The four hesitantly walked into the Hart Dynasty, frowning when they ran right into Jo Jo and Alicia. The two Divas looked up in relief.

"Good, you all got back safe…where's Punk and Renee?" Alicia questioned, her black-tipped ears twitching. Abby looked away and Seth cleared his throat, scratching the back of his neck. Jo Jo noticed this and bit her lip.

"They're not…they're not coming back, are they?" she whispered. Alicia's eyes grew and Dean sighed from behind Seth. "We ran into Alexa…and she wasn't alone. She ended up taking them both out and they escaped" he muttered. Jo Jo looked away and Alicia clenched her fists. "This is bad. Someone needs to tell Aksana" she muttered, turning and running right into Natalya's chest. The phoenix grabbed her arm so she wouldn't fall and looked up at the four.

"You all go report to Hunter. I'll be there in a moment. I'll handle Aksana" she sighed, rubbing Alicia's arm before she let her go, heading past them all and leaving silently, the door slamming shut behind her. The boys exchanged a look before they made their way to the meeting room, Abby silently trailing behind them, Brim and Luna padding at her sides.

(Outside)

Aksana flipped out of the way of Michelle's strike, ducking under Rosa's swing as she threw her hand out, whip wrapping around her rapier before she snatched it back, throwing it away before she broke into a run towards her. Kaitlyn came up to her left, slamming into her side and swinging her sword. Faust wrapped around her leg from below, growing in size until he tossed her aside like a rag doll.

Michelle picked up her rapier once more and switched her dials to some random element, ready to break into a run towards Aksana when Natalya whistled, grabbing their attention. They looked her way and she cleared her throat.

"I'd hate to interrupt training, but I need to speak with Aksana alone. Go inside and wait for us to get back" she ordered and the women all complied, despite looking back at the two in interest and confusion. Aksana put her hands on her hips, catching her breath as Natalya came closer.

"What do you need?" She inquired, feeling Faust slither up her thigh before he came to a stop on her arm when she picked him up. Natalya sighed and grabbed her hand, leading her away from the area, just in case any of her Divas were peeking out of the windows, trying to listen in. They'd find out soon enough, but she'd prefer it if they didn't see Aksana break down.

She led her into the small patch of forest separating the Hart Dynasty from the burned down city and stopped around the middle of it, leaning against a tree. Aksana looked at her in confusion, reading the look on her face. "Something's wrong, isn't it? What is it?" she questioned. Natalya took a breath and looked her in the eyes.

"Renee is dead. Alexa killed her and Punk while they were out on their mission."

Aksana stared at her blankly, tilting her head to the side, laughing quietly.

"D-Don't joke around about these things, Mistress-"

"I would never joke about something like this."

Her laughing stopped immediately and a hand went over her mouth. A choked sound left her lips and Natalya pulled her against her body, cradling her head against her chest. Aksana sobbed loudly and Natalya let her, feeling the serpent woman cling to her for dear life.

(Inside)

"Alexa has completely broken away from the Wyatts. She's planning to kill Bray and take over with the title of Lord of the Underworld" Abigail whispered, drawing the attention of everyone at the table to her. Her head was bowed, and she hid partially behind Seth, grabbing his vest tight as she spoke.

"Tell us more about this girl. She killed two of our own, we need to know about her" Hunter demanded, arms crossed firmly across his chest. Abigail nodded, gently uncurling her fist from Seth's vest and stepping out.

"My mind is a bit hazy, since I was under her control, but Alexa is the reincarnated goddess of chaos. The only reason she joined the Wyatt Family is because their methods cause chaos, fueling her powers and hunger for it. She feeds on it. Her main method of fighting is to use the glitter she summons with her hands. By blowing it, she summons elements and weapons at will. Her signature seems to be the lance projectiles she used to…y'know…" she trailed off when members all around the table tensed up. Hunter nodded, listening intentely while Matt sat up a bit straighter.

"How…how did my baby brother take it?" he questioned slowly. Abigail's brow rose in confusion and she looked over to Roman-who was at her other side-in question. "Jeff." He answered her unspoken question and Abigail shifted from foot to foot.

"He…he was enraged. He ended up blowing the whole warehouse up in his rage. He wasn't hurt, though. Alexa and the others managed to escape…"she trailed off. Matt sighed in relief and Shannon squeezed his hand under the table. Hunter rubbed his temples and eyed the four.

"I want you four to-"

"Where is it?!"

The group jolted when the door slammed open and Aksana came barreling in, tear stains on her cheeks. Natalya was right behind her.

