PG-13 for language
"So tell me about your family?"
Tony sipped his wine and placed the glass back on the table. "There really isn't much to say."
"Well I've been talking your ear off all evening. I'm sure you don't want to hear anything else about my sisters." She smiled at him as she drank her own wine. "I'd like to know more about where you're from."
He fiddled with the stem of his glass. "Is something wrong, Tony?"
"I don't really like to talk about it." He gave her a quick, uncomfortable look before staring back down at the table. "My parents died when I was young."
"Oh, oh I'm sorry Tony. I didn't mean to bring up something that was painful."
"No, no, it's fine. I'd just rather talk about something else."
Michelle squirmed in her seat a little, looking out at the dance floor. She smiled then stood up, holding her hand out to Tony.
"What, what are you doing?"
"I've talked about me all night and if you won't talk about you, we're gonna dance."
"Michelle, I'm a horrible dancer. Trust me, you don't want to dance with me."
"Oh come on, you can't be that bad." She grabbed his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Tony instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, her hands resting on his shoulders. "See, nothing to it." She smiled at him and then rest her head against his chest.
Tony closed his eyes and just savored having her this close. After tonight, there was a good chance he'd never get to hold her again.
They pulled up to the front of her house. Michelle suddenly got nervous. Should she invite him in?
"Tony, would-"
"I gotta get up early tomorrow to meet with a witness." He wouldn't look at her and she became more confused than nervous.
"Oh. Well...I had a great time." She fiddled with the door handle, just wanting to get the hell out of the car.
"Yeah. Yeah, I did too." He still wouldn't look at her so she just sighed and started to push the door open when he stopped her.
"Michelle, I..."
She stared back at him.
"Goodbye, Michelle."
As she walked up to the door, she couldn't help but feel he wasn't talking about the end of their evening.
Tony opened his apartment door and pulled out the key. Gaez was sitting on his couch, flipping through channels.
"I'm not even sure what anyone would need me for anymore. These mortals seem to be plenty pissed on their own."
Tony threw his keys on the side table. "Everything go ok?"
Gaze clicked the T.V. off and turned to the prince. "Like clockwork. It was easy, actually. They seem to have a lot of unresolved issues, especially with the youngest one." He stood and walked around. "When I left the sisters were yelling at each other. Your witch should be here soon."
Tony didn't comment. He walked into his bedroom and hung his coat up, pulling off his dress shirt. Gaez followed him and leaned against the door jamb, just watching. "You know, she's quite attractive. For a mortal. I imagine she was fun in bed."
The prince stopped moving for a second, then finished pulling on the t-shirt he had in his hand. Still, he didn't comment.
"You have slept with her? At least that's the current rumor."
"I don't believe that's any of your business." Gaez just leered at Tony.
"As you wish, my lord."
The prince pushed past him just as a knock sounded at the door. Tony turned quickly to the other demon. "Leave."
"Have fun." He shimmered out and Tony approached the door. He took a deep breath then turned the knob.
"Ok, what the hell was that?" Karen shouted at Jack, pacing the living room.
"I think you guys have been influenced."
"What? What does that mean?" Kate continued picking up pieces of the vase off the floor, watching Karen flail wildly at her husband. She'd like to know what was going on as well.
"There's a demon who can control anger. Make you furious over the smallest thing. There's no other reason why you guys would go at each other like that."
Kate stood and made her way to the kitchen. "Where would Michelle go? I mean, the things we said to her..."
Karen had stopped pacing and looked up at Jack. "Get the book."
He shimmered out and a few seconds later, was back with the book in his hands. Karen flipped fast, reading the descriptions of each demon before she came to one that sounded like what they'd experienced.
"Gaez: demon of hate and anger. Has the ability to infect his victims with intense hatred. He builds off an existing resentment and shapes the anger from there. Also has the ability to possess his victims." They hadn't actually seen him so they couldn't be sure if the picture with the description was actually him but she bet this was who was responsible for their fight.
