The Other Scott

by the Lady of the Mists

Chapter Fourteen: Saving Nathan

"My family had been working for Ksane for over a century, ever since my father made a bargain with him for more power. He was an extremely powerful and influential demon, but he forgot to include the side note that we would only receive the power after living in servitude for three hundred years." Deb shook her head, looking depressed. "Cooper had the right idea, stripping his powers and living as a mortal."

"So, why exactly did this Ksane guy want you to go after you in the first place?" Lily wanted to know, looking worried. "I mean, why did he want Dan eliminated?"

Deb sighed. "If I knew the answer to that, perhaps I would've left Dan all those years ago. All I know is that when I was sent to eliminate him, turning him was a better idea in his eyes. But when we fell in love and produced Nathan, he grew wary of our alliance."

"Because of the prophecy?" Lucas guessed, glancing sideways at his sister, who looked back at him.

"Prophecy?" Deb blinked, leaning back in her chair, lost in thought. "Actually, yes, I do believe that he mentioned a prophecy once or twice while I was down there. He seemed to be worried about your power, Lucas, and that Dan would father another child." Her gaze flickered towards Lily. "Obviously, he didn't know about your sister."

"I would say it's highly unlikely that he still doesn't. But the question is, what is it that he wants with Nathan?" Lily stood up and started pacing back and forth across the room. Her brown hair whipped around in her face each time that she turned. "To stop this power from forming?"

"Highly probable," Deb murmured. "With one of you gone, it will stop this power from forming. One gone or even turned ends the threat."

"The prophecy also said that we would be broken for a quarter moon's turn," Lucas pointed out quietly. "So unless we can turn Nathan back, then he'll be turned forever to evil, unredeemable. And then he'll come after us."

"And kill us." Lucas's head snapped towards his sister as she said that, shocked. "Come on, Luke, don't pretend like you don't know that. Dan wants him to kill us and Haley, so that he'll be forever sworn to evil. Don't you get it? Killing his brother, sister, wife, and child could be what turns him permanently. We won't be there to keep him, however slightly, on the side of good. And the fact that he killed his family could destroy him."

Lucas hated to admit it, but she could be right. "But I still don't get why Nathan would do something like this. It's not like he would go with Dan if he knew what Dan has done. Two years ago, maybe, but he's different now. He met Haley," he added quietly, frowning slightly.

"See if this helps," Deb said helpfully. They looked towards the demon. "I thought about stripping my powers and taking Nathan away from Dan once or twice when he was a child. The only reason that I didn't was that Ksane and Dan threatened to kill both Nathan and the people that I cared about. Nathan is my son, too, which means that he could be allying himself with Dan so that he can keep Haley and the baby safe."

The two elder Scott siblings looked at each other. "And maybe us, too," Lily murmured. Her green eyes were slightly worried as they met Lucas's blue ones. "He might even be trying to protect us. But that didn't work out very well, now did it? The demons attacked tonight."

"And I doubt Nathan knows about it," Deb said with a satisfied nod. "If he did, then he would've gotten out of there by now. He would risk anything to protect Haley. We know that."

Lily glanced sideways at Lucas. "We have to find him and tell him what's going on," she said quietly.

"Are you crazy? After what happened the last time we tried to tell him something? That's how we got into this mess, remember?" Lucas shook his head. "Why should we go risking our necks for him, anyway?"

"Because he's our brother?" Lily said innocently. Lucas stared at her, remember his own words almost a year ago, with Keith. Her wide green eyes stared at him and he sighed, knowing that she would go whether or not he went with her.

"How are we supposed to find him, anyway?" Lucas demanded. "We don't know where he is, Lils."

A grin spread across her face and she shook her head, as though the answer to the problem was sitting right in front of them. "Telepathy," she answered simply.

--

Nathan had beads of sweat on his forehead as he struggled to conjure up the energy ball again. In the past day, he had been put into intensive training by his father, trying to summon his demonic powers.

That had been the blow of the century, finding out that his mother had been a demon assigned to kill his father when they met. Although it did explain why his father would marry her instead of abandoning her like he had Karen and Alyssa.

"Nathan, concentrate!" Dan snapped when he saw that his son was paying attention. Immediately, Nathan pulled his attention back to the present. "Pay attention and conjure it again."

"It's no use, Dad, we've been at this for almost a day," Nathan said, panting. "If I could just sit down for a minute—"

"I'm only doing what's best for you," Dan retorted, glaring at the boy. "Someday, you'll thank me. Besides, do you want your family to be the next target for my master?"

"Who would've thought you would bow down to someone," Nathan mumbled and received a fireball thrown at him in response.

"Don't talk back to me, boy!" Dan wasn't pleased with his reply. "I brought you into this world, Nathan, and I promise you that I can take you out of it. Now try again and this time, don't let your concentration slip."

More out of wanting to stop for a minute than anything else, Nathan concentrated, holding out his hand. The energy ball sputtered and started to gather energy. Unable to hold the energy ball for any longer, he threw it towards the wall, where it exploded on contact.

"That's much better," Dan said approvingly. "Now do that about ten more times." Nathan stared at him in disbelief; he could barely stand. This was much worse than when he was riding him about basketball. Between these demonic lessons and basketball practices, he'd take basketball with Dan any day.