"Where is what?" Dean grunted. Aksana stopped in front of them. "Where is the sacred sword? Renee's…"

"The one she ripped from your back?" Seth inquired. Aksana flinched at the mention but nodded. Seth held out the desired item. It was wrapped in a cloth. He pulled it off, holding it out. Aksana went to grab it when it shocked her enough to scorch her fingers. She yelped in pain and took a step back, frowning.

"Even after this, and the blade still rejects me?" she muttered to herself. Seth frowned and Natalya put a hand on her shoulder. Aksana looked at the three men, eyes icy.

"You all can hold it, can't you?" she whispered. Seth was inclined to lie, but Dean took the weapon in his hand, not saying a word while Roman simply nodded. A small, humorless laugh left Aksana's lips before she shook with the force of it, throwing her head back, practically cackling. Abigail flinched, scuffling closer to Seth. No one said a word, and they all waited for the woman to come down from her hysterics. She smiled at the men, but it was clearly hollow.

"She's chosen you three, even after death. That sword holds great power, and only those deemed worthy by the heavens can wield it. It is your greatest weapon now." She told them, with Faust slithering up her arm to curl around her neck, 8 sets of beady eyes eyeing them.

"We're leaving it here when we go out" Dean stated, and Aksana gasped, eyes growing.

"What? W-Why-"

"It would kill you to see us waving that thing around, wouldn't it?" Roman cut her off and she looked away. "It's not a matter of emotions" she whispered. He shook his head, crossing his arms firmly across his chest.

"This whole war is personal. Dean and I can manage just fine. And if Seth gets any more weapons, he won't be so light footed anymore" he reasoned and Abigail peeked her head out, looking over at Aksana.

"You need not worry about back up weapons. My hellhounds and I should be more than enough…you…you need to heal, and anyone using that sword would do you no good" she whispered. Her voice sent a chill down Aksana's spine, and she frowned, not understanding why. Hunter cleared his throat, cutting the conversation off before it could continue any more.

"I want you all resting now. As of now, you four, and Aksana are off missions until further notice." He sighed, and all of them looked at him in surprise, crying out in protest. Abigail was the one to actually speak out.

"Wait! I need to be able to fight, someone has to take Alexa down before-"

"You consider yourself our ally, do you not?" He grunted and she nodded without hesitation.

"O-Of course I do-"

"Then you follow my orders. Look at you all. You're in no condition to fight. If I sent you all out now, I'm sending you out to get injured or killed. You're drained physically and emotionally. Rest. That's an order." He commanded and Abby's lips tilted down into a frown. She bit her lip, looking down and nodding.

"Good. Wade, I need to speak with you and your boys. Randy, John, Evan, you stay as well. Everyone else, dismissed"

Reluctantly, they left quietly, spilling out into the hall. Seth looked down at Abby, who was holding Brim and Luna tight in her arms.

"Hey, are you alright? Do you need to rest?" he inquired. She shook her head, looking down a different hallway. "I need to walk. I will return" she mumbled, turning and gracefully making her way off. Roman reached out and grabbed her onyx-colored wrist, startling her. She looked back at him and he stared firmly down at her.

"Do not go off on your own. Seth won't rest if you do, and then you've got a problem with Dean and I" he told her and she smiled ever so slightly, nodding once before he let her go and turned back to Dean and Seth.

"Let's get upstairs then. We all need showers"

(WM)

Adam groaned when he felt a shift in the bed. Sitting up, he looked to his left, squinting in the dark to see Jeff's silhouette. He was clutching his head, shaking breaths leaving him and Adam sighed, touching his arm and turning him around, pulling him into his arms.

"Do you want me to see if I can find his soul? I can try and reanimate him" he offered and Jeff looked up at him, brows knitted together.

"You…you can do that?"

"It'll be like my Rosebuds if I don't use the Necronomicon, but yes. I'll go wake Lana" He gently pushed him away and moved to get up when Jeff threw his arms around him, burying his face in his shoulder.

"Don't go."

It was a whimper. Adam frowned, looking back at him, feeling Jeff trembling. "Bunny, I'm not going anywhere. I just need to talk to Lana to get assistance looking for his soul for you" he explained soothingly. Jeff squeezed him tighter.

"Why are you offering to do this? You…you don't want me?" Jeff inquired softly, almost like a scared child. Adam chuckled, closing his eyes.

"More than you can ever comprehend, bunny. But I will not let that cloud my judgment. If me bringing him back is what will make you truly happy, I will." He told him and Jeff looked down.

"Why aren't you angry at me for not having feelings for just you?"

"Because I can't simply expect you to drop all your feelings for the man you've known and loved for years for me. I lived my first life being cold and heartless; I don't intend to do the same now. Take as much time as you need, or, I can try to bring him back for you" he offered. Jeff leaned up, pressing his lips against his cheek. Adam blinked in surprise and Jeff pressed his forehead against his when he turned towards him.

