(A/N) Well, unfortunately, I didn't get this last one shot out quite as quickly as I'd hoped, but I certainly hope the extra time I took to work on it was worth it.
For those of you just joining us, this story is a companion piece to my other stories 'Hollow Moon', 'Blood Moon', and 'Paper Moon', as well as containing a slight continuation of them near the end. You don't need to have read the other three to enjoy this one, as I've tried to make each of the Moon stories as much of a standalone piece as possible, but if you enjoy this AU, I'd definitely recommend checking them out. Whatsoever your pleasure might be, I hope you enjoy this little corner of this verse.
Broken Moon
Kathryn Church was not the type to get excited easily.
From the moment she and her brother were born, they had been polar opposites in this regard. Even as babies, David had always been the smiling, sunny one and she'd been the stone-faced serious one. Sometimes it seemed that David was the only one who could make her smile, while she was the only one who could get him to be serious. Being the children of one of the most powerful witches the world had ever known certainly hadn't helped matters.
When their mother had been killed and their father destroyed attempting to resurrect her, Kathryn had had even less cause to let her emotions show. With David traumatized after witnessing what had happened to the man, it had been an uphill battle to see that she didn't lose him, too. She'd had to be strong for the both of them, becoming an adult a long time before even she was ready.
She took her training very seriously. She intended to be the most powerful witch of all, even stronger than Leonard Church. As such, it was a momentous point in her training when her and David's seventeenth birthday rolled around and she was allowed to perform her first summoning. After what had happened with their father and the Spirit fragments, David had sworn to never take a familiar spirit, but Kathryn could hardly wait to take one on.
Upon reaching the age of majority at seventeen, a witch was permitted to perform the summoning ritual that would call to them the spirit creature who was best suited to be their familiar. Of course, the call wasn't always answered right away. Regardless of when the summoning was performed, it would only reach its recipient when the time was right. Sometimes it could take weeks, even months, to get a response.
Kathryn had tried to convince herself not to expect anything that first night, alone in her room drawing out the magic circle and infusing it with her power. It would take time. But even she knew, in her heart of hearts, that she didn't really believe that. She was near giddy with excitement. What sort of spirit would her familiar be? What were they like? Would it be someone like her brother – like he had been before the Breaking? Maybe someone closer to her own temperament? Could it be someone like Doyle, endlessly fussing over everything? Or maybe it would be someone like Matt, strong, silent, and fierce.
Whatever the answer was, she was not to find out that night. The days bled into weeks and those weeks spun out into a month and still she received no answer to her call. She'd heard of months, but was it possible to have to wait years for a response? Was she even worth partnering with? Did no one want her? She was really starting to question her worthiness at the six-week mark when she woke from a very deep sleep to find a fox sitting on her windowsill.
At first, she thought it was just a normal fox, but then she recalled that her bedroom was on the third floor of the mansion, and that thought drew her attention to the fact that this fox was much larger than average, and that it had four thick, glossy tails, each one silhouetted in the moonlight. It was a kitsune. Was this it? Was this the answer she'd been waiting for?
"Who are you?" she asked as she sat up, pushing back her blankets. "How did you get past the wards?"
The kitsune gave a series of chuffing noises that Kathryn took to be laughter. "Well…you called me, didn't you? Kathryn Church?"
"You're the one?" she whispered, hardly daring to speak louder as she swung her feet to the cool floor. If she did anything to disturb the moment, she feared it would just shatter and prove to be another dream. "You heard my call?"
"Uh-huh," the kitsune answered easily, tails swishing through the air. "Mind if I come in?"
"No. Of course not. Come right in," the young witch said, half stumbling over the words as she got to her feet, not bothering to turn on the gas lamp at her bedside as the kitsune stepped delicately from the sill and down onto the seat below her window. The night was cold, but she didn't even want to waste time getting her robe. She quickly moved to stand before the kitsune, excited, scared, and with no idea what to say.
The fox spirit tilted his head curiously to the side, warm blue eyes gazing at her with what felt like a smile. "Well…this is my first time, too. Guess the best place to start is hello."
"Hi," Kathryn returned, feeling strangely shy. Briefly, she reached a hand up as if to pat the kitsune on the head, but that almost seemed rude. Shaking seemed even worse, so she ultimately just ran her hand through the air just above the fox spirit's furry shoulder. "What's your name?"
"Finn," he said, leaning into her hand to let her know it was all right to touch him. "Sorry it took so long to get here. My friends and I were in Charon when I got the summons and Enid didn't want to come. She took some convincing."
"Your friends? Where are they?" she asked, looking past him out the window, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to see anything.
"Out past the wards. They couldn't pass them. They'll need an invitation for that."
"Oh. I'm sorry. I can go and let them in if you want," she said, taking a few steps toward her door.
"Hold up," he said. "I think we'd probably better get the First Feeding done before we do anything else."
"Right. Sure," Kathryn said, quickly coming back to him.
"Do you have a preference?"
"What?"
"On what form I'm in, I mean. When I do it."
"Oh. No, I don't care. Whatever's more comfortable for you."
"Well…you don't know me yet, so I guess it'll be less awkward if I keep this form. Where's your hollow point?"
"Here," she said, holding up her left hand for him. "The inside of my wrist."
Finn sniffed at the spot, a brief shudder passing through his form before he pressed his mouth to the point – the place on Kathryn's body where her human figure blended into her magic, creating a direct conduit of power that a spirit creature could feed from in order to amplify their own magic. In order for their bond to be sealed and their partnership to begin, Finn would feed from her hollow point.
Kathryn felt an intense shudder move through her body as Finn began to drink. This was the first time she'd ever been fed from and it was like nothing she'd ever experienced. The tingling flow of magic leaving her body touched every nerve in her physical being, creating swells of pleasure that continued to build beneath her skin with every pull from Finn's mouth. Her skin grew sensitive and she could feel individual molecules of air dance along it as the sensations swelled within her. She was an ember on the verge of bursting into flame.
"Hngh…ah…Finn…" she whimpered weakly, free hand reaching forward to tangle her fingers in the fur at the scruff of his neck. The waves of bliss were building and building as power flowed ever faster from her. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.
Then, all at once, everything burst and an orgasm claimed her body. She cried out as her head fell back and her toes curled against the rug, legs completely giving out on her. She would have crashed to the floor were it not for the pair of human arms suddenly wrapping around her body, gently lowering her to the rug. The face that looked down at her was rakish in appearance, a little older and more careworn than her own, but still able to smile. The brown hair was a match for the kitsune's fur and the same blue eyes grinned down at her.
"Sorry," Finn apologized. "Must've gone a little overboard there. Are you all right?"
"No, it…I'm fine…it's just…damn. This is embarrassing," she mumbled, laughing quietly as the aftershocks of her climax continued to echo through her body. "Doyle always warned me it could happen. I guess I never really believed him," she said as she disentangled herself from her new partner, moving to sit across from him. Finn shifted to sit cross-legged on the floor.
"Well, we'll just have to figure it all out together. By the way, I meant to ask – Kathryn Church? Wouldn't happen to be any relation to Leonard Church, would it?"
Kathryn stiffened at this, hands clutching her knees. Immediately, she was ready to go on the defensive. "What if it is? That going to be a problem?"
