The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death

[ladydeathfaerie]

Title: The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death
Chapter Sixty Six: Blood and Fire
Fandom: Anita Blake universe
Rating: 18 and up
Warnings: graphic sex and violence, language, anything else i can toss in.
Disclaimer: the recognizable characters and places contained herein are the property of LKH. i'm merely borrowing for the sake of entertainment. no money is being made from this venture. the Sues are the sole property of their originators, Ginevra, Dazzledfirestar, Nanaea, SilverFoxChan and ladydeathfaerie. the concept and title of The Mary Sue Virus are used with permission from Dazzledfirestar.

Author's Notes: well... this was not what i expected to happen

The Mary Sue Virus: Beyond Death - Index Link

Rhia stared at the front of the house from the interior of her Jeep. Frowned at it. Considered putting the car into gear and pulling away from the building without stepping inside. She didn't need to do this. She was sure that he'd figure it out on his own. She could simply pull away from the curb and drive off. Go to the hospital and see how Aedan was doing.

Before she could do it, though, Aedan's face, pale and lifeless, swam before her eyes and brought back  the rage. Brought back the fear she'd felt when she'd realized what Aedan had done. Brought back memories of the gaping wounds and the blood. Those images saw her tugging the keys from the ignition and dropping them into her bag. Then she was climbing from the vehicle, intent on doing what she'd come here to do.

The jolt of the wards barely registered with her as she crossed from the street into his yard. The closer she got to the house, the deeper her rage got. She wasn't surprised that the door was open and he was standing in it before she even reached the stoop. Rhia came to a halt before putting a foot on the bottom step and stared up at him. She made sure her feelings were plain to read on her face.

"I was not expecting you, child," Cassadore told her. She thought she detected a note of unease in his voice. "Would you like to come in? Perhaps you would like a cup of tea while you tell me what's on your mind."

"What I have to say can be said right here. I don't plan on staying long. I have to go to the hospital and visit my friend. You know." She paused a moment and let the point sink in. "The one who almost died for me. Because you told her that my life was more important than hers. Aedan Kinkade. Human servant to the Master of the City. Necromancer. That friend."

"I understand that you are upset, child. But you must understand--"

Rhia snarled, bringing his words to a halt. "Oh, I understand perfectly. You don't give a shit about anyone but yourself. And, if I am one of Cassandra's as you say, me. If someone can't benefit you in some way, they're not worthy of your notice."

Cassadore drew himself up and leveled a steady stare on her. "You are one of Cassandra's. You are next in line to be Oracle. Your life has far more value than some lowly necromancer who wields death as if it was a weapon!"

The vehemence of his words took her by surprise. And she had to wonder, just for a moment, if he was saying Aedan had used her powers to kill people. Then she realized that it didn't matter. If Aedan had used necromancy to kill someone, she'd done it for a good reason. Like saving her life. She tilted her head and studied him a moment. "I don't want to be Oracle. I don't want anything to do with being a Seer if I'll become a bitter, untrusting asshole like you. And I certainly want nothing more to do with you. I refuse to use people for my own gain. Would you use Christophe in such a way if you needed something? A man you claim as your friend? Is he disposable if he can offer you nothing of value?"

"This isn't a conversation about Christophe, child. This is about you. My heir."

"Fuck that noise," Rhia spat, then slashed the air with one hand. Anger made her power stronger than she'd meant it to be and the circle shimmered like a waterfall as it slammed into place around him. Cassadore stared at her from within the circle, eyes perhaps a little wide. "I will never take your place. I want nothing to do with you. You sent my friend to her death. Hell, even if she hadn't been my friend... You sent an innocent woman to her death to further your own plans. There is nothing you can ever do that will make me want to take up where you leave off."

"That necromancer is no more innocent than you are evil. You forget, child. I've seen into your heart. Both of your hearts. Light lives in yours. There is no light in her heart. Only darkness and death."

Rhia gave him a cold smile. "You really don't know me if you think I'm all light and innocence. And you don't know Aedan if you think the only thing that lives in her heart is death. She loves her friends and her family so unconditionally that she'll die for them. Can you say the same?"

"And you would kill someone?" he asked her, the tone of his voice suggesting he knew that it would never happen.

Rhia reached into her bag and curled her fingers around the hilt of the dagger she'd put there, slid it out of its sheath and removed it from the bag so that he could see the curved blade glimmering wickedly in the sunlight. "I'm giving it serious consideration," she told him.

Those milky white eyes shifted from her face to her hand, then back again. His smile came, slow like molasses. It said he didn't believe that she'd do anything. "Do you really think you can harm me, child?"

"You know, Cassadore," Rhia said, ignoring his question for the moment. "I didn't realize it until last night, but there was something else my visions were trying to tell me. I feel stupid for missing it, because its kind of obvious, now that I think on it. But I didn't have as much information to work on back in the beginning. The first time I saw the demon, it had milky eyes. Like yours. But the other two times I saw it, in a vision and in the flesh, it had red eyes that glowed like coals. I didn't pay it much attention at first. But last night, seeing that demon standing over Aedan with eyes blazing like embers in the night, I was struck with a sudden realization. "

"What was that, child?" he asked, eyes intent on the dagger she held.

"Don't call me child. I'm not a child. And I'm not your child." She gestured at him with the blade, making sure he was paying close attention to it. To her.

"What did you realize, Rhiannon?" he asked, her name said slowly.

"You're not human," she said flatly. "Oh, the body you're in is. But you aren't."

"You sound so sure of yourself," Cassadore replied. He sounded like he wasn't bothered by the latest events, but she could see the tightness at the corners of his eyes. The corners of his mouth. He didn't like that she'd discovered his secret.

"If you were human, you could have walked through the walls of my circle. And you would have known this. But you've been trapped there since I set the circle." She gave him a look that said he shouldn't bother to pretend anymore. She held up the dagger she'd pulled from her bag so he could see it clearly. "And, if you were human, what I'm about to do wouldn't worry you in the slightest."

She held up her free hand so that he could see her the expanse of her palm and the length of her fingers. His eyes followed the blade when she lifted it, watched as she used the blade of the dagger to slice open one of her fingertips. Rhia held back the wince that came with it, used the pain to drive her anger forward, and stepped toward the circle. "What are you doing, girl?" Cassadore asked, a touch of wariness in his voice. She smiled at him and pressed her finger to the wall of her circle.