"I don't deserve you"

Adam went to protest, but Jeff just leaned up, giving him the smallest of kisses before turning away, crawling back under the blankets. He touched his lips before chuckling, sliding up beside him, their backs pressed together.

'I should be telling you that'

(Elsewhere)

Seth stood in the shower with his head pressed against the wall, the water running down his shoulders. Guilt and fear washed over him as well.

Perhaps…perhaps they should be running. So far, they haven't had any real forms of victory with the exception of Abigail being with them, and even that was overshadowed by the fact that two of their own ranks were dead, one was with their enemy-whom he wasn't sure he should consider ally or foe-and they still have two other groups to worry about.

They were horribly outnumbered.

Seth sighed, tail curling around his waist as the water started to get cold. He got out quickly and dried off, leaving the towel in the bathroom as he went. He found Dean sitting at one corner of the room in the window ceil smoking a cigarette, leg bouncing uncontrollably while Roman stared down at his hand, small ice crystals forming on his fingertips.

Seth got dressed quietly, sitting down at the foot of the bed, propping his elbows up on his knees, trying to think of any solutions they could use to deal with the problem. His mind only came up with one; run.

"Relax a bit, Seth." Roman muttered, reaching out to grab him, pulling him in his lap. Seth curled up in his arms, whining quietly. "What are we going to do?" he questioned, lacing his fingers with Roman's. The Samoan liger sighed, gently rubbing the back of his knuckles with his thumb, trying to think of a logical answer. "We stand and fight. Someone has to. We're all a family just as much as the Wyatts say they are. So we stand and fight and we will win. Our resolve is much stronger than theirs could ever be" he said quietly. Seth hummed thoughtfully, looking over at Dean, who hadn't even looked in their direction yet, the ember of the cigarette illuminating part of his face in a dim orange glow. Roman followed his gaze and clicked his tongue.

"Dean, get over here" he said suddenly, and even though his tone was light, it was clear that it wasn't up for debate. Dean's eyes finally flickered over to them before he noticed how distressed Seth was. He took one last drag from his cigarette before snuffing it out in an ashtray, blowing the smoke out into the night before closing the open window. He pushed himself up, striding over to them before sitting down heavily beside them, putting his head in Seth's lap.

Seth smiled faintly, grabbing Dean's hand so he was holding both of their hands.

They all sat in comfortable silence, drifting off after a while. Abigail returned to them at some point during the night, quietly slipping into Seth's mind without disturbing any of them. She settled at the back, curling up and allowing herself to get her own rest within the quiet comfort of his mind.

(8 am, WM)

Bayley sat with her legs crossed, watching as Sasha mumbled a few things to herself before writing them down in her spellbook. The woman was trying to remember forgotten spells that she had lost all memory of.

"Sasha, do you need help?" she inquired after a few more minutes of observing. Sasha looked over at her, chewing her gum thoughtfully for a moment. Bayley fully expected her to come back with a snappy, rude response, but instead, she simply nodded once.

"You wanna help? Come at me." She beckoned her forward, sitting on her broom and holding her book in one hand, tossing her sunglasses aside. Bayley blinked at her for a moment before she nodded, standing up and rolling her neck, a small smile coming to her face. A pair of crème colored ears appeared on her head followed by a swirling, crème and fire red fluffy tail wagged behind her. She crouched, feet pressed firmly against the ground. Sasha grabbed her broom tight.

"No holding back"

She barely had enough time to finish the sentence before Bayley took off like a shot, as she bolted towards Sasha. The woman backed up quickly, muttering something in Latin as a thunderbolt appeared in her hand. She gripped it tight, throwing it at her. Bayley flipped out of the way, landing in a low crouch before she ran full-speed at her, tackling her off of the broom before she could utter another spell. She and Sasha rolled for a bit before the witch was on bottom. She kicked Bayley hard in the stomach to get her off before rolling to grab her book. Bayley beat her to it, kicking it hard, out of reach.

Emma and Sami watched from their spot in a nearby tree, watching their teammates spar, a bright smile on Bayley's face while Sasha tried to hide the small one coming to her own. Emma was chewing on a small granola bar, adjusting her mask.

"Have you heard from Lord Bray?" she questioned absently, tilting her head as Bayley jumped away from Sasha's flaming whip, diving at her with her tail trailing fire behind her. Sami closed his eyes, legs crossed pretzel style as he leaned against the tree's trunk.