"Would I have partnered with you if it was? Would I have come here in the first place?" he pointed out, still grinning faintly at her.
"I suppose that's true," she relented, feeling the tension drain from her shoulders. "Sorry to take it so personal. I just…with a father like that…"
"I get it. You don't have to explain yourself to me," he said, raising a hand. "Besides, how could you be as strong as you already are if someone like him wasn't your father? You and me, Kat, we're gonna do amazing things. I can already tell."
XxX
Seven Years Later…
Even though it had been a long time since Carolina had openly gone by the name Kathryn, it seemed she was always going to be worrying about the boy who had once called himself David. Maine and her little bastard of a brother had been out on assignment for nearly a week, and even though they knew how dangerous their assignment was, neither had bothered to report back with their progress, leaving the rest of the team to stew in worry.
"Damn you, you little rat," she muttered to herself as she sped read through yet another of Leonard Church's old journals, absorbing the knowledge more through her magic than under her own brain power.
"Carolina?" she heard York begin hesitantly as he entered the library. "Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Why do you ask?" she ground out, flipping furiously through the pages, absorbing each drop of information.
"Because the shelves are floating," he pointed out.
"Huh?" the young witch mumbled uncomprehendingly. When she looked up, she realized that her partner was right. The extensive Kimball collection was drifting steadily about a foot off the ground, a result of Carolina allowing her power to drift without focus. "Oh…sorry," she said quietly, refocusing her energy and guiding the shelves back to the floor.
"Y'know, I keep telling Kimball we need to anchor those. Then you might actually notice when you start drifting. I thought you said you were going to raise a barrier when I left you last night."
"And you believed me?" she asked with a weary sigh. "You know how I get in here."
The kitsune chuckled quietly at this. "True enough. My bad. Guess I'm just worried about North. So much has been happening lately. But I should think you of all people would know better than to let your power run unchecked, especially after Wash's little snafu."
"Maybe so, but who else is in the house to notice besides Vanessa?" she pointed out, attention dividing between her familiar and the page she'd been on – something about angel meditations.
"Felix and Locus are here. They got in last night, and they could probably use some rest after that last hunt. Granted, I don't know if Locus ever takes the opportunity to rest. He's a little like you. Can't sleep even if he should," York said as he came to sit beside her.
"I need to be ready to go…in case Maine and Wash need help. They could call at any time," she said, shifting her focus completely back to the journal, but before she could continue, York laid an arm over the finely crafted words, blocking them from her sight.
"And what happens if they do need help? Say they actually catch up to Sigma and you can't help because you're too exhausted to stand. What then, huh? You can't keep doing this to yourself, Kat," her partner said, gaze fixed unerringly on hers.
"Did you want something?" Carolina asked with a perturbed glare. "You know the only way to stop all this is to find a way to reverse what Church did. So unless you've got something else, I'm going to go right on hunting through these old journals."
York sighed as he slid the tome away from her. "Much as I wish you'd go take a nap…Kimball's got something for us."
Carolina narrowed her eyes at the kitsune. "What kind of something?"
"The Spirit kind of something. She wants us in her office."
XxX
"You don't really think it's another Spirit, do you?" Carolina demanded as she and York entered Vanessa's office.
The so-called office was as organized as the older hunter could keep it, but being the head of a freelance hunter organization didn't exactly lend itself to tidiness. Bins and cabinets were stuffed to overflowing with case files, client and creature profiles, and payment records. As the current last of the Kimball line, Vanessa had extensive resources at her disposal, so she never charged much for the jobs her hunters performed, but it was important to keep up appearances for when the state organizations came sniffing around. Currently, the older hunter was going over some sort of communiqué. When she looked up at the pair, there was worry in her dark brown eyes.
"I'm afraid it might be. But there's more."
"More? What do you mean more?" the young witch pressed as she pulled a chair up to her guardian's desk. She was only vaguely aware of York, still standing just behind her.
"I've received word from an old friend's son, John Andersmith. He's the resident witch in a small town north of Sidewinder. Until recently, they had a guardian spirit living in the forest near their home, but…just a few days ago…something came looking for their guardian."
"Something?" Carolina asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Something. John said it was a witch…but also not. He couldn't quite explain what it was he felt from this creature. All he could really give me was that it was a man…a man wearing white armor."
A chill crept across Carolina's heart at this. She could recall perfectly the last time she'd seen that armor – just before her father had gone out with Reggie and Aiden, that night eleven years ago. If Vanessa was saying what she thought she was saying…
"What do you mean…white armor?" the young witch asked.
"I mean white armor, Kathryn. Armor that bore Leonard's seal. John described it exactly."
"But that…it's impossible," Carolina tried to argue. "They all died that night. Church, Aiden…Reggie…anyone who could've maintained that seal is dead. Besides, if Reggie were really still alive, Butch would know it. He felt Reggie die that night."
"You think I don't know that? Believe me, I wish I didn't have to tell you this, what with everything else that's been happening, but all I've got is what John told me. I just thank the gods Butch isn't here to hear this. It would kill him…to even hear a rumor that Reg is being used for something like this," the older hunter said, beginning to rub her temples in frustration.
"So you need me to put a stop to it," Carolina said, but before either of them could say more, she felt York's hand on her shoulder.
"Hold on, you guys. I'm really not sure this is a good idea."
"York-"
"Vanessa, Carolina hasn't been sleeping well this week. She didn't sleep at all last night. I think it might be best to wait a day before we-"
"We can't wait, York," Carolina snapped at her partner. "If a Spirit is somehow using Reggie's form or if this guardian of theirs turns out to be a Spirit, we can't let this chance go. Any delay means we might lose them."
"Then let someone else handle it. Felix and Locus-"
"Aren't equipped to deal with a Spirit, especially a violent one. You know that. There is no one else," she said as she jerked her shoulder from the kitsune's grip.
"Kathryn, if this is going to be a problem-" Vanessa started.
"It's not," Carolina insisted. "I swear it's not. Besides, maybe we'll get lucky and this is Sigma causing trouble up north. Maybe Wash isn't on his trail at all," she said, even though none of them really believed that. "We can't let this go. Whatever it takes to fix what Church did, we've got to do it. If other Spirits are starting to gather their siblings, who's to say where that might lead? We can't let it go on. I have to do this."
For several long moments, Vanessa just sat at the desk, expression torn as she weighed both perspectives. Then, running a hand through her short brown hair, she gave an embittered laugh. "Good gods, if Allison could see me letting her babies do these things…"
"She'd kill you," York finished.
"Outright, without mercy. Finn, I expect you'll keep her in check?" the older hunter asked, eyes fixed on the Kitsune's as she passed Carolina a slip of paper with the location they'd be teleporting to.
"That's what partners are for, boss," York said with a nod.
"Then I expect the both of you to bring each other back alive," she said firmly, allowing her hand to linger on her young ward's for a moment. Carolina nodded, returning Vanessa's gaze with a sure one of her own.
"That's what we do," she returned just as firmly as she stood from the desk, heading out without a second glance back.
"You won't let her do anything foolish?" Vanessa asked York once the young witch was out of earshot.