Blood smeared against the wall as she dragged her fingertip in a line along the magic that held him. Slowly, so very slowly, the rune took shape. With each bit of blood she added, his eyes grew wider. More panicked. Rhia had to prick her finger a couple more times to deepen the wound and draw more blood to the surface. By the time she was finished, her finger was killing her and the runes she'd inscribed upon her circle burned as magic filled them. A white light filled the circle, made it impossible for her to see anything for a second. Then it was gone and Cassadore was on his hands and knees on the stoop.

"You are an Earth Witch, girl. You shouldn't be playing with blood magic. Who taught you such things?" he panted, trying to pull himself together.

"Just because I'm more comfortable with Mother Earth and the power she supplies me... That doesn't mean I don't know anything about other disciplines. Blood magic is easy. It isn't inherently dark. Just as Earth magic isn't inherently good. Its all about intent. And I promise you, if you come near me or Aedan again, I will intend to hurt you so badly that it will take you millennia to recover. Do you understand me?"

"You are playing with forces with which you have no understanding, girl," Cassadore warned her.

"Aedan thinks you're a demon. She told Edward as much. She's not right, but she's not wrong. Is she? I don't know which member of the heavenly host you are, and I don't care. Just know that I know exactly how to drive you from this earth. Would your human form survive having you ripped from it? How long have you inhabited that body?" Rhia touched her fingertip to one of the glowing runes, watched with no small amount of malicious joy as Cassadore twisted and writhed with pain. "If you ever try to manipulate or use any of my friends again, I will finish this spell and I will send you screaming back to the ether where you belong. Do you understand me?"

"You're playing with powers you have no business playing with, girl. Tread cautiously, lest you live to regret this moment the rest of your days."  Rhia bared her teeth at him. She knew a nicely worded threat when she heard one.

"If anything happens to me," she whispered at him, pressing the rune again. The smile his pain brought was filled with darkness. "You won't survive to see the next setting of the sun. Because I will ensure that Aedan finds out. And she will do to you what she did to that demon last night. She'll beat you. She'll destroy you. And she'll see you screaming in hell."

Rhia returned the dagger to her bag, making sure it was encased in its leather sheath. She gave him a hard stare to let him know she was deadly serious. Then she turned and walked away, leaving Cassadore caught up inside of her circle. "You cannot leave me here, girl! Break the circle and let me out!" he called after her.

Rhia paused in her steps and turned so she could look at him over her shoulder. The smile she gave him, she felt, would have done Aedan proud with its coldness. "You can stay there until the circle degrades. And it will. I made sure of that. But its going to take a while. So stand there and think about what you did. And then fuck off." She started walking again, but paused after a few more steps. "If you'll excuse me now, I've got to get going. I need to get to the hospital and visit Aedan. My friend. She stopped a demon from entering this world, you know. She's a fucking hero."

~*~

The limitations of the night before must have been lifted because Aedan's hospital room was practically full when Rhia stepped through the door. Either that or no one was really paying attention to the rules. She wouldn't put it past them, honestly. Good thing it was a private room, otherwise there would have been no room for half the folks there. Naturally everyone turned to look at her when she entered, giving Rhia a good view of each person in attendance.

Of course Edward was there, sitting in a chair in the corner. He was doing his best to be as inconspicuous as possible, which was a really good job because when people turned back to Aedan, he kind of faded back into the background. Harder to miss was the larger man in the other corner, arms crossed over his chest which in no way hid his rumpled, stained tie from view. It took her a moment to realize that it was Detective Zerbrowski. She pondered, briefly, why he was hanging out in Aedan's hospital room. Then she brushed it aside as she stepped farther into the room and joined the rest of her friends.

Minette had taken the chair pulled up near the bed. She sat forward in it, one hand holding Aedan's in a grip that looked kind of white knuckled. Micah stood behind her on one side of the chair, Jason on the other. Both men were staring, a smile plastered on their faces. though Rhia was sure she saw a certain amount of tension in their shoulders. Janika stood at the end of the bed, her arms crossed over her chest in what looked to be an defensive position, little expression on her face to tell Rhia what she was thinking or feeling. Isis had the other side of the bed, her arms hanging lose at her sides. Her face was open and without any anger, making Rhia think she was either doing a damn fine job of hiding it or she was already over Aedan's near death.

The woman at the center of their attention had better color than when Rhia had last seen her. Of course, given the last time she'd seen Aedan, the other woman had had a giant hole in her abdomen and had been dead, it wasn't hard to look better. She was sitting up in the bed, at an incline, with a few pillows behind her. Exhaustion lingered at the corners of her eyes, but there was a faint smile on her face and she seemed to be breathing a bit easier. Her gaze drifted Rhia's way and Aedan offered the woman more of a smile, which slipped away when she saw the look on Rhia's face. "I know what you're going to say. You can just swallow it down. I have no regrets about what I did and, if the situation came up again, I'd do it again. In a heartbeat."

"You had no right to take that opportunity away from me," Rhia told her, voice soft.

"I had every right," Aedan replied, steel threading her words. "You're--"

"If you say more important, I will beat you to within an inch of your life," Rhia interrupted. Her tone indicated that she was very serious and would happily do it. Given the mood she'd been in for the past twelve hours or so, she knew it wouldn't be a hard stretch.

"Too late," Aedan injected with a hint of a smirk. Then she leveled a look on Rhia. "You're my friend. I would willingly trade my life for yours if I was asked to. Any of you," she added and let her gaze slide around the room.

"Does that include me, Kinkade?" Zerbrowski asked from his spot against the wall.

"Maybe. But don't let it go to your head. I just don't want to have to be the one to tell Katie you aren't coming home." Her response was light and airy. It brought a grin to Zerbrowski's face.

"I told Dolph you cared. He wouldn't listen," the man quipped.

"Aedan," Rhia said, putting a little force into her words. "I'm serious. You don't get to make that call. I don't want you to kill yourself because of me. Offering myself up as bait was my idea. I should have been the one to do it."

The smile faded from the other woman's face and her eyes went flat. "I considered the outcome. No matter how I pictured it, there wasn't a single instance where you lived, Rhia. I was not about to let you sacrifice yourself because you felt it was your job."

"Well,it wasn't your job to sacrifice yourself, either!" she insisted.

"The badge I carry says it was," Aedan replied.

"You mean Cassadore's interference says it was," Rhia snapped, unwilling to let it go. She'd built up a good head of steam between her encounter with Cassadore and the trip over. She was going to make Aedan see her point of view, make her understand.

