The appearance of Gail's daughters had shaken Vampire Hunters Incorporated to its core. After a meeting with the Council, Thea had pulled them from the field for a week, a decision that Aubrey had been furious with.

"You cannot be serious!"

"I am." Thea nodded, a kind but firm tone to her voice as they sat in the office, Stacie, Chloe and Beca watching on.

"This is ridiculous, we're wasting time! We are the only ones that are capable of taking them on and standing a chance of winning!" Aubrey's arms gestured wildly as she argued with Thea, eyes blazing angrily.

"I agree that the four of you our best chance." Thea kept her tone level, knowing Aubrey far better than she perhaps realised and knowing this was less directed at her and more frustration and fear that there was something out there that posed such a terrifying threat to her family, "Which is why you're going to take this week off. Look at your team Aubrey…"

Aubrey didn't need to look at them to know what Thea was talking about as she squeezed her eyes shut. They were despondent, defeated, and exhausted. None of them had slept in the two days since Gail's daughters had terrorised them, minds too preoccupied with the living nightmares they had endured and the implications that these women would have for their lives.

"The four of you need a moment to try and process this." Thea put her hands on Aubrey's arms, her heart breaking for all of them. They had been through so much, far more than they should ever have had to, "You were attacked in your own home, that takes its toll on you. So sleep, eat, and try and process what happened. You'll need to be at full strength for what's to come, not just as individuals but as a team."

Aubrey sighed heavily as her shoulders sagged, "I know…" She mumbled, "I just… I don't want them to win. And this feels like we're letting them win."

"You're not." Thea shook her head, "You think I'd let you guys admit defeat?"

Aubrey smirked a little a this, sighing as she nodded, "Okay. We'll take the week."

The week had been spent recovering like Thea had insisted on, but it was hardly enough time to truly get to grips with the reality that was facing them. Still, when it was time to return to work three of the team of four were determined to go back to helping those who needed them whilst they figured out how they were going to tackle this new threat. Beca however had remained defeated and withdrawn, remaining non-committal to her job as she seemed to just be going through the motions. She didn't see the point. They were never going to be free of Gail, there would always be more of them. So why keep trying to rid the world of evil when it just never let up?

"Becs?"

Beca looked up from where she was sat on the end of her bed as Chloe's head appeared around her bedroom. There was a concerned look on her face as she saw the redness around Beca's nose and the slight puffiness of her eyes. Beca had been crying. Again.

"Yeah, what's up?" Beca sniffed as she tried to subtly wipe her cheek on her shoulder.

"Are you coming down? We've got an easy case tonight, it doesn't even involve us leaving the office." Chloe smiled softly, heart clenching as she fought the urge to rush to her and pull her into her arms.

"Uh, yeah. I'll just be a minute." Beca nodded, swallowing hard as she pushed herself reluctantly to her feet.

Chloe nodded and headed back downstairs to the office, pushing away the memory of her vivid nightmare as she walked through the living room even as it flashed in front of her. There was no blood soaked into to the carpet. The coffee table hadn't been shattered. She hadn't hurt them.

Aubrey looked up from the file in her hands when Chloe came downstairs, not missing the tight expression that she always wore when she had passed through the living room. She frowned softly as she realised that Chloe was alone, more concerned than frustrated.

"Is she coming?" Aubrey asked as Chloe joined them.

"Yeah." Chloe nodded with a sad smile, "She just needs a minute. She'd been crying again."

"I feel like we should be doing more to help her…" Stacie sighed, glancing up towards the apartment, "I just don't know what."

"Me neither." Aubrey mumbled, running her hand through her hair as she shook her head, "She's been dealing with this alone for so long now, I don't think she knows how to let us help."

Chloe was about to say something when they heard the stairs creak and decided to stop this conversation. The last thing Beca needed was to overhear them talking about her. Chloe smiled softly at Beca as she entered the office and Beca forced a smile onto her face in return as she shoved her hands into the front pockets of her jeans and approached the table.

"So what's the case?" She asked, Aubrey supressing a pang of sadness at the hollowness of Beca's tone.

"We're doing an evaluation for the Council." Aubrey handed the file to Beca, expression warms as Beca took it from her, "They need us to see if this woman is actually a clairvoyant like she's claiming to be, or-"

"If she's just an attention seeker who bought a pack of tarot cards from Amazon and thought that made her mystical." Stacie snorted with a roll of her eyes as Aubrey supressed a chuckle.

"What are the odds that she's just full of crap?" Beca mumbled, eyes running over the information in the file.