Jack looked over her shoulder and then off in the distance, concentrating. "I don't think he's here for his own agenda."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he's a lower level demon. They know they have no chance of ever defeating the power of three so they don't even bother. It'd be suicide. He had to be here working for someone else."
Kate had joined them again in the living room. "You mean like a higher level demon who has been harrassing us for the last three months?"
They all looked at each other and said jointly: "Malphas."
Karen closed the book and Jack gasped, pointing at the cover. "Oh shit, look!"
There on the front, the symbol of the unity of the power of three was no longer entwined. The three circles were now separated.
A tingle of magic passed over each of them and Jack swore again. "This is bad."
"I have no idea what happened." Michelle wiped at her eyes with the tissue Tony had given her before sitting on the couch. "I came back from dinner and they just...attacked me." She sniffled and he pulled her closer.
"And you don't know why they were angry with you?"
"No! When I left, everything was fine. They just-" A tingle ran over her skin and she stopped speaking.
Tony felt the magical barrier over her fall. He kept his features schooled, but inside he was anxious. Now, he had to do it now. He couldn't think about her, he couldn't think about not hurting her. He had to do this, she had to die. No matter what he felt.
She had no idea he'd felt the magic as well. He also figured she had no idea what it meant. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I, I just felt a little light headed there for a second." She smiled at him and then looked away confused again.
Tony rose and walked back to the room with the alter. "You know you can stay here as long as you need to." He pulled the ceremonial dagger from it's sheath and slid it through his belt at his back. Sitting back next to her, he reached up and ran his fingers down the side of her face.
"Thank you, Tony. I didn't know where else to go." She looked up at him, her eyes so trusting. She was close, too close. He had to do this.
He closed the last distance between them and kissed her. She started kissing back, losing herself in him. Tony reached back and pulled the dagger from his belt and raised his hand, gripping the handle tight. She kissed him harder and his eyes rolled back. God, he couldn't do it. She was intoxicating. This would be his end for sure. He had to get her away from him.
He slipped the dagger back behind him between the cushions of the couch. He reached up and framed her face in his hands, kissing her harder. He'd take this last taste to keep with him in oblivion.
Tony broke the kiss and rest his forehead against her's. "You need to leave."
Michelle was a bit taken back and looked at him worried. "Wha, What?"
"Your sisters. You should go try and mend things with them." His breathing was heavy and she reached up to touch him but he stopped her, standing up and pulling her with him. "Please, Michelle. You need to go."
"You're right. I shouldn't let this wait." She walked past him towards the door. He never turned to look at her. "I hope I didn't do anything..."
Tony tried to control his breathing, but he wouldn't look at her. "No. You didn't do anything. Just...just go to them."
She never said anything, just opened the door and left. He let out a great sigh and collapsed on the couch, his head falling into his hands. Gaez shimmered in behind the couch.
"What the fuck was that?"
Tony shot up and turned to the demon, furious. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I never left, just sat in the corner to watch. I thought I was getting the chance to watch our mighty prince at work. Instead I got to see you let her go. I thought you were supposed to kill her? You had her, she was right there and you couldn't do it."
"How dare ya speak to me like this!" Tony started around the couch towards Gaez.
"You have disgraced yourself! I can speak to you however I like." Tony grabbed him by the throat and slammed him into the wall behind them. The demon pulled at his hands. "You shouldn't do this, Malphas."
"Really? And why is that? Tell me why I shouldn't break your neck?"
"I don't just inspire hatred. I can also possess." His evil grin faded out as he turned to vapor, bleeding into Tony's torso. The prince bent over, coughing and then stood up switching to his demon form. Gaez moved to a mirror and smiled at his reflection. "I think we should go and have some fun with your witches."
Before he had the chance to shimmer out, the whirlwind of magic from a summoning grew around him. Malphas (Gaez) laughed. The witches were summoning him. "This couldn't be anymore perfect." He disappeared.