Aedan's face went blank, whatever amusement she'd gotten gone in the blink of an eye. After a moment, her eyes narrowed and a frown crawled across her face. "I hope you fucked him up royally, Rhia. Because I don't want to have to tangle with him for coming after you. And whether you believe it or not, Cassadore's opinions had no bearing on my decision. My decision was based on whether or not I could stomach losing a friend. I decided that the price was too high. So I changed the rules of that obnoxious little shit's game."

"Rhia's right, Aedan. You don't get to make that call," Janika said. Her voice was filled with anger. And fear.

Aedan rolled her eyes. "Jesus fuck. Not you, too. The fucker was summoning a demon to commit murders. He was committing preternatural murders. My job... Like, my literal fucking job, is to fucking deal with preternatural crime."

"Your job is to consult with the St. Louis police department on preternatural crime," Janika said, as if Aedan needed reminding of the distinction. Her anger and tension inched up a notch. "Not offer yourself up as bait in order to try and catch the bad guy."

"Technically, Janika is right," Edward said softly.  "Your job is to consult. Not get yourself killed."

"Fuck off, Ted," Aedan snapped at the blonde in the corner. Rhia wondered at that a moment, then realized she was calling Edward by a derivative for the benefit of Zerbrowski. She saw the blonde's eyes narrow and felt a moment's pity for Aedan. She was in so much trouble later, when everyone was gone. "You're not my father. You don't get to tell me what I can and can't do. And why are you even here?"

"Because your boyfriend asked me very nicely to look after you," Edward replied. It had the feel of a reminder. Aedan's frown made Rhia think that was exactly what his words had been. She shook her head and turned her attention back to Janika.

"My job is to stop criminals and murderers," she said, as if Edward hadn't interrupted. "That was part and parcel to being handed that shiny badge."

"Your job is to stop criminals and murderers," Zerbrowski agreed, letting his arms drop to his sides. "But that doesn't mean you have to intentionally put yourself on someone's hit list in order to do it."

Aedan's glare cut his way and she frowned at him. "Why are you even here, Zerbrowski? I would think you'd rather be at home, annoying Katie. Or at the office, annoying Dolph. So why are you even here?"

If her attitude bugged the man, he didn't show it. But he did stand away from the wall, coming to his full height so that he could stare down at her intently. There was a serious look on his face and the corners of his mouth pulled down in a deep frown. "Because a fellow law enforcement officer was nearly killed last night." He paused and let his face convey how he felt. Then he pushed on, voice flat. "Technically, you did die. Secondly, someone I consider a friend was injured in the line of duty. I thought the least I could do was check in with them and see how they were doing. Third, Dolph wants someone watching your ass at all times. He's starting to take this death threat thing seriously. I guess it maybe freaked him out a little bit to see you sprawled on the ground with giant holes in your body."

Aedan glared at him a moment before one hand motioned harshly toward where Edward sat. "You're too late. I've already got a babysitter." Rhia noticed she was careful to move only her hand, suggesting that her chest still hurt. Or maybe it was her abdomen. Either way, it looked like Aedan was putting on a front, hiding how badly she was hurt. Which only made Rhia angrier. "You're all making a much bigger deal of this than needs to be made. So let's just drop it and move on."

"It isn't that simple, Aedan," Janika snapped. There was a haunted look in her eyes, reminding Rhia that Aedan and Janika were more than just friends. How hard had it been for the other woman to have to sit back and wait to find out what had happened? To wait to find out if one, or more, of her lovers wasn't going to come home again? "You... That isn't a decision you get to make without consulting with your friends and family. Don't you get that? You can't just do something like that without saying anything to any of us."

"Janika's right, Aedan. That was a decision that should have been made with everyone involved," Jason said before anyone else could. The necromancer turned dark, stormy eyes his way. It looked like Jason was the last person she'd expected to back everyone up.

She looked like she wanted to cross her arms over her chest, but she left her hands in her lap. Probably the muscles in her chest were still tight and such a pose would only aggravate her injuries. "I know exactly what would have happened if I'd said anything to anyone. There wasn't time for a discussion. There wasn't time for everyone to come up with a different way to grab the summoner. There wasn't time for you all to try and put me on lock down because you didn't like the idea that I was willing to risk myself to stop someone else from dying. Which, I'd like to point out, is exactly what Rhia was planning on doing. How is it any different?"

Rhia snorted. "Because I came to you and let you know what I planned on doing. I didn't go behind people's backs and do it."

Aedan's face lost any emotion it had had, becoming such a blank mask that Rhia was sure she was talking to a statue. "This isn't a discussion we're having anymore. Its over. Done. The good guys saved the day. Yay! Go,the good guys! Now drop it already."

"Aedan." This came from Minette, her voice soft so that everyone had to strain to her hear. "You didn't see what that thing did to you. You didn't... I watched you die. I literally watched you die. I watched it put holes in your body, watched it try to rip your heart out of your chest. And I felt the life run out of you. I heard you take your last breath. I watched the light leave your eyes. If it hadn't been for Ted's quick thinking," Minette stumbled over the name a bit. She covered it with a hard swallow before pressing on. "If he hadn't given you CPR, if Jean Claude hadn't literally had your heart in his hand, making it beat, you would have died. Its a big deal and what you did was so unfair to all of us."

Aedan turned her blank stare Minette's way. "This may come as a surprise to you, but I knew the risks better than you think I did. I spent a great many hours thinking over what could happen. I was well aware that stopping the demon involved dying. And I knew that such a time was the best time to inflict harm upon the demon. Why do you think I made you wait to bring down the circle the way I did?" The last was directed at Rhia personally.

"You still had no right," Minette insisted. "I know you're used to being alone. You've always been alone. You made it perfectly clear to me when we first met that your blood family didn't exist to you. But you have a new family now. Me. Rhia. Isis. Janika. Micah. Jason. Jean Claude. Asher. There are so many people who love you and care about you. You can't just go off and randomly save the day on your own anymore. We deserve the respect of being told. You need to keep that in mind. What would have happened if Rhia hadn't figure out what needed to be done? What if she hadn't been able to bring down the circle? What if we'd gotten to you too late?"

