-

Above Eden, Raguel watched them tensely. Something had changed recently about the humans. Adam seemed eager to try initiating sex, or at least what he thought sex was, but Lilith still wasn't ready yet. He followed her around and pleaded with her to just try with him. That perhaps she'd like it once things got going. She wasn't having it, though, and she eventually snapped at him to leave her alone for the night. Raguel feared Adam would go after her and attempt to force her. With their procreation being a high priority at the moment, he would have been forbidden to intervene if such a thing were to happen. But thankfully, Adam seemed more dejected than angry. He stormed off in another direction to 'take care of himself'. Raguel noted this quickly, but not wanting to hang around and watch him, he silently descended into the forested area where Lilith had gone. 

Cautiously, he approached her from behind. She was leaning against a tree and crying quietly. "Lilith?" he whispered to her, and she jumped a little before turning her head to look at him. "What's wrong?" he asked gently. She looked like she was going to talk, but her lower lip trembled, and she shook her head before hurrying over to him. She pressed herself against him, surprising him, and Raguel wrapped his arms around her. Despite her sadness, Raguel couldn't help feeling elated at her seeking comfort in his arms, and he cherished the sweet moment for as long as he could until she finally found the strength to speak. "I'm afraid," she whispered. 
"Of what?"
"He's... he's just so..." She seemed embarrassed but pushed through. "Big... What if it hurts? What if it doesn't fit? What if I fail and don't have his babies?"
"Ah..." Raguel thought about how to respond. Her concerns about Adam's size were understandable. The Angels had already noted that for the first of his species, he was well endowed. But thankfully, sexual education existed in Heaven. After all, God didn't want to be repeatedly snapping his fingers to make more Angels, so he equipped them with the means to procreate as well. "It's natural to be afraid of your first time." He told her gently. "Angels must do this too, and we know what it's like."
"You do?" Lilith sniffled. She looked up at him hopefully, and Raguel couldn't resist gently tucking her hair behind her ear to move it away from her face. 
"Of course. The first time is always scary, but that's natural. You're only afraid because you've never done it before. It's new and unknown to you."
"Yes!" Lilith gasped, thankful that Raguel understood her concerns completely. She felt truly heard.
"But it will work." He reassured her. "And yes, he might be... big, but it will still fit, and you will still be able to have his children."
"Will it hurt?" 
"The first time, maybe. But only a little, and then it will feel good."
Lilith nodded in understanding and glanced away from him thoughtfully.
Raguel frowned a little. After being upset by the conversation she'd had with Adam, he didn't want to send her back to him just yet. Besides, he might still be taking care of himself. "Come, sit with me a while?" He asked her, and she smiled at him. Her eyes still glistening from her tears. He brought her to a clearing, and they sat in the grass next to each other. He looked upwards at the stars and gently nudged her arm to make her look up as well. "Those spots in the sky are stars," he told her. 
"Stars..." she repeated while looking up at them in wonder. Raguel glanced at her and couldn't help staring. Captivated by her innocence. 
"Yes," he smiled. "They're very, very far away, but they give light to your world during the night."
"And that?" Lilith pointed to the sickle-shaped moon. 
"The moon. It also provides light by reflecting it off the sun."
"I know the sun... Not to look at it."
"Yes."
"Reflect?" She looked at him interestedly. 
Raguel smiled brightly at her and tried his best to explain as simply as he could the concept of reflections and how light travels. They then went on to talk about the stars, how they don't move and can be followed to navigate Eden. Eventually, Lilith was resting her head on Raguel's shoulder as they talked. 
"What is Heaven like?" She asked him. 
"It's like Eden," Raguel answered. "It's a world with its own sun and moon. There are many Angels there."
"They all know everything, as you do?"
"I don't know everything." Raguel chuckled and looked at her. "I know lots of things, though. Heaven has good teachers."
"Can you take me to Heaven, one day?"
Raguel hesitated before answering. "Maybe. One day." He wasn't sure how true that would be and didn't want to promise anything. He stared into her eyes, and the idea of them in Heaven together seemed a blasphemy, yet he found himself wanting it with all of his being. Her in the fields of Heaven, standing with him. Holding his hand as he taught her everything he knew. Holding her in his arms, like he was now. He should have stopped there. He should have pulled away, sworn never to return and urged her to go back to Adam. He should have gone back to Heaven and reported all of his secret meetings and taken the punishment for breaking the rules while remaining thankful that things hadn't gone too far. 
But that's not what he did. What he did, while lost in his desires and her eyes, was far, far worse. It started when he gently pressed his lips against hers. She tensed but didn't pull away. She clumsily copied his lip movements, and the feeling of her soft lips on his drove his desires further, pushing all thought of consequences from his mind until he could only think of her. He pulled her close to him and laid her down under him. 

-

He awoke some time later and was a little confused by the stars overhead, and then the realisation dawned on him. Reluctantly, he looked down to see Lilith's head on his chest. She was sleeping peacefully, and they were both naked. "No!" He jumped, waking her up. When she lifted herself to look at him in confusion, he jumped to his feet and away from her. "No, no, no! What have I done?! I shouldn't have-! We shouldn't have-!" he stared at her for a moment and then quickly threw his clothing back on. He stepped towards her and gently gripped her shoulders. "I'm so sorry, I should not have done this to you! I need to leave, and we can never see each other again."
"But why?!" Lilith asked, pained by his words. "Please don't leave!"
"I must, and you cannot tell anyone what we did! It was wrong, and we would both be punished. Please, please promise me that you won't tell anyone!"
"I don't understand!" Lilith began to cry. "What did we do wrong?"
"You're supposed to be with Adam. Not me. I shouldn't have- I'm so sorry!" He gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Please promise me that you won't tell anyone what happened here. We will both be punished and hurt if you do."
"I-I promise, but please don't leave. I don't want to go back. I don't want him, I want you! Our secret!"
"No!" Raguel cringed at her words and felt guilty that he had taught her such deceptions. "No more. We can't, Lilith. You must go back to him. Have his babies. Live a good life with him."
"I don't want him, Raguel!" Lilith cried. 
Raguel wrapped his arms around her and held the back of her head as she wept into his shoulder. "I know... I know... and this is my fault. I'm sorry." Reluctantly, he let her go and stepped away from her. "You need to forget about me," he told her. 
"No, Raguel, wait!" Lilith pleaded, but knowing this was for the best, Raguel had already taken flight and sped towards Heaven, leaving Lilith to grieve their love and their biggest mistake. 

Evolution came next. Aquatic life. Insects. Birds. Reptiles. Then, gradually, primates. This was where God stepped in. Content with the evolutionary progress, he plucked some of the basic biological makeup from one of these creatures and mixed it with that of an Angel's biological structure. There was trial and error. Several different species of primates were created until finally, there was a breakthrough. The first human. A male born from one of those primates that had all of the Angelic characteristics, minus the wings. Adam. God called him perfect and separated him from the other primates. He created a garden to be a safe environment for his newest creation to grow in. He chose several Angels to assist in raising the boy. These Angels were ordered to teach Adam to speak and to study his growth. Later, these Angels would be adapted and take on the role of Life Spirits who not only oversaw the lives of Humans, but of everything else that lived in the universe. Death's realm had not yet been created, but in the creation of life and the discovery of souls, Death would soon follow.

As Adam grew, it became clear what would be needed next for this species to begin to build. Using the same methods, God set to work, and by the time Adam had learned to walk, the first Human female was born. Heaven celebrated, and the Angels chattered excitedly as they tried to guess what these humans could grow to achieve.
The Human pair grew together, and they grew to be close to each other. God ordered that the Angels leave the humans to live their own lives, and reluctantly, the Angels left the world. However, they continued to take it in turns to study and observe the pair from afar. Ensuring their safety at all times. Eagerly awaiting the day that they begin to procreate. But, frustratingly, as the Humans reached maturity, they both remained innocently oblivious to the process of reproduction. They were confused yet curious about the change in their bodies, but they hadn't figured out what it all meant just yet. 

Raguel's turn to monitor the pair came at last. He'd been keeping up to date on the new world and had been eagerly awaiting the day that he would be given the honour of travelling there and watching them up close. The instructions were clear. Remain unseen at all times, unless the Humans are in imminent danger. Study and note any changes. That was it. It was that simple. So, Raguel couldn't help feeling embarrassed later in the day when he would find himself accidentally standing face to face with the female.

He'd been staying at a distance, hovering in the air and noting their every move. Parchment in one hand and a quill in the other as he jotted down a conversation the pair had been having. Lilith, the female, was expressing her frustrations that Adam was almost always near her and for once she just wanted to be on her own. At least for a little while. It would seem that Adam had some separation anxiety as he told her he didn't understand why she could ever want to be alone. At last, Lilith had had enough of the conversation and had marched off through a thicket, leaving Adam to ponder whether he had done something to upset her. Just as Raguel was scribbling away, he lost his grip on his quill and watched as it fell through the leaves of the trees below. "Oh no!" he gasped softly. He glanced at Adam, who looked like he was settling down for a nap. Lilith was somewhere in the forested area, but Raguel felt confident that he knew which direction she'd gone in. He tucked his parchment away. Silently, and being careful not to rustle the branches, he descended into the forest to look for his quill. "Oh, where did it drop?" he huffed under his breath as he moved a small pile of leaves to look underneath. Sighing in frustration, he turned to check a different direction, and then he froze on the spot. Ahead of him, Lilith had done the same, and they stared at each other for a long, tense moment. 

He opened his mouth to say something, but she had beaten him to it as she jogged over excitedly with a wide grin. "Hello Angel!" She said sweetly in the ancient tongue of the time. "I haven't seen an Angel in a long time!" 
"Um, yes..." he responded nervously. He glanced upward, but if God or any other Angel knew he'd messed up, they were being awfully quiet about it. Perhaps he'd gotten lucky, and no one was watching? "I'm sorry, I must not linger. You must return to Adam," he said hurriedly and began to back away. 
"But why must I?" she asked, in the same innocent and curious manner as she jogged after him. "I am always with him. Can't I talk to you? For just a little while?"
"Um-..." Raguel hesitated. He'd been about to say no. To apologise again and to emphasise that she needed to go back to Adam. But her bright, inquisitive eyes captivated him. He'd never dreamed he'd have the chance to see these humans this close! And now that he was, and had apparently not been caught yet, he wondered if he could use this opportunity to really get to know these beings. Or at least, Lilith. He didn't want to risk getting caught by talking to them both, after all. This was what he told himself at the time, but later he would realise that he had been infatuated with Lilith from the start and had wanted her to himself. "Yes, alright," he answered her, and then he quickly held a finger to his lips as she looked as if she would squeal from excitement. "But you cannot tell Adam or anyone else. This is our secret."
"Secret?"
"Something that just you and me know," Raguel explained. "Do you promise not to tell anyone?"
Lilith looked unsure for a moment and looked in the general direction of Adam. For a moment, he feared that she would refuse to keep a secret from him, but then she turned to him with that same innocent smile and nodded. "Alright, I promise. Our secret," she beamed. "What is your name, Angel?"
"Raguel." He told her as his shoulders relaxed in relief. 
"I'm Lilith." She told him, and he grinned. 

"I know your name, Lilith," he told her.
"You do? Is it because you are an Angel?"
"I-uh- Y-yes. That's right. Because I'm an Angel." He lied. It had been his first lie, and it had felt odd. He hadn't realised that he could do that before.
Lilith bounced on her feet happily as she moved around him to look at his wings. "We don't have these."
"Because you are Human," Raguel said and then jumped a little at feeling her hand on his feathers. He watched her as she ran her hand along his wing. The fascination and awe in her face was so endearing to him. 
"Human..." Lilith repeated the word. "Why?" She turned her head to look at him. Her hand still on his wing.
"That's... just how you were born." He tried to explain. "Like I was born an Angel." Born. A simplification of how he came into being, but he supposed in a way it was correct. "And when you have children, they will be human, too."
"Children," she repeated and glanced off to one side. "With Adam?"
"Of course." 
"I don't know." She shook her head. "I don't know how."
"You will." He reassured her gently. "When the time is right, you will both just... know."
She looked thoughtful as she stared at the ground. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, hiding her breasts. Raguel had to force himself to look at her face. At her beautiful, dark eyes. He felt strange. Then, immediately, he felt guilty and ashamed. "I've lingered too long," he said hurriedly. "I must go."
"Wait." Lilith grabbed his hand quickly before he could fly away. "Will you come back? I like to talk to you." 
"I-I-..." he looked at her uncertainly. But the pleading look she gave him had him totally disarmed. "Alright. I will come back," he conceded. "But remember, you mustn't tell anyone."
"I won't tell," she said, smiling as she let go of his hand. Even as she did, he found himself reluctant to let hers go. Tearing himself away from her, he took off to fly back to Heaven. He would need to report his Quill lost.

If that weren't bad enough, it would seem that some of these mortals had also managed to get their hands on Demonic spell books. Normally this wouldn't be alarming but a millenia of Angels and Demons courting humans had made more than enough mixed breeds to allow humans, even with the most diluted bloodlines, the ability to cast such spells. As such, every laboratory, outpost and meeting place that this organisation used was masterfully concealed. Making it almost impossible for even the most skilled Arch Angel to locate or track the organisation's activities.

Raguel had a crisis on his hands and every day he was inundated with questions that he couldn't answer. Particularly from Heaven's news distributor, always wanting to know if this should be something the souls residing in paradise should be aware of. "After all" one of the reporters had reasoned. "The souls here may still have families or descendants on Earth and they deserve to know whether something like this will affect them." The reporter had also pointed out that if mortals had access to after-life spells, technology and the like then what's to stop them from inevitably invading Heaven one day?

Raguel had already considered this which was why he had his Arch Angels working around the clock to track down this ADIEU organisation. Of course, he couldn't give these reporters any information yet. Doing so could cause unneeded panic among souls who shouldn't need to worry about such things. So Raguel did what he thought was best. He pretended to laugh the questions off and told this reporter that such rumours were simply preposterous. Not even Lucifer himself has ever managed to breach Heaven's gates, much less a mortal. He shooed the reporter before returning his attention to the task at hand. The Devil Duo had been having more luck than his Angels at finding and destroying the various organisation locations. Raguel needed to know how they were getting their information, especially as he needed to find the specific location of the prisoner Angel before they did. But there was a new problem. His chosen informant hadn't reported back yet and he was overdue.

Stepping around his desk, Raguel took a breath before summoning a group of four Arch Angels. He looked at each of them with a serious expression before his eyes rested on the leader of the little group. A tall, lean male with very short, black hair. "Any word?"
"No, sir. He's been late before but not for this long. We've tried to contact him but he's not responding either."
"What of the girl?"
"She doesn't seem any the wiser. Before we lost track of him he'd made plans to meet her for a secret date at a restaurant."
"Has her brother shown any signs of catching on?"
"No, sir."
Raguel nodded. Although he wasn't pleased that something nefarious may have happened to Tuzo, he knew he now only had a small window in which to act and ending the war took a much higher priority than ensuring the safety of one Angel. "Use the date to enact Plan B," he ordered. The angels bowed their heads in unison and the leader of the group could barely contain a sinister smirk before they all vanished.

---

September 14th 2001.

Damien had been so relentless in his pursuit of finding Lucifer that Amelia feared she might miss the date she had arranged with Tuzo. Together with her new friend Sebastian, Amelia had managed to convince Damien to finally take a night off from hunting down ADIEU locations and just in time for her date! Of course, she hadn't told him where she was going or that she was even dating anyone. If he ever found out, Amelia dread to think how furious he'd be. She was certain that he'd destroy them both. Either that or destroy Tuzo and punish Amelia severely afterwards. But she didn't care. In fact, she sort of got a thrill from all the sneaking around.

She had bought her outfit and squirrelled it away, out of sight until tonight. Excitedly, she'd put the knee-length red dress on with some heels and made her way to the restaurant Tuzo had picked out. She sat at a table and waited... and waited... He was ten minutes later. She glanced at the clock then her eyes darted towards the door as it opened. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought for a moment that it was him, only for her heart to drop as she watched a stranger walk in instead. She ordered a glass of wine to sip while she waited. Maybe something came up and he got delayed? She looked at her phone. No messages but then there wouldn't be. They didn't exchange numbers in case they'd get found out. She was checking the time again. 30 minutes... 40 minutes... she drummed her nails against the table impatiently. He didn't forget, did he? 50 minutes... a waiter walked over to her with a piece of paper. "Excuse me, miss? Is your name Amelia Magpie?"
"Yes?" Amelia looked the waiter over suspiciously. But she also somehow knew that he was about to deliver some bad news.
"A gentleman called and asked me to give you a message."
"Did he say who he was?"
"He just said that he's 'someone who cares' and then he ended the call."
"What was the message?"
The waiter gave her an apologetic look before timidly handing her the piece of paper. Amelia looked at the words and at first they didn't register so she read them again. Her heart dropped to the pit of her stomach.
'It cannot continue. I'm so sorry.'
That was it then? Just like that? Sure, she knew it would have to end eventually. They both did. It couldn't possibly work between them. Not with this fucking war. So they'd agreed that whatever they had would be nothing but fun. Nothing more. So why did this hurt so much? Why did it feel like someone was crushing her heart? Distraught and struggling to hide it, Amelia stood from the table and stormed out of the restaurant. She strode around to an alley to hide in the shadows. There she wiped away a few tears that had escaped as she tried to calm herself down.

"Don't cry." A voice said and at first, Amelia felt humiliated as her Hellian upbringing had ingrained the idea into her that tears were a sign of weakness. It was the reason she'd hidden herself in shadow in the first place. But then it occurred to her how odd it was that this voice had come from the dark alley to her left, rather than the well-lit street to her right. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her head to try and get a look at the stranger. Her eyes widened fearfully at the sight of large white, feathery wings. Instinctively she'd been about to teleport away when the Angel gripped her arm roughly and started trying to pull her further into the alley.

Keeping her balance in the heels she'd worn with the dress was difficult but she strained to ground herself. This wasn't the first time she'd been attacked by an Angel and she was fully prepared to defend herself... until three more appeared around her. One of them had grabbed her other arm, twisting it behind her back. She tried to grow crystalised spikes under their hands to repel them but the sound of clicking behind her told her that a handcuff had been placed onto one of her wrists. Within seconds, the short crystal spikes she'd managed to conjure slipped off her skin as sand. She began thrashing and kicking at them but this only prompted the remaining two Angels to grab each of her legs to further restrain her. She let out a frustrated cry as she continued to struggle.

One thing is consistent among Angels, Demons and Devils. They are born (or created) with standard abilities that all of their kin share, as well as their own individual abilities. For instance, all Demons, Devils and Angels have the inherited ability to teleport. Some are better at it than others. Just like Telepathy. Some Devils are so strong with this ability that they can also pick up the emotions of others...whereas some, as is the case with both Amelia and Damien, can barely pick up a single thought from others most days. On this particular day however, knowing that she was overwhelmed and wouldn't stand a chance on her own against four Arch Angels, Amelia let out a terrified scream that was not only audibly loud but that Damien had managed to hear in his mind from another country entirely. "DAMIEN!!!!"

