When Lily opened her eyes she felt worse than she had before. She was laying down, and Cassidy was directly at her side. Wondering where she was, she didn't have time to take in her surroundings before her eyes just barely focused on him. She could see his eyes were red. There were tears streaming down his cheeks, "Tulip's alive, Lily." He said, "She's alive." He repeated.

Lily felt her head pounding as she struggled to process the words. She had been out for over an hour and it wasn't exactly a restful kind of 'out'. She had been choked to unconsciousness and it only made her feel that much more run down.

When she went to speak, no words came out. Her throat was entirely dry and raw.

"What happened?" She was eventually able to croak out quietly. Leaning up, her head pounded harder and she noticed how sore her entire body was. Letting out a groan, she winced, "Damn it." She hissed beneath her breath, her hands moving up to the sides of her face.

With a hand on her back, Cassidy leaned closer to her, "You need this." He insisted, handing her a glass.

Without a doubt, Lily nodded, downing the blood laced water easily as she felt her body heat up instantly. Cassidy watched her crank her head back as she got every last drop of the large glass, exhaling in satisfaction as he took the glass from her.

With a soft hum, Lily felt the tingle sensation travel through her. Usually she was instantly elated and felt the 180 of the affects that his blood gave her immediately, but that wasn't the case this time - it was taking much longer, there was still pain but she felt the severe edge dissipate.

"She's alive?" Lily asked as if she hadn't heard him say it twice.

"Yea. Jess came up about half hour ago or so n'told me." Cassidy stated, sniffling once more as he wiped away the last of his tears.

With worried eyes, Lily swallowed, "Why are you crying? What happened? Have you seen her?"

He shook his head, "I'm just relieved yer alright. I haven't seen 'er, no. Didn't want to leave you on yer own."

Lily wasn't sure where she even was. Finally, she moved her eyes from Cassidy's and looked around. They were in a bedroom, and she only just noticed the large bed she was sitting up in. It was a bare mattress - no sheets or linens. The room hadn't looked like it had been lived in for years, but various belongings and furniture filled it.

With her eyes still scanning the room, Lily took a breath, "Where are we?"

"Upstairs." Cassidy said, exhaling.

Lily felt herself get a bit lightheaded, leading her to assume Cassidy's blood was still working through her. Trying to piece together any of the many strings of thought tangled through her head, she started simple, "What happened?" She asked again, "How long was I out?"

Cassidy took a deep breath in, still anxious from the events leading up to the present moment, "I dunno, an hour?" He said quietly.

With a slight nod, Lily exhaled, shifting on spot as she sat up on the bed, Cassidy sitting at her side as his legs hung over the edge of the mattress as he shook his head, "I don't know wot happened. One second we were on the road to get the fuck outta 'ere, n'the next you weren't even breathin', like." His eyes were red and it looked like they were welling up with tears again.

There was an insane amount of things going through Lily's mind as she struggled to put together anything that made sense, she did remember the feeling of pure relief, and then suddenly that feeling vanishing when her throat closed completely, "Right."

Cassidy raised his brows, leaning to her a little more, "But when that was happenin', Jesse - he called." Cassidy watched as Lily's eyes narrowed slightly, curious to what she missed, "He called yer phone n'was yellin' at me to bring you back. He said yer grandmother was goin' to kill you."

Feeling her heart sink, Lily tried to swallow the information Cassidy was giving her, "Then what?" She asked nervously. He shook his head in defeat, "Then I got back 'ere as fast I could n'as soon as we were back you gasped fer air." Getting more worried by the second Lily stared at Cassidy, his lips in a straight line, "Then y'passed out. N'I carried you in jus fer Jesse to tell me to bring you up 'ere."

He waited for her to say something, but she didn't. Taking another deep breath, Cassidy sighed, "So I did. N'I haven't moved since. Jus to the door 'ere when he came by bout half hour ago, now."

Cassidy watched as Lily's eyes drifted from his and she let her mind try and consume the facts. Her grandmother had her life in her hands - an idea that was far beyond unsettling. He could see the instant worry consume her and he thought about the time Jesse and Lily had spent alone with their grandmother in that room when they first arrived in Angelville. He'd smelt their blood when it was drawn and there was no doubt in his mind that whatever they'd done in that room was linked to everything that had just happened with Lily.