"You don't change a lifetime of habit in one day or one week. And you don't put your loved ones in harm's way if you can help it. I knew I could put an end to the demon's plans. He was trying to take power, to gain a physical hold in this world. I gave him just enough of one that he could be sent back to his own realm. I knew I could do it. I was confident that you guys, my friends and family, would help me stop it," Aedan told them quietly. There was a thread of anger in her voice, hard to hear because she was intentionally holding on to it. But Rhia knew her moods well enough by now to know the signs. If they didn't make her understand why what she'd done was wrong soon, she was going to explode in rage and then they'd never make her understand it.

Aedan let her gaze slide from one face to the next, eyes dark and stormy as clouds rolling in on the horizon, bringing with them the threat of a thunderstorm. "I was also confident that none of you would let me die. In fact, that is exactly the reason why I sent you that letter, Rhia. Because I knew you'd understand what it meant and you'd act accordingly."

"You think you have this all figured out, don't you?" Janika asked. There were tears in her voice, tears she had yet to let fall. "You think that surviving this idiocy automatically erases the stupidity and the very real danger of your actions. You think we're so grateful that you lived that we won't be mad that you intentionally put yourself in a position where you could have easily died. You're wrong, Aedan. You're so wrong. I am never going to forgive you for doing this to me. Never."

If Aedan had any response to that, she never got to make it. Janika turned then, stalked from the room with her head high and her back ram-rod straight. Aedan watched her go, maybe just a little confused by the other woman's actions if her face was anything to go by.

"Janika is right, Aedan. You didn't think about what your actions might cost us. You just did as you pleased. Not a care for anyone. I don't know that I can forgive you, either," Rhia whispered.

Aedan blinked at her, obviously trying to digest her words. Trying to digest the anger she radiated. This time, she opened her mouth. But whatever she'd planned on saying was cut off as Edward stood and drew everyone's attention his way. "I think that's enough for today. Aedan's already overtaxed herself and there will be plenty of time for all of you to chew her out later. Let's let her get some rest."

Rhia thought it was odd that Edward was defending her. A look at Aedan suggested the other woman felt the same. But a closer look told Rhia that he was right. Aedan had overtaxed herself, though she'd done a good job of keeping it from everyone. But the exhaustion Rhia had seen earlier was etching itself into the lines around the other woman's eyes and mouth. And the way she held herself said that the pain was more than she was willing to admit to.

"This isn't over, Aedan," Minette said. She rose from her chair, eyes intent and serious. She was frowning down at the other woman. "I love you. You've been my rock and my family at times when I didn't think I had anything left. But this... This isn't something I can ignore." She left without another word, shooting glances at Jason and Micah as she turned and headed toward the door. The two men gave Aedan looks that said more than they ever would, then followed after Minette.

A frown found its way to Aedan's face as she turned toward the only person in the room who hadn't given her a ration of shit. "Well? What about you, Isis? You got anything you want to get off your chest before you walk out the door?"

"I'm glad you didn't die, Aedan," Isis replied seriously. "You're a member of my family. Part of the pride. But what you did last night... You nearly got yourself killed and you need to think about what that means for the people you would have left behind."

Aedan stared at the lioness a moment or two, then flung an arm out toward the door. "There's the exit. Get out. All of you. Now." She turned her attention toward the windows and refused to look at any of them.

Rhia stared a moment, debating what would happen if they walked out and left Aedan alone. She heard the anger in the woman's voice. That was there, naturally. But there was more there. Rhia heard pain. Not the kind of pain that came from having a demon's talons driving through your flesh, shredding your muscles. The kind that came from feeling betrayed and alone. She shot a glance toward Edward, who nodded and tipped his head toward the door. His way of saying silently that he would look after her and they should go. Rhia offered him a faint smile, then looked at Isis and motioned for the woman to follow her.

The last glimpse she got of Aedan before the door closed on them made her wonder if maybe they all hadn't been a little hard on the other woman.

~*~*~*~*~

It took Edward more than fifteen minutes to get Zerbrowski out of the hospital room. During that time, he was acutely aware of Aedan's stubborn refusal to look at them. He was also acutely aware that she was putting up a front in order to keep people from seeing just how badly she was hurt. When the door finally closed on the police detective, Edward crossed his arms over his chest and stared at her.

She looked like the scared child he'd first met, closed off and doing a damn fine job of hiding just how scared she was. How lonely she was. How angry and hurt she was. It was the first time he'd seen her wear that look in years. He didn't like it now anymore than he had when he'd first found her. "You are such an idiot," he said softly, moving toward the bed to help her move her arm back into place.

"I told you to leave," she said, voice low and empty. She refused to look at him, though she didn't fight his help in returning her arm to the bed. He could only assume that stubbornness and pain had kept her from bringing it back in toward her body for so long.

"And I told you that your boyfriend asked me very nicely to watch over you. I don't plan to stop that now. Especially since I know just what kind of idiocy you're capable of."

"Jesus fuck. Not you, too." There should have been disgust in her voice. There was nothing. Almost no emotion at all. What he did hear was exhaustion. And resignation. He frowned at her, though the look was wasted because she'd put her head back and closed her eyes. Her face was tight with pain, telling him that she really had overtaxed herself. Likely when she'd gestured to the door.

"Did you think I was going to ignore the fact that you went out and intentionally got yourself killed? Because Zerbrowski's right. You did die last night. And if I hadn't been there, I don't know if anyone would have done anything to bring you back. They were all in too much shock to think," he told her, allowing his own anger to flood into his voice. It still didn't draw her attention his way. "What where you thinking, Chastity?"

"I was thinking that I would put an end to the summoner and the demon he was calling up. That's what I was thinking. I was thinking I would do whatever was necessary to protect my friend because I knew that there'd be no coming back for Rhia if she was the one the summoner sacrificed. I have the marks to help protect me. She doesn't have that." Her voice was soft, but he could still hear that she felt she shouldn't have to explain herself to anyone. And there was no way he missed the fact that she didn't even react to the use of that most hated name.

"God damn it, Aedan." He snarled out the curse, then had to stop himself from berating her the way her friends just had. There was no way she'd hear anything he had to say if he did. She was barely listening now. "I'm going to tell you exactly the same thing your friends told you. You cannot be that stupid and reckless. You cannot simply put your life in danger because you think its your job."

"It is my job, Edward. And none of you seems to understand that." She lifted her eyes to him then and he saw all of the emotion she was holding in. Anger and hurt and disbelief and so much more. "And none of you seems to want to recall that your precious Anita would have done the same fucking thing."