Then all five of them were gone. Not a moment later, Damien appeared in the same alley. He looked around frantically. Marching up and down the alley. "Amelia? Amelia?!" He tried to teleport after her but couldn't sense her. His heart was beating hard. Memories of Jessica, the sister that he had failed, flashed through his mind. He couldn't fail Amelia, he just couldn't. "AMELIA?!"

---

Amelia had been locked in a room in an unknown location for a week. There were no windows here. Only the metal door, the constant humming noise and a horrid smell always lingering in the air. She was handcuffed to a small bed. She needn't fear the Angel's doing anything sexual to her though. She learned very quickly that this particular group of Angels were quite racist and she didn't doubt that the idea of lying with a Devil would be 'dirty' to them. The Angelic cuff prevented her from using her powers or escaping while the bed was a small effort on their part to make her 'comfortable.' Over the course of a few days, the Angels would take turns visiting her.

Caleb, the one with ginger curls, would spend an hour a day reading parts of the bible to her. Mainly the parts that emphasise God's love. He would also spend several minutes correcting the mortals' version of events that were written in the book by informing her of 'what really happened.' Once or twice, Amelia had taken this opportunity to get a quick nap in. This Angel loved the sound of his own voice so much that he barely noticed as he got wrapped up in the stories he was telling.

Esther kept trying to 'bond' with Amelia by pretending to be her friend. She'd 'sneak in' a slice of cake or small bars of chocolate while commenting 'Don't tell the boys. Us girls have to stick together.' Amelia strongly doubted that the other Angels were unaware of these 'treats'. Then she would go into a long speil about how Amelia can really trust them. That they just wanted to be a family and end the war but Damien was evil because he just wanted to keep the fight going, and kill people and yada yada yada... Amelia stopped listening after the first attempt but this woman was persistent. At least the chocolate was something to look forward to.

Amelia feared a visit from Elijah the most. He was the Angel with short, black hair. Unlike the other three, he never made any attempt to try to win her over. He made it clear, right from the start, that he was only interested in information. Specifically, how she and Damien were figuring out where to find the ADIEU sites, how certain were they that Lucifer was held captive by them, what were Damien's war plans, etc. Each time he'd start by sitting across the room from her and asking his questions coldly. She'd stare back at him defiantly and not say a word. He'd repeat himself irritably. Then he'd get up and yell it in her face. Then he'd briefly leave the room and that's when Amelia knew she was in for it.

Elijah had a particularly nasty tool that he liked to 'punish' her with. It was a short, leather rod with Angelic feathers sewn around it. He'd come back into the room and shove her so that she'd be face down on the bed and proceed to whip her back. With each crack, he'd ask his questions again. If she didn't answer or swore at him in response, he'd whip her again. This would continue until she'd eventually pass out.

After being left for a few hours to recover, the last Angel known as Anna would slowly enter the room so as not to startle her. She'd sit on the bed next to her and stroke her hair in an effort to comfort her. Then she'd tell Amelia, in a fake caring tone, that she'd brought the pain upon herself by not cooperating with Elijah. All this pain could still end if she'd just told them what they needed to know. That, if she thought about it, Elijah was doing her a favour by punishing her for her sins now so that she could start anew with them. She even promised that Amelia would be welcomed into Heaven as one of them if she just vowed to devote herself to God and denounce Damien's rule of Hell.

But Amelia wasn't nearly as naive as the Angels had first assumed. She knew immediately what they were doing and that she would likely be destroyed as soon as they got all the information that they could possibly get from her. Either that or they hoped to completely mentally break her in order to brainwash her. She'd hoped that Damien would find her quickly but after a few days, the realisation that she might be alone in this began to dawn on her. As the days progressed she also found herself speculating Tuzo's involvement in this. Had the Arch Angels discovered their affair and he sold her out to save himself? Is that how they'd ambushed her while she was alone? Or had he been playing her the whole time? Either way, it would explain how the Arch Angels knew so much about her and Damien's activities. As if being stood up and dumped at a fancy restaurant hadn't been bad enough...

---

"Where do you get your information on ADIEU's whereabouts?" Elijah asked again, barely containing his anger as he sat across from Amelia. She stared back at him, defiant as always. By now her back was a mess of red, blistered sores. If her dress hadn't already been red, it would have dyed red from her blood by now. This time, Elijah had brought his rod into the room with him in anticipation of her defiance. Amelia was certain now that he enjoyed striking her.

He gripped the rod with both hands and tensed so that the whip creaked in his grasp. Amelia shivered but maintained her stare. "I will ask just one more time. Where. do you get. your information. on ADIEU's whereabouts?" he asked again through gritted teeth. The whip creaked a little more as his grip tightened.

Amelia shook but then she took a breath and opened her mouth. Elijah leaned forward eagerly, expecting her to finally break. "Up your ass. On the second shelf," she answered with a snide smile. Then she laughed despite her fearful tears blinding her vision as she saw Elijah's face turn crimson with rage. But, for a moment, she didn't care. All she could think of was how proud Damien would be when she got out of there and told him what she'd said.

Crack! Amelia's face snapped to one side as pain exploded across the side of her face. She spat a spray of blood at the wall as she fell off the bed, dizzy. The only thing keeping her off the floor was the handcuff. Crack! Pain across her shoulder. Crack! Now across her already sensitive back. Crack! Crack! Crack! There were no questions in between this time. No steady rhythm. Just violence and pain.

"Elijah stop!" Caleb's voice came from the door. The other Angels had to wrestle Elijah away from her. "That's enough!"
"No! I've had enough! She's just like the rest of the Hellions! Stubborn and foul! She'll never change! She'll never talk! and if we allow it she'll just become another Lucifer!" Elijah raged. "Well, I say the best way to end this war is to just eradicate them now while they're weak!"
"We need her, Eli!" she heard Anna implore. "She might be the key to finding him then we can really put an end to it all!"
"You're right..." Elijah huffed reluctantly after a moment. "Y-you're right. In my anger, I lost sight of why we were doing this... What's that?"

Footsteps as Elijah approaches her. Amelia felt a tugging around her neck- her Angelic Crystal- and she weakly tried to push his hand away. "Where the hell did you get this?!" Elijah asked angrily as he broke the thin chain of her necklace and stood up. "Did you steal it, you little thief?!"
"N-no!" Amelia gasped breathlessly as she tried to look up at him desperately. "Please-!" she reached up for it but he turned away while giving her a disgusted look. He then lifted the crystal for the others to see. "A trophy she kept from killing one of our own, I suspect!"
"No! That's not-!"
"Oh, don't bother with your lies!" Elijah sneered as he turned to look at her again. "You Hellions are all the same." he handed the crystal to Esther. "But if I can't kill you and you won't turn on your brother willingly, then I suppose we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way. I'm going to make every waking moment of your life agony. In the end, you'll be so desperate to be destroyed that you'll tell us everything we wish the know. But before I do destroy you, I'm going to make you watch as your betrayal causes the destruction of your brother."

---

September 21st 2001.

After Elijah's threat, Amelia had been locked in her cell with no company, no food or water for almost a full day. Finally, just as Amelia was beginning to wonder if she'd be left like this for days on end, the door opened. All four Angels stepped into the room. One had a key in their hand. Amelia recognised this tiny key to be for her handcuffs. They were going to attempt to move her. This could be her only chance of escape.

"Don't try anything," Elijah warned her. He had his whip with him again.
"Where are you taking me?" Amelia asked but none of them answered. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. It couldn't be anywhere good for her.
Caleb and Anna took each of her arms and held her tightly while Esther started unlocking the handcuff that was locked around the bed frame. The second it was loose, Amelia headbutted Anna then knee Caleb between the legs. They both went down. Then she whirled around to face Esther who only had time to widen her eyes at her in surprise before Amelia rammed her body into hers, smacking her against the wall behind her. She heard the pin-drop sound of the key hitting the floor but before she could look down to find it, she felt the rod strike her shoulder again. She fell to her hands and knees. By some crazy luck, she felt something small and metallic under one of her hands. She looked at the others. They were scrambling to find the key before she could. She then looked up at Elijah, he'd lifted his rod again threateningly. "Find that damn key!" he barked at the others. "And you! Get up! Or do you want me to beat you bloody again?!"
"You can still stop," Amelia told him shakily. "Just let me go. Please. Don't make me hurt you."
Elijah laughed. "Is that a joke? You're not in any position to be making any threats! Now GET UP!"
"You know..." Amelia stood slowly. As she did, she drew both her hands into fists. Subtly picking up the key as she moved. "For people who hate Devils, I have to say... You're really no better than the monsters you make us out to be."
"You bitch-!" Elijah lifted the rod again and Amelia braced herself. Just as the rod struck the side of her face again, the handcuffs clattered to the ground. While he'd been distracted by her, she'd taken the opportunity to free herself. As soon as the Angels realised what had happened, it was much too late for them.

Without her crystal to keep the Devil's Rage at bay, Elijah's strike had awoken the sleeping fury. As she turned her head to look at him, her eyes had turned jet black while her irises shone crimson. Amelia was by no means used to the Devil's Rage taking over her, but something about this felt different this time. She felt hot. Unbearably hot. And, although she no longer had control over herself, she was still conscious and present. Like being stuck in sleep paralysis but the paralysis demon is using your body to enact revenge.

Within seconds, her eyes changed from red and black to pure gold. Her hair lit up as if it were irradiated. Her dress caught fire and melted off of her. Sensing the impending danger, the Angels had attempted to flee but with a flick of her wrist, Amelia had slammed the door closed. Trapping them all in the room with her. Her expression was emotionless but inside she was screaming as she was forced to watch the four Angels desperately clawing at the metal door. As much as Amelia tried to reverse what was happening she couldn't. It was too late. She was at the point of no return. No longer in control. Tears evaporated from her heat just as quickly as they welled in her eyes, making little whisps of steam in the corners of her eyes. The Angels' screams were deafening then there was a blinding, white flash. The heat was so intense that Amelia was sure she would even end up destroying herself in the process. All she could hear was the roaring of flames all around her. She couldn't even hear the screams anymore through the noise. She couldn't see anything. Just white upon white upon white. Then black and silence.

---

"Amelia! Amelia!" The shouts sounded far away at first. Then very close. "Amelia! Holy fuc- what the fuck? How the fuck-? Amelia?!"
"Dam-Damie-?" Amelia tried.
"It's ok! It's ok, I've got you. I'm here. But we need to get out of here... I don't know what happened but there are Angels coming and they are PISSED. Fuck, that's hot! Shit! Ow! Ok... hold on..."
She felt Damien lifting her into his arms and heard what sounded like him jogging over gravel. "Fuck! fuck! fuck! hot! hot! hot!" he hissed under his breath the entire way until she finally felt the relief of a cool breeze gliding over her skin. She sobbed openly. Unable to contain it. She still couldn't see. A temporary side effect of whatever the fuck just happened to her.
"Damien!"
"Shhh, it's ok. Let's get out of here first and then you can tell me what happened, ok?"
"How-? how did you find me? Where were you?!"
"I've been looking for you for a week, sis. I had all my best spies on the case. As for how I found you..." Damien sighed. He turned to look at the enormous crater where there once stood a large chemical factory. Now just a smoking, smouldering pile of tiny pebbles "After what you just did... you were kind of hard to miss..."
"What did I do? What happened?"
"I uh... I'll tell you about it later. C'mon, let's go home..."

Raguel wasn't stupid either. He knew this might be their best opportunity to put an end to the war once and for all. The fact that Lucifer had disappeared so suddenly gave him hope. If he hadn't been destroyed already then this could only mean that he was weakened and in hiding somewhere. Perhaps these fledgling Devils could be the key to his destruction?

According to his spies, Damien had received at least some training from Lucifer himself prior to his disappearance, so he knew that trying to trick him in any way posed a high risk. Whereas the newest Devil had never met Lucifer, was practically brand new to her powers and was beginning to learn about the world from Damien. Perhaps she was still new enough to be manipulated?

He had heard of an Angel on Earth who was adept at hypnosis and spent most of his time encouraging mortals to procreate either with himself or others. He had ordered this Angel to seduce the female Devil with the intention of gathering any information she learned from her 'brother'. This had been several weeks ago. Raguel now stood, in plain mortal clothing, outside a cafe. He hated hiding his wings but the only way this Angel would report to him was if he met with him on Earth. He glanced over in time to see said Angel round the corner and approach the cafe casually as if he were on his usual stroll.

"Lovely weather." Raguel greeted him.
"let's hope it doesn't rain," Tuzo responded in a tired tone as he pushed open the door to the cafe.
Chuckling, Raguel followed him inside and sat with him at one of the little tables. Being approximately seven feet tall and very muscular, he made the cafe table seem like a toy from a doll's house in comparison. Tuzo sat opposite and stared across the room with a bored expression.
"Any new information from your 'secret lover'?" Raguel asked in a hushed voice.
"Well she just learned the reverse cowgirl but I'm thinking I might change into my female form, get her some mango-flavoured lube and- Oh you mean about Lucifer?" Tuzo responded cockily.
A flicker of irritation crossed Raguel's expression but he maintained his composure. "Yes."
"They still don't know."
Raguel's shoulders dropped slightly out of disappointment.

"But, have you heard of a mortal organisation called ADIEU?" Tuzo asked, his expression suddenly becoming much more serious.
"Why should I care about some mortal affairs?" Raguel sat back and waved dismissively.
"Because these mortals could become very dangerous. For Hell and for Heaven. Dangerous enough that my 'lovely new lady love' practically trembled when telling me what Damien had told her... whether that was from fear, anger or both, I couldn't say."
"And what makes these mortals so dangerous?"
"Look around you," Tuzo said while glancing at the various appliances in the room. "Look how far mortals have come technologically and in such a short space of time. Now imagine a mortal with that kind of ingenuity not just searching for proof of life after death, but hunting it. Capturing it. Experimenting on it without the slightest hint of empathy or morality."
"Impossible." Raguel laughed but Tuzo's expression remained serious.
"Damien doesn't seem to think so. What's more, he's convinced that Lucifer might actually be a prisoner of one of these secret facilities."
Raguel paused mid-chuckle then his facial features dropped into a dark, determined stare. "Tell me everything."

Trying her best to put her argument with her brother to the back of her mind, she wandered into various shops to browse the countless, mostly useless trinkets. She found herself wandering into a cafe at one point. The strong smell of coffee had caused her to wrinkle her nose at first but she quickly got used to it. Her curiosity drew her to the counter where she purchased her first latte. It wasn't bad. After adding a little sugar, she enjoyed it more. However, she was unsure if the coffee was responsible for her sudden burst of new energy or whether that was simply the excitement of sampling a human beverage. Either way, she felt she needed to use it up somehow so she began to wander the city once more. By then the sun had gone down and the city had a new lease of life. Girls wore smaller clothing and higher shoes. Men wore more fashionable clothes. Flashing lights and loud music everywhere she turned. Until she found a large sign lit up above a pair of doors. One door was painted black and the other was painted white. 'Equilibrium' the sign read.

Staring at the sign, Amelia was reminded of what the Angel had whispered into her ear. The way he'd made her feel. Would he be here now? What did he want to show her? What if it was a trap? These questions ran through her mind but she found herself pushing the doors open and stepping into the dark corridor as if being pulled in either by an invisible force or her own curiosity. The carpet was black, yet soft under her shoes. The walls all around her as well as the ceiling were also painted black but they were bejewelled with millions of tiny fake diamonds that reflected the dim light of a few ceiling-high lamps that were attached to the walls and evenly spaced apart. It was like Amelia was walking through a night sky as she wandered further into the building until she reached another set of double doors that resembled the first set she'd walked through. These doors led to a staircase. Although the floors here were covered in black linoleum instead of carpet, the walls and ceiling were exactly the same as in the previous room. Here she could hear the low rumbling of music from downstairs.

The faint smell of alcohol hit her nose. Her heart fluttered with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Is this one of those 'night clubs' that Damien sometimes mentioned? Will Tuzo be here? Gingerly running her hand over the handrail, she descended the steps. Reaching yet another set of painted doors, Amelia notes that these doors were not only thicker, which muffled the music behind them a great deal, but they were also guarded by a large man in a black suit. He looked over Amelia briefly and without a word he lifted his arm to push one of the doors open for her. The volume of the music suddenly popped and she felt each beat pulse through her as if trying to beat along to the rhythm of her heart. She nodded to the bouncer in thanks before stepping into the club. She stood for a moment to take it all in. Through the dry-ice fog and flashes of light, Amelia could make out the silhouettes of dozens of people. This place was absolutely crowded. Most people were dancing in the centre of the room. A few crowded the bar and rest areas. She wandered over to the bar but it was difficult to even get close. The moment a spot opened up, someone else dove in to shout their order at the bar staff over the music.

She watched for a moment to see how the others moved. Finally, a spot opened up nearest to her and she dove in. The barman nodded to her and she felt a rush of victory that she'd managed to get this far. She tried to shout her order. "Demon's brew?!" It was the only strong beverage she knew. The barman wasn't sure he'd heard her correctly over the noise so he placed a hand around his ear and used his other hand to gesture for her to try again. "DEMON'S BREW!" she shouted and still the barman looked confused. Deciding to go with what he assumed she'd meant, he poured some popular ale into a plastic cup for her;- Doom Bar.
The colour was exactly the same as what she was used to so Amelia couldn't tell the difference. She smiled and took out her purse which made the bartender also smile as he assumed he'd guessed correctly. He shouted the price over the noise and Amelia paid a little more than she needed to. The bartender had assumed this was a generous tip so hadn't corrected her. Happily, she took her drink to a less crowded area in the club and took a sip. She stared at the beverage, mildly confused then took another sip. 'Boy, the Devil's Brew here is really weak...' she thought to herself as she looked around.

A few more trips to the bar though and not only had she gotten used to the weakened taste, she found herself relaxing more. Eventually, she made her way to the centre of the dancefloor and let the music take over her movements. Then she saw him. The dark curls and deep, hypnotising eyes. She stopped dancing as she caught his eye and he turned to smile at her from across the room. His mouth moved and although she couldn't hear him, she could make out the words his mouth had formed. "You came!"

He seemed genuinely happy to see her. Blushing and suddenly feeling shy, she nodded while unable to contain her smile. This time when he approached her, she didn't feel so anxious. But maybe that was the drink? As he got closer though, he hesitated and looked around warily before looking back at her. "You're brother?" he mouthed.
"Not here." she mouthed back while she shrugged and grinned at him. He grinned too and continued to walk closer to her. Once close enough, he leaned in so that she could hear him. She felt that same rush of excitement that she'd felt back at the bar when he'd whispered into her ear. "I'm glad you came. I was worried about you. You looked upset earlier."

