Betel chuckled, his leer full of pure evil as he started a slow circle with Nick, intent on putting himself between Nick and the girls. "What makes ya think she'll step between us this time? Ta protect yer sorry a-"

"No." Nick spat. "I can only imagine what she offered to bring you here, but I'm sure it involved revenge in some way. I don't want her protecting your mangy hide."

Betel grinned. "Cause I'll need protectin'. I'm kickin' yer sorry ass ta the Lost Souls Room and back again before I hand ya over ta Vince." Betel snapped his fingers and he was suddenly holding a familiar broadsword. "Whaddaya say ol' friend ol' buddy ol' pal? Let's pick this up right where we left off like two old-school gents eh?"

Nick snarled, and the dark iron blade appeared in his hand. "With pleasure scum. No powers."

"No powers." Betel lunged forward, feinting to the left. Lydia and Amelia both watched in horror as Nick fell for it, and made to block only to dance away with a gash down his right arm. Betel smiled. "Where's yer amazin' stolen strength now kid? How does it feel, bein' so powerful ya can't even control everythin' inside ya?" The poltergeist asked. "Sucks, donnit?" He brought his sword up again, but Nick dodged and retaliated with a short stab at the ribs.

"No!" Lydia pulled at Amelia's hands as the blond held on, tugging her back into the cave. "Let me go! We have to stop them!"

Amelia shook her head. "Lydia, if I let anything happen to you he'll never forgive me."

"They'll destroy each other!"

Amelia shook her head again, and the pity in her eyes made Lydia freeze. "It's what he wants kitten, for your poltergeist to end him. He doesn't want to exist anymore."

"But…"

Both girls jerked around as the rasp of metal against metal clashed again, sending sparks flying even as the two poltergeists jumped apart. They cringed in horror as the men dove back together, blades flashing in the dying suns.

"She cried over yer stupid worthless ass!" Betel spat, drawing his fist up to catch Nick in the ribs.

Too slow to react, Nick stumbled away, wheezing as he righted his footing. "She was nearly killed, more than once, simply because you exist!" He rasped.

Betel's eyes flashed as he brought the hilt of his sword down on Nick's head. "You helped those fuckers."

Nick groaned, rolling away as he spat out a mouthful of thick, dried blood. "I know! They forced me Geuse, if you knew..." Nick shuddered, pushing himself back up. "I didn't know what to do-"

"Don't really fuckin' care!" Betel's hand closed around Nick's throat, slamming him up against the rock face and pressing the tip of his blade to Nick's throat.

"No!" Amelia released Lydia, leaping forward with her hands outstretched, but Nick glared at her over Betel's shoulder, shaking his head. She knew this was what he wanted, but she couldn't stand it.

"Don't Amelia." When she stumbled to a halt, her expression horrified, Nick's own softened. "Geuse." His eyes shifted to Betel, and the poltergeist frowned.

"What?"

"Amelia doesn't know anything. I haven't told her." He glanced at Amelia again before his gaze switched to Lydia, frozen by the mouth of the cave, and back to Geuse. "Just… please take care of them both."

Betel blinked, almost relaxing his grip. "What?"

"I said-"

Betel pulled Nick forward before slamming him back against the boulder. "I know what you said dammit! Yer givin' up?" Betel snarled, shaking Nick again. "Ya make me come all the way up here, ya make me fight fer that stupid ass mopey bastard, ya make me spend five fuckin' months clawin' my way away from the Lost Souls Room… and yer givin' up!" Betel flung Nick sideways, tossing him to the ground before he pounced on the limp ghost and smashed his fist into the side of Nick's face. "Fight back!"

Nick stared with an almost bored expression up at Betel. "I'm done. I'm done as it is anyway." Nick's eyes slid closed. "Just finish me Geuse. I'm tired."

A low, guttural growl escaped Betel as he pressed the point of his blade up under Nick's chin. "Fine then."

"Boss-" Lydia's hand wrapped around Amelia's wrist, holding the blond back as she wiped frantically at her eyes. Amelia scratched at Lydia's hands, straining towards Nick. "Let go, let go! Boss! Boss get up!"

Nick cringed, turning his face away as the blade dug into his throat. "Go see Juno, Amelia. Please."

