'Tis the end. Thank you guys for sticking by me.

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DAMAGE, INC.
Blood will follow blood. Dying time is here…

Blood seeped through Reid's shirt and spread, a bold red stain against his grimy white t-shirt. He pulled the spade out and let it clatter to the ground.

Oh, God, Sam whispered.

"You throw like a girl," he panted at Chase, clenching his jaw against the pain.

Chase looked at him, narrowing his eyes and geared up to finish him off with a shockwave.

Tyler charged while his attention was on Reid, but Chase caught the movement from his peripheral vision and parried, knocking the other boy down. He raked his hand down the front of Tyler's shirt and ducked to scoop up his knife.

Tyler screamed in pain, as burning welts appeared where Chase had touched.

Caleb went to Tyler and knelt to check on him. The other boy's eyes locked with Caleb's and he rolled his eyes to the side, drawing Caleb's attention. Caleb glanced quickly and saw the forgotten box beneath the edge of a cabinet.

With his back to Chase, he helped Tyler sit up and used his powers to bring it to him. He made a show of helping Tyler to his feet so in the distraction he could pocket the box.

Chase remained motionless, trying to keep an eye on all of the boys. To his left, Reid sat slouched against the wall. Caleb was busy helping Simms to his feet, and Pogue was staring, powers at the ready, waiting to make a move.

Chase smiled in challenge.

"Pogue," Caleb said warningly. "Don't forget about Sam, man. She's still there."

"You think she wants that bastard using her as a puppet?" Pogue demanded. He slowly spread his hands and a wind whistled through the old house. "We don't have any choice."

Caleb's eyes flashed fire and filled black as he, too, called on the Power.

Chase's smile lost a bit of its glimmer and he brought the knife to Sam's throat.

"Don't try anything," he hissed. "I mean it, Parry. I'll kill her without a second thought."

To prove his point, he drew the blade of the knife slowly across Sam's skin, just enough to have a bright crimson stream flow down her pale throat.

"Caleb," Tyler barked, grabbing his friend's arm to stop his advance on Chase.

Caleb and Chase stared each other down for a long moment, both of them tingling as their Powers snapped and crackled around them.

-

Kill me, Caleb. Just kill me, Sam pleaded desperately as blood trickled down her neck.

She saw Reid's breathing slow as he stared at her and flinched (or would have, if she had been in control of her body) at the sound of his voice in her head.

So if I can hear you, does that mean you can hear me?

Oh my God, Sam said, barely restraining a sob. Yes!

Fuck. Does that mean I'm about to die?

I don't know, Sam said. But I don't think Chase can hear us, because he hasn't taken his attention off Caleb and Pogue. Plus he isn't a necromancer.

So I am about to die, Reid groaned. Ok, Ghost Whisperer. How in the hell do we kill this asshole if he's in your body?

I don't know, Sam said. He loosened his control when you stabbed me earlier.

I was stabbing Chase, Reid reminded her.

It's still my thigh that hurts like a bitch, Sam replied dryly. Maybe that's it. Maybe pain in my body affects me, so it kinda kicks him out.

What, like a hippie mind-body-spirit thing?

Exactly, Sam said. Reid, you have to get them to do something that hurts me.

What?!

You have to. It's the only way.

How much pain?

Not enough to kill me, but almost, Sam said.

Oh, is that all, Reid said sarcastically.

Hit me with one of those power bubble things. Then, when Chase is bouncing back, tell the others what I said and beat the hell out of me.

Reid sighed, then shifted to sit straighter against the wall. Keeping his rheumy blue eyes downcast so Chase wouldn't notice his power-up, he summoned as much of a burst as he could and launched it at Sam.

-

The blast caught Chase off guard and he was thrown backwards into an old bookshelf.

"Sam said you have to hurt her," Reid told the others. "It's the only way to get him out."

"Reid, catch!" Caleb called, tossing the Zeala box to him. He then turned his attention back to where Chase was regaining his feet, and with a look of regret, sent a wave of power shooting toward Sam.

Reid opened the box and gasped as the Power forced its way back into his body, a wispy blue smoke that invaded his eyes, nose, and mouth. He bowed against the wall as his life and magic was given back to him, tightening his muscles and smoothing his skin once again.

"NO!" Chase screamed in fury. He threw a ball of electricity at Caleb. "No! You motherf—"

Reid was on his feet and hitting Chase with a perpetual blast of energy, the heat from it making waves in the low afternoon sun that streaked in from a high window.