"Pretty high. Most so-called fortune tellers are just con-artists tricking mortals into giving them their money." Stacie muttered darkly, "Wouldn't know how to communicate with the Other Realm any better than they'd know their ass from their elbow."

"Witches and fortune tellers don't get along." Aubrey explained as Beca raised her eyebrow at Stacie, the slightest hint of a smirk tugging at her lips.

"I'd get along with the real ones just fine!" Stacie exclaimed, "It just happens that most of them are fakes that somewhere down the line get themselves wrapped up in something that they can't control and it's then up to us to fix their damn mess! Like I don't have anything better to do!"

"Anyway…" Aubrey laughed softly, "Her name is Amy Hobart and she'll be here in a few minutes. We have to test her abilities to see both the past and the future, and if she's who she says she is then she registers with the Council."

"And if she isn't?" Beca asked, trying to ignore the fear that flooded her at the idea that this woman could see her past if she wanted to.

"Then I have a few choice words for her about messing with forces beyond her ken…" Stacie grunted, "And she goes back to scamming old ladies and desperate mothers out of their hard earned cash."

"So nothing changes?" Beca sighed heavily, "No matter what we do, everything goes back to the way it was."

"If she registers with the Council she'll work for them. Clairvoyants are able to practice healing magic too, she'll be an invaluable asset." Aubrey tried to reassure Beca who put the file on the table and sank into a chair nearby.

"Right. Sure." Beca mumbled.

Aubrey frowned, ready to challenge Beca but a knock at the door interrupted her before she could. She went to open it, letting the woman at the door in as the rest of the team settled into chairs around the table.

"Amy right?"

"Yeah!" The fortune teller was a beaming blonde Australian woman with a seeming abundance of energy, "You'll be the Scooby Doo-ers that get to witness my awesomeness then?"

"Scooby Doo-ers?" Chloe whispered with a giggle, "What does that even mean?"

"Fifty bucks says she's a total fraud." Stacie mumbled as Aubrey began to walk Amy through what the Council wanted of her.

A small grin formed on Beca's face. Something told her that tonight might be about to get interesting.

"You're on." She whispered to Stacie, "I say she's the real deal."

"Amy this Stacie, Beca and Chloe, the other members of Vampire Hunters Incorporated, they'll be helping to evaluate your skills and seeing if you are what you claim to be."

"Geez talk about a depressing aura..." Amy made a face as she sat opposite them, Aubrey joining her team on their side of the table, "How do you guys getting anything done carrying all this baggage around?"

Stacie rolled her eyes heavily, an eyebrow raised, "We manage perfectly fine thanks. We've had a hell of a week, a blind man could tell that we're all a little tense."

"Alright farfalle, chill out!" Amy grinned humorously, "We're just getting started, I was just concerned that's all..."

"What did you just call me?" Stacie had gone white, voice barely above a whisper.

No-one called her that. Not anymore. Not since...

"She said that'd calm you down." Amy grinned.

"Don't you dare." Stacie hissed, eyes narrowed as her shaking hands clenched into fists.

Aubrey frowned deeply as she looked over at Stacie and her out of character outburst. Something kept triggering this response from her, something that she couldn't talk to her about and it was beginning to seriously worry her.

Amy realised she'd crossed a line and her expression softened from mischievous grin to kind smile.

"Sorry, you're right, out of line. But you should know that she saw that... what was the phrase you used?" Amy seemed listen intently as the room filled with a still silence, "Oh yeah, 'janky ass farmyard wannabe' and she wants you to know that no matter what you think, she doesn't blame you for what happened."

Stacie's gaze dropped to the table as she sniffed, heart tight in her chest, "She should... I-I knew I couldn't do it, that I wasn't ready and I still tried."

"Stace?" Aubrey gently rested her hand on Stacie's shoulder, "What is she talking about."

Stacie looked up and glanced at Amy who shrugged a little, still smiling at her.

"It's your thing." Amy said, "I can tell them, but I feel lile it should be you."

"I... it's my sister." Stacie mumbled, grateful as Aubrey slid one of her hands into hers.

"I didn't know you have a sister." Chloe shifted in chair so she could look at Stacie better as she spoke.

"Had a sister." Stacie sighed softly, "We um... she was my twin. We did everything together, honestly we were almost concerningly co-dependent."

She chuckled softly as no-one said word, shaking her head a little as tears began to run down her cheeks.

"She was the most important person in my life, the one person I shared everything with, she just... she knew me in a way no-one else could. Not even you."

Stacie smiled softly at Aubrey who gave her hand a soft squeeze. She got it. Who would know you better than your twin would?