She was touched that he cared. "I'm fine," she said but her lip quivered as she'd said it. Ordinarily, she'd be able to bury her emotions but the alcohol in her system made this very difficult. Seeing her upset, Tuzo gently took her hand. "Let's go somewhere quieter?" he asked and she nodded, letting him guide her to a back area that was decorated the same way the first hallway had been. It was a shorter hallway and another set of doors in the room led out to a smoking area. Amelia leaned against the wall tiredly and vaguely felt the small, plastic jewels dig into her back. The room span a little but all she could focus on was Tuzo and how beautiful he was.

"You sure you're ok?" he asked her with a concerned look.
"Yeah..." She nodded and glanced away from him while trying to keep herself composed. "I don't want to think about it. I just want to enjoy this." she smiled as she gestured to the doors that led back to the club. "I've never done anything like this before!" she told him excitedly.
"Really?" Tuzo asked, surprised.
"Well, I grew up in Hell and never really got to explore when I first came to Earth..." she admitted. The truth flowed out of her with little to no filter. It barely occurred to her that she was talking to an Angel who, for all she knew, could be trying to get information from her.
"That sounds lonely," he observed and for once, Amelia felt seen.
She looked back at him with a small frown and nodded. "It is lonely." she then stirred from her thoughts and gave him an inquisitive look. "What did you mean back at the bar, anyway?"
"Oh." he chuckled and Amelia could swear his cheeks turned pink. He stared at her for a moment as if trying to make a decision. He then licked his lip and leaned in to whisper to her. That shiver again. "Did you want me to show you?"
She turned her head, her own cheeks turning red. "Show me what?"

He pulled his head away ever so slightly and stared into her eyes purposefully. A strange feeling washed over Amelia and the room spun a little more than it had been already. But she didn't care. Her focus was on his eyes. His closeness. He lifted a hand to caress her cheek, his thumb glided over her lips. She shivered, practically melting at his touch. He leaned in and instinctively she tilted her head slightly to catch his lips as he pressed them against hers. They tasted sweet and felt soft as he recaptured the kiss again and again. Each time he kissed her she felt that tingling sensation and it motivated her to keep going. She felt his fingers running through her hair then his lips moved from hers to leave smaller kisses across her cheek. She sighed softly and tilted her head back a little as his kisses found their way to her neck.

She bit her lip, unable to help the small moan that escaped her. She heard Tuzo chuckle as he pulled away to smile at her. "Now your brother's really going to kill me." he joked.
"He'd have to get through me first." Amelia grinned breathlessly.
"Well, if we're both already in trouble..." He took her hand and gently tugged it to bring her into his arms. "Then why stop here?"
Together they vanished, marking the beginning of their secret affair.

On one side of the building, the Angelic aura was so strong that they could practically smell it. But despite a few glares their way, none of the Angels made any attempt to confront them. On the other side of the building, the Demonic aura was just as strong as its opposing counterpart. This side was far more welcoming as a few Demons raised their glasses and cheered the arrival of their missing King's protégé.

"Relax, sis. This isn't the first neutral bar to exist and Atma is seriously good at keeping the peace. She might be a Spirit of Life and incapable of killing anything but she sure knows how to make your life hell for crossing her. Besides, there are always a few dozen loyal Demons around to watch our backs." Damien explained as they walked towards the bar. Despite still being on his guard, Damien seemed to be considerably more at ease than Amelia was. But then again, Amelia was still new to Earth, being a Devil, being hunted by Angels and the war. So she was far more tense as a result. "Just don't get too drunk, keep your wits about you and don't stray too far to the Angel's side of the bar."
"Got it." Amelia nodded as she placed her arms on the bar and smiled at the bartender.
"Demon's Brew?" the bartender asked in a bored tone.
"You go ahead. Relax here and mingle with a few Demons." Damien surprised Amelia.
"You're not staying?"
"I've got a lead on something... I can't say right now but I'll tell you about it when I know more. I just gotta meet someone upstairs to get some details. I shouldn't be long." he explained and patted her on the shoulder.
"Um-!" Amelia's eyes darted over to the Angels nervously. Seeing this, Damien leaned in to whisper into her ear.
"Don't forget what I told you. If they see your fear they'll use it against you. You'll be fine and I'm not far."

She turned to say something but found that Damien had already left. She sat on one of the bar stools in a huff. The bartender placed the glass of Demon's brew in front of her. Still getting used to the idea of money and having to pay for services, Amelia pulled out her purse with an uncertain look. "How much is it?"
"Free. Compliments of that guy." The bartender told her while nodding to the Angel's side of the bar. Following his nod, Amelia's eyes landed on a dark-haired Angel who raised his own glass at her with a charming smile. Unlike his fellow Angels, he seemed friendlier. Amelia genuinely couldn't tell if he was being sincere or if he was trying to mess with her. Either way, he paid for her drink and she knew there was no risk of it being poisoned as the drink had been made by the neutral bartender. So, to be polite, she took the glass and smiled with a nod of thanks to the Angel, hoping that would be that. She then tensed and felt her heart freeze when the Angel stood from his stool and started walking over to her. She hadn't meant to invite him over!

The Angel's eyes glanced behind her as he walked and then he stopped and seemed to hesitate moving any closer. Amelia turned her head and saw a couple of Demons had risen from their tables to glare at the Angel. A warning not to try anything funny. The Demons glanced at Amelia questioningly and she knew immediately that they were looking to see if she was ok with his approach. She thought about it for a moment. It's risky but if what Damien said was true then there wasn't anything the Angel could do here that wouldn't result in earning Atma's ire, Not to mention, the Demons that already looked prepared to defend her despite Atma's rules. For the first time since their arrival, Amelia actually felt she was safe when visiting Earth.

She nodded to the Demons to assure them. She was curious to see what the Angel wanted. After all, she could always tell him to piss off if he got on her nerves. She turned back to watch the Angel who looked back at her with a relieved and thankful smile. He began to cautiously move closer again. He sat on a stool next to her while maintaining a short, respectable distance. "Thank you for the drink." Amelia greeted him.
"Thank you for allowing my company," he responded.
"Aren't you worried what your friends will think?" she nodded to the Angels behind him who were watching with a mixture of disgust and curiosity. The Angel didn't bother looking behind himself as he simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Not really. It's not every day that I get to sit next to or even talk to a Devil. They can judge all they like, but really..." he leaned forward a bit and whispered with a cheeky smirk. "They're just jealous. Most of them are Arch Angels that would get royally bollocked by their superior for so much as saying 'Hello' to a Demon."
"You're not an Arch Angel, then?"
"Oh no, that life isn't for me." the Angel grinned as he sat upright in his seat again. "I'm practically a civilian in comparison." he hesitated before extending a hand to her to shake. "My name is Tuzokath Amor but you can just call me Tuzo."
Amelia hesitated before taking his hand and shaking it a bit. "I'm Amelia Magpie."
"Lovely to meet you, Amelia," Tuzo said and Amelia felt his thumb gently caress the back of her hand before he let her hand go.

She blushed, unsure of how to react. She instinctively pulled her hand away. "So, um..." she stammered while tucking some loose hair strands behind her ears. His approach, cool manner, and unexpected contact had caught her off guard and she found herself feeling something new. She wasn't entirely sure what it was yet but she knew that she was fascinated by the Angel sitting near her. "What kind of Angel are you then? If you don't mind me asking."
"That's an interesting question." Tuzo chuckled. "You're still new to all of this, aren't you?"
"To Angels, at least," Amelia admitted. "So far the only Angels I've met since becoming what I am have tried to kill me on sight."
"I'm sorry to hear that... to answer your question though, not all Angels have titles. Some, like I say, are merely civilians. The only time they get called for any work is if it's something small but impactful. Like helping someone with a drug addiction to get clean. Those kinds of Angels aren't trained to fight and would usually just avoid Demons or Devils as best they can."
"Oh, I didn't know. So, is that what you are? A Civilian Angel?"
"Almost." Tuzo winked with a smirk and Amelia couldn't help but blush again. "I specialise in primal passions."

"What does that mean?" she asked naively. Although Amelia was in her early twenties by this point, she hadn't had the time or the opportunity to find romance. That and being sheltered for most of her life meant that she was still quite innocent.
"May I whisper it to you?" Tuzo asked quietly. Intrigued, Amelia nodded and sat perfectly still as Tuzo slid from his stool and slowly approached her. The way he looked at her, the warmth radiating from him as he drew closer, the way his fingers felt as they gently moved her hair away from her ear and his hot breath on her cheek made her feel a sort of excitement that she'd never felt before. When he whispered into her ear she felt a shiver run through her as well as a tingling sensation run down her spine. "Come to the Equilibrium sometime and I'll be happy to show-"
"The fuck are you doing?!" Damien's bark as he pushed Tuzo away from Amelia had made her jump. Tuzo had stumbled back. He immediately held his hands up and backed away a bit. Amelia looked at her brother and was alarmed at how furious he appeared to be. He looked ready to tear Tuzo apart.
"Damien wait, he wasn't doing anything!" she pleaded while jumping from her stool.
"We were just talking-" Tuzo tried.
"That didn't look like talking to me!" Damien raged as he grabbed Amelia's arm and pulled her behind him. "You stay the fuck away from her! You hear me? You look at her again and I'll burn you to a damn crisp!"

By this point, all the Angels on the other side of the bar had gotten up from their seats and looked ready to defend Tuzo. Meanwhile, the demons on their side had also gotten to their feet and also seemed ready to fight. "Damien, stop! It was nothing! He was just being nice!"
"Their kind aren't nice without an ulterior motive!"
"Pfft! This coming from a Devil!" One of the Angels snapped back.
"You wana say that again? You feathery fuck!" One of the Demons shouted.
"ENOUGH." a woman's voice boomed and immediately, everyone in the room had the look of a sheepish child who had just been caught doing something they shouldn't. Atma, with her golden locks loose and covering her eyepatch, stepped into the room with a very stern look. "Unless you all want a multi-lifetime ban from my establishment, I strongly suggest you all behave like civilised adults!"

The room was still for a moment before both Demons and Angels began slowly returning to their tables but not without exchanging a few nasty stares. Atma turned to Damien who hadn't moved and was still glaring at Tuzo. "You should know better." she scolded him. "Lucifer wouldn't have behaved so irrationally."
"What would you know about him?!" Damien snapped, sounding almost hurt by the statement.
"I knew him better than most think," Atma said simply then walked away, making it clear that she had no intentions of elaborating further.
Damien glared at her then back at Tuzo. His shoulders dropped in defeat but his gaze remained menacing. "I meant what I said. Stay away from my sister," he warned before marching towards the door. He hadn't let go of Amelia's arm so naturally he pulled her along with him, whether she wanted to go or not. She gave one last apologetic look to Tuzo before being pulled through the doors. Once outside, she yanked her arm free and rounded on Damien. "You didn't have to do that!"

"How could you be so stupid?" Damien hissed at her while turning to stare her down. "After everything I taught you. After all the times we've been hunted and attacked by his kind and you let him get that close to you? What were you thinking?!"
"Oh, come off it!" Amelia rolled her eyes. "They can't all be in support of the war! If they knew- if we just tried my idea-"
"Here we go again!" Damien threw his arms up dramatically while shaking his head.
"But it could work! I know it can!"
"It's just a dream, Amelia! They hate us! They will always hate us! We will always be hunted by them!-"
"Not if it ended the war-!"

"Oh for fucks sake will you grow up?!" Damien shouted. "It will never happen! It's a childish dream and it's about time you let it go or it'll be the death of both of us!" he shook his head. "Pfft! I've been coddling you. All the more reason to find Lucifer. He'll set you straight." he turned and started to walk away. "C'mon, I have a lead-"
"No." Amelia's voice broke a little but she stood firm. Surprised, Damien turned to look at her. Her cheeks were red and she was shaking with rage as she held back tears. He saw faces in the windows of the bar behind her and knew their fight had drawn some attention from the patrons inside, both Angel and Demon alike.
"Amelia-"
"Just leave me alone," she growled and vanished.
Damien sighed heavily. He knew she just needed some time to calm down after their fight. He decided he'd wait for her inevitable return before he'd talk to her about it. Maybe she'll see how silly she was after having some time to think about it.

There was a knock on the heavy wooden door behind her, shortly followed by the voice of the vampire that had bitten her. "Jessica, may I enter?"
"Yes." She answers simply, calling through the door which opens immediately after. The dark eyed, dark haired vampire entered swiftly yet elegantly, closing the door behind him then turning to look at Jessica with his hands behind his back. A forbidden excitement passed through Jessica for no more than a moment. When this vampire had been connected to her, she too had been connected to him in a way. Through this connection, he had allowed her to learn his name while offering soothing words telepathically to keep her calm. As if the immense, seductive and euphoric sensations caused by the connection were not enough to take her breath away and render her completely helpless.

"Render you helpless? You were already tied up if I recall." The vampire smirks, causing Jessica to blink in surprise before shaking her head and sighing, half laughing. "Must you intrude on my thoughts like that, Edgar? It's rude."
"It's hardly intruding when you offer them so freely." Edgar laughs. His features then become serious. "They're waiting. Are you almost ready?" 
Jessica takes a deep breath, letting it out heavily before turning to look at herself again in the mirror. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be...What happens...when they all know I'm telling the truth?"
"That's for the elder to decide." Replied Edgar as he wanders towards the four poster bed. His fingers tracing the detailed carvings in the bed post. "One thing is certain. You will be safe. You have become so important to us and that is a fact that I am certain has not quite sunk in for you yet, am I right?" He turns his head to look in Jessica's direction. She was still staring at herself in the mirror. "I feel your tension. You must relax. You have nothing to fear." He says as he walks boldly towards her and kneels by her side, looking up at her as she turns to look down at him. "You wonderful being. None of us would be able to express our gratitude enough." His words were warm, as was his smile.
"It's not that I'm not flattered...but what exactly have I done? What happens when they all learn what I know? I feel like I'm blind folded, being led to some unknown future. It's frightening."
Edgar's smile slips, but his gaze is soft and understanding. He lifts a hand to cup her cheek gently. "All will become clear very soon. Come, let's not keep them waiting."

---

The Grande Hall as Edgar called it, was located in the building's cellar. Although Jessica had no idea where in the UK she was, after all she did have a bag over her head during the journey, she did know however that she was currently staying in a castle so large that it could house the inhabitants of a whole village. Or at least, that's what Jessica thought. Nothing but moors for miles surrounded this luxurious castle. But getting back to the cellar, Jessica and Edgar had to climb a couple of flights of stairs before reaching a very large, metal door which was opened at the sight of them by two guards with astonishing ease. Once inside, Jessica saw that there were no windows (obviously), and that the large, circular room was lit by several candelabras standing on tall, black metal frames around the room. It was almost as if she'd stepped back in time. Were they even aware that they could use electric lighting? 

Jessica heard Edgar chortle beside her and glanced at him curiously to see him looking at her while trying (and failing) to keep a straight face. She was about to ask what he was laughing at when she heard his voice in her mind. 'You're going to offend someone with such thoughts. Try to focus.' Jessica's cheeks reddened a little as she quickly then glanced around the room at the hooded figures standing by the walls. There were so many of them. All eyes on her. She noticed a couple of them smirking and her cheeks grew even redder. Leaning towards Edgar a little, she whispers to him. "Can they all read minds?"
'No, not all. But I'm sure a couple caught what you thought just now.' She hears his voice in her head. 

The centre of the room was clear, as all the other figures lined the walls. Only one figure stood in the centre of the room. His robe that of a deep crimson colour. He was the only one in the room (except Edgar) who had his hood down to reveal long white-blonde hair. His features that of a young man, barely in his twenties. His eyes such a bright shade of green that they could rival her brother's eyes. Her brother...Jessica wondered where he was now. What he was doing. If he was alright or if Lucifer had hurt him to spite her. Just as she thought this Edgar nudged her elbow sharply to bring her back to herself. She noticed a couple of the vampires around them were now squinting at Jessica suspiciously. 

The vampire in the centre meanwhile had extended an arm to her with a serious expression. Jessica gave Edgar one last uncertain look before walking to the centre to stand near the vampire. He looked over her briefly before addressing the room. "You all know why you have been summoned here today. This mortal has brought word that our God, Ravios has made contact with her. Edgar, step forward." 
Edgar steps into the center beside Jessica obediently.
"Please provide us with your statement." 
Giving a short bow, Edgar looks around at the other hooded figures. He holds his hands behind his back as he begins pacing around while confidently telling the room of how they captured Jessica while she was stalking Vampires. Her words once they had gotten her into the interrogation room and the memory he'd uncovered while drinking from her. He concluded his statement by saying he was convinced she was genuine.

Nodding, the the blonde vampire looks around the room. "Vampires. Elders of the largest, most respected covens. This is why I have summoned you here today. If this story is true, then our wait is over."
"Why would Ravios choose a mortal? Why not a vampire?" One of the vampires pipes up. Murmurs spread through the room until the blonde vampire held up a hand to silence them. "It is unclear as God's actions always are. However, if the Blood God has chosen to send his trusted messenger to this mortal as Edgar claims, then perhaps he views her as equal to ourselves or worthy of our sacred blood." Turning to look now at a very nervous Jessica, the blonde vampire addresses her. "Jessica Sedley. As the oldest vampire, I must access your memory in the same way that Edgar has done. If you are telling the truth, you will be treated and viewed as royalty. The vampires here will confirm this story to vampires across the world. You will become close to that of a deity to our kind and the story of today will be passed on for generations. But if you are found to be lying, you will be tied to Edgar who will be tied to a stake to await the burning sun. You will both burn together as he would combust under it's rays. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Jessica replies while terrified of the extremity of the punishment. 
"To blaspheme in such a way as this is deserving of such a punishment Jessica." The elder says, having clearly read her mind, while extending a hand for her to take. Jessica takes his hand and the elder pulls her arm towards him. At first, Jessica assumed he would drink from her neck but the elder doesn't pull her so close. Instead, he holds her arm gently while bringing her wrist to his mouth. She feels hands on her shoulders and glances up quickly to see Edgar watching her with a calm expression. Then, with a gasp, she feels the sting and the throbbing pain in her wrist as the elder begins to drink. Feeling the sensations taking hold again, her legs feel weak. Jessica leans back a little against Edgar, glad that he had a hold of her. Just as she felt she might faint, the elder stopped. Still holding her arm, he looked at the bite mark and the blood oozing from it for several moments before licking the wound and biting his tongue to rub his own blood into the wound. While this would not turn Jessica, it would heal the wound. 

Letting go of her hand, he withdraws a handkerchief from his pocket and pats his mouth dry. The room seemed to hold it's breath as it waited for the Elder's verdict. Placing the handkerchief back into his pocket, he looks back at Jessica before looking around the room. Then he smiled. His smile grew wider. Jessica felt chills running up her spine. What had she done? What did this mean now? 

