Two months had passed since Chloe's trial and things at Vampire Hunters Incorporated seemed to have settled into relative normalcy. With Gail gone, the team could now focus on any Other Realm threat that came their way, no longer looking over their shoulders wondering if Gail was about to rear her head and cause a problem for them. Things had changed though, they had to following the aftermath of the destruction that Gail had caused.
Following Thea's appointment to the head of the Council, the books and artifacts that she had been keeping away from the Council in case of a break in had been moved from her home into Stacie's custody, which had led to renovations at VHI to make space for them. This had been welcome as it had allowed for an extra bedroom to be added to the flat upstairs for Chloe, meaning that Beca could also stay with Stacie and Aubrey without one of them having to take the sofa bed. It had been decided that having all of them under the same roof was a good idea; it meant that they weren't separated from each other and thus made it harder for any Other Realm being to target them individually.
That change hadn't been so bad, the charms necessary to protect Thea's collection being the only obstacle as they were so powerful that even with the necklaces that got Chloe and Beca through the barriers around the office, the items could not be accessed by anything from the Other Realm. It meant only Stacie and Aubrey could access what was back there, and whilst Aubrey hated that there was this division in her team about who was allowed to access certain books and items in their own office, she completely understood the need for the charms. The change causing the biggest issues for the team though were centred on Chloe.
Per the Council's instructions, Chloe had not been able to leave the building which meant that when they went into the field they were a man down, an uneasy dynamic in itself as it never felt right to leave a man behind. Chloe hadn't been satisfied with this punishment, and despite the fact that she now had her own room and was welcomed back by her family with open arms, Chloe felt like an outsider. As she should, because she had done horrific things, she didn't deserve to be part of the team. It was one particular night about three days after she had come home again that a desperate solution had been reached to try and help Chloe, however much the rest of them had hated the decision.
"Chlo?" Stacie frowned, rubbing at her eyes as she half stumbled into the office to find Chloe frantically flipping through a dusty tome, several more books scattered around her, "It's four am. What're you doing?"
"I have to find something." Chloe mumbled, not looking up from the open book in front of her, "I can't- I can't go on like this. It has to stop."
Aubrey and Beca had also followed Stacie downstairs when a loud thud (presumably Chloe knocking a book off the table) had alerted them to the presence of someone in the office. All three of them wore the same look of concern at Chloe's words.
"What has to stop Chloe?" Aubrey stepped forward, trying to gently take Chloe's hand and get her full attention but finding it snatched away from her as Chloe's attention remained on the book.
"The roaring in my head… the bloodlust, the claws, the fangs, all of it… I can't be a vampire anymore." Chloe shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Beca felt her heart clench as she moved around the table and took Chloe's hands in hers, pulling her away from the books. Beca was the only person that Chloe let touch her, and even then it was with great reluctance and usually unsuccessful in calming her down. Such was the case now as Chloe pulled away from Beca and shook her head furiously, fingers raking through her hair.
"Chloe… there's nothing to be done. You can't reverse vampirism. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" Beca felt guilt gnaw away at her. It was her fault Chloe was like this after all, "Look I can train you to control it better, to ignore-"
"No." Chloe shook her head furiously, "No I can't. I can't control it. Gail proved that. I have- I have to stop it. Suppress it. There has to be a way."
"There is." Stacie sighed heavily, walking over to the extension and pulling the book that she needed from one shelf and a potion from a trunk on another. Beca and Aubrey watched her with a frown. She hadn't told either of them about this, "This was devised as a weapon against vampires, to keep them weak in order to extract information. I don't like it, it seems cruel and short sighted, but if this is what it will takes."
"Wait." Aubrey frowned, shaking her head, "We are not about to leave Chloe powerless whilst she stays here. What happens if something gets in here whilst we're in the field? How will she protect herself?"
"Nothing is getting in here Bree, this place is more secure than Fort Knox now." Stacie smiled softly, "Look at her…" Stacie turned to look at Chloe who was pacing, an almost wild crazed look to her as chewed at her bottom lip, almost ignoring them entirely, "She needs this. Just for a little while, she needs this."
"No." Beca shook her head, "Aubrey's right. Chloe look at me."
Chloe stopped pacing as Beca gently grabbed her arms, not pulling away this time but flinching a little. Beca's nostrils flared a little as she did, loosening her grip even more. She hated seeing Chloe like this.
"This isn't the way. You have to stop punishing yourself. Gail is the only one to blame for any of this and she'd gone now. Please, just come to bed. Get some rest, you haven't slept in weeks Chlo."
"I want this." Chloe mumbled, pulling herself from Beca again and turning to Stacie, "I don't care about the risks, I don't. I just want it to stop. I don't want to be capable of hurting people anymore. Please let me do this."
Chloe's pleading melted what little resolve Aubrey had against this idea and she stepped back with her hands held up in defeat. Beca sighed heavily, sinking into a nearby chair with her head in her hands. Why was this all still so complicated?
She knew why. Of course she understood why Chloe wanted to do this. If someone had offered her this opportunity when she had first turned she would have leapt at it. But there seemed to be something so wrong about making Chloe even more vulnerable than she already was right now.
"I hate this." Beca mumbled as Aubrey sat next to her, her hand resting on Beca's shoulder, "It's my fault that she's like this, and I can't do a damn thing to change it."
"This is not on you Beca." Aubrey shook her head, giving Beca's shoulder a gentle squeeze, "You have to stop blaming yourself too. If she wants to do this, there is nothing we can do to stop her. Maybe she'll be able to finally get some clarity and some rest if she does this."
"Maybe." Beca muttered.