"Anita would have found another way," he assured her. And watched as her eyes narrowed on him.

"Are you so sure about that, Edward? Are you really sure? Because I've got her in my fucking head. And I know she would have willingly offered herself up if it meant keeping one of her friends or family alive. Gladly."

"That wasn't your choice to make anymore than it would have been Anita's. I'd have been pissed at her for doing the same damn thing," he replied. He wasn't sure he believed that she knew what Anita would have done. He might have started to accept the fact that Anita had somehow found a way to pass her powers on, but he wasn't sure he was ready to accept that she'd found a way to actually give part of herself to someone else. He didn't want to think of what that would be like for Aedan, what it would mean for the younger woman.

"Of course it was my choice to make. In case you've forgotten, you're as much to blame for me being right here in the middle of this shit as Anita. So you've got no fucking room to complain about anything I do when I'm acting in an official capacity," Aedan said, voice almost a snarl. Almost, as if she was too tired to put the effort in. Or as if she was simply done trying to make people understand.

He took a breath, forcing himself to hold back the first thing that wanted to come out. If he hadn't, he knew he'd have made the damage worse. Instead, he gave her a look and moved to sit in the chair Minette had recently occupied. "Do you recall the conversation we had not that long ago? After you'd pushed yourself too far and I used tranquilizers to make you rest."

She shot him a look that suggested he was lacking in quite a few IQ points if he thought she'd forgotten their chat. He returned that look with one of his own that saw her sighing and spitting a single word out. "Family."

"Yes, Aedan. Family. Specifically, those women who just left here. The men you surround yourself with. Me. Zerbrowski. Hell, even Dolph. They're all part of that family you never had. That means they deserve some kind of consideration when you're making important decisions. Because those decisions affect them as much as they affect you," he told her, as kindly as he was able.

She opened her mouth, no doubt to give him shit, but a look saw her closing it again without saying a word. He reached out and took her hand, studied the IV that was taped to it. "Jean Claude has been alive for a long time. He has contingency plans built into his contingency plans. You once compared him to a cockroach. You weren't far off because he finds a way to survive. He finds a way to protect himself and, if possible, those around him. Last night, Aedan, I saw a man who did not have a contingency plan. I saw a man who did not know what to do. And it scared him."

She stared a moment, then turned to look out the window. "You only survived what happened because I'm a cold and cruel bastard. Because I don't let my emotions rule me. I'm the reason that you came here to the hospital and didn't go to the morgue. No one knew what to do. They were in shock. Because they care about you."

"Was I supposed to let Rhia go to her death? Because she would have died if I hadn't taken her place."

"That isn't what I'm saying, Aedan. You're usually not this dense. Use that brain I know you have. Use it and figure this shit out."

She pulled her hand from his and carefully settled it in her lap. He shouldn't have been upset at the action. But she wasn't just pulling away physically. She was pulling away mentally. And he didn't really like that. She'd been some kind of bizarre constant in his life for years now. She'd accepted him as part of her family. He didn't want to lose that. Any of it.

"Do you know what Cassadore told me?" she asked. It seemed an odd question, a really strange change of subject. But he knew that there was a reason behind her words.

"That Rhia was part of his line and she needed to survive," he said. It was more a guess than anything else, but he had no doubt that that was exactly the kind of bullshit Cassadore had tried to feed Aedan. It was highly probable the man had thought her to be young and naïve.

"No. That I'm some kind of tainted freak. That I never should have lived as long as I had. That the only way to truly save Rhia was to let the demon kill me in her place." She paused, her fingers curling into her thigh sharply. "He told me that the only way to save any of them from doom was to die. He told me he'd seen my death. That it was my destiny to die. That Rhia's vision had been jumbled and she'd seen it wrong."

Edward frowned at that. That didn't make any sense.

"He agreed to give me Micah's location if I agreed to take Rhia's place. If I agreed to let the demon kill me. Christophe and Rhia would be given instructions on how to defeat the demon once it walked this plane. But it needed a big death in order to make the transition."

"You agreed to that bullshit?" he asked her softly.

"Of course I did. But apparently Cassadore's Sight isn't quite so reliable as he likes to believe it is. Because I was lying my ass off when I did. His earnestness in seeing me take her place set off all kinds of warning bells. And I realized that I needed to know why. So I said yes and then started digging into research material."

"On demons?"

"No. On Cassadore," she shook her head. She turned to look at him and he saw that gleam in her eye that he knew meant she knew something important and dangerous. "Did you know that Cassadore was born over three hundred years ago?"

Edward blinked at that. "So that's how you knew he was possessed."

She gave a shake of her head, an abrupt, short movement that conveyed her answer without aggravating any other part of her body. "I guessed that the moment I met him. Too much power had been channeled into his wards. A mortal wouldn't have that kind of juice. Those wards are made to stop nasty things from entering his house. Mortals, witches, can protect themselves with a circle. Or, if they're good, they can set up a circle around the nasty. But I've never met a witch or heard of one who can ward like that. Cassadore is something more. Demon. Angel. Whatever."

"You said demon," he reminded her. She shrugged a shoulder.

"I've been known to be wrong. Demon seems most likely. But that isn't a foregone conclusion," she told him.

"So you discovered that Cassadore isn't fully Cassadore. And you'd already planned on not doing as he asked. So how did you get from there to here?"

Aedan yawned, wincing as she did so. Filling her lungs apparently made her chest hurt. "As I said, I dug into Cassadore's life first. I know a few people in the occult business who could help me get my hands on some really rare tomes. I didn't lie to Cassadore when I told him that I'd found his name in a book. What I failed to mention was that the book in question was one of those extremely rare tomes. One that few mortal eyes have ever seen. So I dug into it a little more. And that's when I found out that Cassadore has been the magical community's Oracle for the past three hundred years. Which I found curious. Because there's no way a single human's life would span that long."

"Unless that human wasn't strictly human," Edward said softly, the wheels in his brain already turning over what it could all mean.

"Yes. So I dug more. And found out that the Oracles that came after him all died mysteriously. Shortly after they'd taken over."

He frowned at that news. It seemed highly unlikely that these other seers had simply died. Once was an accident. Twice was a coincidence. Three times was murder. He didn't like where his thoughts were leading him. "So you think he wanted Rhia to survive so that he could take control of her. And if that didn't work, he'd just continue being Cassadore?"