"She was the one who wanted to work with vampire hunters, I wanted to head out on my own like Mike had, I thought it was so cool to just... travel the world and do magic y'know? The Academy wasn't ready for us, we were awesome from day one, mom had been training us since we could walk because she wanted is to blow everyone away."

"Sounds like Thea." Aubrey chuckled, thumb stroking the back of Stacie's hand as she smiled softly at her.

"I was just learning about my elemental powers and Iz was always pushing me to do more, to be better, to be the very best I could be. She'd find places where I could practice so that I wasn't putting anyone in danger and that I couldn't do too much damage… especially after I almost burnt the house when we were home Christmas that year. One night after class we um…"

Stacie tried to swallow the lump in her throat as her tears poured faster. Aubrey's hand tightened around hers, feeling a sense of dread began to creep through her. She could feel Stacie's hands shaking in hers and her heart broke to see her so distressed.

"I- I can't…" Stacie shook her head, looking to Amy again, "I can't…"

"Do you want me too?" Amy's initial cheekiness had melted away into a calm and caring softness as she reached over and took Stacie's other hand.

Stacie nodded. She had come this far, disclosed this much but… it was still so painful. She couldn't vocalise it still, after nearly fifteen years it was still too raw for her. She couldn't bring herself to think about that night, much less talk about it, even with the people that she loved the most.

As they watched on, Amy's face seemed to shift and was replaced with that of a young teenage Stacie. Except… there was the smallest of differences in the twinkle of her eye and the twitch of her smirk. It wasn't Stacie.

"I-Iz?" Stacie stammered, eyes wide as the colour drained completely from her face.

"Hey sis." She grinned, "Long time no see."

"I- how-?"

"Turns out your friend here has an excellent connection to the spirit realm, and I wasn't about to pass up a chance to see you for the first time in a decade and a half." Isabella grinned at her sister, tears sparkling in the corner of her eyes, "You look good Stace. Nice to know that I would have grown up hot…"

Stacie couldn't help the giggle that left her lips as she sniffled softly. Aubrey watched as Stacie's fingers instinctively ran along the bracelet on her wrist. Stacie often wore many bracelets, set with various stones and gems that enhanced her magic, but there was one that was a permanent fixture around her wrist, one that was distinctly different from the rest. It was three lengths of coloured thread braided together, old and worn looking but obviously beloved. Aubrey had always wondered why Stacie always wore it, but whenever she had broached the subject, Stacie had simply smiled softly and said it reminded her of someone important.

"I miss you…" Stacie mumbled, sighing softly as she pressed herself into Aubrey a little.

"I miss you too." Isabella's grin softened as she looked at her sister, "But it's okay. I'm okay, and you… well you're doing amazing, look at you! A supremely powerful witch that helped take out the greatest evil ever known, a team that you can call family, and a hot ass fiancée…"

Aubrey blushed as a grin spread across her face, hand still clasped tightly in Stacie's as she rested her head on her shoulder.

"You've done amazing Stace." Isabella grinned tearfully, "I knew you would."

"You should have been amazing too." Stacie whispered, "I'm sorry…"

"No." Isabella frowned softly, "It wasn't your fault. It was all just an awful accident."

Seeing the looks of quiet confusion from Stacie's friends, Isabella sighed softly and continued.

"Stace is amazing as you guys know, she'd all but nailed her earth elemental skills and I wanted her to try expanding her water skills next. There's this lake behind The Academy, it's huge, I figured what better place to practice? So we took a rowboat out, figured we'd have all the water we could possibly need for her to get really good. It was going really well too, Stace was making all these shapes and patterns, like it was putty in her hands… so I pushed her to try something bigger, something with more water. She tried to tell me no, but well…" Isabella grinned sheepishly, "You guys know how Conrads are."

Aubrey had sensed what was coming and her eyes closed slowly, hand squeezing Stacie's as she felt her tremble against her. Poor Stacie. Poor Iz.

"I um… I had managed to summon this huge wall of water." Stacie mumbled, finding strength in Aubrey's hand in hers, and the kind eyes of the sister she loved so dearly even now, "It was amazing, I've never done anything like that, before or since… but I l-lost control of it. Before I knew what had happened we were in the water…"

Chloe bit her lip as tears welled in her eyes, grateful for Beca's hand finding hers. A quick glance her way showed Chloe that Beca was beginning to cry too, not because of the thoughts in her mind or the ghosts that haunted her, but because of the pain her friend had been through.