"The mortal speaks the truth." The room immediately came alive with murmurs and excited chatter before being interrupted by the Elder as he shouts over all of them. "Silence!" The room falls silent. All eyes on the trio in the center. "It is the end of an era. The end of hiding in the shadows. Our God has sent word through his messengers and we must answer the call. The mission is simple. Spill blood." The elders smile becomes more crooked. More menacing and Jessica felt helpless to stop any of this. It was all happening around her and all she could do was watch. "No more sparing the lives of those we hunt to remain anonymous. Drink until they're dry. No more drinking from one mortal a night. Drink from as many as you please! The more the better. Spill some of their blood on the ground for good measure. For every four you hunt, turn one! Build our numbers. Destroy the non believers. Destroy all those who will not follow but be sure to drain them before burning them. Before long, humanity will be at our mercy. They will become nothing but slaves and cattle. We will overpower the hunters. Will will dominate this world in preparation for our Gods arrival!"
The room was now filled with cheering before gradually being emptied. The elders wanting to get back to their covens as soon as possible to spread the word. The elder had also left the room. Jessica stood, still leaning against Edgar. She felt the strangest combination of numbness and sickness. "What have I done?" She whispers, staring at the ground. "Something wonderful, my lady." Edgar whispers in her ear, giving her shoulders a reassuring squeeze. But this was no comfort to Jessica. She had just condemned humanity to being hunted and enslaved by vampires. How will she ever forgive herself? What can she do to set things right? 
"Shield your thoughts, my lady. You heard the elder. Royalty or not, they will not hesitate to destroy you if you falter." 
"You're hesitating..." Jessica half laughs, though she currently feels nothing. 
"I dare say I've grown quite attached to you, my lady. I also understand that you could never possibly understand what it's like for us. You've never had to live like us. How could you know?" She feels her hair being pulled back, away from her neck and his breath on her skin but she doesn't recoil or pull away. She was in far too much shock to care. "But I could help you to understand...?" she felt his lips on her neck but he didn't bite her. He seemed to be waiting for an answer...or permission. "No...I need to...think"
He kisses her neck softly. "The offer is there. For now, I will be your guard." He lifts his head to rest against hers, his lips just lightly brushing her ear. "My lady."
"Yes..."

----------

Hands bound behind her back in metal cuffs. Head pounding from where she'd been hit. Darkness. Something over her head. Jessica was stumbling as someone gripping her arm tightly forced her to walk blindly. She could hear their footsteps. Too many steps to be sure how many were walking with her. Then they narrowed down to two sets of echoing footsteps. Hers and her guide. She heard the sound of a heavy door being opened. "The chair in the middle." Came a male's voice, deep and commanding. Jessica was pushed forward a little more hurriedly, stopped, then turned on the spot before feeling hands push her shoulders down so that she was forced to sit on a chair. Her arms still bound behind her didn't feel a back to the chair, which meant she was sitting on a stool. 

The dark, fabric bag over her head was pulled off harshly and she had to allow her eyes to adjust to the sudden light. She squints, her eyesight not brilliant as it is without her glasses, she watches the large wooden door being closed and locked. Leaving herself, the man stood next to her that Jessica assumed had guided her here, and another male leaning against the door with one leg crossed over the other and his arms folded over his chest. 

Dark eyes stared at her, putting her on edge. It felt as if he was looking into her. "Wher-"
"Quiet." That deep voice interrupted her from across the room. "I'll be asking the questions". The male then walked forward, his footsteps soft, barely audible in comparison to what hers and her guide's had been. When stood close to her, he bends his knees to squat in front of her, staring at her carefully. She could see him much more clearly here. Chiselled, pale features and a strong jawline. He was quite handsome, particularly the way his short, dark hair was combed back. His deep brown eyes continue to stare into her very soul. Jessica sat tense, and rigid as he looked over her carefully before opening his mouth to speak finally. 

"Who sent you?" He asks and Jessica was slightly taken aback. 
"Sent me?" Her voice shakes and the male in front of her sighs heavily.
"Who are you with? Secret Services? Vampire Hunters Guild? Supernatural Observers?...You were caught following one of ours towards our coven. Why? Who. Sent. You?!"
Jessica shivers, her pupils dilated in fear. She hadn't realised in her tracking that she'd be mistaken for a hunter. Or anyone else for that matter. Until a few weeks ago, she had even been sceptical at the existence of vampires! But she had a mission to fulfil. Whether they will listen might be another thing. "R-Ravios sent me-" Jessica starts then lets out a squeal as the one who'd guided her into this room pulled her head backwards by her hair to force her to stare at the fangs he bared at her angrily, hissing. His eyes seemed to glow in his anger. "Do not blaspheme! Do you wish to die?!"
"No!" Jessica cries out, tears stinging the corners of her eyes, mainly from the mild pain of her head being pulled back by her hair. 
"Enough! Let go of her." The male in front of her says sternly. The guide then releases Jessica's hair with one last angry hiss. "I would advise that you refrain from lying to us. Especially about our religion." 

"Your religion?" Jessica blinks and the male in front of her narrows his eyes. Feeling their mistrust, Jessica leans forward a little, desperate for at least one of them to believe her. "I-I didn't know it was your religion, I swear. I'm telling the truth! Omkara came to me, he told me about Ravios. You must believe me!" The male continued to stare, though his eyes seemed now to be looking through her in deep contemplation. 
"I swear I'm going to kill this bitch if she insults us one more-"
"Leave us." 
"...B-boss?"
The male in front of Jessica looks up at her guide coldly. "Leave us." He repeats in a harder tone.
Jessica, for a moment, looks hopeful. Did he believe her?

"Boss, either she's mad or she's lying! Either way, she knows of our existence! She's a threat!"
"That's my call to make. I will not repeat myself, Bogumil. Leave."

The guide, now known as Bogumil, made one last scowl towards Jessica before storming out of the room, being sure to slam the door behind him. 
"Y-you believe me then?" Jessica asks naively. 
"No." the male answers shortly, rapidly dashing any hope Jessica had gained. "He's right. Either you're lying or you're crazed..." The male sighs and looks to the ground. 
"Or I'm telling the truth!" Jessica blurts out desperately. The male doesn't react at first. He remains as still. Seemingly lifeless as a statue which makes his sudden movement, although merely a simple nod, all the more alarming a few seconds later. He smiles a little, and despite the immense fear and desperation, Jessica felt weirdly comforted by it. The male looks back at her in wonder. Once again, seeming to be in deep thought as he lifts a hand to gently cup her cheek, his thumb moving over it softly. "There is one way I can find out." He says as his hand moves down and his thumb strokes her throat. 

Jessica stiffens. She could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead. "Are you going to kill me?" She half whispers, her breath held and her throat feeling tight. Her heart quickens as the male leans towards her, his face just inches from hers. At her question, he chuckles softly, lowering his face towards her neck. "Only if you're lying...or mad." He whispers softly, his hand supporting her back while the other moves her hair behind her. Jessica closes her eyes.

***Had to do some research on The Vatican as it's not something I'm familiar with so please forgive me if I get anything wrong.***

It has been about two weeks since Damien's funeral. Sara and Jessica haven't been staying in one place since. Always on the move in an attempt to be difficult to track. Sara had sold the café and bought an RV. All their belongings on board as they drive across the states day by day. They had no goal. No plan. Simply survive and avoid another run in with Lucifer. Sara couldn't bare to lose her daughter as well as her son. Funnily enough, Sara hadn't cried since his death. She wouldn't allow herself to. She needed to be strong for her daughter who grieved openly. No, she needed to focus on trying to keep them one step ahead, which in itself is difficult to do when you have no idea where your enemy is nor how they move around. To Sara, Lucifer had always seemed to simply "appear" in her life then just as swiftly disappear to not return for a random amount of time.

Sara was driving, the only sounds she could hear being the engine as they cruise down the highway and the occasional quiet sob from Jessica who sat in the passenger seat, staring out of her door window at the scenery outside. She was still coming to terms with their loss and Sara knew she felt responsible for Damien making the choice that he did. She blames herself for not signing the contract. Wanting to take her mind off things, Sara leans towards the centre of the vehicle's dash board and turns on the radio. Bon Jovi is halfway through singing the chorus to "You give love a bad name" when Jessica suddenly turns the radio off again and looks at Sara. "It's never going to end, is it?"

Sara blinks at her daughter before returning her gaze to the road. It had been the first time Jessica had spoken since Damien's death. It takes her a moment to find the right words and just as soon as she opens her mouth, Jessica speaks again. "Damien said...we're damned anyway...is that true?"
Sara didn't take her eyes off the road but she could feel Jessica's eyes on her. "Why didn't you tell us? You kept it from us..." Her voice sounds broken but the accusation is heavy in her tone.

Sara sighs and flicks on an indicator before pulling into the hard shoulder to park up. Putting on her hazard lights so she wouldn't be bothered by police, she turns off the engine and sits back in the chair. Resting an elbow against the glass of her door window, she rubs her forehead with her fingers. Her eyes closed for a moment. She knew Jessica was still staring at her. "I wanted to protect you. Both of you." Sara sighs again. She hadn't considered that her own contract might still be affecting Jessica, despite Jessica having not signed one. "I don't know...I don't know..." Sara wanted to much to cry and break down but at the same time, she felt numb. Almost lost.

Jessica on the other hand was staring out of the windscreen thoughtfully. "You said my dad is an Angel..." Sara didn't move nor answer. "Maybe...maybe we can get help from them...there must be a way to reverse it all...maybe they know how."

Sara lowers her hands and turns to look at her daughter who seemed to be looking back at her with new hope. Sighing again, she puts the vehicle into gear and turns the engine back on. "Worth a shot..." She says as she drives down the hard shoulder until they pick up enough speed to join the other cars on the road again. Sara was uncertain but if it was a chance to keep her child safe, what other choice did she have? Jessica meanwhile was now smiling a little as she watches the scenery out of her window pass them by once more. They finally had a plan.

***

After driving for several hours to the nearest airport, a quick phone call to one of Ryan's "friends", paying for tickets and finding somewhere safe to keep their RV before take-off. Sara and Jessica boarded a plane to Rome, hoping that they might find Arch-Angel's in the Vatican City. Once there, they took little time to see the sights before getting themselves a hotel room. Only moments after placing their bags in the room, they lock the door and leave the hotel to head straight for St Peter's Square.

To avoid being confused with tourists as well as avoid any security that might try to stop them, Sara led Jessica around the back of the building where they managed to climb in through an unguarded, open window. Now to find one of the priests...
It didn't take them long. Upon walking out of the room they'd climbed into and walking along the corridors that echoed with each footstep, a priest in black robes with a purple belt caught sight of them. The elderly man with the purple cap that just about covered a balding head shakes his hands before him in shock at seeing the intruders and begins calling down the corridors in Italian. "Help! Help! intruders!"

Inwardly thanking her father for making her travel the world with him when she was younger, Sara shouts back in fluent Italian. "Wait! We need the help of Arch-Angels!" It was a long shot but it was straight to the point. Unable to understand the language, Jessica is left to watch everything unfold with uncertainty. "We're seeking to escape the grasp of the Devil! Please help us!"

The priest pauses as the Swiss Guards come around the corner wearing what appeared to be police uniform. They begin barking orders at the two women when the priest raises a hand to quiet them. His eyes not leaving Sara and Jessica, he tilts his head a little then speaks again. "Elaborate?" He says while watching them carefully. It was clear that he was debating whether or not they are being genuine or if they're simply mad.

Sara and Jessica don't move while under the glare of security who held guns pointed at them at the ready. "I am Sara Rai and this is my daughter Jessica. My husband is Ryan Rai, an Arch-Angel who is currently on duty in Hell to search for missing Angels...." Sara pauses and gulps, a little nervous to explain the rest but continues regardless. "Myself and my father were visited by Lucifer before I met Ryan. He forced me to sign a contract that I refused to sign...please...please help us. You're our last hope. If not, it's not only my soul that's damned but the souls of any generation of my family after mine." She finishes close to tears and barely notices that Jessica had placed a hand on her shoulder as she'd been talking.

The priest is silent and regards them both thoughtfully for several seconds before sighing and taking steps towards them. As he does, the haggard old man dissolves and a younger, more beautiful male stands before them in the same robes. His features seemed more chiselled and full. Shining, ginger hair with just a kink of a curl fell to his shoulders. Large white wings appear behind him and he wears a warm smile as he comes to a stop in front of Sara. He turns to look at the Swiss Guards, who don't seem the least bit surprised, and makes a gesture with his hand to prompt them to lower their weapons. "You may return to your posts. These women are not a threat." He says then turns to look back at the two. "They are our guests." He smiles, his tone soft and comforting.

"Come, I will take you somewhere you can relax while I gather others to listen to your story then we can decide whether or not we can help you." The Angel says and begins leading them down the corridor to a room with dark wooden walls and a red carpet. He walks to the centre of the room and holds his hands together in front of him while turning to look between Sara and Jessica. "You may wait here. Make yourselves comfortable, I shall be back soon." and he was. He brought five other Angels with him, three of whom had remained looking like the old, human priests.

All of them had a very stern gaze, even as Sara explained her whole story to them. It wasn't a surprise that her faith would be called into question by one of the Angel's but Sara was prepared to answer for herself, saying that in the years since, she had no reason to not believe and that she'd done everything she could to help herself and her children by taking them to church, repenting her sins and generally trying to live a good life. It only seemed to be when Lucifer came that she'd need to resort to violence. The angel's didn't seem entirely happy with her answer but thanked her for her honesty.

After asking Jessica a few questions as well, they exchanged glances between them before finally asking that Sara and Jessica wait in their hotel rooms while they discussed the matter. Thankful to at least have been given the chance to be heard, Sara and Jessica returned to their hotel room where they waited until around midday the next day. A couple of the Swiss Guards knocked on their hotel room door and escorted the two women back to St Peter's Square.

Sara and Jessica were escorted into a different, smaller room this time. It appeared to be more like an office, with a large chair behind a desk that the Angel they'd spoken to the day before now sat in. He gestures across from him to the two chairs on the other side of the desk, closest to them. They each take a seat and Sara looks at the three other Angel's in the room. One stood directly in front of the now closed door, the other two on either side of the desk, facing them with their hands behind their backs. The two beside the desk could easily be twins. They looked identical from their brown, cropped hair, right to their slightly crooked noses. The one at the door was blonde, with brown eyes and was staring at the two with a frown. All of them had large, white, feathery wings.

Sara didn't like this. Something felt off. The way they're positioned...almost like guards. She returns her gaze to the one sat across from them who seemed to have a sad smile but was waiting patiently for them to settle into their chairs. "I'm just going to ask you a couple of questions. Just to confirm that we understand everything. Is that alright?" He asks in that soothing tone. Sara nods, as does Jessica and the Angel sits back a little. Shuffling his wings slightly to make himself more comfortable. "You signed a contract with Lucifer?"
"Against my will." Sara answers, being sure to make this point crystal clear.
The Angel nods, looking at his lap for a moment then bringing his gaze back to Sara's.

"And this contract was signed with your blood?"
"Yes." Sara was getting a little agitated. She didn't like repeating herself and she couldn't help but feel like they were accusing her.
"And this contract, not only binds yourself but all of your children and future generations from those children?"
Sara takes a breath to calm herself. "Yes."
The Angel now looks at Jessica. "Is this your daughter?" 
"Yes."
"Do you have any other children?"
Sara hesitates then lowers her gaze. "Not any more."
"Condolences...Has your daughter been bound?"
"No."
"Will her children be bound?"
"Not if I can help it!" Sara growls but the Angel holds up a hand to quiet her, his gaze returning to her with a gentle smile.
"But they would be if you were not there? Is that correct? You're not immortal Sara."
"Which is why I'm here!" Sara snaps but once more, the Angel holds up a patient hand to quiet her.
"There is one way we can help those future generations..."

The Angel nods to one of the twins by his desk and the twin gestures for Jessica to stand. As she does so, Sara looks between them with confusion before returning her gaze to the Angel behind the desk. "But-!...what about Jessica? What about my son?...me?" She asks, some fear coming through her voice.
The Angel's warm smile slips into a saddened frown. "Whether or not you were willing to sign that contract, your blood is on it. There is nothing we can do. If you seek release, it's Lucifer you need to speak with but even then, I would advise against making any further deals with the Devil. He is not to be trusted."

Sara's heart sank but then a realisation began to dawn on her as she returned her gaze back to her daughter who was now being told to close her eyes. If they couldn't help because of the contract Sara had signed then how else would they "help future generations"? By helping them not exist!

Sara realised this a little too late, "JESSICA!" she screams, diving out of her chair to attempt to grab her daughter but by the time she'd reached her, the twin Angel had plunged a knife, hidden under the sleeve of his robe into Jessica's stomach, twisting it sharply before retracting it and stepping back in time for Sara to catch her.

Kneeling on the floor, holding onto Jessica who coughs up a little blood before her eyes roll, Sara begins breathing heavily, starting to panic. She taps her daughter's cheek lightly while trying to put pressure on the wounds with her free hand. "Jessica! Jessica stay with me!" She begins to cry. The Angel behind the desk had gotten to his feet and was looking at Sara with a sad expression. "Don't worry. The knife is glazed in one of our poisons. Jessica will drift into a deep sleep before she passes. You'll be joining her very soon."

Unable to believe what she was hearing, Sara looks up at the Angel then eyes the twins holding a knife each warily. "Why?! We came to you for help!" She shouts at them, tears falling freely now.
"This is the only form of help we can offer. We cannot free you from your contract but we can ensure future generations do not suffer the same fate. If by some miracle, you both survive the poison, where we strike should leave you both barren."

"You bastards! If you couldn't help, you could've just sent us away!"
"I'm afraid your contract poses a far greater risk than you realise...but we thank you for bringing it to us as quickly as you did."
"What risk?!"
"I'm afraid I've told you too much already. I wish you the best of luck in freeing your family Sara Rai."

The twins begin approaching Sara but by this point, Sara had begun to see red. Her last hope dashed. She'd come to them for help and what do they do? Kill them? If not leave them barren for life? Sara was growling as she slowly moved to stand straight. Her teeth lengthening into fangs. "Saints." She looks between the twins, her eyes shifting to her demonic red ones. "My." Sara's finger nails harden and sharpen, changing into claws. "ARSE!"

Sara doesn't recall what happened after. Having blacked out. But she can remember the angry shouts, painful screams and savage growls clearly. By the time she'd calmed down enough to see straight again, the room was practically painted red. Feathers, skin, innards strewn across the whole room. Sara was standing over the battered, mutilated body of the ginger Angel. Her features slowly returning to normal but still contorted in rage. Apparently swords had been brought into the mix. A couple of the Swiss Guards had run in, only to be ripped apart as well. A price for having her blood on Lucifer's contract was the slow transformation into one of his demonic servants. Sara could hear sirens in the distance. She had to get out of here...before more security turns up...before the authorities turn up...she had to get Jessica out of here too...get her to a hospital. Moving across the room, she looks at her daughter on the ground, now splattered with Angel blood.