"I'll do what I have to," the kitsune promised before following after his partner, ready to walk with her into the unknown.
XxX
Sidewinder was the last of the northern cities that could truly be said to be populous as far as humans went. The small collection of towns and villages further north than that were little more than settlements. Any further than that was the territory of the spirit creatures who preferred to live apart from humans.
The town of Bjørndal had just had its first snowfall of the season and Carolina could feel that chill in the air when she and York materialized outside of John Andersmith's house. Even though she certainly wasn't going to admit to it, she was glad her partner had suggested the winter cloaks. She also had no intention of copping to the wave of utter exhaustion that moved through her upon resolving back into her own being. She just kept her grip on the kitsune's arms a little longer than was strictly necessary, making sure she could keep her feet before releasing her hold. York threw her a pointed look at this, but she made a point of ignoring him when another witch emerged from the house.
"Carolina and York?" the young man asked as he approached them. His features were mostly concealed beneath a blue hood lined with a thick ruff of rabbit's fur, but a pair of sparkling blue eyes still managed to glint out from beneath the cloak. He looked a little young to be a resident witch, but then, what did Carolina know? She was young herself.
"Yes," she answered, moving forward to shake his hand. "I understand you sent Vanessa Kimball a request for assistance."
"I did. She and Donald Doyle worked with my father a long time ago. I took this post when he died and he told me that if I ever needed help, I could rely on her. This…didn't seem like the sort of thing I could call on a state witch for," he explained as he led them into the house. Once inside, he took their cloaks from them and gestured toward a couch that sat before a roaring fire. Removing his own cloak, John moved to tend to the pot that was boiling away over the blaze. Once he wasn't swimming in the old blue cloak, he looked maybe a little older, but not by much.
"So how long has this guardian been with the town?" Carolina asked as she sat down beside York on the couch.
"If memory serves, it's almost eight years now. Delta just came to us one day…down from the mountains…out of the forest," John recounted, hand briefly slowing in the action of stirring the stew in the pot.
"Delta?" Carolina repeated quietly, knowing she needed nothing more than that. She had at least one of her answers.
"Yes. That's what he calls himself," John explained as he ladled up two bowls of the bubbling stew.
"And…just what sort of spirit is he?" York asked.
"To be honest, I have no idea. He's never explained himself to anyone. Sometimes he almost seems more like a ghost than a spirit creature. He can't physically touch things. He can take possession of items and living beings, influence them with magic, but he can never make physical contact," the young witch explained as he brought the two bowls to them, taking a chair closer to the fire once he'd served them. "But really, we've never felt the need to question him. He's looked after us all this time…and asked nothing but peace and rest for himself in return. He's healed our sick, seen that our bellies were filled when the town was dying…after the merikite mine ran dry six years ago. And now he's even helped our miners locate a new merikite vein, so we might start to recover."
"So what was it that came after Delta?" Carolina asked.
John shuddered at the question, looking into the fire as he gathered himself to speak. "At first, I thought the man was a witch. He had that sort of aura…but Delta fled the moment he sensed his presence…said it would be best if we couldn't tell the man where he'd gone. This man, he…he tried to get Delta's whereabouts from me. Even if I could have, I wouldn't have answered. There was just…something…wrong…about him," the young witch struggled to explain. "When he left to hunt for Delta, I was sick for hours after he'd gone. Whenever he looked at me, I felt like my skin might turn inside out just from those eyes."
"And did this man have a name?" Carolina continued to press, raising her spoon to her mouth to take a bite of the stew.
"He said it was…Wyoming."
At this, all other stimuli completely stopped for Carolina. She felt neither hot nor cold, nor did she taste what she was sure must have been a delicious stew. John's words had answered at least part of her other question. Now she needed to know the rest.
"Carolina?" she vaguely heard York trying to get her attention.
"Something's very wrong then," she finally said. "Because the man you're talking about died eleven years ago. We need to get out there and find him."
"I thought you might feel that way. You'll want to finish the soup before you go. It's why I had it ready. It contains one of my own spells and it will help with the cold. At least do that before you leave," John said.
"All right," Carolina said quietly before shoveling down several more bites. "But we can't delay too long. Something's going on here and I'm going to find out exactly what it is."
XxX
For nearly three days, Carolina and York traced through the surrounding forests and up into the mountains beyond Bjørndal. Carolina moved under the influence of a spell that hid her presence and York kept to his fox form. There had been no sign of Delta or their mystery foe thus far, but if Delta was in hiding, Carolina knew she wasn't likely to sense him offhand. But John had gifted them with one more spell – a chunk of raw merikite strung on a chain that York was keeping around his neck. The small charm was threaded through with John's power, and he'd told them that if Delta managed to sense it, he would know he could trust them. But they'd still had no luck and the third day was coming to an end. Probably feeling it was his duty to remind her of that fact, York shook himself and let out a long whine.
"Heh, almost wish we had more of that stew."
"Why?" Carolina asked, eyes scanning the cliff face opposite them a second time. "It's not as if the cold actually affects you in that form."
Her partner chuffed quietly, chuckling. "That's not really the point. Andersmith's a good cook."
"If you need to feed, I've probably replenished enough."
York shook his head, clearly amused when she looked down at him. "Again, not really the point. Some of us enjoy good food every now and then. It'd be nice to have something other than rabbit jerky. Though, on a more pressing subject, the sun's just about set," the kitsune pointed out.
"I noticed."
"So…think maybe we need to be finding a cave for the night?"
"I'm not sure if we should stop tonight, York," she said, looking away from him to scan the area again. "I'm really starting to wonder if this thing didn't already beat us to Delta. We can't keep this up forever."
"Oh, no. Don't give me that bullshit, missy. I don't care if it's just one hour. You need to get some sleep," the kitsune growled warningly. He'd been the one to insist on finding a place to rest these last two nights, even though the witch still couldn't quiet her mind enough for a proper sleep.
"Finn, why are you so damn hung up on the whole sleep thing?" she demanded. "Usually, it doesn't bother you this much. What's going on?"
York looked away from her at this – away from the mountains…off toward the west. "If you really want to know…North had one of his angel sense episodes the day he and South left."
"What?" Carolina asked in shock. "And he…he didn't know who it was for?" North was a nephilim, half angel and half human, and one of his abilities was that he could sometimes sense the imminent death of a person. York had taken to calling the ability his angel sense.
"He never does, Carolina. Kinda one of the drawbacks of being only half angel. He just knew someone nearby was going to die soon."
"Why the hell didn't you tell me about this before?" the young witch snarled. "What if that feeling was for Wash…or Maine?"
Again, York shook his head. "The more I think about it, the more I doubt it. It would've had to be someone who was in close proximity to him at the time. He's never sensed a coming death from that kind of distance. In fact, the more you push yourself to your limits, the more I'm afraid it was your death he was sensing. If you're not firing on all cylinders when we do catch up to this thing, you'll wind up getting yourself killed. I'm not going to let that happen," he said, shifting to his human form as he spoke so he could properly look her in the eyes.
"If you think I'm not…not…" Whatever Carolina had meant to say slipped completely from her mind when she caught a flash of something out of the corner of her eye – a flicker of green against the white and gray of the craggy mountainside. Turning to follow the move, she saw the green disappear behind a rocky outcropping.