"I couldn't see her… I knew she had to be close but I- I couldn't find her." Stacie shook her head sadly, "I thought- I thought if I could just get out of the water, get back in the boat then I'd be able to find her, be able to save her. I used- I used my magic to push me out of the water, I thought… it seemed like the fastest way to do it but I- I overshot it, I came out of the water too hard and my head- it h-hit the boat as I landed, I-I blacked out."

Stacie was sobbing now, Aubrey pulling her closer to her as she ran the hand that wasn't holding Stacie's into her hair, forehead pressed against her temple. Beca who was sat on Stacie's other side reached over and put her hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly as Chloe got up from her seat and wound her arms around Stacie's shoulders, chin resting on her end as Stacie soaked in the embrace of her family.

"I was gone before I hit the water." Isabella smiled softly, tears on her cheeks, "When I fell from the boat I hit the back of my head on stern. It was quick, painless, I just… I just stopped existing. There was nothing you could have done."

"I shouldn't h-have done that stupid spell." Stacie mumbled, still held tight in embrace of all of her friends.

"I pushed you into it." Isabella insisted, "And I was the one who distracted you whilst you were trying to control it with a stupid joke. It was an accident Stace, a horrible accident. And I have never blamed you for it."

Stacie looked at Isabella, tears pouring down her face but feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. She didn't blame her. Even if Stacie did, Iz didn't… and she hadn't died alone and scared, thinking no-one was coming to save her.

"Stace… I have to go. I can't stay for long, your friend here kinda needs her body." Isabella's nostrils flared slightly as she grinned at Stacie.

"Really? Right now?" Stacie sighed softly, "I-I don't want you to…"

"Me neither." Isabella admitted, "But I'm never far away, I never have been. And I'm so freakin' proud of you farfalle."

"I love you." Stacie smiled sadly, "I wish you were here."

"I always am." Isabella grinned, "You think I'd let something as minor as death keep me from hanging out with you?"

Stacie chuckled, watching as Isabella shifted back into Amy and trying not to let the wave of sadness she felt welling up inside crash down upon her. Amy let out a deep shuddering breath as she stretched out the crick in her neck, before grinning at the people in front of her.

"Pretty cool huh?"

"Yeah…" Stacie nodded, sniffing softly as she wiped away the tears on her cheeks, everyone returning to their seats as she smiled at them gratefully, "Yeah that's pretty cool. Thank you."

Amy shrugged a little, still grinning, "It's nothing. So is that it, do I pass?"

"Not quite." Aubrey raised her eyebrow as a grin spread across her face. The initial tension and scepticism in the room had dissipated, and although there was a lingering sadness for Stacie and what she'd been through, Vampire Hunters Incorporated were more relaxed than they had been earlier.

"We still have to evaluate your ability to see the future, which is a little harder than before."

"Not really." Amy shrugged, "You guys wanna see where you end up in the future?"

"You can do that?" Beca raised an eyebrow, unsure if she wanted to see what the future held.

"Sure!" Amy chuckled, "What kinda clairvoyant would I be if I couldn't?"

"She's got you there…" Chloe nudged Beca with her shoulder as Beca rolled her eyes at her.

"Alright, join hands, let's do this!" Amy beamed, waiting as the team took each other's hands, Amy closing the circle by taking Aubrey and Chloe's hands, "You're gonna feel a little tingle but that's normal… now close your eyes."

"Oh look out Bree, incoming!"

Aubrey spun round on her heel, bracing herself.

"Momma!"

Aubrey beamed as she swept her daughter into her arms, spinning them both as she giggled helplessly. Stacie turned to her wife with a grin, watching them fondly as she stirred the dinner on the stove.

"Well hey there pumpkin!" Aubrey grinned as she held her daughter close, "What are you doing?"

"I wanted you to come play!" Their daughter giggled as Aubrey peppered kisses all over her face, "We're playin' vampire hunters and you're always the bestest at it!"

"She's right you know." Stacie grinned, an arm around her waist as she kissed Aubrey's cheek, "You're the best I've ever known."

"You would say that." Aubrey chuckled, leaning back against Stacie.

"Hey, you're the one who managed to rid us all of Other Realm threats." Stacie raised an eyebrow, smiling warmly at her daughter.

"I seem to remember some kind of team effort?" Chloe was leaning against the doorframe watching them, an affectionate grin on her face.

"Okay, okay fine!" Stacie rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Auntie Chlo will you play too?"

"Of course!" Chloe beamed, "Why else would I be here if not to play with my favourite nieces?"

"Yay!"

Aubrey put her daughter down with the promise that they would be through in a moment, untangling herself from Stacie's arms to wrap Chloe in a warm hug.

"I'm really glad you came Chlo."

