Amelia let out a curse in Spanish as she glared at AJ.
"My, you certainly do have a mouth on you. Wonder what else it's good for?" William asked as he winked at her.
"Can someone say pedophile?" Frank muttered under his breath, but William caught it.
"Oh, and what do we have here? It's the eighth dwarf, on break from the mines. Shouldn't you be high-ho-ing your way back, little one?" Beckett sneered.
"I'm sorry, did you say something, your highness? It was difficult to hear you with your head so far up your ass," Frank retorted hotly as he stepped towards Beckett, his hands ablaze with fire.
At the last second, Mikey put his hand on Frank's shoulder. Frank, though he was angry, respected Mikey enough to stop.
"Cut the shit talking, Beckett. We've found Adeline within the time limit. Now it's your turn to hold up your end of the deal," Mikey growled.
"But what's the fun in that? If this is the end, I want to go out with a bang!" Beckett exclaimed as he grabbed AJ and held a knife to her throat.
Everyone immediately went on the defensive and not a moment too soon.
Mikey barely had time to duck as a fist came into his field of vision. Crouching low, he pushed off from the ground and tackled the body that had appeared in front of him. Not surprisingly, it was Mike Carden, who just grinned at Mikey.
"What's wrong, mutt? Cat got your tongue?" he asked as he flipped Mikey off of him and pinned him to the ground.
Meanwhile, Brendon and the three new vampires had come out of nowhere and were fighting the remaining five.
Frank, despite being four inches shorter than Brendon, moved with lightning fast speed. He was able to scorch his clothes and was delighted when he managed to connect with Brendon's cold flesh.
Sebastien immediately phased and went for William. Though he knew that he was supposed to try and kill Beckett without harming Adeline, all that mattered now was revenge. He swiped and bit at the Dandies' leader, who dodged them all with a certain fluidity that only caused to annoy him more.
Jeff and David took on the three new vampires, with Amelia backing them up. David was a pretty good Airbender, who launched razor sharp currents of air at the three vampires, who weren't nearly fast enough to avoid them. Jeff, being an oni like Ray, unclipped his power bracelet and tackled one of the younger vampires. Poor guy didn't even know what hit him, literally. Jeff heard some of the vampire's bones break, and was satisfied.
Amelia was having a staredown with the vampire named Jon Walker. He taunted her, trying to get her to make the first move. Amelia though, was no dummy. She knew what he was doing, and waited for him to make the first move.
Things were not moving fast enough for Jon Walker, who only smiled at Amelia as he began to work his magic.
As Amelia watched him with eyes like a hawk, she felt herself becoming more and more agitated. It spread throughout her entire body like wildfire. Soon, it was all consuming, emanating from every pore.
Then, she snapped.
She could feel the demon growing restless, and eventually, her body began to change. Normally, Amelia could will herself into shifting into the demon's form, but this time, she had no control. She fell to the ground, screaming with the pain of the possession.
"My lady, what's going on? Why are you doing this!" she screamed inside her head.
"Child, it is not my doing. It is the will of the vampire over there. There isn't anything I can do to stop it," the demon replied.
The moment that Mikey heard Amelia scream, he stopped, which allowed Carden to get in a nice right hook to the face. As Mikey stumbled backwards from the impact of the blow, he immediately looked over at her. She was writhing on the ground and Mikey could sense a large amount of energy coming from her. She was going to transform into the demon.
He looked at who she was fighting, and suddenly, Bob's warning clicked into place.
"He manipulated my emotions, turned it into pure rage. Mikey, if you do one thing, promise me you'll be careful when you go up against Jon Walker."
At once, Mikey knew what was going on. Jon was manipulating her emotions so that all she felt was anger and hatred, forcing the demon to take control. Mikey turned and ran at Jon. He tackled him to the ground, enough to break his concentration.
Amelia stopped moving, and for a moment, Mikey wasn't sure what had happened. Then she slowly sat up and he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in and sighed in relief. Then he remembered the vampire under him and gave him a nice punch in the face, glad when he heard bones break.
He ran over to Amelia and helped her up. She didn't look too good. Her eyes were unfocused and she felt weak in his arms. Just as her legs gave out, he heard William yell, "Well, gentlemen and demoness, it's been fun, but I'm afraid we must go."
He said something else, but it was drowned out by the sound of a huge explosion. Suddenly, small bits of rock began to fall as the castle crumbled all around them. Mikey looked at the others, who had stopped fighting and instead began to look for an exit. The six of them ran out of the castle, barely making it out before the whole structure tumbled down.
The explosion echoed throughout the entire county as a cloud of debris came rushing at them. Mikey covered Amelia with his body as David blasted a hole in the middle of the cloud with an impressive display of Airbending. As the smoke cleared, they made sure that everyone was okay.