Sara's lower lip trembles, her eyes threatening tears. Not yet. Have to get out first. She beds down and picks Jessica up, turning to leave through the window, the pauses as the Angel coughs some final words. "These...events will...not be...forgotten...You only...served...to damn yourself...further...There is...no place...for one like you...in Heaven." While the words stung, Sara looked down at her daughter's relaxed, sleeping features. If Heaven would take her children's lives..."Fuck Heaven." She growls and leaps through the window.

Carter was caught off guard by his kids jumping on the bed. “It’s Christmas! Christmas!” ,said Nate.

Nate was a wild rambunctious kid. He had brown spiky hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing his Scooby doo pajamas. Every morning, he would wake his fathers. Normally, it was a shake on an arm and a shout. But today was different. It was a special holiday.

Sally said, “C’mon dads! Wake up!” She too was jumping. Her red pigtails flopped about. Hitting her shoulders. She had beady green eyes like a doll. And freckles across her nose.

Carter groaned at the early morning wake up call. He rolled over on his side. Facing Jack’s direction. His husband smiled at his irritation. “Yeah, Apples. We gotta open the presents.” He kissed him. Carter couldn’t help but smile too. Jack's blonde short hair radiated under the sunlight along with his ocean blue eyes. He recalled getting the nickname, Apples, from him way back in high school when he use to eat an apple every single day. Nowadays, the taste of an apple is souring to him but the title never left him. And he didn’t mind.

It was welcoming. Getting called a name because of a simple action which brought them closer as friends and then as a couple. He chuckled at the continuous jumping that the kids were still at. “Alright alright.” He sat up. “Head on down there. We’ll be following.” “Yay!” The kids raised their hands. Running out of their parents bedroom. “Hey! Don’t run at the stairs!”

Jack wrapped an arm around him. “Just face it. They’re not going to listen.” Carter sighed. “Yeah, I know. But there’s no harm in trying.” Jack caressed his cheek. “Maybe we should take the wifi out for a week? See how they would do when it comes to playing outside?” “Oh god! No! I’d be the one suffering too. I’m on a binge of The Office.” He rolled his eyes. “Seriously? You can’t take one day off of Netflix?” “Have you seen me away from the TV?”

He held his hand. Looking into his amber eyes. They held a sparkle in them. A star from the night sky. “I think you would be great at pitching a tent.” “Yeah, after I look up a video on how to do that.” He shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.” “So are you.”

Carter brushed his lips over. Savoring another kiss before both men went into the living room where the large Christmas tree and its presents that lay beneath it were waiting to be ripped to shreds. To reveal what lay under the wrapping.

The kids had waited. Sitting near the tree. “Can we open them now? Please!” ,said Sally. Carter smiled. “Sure thing pumpkin. You two can open your presents.” Both kids were excited. They looked through the pile and quickly skimmed for their name. There were a couple of presents. Each one having been bought by friends or the parents themselves.

Every present was a sight to behold. Especially Jenga. A phone suddenly rang. Carter pulled out his cell phone. He read the name. Jack gave him a look. “Hold on. I’ve got to take this. I’m sorry. It’ll only be a moment.” He went into the kitchen to answer the call.

“Yes?” He listened intently. His working partner, Sanchez, gave him some new details. His eyes widened. “You sure about that?” He nodded. “Alright, I’ll be there.” He hung up. Putting his phone away.

Jack walked over. He frowned. “So, you’ve got to go?” “Sorry about this. There’s a new lead on the case. I have to get to the briefing right now. But I promise I’ll be back in time for dinner and games.” He sighed. “I know. I could never stay mad at you. Not even the kids would.”

He opened the fridge. “Before you go, I’ve got something for you for morning and your break time.” He handed him a large brown paper bag. “It’s got your favorite Beglian Waffles and a Classic BLT but with mustard and an accidental chicken in there.” Carter’s eyes lit up. “You made me a crispy chicken sandwich?” “I’ve been trying to perfect you. I just hope you’ll like it.” “Like it?” He almost couldn’t believe the amount of work that Jack had gone into to make this come to life. “I love you so much. You know that?”

Jack smiled. “I know.” He lifted up a small plant above both of them. “Mistletoe!” Carter’s cheeks tinted red. “Have you been waiting to do that all morning?” “More like since yesterday. Now, give me those kisses or else you won’t be able to leave.” “In that case, I think I’ll stay. Beats being at work and listening to boring old meetings.” “Just come here!” Jack wrapped his arms around his neck. Their lips held together tightly. Going slow and tasting the sweet nectar of honey that Jack loved to have on toast.

Carter stole another kiss before quickly changing in their bedroom. He came down stairs. Fully dressed and with a dash of cologne to smell decent. Jack straightened out his crooked tie as Carter pulled his overcoat over himself. “Be nice out there.” “Don’t worry. I’ll try not to bite.”

“C’mon kids! It’s time to say goodbye to daddy.” They ran over. Carter picked them up. Holding them in each of his arms. “I’ll be back for dinner, ok? I won’t be gone for too long. I promise.” “Pinky swear?” ,said Nate. Carter chuckled. “Well, I can’t exactly do that right now. You two have got my hands occupied. How about a kiss for luck?”

“A Promise Kiss!” ,said Sally. “Yeah. A Promise Kiss.” She kissed his cheek on her side while Nate kissed the other cheek. Carter had returned those kisses on their cheeks as well. “And last but not least.” ,said Jack who kissed him for what felt like the thousandth time. But that didn’t matter. Carter enjoyed every moment he had with his family. He almost couldn’t wait to come back home. Just to see them playing Jenga or eating turkey and all those sweet chocolates, garlic mash, fruitcake, and whatever else would be at the table.

He set them on the floor. He stepped out of the house with his lunch bag in one hand and his keys in another. His kids waved at him as so did Jack. “Bye daddy!” “See ya later!” “Have fun at work, Apples!”

He waved back with a smile then got in the car.

Shit! He thought. It was nearly nine. He couldn’t believe how long it had taken him to investigate. The evidence they found was hard to decipher. Some kind of code. It was the first time that the killer had given them a message. He wondered if it had been a ruse to get them off his trail.

He shoved that thought into the deepest recesses of his mind. Focusing on getting back home. He soon parked his car on the driveway. He jumped out of the car. Running to the front door. He stuck the key out to the lock. The door had been pushed open by his movements.

Immediately, the back of his hair stood on its ends. So many horrible scenarios ran through his head. “Jack? Kids?” He cautiously stepped inside. He flipped the light switch on. He dropped his keys.

His kids were on top of each other. Blood poured out from their gaping wounds where their organs dangled nearby. A sick feeling hit his stomach. He leaned against the shelf near him. Trying to keep himself from falling.

“Carter!” He moved his eyes to Jack who was standing there. “Jack! The kids…! What the fuck?!” “That’s enough from you.” A man stepped over. He wore a dark red suit and black gloves. Carter pulled out his gun. Aiming at the stranger. “You killed them! You sick fucking bastard!” The man aimed a gun to Jack’s head. “And I’ll kill him too if you do not pass your weapon over here.” Carter hesitated before placing the gun on the floor. He kicked it over. “Perfect.” The man picked it up. “You should all be honored that I came here to make your family beautiful. They are part of my new artwork.” “This is art to you?!” Carter grit his teeth. He glared at him. Seeing the insane eyes that saw people as nothing but tools.

“Of course it is.” The man walked to him. He aimed the gun at him. “My name is Vincent Hayes.” He smiled. “And you are not even worth my work. You’re useless.” 

Bang!

It was as if everything was in slow motion. Carter’s eyes widened. Blood stained his clothes. Partially getting on his face. Jack collapsed. “What?!” Vincent growled in his words. “Are you fucking kidding me?!” Carter’s mouth gaped open. He fell to his knees. Unable to do anything. His mind was a total blank.

Vincent looked down at him. “You ruined everything!” He ran out of the house. Leaving Carter alone with their bodies.

At first, Carter remained still. Tears slipped by. Rolling down his cheeks. His lips quivered. He could barely utter a word. “J-Jack….Kids….” He dragged Jack into his arms. Holding him close with a shaking tight grip.

He recalled how the morning started, the kids jumping on the bed, the presents that he saw being unwrapped, the many kisses he had with Jack who had given him his meals for work, and the hopeful thought that he would make it in time for dinner.

All of his anger and pain built up into the scream that made a neighbor call the police.

He never saw his mother much then. By the time he was sent home for the day, his mother would be leaving for her work. Always dressed in minimal clothing and sometimes with a red feathery scarf. She'd never tell Morpheus what her job was but as he grew older and learned certain things, he came to realise why he might never learn who his father was. But considering the men who would pay his mother for her 'services', he decided that perhaps he was probably better off not knowing. 
As he grew older, the more senior slaves at the factory took him under their wing and trained him to use the equipment. Gradually, his role went from cleaner to machine operator. At the age of sixteen, he went home to find his mother sobbing. She was pregnant again. Mellukh was there and he was ecstatic. He was praising her for being a free source of additional labour and that if she 'pumped out a few more' then he'd promote her to 'breeder' and provide her with fine foods and drink while she 'worked'. The Deveronian had made Morpheus sick to his stomach but he didn't dare ruin his good mood. Mellukh ended his visit by popping the cork on an expensive bottle of champagne, pouring them each a glass and then leaving with the bottle. Once he was gone, Morpheus tried to comfort his mother but she became aloof and walked into her bedroom while saying she wanted to be left alone. 

Sometime later, Morpheus fell asleep. He awoke in the early hours of the morning with an awful feeling in his gut that something was wrong. Horribly wrong. He sat up and looked at their little table. One of the glasses of champagne was missing. He called out for his mother but when he got no answer, he walked over to her room and pulled the curtain back. She was sat on her mattress which was on the floor, with her back against the wall. There were long vertical slits down both of her arms from where she'd broken the glass and run the sharp edge into her skin. Not content that this would do the job, she had also taken to eating the glass, leaving half of it broken and bloodied on the mattress beside her. Her mouth and lips were a mess of deep cuts and blood. She was staring vacantly across the room. For a moment, Morpheus stared at her in numb silence until he finally found his voice and began screaming. He cried, shouted for help and knelt by his mother's side, begging her to not leave him.
Losing his mother was bad enough but Mellukh blamed Morpheus for her death. He had him beaten repeatedly for not stopping her. It was a miracle that he survived all the blows to his head but he ended up knocked out so frequently that he completely missed the vigil that the other slaves had held for her. When he was finally able to go back to work, he was depressed, nihilistic and angry. When he wasn't working, he was drinking homemade spirits and getting into fights. His wild hormones didn't help matters. He would step out of line regularly and be beaten by Mellukh for his rebellious behaviour. Finally, Mellukh had enough of his attitude and in an effort to make him submissive again, he slapped a shock collar on him. The more Morpheus acted out, the higher the level of shock he'd receive. On some occasions, Mellukh's cronies would shock him for the fun of it but when Morpheus would get angry with them and run his mouth off, they would increase the voltage and shock him for longer periods. Once they had shocked him for so long that he'd lost control of his body and they'd laughed cruelly at him as he sat humiliated, crying in his own waste.
Shortly after he'd turned twenty, Mellukh had selected him along with a few other slaves to clean a luxurious-looking apartment. Mellukh had warned them to be on their best behaviour that day. That the man they'd be hosting in this apartment was a Sith Lord who had every right to kill them if they so much as looked at him wrong. Morpheus hated his life but not enough to lose it so he obeyed and went about dusting the surfaces. Shortly after, the Sith Lord walked in. Apparently catching Mellukh by surprise as he'd arrived earlier than anticipated. Morpheus continued to clean but he watched the Sith in fascination as he and his owner greeted each other. He'd only ever heard of Sith up until now. As he stared, he caught the man's eye. Worried he'd be reprimanded, he quickly averted his gaze and continued to clean in a more hurried way. Then he heard a sentence that he'd always dreaded. "How much for him?"

Mellukh turned and stared at Morpheus in contemplation before turning back to the Sith. "Normally I would charge more." Mellukh lied. He'd never 'rented' Morpheus before today. "But as it is you, my lord, fifty credits for an hour. Two hundred for the evening."
"And to buy outright?"
"And take away a source of my income, my Lord?" 
"The evening then."
Morpheus's heart sank and his cleaning slowed. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He didn't know what this Sith had in store for him but if his mother's life had been anything to go by then it wasn't something he wanted. But he didn't have a choice. Even without Mellukh's earlier warning, Morpheus knew that this man could kill him if he disobeyed. He couldn't explain it but he simply felt it the moment he'd entered the room. 

Later that evening, once the Sith had concluded his business elsewhere, he'd returned to the apartment. Morpheus had long been left to wait for his return, after having a somewhat crude pep talk from Mellukh. Morpheus stood against the wall, awaiting orders. He kept his eyes on the ground and shivered as the Sith approached him. He felt sick from nerves. But the Sith didn't come any closer that a few feet from him. "I can sense your anger." the Sith had said in an almost amused tone. "Among other things..." Confused, Morpheus lifted his eyes to the Sith who was staring back at him with a determined smile. "I feel you might not belong under the rule of your owner. I sense the force in you. You could accomplish great things but as long as you remain under the thumb of that insufferable Deveronian, you will always be a slave."
"...What?" Morpheus stammered. "N-no, that can't be right... I don't have any force sensitivity. I'm nothing like you. I- Please forgive me but I think you might be mistaken, my Lord."
"I am not." the Sith answered simply. "Come..."

Over the next week, the Sith paid to 'rent' Morpheus. Although Mellukh assumed that it was for the Sith's carnal pleasure, what was happening behind closed doors was the farthest thing from it. The Sith was teaching Morpheus to hone his latent gifts. To use them for simple tasks such as levitating objects across the room. Morpheus had been dubious at first but the more he listened to the Sith and reached out to the force, the more it made sense. At the end of the week, Mellukh sent Morpheus to the Sith's apartment as usual with a cheery pat on the back for earning him so much money. He'd made an offhand remark about Morpheus finally being good at something, which irked him a bit. But he ignored it, eager to head to the Sith's apartment to learn more force tricks. But when he arrived, the apartment was bare and droids were leaving with the Sith's luggage. His heart dropped to his stomach as his eyes landed on the Sith who appeared to have been waiting for him. "You're leaving?"

"My work is done here." The Sith replied with a nod and stepped forward to hand him a card. It was a shuttle pass to Korriban. "But this isn't the end of your training. I told you that you could be capable of so much more but you need to break free of this life first. That anger that you feel festering in your soul? Use it. Unleash it on the one who owns you. Break your own chains and then continue your training on Korriban. Only once you have done this and passed your trials can you become Sith."
"Me? Sith?"
The Sith placed his hand on Morpheus's shoulder. "Take control of your own destiny. I hope to see you again. On another world, carving out your own future."
Morpheus watched the Sith leave with a sad expression. Once he was alone in the apartment, he looked at the shuttle pass. For the first time in his entire life, he could imagine having a completely different life. One where he wouldn't be beaten for talking out of turn. One that he had more control over. It excited him. It granted him hope. He knew in his heart that this was exactly what he wanted but the Sith had been right about one thing. Mellukh would never let him just leave. He needed to take his destiny into his own hands and break free from his bonds. He looked at the door that the Sith had left through. "Until we meet again... [REDACTED]"

Morpheus went back to his owner's quarters to confront him. Mellukh had raised an eyebrow in surprise at seeing him. "Back so soon?" he asked. "You didn't do anything to embarrass me or put him off, did you?" he demanded, already looking agitated. 
"I'm leaving," Morpheus replied simply and for a moment Mellukh was taken aback but then erupted in laughter. 
"Good one! You had me going for a second there!" he cackled. "Now if you're done 'servicing' his Lordship, go and scrub the factory floors. There was an incident about an hour ago and now the floors are sticky... and I'm down a slave." he waved dismissively. "If only your mother hadn't decided to eat glass. I'd have a few replacements ready to go by now."
Morpheus glared at Mellukh. "Don't talk about my mum like that!" he growled, clenching his fists. 
"Now, now Morp. Calm down. Do I need to shock some sense into you again?"
"Fuck you! I'm done with this! I'm done being a slave! I'm leaving and I'm going t-" Pain shot down Morpheus's spine. His muscles tensed as electricity coursed through him. He gagged, gasping. He gripped the collar around his neck and fell to his knees in agony.

"Leave me?" Mellukh laughed as he stood from his couch. A remote was in his hand and he kept his finger on the button that caused Morpheus's shock collar to shock him repeatedly. "And where will you go, hm? With what money? You. Are. Mine! You were mine from birth and you were mine from the minute a client pumped you into Alekya! You will be mine until you expire! Do you hear me slave? You're nothing but property and that's all you will ever be!"
Rage. That's all Morpheus knew. All Morpheus had become. He forced himself to stand despite the pain and reached an arm out to Mellukh who was grinning at him evilly. 
"What's that Morp? You want me to stop?" he mocked. Having assumed that Morpheus was reaching out to beg for mercy. "Have you come to your senses yet, boy?"
Glowering, Morpheus focussed on the intense hatred that he felt for his owner. He felt the force shift and move around him so he focussed on tapping into it. He wanted him to feel the pain that he was feeling. He wanted him to feel the burn of the electric volts charging through his every limb. He wanted him to suffer the way he'd made him suffer. Static snapped around his fingertips. Seeing this, Mellukh's smile slipped but he didn't have time to react or move before purple lightning erupted from Morpheus's hand and ensnared him in its current.

Mellukh dropped the remote while letting out a loud shriek. The relief was immediate but Morpheus was so consumed in his hatred and he maintained the stream of lighting that he'd thrown at his owner. Bolt after bolt struck Mellukh and his screams were like music to Morpheus's ears. He loved every second of it as joyful tears slid down his cheeks. He kept it going until his screams died out and all that was left of Mellukh was a smoking, smouldering corpse. The entire ordeal had only lasted seconds but to Morpheus, it had felt like a lifetime and now that it was over, he quickly became aware of his surroundings. The alarms. The approaching shouts from Mellukh's men who were rushing to help him. Morpheus knew that he wasn't skilled enough yet to take them all on so he hid and at the first opportunity he snuck out and made his way to the shuttle for Korriban.

An Imperial trooper accepted his pass after seeing which Sith Lord it was from, then made arrangements to have his slave chip and shock collar removed before he could get onboard. It was happening. It was really happening... the start of his new life! Morpheus Baelfire felt reborn as he looked through the window to see a sea of stars and ships. He chuckled to himself as tears dripped onto his shirt. He was free... finally. Of course, he was terrified of what his trials might entail. He'd heard a few stories during his trip from other would-be acolytes but he didn't care. Anything was better than the life he'd just come from. He realised during this trip that this would be an opportunity to re-invent himself. He could be anyone he wanted to be. Maybe-...