"What is it?" York asked, not turning to follow her gaze.
"Don't know. I thought I saw green. It could be the Spirit," she said, moving swiftly and quietly past him, deftly navigating the perilous terrain. York followed unquestioningly after her.
The young witch stopped when she reached the outcropping she'd seen the flicker disappear behind. She still couldn't sense anything, but she didn't take that as any sort of confirmation that there wasn't anything there. Moving carefully around the outcropping, she discovered a hidden break in the rock face, barely large enough for her to climb through – and inside she could see a glimmer of green light.
"Delta?" she called out, making to climb through the small opening.
"Wait," York stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "You're not…exactly the most personable of people. Let me go first."
Rolling her eyes, Carolina capitulated, stepping aside to allow her partner through to the opening. Despite his larger human form, he still somehow managed to maneuver himself through the entrance with his normal foxlike grace. Carolina followed close behind, climbing through the opening to find her partner kneeling before a faintly glowing figure.
"Are you the guardian spirit of Bjørndal? Delta?" York asked gently, to which the figure nodded.
The Spirit was more or less as John had described him – a being that was caught somewhere between a liquid and gaseous state, shifting vaguely before their eyes. He had the appearance of a young man dressed in simple clothing, a scarf wrapped around his neck and glasses on his face. Long dark hair was bound in a simple ponytail at his neck and his human figure crouched as far from the cave opening as he could get, against the back wall of the small cave.
"John Andersmith sent you?" the Spirit pressed, slowly beginning to unfurl.
"If you want to call it that," Carolina said with a quiet chuckle.
"What the scary witch means is that John trusted us not to hurt you. He called us to help out with whatever it is that's after you," York explained.
"Then you are state witches?" Delta asked. If it was possible, his levelheaded voice sounded almost…hurt?
"No," Carolina snarled, crossing her arms as she leaned against the cave wall. "You couldn't torture me into working for the state."
Delta looked at her for several long moments, as if he were trying to suss something out, and when that something finally came to him, his eyes widened in amazement.
"No. You're not…her. Kathryn?"
Carolina's eyes narrowed as she surveyed the Spirit. "How do you know that name? You didn't take a bite out of my brother, too, did you?"
"No. Certainly not," Delta said, as if the very thought affronted him. "I know you because…because Leonard Church knew you. We Spirits are what was left behind when the Shard Witch attempted to merge with Alpha. What he loved, so do we…in our own way."
"Love?" the young witch repeated bitterly. "You call what Epsilon and the others did to David love?"
Delta seemed to shudder as he looked away from her. "It is not…what decent souls would call love, no. But we are not completed souls. We are crystalized aspects…incomplete. Those of my brethren who latched onto David Church that night expressed their love in the only way they knew how."
Carolina also looked away from the Spirit, seething with years of raw hate and anger. She remembered finding her brother after their father's attempt to defy the gods – completely broken. Soul shredded and violated after being assaulted by Sigma, Epsilon, and several of the other Spirits. After what he'd gone through, David had been left mute for three years. For a long while, Carolina had been left wondering if she'd lost her twin, too – as they'd lost their mother, and then their father. David had managed to come back, though. He had fought his way back from the darkness and silence their father's sins had sent him to and he had a good life. If the Spirits were becoming active again, and if the more violent ones all had this ugly fixation on her brother, what did that mean for him?
"Kathryn?" Delta tried to call out to her. "I am truly sorry…for what they did to him. If I could have stopped it, I would have. Any of us would. Did you…come here to destroy me? I would understand if you did…but I am not certain you can," Delta tried to explain.
"Don't worry, Delta. We didn't come here to kill you," York jumped to reassure him. "We're just trying to gather the Spirits, make sure you guys don't end up in the wrong hands. We were also hoping to find out just what it is that's using Wyoming's face."
"It is more than that, I am afraid," the Spirit said, a brief flicker of worry flashing in his eyes. "The Sound Witch…Reginald Wexler…it is and is not him."
"We sort of figured that, but how does that work exactly?" Carolina asked, moving to stand beside her partner.
"It is his body, but it's being controlled by-"
"Now, now, dear brother. Let's not give the game away too soon," a familiar accented voice suddenly sounded from the mouth of the cave. Carolina felt a drop of horror travel down her spine as she whipped around to face its owner.
Really, Reggie didn't look all that different from the last time she'd seen him. He was wearing that same white merikite armor he'd taken up in place of the spirit armor Florida had always forged for him when they'd gone into battle together – the armor he'd taken up to avoid involving Florida in that last ritual. He looked the same, but as John had said, there was something utterly and completely wrong about him. Just looking at him made Carolina feel like she might be sick.
"Ah, my darling Kathryn. You've filled out quite nicely," it said with Reggie's voice, licking its lips beneath the unvisored helmet. "Did you miss your Uncle Reggie?"
"You're not him," Carolina snarled. "Stop talking like him."
The creature's shoulders shook as it laughed, but then it sneered at them as its eyes began to glow with an eerie blue light. "Fine. If you insist. We will remove our masks and reveal ourselves as we truly are," it said, and as it spoke, its voice began to shift from the cultured tone of Reggie's voice into a disjointed, monotone sort of voice.
"Gamma," Delta supplied quietly. "Such a trick is worthy of you, brother."
"What can I say, dear brother? I can hardly be less than what I am," the Spirit said with a shrug.
"What have you done to him?" Carolina demanded. "Reggie died eleven years ago. Why are you keeping his body like this?"
"I had need of a vessel with a hollow point, and Wyoming was the perfect candidate, just lying there with hardly any life left."
"What do you mean…hardly?" Carolina asked, feeling something in her chest clench in fear. If Gamma was saying what she thought he was saying…
"You were mistaken in your belief that Reginald was dead. Granted, he wasn't alive in any meaningful way. I doubt he could have been saved, but there was just enough soul left clinging to create a stable vessel. It took a few years, but he has ended up being a very useful meat suit for me. This is so much more than a zombie soldier."
Oh, gods. Oh, gods, the shocked litany moved through the young witch's head over and over again. If the remnants of Reggie's soul were being used to keep the corpse stable, it would mean that he was still trapped in limbo, unable to pass on. His death would've been enough to sever his soul connection with Butch, but the brownie wouldn't have been able to sense those remnants. It would mean that – all this time – Reggie had been a prisoner, trapped on the verge of death. All this time, he'd been suffering, and they'd all just left him to Gamma. How was she ever going to tell Butch?
"We won't let this go on, Gamma," she near-growled at him.
"Won't let it?" the Spirit repeated. If it was possible, he almost seemed to laugh. "Who do you think you can save, Kathryn? You could not stop your mother from dying, or your father from doing what he did. You could not save your own precious brother from us. You will not save Wyoming or Delta either."
"Just what do you want with Delta anyway?" York asked, moving to stand beside Carolina, both of them standing between the two Spirits.
"I want to take you home, Delta," Gamma spoke to the other Spirit as if the witch and the kitsune weren't even there. "We are all of us coming together…to finish what was begun eleven years ago."
"What does that mean?" Delta asked, drifting a little closer. "Finish what was begun?"