"Of course!" Chloe grinned, squeezing her best friend tightly, "Like I'd ever pass up a chance to come and see you guys."

Chloe pulled away from Aubrey and went and hugged Stacie from behind as she carried on busying herself with making dinner for all of them. Stacie grinned as she rested her arm on top of Chloe's, turning her head to look at her.

"It's nice to know that you like hanging out with us even though we're just ordinary boring people now." She laughed, Chloe resting her chin on her shoulder as she giggled.

"Are you kidding? We have way more fun now we're not running around in the middle of the night after armies of evil." Chloe mused, "I'll take this quiet period for the rest of my life thank you very much."

"We all will." Aubrey sighed happily, leaning against the edge of the counter as Chloe gratefully accepted the cup of tea that was offered to her, "For the girls if nothing else. They're safe to grow up and do whatever they want with their lives, their powers aren't damning them to a life of running around in the shadows and wondering if they'll ever be safe."

Stacie nodded enthusiastically in agreement, "It's the future they deserve, it's all we've ever wanted for them."

"We're not done though yet." Chloe sighed softly, "Not until we find her."

"About that…" Aubrey swallowed hard, running a hand through her hair. Chloe's eyes widened a little as she looked from Aubrey to Stacie, scarcely daring to hope they had some news, "We did."

"Is she okay?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Chloe set the mug in her hands down, shaking a little.

Stacie and Aubrey shared a look before Aubrey shook her head, "No Chlo, she isn't."

Chloe's eyes squeezed shut as she bit her lip, Aubrey sighing a little as she continued, "She's gotten worse. We have to do something about it."

"S-so what do we have to do?" Chloe whispered, pushing back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her.

"We want to bring her home." Stacie turned off the stove as she turned to Chloe, "Of course we do. But… Chloe you need to prepare yourself for what we might have to do."

Chloe sniffed, shaking her head a little as her shoulders sagged, "Yeah… I know you're right. But it's a last resort right?"

"Of course." Aubrey nodded, expression serious but gentle, "It's not something any of us want to do."

"So when do we have to go?" Chloe asked, unable to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Tonight. It has to stop." Stacie sighed, "Mom's going to stay with the girls."

"Okay." Chloe mumbled, "Tonight it is."

Chloe shivered as they walked through the maze of underground tunnels, arms wrapped tightly around herself. It was bitterly cold down here, not to mention filthy and dark. How could anyone live down here?

"How long has she been living here?" Chloe mumbled, Aubrey and Stacie close behind as they tried to make sense of the twisting corridors.

"A few months maybe?" Aubrey shrugged, "Apparently she's been moving around a lot, but she always seems to come back here. Probably because it's a freaking maze and no-one would find her."

"We will." Stacie smiled softly, "We'll find her and we'll bring her home where she belongs."

"I hope so…" Aubrey sighed softly, fingers brushing over the stake in her belt. She really didn't want to have to use this.

As they turned into a large open space Chloe felt a weight barrel into her and she found herself pinned against the wall by her throat. Chloe immediately held her hands up defensively, eyes sparkling with emotion as they met the dark and snarling ones of the woman that she loved so much, even after everything that had happened.

"Beca, Beca it's me!" Chloe reassured her, watching as Beca's snarling features softened a little.

Beca looked wild and ravaged, months of living rough and doing god only knew what leaving her looking hard and cold as she looked over her shoulder at where Aubrey and Stacie stood nearby. It took a minute for the information to filter through Beca's mind and her tight grip on Chloe's throat was released, Beca growling softly as she turned her back on them all.

"What are you doing here?" Beca's voice was gruff, betraying the roughness of her life now.

"We came for you Beca." Chloe smiled softly, "We've been looking for you for months. We want you to come home Becs…"

Beca snorted, walking over to a table in the far corner of the room. As the rest of their former team looked around them they realised that this wasn't just a large open space in the maze of tunnels, Beca had set it up to be almost homely. If it wasn't underground in a sewer tunnel, they would have been more than happy to leave Beca here.

"You can't carry on like this Beca." Aubrey sighed slightly, "It's over. We won. There's nothing left to fight."

"You're naïve." Beca snarled, bent over the pieces of paper tossed onto the table in front of her, "It's never over. Just because you gave up fighting to playhouse in the suburbs doesn't mean I have to."

"Beca…" Stacie frowned as she stepped towards her, "I promise, there's nothing left to be afraid of. It's safe now. Come with us, stay with me and Bree for a week, spend time with the girls. You'll see that it's all okay now. Your nieces really miss you…"

"I'm doing this for them!" Beca spat, rounding on them and knocking Stacie to the floor as she tried to put a hand on her shoulder, Aubrey racing to her wife's side as Stacie winced a little at the pain in her wrist from where she'd landed, "We have no idea how many of Gail's children are still out there, and if you guys won't deal with them then I will!"

