Five uneventful weeks went by and Ava made sure that she and the guys kept a low profile. They met at the Conservatory every other night to practice fighting and discuss any new information she'd collected. She still had many sleepless nights where the void would take her hostage and show her the corrupt secrets of the world, but the Outsider was always there to bring her back to earth.

Ava and the guys had just gotten done a day of helping Haskil and his fiancée Kat move to a new apartment in the Upper Cyria District. It was just across the street from Ava's place.

"Shall we toast?" Haskil grinned mischievously as he lightly shook up a champagne bottle.

"Steven, NO! It took us too long to find this place, if you shake that up in our new apartment I'm kicking you out!" Kat shouted as she closed in on him. There was a pop as the kitchen was lightly sprayed with champagne.

"Oops." Haskil whispered as he went in to kiss her. Ava took the bottle from him as he swept Kat up in his arms.

"Thank you." She mumbled to herself as she began to drink. She walked to the edge of the room as everyone began talking and drinking. She stood staring out the window to the streets below as she finished the bottle. She continued to stare out at nothing wrestling the images flashing through her mind. She felt alone.

"A, Ava!" She heard multiple people say snapping her back to reality. She turned to face everyone who was now surrounding her.

"Oh, what? I'm sorry." She gave a half hearted smile.

"Are you ok?" Kat spoke up and placed a hand on her arm. "Come on, let's sit down."

"No, it's ok. I'm fine, really. You guys talk have fun, don't let me ruin that." She waved a hand dismissing everyone's concern.

"Come on A, what's going on. Don't block us out." James spoke up.

"I said let it go." She scowled, angry.

"No, tell us what's wrong." Haskil spoke up.

"Ok, you want to talk. Let's fucking talk." Ava said agitated. "The nightmares… well not nightmares if they're real.." She whispered "These things that I see I-I don't know how much more I can take." She took a deep breathe. "Last night, I woke up in my childhood home, in Whitecliffe." She looked around at everyone. "I walked into the kitchen where my mother was cleaning up from dinner. My father kissed her and walked into the other room. Then this angry man charged in through the back door and grabbed my mother and shot her in the head." She began staring blankly at the floor. Everyone was silent. "He dropped her to the floor, her face, I can't get that image out of my mind. She didn't look human. Then my father came rushing in and my brother, Walter, was right behind him. The man pushed my father to the floor and stomped his knee until there was this awful cracking noise." She held her knee as the noise rang out over and over in her mind. "Then he grabbed my brother, he listened to my father plead for Walters life and laughed as he shoved his sword through Walters back until it came out, dripping with blood through his chest. He began choking on his blood. Then he let his body fall to the floor next to my father. He held him in his arms as that dreadful man shot my father in the chest. And finally I was forced to watch as he lay in agony, bleeding out slowly. All while I hid." She finished and wiped her eyes. "This is all so fucked up!" She shouted as she stood up.

A long silence fell over the apartment as Ava walked over to the table and drank straight from the open whiskey bottle. She looked everyone over before sighing and walking out to the balcony.

"Shit." Haskil whispered breaking the silence as the door closed behind Ava. "I didn't know it was this bad, we need to stop focusing on Cardoza's bullshit and find a way to help her."

"The worst part is when she starts screaming and I can't wake her. She gets stuck there." The Outsider spoke up as he held his head in his hands. "I should have answers, but I don't. Now she's suffering."

"Is it only when she sleeps?" Nate asked.

"It started that way. Now she hears people's thoughts without trying. If somethings running through someone's mind it's in hers as well. Then there's the evil in the world, flashes and things no one should have to see, shes experiencing everything I did but she's living in this world while seeing the worst it has to offer." He stood up.

"Why doesn't it show her the good in the world?" James asked.

"I honestly couldn't say, unless it's trying to make her insane." He walked out to talk to Ava. He stood next to her as she offered him the bottle.

"Remember what I said the first night you were at my place?" She asked as he drank.

"Let's get drunk." He said with a smile passing the bottle back to her. She nodded as she stared out at the empty streets. She passed him the whiskey. "Ava why didn't you tell me about this?" He asked with a frown.

"I don't have an answer to that." She turned to him, noticing everyone gathered at the windows. She focused back on him. "It was raw, it cut me in a way nothing I've seen has. Sometimes I wonder if there's only one way out."

"Hey, don't say that." He grabbed her and looked into her eyes, for the first time ever she looked truly broken. "I'm so sorry, A." He whispered. "You can't leave me here. I need you, we all need you. I will go back to that cult and cut everyone down to find answers, I'll do whatever I have to. I promise you."

"Can we go home?" She whispered. "I'm so exhausted."

"Yeah, come on, let's go home." He gave a halfhearted smile. "Hey, can you guys watch Bauble tonight?" He asked Haskil and Kat as he walked back into their apartment. Ava had already walked to the door.

"Absolutely, don't worry about it." Kat said reassuringly. "We'll keep her as long as you need."

"Thanks, just.. uh, come to the apartment if you need anything." He sighed looking over at James and Nate hugging Ava. She looked as if the interaction took every ounce of energy she had left. "How did I miss this? Why didn't I see this sooner?" He whispered.

"Hey, if there's one thing Ava is great at, it's hiding her emotions. Don't be so hard on yourself." Haskil patted his hand on his shoulder.

"I should've seen it." He mumbled walking away.

