jean continued. "Better believe they called us every name under the sun, didn't they, Jean?" Gene turned to his wife. "Frauds, tricksters, charlatans," Jean ticked them off, rolling her eyes. "Accused us of intellectual dishonesty," Gene added. Dusk squinted in confusion. "Who's they?" She inquired. "Who's they? The faculty at Golden Mesa Community College, for starters," Gene spat.

"Our reputations were dragged through the mud. Tenure revoked, all because we dared to speak the truth about these memories," Jean scoffed. "Memories of another timeline, a timeline that felt so much more..." "More true," Gene finished, grasping ahold of Jean's hand. "Where I was teaching at Harvard, and Gene was a MacArthur fellow. Jake, the star quarterback on the high school football team. And Jaime was studying to become a doctor..."

"Okay..." Dusk spoke slowly, pulling the couple out of their longing daydream. "What does any of this have to do with me?" Gene and Jean looked back at her and chuckled, reaching over the counter to grab her hands. "Dusk, you're the key. The REAL key. The way to destroy all the false timelines, and restore the real one," Gene answered. "We believed Jennifer would bring on 'The Cleanse' but fate pointed us in another direction. Jake's actions showed us that you are the one who can bring it about, so we can live in a normal timeline," Jean smiled.

"We're ready, sugar. What do we need to do? How can we help you bring about The Cleanse?" Jean posed the question. You... you people are crazy! Dusk wanted to scream, but her throat tightened and wouldn't allow her to speak the harsh truth. "Uh..." was the only sound that escaped Dusk's throat. But then, the bell above the restaurant's door rang, pulling the three of them out of their current conversation.

"Mom? Dad?" a pair of footsteps reached the table, and Dusk's eyes widened with shock and anger. "Sorry, I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare," he apologized. "Jake, dear! You remember Dusk?" Jean stood up to hug him. But Jake could mutter a small greeting, quickly shifting his gaze away from the brown blonde.

"I need to talk to you," Dusk spoke with fake kindness.

"Alone,"