"He's locked himself in his chambers with the Necronomicon, Luke, and Erick. He won't even let Paige and Corey in. For now, We're probably free to conduct our own solo missions or rest until we're given orders" he responded, slowly inhaling and exhaling. Emma didn't say anything more, knowing Sami was trying to meditate. It helped him focus his energy and got it flowing through his body. He did this often, but Emma herself knew she wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to do the same.

Absentmindedly, she unwrapped another granola bar, mind wandering to their next move.

(Later, HD)

Abigail was on her way back to Seth, Dean, and Roman when she nearly tripped over her own two feet, feeling the familiar pull of darkness and the harsh whispers flooding her mind.

"t...ll me w..y…

D..nt le..ve me…

I'm sc...ed…"

The whispers were so close, they seemed to be in her own head, but Abigail could hear the small space between them and her own mind. She frowned, briskly changing direction and walking down a different hall. She stopped at a dark oak door, her light hand twisting the knob gently as she entered. She found Hunter asleep, tossing and turning with Shawn at his side with a wet rag, sighing. She could hear the whispers clearly now, since they were now screams.

"Tell me why you weren't here!

D-Don't leave me…

I'm scared…

Hunter!"

Abigail gasped, drawing Shawn's attention. His muscles tensed defensively, hand gripping the rag tight enough to have water dripping out of it. "What are you doing in here?" he hissed, a protective arm over Hunter's stomach. Abigail looked away before turning her eyeless gaze back to him.

"His nightmare. I can hear it..I can take it from him so he can rest peacefully" she told him. Shawn stared warily at her and she stepped closer, both Brim and Luna sitting at the door.

"You can be at ease. I will not hurt him." she reassured and eventually Shawn nodded with a sigh. Abigail hummed, disappearing into a sparkling black and white mist, phasing into Hunter's mind.

She felt a chill before she heard a wet squelch sound.

She recoiled when she looked down, finding her boot covered in blood. There were several pools of blood around her and she could hear sobbing coming not too far off.

Slowly, she followed it, finding Hunter crouched over a bloodied woman, the light in her eyes was fading. Abigail got on her knees beside him, feeling the blood soak through her dress as she put a hand over Hunter's shoulder.

"Hunter, you are in a nightmare" she whispered. He didn't respond, rubbing over the woman's bloodied stomach, eyes puffy and red, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Abigail frowned and looked to the woman's stomach, noticing the basketball-like shape.

A small, knowing sigh left her lips and she put her monochrome hands over his eyes, whispering something in Latin.

Her knees dried and Hunter's tears went dry. When she removed her hands, the woman was standing in front of him in a white wedding dress, smiling and extending a hand to him.

"Paul, get up, you'll dirty your suit! It's time for our reception, why are you outside?" she inquired. He blinked, looking back, but not seeing the two toned ghost behind him. "I...I don't know" he shook his head and smiled, taking her hand and kissing her cheek, walking back into the church with a tight arm around her waist.

Abigail looked down at her hand, a fire-red hardened crystal in her hand before she turned and walked out of Hunter's mind completely.

Shawn blinked in surprise when Abigail appeared again, holding a large crystal. "What did you do? What is that?" He questioned insistently. She looked at the crystal for a moment before looking back to him.

"It is his nightmare. I may not be able to change time, but I can eat nightmares. He should be at eased for the rest of the night" she told Shawn, turning away and gracefully heading towards the door. He kissed Hunter's temple and looked over at her.

"Thank you" he whispered. Abigail smiled, never turning around.

"You are welcome, friend. Rest easy"

(WM)

Embers flitted around in the air, small orange sparks dancing throughout the air. A loud clang reverberated through the air, over and over again, accompanied by grunts with every clang.

'Clang!

Clang!

Clang!'

Soft fingers polished over a shimmering, slate-colored arrowhead, a low hum leaving the owner's slightly pursed lips.

'Clang!

Clang!

Clang'

Honey eyes opened and the owner surveyed the area. Adrian was at one corner of the rock garden, forging something, loudly beating it into shape with a hammer. His hair was tied back in a low, tight bun while he worked, sweat rolling off his skin. Tyler was sitting cross-legged on top of a smooth boulder, polishing his arrows with deliberate strokes.

Charlotte took a deep breath, before she whistled, drawing the attention of both males.

"Alright, boys. We leave at dusk. I think it's time we pay our teammate a little visit" she growled. Tyler's lip curled up and Adrian's eyes narrowed, slamming the hammer even harder onto the weapon.

'Clang'


(A/n: It's been a while!

Sorry for the long wait. School and writer's block are quite the bitch. This chapter is more of a filler to get me back on track and a small reprieve from all the fighting and such.

But break time's over and the next chapter will jump right back in with all the conflict we know and love.

Hopefully I'll have it up by the holidays.

But until then, please review and until next time, I love you~

-Scarlet)