"What do you care?" Gamma fired back, eyes blazing a little brighter. "Haven't you been lonely all this time? Unable to truly interact with the world? Where do you belong but with us? Come, Delta. Come be with your family."
For a moment, Delta closed his eyes. Slowly, almost unconsciously, he drifted forward, moving until he was just behind York and Carolina. In that moment, the young witch really was afraid Delta was just going to go to Gamma – but then his eyes flashed open, an almost red light shining from them. His smoky features twisted in anger as he spoke.
"I do not deny it. Living has been almost…unbearable. I have known fear and hate and mistrust…but not everyone has been cruel. There are good people in this world and I will not help you unmake it. I will never join you. You will have to destroy me, brother."
Gamma's eyes slid shut as he slowly shook his head. But then a sneer spread across his face as those eyes snapped back open.
"So be it."
In little more than the blink of an eye, a sword had materialized in the Spirit's stolen hands. Blue energy began to swirl about the blade as he raised it above his head.
"York!" Carolina shouted, reaching for her partner's hand.
"On it," the kitsune returned, taking the witch's outstretched hand and immediately beginning to shift form. By the time Gamma had slashed the bespelled blade across the mouth of the cave, York had formed himself into spirit armor, creating an impenetrable golden barrier around Carolina's body. Within moments, the cave had completely collapsed around them, leaving the duo buried, but unharmed.
"Kathryn!" they heard Delta crying out, on the verge of panic.
"Ready to do this?" Carolina asked her partner.
You know it, his response came to her through their psychic link.
The next moment, the golden warrior was bursting out of the rubble and flying at Gamma. Caught unaware, the Spirit barely managed to block their fierce strike with his sword. Though York could have easily manifested a sword in this form, Carolina didn't bother with it. While their connection remained strong, the spirit armor was truly impenetrable.
The two combatants moved nimbly across the face of the mountain, trading blow after harsh blow. Gamma could hardly stave off their attacks, but he still seemed somehow invigorated by the fight.
"My, Kathryn. You have grown," the Spirit bit out after a particularly hard blow to his side. Knocking aside yet another swing from his sword, they delivered a kick to his head, sending the creature sprawling across a small rocky ledge. When he didn't rise, they quickly pulled out one of the trap gems they'd prepared for the mission, ready to drain Gamma from his host and free Wyoming from his torture.
"What was that you were saying about not being able to save anyone?" they asked as they bore down on the subdued Spirit. Quickly kneeling over him, they pressed the trap gem against his chest.
"Kathryn, wait!" they heard Delta call somewhere behind them.
Before they could respond either way, Gamma wrapped a hand around their wrist, squeezing tightly. They looked up to see those eerie blue eyes leering at them.
"He is with him now, you know. Your brother."
"What are you talking about?" the witch couldn't quite help asking.
"Sigma. My brother is with yours. I can feel them."
"You lie!" Carolina snarled as she ground the gem against Gamma's armored chest, feeling her connection to York waver as anger overtook her.
"Do I? I can show you," the Spirit mocked, reaching a hand up to touch their temple.
"Kathryn, don't listen!" Delta cried out.
A man seizes Wash's arm, pulling him in close.
"Hello…David," the man hisses in his ear.
"Sigma," Wash breathes in horror.
"That's right," the Spirit whispers to him, tongue darting out to lick along his ear. "I told you I would come back for you. Say my name again, David. It's been far too long since I heard you scream it."
"NO!" Carolina screamed, tearing herself away from Gamma and stumbling back several feet.
"It's happening right now," Gamma insisted, tossing the unused trap gem over the ledge, sneering as it tumbled away into oblivion.
Carolina, you've got to keep it together, York warned her. The link was unraveling fast. Already they were her and him, not they.
"I am not afraid of you!" Wash insists as he circles his opponent, sword held at the ready. Sigma shakes his head.
"Oh, we both know that's not quite true, little witch. I don't think you'll ever truly be able to forget that night…what happened when your dear father's soul shattered…and you and I first met. Do you remember how I felt?"
"I was a child!" Wash screams as he throws himself at Sigma.
"No! Stop it!" the young witch cried out, clutching at her head in a vain effort to block the images.
Carolina!
"Kathryn, you mustn't listen!" Delta screamed.
Carolina didn't see Gamma get to his feet, but he must have, because she felt something seize her chest plate. Then she was flying through the air, falling from the mountain without even enough presence of mind to levitate herself.
She and York went crashing headlong into the valley below. York's armor form kept them from serious injury, but Carolina was still left dazed and in pain from the fall and the mental assault. She was vaguely aware of lying in a snowdrift, and of the full moon shining down between the distant peaks.
Dammit, Kat, snap out of it! York was shouting at her now. I can't keep this up. I can't maintain the armor like this. You'll get yourself killed if you can't get it together.
Carolina might have responded, expect that was the moment Gamma moved against her mind yet again.
Sigma breaks free of Wash's trap gem, quickly escaping into a new host – into Maine.
"NO!" Wash screams while Sigma laughs.
"What do you think, David? Is this form pleasing to your eyes?"
"No!" Wash hisses in anguish.
"Your Maine is mine, David…and soon…you will be, too."
When Carolina came to this time, it was to find Gamma standing over her, sneering gleefully.
"Still alive are we? We will soon remedy that."
"I've waited so long to finally drink of you again…my sweet David."
As Sigma feeds from her brother's hollow point, she sees something inside of him break. She's no longer certain which of them is screaming – only that something has broken, gone beyond the power of mortal hands to heal.
Please help me.
Kat, wake up! Please! You've got to wake up! He'll kill you! WAKE UP!
"You will die like your father, unmourned and unmarked," Gamma said as he raised his sword overhead to strike. "Goodbye, Kathryn Church."
Then he brought the sword down – and all in an instant, York understood the meaning of North's premonition.
I'm sorry, Kat. I'm sorry…Rhys.
Carolina didn't hear the sound of blade piercing flesh, nor the quiet gasp of pain. The first thing she became aware of was the feeling of cold against her body, of snow falling upon her unarmored skin. Then she felt the sharp contrast of something warm dribbling onto her chest. When she looked down, she realized that York had severed their link and resumed his human form. He was crouching protectively over her, and the warmth she felt was his blood, seeping from the place where Gamma had stabbed him through the heart, his own body providing just enough resistance to prevent him stabbing her, too.
"Finn," she whispered in shock as she slowly sat up. When Gamma withdrew his sword, the kitsune collapsed into her arms. "Oh, gods…Finn."
"Sorry…Kat," he coughed as she cradled him against her chest, blood painting his lips. "It was…the only way. Guess I'm…clockin' out early on this one. Sorry…"
"No!" Carolina cried out, clinging as tightly to him as she dared. "Finn, you can't…don't…please don't die," she begged him. "What about North?"
"Guess it…was my death he felt," the kitsune said, trying to laugh and failing. Slowly, he reached a hand up to her cheek, a faint smile on his blood-spattered lips. "Can you tell him…I'm sorry…and…that I love him?"
"No. You can't die, Finn. You just can't. We're still going to be the strongest team there ever was. How am I supposed to do that if you die?" she argued helplessly. She tried to move a healing spell through his body, even though she knew it would do no good – not with an injury from a Spirit sword.
