"It goes without sayin' ya'll got a crapton of explainin' to do." Lance stood in the doorway of the hospital room, arms folded, shoulders stiff. "Door's shut, so spill the crazy talk."

To Vivi's left, Arthur lay on his back, looking more like a mummy than a man. His glowing eyes hadn't left Vivi's hands once, or what they held. Cupped carefully between her palms was a small black and white bird, one with a pair of yellow spectacles perched on its beak. She had leaned Excalibur against the hospital bed, the gem a dull obsidian in the sterile light.

Vivi's thumb stroked Mystery's wings distractedly. Her eyes were wide and she kept swallowing back her nausea. "So… confronting them… didn't go as planned…"

"Naw, really? I thought everything went over like a waterfall." Lance's brows furrowed. "Quit stallin'. Why's my nephew ripped up? And why's that Lewis kid still hidin' out in him?"

Mystery squawked as Vivi gripped tighter. "Mystery's first owner showed up to take him back. We stopped Them. Arthur got… hurt."

"Hurt how? Knifed? That's all I can tell 'em up front 'cause that's what it looks like, some sicko worked him over with a knife and cracked 'is ribs to boot!"

"Thorns. Huge thorns like you wouldn't believe."

"Doesn't 'splain why Lewis is starin' out at me and not my own nephew."

"Arthur lost a lot of blood." Vivi released Mystery, clutching her mouth for a moment, swallowing back bile. "Lew had to walk him… back."

"And the bird that's not a bird?" Lance demanded.

"Mystery hasn't talked to us yet, but he can't move much. He had to be smaller so I could take him back."

"And Girlie?" He gestured to the sword. "I'm no smith or jewelry polisher but that looks bad."

Vivi shook her head. She wasn't even sure what all happened to Callie. Lance tugged on his sideburns, muttering, "Fine. Talk yerselves and regroup or reconfigure. But you tell me what you come to after, y'hear? An' don't make Arthur talk too much. Gotta let his mouth heal."

Vivi pressed her hands to her mouth again, nodding, and Lance finally left. The second the door clicked shut, Vivi set Mystery on the side table and bolted for the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time.

Bones. Blood. Organs. Lewis writhing on a spike, unable to breathe, screaming with no sound.

Vivi heaved into the bowl, choking and coughing as she struggled to steady herself. Numb, she flushed the toilet and dragged herself upright, rinsing her mouth out at the sink. She lifted her head, staring at herself in the mirror.

Made it long enough to see the emergency through. Did what had to be done.

Lew…

She left the bathroom, gripping the doorframe on the way out. Arthur's body was pressed up against the plastic side rail farthest from Mystery. "Lew… I need to see you."

Arthur's eyes shot over to her, then back to Mystery.

"I don't know what your problem is with him right now but I really need you Lew," she whispered hoarsely, "I need to see you okay… I know you're not, but…"

Slowly, Lewis lifted out of Arthur's body. His skeletal form flickered a moment before resolving into a human face with blackset glowing purple irises. He barely cleared the hospital bed before Vivi plowed into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and burying her face in his chest.

She felt one of his hands settle on her head, and swatted it away angrily. "I'll crack your salad bowl over a stack of hardbacks if you even think about it! I don't need my memories messed with anymore, what's done is done, can you just hold me for two seconds? I don't need you to protect my head! Can you just-"

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. "I'm sorry." His voice was thin and hollow. "I'm a little lost right now."

Vivi pulled away from him, walked across the room, grabbed a chair, and dragged it back. Slipping off her shoes, she stepped up onto the chair, grabbed Lewis by the shoulders and spun him around, pulling him close. "Turn your hair off." His human appearance vanished and his hair faded away, leaving only a bare skull. She tucked his head under her chin, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"It'll be okay Lew. We'll get through it. We always do."

Lewis reached up, clinging to Vivi's arms. "Vivi?"

"Yeah Lew?"

"I tried to kill Arthur."

"I know Lew."

"I hurt him Vivi."

"I know. I punched you in the face, I'm sure he'd call it square."

"He would. But he's lost too Vivi."

She squeezed. "You were in his mind last. Tell me what's going on in there."

"He failed Callie, that's the biggest thing."

"What the heckadoo happened back there?" She stroked his skull gently.

"I'm not totally sure, but it's like… she took Mystery's darkness?" He eased farther from the bed, and Mystery on the other side of it, dragging Vivi and the chair with him. "The second biggest thing on his mind is…" He swallowed. "Something else. Later. Third thing is wanting to punch Mystery for the stunt he pulled."

"Ok, that's what's on his mind that happened, why's he lost?"

Lewis' voice was somber. "He doesn't know how to fix it. And he thinks he's useless. That he's not doing anything."

Vivi pulled away abruptly. "He… WHAT?" She grabbed Lewis' skull and spun it around to face her. "Tell me you told him otherwise!"

"I was a little focused on keeping him awake until the ambulance got to us. He's in a lot of pain." Lewis' eyes flicked sideways at Arthur. "Or was, the drugs kicked in pretty fast. I don't even know how coherent he is right now."

Vivi took another look at Arthur. Without Lewis propping him up, his body sagged into the pillows, his eyes staring vacantly at the ceiling. Vivi climbed off the chair and took a step toward Arthur before Lewis grabbed her shoulder, yanking her back. "Don't!" His voice was edged with panic. "Don't get near him!"

"Lewis, what the furmongering swissballs is your beef with Arthur now?" Vivi demanded.

"Not Arthur." Lewis' grip tightened, and Vivi glanced at the tiny black and white bird, still perched at the edge of the nightstand on the other side of Arthur's bed, its head tucked under its wing. "Don't get close if you can help it, Vivi. You don't understand…"