"It seems likely," Aedan agreed, then paused. He stared at her, waiting, and realized he did not like the look on her face. "But think about it, Edward. What does Rhia have going for her that Cassadore does not?" she finally asked. He could hear the exhaustion creeping into her words, which meant she wouldn't stay awake much longer.

"What does Rhia have that Cassadore doesn't?" he asked aloud, watching as Aedan watched him. "I don't know. What does she have?" The moment the question was out of his mouth, it hit him. "Son of a bitch! She's got ovaries and a uterus."

Aedan nodded at him solemnly. "Cassadore is the last of Cassandra's line, with exception of Rhia. He said as much. And the Seers that came between Cassadore's birth and now were almost all men. They can't bring forth life into this world. Not the way a woman can. That's part of what Rhia's vision meant. She saw herself giving birth to the demon. She took it to mean that she was to give it life. A literal translation. But what if it was meant to suggest the other way? What if it meant that she would be giving birth to the new Seer?"

"You're not a clairvoyant, Aedan. You can't know what Rhia's visions mean," he reminded her.

Aedan drew a shallow breath, the skin around her eyes tightening briefly. Then she pinned him with a look. "Rhia told me about this vision in which she gave birth to the demon. She described it. She said it stared at her with milky white eyes. The demon last night looked exactly like the one she'd seen in her vision. Except for the eyes. Its eyes were red, Edward."

He sighed. He didn't like what he was hearing. And it was possible that Aedan had gotten it all wrong. But her logic felt pretty sound. And he'd always known her to be fairly rational, to use her intelligence to come to her conclusions. "I don't know, Aedan. You've made some good deductions. But you've got no proof that they're fact. You've just got hunches. And those hunches don't explain why he doesn't like you. How can you be sure that you're not imagining things?"

"He called me an abomination, Edward. He tried to send me to my death. He used leverage to get what he wanted," she replied softly. "I don't think he expected me to look into his reasons for demanding I give my life in Rhia's place. I think he expected me to do it because I was desperate to save Micah and I wouldn't want anything to happen to Rhia. I can't be sure if he wants to use her as a vessel for himself or if he wants to use her as a vessel for himself."

It took Edward a moment to parse her words. A frown pulled his brows down when he figured it out. "You think he'd find some way to get her pregnant with his next body?"

"I think he'd do anything to keep himself here on Earth. Bodies aren't meant to last forever. The one he's wearing right now will wear out. Eventually. I think he knows that. I think he's been making plans for some time now. I think he sees Rhia as his salvation." She closed her eyes and fought off a yawn. "I don't know, Edward. I don't know if I'm right or if I'm just making shit up to justify my actions. What I do know is that Cassadore was adamant that Rhia live and I die. And I don't like any of the reasons my brain comes up with for that."

"You think he's afraid of you?"

"I do," she nodded. Just once. "I think he saw the summoner and his demon as a way of getting rid of me. I think he thought I'd blindly offer myself up in Rhia's place. Which makes me wonder if he actually knows anything about me."

Edward couldn't help the smile that statement brought. He thought it was highly unlikely that Cassadore knew who he was dealing with. "What are you going to do about him?"

Aedan slanted him a look. "Nothing. I don't want to go near him again."

"Because he wanted you to die?" he asked. Something in her tone suggested that that wasn't the reason. He thought he knew what it was, but he wanted to hear it from her.

"Been there, done that," she replied, letting her eyes falling closed. "No. I don't want to go anywhere near him because he knows. He said it was a shame he hadn't purged me of my powers. I just... Its too much. I can't let him use that against me."

"If you told people, he wouldn't be able to use it." He watched her fingers come up and make a motion that said he should just drop that idea right away. Edward considered needling her about it a moment, then put that aside and broached a different subject. "You need to tell Rhia your reasons. All of them, actually. So they know that you didn't just do this arbitrarily."

"You saw them, Edward. Do you think they'll be willing to believe me?"

"You won't know until you tell them. They deserve to know the truth. They're your family and they love you."

"You're my family and you barely believed me," she said softly. He could see the tension sliding away, letting him know she was fast on her way to sleep.

He considered how to answer her, then decided it wasn't worth the effort. If he did, she'd feel compelled to keep talking about it. And she needed her sleep. Best to let the discussion just drop for now. So he rose from the chair he'd occupied and moved back to the corner that he'd been in earlier. It put his back against the wall and the door in his line of sight. It didn't take her long to drift off. The silence filled the room, leaving Edward with his own thoughts.

Maybe he needed to do a little research of his own...

~*~*~*~*~

"Reverend Solomon isn't here right now, gentlemen," Ruth Ann Solomon said, her face closed off and guarded. She'd put herself in the doorway of the church, effectively using it to block their entrance. Zerbrowski found that interesting. He didn't glance at Dolph, instead offered the woman a smile meant to be reassuring.

"We're not here to speak to your husband, Mrs. Solomon. We're here to talk to you. If that's okay?" He made sure to make the last sentence a question, to let her know that she wasn't actually under any obligation to speak to them and it was all her choice. Ruth Ann regarded them warily before letting go a soft sigh and stepping back from the door. Zerbrowski widened his smile and stepped into the main part of the church. Dolph lumbered in behind him.

Little had changed inside of the small church. There was almost an air of sadness clinging to it, leaving Zerbrowski to wonder what had brought such thing about. Churches were meant to be bastions of hope and peace. Not sorrow. Not desolation. And that was definitely something he was getting from the interior of the place. "We can talk here," Ruth Ann replied. She seemed less tense than she had been only moments ago. Maybe, if they handled this well, she'd give them the answers they hoped for. She studied them a moment, then heaved a soft sigh. "I made the phone call."

Neither of them had been expecting her to say anything of the sort, and certainly not without having been asked, so it took a moment to gather their wits about them. "The tip to the tipline? About your husband being an adulterer before God?" Dolph asked, to be sure that's what she was admitting to.

"Yes. Carter Solomon is a poor man of God. He sullies his oath to serve our Lord as easily as an addict gives in to their unholy needs," the woman replied, her voice quiet. Zerbrowski could hear the conviction in her words, though. And the hatred. Ruth Ann Solomon hated her husband.

"He had a child out of wedlock, didn't he?" Zerbrowski asked, mind going back to that one report in Dolph's growing pile.

"He did," she nodded. There was a conflicted look upon her face, one that was equal parts rage and hatred and equal parts sadness and longing. "A girl child. I never knew her mother. Carter never said anything about her, other than she was an angel sent to him from God Himself. Some angel, laying with another woman's husband."