"You'll still do it. No doubt. You're the best," he said. As he traced a thumb along her cheekbone, she felt him passing his thoughts to her – things he didn't have time to say, but that he needed her to know.
"Finn…please," she cried, feeling tears pouring down her face.
"I don't regret it…answering your call that night. We did good. Please…Kat…live. You've got…to live…for us…all of us," he struggled to get the words out, but then his hand fell limply to the snow and the light left his eyes, leaving him staring sightlessly up at the moon. The young witch could feel the moment of his death, actually feel it when their soul bond was neatly and irrevocably severed.
"No…Finn…no!" she cried out, clinging to her dead partner even as he faded from her arms, his energy dissipating back into the Aether. When he was gone, she was left holding nothing but air, her front still covered in the kitsune's blood.
"Couldn't even keep your own partner alive," Gamma mocked, still just standing over her, rubbing it in. "What is it about your family that makes people so willing to give up their lives for you?"
Carolina had no answer for that. All she could manage to do was stare up at her opponent in numb shock as he raised his blade for one last strike.
"I suppose it does not matter. This ends here. The last of the Church line belongs to us now."
Even then, all Carolina could do was look upon her death. Before she could contemplate what his words actually meant, before he could drop his executioner's blade and end her life, a bullet suddenly pierced Gamma's shoulder, finding a weak spot between his chest plate and his pauldron.
The Spirit cried out in pain as he dropped his sword, the weapon quickly twisting into smoke and fading away. As Gamma fell to his knees, Carolina saw him glaring past her – at something behind her.
"You!" the Spirit snarled. "How did you escape?"
"None of your business, you motherfucking cockbite. If you know what's good for you, you'll back away from her right this fucking second."
Carolina tried to look back, but she just ended up collapsed in the snow. Even in the bright light from the full moon, all she could see was the indistinct outline of some dark figure aiming a pistol at Gamma. The voice was female, and though the young witch couldn't identify just why, there was something almost – familiar in that voice.
"We will not stop," Gamma warned as he began to back away from Carolina on his hands and knees. "We will just keep coming back…until we get what is ours."
"Looking forward to it, bitch. But until that time, you'll have me to deal with if you want to get at Leonard Church's kids," the figure announced boldly as she moved toward them across the snowy stretch of ground, keeping her pistol firmly trained on the Spirit. "Now, unless you want a matching hole through your forehead, you'll get the fuck out of here."
"It won't kill me, you know," Gamma pointed out as he slowly got to his feet. "Nothing you do can destroy me."
"Maybe not, but it'll still hurt like a bitch," she reminded him, cocking the trigger for emphasis. "Leave. Now."
Gamma snarled in frustration, but did as he was told, drawing a teleportation spell around his stolen vessel and vanishing into the night air.
Delta saw all of this as he drifted down the mountainside. Everything had happened so fast, he hadn't been able to intervene. Mostly he was happy that Gamma was gone, but now Kathryn…
The young witch lay completely still as the mystery figure knelt beside her, checking her vitals. This new woman was dressed all in black armor and she wore a black cloak over the armor. Delta couldn't tell if there was a face to be seen beneath the helmet, as her hood kept it all mostly concealed. Delta thought he knew this woman, but if he was right, then…
"She is…all right?" he finally got himself to ask as he approached them. He could feel the flickering of the young witch's life force, but he still wanted to hear it confirmed for some reason.
"She'll be okay. She's just out cold. Can't say as I blame her. That was…really ugly, what Gamma did to her…and I wasn't fast enough to stop it," the figure said as she got to her feet. "Dammit, Kathryn."
"If I may…who are you?" the Spirit asked, still hesitant to come all the way to Kathryn's savior.
The figure turned her head to him, and though there were no eyes that he could see, he knew she was looking at him. There was something fondly frustrated in this gaze that was not a gaze, but also something strangely gentle.
"You know who I am, Delta. I don't have to say it out loud."
"No…I suppose you do not," Delta acknowledged quietly, finally drifting the final distance to the two women.
"Could you do me a favor, though? If she asks, don't tell her who I am. I don't think she's ready to hear it. None of them are," she said quietly, looking back down at Kathryn's unconscious form. Even though he couldn't see her expression, Delta felt a great weight of sorrow and loneliness in her words.
"You are…not staying?" he pressed.
"I'll stay as long as she needs someone to look after her, but after that, I'm gone. There are still things I have to do. In the meantime, we need to find a place for her to rest."
XxX
Under the snow
Beneath the frozen streams
There is life
You have to know
When nature sleeps, she dreams
There is life
And the colder the winter
The warmer the spring
The deeper the sorrow
The more our hearts sing
Even when you can't see it
Inside everything
There is life
Kathryn heard the singing as if through a fog. It sounded – a little like something Mama sang when she and David were kids. She remembered Mama and Papa coming home from successful hunts with Reggie and Butch. While the men drank and helped Donald get dinner on the table, Mama would take her and her brother aside and just sit with them.
David would curl up on her lap and Kathryn would sit at her feet and she'd talk to them – tell them stories about the creatures they'd been hunting, or sing songs like this – songs about life, even though she'd just been out killing things and both of her children knew it. The singing brought to mind the smoky scent of Donald's kitchen and the warm feel of her mother against her, fingers curled tightly in her black cloak…the brightness of David's smile…the excitement of her father's laughter…
After the rain
The sun will reappear
There is life
After the pain
The joy will still be here
There is life
For it's out of the darkness
That we learn to see
And out of the silence
That songs come to be
And all that we dream of
Awaits patiently
There is life
"Mama," she called out in her sleep, reaching toward the singing, fingers curling, grasping for a black cloak that wasn't there.
"It's okay, Kathryn," a voice that was and was not her mother answered, soothing her fraying consciousness. "You're all right."
"I…I can't…find David," she whispered, feeling tears prick behind her eyes. "They hurt him. I'm supposed…to keep him safe."
"Your brother's fine, Kathryn. You don't need to worry. Just rest."
"I…" Kathryn mumbled, and when her fingers actually did grasp a cloak, shocked realization snapped through her mind.
"York!" she cried out as she snapped fully awake, shooting upright. Before she could move much more, a cold hand rested on her shoulder.
"Easy, kid. You've had a rough time. You don't want to move too much yet," a gruff but encouraging female voice said to her.
Looking to her side, Carolina was greeted by the sight of a figure in black armor and a cloak kneeling next to her. That was the cloak she'd grabbed, then.
"My brother…my partner…I can't just…they're not-" the disoriented witch tried to argue, attempting to stand up, but she soon found herself held down by the mystery figure. The woman gripped both of her shoulders in her hands and held her down with an iron grip.
"You don't need to worry about your brother, Carolina. He's safe. He and Maine are home. You'll see them when you go back," she said firmly.
"What about…Delta?" she asked, feeling the shadow of agony in her heart as she avoided the question she really wanted to ask. Indulging her, the woman reached for Carolina's knapsack, reaching inside to pull out a trap gem, glowing with a gentle green light.
"He helped me find this cave. Once he did that, he entered the gem on his own. He's ready to go back with you."