He stopped mid-thought as he felt as though he was being watched. He looked away from the window and met eyes with a red-skinned woman who was smiling at him. He stared back uncertainly, wondering who she was or why she would show any kindness to him. Little did he know at this point, that during their trials on Korriban, she would become a valued friend.

A woman's scream rang down the corridors, but after all the blood shed and carnage, that was no surprise. What was a surprise however, was Amelia's scent becoming suddenly a lot stronger. He could smell her blood again but it was as though she was stood right next to him. A dreadful realisation dawned on Sebastian that the woman's scream may have been Amelia and he could smell her so strongly because she was bleeding!
He didn't hesitate, he just ran. Following the scent and going as fast as he could towards the source. In no time, he ran into a room and stopped for a moment to take in the scene. One Doctor and two guards dead, the Doctor's insides strewn across the floor while the guards appeared to have suffered rather large stab wounds. One Doctor cowering in the corner. On the operating table, a dead...wait, is that a fricking ANGEL??

One guard was holding on to what appeared to be the hilt of a sword which was deeply embedded in Amelia's shoulder, pinning her to the wall, twisting it maliciously to make her scream more. Two more guards were trying to fight Damien with their fists, the both of them attempting to pin him down, focussing on his arms as though terrified of what he could do with them if allowed to use them.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Damien screamed at Sebastian. "I told you not to follow us, moron!!"
Sebastian looked back at Amelia and shouted back in reply; "Figured I owe you for saving my ass. Now, let me save yours!" He strode over to the guard pinning Amelia and yanked him away from her.
"You willing to put that in writing?" Damien muttered to himself with a grin then saw what the vampire was doing. "No, you don't understand!" He heard Damien shouting, but Sebastian ignored him and he bit into the guards neck, quickly drank a little then tore his throat out. Dropping the body, he turned to Amelia who was convulsing. Her hands gripping the sword tightly, blood dripping from her hands where the sword bit into her skin. Her head was tilted back, her eyes shut tightly and her face contorted. For another horrid moment, he saw Patience. Blinked and he was looking at Amelia again.

"Don't touch her!!" Damien yelled.
"What's wrong with her?!" Sebastian turned to look back at Damien, then took a step towards him, intending on helping him with the guards. "Don't!! Just trust me on this, will you?"
"Is your pride really worth it?!"
"Idiot!" Damien scoffs then opens one of his clenched hands a little to let a tiny chain drop. On the end of the chain was a blue crystal. "I swiped this from her when I saw the Angel. You ever see the incredible hulk? Shit is about to get CRAZY! So if I were you, Romeo, I'D GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"
At this, the two guards simultaneously began to realise why pinning Damien had been so easy when so many others had failed. He could have killed these guards by now, but Amelia would need someone to kill to satisfy the Devil's Rage that was currently taking hold. If he killed them, the only people nearby she'd focus her rage on was Damien and Sebastian. They both let go of Damien and backed away from him, looking at Amelia uncertainly. Sebastian too looked at Amelia and backed away to stand by Damien. He figured this might be the safest place to be.

Amelia was growling now. The skin around her eyes turning a little black. She opened them and her once blue eyes shone red while the whites of her eyes turned black. The guards, realising the danger started for the door. Damien snapped his fingers and the door slammed shut of it's own accord! The guards tried desperately to pull it open together.
Amelia began screaming while pulling the sword out of her shoulder. It seemed like a difficult and painful task. Sebastian contemplated going over and pulling it out but wondered if, in this state, she might mistake him for an enemy. "By the way." Damien sounded far too relaxed for what was happening. "What's you're name?"
"S-S-Sebastian...S-Sebastian W-W-Walker..." He replied, unable to take his eyes off the girl.

"Nice to meet you Sebastian. When this is all over, and I mean it this time, do not come looking for us. Do you understand?"
Sebastian glanced at Damien and the red-eyed glare sent shivers down his spine. Sebastian nodded with a nervous 'mhmm!'
"Good."

The sword clattered to the ground and the guards froze. They both turned to look at Amelia slowly, terrified. "Aww, I wish I brought popcorn. This part is always good!" Damien lamented and a moment later, Amelia was tearing into the guards with her hands. Her nails seemed to dig into their skin like they were little knives. Nothing the guards did seemed to bother her. She tore into them like they were nothing. Ripping one guard's stomach open, pulling out an intestine and quickly wrapping it around his throat to strangle him with.
The entire scene was utterly gruesome and seemed overkill for two guards. Sebastian took his eyes off the carnage to look at Damien who was grinning evilly at the sight. "Why? What is that necklace? Why is she doing that?"

Damien glanced at Sebastian then shrugged. "It's called the Devil's Rage. Some new-born Devils end up with the affliction when they're transformed. It's sort of a self defence mechanism. You know how most species have the fight or flight response? This is the fight response on steroids. It can take a Devil centuries to get under control so in the meantime, we have this handy-dandy little Angel Crystal to help her control it. But if it's taken off her..." A guards head rolled by their feet. "Shit like this happens...Amelia hates it." He admitted. "When the rage takes hold, she no longer recognises friend from foe, so if you get in her way before she gets a chance to kill those she identifies as having tried to kill her, she'll view you as nothing more than an obstacle to destroy. To top that off, she blacks out. So when she comes to in a minute, she won't remember what she did."

"So why did you take it off her, then?" Sebastian scolded. "If she hates it and you guys were handling yourselves fine, why take it off her?! It's overkill!"
Damien shrugs. "Couple of reasons; 1. Fuck you, I do what I want. 2. It's fucking funny! Did you see their faces? 3. She needs to learn how to control this without the crystal! and most importantly, 4...." He nods to the Angel on the table. "If they're able to take down an Angel and have it's weapon in their possession...there's no telling how this fight might have gone. We stood a better chance of surviving with her enraged."

Sebastian considered this and looked back at Amelia who had just finished tearing the second guard to literal pieces. She dropped the body parts and swayed on her feet a little. The darkness in her eyes receding and her eyes returning to a blue colour. She groaned and placed a bloodied hand on her forehead.
Sebastian hurried forward and caught her before she could collapse. Her eyes hovered on Sebastian's features briefly and she smiled as they flickered shut. "Goof..." She whispered, seeming to fall out of consciousness.

"Oh, that's just great!" Damien exclaimed. "Fucking Angelic steel!" He kicked the sword across the floor in frustration. "She's going to be out for hours! Fuck it, you know what? Fine! Maybe you're of some use after all, Sebastian! Do me a favour and carry her out of here for me? Stick close, and no funny business!" He ordered and Sebastian nodded, bending down a little to scoop up the female's legs. The smell of her blood was oozing from the wound in her shoulder and Sebastian gulped hard, resisting every urge he had to sink his teeth into her.
Damien nodded at him then began walking towards the door. He placed a hand on the handle then paused. "Oh yeah..." He muttered as he turned back and approached Sebastian. He carefully placed the chain back around Amelia's neck, fastening the little clasp then tucking the little crystal under her shirt. She was going to be pissed with him when she woke up but Damien wasn't worried. Confident that she'll forgive him. She always does. Sure, he'll get the silent treatment for a while but she always comes around in the end.

----------

Sebastian followed Damien closely, focussing hard on not losing him while the smell of Amelia's blood drove him mad. Finally, they reached the elevator and took it up to the ground floor of the Asylum. Things were far crazier up here than they had been below! Sebastian figured they hadn't actually had as many supernatural prisoners than they did human ones. Up here, all the human 'patients' were running around fighting with the few staff members left alive, breaking things and smashing windows.

They made their way through the asylum until Sebastian noticed something startling. "Damien!" He called out, ducking into a dark corner out of the way of the rioting patients. Damien stopped and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "The sun!" Sebastian exclaimed, nodding towards one of the windows.
Of course! It was early morning when Amelia and Damien set about their attack on the Asylum. "Fuck!" He cursed and looked around the building. He was tempted to take Amelia off him and leave without him. After all, Sebastian wasn't really their problem. But he needed to keep his hands free in case they were attacked and he also needed someone to watch the now incapacitated Amelia while he burned this place to the ground to destroy any evidence of them having been there.

"Alright, stay out of sight and away from the windows, I'll see if there's a safe route out for you!" Damien ordered and ran off. Sebastian crouched down in the dark corner, watching the people around them destroying the place. Now that he'd stopped it was so much harder for him to resist the urge to feed. He could feed on one of the people around them but that would mean leaving Amelia alone in her vulnerable state. He looked down at her desperately. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. A blood soaked beauty. He couldn't help running a finger across her cheek. Her skin was soft. She smelled sweet. So sweet...
He leant down, his mouth hovering over the open wound in her shoulder. He closed his eyes. He shouldn't...Damien would kill him. But he could imagine what her blood tasted like. Not just imagine, he could practically taste it! So sweet, sending pleasant sensations through his every muscle. Filling him. Warming his cold skin. Filling him with life!

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
Sebastian was thrown across the room roughly, landing in the glaring sunlight. He winced, his eyes darting to an infuriated Damien who was standing over him. Amelia, still unconscious behind him and Sebastian realised what had just happened. He didn't just imagine feeding from Amelia, he HAD been feeding from Amelia. "I-I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! I didn't mean-..." Sebastian trailed off as another realisation dawned on him. "I-...I'm not burning!"

Even Damien hesitated. He glanced between Sebastian, the window and Amelia. Putting two and two together, Damien looked back at Sebastian with a fascinated "huh..."
While Damien wasn't happy about what he'd caught Sebastian doing, it resulted in one problem being solved. "Lucky bastard!" He huffed and walked past Sebastian who flinched as he walked by. "Well, come on then! And bring Amelia, would you?"

Sebastian sighed in relief and hurriedly got to his feet, picking up Amelia carefully and then followed Damien out of the Asylum to their car. Damien looked back at Sebastian and eyed him suspiciously. "Not still hungry, are you?" Sebastian shook his head "Good. Put her in the back. You can ride up front with me. Watch her for a minute, would you? I'm going to burn this place down. Remind me to get you to sign something when I get back."
"Sign what?" Sebastian asked, worried. The last time he was asked to sign a contract, he ended up in that Asylum.
"You've seen and know too much for me to just let you go...If you sign the contract I give you, I won't have to kill you to get you to stay quiet, understand? Then you can go on your merry way, stay the fuck away from my sister but otherwise do whatever the fuck you want." Damien opened the car's back door for him. "Got it?"
Sebastian nodded sadly. "Got it..."

--------------------

It had only been an matter of days since the incident but to Sebastian, it felt much longer. His hunger gnawed away painfully and he spent most of his time huddled in the foetal position on the ground. This hunger was impossible to ignore and as a result he had not slept in about two days. Not that he could sleep before anyway. Every time he closed his eyes he'd see Patience dying in front of him again.
He was so hungry...even his teeth ached. He wondered if he'd be able to control himself when they finally threw their poor victim to him. He hoped he would. He might not be able to resist feeding but he'd like to have enough control to snap their neck before doing so. They couldn't turn a dead human and Sebastian figured it would be a mercy in comparison to the alternative. He'd have to be fast though. The second they realised the human was dead they would no doubt storm the cell to take his meal away.

Laying on the ground, he listened to the Doctors just outside of his cell. They were chatting excitedly about the new subject they'd chosen from the human part of the Asylum above. Apparent this poor bastard was due to meet Sebastian in a couple more days. They were eager to see how it was done, particularly as this procedure hadn't been performed in...how long? Did he really hear that right? By God...that would make him over one hundred and fifty years old! Had he really been stuck in this torture chamber for a hundred and thirty years or so? He hugged his legs tighter. He'd never given much thought to how long he'd been here before. He knew it had been years but...Jesus Christ...He tuned out the rest of the Doctor's conversation as they began talking about something called EastEnders and someone named Peggy...he couldn't even begin to fathom what that was all about. He was a little more concerned with how long vampires lived for anyways. He truly dreaded the thought of spending centuries at a time in a box and being poked and prodded whenever it took the Doctors' fancy.

Red lights flashed into his cell suddenly from the little round window. Alarms similar to the ones that sounded when he'd attacked the Doctor were now blaring around him deafeningly. He sat up slowly. For a horrible moment, he had been back in that room with Patience. He blinked. No, he was still in his cell...what's going on?
He got to his feet, heart pounding, looking towards the door anxiously. He had only ever heard the alarms sound once and that several days ago. Never in the time that he'd spent here had they gone off for any other reason. Was another creature fighting back the way he had? Was it a jailbreak? His heart leapt for just a moment at the thought. No...he wasn't that lucky.

Still though...maybe he could hear what was going on? But he didn't need to use his enhanced hearing to hear the commotion that was very quickly making it's way closer and closer to his cell. Gunfire. Screams. Orders of attack and retreat being yelled. His heart beat faster. It's either a jailbreak or someone making their way through the asylum to kill off everyone and everything here...either way, it's a way out of this hell, right?
He remained still, just staring at the door. Listening to the commotion get closer. Louder gunfire. That was right outside his cell! He held his breath. Voices! He could hear voices! One male and one female!

"Damien, check this out!" The female voice said.
"Woah...heavily armoured much?" The male, he assumed was this Damien, replied. He could feel tears sting his eyes. This is it! It's all over! Whether I live or die now, I'm saved!
"You don't think-?"
"Look there, a window! Go check it out!"

Sebastian's heart leapt once more. He shifted around the room to look at the window as he heard weight on the metallic ladders outside his cell. Within seconds he was looking into blue eyes of the blonde haired female. He beamed at her, tears falling down his cheeks. For a moment, she looked disappointed but seeing how Sebastian smiled at her, her eyes softened and she smiled back.

"Hold on! We're getting you out of there!" She shouted into the window and then she was gone. He heard the rattling of the ladders as she hurried down them.
"Is it him?!" Damien sounded excited.
"No, but this guy looks like he needs help too!"
"Woah, woah, woah! Wait a minute! Amelia, WAIT. A. GOD. DAMN. MINUTE!"
Sebastian could hear clambering on the door and he turned to face it.
"Amelia! Think about this! The room is armoured for a reason! What if he's dangerous!?"
"You didn't see the way he looked at me! Besides, I've got you, haven't I?" Amelia replied.
"Not the point!"

But Sebastian got his point. He was dangerous. These people were trying to do the right thing but that girl didn't seem to realise just how hungry Sebastian was! The moment that door opened, he'd have trouble controlling himself and he knew it! "Wait!" He started to call out but too late, the door opened...but not in a way Sebastian had expected. The girl tore it off it's hinges and it fell heavily to the floor with a bang. She seemed a little out of breath as she stood in the doorway, one foot on the frame, both hands on the frame on either side of her.
She was grinning at him, seemingly proud of her accomplishment. Sebastian stared at her then backed up into the corner of the cell, far away from her. Her expression shifted to confusion. "Please, stay back..." He says shakily. Her scent wafted into the cell. It was like nothing Sebastian had ever smelled before. It was sweet. Too sweet. Oh God, he wanted her. He wanted to drink from her. He wanted it so badly. "Please, leave me alone!" He cried.

A look of concern crossed Amelia's features as she took one step into the Cell.
"Amelia..." Damien said slowly, in a warning tone but she dismissively waved a hand at him.
"It's alright. It's going to be alright." She said calmly, taking another step. "You're a vampire, aren't you?" She then asked.
Sebastian stared at her questioningly before answering. "Y-yeah...how did you?"
"This isn't the first organisation we raided. I've met your kind before...They've been starving you, haven't they?" She asks, her tone softening.
Sebastian sobs a little as he nods. "S-stay back, please. I don't want to hurt you." He begs.
To this, Amelia pauses. Still smiling kindly. "You won't." She answers simply. "Not unless I let you." She holds out a hand and Sebastian flinches. She frowns then closes her hand, keeping it in front of her so that Sebastian could see. After a few moments, she opens her hand to reveal a tiny white crystal in the shape of a cherry blossom. She smiles as she takes another confident step towards him. "My body is armoured with this crystal substance. I can make things with it but more importantly, nothing can break my skin unless I want it to." That or she's caught off guard or is struck by an Angelic weapon, but she's not about to go telling people her weaknesses.

Sebastian stared between the little crystal flower in her hand and the girl in wonder. "What are you?"
Amelia hesitated but figured given everything this vampire had gone through, perhaps he would not be so quick to judge as others might be. "I'm a Devil. But I used to be a fairy. I still have some of my fairy powers, like the crystals but they're mostly gone now..." She looked into his eyes, how weary they looked. "We punish sinners. The truly wicked. We're here to help you and all the other innocent souls trapped here."
Sebastian's lip quivered as he looked at her and he lowered his gaze to the ground. "I'm not innocent..." He admitted. So ashamed to look at her, he didn't see Amelia's eyes momentarily turn red as she looked him over. Nor did he see Damien now standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with his arms folded and glancing behind him at the far door anxiously.

He felt Amelia's hands on his arms and his eyes shot up to look into her now blue ones. God, she smelled so good. His hunger hurt every inch of his body just being near her. He could hear her heart beating and felt his mouth filling with saliva. "Can I let you in on a little secret?" She whispered and he nodded. "Murder by self defence or defence of others, or even the defence of innocents does not count as a sin."
"So..."
"So, you're good you goof!" She grinned and Sebastian too grinned out of relief then he looked confused.
"Wait, how did-?"
"Secrets." She answered with a wink.
"Yes, and if you're done giving away all of ours, I think it's about time we got moving!" Damien piped up, clearly annoyed. He then looked at Sebastian with a serious expression, his green eyes seemed to burn into Sebastian. "If I were you buddy, I would; 1. Forget you ever saw us or I'll hunt you down. 2. Do not attempt to follow us or I'll kill you. 3. Get the fuck far away from this building as soon as you can because in about an hours time this building is just guna be one big inferno! Amelia, let's go!"
With that he turned and began leaving the room to head back to the corridors. Amelia smiled apologetically at Sebastian then took his hand and placed the flower into it, closing his hand around it. "Good luck." She whispered, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and running after her brother.

For a minute, Sebastian just stood there. Staring at the open door with a hand on the part of his cheek she had kissed. Had this been real? Did that really happen? or was he so desperate to leave that he just dreamt this all up? The longer he stood there however, the more he realised that it really did happen and he now had a limited amount of time to leave or he'd perish in the flames those mysterious people created.
Opening his palm, he looked at the little flower and smiled. He knew then that he would treasure this little trinket for as long as he lived. Pocketing it hurriedly, he ran out of the cell to see the carnage. Dismembered bodies of Doctors, guards and nurses littered each room and corridor. Some had been holding guns, scalpels or other such weapons when they had died. He ran and ran, trying to remember the route he'd taken all those years ago when the nurses had brought him down the elevator.