As much as he wanted to ask her what her and Jesse got themselves into, he refrained and kept quiet. After a while, Cassidy finally shifted on spot, his arms wrapping around her as he pulled her into a close hug, "I'm so glad yer alright."

Lily placed her arms around him, taking a deep breath as she could only imagine how panicked he must've been. Eventually, Cassidy released his tight embrace from her and she looked at him, "My head feels much better." She noted.

Cassidy nodded, "That's good."

She let her eyes wander around the room again, feeling his eyes still burning into her and she finally looked up to him again.

"You're prolly starvin'." Cassidy said, "I got a bunch of stuff in the car I'll go grab quick." He dragged his hand off of her and stood up as she nodded, "Do you have my phone?"

He nodded once, lifting a hand and pointing to the bedside table, "It's there." Lily's eyes followed the direction of his finger and she grabbed it. It was dead.

"Mind grabbing my charger?" She asked, "It's in the front zipper of the bigger bag." He nodded, making his way out of the room and closing the door behind him.


Downstairs

With a heavy huff, Jesse threw the last of the bags he got from Tulip's car at the bottom of the stairs. He coughed, his throat still tight and sore - he lit a cigarette anyways.

He stood up straight, his eyes studying the all too familiar environment around him. He never wanted to be back here. With his mind racing, he thought about everything that had just happened..

"Go get some fresh air." Jesse had told Lily. When she left, he felt relieved for her instantly. Being alone with their grandmother was no treat, and she had been alone with her and Tulip's body for a few hours. He worried what their grandmother had gotten up to in that time. He stared out the window, watching Cassidy follow Lily down the driveway as she eagerly made her way away from the house. Jesse didn't blame her.

With a heavy sigh, Jesse turned to Tulip, placing his hand on her forehead, "Tulip." He cooed softly, "I'm gonna need you to stop giving us such a hard time and come back to us, already."

Marie L'Angelle began spreading the mixture she'd been brewing across Tulip's skin. Jody stood in the middle of the room, and Jesse passed him no glance.

"There's a lot to be said about your sister." Marie began, spreading the black muck across Tulip's arms, "No doubt she's inherited your ungrateful hardheadedness."

With his hands still on Tulip, Jesse turned his attention away from her only for a moment, "You take out all that anger on me." Jesse demanded, "Keep her out of this."

Marie lifted her chin with a smirk, still working at smearing the mixture over Tulip, "Hm." She hummed loudly, "You've kept her out of it long enough." She spat, mocking his words.

Jesse heard Jody chuckle, shifting on his spot as he crossed his arms and took in the sight of Jesse back in the middle of it all. He never thought he'd see him again. Jody thought about all the possibilities.

Jesse glared at his grandmother, "We're here now, and we have a deal." Jesse urged, wanting the process of Tulip to come back to happen sooner than later.

"Almost there." Marie hissed, "Be patient." Suddenly, his grandmother stopped in her tracks. She dropped the brush that she was using to spread the black gunk as it hit the floor. Raising his brows in concern, Jesse looked up. When she lifted her head, there was a streak in her eyes Jesse knew all too well - she was angry. "She's leaving." His grandmother hissed. Jesse's face dropped and his grip on Tulip loosened.

When they heard Tulip's car start, Jesse jumped off the chair he sat on beside Tulip and ran to the front door. By the time he hit the front step he saw Lily jump into the car down the driveway as they peeled off.

Jesse stared at the big, dusty cloud Tulip's car left behind and his heart sank. "No, no, no." He turned to run back into the house - his phone was on the chair beside Tulip.

As he ran back into the room where his grandmother and Tulip laid, Jesse noticed Madame L'Angelle at her desk, in her hands - the handkerchief that held the drops of Jesse and Lily's blood

"No." Jesse choked out, "Just give me a sec-" He watched her lips tightly quivering in pure fury. Her eyes went from black to red, piercing through him with a terrifying amount of power. Her long, bony fingers clenched onto the napkin, making it harder for him to breathe, "Wait-" He choked out. In an instant, she twisted the handkerchief in her grasp and Jesse felt his throat close. He knew Lily would be feeling the same, and he struggled to stay strong enough through it to try and call her phone.