"Are you sure we should do this? I mean, we don't have the power of three right now." Jack followed Karen into the living room. She started setting up the candles for the summoning.
"The only way we're gonna be able to get everything back to the way it was is to vanquish this bastard. And the only way we can do that is if we get a piece of him. So, let's bring his ass here right now and get on with it. I'm sick of this shit."
Jack just stared back at her, properly chastised. He looked over at his wife.
"Don't look at me. I happen to agree with her." Kate started lighting the candles.
"At least wait for Bill."
"We don't have time for that, Jack. Now are you helping us or not?" She opened the book to the summoning spell and Kate joined her. Jack just sighed and took his place behind the candles to surprise the demon. "Go ahead."
The sisters started reading from the book:
Magic forces black and white,
Reaching out through space and light,
Be he far or be he near
Bring us the demon Malphas here.
A small whirlwind formed in the middle of the candles, growing as the sisters continued to chant. The smoke burst and there he was, Malphas. He looked between the sisters and growled, his black eyes cold.
"Jack, now!" The whitelighter made his move, but the demon had expected it. Malphas turned and just as Jack would have cast, the demon took him by the throat and tossed him back through one of the walls. But the distraction was enough for Karen to pull the athame back, step forward and swipe at Malphas's side. The prince howled at the pain and grabbed the wound, a piece of his flesh falling to the floor.
Karen raised her hand and blew the demon through the bay windows, out onto the lawn. He landed hard and shifted back human. Tony moaned and kept his hand over the wound. Gaez had been knocked out of him by the force from the witch. Tony rolled slowly to his side and sluggishly threw a fireball at the demon, killing him. He let his head fall back to the ground. This was it. He didn't have the strength to change back into his demon form. They'd see him and know what had been going on. They'd vanquish him and he would welcome it. Once Michelle knew of his deception, she'd want nothing to do with him and he had no other reason for existing. Not after betraying his heritage. He closed his eyes and waited but felt the pull of a summoning, and it wasn't coming from the witches. He faded out into the ground.
Karen, Kate and Jack rushed toward the broken windows, looking out. "Shit. He's gone!" Karen stormed back towards the inside of the house. Kate and Jack glanced at each other. "At least we got a piece of him." They turned to see Karen holding up the demon's flesh. "Ok, let's do this. Time to make a Malphas killing potion."
Tony reappeared inside the Triad's chamber. He could barely keep his head up, but he refused to kneel.
"You have failed us, Malphas." Aamon raised his hand and a fireball floated above his palm.
"Yeah, no shit." Tony was panting, trying to put pressure on his wound. He looked down at the pool of blood around his feet.
"I believe that was your downfall, half-breed. Your red blood is a weakness and we have no use for weakness." Abraxas nodded to his brothers.
Abaddon spoke last. "Do you have anything to say before your vanquishing?"
Head still tilted down, Tony looked up. "I just have one thing to say..." He pulled the ceremonial dagger from his belt, Gaez having taken it when he was summoned. Abraxas wasn't expecting it. Tony threw the dagger towards him, sinking it deep into his chest, the demon lord bursting into flames. All that was left was a pile of ashes. Aamon threw his fireball but Tony shimmered out. He reappeared behind the demon and grabbed his head, twisting his hands and breaking his neck. All that was left was Abaddon. Everything had happened in the blink of an eye and he stood there shocked as Tony threw a fireball, turning the last of the Triad into another pile of ashes.
Tony stood next to dias, his breathing picking up speed as he looked around at the empty chamber. What the fuck had he done? Prince or no prince, he'd be hunted. Hunted for all eternity for being the most notorious traitor the underworld had ever seen. All for the love of a witch. A witch that would want nothing to do with him once she found out who he was. It was crazy. It was all so crazy. He felt dizzy, either from the blood loss or the situation he'd found himself in.
It started out low but grew in volume and desperation as Tony raised his arms above him and just yelled.