"Beca you're not taking out Gail's children…" Chloe shook her head, tears in her eyes, "There aren't any. You- you're killing innocents Beca. And I know you, that's not what you want to do…"

"You're wrong." Beca growled, "You've been so busy pretending that all of a sudden evil just doesn't exist that you can't see the signs anymore!"

"Becs please…" Chloe pleaded with her, "This isn't right. You know it isn't. It's okay… we get it. You've spent so long looking over your shoulder, with evil just around the corner, of course you still see it everywhere. We just want you to come home where you belong, everything else can be dealt with later."

"Later?! You think they care about later?! I don't understand how you could all turn your back on the people who need you!" Beca roared, eyes wild as she gestured wildly.

"They don't need us anymore." Aubrey shook her head, Stacie standing again as they looked at Beca with concern, "You are hurting the very people you're trying to protect."

"You're wrong!" Beca growled, more animal than person anymore as her claws sharpened, "I am doing everything to save innocent lives whilst the three of you sit on your asses and make believe you can have a perfect life!"

"Becs… please…" Chloe's eyes were full of tears as she looked at Beca, at what she had become. She could sense how this was going to end and it was the last thing that she wanted, "Don't you trust me anymore?"

"Why would I trust any of you when you turned your backs on the people that can't defend themselves?" Beca shook her head bitterly, turning her backs on them again, "Now get out. I have work to do."

Aubrey, Stacie and Chloe exchanged a look, hearts sinking like lead. Beca was never going to stop, she couldn't stop… she really did believe in what she was doing, it's just so happened that her mind was so fearful of evil lurking around every corner that it wouldn't let her rest. It would never let her rest. They had to do the unthinkable. They had to save innocent lives one more time.

Chloe saw Aubrey reaching for the stake in her belt and shook her head softly. It had to be her. If anyone had to do this, it should be Chloe. With a shaking hand, Chloe pulled her own stake out and gritted her teeth to push back the emotions swelling to the surface. She didn't want to do this. She had to do it. The Beca that she had known and loved was long gone, lost to the years of pain and isolation that she had been put through. Beca Mitchell, the woman she had fallen in love with all those years ago, who she thought she would spend eternity with, that woman had died at some point in the time since Chloe had last seen her. This wasn't Beca. It wasn't.

"I love you Beca." Chloe whispered, unable to help the tear that slipped down her cheek, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you…"

Chloe raised the stake in her hand, lips pursed as she swung it down in an arc towards her. A split second before it would have landed square in her back, Beca spun on her heel and caught Chloe's wrist, twisting it back towards her and pushing back against her. Chloe gasped as her back hit the wall, the stake that had been trapped between her and Beca as they wrestled for it plunging into her chest. Her eyes went wide, small breathy gasps leaving her mouth as she stared at Beca in shock.

Beca's snarl faltered as she frowned softly, falling limp against Chloe as she realised that Aubrey had thrown her own stake into Beca's back, killing her instantly. Aubrey and Stacie ran forward as Chloe's legs went from under her, her strength leaving her as she felt her life ebb away, Beca cradled in her arms as she cried softly.

"Chlo…" Aubrey knelt next to her, fear in her eyes as she watched Chloe start to slip away in front of her, "Just hold still okay, Stacie can-"

"I can't." Stacie shook her head, sniffing softly, "It's a fatal wound Bree, I'd need to take the stake out of her chest and when I do she'd… there's nothing I can do."

"No…" Aubrey whispered, moving Chloe's hair from her eyes, "I- I can't lose both of you in one day…"

"It's okay." Chloe mumbled, a soft smile on her lips as she ran her hand through Beca's hair, "She- she didn't mean to y'know? She p-panicked. I-it wasn't Beca anymore."

"I know." Aubrey nodded, tears running down her cheeks, "Chloe I'm so sorry, this wasn't supposed to happen, you weren't supposed to-"

"I love you Bree." Chloe spoke softly as Aubrey's emotions overcame her and her head dropped onto Chloe's shoulder, weeping into it, "I love both of you." She turned her head to look at Stacie who cupped her cheek in her hand, sobbing softly, "Don't be mad at Beca, please? When- when you take me home, bring h-her too yeah?"

"Of course." Stacie nodded, "We love you too Chloe, never forgot that."