Marie waited for the other side of the phone to pick up, but it went to voicemail. She squeezed harder, and Jesse fell to his knees in pain. His face was bright red as he struggled to press redial. Finally, Cassidy picked up.

Jesse dragged himself the fastest he could to their grandmother, who reached a hand out to Jesse's throat, making him able to gasp for breath. She used her power in one hand to do the opposite of the other - continuing in her other hand a twisting motion to be sure Lily still felt the affects.

Jesse was able to talk, to yell, at Cassidy to bring Lily back to Angelville. Cassidy hadn't argued, and Jesse had hoped that meant he would listen. Jesse dropped the phone, his grandmother's hand still on his throat as he watched her grinding the handkerchief still in her other hand, "Please." Jesse begged, struggling to catch his breath "Stop hurting her. They're coming back."

Marie's eyes burned harder and harder into Jesse's as she continued to squeeze on the cloth in her hand, her hands were shaking with rage and finally, as they heard the car approach to a stop at the front step. Jesse watched his grandmother release her clench on the piece of cloth as Jesse ripped his neck out of the grasp of his grandmother, running to the front door.

Cassidy practically busted down the front door, Lily was in his arms and she was unconscious. Jesse rushed to Cassidy, his face in a frantic panic. Jesse would have known if his sister was dead, but he checked her pulse just to be sure.

"Bring her upstairs!" Jesse said urgently at Cassidy, wanting her nowhere near their grandmother. With nothing to argue against, Cassidy listened, running up the stairs and going into the first bedroom he'd found.

Jesse felt his heart sink, thinking about his sister and everything she'd been though. Suddenly, his blood began to boil. Now was not the time to lose his composure, not with Tulip's life still on the line. He took a breath, turning and heading back into the room.

Jody had a giant grin on his face, amused at how wrapped around Madame L'Angelle's finger they were. With his lips in a straight line, and his body tingling with fury, Jesse stared at his grandmother, "You've gotten what you wanted." Jesse spat, "We're not going anywhere. We have a deal. Now do your end and bring Tulip back."

The look in his grandmothers eyes was pure satisfaction, she grinned at his desperation. He could talk all tough as much as he wanted, but she knew that Jesse was weaker than ever. Finally, she lifted her hands, pressing them against Tulip and in an instant - she gasped, coming back to life.

Jesse was ripped out of his train of thought about what happened when he heard the stairs above him shifting. From the darkness above, he saw Cassidy's figure. His pace slowed significantly when he noticed Jesse at the bottom of the stairs. His shoulders were slumped, his steps were heavy and slower and his brow was low.

"Hey Cass." Jesse said quietly.

Cassidy stood a few steps up still, finally making his way down to the bottom where Jesse stood, "Where is she?" He asked.

Jesse puffed at his cigarette, "Sleeping. Upstairs. We're in the room across the hall from you." He exhaled a trail of smoke as he looked up at Cassidy, "Thanks for all your help, Cass." Jesse said honestly.

Ignoring Jesse's acknowledgement, Cassidy's eyes moved to the bags Jesse had brought in from Tulip's car, "Why th'Hell did you unpack all this shite?" He hissed.

"We're staying here for a while." Jesse told Cassidy. Jesse's voice was soft, but Cassidy's was much harsher, his face was suddenly scrunched up, "Why in the Hell would we spend another second here, Jesse? We got wot we came for. Tulip's back, right?"

Jesse found himself having to interrupt Cassidy in his angry rant, "It's not that easy." Jesse insisted, his voice still low, "What happened to Lily earlier - that was because her and I had to sacrifice our will for Tulip to come back. It was our exchange so she would bring Tulip back in the first place. We gotta pay out debt before we can go."