Chase and Sam screamed as Sam's body was wracked with pain. Blood poured from Sam's nose and mouth, but still Chase held on.

Each boy gave all he could without killing her, and after what seemed like an eternity of Sam crying out in pain, Chase began to manifest himself outside her body.

His sandy brown hair was slick with sweat, but he wasted no time opening an attack on the Sons. He hit Pogue with such force he crumpled against the wall, clutching his stomach.

"Check Sam!" Tyler shouted at Reid.

The other boy rushed behind Chase and cradled Sam's bloody face in his hands. "You alive?"

Sam opened her eyes momentarily and nodded, wincing as the movement sent pain screaming through her skull.

"Go," she whispered hoarsely. "Kick his ass."

Reid grinned and stood. Chase whirled frantically, defending himself against the attacks. His resistance was short lived, however, as the boys separated, moving so that Caleb stood in front, Reid behind, and Tyler and Pogue on either side.

The pooled their energies and Power, sending wave after wave at Chase. He was tiring, unable to defend himself, and fell to his knees with one final weak shock.

The Sons continued their assault and began to move closer. Chase roared in anger, then in pain, as his skin began to burn from the energy the boys were giving off.

The smell of charred flesh soon permeated every corner of the small basement. Sam gagged against the heavy air and turned her head away as Chase's ferocious shouts became higher pitched screams of anguish.

His face was now unrecognizable, a throbbing mass of blistered muscle. Caleb, looking grim, raised his arms and lowered them quickly, sending one final pulse of Power at Chase. The boys shielded their faces as their enemy exploded into a fine dust.

They stood, breathing heavily and staring at the place where Chase had been, looking at each other expectantly.

"Is that it?" Tyler panted, his eyes returning to normal. "Is it over?"

"It's over," Caleb said, collapsing back onto the stairs. He brushed a hand through his hair as Tyler sat next to him.

Pogue rushed over to Sam and pulled her to him. She clung to him, gripping fistfuls of his jacket.

"I'm sorry," Pogue said against her neck. "God, I'm so sorry we got you involved in all this."

Sam tugged at his hair until he raised his head, and then kissed him fervently. "We're ok," she whispered between kisses. "All that matters is that we're all alive."

"Not that I love to quash sappy moments," Reid said, pushing away from the wall with a grunt. "But, guys, I was just stabbed in the side with a gardening spade, and I'm pretty sure I've got a couple of broken ribs from my trip down the stairs." He pushed between Caleb and Tyler and began to slowly ascend the stairs.

"I'd like to go to the hospital sometime. No rush, ya know," he added sarcastically. "I mean, I'm sure the bacteria from the spade will stop the bleeding sooner or later."

"You need to go get that leg checked out," Pogue told Sam, helping her walk to the stiars. He looked at her bleeding nose and mouth, the cuts and bruises that covered her arms, and thought she was beautiful. "You look like hell," he said with a smile.

"Oh, how sweet," Sam deadpanned.

"You've looked better yourself, you know." Caleb said. He pulled himself up from the step and held a hand down to Tyler, who hauled himself up with a grimace.

"I think we could all use a trip to the ER," he said, indicating the five slashing burns stretching from his left shoulder nearly to his right hip.

They all hobbled out of the house and down the street to their vehicles. Tyler helped Reid into Caleb's mustang before getting into his own car.

"Now that Chase is gone, do you think you'll have it easy for a while?" Sam asked.

"God, I hope so," Reid said, leaning his head against the seat.

"Tyler ascends next month, plus we graduate," Pogue said. "After that, no one knows what's gonna happen."

"Chances are, with Chase gone—for good, this time—we'll have a lot less to worry about. Maybe not everything that would cause us trouble died with him, but a good deal of it did," Caleb said.

"Good," Sam said with a nod as she got in Pogue's SS and he started the engine.

"Still bleeding," Reid called to Caleb.

"You're being a baby," Caleb said, getting in the car. "Sam's a girl and she's not even making as much of a fuss as you."

"Don't even start with me," Reid said, still leaning against the seat. "You wanna talk fuss? I was old, dude. Like, really old. I even smelled old. It was gross..."

Caleb rolled his eyes to the others as they left for the hospital, then put the car in gear and pulled away, the sound of Reid's bitching following on the wind.