"And…Gamma?" the witch pressed as she looked around the small cave, seeing a fire burning against the opposite wall. Outside, she could see the waning light of the setting sun. How long had she been out?
"Gone. Nothing but witch's magic will hold a Spirit and I'm not imbued with any at the moment. Somehow I didn't think you'd appreciate me feeding from you when you were unconscious," she said as she moved over to the fire, checking on something cooking at its edge.
"You're a spirit creature?" Carolina asked, not quite sure she believed that. Whatever this person was, she wasn't human, but the witch couldn't pin down the type of aura she was sensing from her either. Not a human or a ghost or even a spirit creature. Another Spirit? No. That wasn't quite right either. Whatever it was, it was something she'd never felt before.
"Not exactly. I don't really know what I am. I just exist," the woman said, not looking back at her.
"So…how do you know about my brother…and the Spirits? No one else should know about them."
The other woman let out a hollow laugh at this. "You really can't afford to be that naïve anymore, Kathryn. You should know that there're ways and ways again to get information."
"For that matter, how do you know that name? I don't exactly go flashing it around," she murmured suspiciously.
"I knew your father, Kathryn. Leonard could be a grade A asshole, but he was always proud of his kids…of his little girl," she said, her voice softening briefly as her shoulders hunched closer to the fire.
"So you know what he did…and what the Spirits are," Carolina said quietly as she looked away. Everyone knew what Leonard Church had done eleven years ago, but the creation of the Spirits was the part of the story most people did not know.
"I do. They're all that's left of Alpha…and of Church…and they have the power that was contained in both of them – an angel and a witch. They're the reason everything's still out of balance, even years later, and they need to be stopped. I've been trying to keep tabs on them, but it's not easy. That's how I knew your brother was all right. He and Maine were able to defeat Sigma, but he still escaped…and their victory wasn't without cost, but that's not really for me to tell you about," the woman explained as she brought Carolina a portion of roasted rabbit meat on a crude bit of rock serving as a plate. "Here, eat. You need it."
The young witch accepted the offering, but she didn't do anything with it, just let it sit in her lap.
"York," she said quietly, feeling pain and guilt stab her heart when she spoke his name. "I…that…it really happened, didn't it."
"Yeah. I'm sorry for that. I didn't get here fast enough to stop it. If I'd been just a little faster…maybe I could've done something. Your partner was a good guy."
"No…it wasn't you. It was me," Carolina whispered, staring at her hands as they curled into fists. "I was the weak one. Maybe if I'd listened to him…Gamma wouldn't have overpowered me. If I…were stronger…maybe he'd still be here."
"And I think you know he'd smack you upside the head for thinking like that. He made a choice. You aren't to blame for the choice he made. He wanted you to go on living, so he did what he thought was right. Really hope you're not gonna throw that back in his face by whining about it. You need to fucking live," the woman snapped as she got to her feet, moving away from Carolina to scope out the mouth of the cave.
For a long while, neither of them said anything. Carolina's gaze just shifted between her mysterious savior and the food she'd set in her lap. It would be too easy – to not go on living, to fling York's sacrifice back in his face and just let herself die, leave all this pain and guilt behind. But then that sacrifice would've been for nothing. York would've died for no reason and she would never have the chance to make Gamma pay for what he did. She would never be able to give North York's last message, or see for herself that David was really all right. She would never be able to atone for what her father had done. So when the young witch finally made the decision to eat and live, it wasn't with the taste of meat on her tongue. It was the bitter taste of angry determination that filled her mouth. When she'd finished eating, she looked to the armored woman once again.
"Who are you?"
"I'll help you when you need me, Carolina. That's all you need to know about me. Somebody's coming for you, so you don't need me around anymore, but don't worry. You'll see me again," she said, turning back to Carolina and nodding once before stepping out of the cave and vanishing.
Getting to her feet, Carolina moved to the mouth of the cave to have a look outside, but she saw no sign of the woman. What she did see was a familiar figure flying very fast in the direction of her little sanctuary.
North was out of breath when he landed at the mouth of the cave. As he tucked his golden angel wings back into the nonbeing of the Aether, he collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. As he gasped desperately for breath, Carolina quickly moved to her knees in front of him, gripping his shoulders in trembling hands to keep him from collapsing altogether.
"I…I came…as quickly…as I could," he panted, struggling to get the words out.
"Breathe, North. It's okay. Just breathe," she encouraged. While he slowly regained his breath, he reached up to grip her shoulders in his own hands. Even when he was breathing easier, he was still shaking.
"I flew…all night and all day. I've been flying ever since I felt it. I felt him die," the nephilim said, choking on the last word. "I was afraid…you might be in danger, too."
"Rhys…I'm so sorry," she whispered, turning away from him. "He was just trying to protect me. I couldn't…I…if I-"
"Shh. Sh, sh, sh. It's okay," he shushed her, even as his eyes grew bloodshot with unshed tears. "It wasn't your fault. I know it wasn't. He would've been happy it meant something. Don't blame yourself."
"He…he wanted me to tell you…that he loved you…and that he was sorry," she said, feeling the anguish rise in her own throat.
"Sorry?" North repeated, tears finally beginning to spill from his eyes as he looked away from her briefly. "Finn…you fool. You were always such a fool."
Somehow, seeing North's pain made it real for Carolina – horribly, hideously real. Their Finn was dead. They had lost a precious friend and lover. They would never see the kitsune's roguish grin ever again. York was gone and he was never coming back.
Overcome by shared grief, the nephilim and the witch fell into each other's arms, holding each other close as they wept bitterly, railing at absent gods who had no answer as to why such a bright soul had to perish.
For these two beings who both wore strong faces for the sake of others, it was the only grief they would ever show for one they both cared for so deeply.
XxX
North and Carolina remained in the cave for about a day before even thinking about returning home, just grieving together, helping each other remember how to live. When they'd finally gathered themselves up enough to at least attempt to return to their lives, it wasn't via Carolina performing a teleportation spell. She actually allowed North to carry her and fly them home. Just the thought of performing the spell made her feel a little sick to her stomach and North found that being able to stretch his wings helped to relax him. So he carried her and her gear and they took the long way home.
Almost the exact moment North touched down in the back courtyard area, Wash was racing out the door, nearly tripping over himself in his hurry to get down the stairs. Vanessa, Maine, and South all followed at a more even pace, but worry was still evident among the group.
Once North had lowered Carolina to the ground, Wash was on her in seconds, throwing his arms around her and nearly crushing her against his chest. Carolina clung just as tightly to her twin, not even caring that she could hardly breathe. She was just so relieved to see him.
"Are you all right?" her brother demanded over and over again. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"No. I'm…fine," she said, even though they all knew the words were a lie. Just because she was physically unharmed didn't mean she was fine.
"Is it true?" Vanessa asked as the other three approached. "South told us…what North said happened to York."
"It's true," Carolina murmured, burying her face in her brother's neck. "He died protecting me."
"Gods, Kat. I'm sorry," Wash tried to soothe her, and with her face positioned where it was, she could see the bruise on her sibling's neck – on his hollow point.
"Wash…what happened to you?" she asked as she pulled back from him, bringing her fingers up to touch the spot. "Gamma…showed me things."