They walked across the street and up to the apartment. Ava went straight back to the bedroom to change while he walked to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. 'I should be the one going through this. This isn't fair.' He thought growing angry.

"Is there anything I can do?" He asked walking into the bedroom and changing.

"Just having you with me I enough." She sighed as she hugged her legs to her chest.

"Come here." He said as he got into bed.

That night after Ava fell asleep, he stayed awake holding her as he watched her sleep.

He didn't fall asleep until nearly 5 am. Eventually the sound of shuffling in the bedroom woke them up.

"What are you doing in our room?" The Outsider spoke as James opened the curtains filling the room with light.

"Do you even know what time it is?" He asked. "It's 2 pm, and I have something important to tell you. I knocked and waited for 10 minutes. I put coffee on, so get up" He was on edge.

"We need to take their keys." Ava smiled.

"You seem happier." He said putting a shirt on.

"Not dreaming about death and destruction can do that." She kissed him in the cheek before going out to the kitchen. "What's going on?" She asked James.

"We should really wait for Pearce." He frowned as Ava sat down.

"I'm here, so let's talk." He sat down with them.

"This morning Cardoza was found dead in his apartment. He hung himself, looks like suicide." James paused. "He left a note saying that he can never repent for his actions against the innocents. How his desecration of the wicked went beyond mere research. It's some pretty dark stuff." He shuddered. "Then there was a list of his associates trying to bring Ava down. Apparently it all started when you turned Diego Chavez down for drinks and he told everyone what he saw that night in Dunwall. It was all fabricated and exaggerated from there." He finished.

"What does this mean?" Ava spoke up.

"There's no way he killed himself." The Outsider said leaning back. "It just doesn't make sense."

"Well it doesn't matter now, we've been called to Dunwall for the trial." He pointed to the stack of mail he had set on the table. "I don't know what's going to happen but we need to keep our guard up." James stood up. "I have to go back to the office and get some things in order, I got us all a spot on a boat, we leave tonight." Ava looked as though her attention were elsewhere. "Ava Hedsworth, you get your shit together, you are the strongest person I've met. We always come through on top, and now is no different. Get it together." James said as she stood to leave.

"You're right." Ava huffed before walking away.

"Shit, James. Aren't you being hard in her?" The Outsider glowered at him.

"Tough love has always worked best on her." James said sheepishly.

"Yeah but, I've never seen her this broken."

"Neither have I… Let's hope it still works." James had a sad look on his face. "I'm gonna head to the office there's a few things I need to do before we leave. Keep an eye on her." James said as he walked to the door and left.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He asked as he walked to the open bathroom door.

"About to take a shower. Wanna join me?" She gave a flirtatious wink.

"Heh, you seem better today." He smiled. "Was it James's 'tough love'?"

"No, but we can tell him it was." She laughed. "I had this dream, it was me and you at the reopening of the Royal Conservatory and we were up in the Curators office. The name plaque read 'Alaric O. Pearce' and the gang was all up there away from all the insufferable elites of society. We were so happy." She turned the water on. "I'd like to think that could happen for us. Because James is right, we always come out on top."

"I don't think it was a dream, A. I think that was something that's going to happen. Not everything you will see is evil and bad." He smiled and stared at her, happy she felt better.

"Well, if you're not going to join me get out." She whispered in his ear. She pulled back and looked into his eyes.

"Ava," he started.

"I love you too." She interrupted him. "I know you've been wrestling with that for a few days, and I'm sorry, it's hard for me to say." She paused. "But I mean it, I love you O."

"You drive me crazy." He smiled before kissing her.

Later that day they made their way to the Royal Conservatory, as they walked the stairs into the entrance Ava heard Bauble barking. They made their way inside and Bauble knocked her down.

"You know James is going to yell at you for not wearing your mask." Ava said as Haskil helped her up.

"You know I really don't care." He joked. "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. You feeling better?" He asked.

"Yeah," she eyed the Outsider who was looking through a pile of books. "I feel a lot better."

"Is that some gross euphemism?" He said looking over at him. "Ugh, I don't want to know."

"What are all of these?" He asked Haskil ignoring his comment.

"Just another pile of shit I need to go through." He said annoyed.

"I need a book." He said low. "I'm not even sure a copy was ever here but, I really need that book."

"Yeah, what's it called I'll see if we have it." He asked.

"Secrets of the Ritual Hold by Gregor Luis, it's what you would call… Heretical." He whispered with a laugh.

"Is it for Ava?" He asked.

"Yeah, it could be of help. I'm not certain though." He said as he opened a book on the void.

"I'll keep an eye out, have my guys keep an eye out. I'll say the High Overseer wants it." He paused. "You ready to head back to Dunwall?" He asked Ava.

"Not at all. I'm not ready to stay with my parents. I'm not ready for Armand to scrutinize O's every action. And I'm not ready to go back to the office of the High Overseer. And those are just the big three." She groaned. "Ugh we need to go pack I was just coming to get Bauble."

"I'm taking this." The Outsider said waving the book at Haskil. "It's funny how wrong it is."

"Alright, we meet at the dockyard tonight at 8, don't be late or you'll be on the next boat with a shit ton of Overseers." Haskil waved as they left.

At 8 Haskil, James, Ava and The Outsider met at the docks. They went to board the boat when Ava paused. She took a deep breath and boarded with everyone.