Betel hissed before smashing his free fist into the side of Nick's face before he stood and tossed his sword away. "Dammit. Come on Lydia."

The cliff fell silent as Betel stalked away, hands in his pockets. Lydia felt Amelia slip from her grasp as she gaped at Betel's back.

He was… leaving?

Nick shook his head, propping himself up with Amelia's help. "Get back here!" Nick cringed, wrapping her arm around his chest as he tried to sit up. "Exorcise me!"

Betel froze, half-turning to snarl down at the broken creature. "Yer fuckin' pathetic. And ya ain't worth it anymore." Betel snorted. "I wanted ta kick yer ass, make ya pay fer what ya did. It ain't revenge if ya give up. C'mon Lyds."

Nick shook his head, ignoring Amelia's restraining arms. "So what, you're going to hand me over to Vince? You pathetic, cowardly bastard!"

Betel chuckled, straightening his collar as he leered down at Nick. "Call me whatcha want, ya stupid little shit-fuck, but I'm still standin', I'm the one protectin' Lydia. I. Win. I win, you lose, I'm gonna slaughter those gods, Lyds is gonna have the baby, and all of us, 'cept you, are gonna life happily ever after and all that sappy shit. Vincey-boy oughta be here in about an hour." Betel gestured towards Amelia, ignoring her feral snarl. "You wanna protect yer new squeeze? Keep not tellin' her the truth, and send her ta Juno. Lyds, come on."

Lydia bit her lip, watching after his retreating back as she felt two sets of eyes burn into the side of her head. "Betelgeuse…"

"No." Betel spun to face her, snarling. "I swear I'll fuckin' carry yer ass outta here. Ya made up with him, I kicked his ass, now he gets fed ta the wolves."

Lydia shook her head. "Vince isn't going to just exorcise him Beej. You know that." She turned to Nick and Amelia. "He'll do something horrible. And he won't care that Amelia doesn't know, that she died after the battle." Lydia shook her head again, tearing her gaze away from Amelia's terrified expression. "She's been helping Nick. He'll force her to move on, or exorcise her."

"So what then Lydia?" Betel hissed. "You want their punishment on us fer hidin' them?"

"Lydia." Everyone looked down at Nick as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, holding his ribs. "Just go. Take Amelia with you. Vince will listen to Juno, and Juno will listen to you."

"Bossman-!"

Nick shook his head. "I should never have let you around me Amelia, I'm sorry."

Betel growled, running a hand through his hair. "This is gettin' stupid, Lyds, seriously: come on."

Lydia shook her head. "We can't leave them."

"Sure we can. It's real easy-" Betel grinned, gesturing behind him. "We just walk away. Real easy."

Lydia glared at him. "We're going to talk to Vince." A sudden thought forced its way into her mind, and she crossed the stone to crouch by Nick. "Would you be willing to give up all of your powers, including your own?"

Nick frowned, confused. "How's that going to help?"

"If you're powerless, if you give in willingly, we could try to convince Vince to have mercy. Right Beej?"

Betel's eyes narrowed down at her as she stared pleadingly back at him. "That might exorcise him anyway. You know that."

"Isn't it worth a shot though?!" She asked.

Amelia bit her lip, looking down as Nick shifted his own eyes to lock with hers. "I'd stay with you boss. I would take care of you."

Nick smiled weakly. "I haven't said yes."

Lydia socked his kneecap, glaring at him. "Say yes! Would having no powers be so terrible?"

Nick grimaced back at her. "That I could deal with. Maybe I just don't want to exist Lydia. I nearly helped to destroy everything. I'm a monster."

Lydia smiled. "So is the Monster Across the Street. So is Betelgeuse. So is just about everyone else in the Neitherworld. Give it a chance, please?"

Nick grimaced, his eyes shifting from her face, to Amelia's, and finally to Betel's. "You're the tiebreaker." He murmured.

Betel grimaced, staring hard at Lydia. An epic battle was being waged inside him. He wanted Nick to suffer, to be exorcised. But Lydia had spent so long sad over the unworthy little fucker.

He quietly examined their options. He could hand Nick over to Vince and be done with the scum. Nick would be forced to suffer a short while, and then spend the rest of eternity suffering in the Lost Souls Room. Lydia and this new chick would be ripped up.