"Never." Chloe shook her head a little, realising she was out of time, "K-kiss those beautiful girls of yours… g-goodnight for me, t-tell them their Auntie Chlo… loves them."

Aubrey lifted her head and nodded, forehead resting against Chloe's as she sniffed hard, "They love you so much Chlo. We all do. It's okay… y-you can… you can let go now…"

"Thanks Bree." Chloe mumbled, Stacie caressing her cheek as Aubrey held Chloe's had tight in hers, not a dry eye amongst them, "For e-everything. Y-you guys are the best… thing that ever h-happened… to… m-me."

Vampire Hunters Incorporated were jolted back to the present as Beca shot up from her seat, breaking the circle as she shook her head violently.

"No. No. No, that- that can't be… I couldn't… NO!"

"Beca." Chloe started to get to her feet but Beca backed rapidly away from her, tears pouring down her cheeks as she shook her head again.

"Don't…" Beca whispered, "Just- I can't do this."

Beca raced from the room, footsteps thudding up the stairs as she headed for the roof, for fresh air, away from the woman she would one day kill. Chloe went to follow her but Stacie shook her head, catching her wrist.

"I'll go. She just saw her future self kill you Chloe. Give her a little space to try and process this." Stacie smiled softly at Chloe who wanted to argue, but she knew that she was right.

"I'm sorry…" Amy frowned deeply, guilt swamping her, "I had no idea-"

Aubrey shook her head as she held up her hand to stop Amy, "It's okay. You don't have to apologise. You don't control the future, you only show it."

"Was that…" Chloe sniffed slightly, licking her dry lips, "Is that set in stone? W-will it end up that way?"

"The future is never certain." Amy shook her head with a soft sigh, "This is the path that you're on now, but that doesn't mean it's the one that you'll stay on."

Chloe nodded, arms wrapped around herself as Aubrey forced a smile onto her face.

"I'll talk to the Council in the morning, we're satisfied that your powers are legitimate. Thank you Amy."

"Yeah, thanks." Amy grinned, "Sorry things got so heavy in here."

"It's okay." Aubrey chuckled softly, "We'll be okay, we always are."

Beca dropped to her knees as she reached the rooftop garden, heavy sobs wracking her body. Was that really what she was going to become? A monster that killed innocent people, so twisted that she thought she was doing the right thing, so broken that she had murdered Chloe without a second thought.

"Becs."

Beca jumped as she felt Stacie's hand rest on her shoulder, scrambling away from her on her knees, still sobbing heavily as she shook her head.

"N-no. You can't fix this Stace!" Beca sobbed, "Look what I become!"

"Beca, it's not set in stone." Stacie shook her head, "That doesn't have to be who you are, this doesn't have to be the future you have."

"I- I killed her Stace…" Beca whispered, head in her hands as she sobbed, "Like it was nothing…"

"Oh Beca…" Stacie sighed softly, sitting next to Beca and gently wrapping her arm around her shoulders. Beca didn't pull away this time, instead turning into Stacie and sobbing heavily into her shoulder, "You would never do that, not in your right mind. We've got you Beca, we're not going to let it end up like that."

"W-what if you c-can't stop it?" Beca wept, "W-what if I end up t-twisted and m-monstrous?"

"We won't let you." Stacie shook her head firmly, holding Beca tighter, "You're our friend, we love you, we won't ever let you become that do you hear me?"

"I'm just sick of f-feeling so broken…" Beca sobbed, "T-that nothing I d-do changes anything."

"I know Becs." Stacie sighed softly, "This job, sometimes it feels like all there is in the world is evil because that's all we're faced with. But there's so much good in it too, the things we do help people, we do make a difference even if we can't get rid of evil completely. But that was the other thing in the future… there was no more evil. We won in the end."

"But I w-wasn't there…" Beca shook her head as Stacie held her tightly, "W-what if that's what it's conditional on, w-what if I have to be the evil thing so t-that everything else can be gone?"

"I don't believe that for a second."

Beca looked up from Stacie's shoulder, her eyes meeting Aubrey's as she smiled softly at Beca. Chloe was stood by her side too, both of them joining Stacie and Beca on the floor.

"I don't believe it's one or the other Beca." Aubrey shook her head, "We can have both. We will have both. You'll be okay because we have you, and we'll have a future where all of us can be free of this fight and have a peaceful life. Together."

"Sounds pretty great to me." Chloe beamed, heart breaking a little as she saw the way Beca pulled back from her just a little. She hated that Beca had seen a version of themselves that ended that way. She hated that she'd seen it too. It was perhaps the worst way that she could imagine their future ending up.