It looked like everything was fine, until they heard a voice say from above them, "Mikey Way, Amelia Clearwater, Sebastien Lefebvre, David Desrosiers, Frank Iero, and Jean-Francois Stinco, you are all under arrest for the destruction of the Slane Castle here in County Meathe, Ireland. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be taken down and used as evidence."
The six of them were handcuffed and thrown into a paddywagon and taken away to the local jail. After being fingerprinted and having all of their weapons confiscated, they were placed in a large holding cell where they were waiting for their sentences.
"Great, so the Dandies escaped with AJ and now we're sitting here in jail!" Amelia grumbled.
The others nodded in agreement.
They sat in the cell for almost an hour before a warden came by and announced that they were being let go. As they walked out of the cell, they wondered what had happened.
"Amelia Raven Clearwater, you never cease to amaze me. I swear, it's people like you that keep me young at heart," said a voice with a thick Irish accent as a man with curly black hair walked into the hallway.
"Mitchell!" she shouted as she ran at the man and hugged him.
"Guys, this is John Mitchell. He's a friend of George and Nina's. How did you know where to find us?" she asked.
"Well, I came back to Ireland for a bit of business, and good thing I did. George called me up the other day babbling about being kidnapped by some vampires and saying they had an interest in you. Well, you know how George gets all excited. He kept saying, "They're going to Ireland! They're going to Ireland!", so naturally I came back too. When I heard that a demon, two werewolves, two vampires and an oni were arrested for blowing up a castle, I knew I should come and help," he explained.
"How did you get them to let us out? Are you a diplomat or something?" David asked.
Mitchell laughed. "No, not really. People just kind of respect me here. Plus, the warden owed me a favor."
He helped the six of them get their weapons back and escorted them to the airport. He bade them farewell before they all boarded a plane back to Jersey.
"Well, looks like we're back at square one. The Dandies still have Adeline, and now we lost track of them. Just freaking lovely," Frank complained as he curled up in his chair and went to sleep.
"Don't worry, AJ, we'll find you," Amelia thought as she too, drifted off to sleep.
"Seriously?! All that trouble….destroying a castle that's got a special meaning to me and then you don't even go through with your pro-" AJ complained, before William cut her off.
"I'm not the one that destroyed Slane. Thank your friends for that. And about not going through with it…I…"
AJ's eyes widened. Was he actually unsure of what to say?
"I can't. There's a little known ramification that often complicates most vampire wars, the cardinal rule being a vampire cannot directly kill one that he has sired. I mean, history shows that in order for power to be handed down, rivals must kill each other. A vampire could not kill his mate and expect to be seen as the alpha."
"So…what does that mean for me?" AJ asked, confused as the pair walked along the Irish country side, having stayed in Ireland after Amelia and the group had been arrested, although AJ didn't know they'd been released.
"In short…I can't kill you. I can harm you to the best of my ability, but I'll never been able to deliver a deathblow."
"Oh…guess my hunch was right…" she mumbled.
"A hunch?"
"Well…it's sort of a long theory that I have, but…hear me out?"
"Why not. So…do tell, this theory of yours…"
"Alright…well, this kind of all started the first time you guys captured us. I thought there was something about Michael, he didn't seem as….bad as the rest of you…and I was right, and he eventually turned on you. And…I know you said you wanted us dead, but I think you could have killed me when I came back to the mansion with you…but you didn't. Why is that? Here's where the theory comes in…I think that because you didn't kill me when you had the chance, and now you just said you can't…I don't think you ever wanted to. Maybe you're not as bad as people say…or maybe it's because I remind you of someone and you don't want to let the memory go…" she concluded, watching for any reaction.
To her surprise, the vampire bowed his head and sighed.
"For a hybrid of only twenty-three, you know more than you should…that theory is rather entertaining, but I feel as though you're suggesting I still have a heart…"
"Hey…" she started. William looked as AJ turned and stopped walking, stopping right in front of him. Her eyes looked over him, and then she stepped forward and set her hand over where his heart was, although it wasn't beating anymore.
"You do…I believe that. I can't be the only one to have stated this…" she reasoned, her other hand reaching up to fix his bangs.
William blinked, and for a second she thought she saw a glimmer of sadness in his eyes.
"You weren't. For a long time, I'd had someone else…just like you, in fact. I think that's the reason I turned you, I knew it would keep me from killing you, unlike what it did to her…"
"Her?" AJ asked gently, knowing this conversation was probably leading a secret of the vampire's past.
William sat down, the rolling hills of the countryside lush and green, perfect for a picnic if one ever had the time. AJ followed, admittedly curiosity had overtaken her and she wanted to know who this 'her' was that he had brought up.
"You promise to never breathe a word of this conversation? Not even to my men?"