"What happened to this child?" This from Dolph. This hadn't been the way they'd imagined this interview going, but they were going to take what they could get. They'd find a way to steer her toward the matter of his properties in due time.

"Katherine? He sent her away. The child was filled with evil and nothing he did could bring that girl into the light," Ruth Ann admitted. Zerbrowski thought he heard some regret in her voice, but he couldn't be sure. Because there was so much bitterness there. Maybe she'd once loved her husband and his philandering ways had soured that love.

"Did he ever do anything... unnatural to the girl?" Dolph asked. It was as delicate a way as the man would manage to ask if the good reverend had been fucking his own daughter. Ruth Ann stared a moment, then frowned and shook her head.

"Are you asking if he laid with the child? Not with Katherine, no."

"But he did with his other children," Zerbrowski said gently. She frowned at him, eyes filling with emotion. It was as close to as yes as they could get without her actually saying the world. "Didn't he? He molested the children you gave him. Didn't he?"

For a long, tense moment, it looked as if she would deny his question. As if she would fly into a rage and throw them out of the church. But the moment passed and they watched as Ruth Ann turned and wandered over to a pew, as she sank into it and the emotions all drained from her face until all they could see was horror. "How could he do that? With his own flesh and blood. How could he... Why? Why would he?"

Zerbrowski looked at Dolph, seeking some visual clue as to how to proceed. Dolph let him know with a look that he was fine with Zerbrowski handling this conversation. Zerbrowski nodded and turned back to find Ruth Ann's face was pale and her hands shook in her lap. As if she was only now finally admitting to herself what her husband had done. What the man was capable of doing. "Your husband is a sick man, Ruth Ann. What he did to your children was wrong. What he's done to you is wrong. You don't owe him any loyalty. If you want to leave him and go somewhere else, we're willing to help."

"I... Leave Carter? I can't do that. He'd kill me," she whispered.

"So he has been abusing you," Zerbrowski replied. He moved to sit in the pew before her, turning so he could look back at her. Close, but not crowding. She only gave him a look that confirmed their suspicions. "We can protect you, Ruth Ann. We can keep you safe if you decide to leave him. And you just might want to, when you find out what we think your husband has been doing. What he's driven your children into doing."

She lifted eyes that had filled with tears his way. Those eyes were filled with fear and confusion. "What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

"Ruth Ann, we believe at least two of your children are responsible for a series of horrific murders. The victims were tortured. And they were all lycanthropes. Werewolves. Grace was attacked by a werewolf. She was infected, wasn't she?"

"Grace? Little Grace? She wouldn't hurt a soul. She was always a gentle child," Ruth Ann told them. "Grace couldn't hurt anyone. She doesn't have that kind of violence in her."

"But if she was guided by someone with a stronger will than hers? Could she be forced to do such things?" Zerbrowski asked, voice gentle. "Could your son, Paul, force her to hurt other people?"

She blinked at that. "Paul? He's only a little bit older than Grace. She doted upon her brother. I... I don't know. Maybe. Are you so sure that Paul and Grace have hurt people?"

Zerbrowski could hear the hope in that question. The woman hoped desperately that her children hadn't done anything so heinous as kill people. But he could also hear the resignation. As if she knew her hopes were in vain. As if she knew what her son was capable of doing. It was Dolph who brought out a few of the less graphic crime scene photos to show the woman. Zerbrowski knew one of them contained an image of the emblem they'd been using. Ruth Ann stared at them in dumbfounded silence, trying to simultaneously deny what she saw and come to terms with the fact that her children were murderers.

"How do you know it was Paul and Grace?" she finally asked, not looking away from the photos she held.

"This flier was being circulated through the preternatural community," Dolph told her, handing her a copy of the flier that they'd gotten from the Feds. Ruth Ann looked at it for a few moments before crumpling the paper in her hands.

"My family..." she whispered.

"Mrs. Solomon," Zerbrowski said gently. "Ruth Ann. We know this comes as a shock to you. We know that its got to be difficult for you to process it. That you don't want to believe that your children would do something so terrible. And, believe me. We wouldn't be here, asking you about them if we didn't think they were responsible. But we need to know if you know where they are. We need to find them and stop them before they hurt someone else."

"I... I haven't seen or heard from either of them in more than a year. Their father..." she stopped and swallowed. Zerbrowski said nothing, letting the woman take time to get herself back under control. It wasn't every day that a person was confronted with the fact that their children had perpetrated unspeakable horrors against humanity. "This is his fault," she finally whispered.

"Because of how he treated them," Zerbrowski said. Ruth Ann nodded and turned eyes gone wide with understanding his way.

"Ruth Ann," Dolph interrupted, bringing her attention his way. He was offering the woman a file. "Do you know that your husband has made millions of dollars off your father's ministry? Do you know that he owns properties all over the area?"

She stared up at him, trying to process what he was telling her. Trying to figure out what he wasn't telling her. She reached up with one hand, took the file from him. Settled it in her lap. Opened it reluctantly. They were silent as she read over the papers tucked into the folder. "This has to be a mistake," she whispered. Letting them know she hadn't known anything about her husband's activities.

"I'm sorry, Ruth Ann. It isn't a mistake. Carter owns a great deal of real estate, mostly warehouse units. We have reason to believe that he's turning them into recruitment centers of some sort," Zerbrowski told her gently. She lifted wide eyes his way.

"What kind of recruitment centers?" she asked. It was a natural response to his statement, but he could hear in her voice that she really didn't want to know. Dolph opened the file he'd taken the photos from and removed another, handed it to her. Zerbrowski didn't need to look to know it was a photo of the knife, with an enlarged inset showing the detail on the emblem carved into the  blade. "What is this? This is... That's my father's symbol. He created it to represent Pure Heart Ministries."

"This is a knife used in the attempted murder of a vampire," Zerbrowski told her softly. "We think your husband is behind the attack. We believe he's using these warehouses as places to offer shelter to the homeless. He then... brainwashes them into doing his bidding. We aren't sure if he's out to rid the world of vampires or shapeshifters or both. But he's got homeless people trying to attack and kill vampires."

"I don't understand any of this," Ruth Ann said, shaking her head. She handed the file and the photo back to Dolph, then turned her confusion on Zerbrowski. "You think my husband is capable of such monstrous actions?"