---------Meanwhile---------

More creatures released. More rooms raided. Until eventually, they broke into a room and saw something they didn't expect. Damien and Amelia came to a stop near the doorway. On a gurney, strapped down was a dead man with huge, white feathered wings. His abdomen had been cut open, apparently for dissection. Around him were two Doctors in bloody aprons and five guards who had retreated to this room.

"Well, well..." Damien says darkly. "I would be patting you on the back for such an achievement, but given your track record I think it's safe to say you'd dissect a Devil or Demon just as quick if you got your hands on one. That makes us enemies."
"D-Devils? D-demons?" One of the Doctors stammered then seeming to come to the realisation that that was exactly what they were facing points a finger at the pair while barking orders at the guards; "Capture one or both of them alive if you can! We cannot pass up this opportunity!"

"Fucking called it." Damien smirks evilly, both he and Amelia staring at the group in disgust.
"Damien." Amelia says suddenly and Damien follows her eyeline to the one guard holding what he assumed was once the Angel's short sword.
"I see it." He sighs. This might get tricky. As far as the humans were concerned that might just be another weapon to defend themselves with but to Damien and Amelia, it was a deadly weapon in very clumsy and ignorant hands.

I ended up having to split this into a two part-er because it wound up being so long lol
Enjoy.

----

The sun shone brightly, warming the once cold and wet United Kingdom. A black car was parked at the end of a road, with the asylum within it's sight. It's radio playing one of the current popular songs of that year, aptly named Crazy and sung by Gnarls Barkley. In the passenger seat, a blond haired woman with a pixie cut and wearing large black sunglasses was staring at the mental hospital. In the driver's seat beside her was a red headed male, his hair long but not quite long enough to reach his shoulders. His fringe almost as long as the rest of his hair and falling to one side of his face. A fashionable look for that year. He too wore sunglasses similar to the female.

"You sure this is the place?" The woman asked, unmoving. 
"According to all our leads..." The man sighs.
"I don't sense him." The woman says after a brief pause.
"Neither do I...but according to our informant, this place has an entire sublevel dedicated to 'researching the supernaturals.' Maybe they have something in the flooring preventing us sensing our kind?"
The woman shivers "Research!" She scoffs. "More like dissections, cruel tests and torture!"
"Mhmm. If this place is anything like the last three, it's not going to be pretty down there..."
"So what's the plan?"
"Same as before."
The woman turns her head a little to look in the male's direction. "Infiltrate and search. If he's not here then we release the 'patients' and burn the place down anyway." He finishes.
"I do love a good bonfire." The female smirks.
"As do I, sis." The man grins then frowns. "I'm worried, Amelia." He confides.
"I know you are." The blonde sighs. "I am too."

"I haven't heard from or seen him in over a decade! I know he has a tendency to disappear randomly but with everything that's happened, I would have thought he'd have popped up to at least check on things...This isn't like him...I just know something is wrong..." He turns to Amelia as he finishes his sentence.
"We'll find him, Damien." She tried to reassure her brother, but truth be told, she was finding that phrase harder and harder to believe herself the longer they search.
Damien turns back to facing the Asylum. Amelia continues looking at her brother for a moment, considering everything they'd gone through so far. They were not brother and sister biologically. In fact, they had only really met each other around five years previously. In that time, they had grown inseparable. Amelia knew all about the tragic story of his family. How his father had vanished shortly before his birth. How his mother went mad and now spends her days in animal form, roaming her new and very wild home. How his sister, overcome with grief at the idea that her soul had been sold before her birth, destroyed her own soul as an act of defiance.

She understood why Damien considered Amelia family. She reminded him of his sister from a time when they had been happy. Perhaps he saw her as a sort of second chance? To have again what he had lost and to protect it, this time, with everything he had. To get it right.
Amelia looked up to Damien. Before him, she had felt lost and woefully unprepared for what she had changed herself into. She barely had control of her new powers and often caused destruction without meaning to. Before her transformation she had been a half fairy. Orphaned when she was too young to remember and raised by a man who had found her beside her dead mother. She knew nothing of her family or home before then, but she often wondered. Maybe she'll find out one day. But she doubted it.

All she could do now was focus on the new family she had right now. That was Damien...and the man they were searching for. The man who had transformed Damien around ten years ago. The man who could teach them more about what they are and how to control their ever growing powers. How to survive in a world that would hunt them if it knew of their existence and what to do with the enemies they had inherited from him.
That's if they could find him...

She turned to look at the Asylum once more. "Do you really think they'd know enough about our kind to be able to block our senses?" She asked sceptically.
Damien shrugs. "I don't know. But it's always possible. I've seen Angels team up with human organisations to hunt us before. Rogue Angels but still..." He says uneasily.
"Jesus, Damien! What if-?"
"I don't want to think about it." He says suddenly, cutting her off. Then sighs heavily and looks at Amelia. "You ready?"

---------One Week Earlier---------

In the cell with the heavily bolted door, deep beneath the Asylum, it was hard to tell exactly how much time had passed. In the quiet moments, when they couldn't hear the Doctors outside the cell, his maker taught him everything she could about what they are. She told him stories to calm him when he felt his sanity slipping. Comforted him by stroking his hair while he rested his head on her legs and sobbed. Sometimes she even sang to him. Neither of them had been given the choice in Sebastian's transformation from human to vampire, but they loved each other deeply regardless. Like a mother and child. Patience, her name was. The name fit her perfectly. Always so calm and quietly spoken.

They'd often talk about what they'd do if they ever managed to escape. The places they'd visit. The things she could teach him then. It wasn't much, but it kept them both hopeful. Sebastian supposed it could be worse. He doubted he'd have managed to remain sane if they hadn't been allowed to stay in the same cell. If she hadn't been able to tell him everything about what he was...He'd thought he'd been turned into a monster at first but after everything his new mother had told him, he now knew different. The only monsters in this whole building were the ones walking around with clipboards!

Once again, she sat with her back to the wall, her legs straightened out in front of her, stroking Sebastian's hair as he lay his head on her lap. It was peaceful. The Doctors hadn't bothered them in what felt like weeks, other than to throw in bags of blood to keep them alive. This worried them both. What if they'd learned everything they could learn about Vampires? They would have no use for them anymore. What would happen then? Nothing good, that much was certain.

Just as this thought crossed Sebastian's mind, they both flinched at the sound of the door's locks scraping and unfastening on the other side. They both got to their feet and looked at each other uncertainly. Patience took Sebastian's hand and squeezed it a little comfortingly. His heart pounded as it always did when the Doctors came to conduct strange tests on them, and now with his enhanced hearing, he could hear Patience's heart beating just as quickly. Over the years, the humans had learned new ways to get them to co-operate with them via a variety of new weapons designed to punish them painfully if they showed any resistance. One such weapon Sebastian feared was the electric stick. They called it a 'taser', a long metal pole with two prongs sticking out of the end and when those prongs hit your skin...Sebastian shuddered. He always tried not to give the humans a reason to use it but they always managed to find a reason anyway. Like they enjoyed inflicting pain on them.

The Asylum guards escorted them out of the cell and to a large, white testing room where they were both bound to upright metallic slabs. They were made to face each other. This was unusual. Normally, they only took one out of the cell for testing at a time. One guard stood next to each of them. Two doctors stood at a desk. Each where tapping on what sounded like a type writer but the things in front of them were thin black panels. Computers, Sebastian had heard them being called. Over the years, he had seen how these computers had evolved as technology progressed. First type writers, then large white boxes, now slim black panels. Always seeming to get smaller. Whatever next? A book sized pad that they poke? Sebastian smirked at the thought. That'll be the day!

Finally, they both stopped typing. One took up a clipboard and began scribbling notes while the other left the room. Sebastian didn't dare speak, even though he desperately wanted to know what they were up to today. He had learned the hard way that speaking out of turn earns you a shock from the taser. All they could do was watch and pray that what they planned to do today wouldn't be fatal or scarring. A couple of minutes later, the second Doctor returned. He was pulling a trolley into the room with various vials, all labelled with numbers and a couple of syringes in strange packaging. The packaging made little sense to Sebastian. It used to be that they would wash and reuse the same syringes when conducting tests but now the syringes came in sealed packets and were thrown away after every use.

A weird smell filled the room. The humans didn't seem phased or even notice it but to Sebastian it was powerful and sour. The kind of smell that burns your nostril hair. He cringed, wondering what it was and looked at Patience. She'd turned paler than normal and was looking at him with wide eyes. He stared at her, both concerned and confused and then she mouthed a word that made him realise just how much danger they were now in. 'Wolf.'
They'd gotten hold of a Werewolf? Is that what's in one of those vials? Their venom? Did they not know what that would do to a Vampire? Patience had been sure to warn Sebastian of how dangerous their kind were to Vampires. He began shaking. They needed to know! They couldn't put that into one or both of them!

He looked at the Doctor who had opened up a syringe and was now filling it with the yellow liquid. "H-hey!" He called out to get their attention. The guard next to him rolled his eyes and unhooked the taser hanging from his belt.
"How many times do we have to shock you, bat? Shut up!" The guard says but Sebastian doesn't take his eyes off the Doctor.
"You can't put that in us! It'll kill us! You can't-" Sebastian was cut off, his entire body tensing painfully as the electric current ran through him from the taser being jabbed into his side. It caused so much pain but he could never scream or even breathe while the current passed through him. The taser was pulled away and Sebastian's head drooped forward. He groaned then pulled up his head, a little out of breath. Tears starting to well up. "Y-you have to listen to me." He pleaded, the Doctor having stopped to observe the commotion he'd caused. "Please, it's toxic to us! It'd kill us immediately. Please."

"I said shut up!" The guard snapped and once again jammed the taser into Sebastian's side. His head leant back as far as it would go. His teeth clenched and his face contorted in pain. His body twitched involuntarily. The only noise being a loud ticking noise coming from the taser as the volts passed into him.
"That's enough." The Doctor says and the guard nods, pulling the taser away. Sebastian's head falls forward again and he breaths heavily. Tears rolling down his cheeks. "And why should we take your word for it?" The Doctor asked. "For all we know you could be saying that to try to get out of these tests. No, we must see the effects with our own eyes. The test will go ahead as planned."

"You can't!" Sebastian cried out, lifting his head and seeing the Doctor walking towards Patience with the syringe. "Please, no! Don't do this! It'll kill her! I don't want to be alone! Please! STOP THIS!" Sebastian became more and more frantic the closer the doctor got to Patience who watched him in silent terror. Fighting and pulling against the restraints, screaming for the Doctor to stop. He could see Patience visibly shaking. She was crying too. Just as the Doctor drew the syringe up to her arm, the guard had had enough of Sebastian's outcries and had struck him across the face.

His head had spun to one side from the force of the blow and he fell silent, dazed. "Fascinating!" He heard the Doctor say and coming back to his senses, Sebastian looked up and froze at the sight before him. Unable to take his eyes off of Patience whose skin had turned a sickly yellow, all the veins in her body were an angry red and protruding slightly. Her eyes had rolled to the back of her head, her head tilted back a little. Her body convulsed violently and red froth dripped rapidly from her mouth. Blood seeping out of her eyes, nose and ears.

The Doctors did nothing to try to save her. They just stood back and wrote their notes excitedly. Sebastian watched the whole scene in anguish, unable to do anything else. His chest rose and fell heavily. He felt as though he'd been punched in the gut and had his heart ripped out simultaneously. He watched his beloved mother fall still, her head dropping forward and knew she was gone forever. All sound in the room suddenly faded, replaced by white noise as he stared at her lifeless figure.

He didn't hear the Doctors talking excitedly about this new revelation or the opportunity of future tests that this created for them. He didn't hear them consider that they now needed a new vampire to replace the one they just lost in case Sebastian died and agreed on taking blood from him then starving him to create a new one the same way Sebastian had been made. He didn't see one of them leave and return with a tourniquet, rubber tubes and an empty blood bag for the procedure.

It was only as the guard stepped to one side to let the Doctor approach him and he felt the Doctor touch his arm that he snapped back to reality and stared at the Doctor furiously. He was only vaguely aware that he was screaming. No words. Just guttural, angry and agonised screaming. The Doctor had jumped and stumbled back a little, but he'd had no time to react to what happened next. Sebastian had pulled so hard and so suddenly on his restraints that they gave with little resistance. The enraged vampire took hold of the Doctor and bit into his throat as deep as he could. His arms squeezing the Doctor's arms and chest, bones cracked and shattered under the pressure. The Doctor was screaming. Sebastian's own venom not having enough time to numb the pain he was inflicting. But Sebastian wasn't biting to feed, he was biting to kill. Just as rapidly, his jaw closed around the Doctor's throat and he pulled his head back, tearing the throat wide open. Screams became gurgles. Blood spewed out of the wound, covering Sebastian.

The room was flashing red and an alarm rang out as Sebastian dropped the body and turned to face the other Doctor. Baring his fangs and growling angrily, marching towards them. She looked terrified, hugging the clipboard to her chest and backing away towards the farthest wall. Good. She should be. She deserved nothing less than death.
Pain that started in his right side and shot through the rest of his body caused him to pause with a grunt. Too angry to feel it like he had earlier, Sebastian turned to growl at the Guard who stared back at him with an expression of both fear and anger. Before Sebastian had the chance to strike however, another jolt of electric pain consumed him from his left side and this time, the pain was strong enough to bring him to his knees with a shriek.

Within moments, guard after guard had run into the room and piled themselves on top of Sebastian, pinning him to the ground. It seemed there were two guards for each of Sebastian's limbs. Two sat on his back. The first two continuously jabbed him with their tasers wherever they could reach, over and over and always both together. He screamed and screamed, tears falling freely as he clawed at the ground, trying in vain to stand up again. To fight them off but it was no use. There were too many of them. His screaming devolved to loud sobs, his head turned to stare at Patience's body. As the guards with the tasers backed off, his sobbing became quieter and he lay still, defeated.
He heard a guard ask the female Doctor if she was alright.

"I'm...I'm fine..." He heard her answer. Her voice shook but she had an authoritative tone. "Our security and restraints have been too lax around these creatures, it would seem...Take him back to his cell. From now on, we keep our Vampiric subjects in separate cells. It is clear that they cannot be allowed to become attached to each other...And after we make a new one, reduce their daily blood intake. He was stronger than he should have been for those restraints to hold him. We need to keep the Vampires weaker from now on."

Broken, Sebastian did not resist as the Guards dragged him back to his cell and practically threw him in. He then spent an unknown amount of time starving and crying. He'd lost the only friend he'd had in this God forsaken place and to top that off, they were starving him in order to do to someone else what they had done to him all those years ago. He couldn't stand this. He couldn't stand being here anymore. He couldn't even stand living anymore.

Orphaned as a child, he'd spent most of his childhood & early adulthood picking pockets and living on the streets. That was until he'd gotten caught picking the pocket of a man involved with a secret organisation at the age of eighteen. Initially, Sebastian had been carted off to prison. With the justice system being as corrupted as it was, Sebastian was made an offer he couldn't refuse. Join the secret organisation as a test subject or spend the rest of his life behind bars. At least with the first option he had some hope of earning his freedom. So of course, Sebastian signed the contract and was promptly taken to his new home which was conveniently disguised as a mental asylum.

The first few years had been gruelling. Unknown and suspicious looking substances injected into him or forced down his throat. All resulting in an array of side effects, from rashes to fevers. Very soon, Sebastian came to regret the contract that he signed and realised that a life in prison may have been more merciful than the horrors he was forced to endure instead.

Every attempt by Sebastian to confirm how long he was to be a test subject or even request a break from the tests for a little while were either ignored or outright denied. It became apparent, rather quickly, that Sebastian may not survive very long in this hell hole.

Always bound in handcuffs. Always locked away in a padded cell when not being experimented on. Always surrounded by the screams of the other test subjects. It was no surprise when he eventually gave up hope of trying to escape and sank into a deep depression. Living and suffering. Day in and day out. Hoping that one of the pills they made him take might be his last.

Then something happened that confused Sebastian. The nurses started being...nice. They gave him good food that at first, Sebastian had suspected of either being poisoned or containing something harmful. But no. It was proper food. No gruel. Real meat, vegetables and potatoes! Even a cake for desert! They let him bathe every evening. They gave him new clothes that made him look a little more human again. A barber paid him a visit to tidy him up. He was taken out of the cells and given a bedroom. He still wasn't allowed to leave the bedroom but at least he actually had a bed now! Best of all, the experiments had stopped completely. All of this utterly baffled Sebastian until he came to the wonderful conclusion; They're going to release him soon!

The nurses never confirmed his suspicions when he voiced them but more importantly, they never denied them either! His spirits lifted! He could leave this cursed building soon and live a normal life! A few weeks went by and Sebastian had finally put on all the weight he had lost from the awful diet he had previously been on. He looked healthy again whereas before he had been quite skeletal. Finally, the day came when one of the Doctors came to visit him.
---
The Doctor sat on a chair, flicking through paperwork on a clipboard as Sebastian sat patiently on the bed, smiling pleasantly while trying to contain his excitement. This was it. He was going to get discharged. He was getting out!

After a minute or two, the doctor looked up a little to peer at Sebastian over his glasses. "Mr Sebastian Walker? Aged twenty-one?" He asked as if confirming the information he had just been reading.
"Yes, Sir. Er-Doctor, I mean." Sebastian stammered, fidgeting with his hands anxiously. The doctor nodded.
"You've been a resident and volunteer here for three years, correct?"
Sebastian tensed at the phrasing of the question. The way the doctor had referred to Sebastian was as though he was a willing participant who had stayed in a padded cell for the fun of it. Gritting his teeth through his rising anger, Sebastian maintained his now strained smile and simply nodded.
"You have no previous health conditions and have no history of illness in your family?"
"N-no-not to my knowledge, doctor."
"Good. Good..." The doctor then dropped the papers on the clipboard that he'd lifted to read from while asking questions. He clasped his hands together on the clipboard and leant back in the chair comfortably. "You will be pleased to know, Mr Walker, that we intend to discharge you from the experimental program. We only ask that you do one last thing for us."

Yes!! He knew it! They were releasing him! At this point it didn't matter what they wanted him to do, he'd do it! If they wanted his silence on this little organisation, they had it! He'd just be happy to put this whole ordeal behind him! "What is it?" Sebastian was eager, leaning forward a little, gripping the edge of his bed. "Anything!"
The doctor smiled and although there seemed to be nothing sinister in the way that he smiled, the hairs on the back of Sebastian's neck stood on end. Sebastian was on edge again with an unexplained sense of dread beginning to grow.
"We just need to conduct one more test. Just one and you're a free man. We wouldn't ask but this particular test is vital. It may mean the cure to most illnesses we know! Mr Walker, it could save countless lives!"