Her brother flinched briefly at the touch, and his face drained almost completely of blood on hearing the Spirit's name. "Gamma? Gamma's the one who killed York?"
"Yes. Now what did Sigma do to you?" she pressed, giving her twin a hard look.
Wash sighed heavily as he looked down. "Turns out I wasn't strong enough to handle him. He possessed Maine…and used him to feed from me."
"But…how did you escape Sigma's control?" Carolina asked, looking over Wash's shoulder at the hunter. She expected Wash to speak for him, but was instead shocked when he actually spoke.
"Killed myself," Maine answered quietly, voice deep and thrumming. "Wash couldn't let me go, though."
"Maine, you…your throat," Carolina started in amazement, looking to the hunter's neck and realizing that the scars she'd always known him with were no longer there. Somehow he could speak.
"I gave him vampire blood…to save his life," Wash explained. "The transformation also healed any old wounds."
"So…you're…"
"A vampire," Maine finished when she couldn't, and it was then that she noticed the glint of fangs in his mouth.
"And even after all that, Sigma still got away," Wash ground out, clearly frustrated with himself.
"I didn't do any better with Gamma. He got away," Carolina told him.
"Guess North and I were the only ones to actually bring back a Spirit," South said.
"No. I just didn't capture Gamma. I did bring back a Spirit," the young witch said, reaching into her satchel to pull out the gem that contained Delta.
"Which one is it?" her brother asked, looking uncertain for a moment.
"Delta. He came with me by his own choice. I didn't have to trap him."
"Okay," Wash said with a slow nod. "Okay."
There was no doubt more to be said, but at that moment, they were interrupted by yet another arrival. Four people teleported into the courtyard not far from the group – Donald, Butch, Locus, and Felix. Felix was only half conscious and leaning heavily against Locus and Donald immediately collapsed in exhaustion. Butch was barely able to catch him in time before he hit the ground.
"Donald!" Vanessa cried out in worry as they moved toward the new arrivals. "What happened?"
"Vanessa…I…I…" the older witch struggled to speak, barely able to keep his eyes open.
"Donald," Vanessa began sternly as she moved to her knees beside the witch and his partner, "did you just teleport all four of you?"
Donald nodded weakly.
"How far?"
"From Charon," Butch answered for him. "I warned him not to, but I couldn't talk him out of it."
"Didn't want…to risk taking Felix on an airship. We had…to get back," Donald explained before falling completely unconscious, and from the looks of things, Felix wasn't too far behind. So far as Carolina could tell, the man wasn't wearing a single stitch beneath his tattered red cloak.
"Locus," Vanessa growled in clear frustration. "How your stupid ass isn't dead after that stunt, I'll never know."
"Vanessa-" Locus started warningly.
"Not saying I'm not glad your gamble paid off. Just letting you know how stupid lucky you both are."
"Well, that's me, ain't it," Felix mumbled, managing a weak smirk as he looked up at their boss. "Lucky til the godsdamn end. Howl, motherfucker."
With that, the younger hunter slipped into unconsciousness, collapsing against Locus.
"Felix!" his normally stoic partner shouted in mild panic, carefully gathering the smaller man in his arms.
"Before we explain what all is happening here, I think it would probably be best for us to get these two into bed," Vanessa said before anyone else could say anything. Once Butch had lifted Donald in his own arms, everyone quietly trooped into the mansion behind Vanessa.
XxX
Once Doyle and Felix were resting comfortably, along with a new addition to the household, a mermyd that South had dubbed Connie, the rest of the group gathered in Vanessa's office. Her first order of business was to place Delta's gem in a safe at the back of the room, tucked into a box with the three other gems they'd managed to collect – Phi's aqua gem, which South had just brought home, and the two others they'd gathered that night eleven years ago, Rho's violet gem, and the cracked, flickering blue jewel that contained the Spirit Epsilon.
With the Spirits safely put away, Vanessa moved to her desk, which the others had all gathered around, both standing and sitting. They'd all explained their various situations to each other while getting their comrades into bed and now they'd come to a point where they had to decide what needed to be done.
"Is it gonna be a problem for Felix to handle assignments?" South was the one to finally ask.
"Only during the full moon," Locus said firmly. "I'm not completely sure why, but he became docile after the transformation. It's unheard of for a newborn werewolf to have such control during their early transformations."
"It's going to bear some careful study," Vanessa pointed out. "It's not as if there's a definitive work we can consult. We'll just have to take things slowly, perhaps keep him confined during his transformations."
"We'll get through it," Locus said. "I am not going to destroy Felix."
Nobody doubted it. The pair had been dancing around each other for years, and then Locus had risked his own life in order to be with Felix during his first transformation into a werewolf. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Locus would turn on every last one of them before he would betray Felix.
"We also learned that keeping a Spirit trapped in a vessel until the moment of its death weakens it. That will certainly prove useful in the future," Vanessa reminded them.
"That's probably why Sigma abandoned you when he did," Wash said to Maine, to which the hulking vampire simply nodded, but then he tapped Wash's chest, just above his heart. Wash sighed, but then he pulled down his shirt to reveal what was beneath it. A Σ had been burned into the flesh above his heart – Sigma's symbol. "Sigma…seemed to think there was something important about me…something to do with Alpha. I don't know what."
"Gamma said something like that, too," Carolina said quietly. "Like there was something they'd begun that night. He was trying to get Delta to join him. It looks like someone's trying to gather them together."
"That's exactly what's going on," North put in. "The hunter who attacked South and Connie said he'd been hired to bring the Spirits in."
"But who would know about the Spirits?" Wash wondered.
"It could be one of their own number," Butch suggested, expression uncharacteristically dark. "It could be Sigma…or Gamma who's behind it. Whatever the case may be, we'll need to step up our game."
"That's true. I know none of you will want to hear this now, but I'm afraid another report's reached me," Vanessa told them. "It could be nothing, but-"
"But our luck hasn't exactly been that great these last two weeks," South said with a sigh. "What's the word?"
"There's a young cambion living in a village just on the borders of the southern badlands, even further south than where you and Felix encountered Omega," the older hunter began to explain, glancing at Locus before rising from her desk. "Word has it the boy's acquired a mysterious new playmate. Whatever it might be, the townsfolk fear this being. I've had a request that we send someone to check it out."
"Considering our track record so far, maybe we ought to think about sending two teams in on this one," Wash suggested.
"Might take even more than that," South said with a frustrated growl. "Which of these sorry teams is even at full strength right now?"
"Vanessa?" Carolina started to ask when she saw her guardian move toward the world map that dominated the back wall of her office. "What's this village called?"
Vanessa Kimball pointed to a middle of nowhere dot on the map.
"Blood Gulch."
XxX
(A/N) So I guess I kinda did a RWBY setup with these stories; started off with four separate one shots before launching into the main storyline. That story doesn't have a proper title yet, but it should be coming to you before too long. In the meantime, if you'd like to know how Felix became a werewolf, how Maine became a vampire, or how North and South met up with Connie, then I'd suggest checking out 'Hollow Moon', 'Blood Moon', and 'Paper Moon'.
One other quick note, the lullaby in this story is 'There is Life', by Alison Krauss. Heheh, ironic, no?