Or Nick could be allowed to give up his powers. Living without his sight, without his powers, in a world that would probably never forgive him, and suffer in a whole different way. Would that be better for either of the girls?

Betel sighed. "Fine. Dammit, fine. Whatever." Before he could rouse himself enough to react, his red-clad Goth tackled him around the middle, crushing herself against his chest.

"Thank you. Thank you Beej."

Betel grimaced, sliding his arms around her shoulders briefly before he eased her away. "I'm doin' this fer you Babes. Not fer them." He told her.

Lydia shrugged. "And I'm doing this for them." Lydia hugged him again, and against his will a small smile appeared on his lips. When she pulled away, she turned to Nick and Amelia. "We'll be back, hopefully with good news."

Amelia nodded. "Thanks kit-… Lydia."


Lydia cringed as the storm cloud over Vince's head crackled with lightning.

"How dare you two even suggest something… something so ridiculous!" Vince smashed his fist against the arm of his throne, snarling down at them. "This is absurd. I will serve the justice that thing deserves, and mercy has no part in it. Many were exorcised because of his actions."

Lydia stepped forward, trying to hide her terror as thunder boomed once more. "Please, your lowness. Those monsters that call themselves 'gods' ruined him! They brainwashed him, and forced him to do their bidding with the promise of saving his sister." To her great surprise, she managed to make it up to his throne without being singed, and grasped his hand desperately. "Please Vince. I only made things worse." She cursed herself inwardly as hot tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. "This is just as much my fault as theirs. I'm begging you."

Vince shook his head. "Do not beg, Lydia. Please."

Lydia tightened her grip on his hand, her expression desperate. "I am begging. I care about him, just like I care about Betelgeuse. Just like I care about everyone here." Vince stared up at her with an odd expression. "Please Vince."

The prince sighed. "Damn you mortal…" Vince smiled softly up at her, and Lydia's entire face lit up. "I shall remove his powers, but I have my own punishment to devise. Until the penance for his crimes is determined, he shall be detained in the royal prison. As for this Amelia girl…"

Juno stepped forward. "Your lowness, she was killed exactly eight days after the battle. If what Geuse and Lydia have told me is true, Dominick has kept her completely in the dark about everything, including the nature of the Dead. She wouldn't have known what he had done."

"You are suggesting I grant her amnesty?"

Juno nodded. "Yes your princeness. She has not fouled in any way I can see."

Vince frowned, and looked to Lydia for confirmation. "I don't think she can even use her powers. I think the transportation was just luck."

Vince sighed. "I shall meet this girl, and speak with her. Niehest."

Lydia blinked, turning to watch the knight step from the shadows. He hadn't changed even a hair since the battle, but the corner of his lip twitched up as he nodded at her in acknowledgment with a short bow, before turning to the prince. "Milord."

"Take a scouting party to the cliffs with Geuse, and retrieve the pair. Bind Dominick's powers and senses." Vince grimaced up at Lydia as she gasped. "We can't risk it Lydia."


The book was burning even as it sailed through the air to smash against the wall before crumbling to ashes.

Ahriman lifted another one and flipped through it angrily before lighting it too on fire and tossing it over his shoulder.

Eris sighed, placing a feather-light touch to his shoulder. "We will find something love, worry not. There is bound to be some spell, some file that will help us."

Ahriman frowned. "I'm beginning to lose hope love. Every plan I make, every idea I form, that bitch or that poltergeist or one of their damned friends twist and ruin it. And with that damn thing stewing inside her-…" Ahriman's eyes widened as he stared at the wall opposite him, before his eyes lifted to Eris.

And with that soft, devilish smirk playing across her lips as her hand lifted to rub over her stomach, he knew she was thinking the same thing.

A baby needed a womb. And they needed a way to Lydia.

And the baby was in the way.

"We'll find something dear." Eris assured him, swooping to fetch another book. "And we'll have them."


Nick sighed, though the sound was lost to his deaf ears.

How long had it been? Was this to be part of his punishment?

And where was Amelia? Would Vince be merciful? Amelia hadn't done anything but unknowingly help to hide him.

He'd been sitting with his arm around Amelia, trying to comfort her. "You can't be punished Amelia. I didn't tell you what happened for a reason."