Cassidy's face flattened again at the discouraging news. Jesse took another breath, leaning away from Cassidy slightly, "Besides, Tulip needs to rest. She'll likely sleep through the next day." He puffed at his cigarette as he huffed, "Not to mention my sister." He shook his head, "She needs rest, too."

"Yea, I know that." Cassidy spat, "I know what she needs. You don't 'ave to tell me." He shook his head, repeating himself, "I know wot she needs an' wot's best for her, n'right now it's hard to believe you know anythin' about that." Cassidy let out a chuckle in an unbelievable manner, his voice much louder suddenly, "I mean, c'mon. Jus look at us - look at where we are!" He held out his arms, and his voice went to a low hiss again as his eyes burned into his, "You should see 'er." He hissed, referring to Jesse's sister, "She's a fuckin' mess, Jesse."

Jesse could understand where Cassidy's anger was coming from. He had no idea what anything around them meant, and Jesse hadn't had the opportunity to explain properly. Cassidy leaned closer to Jesse, and it looked like he was about ready to get physical again really quickly. Cassidy was practically talking through his teeth, "You were goin' off the other day when you found out about her n'I how I was a monster, how you were worried cos I might end up gettin' 'er all tied up in somethin' so horrible-"

Of course Cassidy remembered all the things Jesse had said about him when he found out about Lily and himself. He'd called him names and made it out to be that Cassidy was the worst thing that could've happened to Lily, and if he was being honest to himself, they hurt him. It hurt that Jesse saw him that way. And now it was all just too ironic not to call out.

Cassidy shook his head, a smirk of disbelief coming across his mouth before it flattened again, "Who's the monster, now?" Cassidy asked. Jesse stared at him silently, eating every word Cassidy spat at him and not retaliating. Cassidy had so much more to say, but Jesse's silence caught him by surprise. He'd expected another blowup. Cassidy bit his tongue and leaned away from Jesse instead, causing an uncomfortable silence between them.

After several seconds, Jesse pulled his eyes from Cassidy's,"Here." He said, cutting the silence, kicking at a pile of bedding and towels, "I washed these myself, give Lil a peace of mind. Tell her I'm just finishin' up some stuff down here and I'll be up in a bit to talk."

Cassidy dragged his glare from Jesse and reluctantly grabbed his and Lily's stuff, along with the pile of freshly cleaned linens as he turned to walk back up the stairs.

Jesse's voice pulled his attention back, "Cassidy, you can hate me all you want right now, but just think about if the roles were reversed."

Cassidy stopped, his one foot on the stair above the next with his arms full of stuff as he held his breath.

"You're telling me you wouldn't put us through this Hell for Lily?" Jesse asked.

Jesse waited for a response to his rhetorical question, but Cassidy didn't move or speak. Letting out a heavy sigh, Jesse walked up a few steps so he was at Cassidy's side on the steps, talking in a quiet whisper, "Listen. I know it's not what you wanted to hear, but it is what it is. We're going to have to stay here a while until we figure out a way." He said as quiet as possible as he let out a frustrated groan, "I can't go on about it now." He wasn't sure who or what might be listening in on them, "Can we talk about all this later?"

Cassidy exhaled and groaned back quietly, "Is she alright, at least?" He asked, looking to Jesse at his side, "Tulip?"

Jesse nodded, his brow furrowed with confusion, "I came up and told you a while ago."

"Yea," Cassidy stated flatly, "I know that, but is she alright?"

Jesse's thoughtful eyes studied Cassidy's a moment, "Yea." He stated, "Yea." He repeated.

"Did you talk to 'er?" Cassidy asked.

Nodding Jesse shifted his weight, "Yea, a little bit. She asked about you guys, she remembers everythin' she's just exhausted. Like I said, she'll probably sleep through the whole day tomorrow."

"Hm." Cassidy hummed, before making his way back up the stairs.

Jesse watched Cassidy make his way up the stairs as he turned a corner. He understood why Cassidy was feeling the way he was. If they stood a chance in working together, he'd have to take the time to mend things with Cassidy, preferably sooner than later before he tried anything drastic again in efforts to get them out of Angelville. With a deep exhale, Jesse thought on that.

He had a lot of mending to do, and it had to start with his sister.