"Geall. French isn't the only language I speak now…'geall' is Gaelic for promise. And incidentally,"
"Gaelic is the language of this land." William finished for her, turning toward her, expecting the look in her eyes he was getting.
"Póg me?" She smiled as she looked at his lips, and then ever-so-slightly batted her eyelashes.
William didn't need to think about what that meant, he instinctively knew that was 'kiss'. He leaned in and brushed his lips lightly against hers, for the first time in a long while thinking about Christine.
"It was the early 1900's, just after World War One. America was blossoming, reaping the benefits of a country after wartime. I had come back from a business trip, and it was in 1920 when I met who I believed was the most beautiful girl in all of Illinois. I had been living in Chicago, and one night I'd decided to go out, look for a snack. One of the bars I stopped in, I stayed for a drink. There was a girl there, a little younger then you, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. I asked if I could buy her a drink, which she accepted. We started talking, and by the end of the night she'd accompanied me back to my apartment. You probably know how all these sort of stories go, the two people fall in love and live happily ever after. My case however, isn't quite that sweet. I never told Christine of my afflictions, she was all too blinded by the quiet nights alone to see what I really was. By when the time came that I wanted to ask for her hand, she had bargained her own deal."
"Deal? What's better then getting married?"
"That's just what it was about Christine though. The night before I was to propose, she…well, let's simply say the night wasn't quite."
"Meaning you and her ha-"
"Yes. Part of me knew that wasn't right, knew I should have changed her before. It's like I told you, with the bloodlust, the frenzy…normal feedings are hard to stop if you're a newborn vampire, and it gets even harder when love and hormones are involved. Imagine when I saw her the next morning, among the tangled sheets, the familiar marks on her neck sporting dried blood…but when I went to woke her, she didn't move. Didn't blink, and I still remember how I felt when I discovered she wasn't breathing. That memory will never leave my mind. I had thought I loved her, and yet I had killed her and I hadn't been aware of it."
"That's terrible! So why did…oh…oh…I'm sorry, that's really…"
"It is the past. But yes, part of your theory is correct. The part about you reminding me of someone…truth is, minus the red highlights, you're the spitting image of Christine."
"Oh…William, I didn't kn-"
And before she could finish her sentence, William had kissed her, knocking her onto her back. She could sense more regret behind it then anything, but it wasn't rough. As he pulled away, she smiled.
"So if you can't kill me….where to?"
"Well….your friends are still looking for you…and well…putting this lightly, I don't ever want to let you go.
So…I've already lead them half way around the world, we both know this chase has to end somewhere …"
"We could…uh…pending it's just you and me, go back to my apartment…wait, no, Amelia shares it…that won't…and we can't go back to Chicago because Patrick controls the city now….hm….where else?"
"We could just stay here, love. This country is beautiful. And there are other castles…"
"True…do you still have your phone? I…uh…I want to call Amelia so I can, er, lay the bait…"
"That's fine…if you want to explain your theory, do that too."
"Cool. Thanks." As William handed AJ his phone, she smiled, walking further down the hill to call Amelia.
"Hello?"
"Hey…Rae…I…I have this theory. Just hear me out."
"What? And where the hell are you? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine…but…it's about William….er, Beckett."
"Yeah, what's with you switching what you call him? And what's your theory?"
AJ took a deep breath before continuing; hoping that what she said wouldn't make the demon want to kill her.
"I don't think he's as bad as everyone says. He's..." AJ looked around to see if he was within earshot, and, seeing nothing, explained, "He's lost someone before...a girl, they were supposed to get engaged and then he killed her, drained her dry. Still hasn't gotten over it, that's why I think he's so closed off and cold. But I remind him of her...he turned me because apparently vampires can't kill who they sire...I'm safe with him that way."
"Wait...what? I didn't really catch any of that. You're talking so fast..."
"He can't kill me, Rae. Some vampire cardinal rule forbids it. He's capable of emotion, it just...takes time to be seen. I mean...five years ago, that battle? He broke my ankle and held me in a headlock, but I noticed he couldn't bring himself to snap my neck...and then, before you guys found us in the castle, I was stuck in this bedroom, right? Well...he showed up. Didn't allow Carden or any of the others near me. I think I actually slept peacefully...I mean, after-"
"I don't give a flying fuck if he let you sleep well! If Lucian finds out you did that, you're going to die!" Amelia exclaimed, slightly horrified that AJ's actions had all the signs that she was under Beckett's control again.
"I know...but...William...there's just something about him...and oh, he wants me to-" at the moment the phone was snatched from her hand as William grabbed it, putting a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
"Hello Amelia...I see Adeline's had quite the conversation with you. And being the castle was destroyed in the midst of our little show, I'll give you one more chance to find her. This time it won't be any easier, though. Oh, if you're heading back to New Jersey, do say hello to Gerard for me, and invite him to come along. The more the merrier!"