Amelia dropped her head against his shoulder, glaring at her feet. "I don't like being kept in the dark boss."

Nick sighed. "I know, but I was only trying to protect you."

Amelia tensed, and both looked up as the clearing was suddenly filled with bodies, Betel and a rather terrifying-looking man in mismatching armor in the lead.

Nick tried shifting, but he couldn't tell if he'd actually moved, or if he was more comfortable or not. They'd taken everything: his powers, his senses, and his sense of time. He could be rotting away here, a century later, and he wouldn't know.

"-lucky little worm."

Nick jumped, or at least thought he did as noise suddenly crashed back over him, sending a shock through his brain.

Could he talk? "Wh… what?" Weak, but at least he could to some extent communicate. He still couldn't feel or see or smell, but he thought he heard at least two pairs of heavy boots.

"The prince ordered yer hearing be returned temporarily, so ya could say yer goodbyes to yer girlfriend." The guard said. Even without his sight, Vince was sure the man was smirking.

"Girlfriend?"

"Boss?"

Nick frowned, trying to push himself towards her voice. "Amelia?" He heard a thump, and suddenly he couldn't move anymore. He must've hit the bars. "Amelia, why are you here?"

Amelia 'hey!'d in protest as she was thrown into the cell beside Nick's. Once the guards retreated, she dropped to her knees in the front corner of her cell, and reached through the bars and around the divide to touch Nick's head. "How are you boss?"

Nick chuckled weakly, trying to move his arms, but trapped behind his back as they were, he could only sit up to lean against the divide. "Can't tell. Why did they put you here?"

Amelia frowned. "The prince is having a room made up in his stupid castle until after your trial. Then he'll decide what to do with me. He said until then I could stay with you."

Nick sighed. "I don't understand Amelia. Why would you want to? You could be exorcised because of me."

"Hey, it was my choice to follow you boss." She told him. "You needed someone to take care of you."

Nick stared unseeingly straight ahead. "I should never have given in. Now you're in danger. I can't protect anyone. My sister, Lydia, you." His chin dropped to his chest. "All I've ever accomplished is failure. I failed Alexis, so many times. I ruined thins with Lydia, and now you're going to be punished simply for knowing me."

"Shut up boss!" Nick chuckled weakly, lifting his head once more as Amelia shook his shoulder. "You haven't failed me boss, we wouldn't have been found out if I hadn't made you go into town!"

Nick sighed. "Enough blaming ourselves. Are you okay?"

"Yeah boss."

Nick smiled. "Why do you call me that?"

"Boss? I don't know. I guess I… just missed Boston at first. Then… then it just sort of made sense to call you that."

"Boston?"

Amelia grimaced. "My… my boyfriend. Everyone called him Tony, so I called him Boss. Back before he turned into a giant dick head. Maybe he turned into what he did because of things like that that I did…"

Nick grimaced. "Or maybe he was just a bad guy Amelia. And maybe you were just trying to help him like you tried for me."

"Yeah, but you haven't tried to kill me, or sent me to the hospital."

"Yeah well, you're dead."

Amelia smiled. "You're nothing like him boss. You're crazy as hell, and your mood swings give me hella whiplash, but you're a good guy."

"And you're naïve." He teased.


Hmmm… I mean the ass-kicking scene to be more ass-kickey and a lot longer, but I have this inexplicable cloud of depression hanging over me, so it got more sappy and emotional, but I don't have it in me to re-write it.

I did like the final scene though, I suppose.

Well, anyway. I think next chapter will be the trial.

Prats 'R' Us: Hoh damn. *goes out to buy a suit of armor* Sorry I didn't really do the confrontation justice. Perhaps I'll bring a frying pan to the head in later. Lol, we still have some time left, and then I'll put up a poll. I know. *dons suit of armor* But I'm ready fer 'em.

BolivianKitty: Lol, sorry, but I wanted everything to be grouped in a certain way. Glad you enjoyed. And Amelia is supposed to sort of annoy people. Though I tried to make her as different as possible, the base of her character was inspired by a character from rubydesires' stories.

BlackRose-FlowerofDeath: Apparently. Or maybe I'm just too predicatble. o.0. Anyway…