"Ruth Ann, your husband abuses you. He sexually abused his own children. He had at least one affair. Probably more. He brought a child he had with another woman into your home. Do you really think he isn't capable of such actions?" Zerbrowski asked her quietly.

She stared at him, remained silent. Finally sobbed and buried her face into her hands. "He's always been a monster," she said against her palms. "Even before we got married. I used to think that he'd change once our vows were spoken. I used to think that he'd settle into a life of marriage and family. But I was so wrong. I turned a blind eye when he used me as he saw fit. I turned a blind eye when he climbed into bed with other women. I turned a blind eye when he touched his own children in ways no father should ever touch his children. I turned a blind eye for so long. I'm so ashamed of my actions. My silence has resulted in people's deaths."

"Ruth Ann," Zerbrowski said, making sure his voice was soft and gentle. That his words came out sounding sincere. "You are as much a victim of your husband's abuse as your children. Being afraid makes people do things that they might not normally do. You did what you needed to do to survive. But you can change that now."

"How? How do I change that? How do I wash all the sins from my soul?" she asked quietly. Desperately. She wanted to do it. She felt she had to.

"Help us. Help us find a way to convict your husband. Help us bring him to justice. For your children. For all of those innocent people he's harmed. For you. Help us bring him to justice for what he's done to you."

"I don't know if I can," she admitted on a whisper. "I don't know if I'm strong enough."

"We'll help you in whatever way we can, Ruth Ann. I promise you. You will not be alone if you do this. Detective Storr and I will be with you every step of the way. You just have to move past the fear and take that first one."

"I... Let me think about it, Detectives. I don't know if I can make that decision now. I don't know if I can..." she said, voice trailing off as she thought about it.

"Its a big step. We understand that," Zerbrowski nodded. He reached into his pocket and produced a card. Pressed it gently into her hand. "You call me, night or day, anytime you need anything. I'll be there for you. I promise."

She blinked, forcing herself to calm. To once more return to the cold, stoic preacher man's wife that had been blocking their entrance to the church when they'd first arrived. Zerbrowski could see her resolve returning, could see her spine straightening. "Thank you for your kindness, Detective. If you'll excuse me, I need to go ask God for strength and guidance."

"Of course, Ruth Ann," Zerbrowski nodded and rose to his feet. "We can show ourselves out. Thank you for your time. I know this couldn't have been very easy for you." He shot a look at Dolph, who gave a hint of a shrug, then started for the door. The other man joined with him when he drew even and, together, he and Dolph made their way across the wooden floor to the door. It opened and closed on silent hinges.

Something about that rattled Zerbrowski's nerves and he found he couldn't shake the notion that something bad was going to happen.

~*~*~*~*~

He stared at her from the door, watched as she stared at the card she still clutched in her hand. Knew by the look on her face that she'd already made a decision. Faithless bitch. He would show her what happened to those who stood against him.

He crossed the room on silent feet, avoiding all of the little spots where the wooden panels creaked when weight was applied to them. She didn't notice him until he stood right before her, when he towered over her. She startled, hands hastily dropping to her sides in order to hide the white card that she held in one of them. The look she turned his way was defiant, filled with anger and loathing and hatred. He despised that look. Had hated seeing it on other faces.

"What did the police want, woman?" he asked, voice low. He already knew, but he wanted to see if she would answer of her own will or if he'd have to force the answers from her.

"Nothing," she replied. Lied. "They just had a few questions about the ministry's symbol."

"Liar," he accused softly. To her credit, she didn't flinch from the tone of his voice as she might have done any other time. But she also refused to look at him. "Do you think I didn't hear them question you? Do you think I didn't hear you answer them? Do you think me a stupid man?"

"No," she said. It was an automatic denial, one he could tell she didn't fully believe.

"You dare lie in God's house? Before a man of God?" he asked, stepping into her personal space. Her head snapped up at that and fire flashed in her eyes.

"You're no man of God! You're a liar and an adulterer. You molested your own children!" she spat at him. Then her eyes narrowed, the fire in them blazing higher and brighter. "You're a murderer!"

Something about the fire in her eyes. It made his body burn with need. How dare she make him want her when she hurled such disgusting accusations at him! His hand came up, fingers curling around her throat. Her eyes went wide, the fire stuttering as her air was cut off. She grabbed his wrist, tried to pry his fingers from her neck. "Blasphemer!" he spat at her, cock growing thick and heavy with need.

"Stop!" she ordered, voice little more than a whisper of sound. There was force behind that single word, force she'd never used with him before. Sick, perverse need washed through him, saw him dragging her up the center aisle toward the pulpit. Toward the altar. "Take your hand off me!"

Oh, he was going to put more than his hands on her. The fire of her spirit had kindled a roaring blaze of hunger and desire in his loins and he was going to slake his lusts with her. Whether she liked it or not. She fought his hold, fought how he pulled her toward his goal. Each sign of her struggle only turned him on more, until he threw her down onto the altar's flat surface. Roughly. So that her face was pressed into the hard wooden surface. Then he put his hand against the back of her head and held her there while he made quick work of the skirt she wore. Of her panties. Of his trousers.

She was dry when he forced himself inside of her, and the sound of her pain as it spilled from her lips was the greatest aphrodisiac of all. He surged forward, shoved himself deep. Drew a cry of pain from her throat and tears from her eyes. The sound of her breath rasping in and out of her lungs urged him on, the whimpers and mewls of pain fed his desires. Saw him fuck her hard.

"You're not a man, Carter," she snarled between gasping breaths. "You're a monster and God will forsake you."

"God. What do you know of God, woman? God made you weak and dirty. It is up to men to keep you firmly in your place. God abandoned you a long time ago," he told her, hand shifting away from the back of her head toward her neck. "Faithless bitch. You turned your back on your marriage and your vows. God has seen your wicked behavior."

He wrapped one hand around her throat. "God has judged you as a sinner."

He brought his other hand up, wrapped it around the other side. "And God will deliver your punishment."

He squeezed his fingers down hard, cutting off her air. He heard her gasp and choke, felt her legs kick against his shins and the side of the altar. Laughed as her fingers reached up and dug into his wrists. He thrust into her again and again, harder and harder, as her struggles grew weaker and weaker.

And when he emptied himself into her, when he roared his completion to the heavens... that was when Ruth Ann's hands dropped away from his arms and the last breath of air left her body and he felt the life ebb from her.