Fortunately, at that moment, another demon shimmered into the cave and motioned to Dan. It looked urgent, from the way that Nathan was watching and Dan looked worried. "Nathan, go take a break," he ordered. "There's some water over there," he added, nodding across the cave.

Panting with exhaustion, Nathan practically collapsed on the ground as he seized a bottle of water and drained it, too tired to care what the demon was talking to Dan about.

Ever since he had agreed to work for Dan and his demons, it had been a series of extensive training, trying to bring out his demon abilities. He had mastered shimmering almost instantly, but that wasn't an active power. Shimmering was just transportation. He'd also managed to learn how to use his fire power, but he couldn't control it. Not yet, anyway. He could summon it when he needed it, but couldn't control how strong it was or where it went.

The most difficult of all of these was learning how to conjure energy balls, which was what they were working on now. For some reason, the task was completely tiring Nathan and he couldn't grasp it as quickly as he had the other two. A block had formed around him to keep him from learning that power completely. Something that wasn't pleasing Dan.

Nathan?

Dropping the water when he heard his sister's voice, he whirled around, looking for the source of it, but to his intense relief, he saw no sign of Lily or Lucas. But he was so sure that it had been her . . .

Nathan, you've got to stop this. The blood drained from his face as he turned around again, hearing her voice. Please, little brother, come back to us. We need you here.

Come on, Nate, you're not going to save anybody like this, Lucas's voice now joined Lily's. Did you know that Dan and that Ksane guy already tried to kill Haley and the baby? They're not going to keep their promise, Nathan. Even if you continue down the evil path, they'll kill us one way or the other. They don't want to take the chance of us turning you good again.

How can I hear you? Nathan's thoughts drifted across his mind, connecting him with his siblings. How can you hear me?

No time to explain, Lily replied, her mind-voice kind and gentle. Nathan, please, you've got to come with us. Before it's too late, please. She was begging him, Nathan realised, and it was hard to resist her when she asked him of that.

Lily, you don't understand, Nathan protested. I've got to do this. It's the only way to keep Haley and the baby safe. If I don't—

Demons have already tried to attack her, Nathan, Lucas snapped at him. If Keith hadn't warned us, then they'd be dead right now. Listen to us, the only way to stop them is to defeat them once and for all.

You mean kill them.

I don't think we have much of a choice here, Nathan, Lily said in a small voice. In this situation, I think its kill or be killed. Please, Nate, if you don't come with us now, then I'm afraid you never will.

Her predicament made Nathan slightly afraid. What do you mean? he asked, his voice shaking.

Lily has the power of foresight, Lucas explained. She can see the future. What has been, what is, and—

And some things that have not yet come to pass, Lily added softly. This vision was one that has not yet come to pass.

Before he could even ask, Nathan's mind was filled with an image that he had not implanted there himself. He tried to push it away, not sure he wanted to see, but Lily managed to get under his guards and force the image into him. Finally, he let her show him the image, but he knew perfectly well that whatever she was about to show him would cause him pain.

To his horror, he saw the image of himself, but it was not the Nathan Scott he'd been or the one he'd become. This Nathan was a power-hungry, vengeful demon whose only alliance was to power. The look in his eyes was so terrible that Nathan was terrified of himself.

To his horror, he realised that the other him was standing above his brother and sister. Haley was lying a few feet away, a pool of blood around him, and her face paler than any human's should be. Her limp arms were around a little boy around three or four years of age, but the boy too was dead, most likely killed by the man who now held Lily and Lucas prisoner. He had killed a little boy that obviously meant a lot to Haley.

His heart jolted when he realised that the little boy was his son. His and Haley's, the one she was pregnant with.

Pulling his attention from his dead family and to his brother and sister, Nathan watched in terror as the evil him conjured an energy ball more easily than he'd done all day and hurled it at Lily. She screamed as Lucas pushed her out of the way to take the attack for himself.

Lucas was thrown back by the blow and hit the wall across from them with such a force that if the energy ball hadn't killed him, then the wall would have. Lily screamed and ran to her brother side as evil Nathan conjured another energy ball.

She held Lucas in her lap as she looked up at Nathan. "Don't do this, Nathan," her voice echoed hauntingly, reminding Nathan this was only a vision. This wasn't real, but it sure felt like it. "Please, you're better than this. You're a good witch."

The evil Nathan laughed bitterly at her words. "You have no idea how wrong you are," he hissed and threw the energy ball.

Lily stopped the vision as Nathan tried to push it out of his mind, desperate to get away. Don't you see? she asked softly. If you continue down this path, then sooner or later, it's not going to be about saving your family. You're well on your way to becoming a more powerful demon than Ksane. Listen to me, Nathan, is that what you want to become?

No. Nathan's mind voice was quavering and he wished that they were there, instead of just talking to him.

He knew they were right; this wasn't the way. There had to be another way to keep Haley safe. And he knew that the way lay with his siblings. He had to get back; he had to find them.

All right, he said firmly. All right. I'm coming.

AN: Okay, guys, I'm sorry that I haven't updated for a long time, but to be honest, I really wasn't inspired a whole lot for the lack of reviews. So I am begging you, with all of my heart and soul, to review this chaper and the last one. If you do that, then I will be more inspired to write and then there will be a sooner update. Thanks!

The Lady of the Mists