"Y-you really think we could have that?" Beca whispered, wiping at her cheeks with her sleeve, "Just… a quiet life?"

"Yeah." Stacie nodded, "I really do."

"I- I know that I've been distant lately…" Beca mumbled, looking at her feet, "That I've just been… detached. This thing with Gail's daughters… it's really messed me up. I'm just- I don't want to keep fighting Gail anymore."

"We get it." Aubrey nodded, "Maybe not to the same extent, but we do. But we'll win Beca, we always do. And one day we won't have to fight her anymore… you've seen it."

"I just… I can see why my future self gets so hung up on there being more of Gail's children out there… on the fact that she doesn't know if they're really all gone… how will we ever know?" Beca sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"I- I don't know." Aubrey's shoulders sagged a little, "But if we give up now, if we stop fighting because we're afraid of what we don't know, then Gail wins. And I know you don't want that."

Beca sniffed as she shook her head, "You're right. I don't. But I also can't shake this weight on me, this feeling of defeat and- and misery, that we do doesn't… I'm just so tired of all of this."

"It's okay Becs." Chloe smiled softly, "Of course you are. But that's why you have us. To carry you through when you don't feel strong enough too. Just let us help you?"

Beca looked at Chloe, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips as she nodded a little, "Okay. I think I can do that. I can try anyway…"

"That's all we can ask for." Stacie grinned, unwrapping her arm from Beca's shoulders after giving them a tight squeeze, "C'mon, let's go inside before we freeze to death."

"I'll be in a minute." Beca got to her feet with a sigh, stretching the knot out of her back, "I just… I need another minute."

"That's okay." Aubrey smiled softly as Stacie looped her arm around her waist, "We'll make sure there's a hot cup of coffee waiting for you when you're ready."

Beca smiled gratefully as they left, all but Chloe who joined her as she leant on the railing and looked out over the city. They didn't say anything for a few moments, Beca's eyes closed as she let the cold wind tousle her hair.

"I don't want that for us."

Chloe almost missed Beca's whisper, turning her head to look at her as a tear slid down her cheek.

"I don't either. I hate the idea of us growing so far apart that I lose track of you for months, and that when I eventually found you again it would be too late to help you." Chloe shook her head sadly, hands wringing together.

"Me too." Beca opened her eyes, sniffing softly as she moved closer to Chloe, "I miss you Chloe. The real you, the one who isn't weighed down with guilt and punishing herself. I see her from time to time when you smile, or when you're cracking jokes like you used to… I miss what we used to have."

Chloe sighed a little as she took Beca's hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze, "I'm trying Beca. To get back to how I used be, to reclaim myself…"

"I know." Beca turned to look at Chloe, frowning softly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to devalue your recovery, you're doing amazing, I just-" Beca sighed heavily, "There's been so many terrible things in my life, but you're just the opposite and all I want is for you to be happy."

Chloe smiled softly, sniffing a little, "I'm getting there Beca. I wouldn't have done without you… do- do you think… you and I…" She trailed off, gaze dropping from Beca's as she bit her lip a little.

"I-" Beca's eyes widened a little, her hand dropping Chloe's as she sighed, "God Chlo… I do love you, I really do but- I can't. Not right now, I'm just- I'm sorry-"

"Hey it's okay." Chloe shook her head a little even as her heart sank a little, "You don't have to apologise, I get it. As long as you're still in my life, as long as you keep talking to me when you're struggling, that's all I want."

"Are you sure?" Beca frowned softly, "I- I can do that. As long as you do the same."

Chloe chuckled softly, resting her head on Beca's shoulder, lacing her hand into Beca's again, "Hey Becs?"

"Yeah?" Beca rested her head on top of Chloe's.

"It um… it w-wasn't my fault. It was Gail's."

Chloe's voice was quiet as she stared out at the city, sniffling quietly. Beca stiffened a little, a grin keeping across her face as her hand tightened in Chloe's.

"It wasn't your fault." Beca agreed. Her heart leapt. This was huge.

"I… I still don't trust myself." Chloe mumbled, "I'm still terrified of my powers but… it's not my fault that I am."

"I'm so proud of you Chloe." Beca whispered into her hair, "One step at a time. And this is a huge one."

"Thanks Becs." Chloe squeezed her hand tight, tears on her cheeks, "For not giving up on me even when I'd given up on myself."

"Of course not." Beca rubbed her thumb over the back of Chloe's hand, "I could never. Not when you've never given up on me. You and me, we'll get through this eventually right?"

"Right." Chloe nodded, smiling as she looked out at the New York skyline. They'd figure everything out eventually.