Silence fell in the room. Sebastian stared hard at the Doctor as his mind raced. He knew it was too good to be true! One more test! And by the sounds of how important this test is, combined with how his treatment had vastly improved over the last couple of weeks, Sebastian was convinced that this particular test had the potential to kill him! Stupid Sebastian! They weren't being nice to him because he was being released! They were being nice to him to make themselves feel better if he died!
"I know this is not a small request. Which is why we're going to give you a day to think it over. Just remember Sebastian. You could be responsible for saving millions of lives." The Doctor says while standing up and heading to the door. Pausing with his hand on the door frame, he looked back at Sebastian. The elderly doctor had kind looking features. He smiled at Sebastian warmly. "It is perfectly natural to be afraid. But please, consider it." He says before leaving the room.
---
Sebastian didn't sleep that night. He paced about his room. He could be free of this place forever. Leave and never look back. He'd more than paid for his petty crime! They had no right! The thought of needles, unknown liquids or pills being forced into him was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat and feel like vomiting.
It could cure people who got sick though. Save lives. He might die but whether he did or didn't, he'd be considered a hero! Sebastian ran a hand through his hair nervously. What if he left and they never managed to conduct the tests needed to find those cures? People would be dying, all around him, and he'd have to live with the knowledge that he might have been able to make a difference! Could he really live with that?
---
The following morning, there was a knock on Sebastian's door and the Doctor from the day before entered his room. "Have you considered our offer?" He asked, taking a seat again. The clipboard once again in his possession. Sebastian had been looking out of his barred window at the dilapidated gardens below. "I'll do it." Sebastian replied with a heavy sigh, not moving from the window.
"Wonderful!" The Doctor beamed. "You are doing a great thing, Sebastian!"
For a moment, Sebastian didn't respond. Then, slowly and calmly, he turned to look at the Doctor. "I do this and I'm out, right? I can leave?"
Still smiling warmly, the Doctor nodded. "Yes, Mr Walker. If you help us conduct this test, you may leave."
Sebastian nodded to himself, his eyes dropping to the floor thoughtfully. "And...this test...It'll do good?"
"Absolutely."
"What do I have to do?"
"We are going to test a vaccine. That is to say, we are going to inject you with a substance we believe will protect you from a variety of diseases-"
"What diseases?" Sebastian interrupted, eyeing the Doctor suspiciously. He didn't like how vague the Doctor was being in regards to what this cure was supposed to, you know, CURE.
Unfaultered, the Doctor merely continued to smile. "Cholera, Typhus, the list goes on. May I continue, Mr Walker?"
Sebastian considered this for a moment then nodded before turning his head to look out the window once more. Admittedly, he didn't understand anything about diseases and medicine. But he figured, if he acted confidently and pretended he knew what the Doctor was talking about, then maybe they'll be less likely to try to pull the wool over his eyes!
"Thank you. Now, as I was saying, this vaccine is supposed to protect people from a variety of diseases. But it needs to be tested before we can get it out to the public. That is where you come in. We inject you with this vaccine and then subject you to a man who already has one or two of these illnesses-"
"Jesus Christ!" Sebastian's head spun around to face the Doctor once more. His eyes lit up in anger. "You infected someone with those horrid diseases?!" He accused.
The Doctor's smile slipped and he glared back at Sebastian. In an instant, the kindly looking Doctor seemed startlingly formidable. "Of course not! Do you think us monsters?"
Sebastian paused, taken aback. At the question, he had to bite his tongue. He wanted so much to yell at the man, to ask how he could ask such a question after everything his organisation had put him through. But he didn't. He didn't want to blow his chances of getting out. So he remained quiet.

The Doctor sighed, his features relaxing back into his calming smile. The transformation was incredibly jarring to Sebastian. "We collected the poor individual from a hospital. He is sick beyond help and has no family to care for him. He has agreed to this test as well." The Doctor stood. "Will there be any more questions?"
Sebastian just stared at the Doctor. He wanted to buy the story of some dying man volunteering to infect other individuals for science but by now had learned to suspect every story the staff here gave. Satisfied that Sebastian had no other questions or comments, the Doctor nods. "Well, I suppose the sooner we get this over with, the better. I imagine you're quite keen to feel fresh air on your face again. The nurses will collect you at eight o'clock tonight. We'll run the usual tests. Then we'll give you the injection and walk you to the quarantined room where the other patient is waiting. We'll talk you through the rest later."
With that, the Doctor left. Once more, Sebastian spent several hours pacing around the room. Occasionally, he'd glance at the clock. But time seemed to slow down for him now. As if taunting him by dangling his freedom just out of his reach. He tried to relax. He picked a dusty book off the shelf and sat on the bed, opening it up to the first page. His eyes flicked over the words but nothing sunk in. He turned and looked at the clock. Ten o'clock. Turning back to the book, he re-read the same page. But still, nothing sunk in. He turned his head again to the clock. Five minutes past ten. Dropping the book to the floor, he groaned in frustration, placing his hands on his face and falling back onto the bed. This was going to be a long day.
---
After a day that seemed to stretch out for a year, the nurses finally came to Sebastian's room in the evening. From there, they escorted him to an elevator. One of them pressed a button that was so worn down that it was difficult to tell if there had once been a number on it or a letter. The little box shunted and creaked it's way down and down. Past the second floor. Past the first floor. Past the ground floor...wait, what? But still, further down it went! If not for the little, flickering light in the elevator they would have been completely consumed by darkness. Then, suddenly, the elevator shook as it came to a stop. The doors opened, revealing a well lit corridor, with white panelled walls. The nurses began walking but Sebastian hesitated. He had no idea this building had had a basement level and by how long they were in the elevator, they were quite deep underground! Why would they hide their research all the way down here? What were they going to do to him?

The nurses stopped when they realised Sebastian wasn't following him and they both turned to look at him. "Come along, Mr Walker." The brown haired one on the left cooed. Her red lipstick positively vibrant against the white of the walls and their outfits. The blonde on the right merely smiled at him sweetly. Her lips matching the colour of her colleague. Sebastian always felt uneasy around these two. In the three years he'd known them, they helped the doctors perform their experiments with sickly sweet smiles all while talking in a suggestive manner to either Doctor or Patient. Sebastian often wondered if they were born without emotions or if the pain of others was simply a turn on for them. "You'll find the medical rooms down here are far more advanced and hygienic than what you're used to. Don't be shy."

Hesitantly, Sebastian left the elevator and began following the nurses. Even though his every instinct was telling him to run, take the elevator back up and flee the building. He knew that wouldn't work though. The last time he'd attempted to run from the asylum, he was caught by one of the burly guards on the grounds and beaten to a bloody pulp. It had taken him months to recover from that, and all the while, the tests still continued.

After a couple of turns, they stopped at one of the doors and unlocked it. Inside was what looked like a clean hospital room with fresh linen on the bed. Well, at least the nurses hadn't lied about it being hygienic! After conducting a couple of tests that Sebastian was used to by now, such as checking his weight and sight, he was then asked to sit on the bed while the vaccine was administered. It hurt a little and almost immediately, Sebastian felt like throwing up. Without wasting time, the nurses took Sebastian by the arms and guided him to another room. This room was far less hygienic. Doctors stood around with notepads and pencils, ready to jot down notes. They all watched him eagerly as he stumbled into the room. He wasn't sure this vaccine was working right. His muscles ached and he felt very tired. One of the Doctors approached him.
"How are you feeling Mr Walker?"
"Mmm..." Sebastian groaned, shaking his head a little. "Not sure this vaccine is doing the right thing Doctor...I feel tired and light headed..."
"Good! Good, no it's working just fine! Listen carefully, we're going to put you into the room with the other patient now. It's only for a minute but you need to focus and tell us exactly what you feel, if anything. Understand?"
Sebastian nods sleepily and he is guided to another door. This door seemed to be very heavily armoured and the Doctor had to unlock several, heavy duty looking locks to be able to get it open. In his current state however, Sebastian simply could not comprehend why this door seemed so out of place or wrong. He felt very uneasy suddenly. Like despite his addled senses, he just knew that he didn't want to be with whoever is behind this door! He stumbled back clumsily but was pushed into the room so forcefully when the door was opened that he fell face first onto the hard, stone floor inside.

He heard a loud bang behind him and several metallic scraping noises as the locks were being fastened once more. Slowly, he lifted his head to look in the direction of the other patient, unable to stop a little drool slipping past his lips and dripping onto the floor.
The other patient sat in the corner of the room, hugging their bare, white legs. The small, white gown they wore had splotches of red here and there. Long, greasy black hair hung over their face, obscuring it's eyes from view but it's mouth was clearly visible. Slightly agape and quivering a little. This whole scene made Sebastian shiver but the one feature that made him quake with dread were the two sharp, white points poking down just under it's upper lip. What is this thing??
Sebastian didn't dare move. He just stared at it in terror. Upon noticing that while he wasn't moving it seemed unaware of his presence, his mind began racing. Thinking of how he was going to get out of this room without 'waking' it. He attempted to slowly crawl backwards but clumsily stumbled. Upon hearing the noise, the thing in the corner jerked suddenly causing Sebastian to jump, unable to take his eyes off it. It's head had lifted a little so that the dim light reflected off it's white nose which twitched. It was sniffing! Twitching it's nose just a little at first and then it's nose creased up as it audibly took in a deep breath, it's head snapping around to look in Sebastian's direction.
He began screaming, panicking. He backed up to the door hurriedly and tried to pull himself to his feet but simply didn't have the strength. What was in that injection? Something to weaken him? Oh God! Is this what they meant when they said he could leave?? As a meal for this creature?! He clawed at the door desperately, screaming and slurring his pleas for help while this creature began moving on all fours towards him. It's mouth wide open, it's fangs on show and dripping with saliva. He still couldn't see it's eyes through all that hair but Sebastian just knew they were locked onto him.
He felt it's hand grip his leg and he cried out, kicking at the creature. But his kicks seemed to do little more than irritate it as it grabbed his other leg as well and pulled him under it with astonishing ease. He tried to punch it, to slap it, to push it away but he was so weak and tired already. The creature grabbed his hands and pinned him down, leaning down so that it's face to close to his. It's face was darkened by the light shining from behind it, but he made out the feminine shape of her body. Her dark eyes bore into his. He stopped screaming to stare at her as she hovered over him. For what felt like several minutes, all they did was look at each other.
Her eyes were wild, her lip still quivering. Her breath which he felt on his face was foul. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed that she seemed to be quite gaunt. Were they starving her? He imagined that she may have looked quite beautiful if she weren't so very thin. Her expression flickered back and forth between anguish and a look Sebastian had never seen before. It was a look that kept him trembling and he wondered if it might be the same look that a fox might give to a hare when out on the hunt. He wondered if this creature could be reasoned with. "P-please...." He whispered. Her face contorts, as though his whisper had cut her somehow. Feeling a little hopeful, he tried again to speak. "P-please...d-don-" He stopped mid-speech however when she began lowering herself further. His eyes widening as her head lowered to the side of his so that her mouth was by his ear. He could hear her shallow breaths.
"Forgive me." The softest whisper reached his ear before he felt a sharp pain plunging deep into his throat. The shock of it had forced him to gasp and look around the room wildly, his exhausted limbs flailing uselessly under her in an attempt to fight her again but it was no use, she already had him. Then he saw it. The window, high up near the ceiling. A window similar to what you would see on a ship. Circular, with an iron frame and bolts to hold it all together. Through it, Sebastian saw the face of the elderly doctor smiling that same gentle smile he had earlier given him. 'They're watching me die' Sebastian thought. 'They're watching me die and probably taking notes! Those bastards!'
The woman's bite seemed to deepen again suddenly, making Sebastian gasp once more, groan and shut his eyes. He felt it then. A euphoria. It washed over him, rapidly replacing any pain that he was feeling. He could hear his heart beating. His own breathing becoming shallow. He heard her drinking from him, gulping in his ear. Weirdly, this sound didn't disgust him. In fact, he thought it almost...cute. Almost. He realised, despite the way he felt now, that he was definitely going to die here. That he was simply food. But do you know what? Maybe he was alright with that now. Maybe this wasn't such a bad way to die. There are certainly worse ways to go. He relaxed under her. Yes, maybe he was alright with this after all.

Just as Sebastian had resigned himself to his fate, listening to his heart beat harder and harder to try to keep him alive, he suddenly felt lighter. Then colder. Then the pain creeped back. As did his hearing as it expanded back from his heart beat to the sounds of shrieks and men shouting. He opened his eyes and saw the asylums guards had opened the door and were striking the woman who was on the other side of the room again, cowering and shrieking at them. Her mouth, neck and gown drenched in red. But they were getting further and further away. He glanced up and saw two doctors dragging him out of the room. "No..." He moaned, then cried. "Put me back...Give me back to her..."
"Now, now Mr Walker. You are delirious. You don't want to die, do you?" One of the Doctors panted. Sebastian watched the guards back out of the room with them, hurriedly locking the door once more.
"Yes..." Sebastian wept. "I want her...take me to her...please!"
"Now, now. We've no time for that Mr Walker. There is so much work to be done."
From there, Sebastian was strapped down to a bed. There the Doctors performed a blood transfusion to replace the blood that Sebastian had lost. Sebastian remained delirious, babbling about wanting to go back to the woman, until the majority of the new blood was in his system. Then he became quiet, contemplating everything that had just happened. He didn't move or speak as the nurses helped to prop him up into a seated position on the bed. His wrists and ankles bound to the bed by leather. But restraints in this place was nothing new.
The group of doctors meanwhile had stayed close. Some observing Sebastian carefully and the rest taking it in turns to climb a large set of ladders and peer into the window at the creature. A few hours after all the blood had entered his system, the elderly Doctor approached Sebastian and sat in the chair near him. "How do you feel, Mr Walker?"
Sebastian turned his head to glare at the Doctor. "How do I feel?" He asked sourly. "How do I fucking FEEL??"
"I understand you're upset-"
"Upset?" Sebastian scoffed. "You lied to me! What was in that injection? Huh? You fed me to that- that...Monster! I'm not upset! I'm furious!"
"I apologise for misleading you." The Doctor says calmly. "But had we explained what we needed of you, would you have done it?"
"Of course not! What even is that thing anyway? What exactly were you trying to achieve here?"
"All in good time, Mr Walker. Now tell me, how do you feel?"
Sebastian glared at the doctor silently.
"Tired? Pained? Physical symptoms, Mr Walker. They're important to what we're trying to achieve."
Sebastian continued to glare at the Doctor. Of course they don't care about how he feels in the emotion sense after something so traumatic. They only care about their figures and research. He scoffs again and looks away from the Doctor, shrugging. "I don't know...my neck is sore, obviously...my head is throbbing...I'm pretty thirsty..."
The doctor had been scratching down notes with his pencil as Sebastian spoke but glanced up at him at the mention of being thirsty, his pencil hovering over the paper on his clipboard. "Nurse, bring Mr Walker some water, will you?"

The brunette nurse walked to a counter where she poured water from a metallic jug into a metal cup and brought it over to Sebastian. Unable to hold it himself, the nurse carefully placed the cup to his lips and let him drink from it. After a couple of sips, she steps back. The nurses and Doctors watched Sebastian carefully. He looked around at them warily, disturbed by their interest, then back at the nurse with the cup. "S-sorry, could I have some more? I feel like I've been eating sand actually..."
The nurse looks back at the Doctor who nods, still staring at Sebastian in fascination. The nurse walks up to Sebastian and pours more water into his mouth. This time Sebastian tried to take bigger gulps, growing increasingly desperate to quench this thirst. When he felt the cup start to lift away, he gently bit the edge of the cup to try and pull it back to him, signalling to the nurse that he wanted the whole cups worth of water. She poured the rest into his mouth before stepping back.
But he still felt thirsty and to top that off, he was now starting to get a stomach ache. "M-more please."
"Still thirsty, Mr Walker?" The Doctor questioned.
"I did just almost die. I think it might be shock..." Sebastian fired back then glared at the nurse. "I said more!" He barked angrily, making the nurse jump with a squeal. She practically jogged back to the counter with the jug to pour another cup. As she did, Sebastian scowled at the Doctors, growing frustrated. "What? What's so damn interesting, huh?" He barked. None of them answered. Just kept watching.
The nurse returned and brought the cup back to his mouth. This time he bit the lip of the cup and tilted his head back a little, opening his mouth so that all the contents of the cup poured into his mouth. He drank the water greedily but just as he finished the cup he began wretching. He pulled away, turning to one side as best he could in his restraints to lean over the side of the bed. The nurse had jumped back as a small jet of red liquid ejected from Sebastian's mouth. Gagging, Sebastian stared at the puddle of blood on the floor and all over the side of his bed in fright. He looked up at the nurse then at the elderly Doctor. "Wh-what is wrong with me?"

"Nurse, you're hand, if you please." The nurse stood by the Doctor and opened up her palm for him which he gently took with one hand while putting his pencil down on a little table beside him. With his free hand, he took hold of a simple needle and proceeded to prick the nurse's finger. A little bubble of blood oozed out of the tiny wound. The nurses and the Doctors watched Sebastian carefully while the nurse held her hand out, just out of Sebastian's reach. "Now, Mr Walker. Tell me, how do you feel?"
Sebastian stared at the finger. At first he was confused. Then a deep gnawing pain in his abdomen caused him to double over as much as he could. His throat felt even more dry than before he'd drank the water and whatever the gnawing sensation was, it felt like it was pulling him to the nurse. "Wh-what?!" Was all he could ask as he winced in pain, unable to take his eyes off the little droplet on the nurse's finger. He wanted it. He knew it as soon as the pain began. He wanted that little bit of blood on the nurse's finger. His every instinct was telling him he needed it to survive. Horrified at this realisation, he tore his eyes away from the nurse and stared at the Doctor who seemed to be grinning while puffing up his chest in pride. "Whose blood did you put into me?" Sebastian demanded. "What did you do to me?!"

"Mr Walker." The Doctor chuckled. "Be proud. You have just been a part of a major scientific breakthrough! We now know how these creatures multiply!" To this statement, the other Doctors began clapping, some tucking their notes under their armpits to do so.

"Y-you...? I'm a...?!" Sebastian stuttered in disbelief.
"A Vampire, Mr Walker. Yes. This is a major breakthrough indeed!" The Doctor got up out of his chair. Placed his clipboard onto the little table and walked over to Sebastian, placing his hand on his shoulder. "One of many. We have so many more tests to run!" Sebastian shook with a combination of fear and rage as he stared into the Doctor's eyes.
"B-but you said...You said this was my last test...that I could leave!" Sebastian exclaimed.
"Mr Walker, have you not learned by now?" The Doctor laughed as he removed his hand and began walking towards the door to leave. "There will always be more tests and you will never leave. You belong to us Mr Walker." Then waving dismissively at the guards; "Lock him in the cell with her. I'm sure she'll be happy to have company after all this time."