"Chloe, you need to understand something." Stacie held the potion up for Chloe to see but kept a tight grip on it, unwilling to relinquish it until she was sure Chloe knew the implications of taking it, "This will make you weak, it will leave you unable to drop your fangs and form your claws at will. You will still have to consume blood and will have to keep to a strict schedule with it because the potion will make you feel like that you don't need it when you do. This was not designed to help vampires, it was designed to torture them. Do you understand that this won't make you human again, it will just make you a very weak vampire?"
"Yes." Chloe nodded, "I don't care. I'd rather not have to drink blood anymore, but if this is the only way… I'll do it."
"Chloe." Beca tried pleading with her one more time, "You don't have to do this. We can find other ways around this, other ways to help you."
"I have to Beca." Chloe didn't turn to look at Beca, tears welling in her eyes, "I can't risk it. I can't trust myself. I don't sleep because I am terrified that if I do the monster inside me will claw its way out and I'll hurt you guys. Or worse… please try and understand, I need to do this."
"Okay." Beca swallowed the lump in her throat and got to her feet, "If this is what it takes to get you to trust yourself again, then okay. When was the last time you ate?"
"Um… the day I came home." Chloe frowned softly, "Why?"
"Because I'm going to make sure you stick to a schedule. I know you want to feed as infrequently as possible, so we'll say every four days? Which means that you'll need to tomorrow and so will I. We can do it together." Beca smiled softly as she knelt next to Chloe, hand resting on top of hers as she looked up at her, "I've got you Chlo. If you insist on doing this then I'll respect that. Even if I don't like it."
"Thank you." Chloe whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks as she didn't pull her hand away this time.
"You'll need to dose up on this once a week Chloe." Stacie was also smiling softly at her as she uncorked the potion, "And we can stop whenever you want."
Chloe took the potion from Stacie and quickly necked it without any hesitation. It tasted vile, like sulphur was being poured down her throat and it made Chloe gag a little but she kept it down. The affect inside her was almost instantaneous, the monster inside her smothered as she felt her superhuman strength leave her. It was the weakest she'd felt in over a year, and it relaxed her. Finally. Finally she couldn't hurt anyone anymore.
"You okay?" Aubrey asked, settling next to Stacie with a concerned look on her face. She hated that Chloe might not be able to defend herself, especially after everything that had happened to her. But she respected that Chloe had to do this for herself.
"Yeah." Chloe nodded softly, sagging forward slightly, "I am now. I- I feel right now. Safe."
"Will you try and sleep now?" Beca asked, "Now that your powers are being supressed you can't hurt us even by accident. So come and get some rest, please?"
Chloe nodded softly. Sleep sounded pretty good right now.
Vampire Hunters Incorporated were still struggling with the change in dynamic but they were solving cases hand over fist like they had done when they first came together. Keeping busy seemed to be the easiest way to deal with all of this, even if it wasn't the healthiest way.
A knock came at the door as the team sat around the table in the office, going through the files that the Council had sent them yesterday. Aubrey got up to answer it, a soft frown on her face. A knock at their door at ten at night was never a good thing.
"Hi." The woman that had knocked at the door smiled nervously, "I'm looking for Vampire Hunters Incorporated, I really need their help."
"Well you found them." Stacie had an easy smile on her face as Aubrey waved the woman in, noting the way she carried herself and the weapons belt around her waist.
"You're a vampire hunter right?" Aubrey asked, the woman nodding as she extended her hand to Aubrey.
"Kate Winters. You guys are kind of legendary." She grinned, agitation rolling off her in waves even as she tried to put on a calm façade, "I'm a little intimidated just being around you honestly."
"Oh please, we're just a regular bunch of people that took down the biggest evil in existence, we're not that impressive." Beca smirked, Aubrey rolling her eyes at her as she offered Kate a seat.
"Ignore her." Aubrey's tone had no malice in it as Beca feigned offence, "What can we do for you Kate?"
"I um… you guys know Abi right?" Kate sighed, sinking a little into the seat, "Abigail Mitchell?"
"Warren's daughter?" Stacie frowned, every member of Vampire Hunters Incorporated sitting up a little straighter.
"Yeah." Kate nodded, "We're partners, we came through The Academy together, there's no-one I trust with my back more than her. She's missing. And I think I know who has her."
A look was exchanged between the four members of the team; this was not welcome news. Warren had lost enough, he was still struggling with the loss of his wife. God only knew what losing his daughter as well would do to him.
"Does Warren know?" Beca asked, a tense air in the office.
"No." Kate shook her head, "I know I should tell him, that I have to inform the Council that one of our own is missing but after Sheila… how can I?"
Chloe seemed to physically tense at the mention of Shelia but she forced a kind smile onto her face, "We understand. Why don't you start from the beginning?"
"We're working out of New York at the minute, there's this cult that's been on the Council's radar for awhile." Kate started, reaching into the satchel over her shoulder and pulling out four files, each identical to the other with same information. They took one each, flicking through the information as Kate continued.
"They were considered fairly low level, more of nuisance than any kind of threat so they assigned us to keep on eye on them. It was a boring assignment until last week when someone that we knew was affiliated with the cult was discovered in the woods with their heart and eyes missing."
"Yikes." Beca grimaced, "That's… that's really kinda gross."
"And not low level anymore." Aubrey frowned a little as she continued to leaf through the report, "Did you pass on the intel?"
"Yeah of course." Kate nodded, "They told us to keep working the case, to keep an eye out for anymore suspicious deaths with a similar M.O., but it wasn't enough for Abi. She kept going on and on about how we were wasting time, and we should be taking them down now before anyone else got hurt, how just because we only found one body doesn't mean there's only one victim."
"She's right. About that last thing at least." Stacie sighed, "There's no way they escalated to human sacrifice overnight, this has to have been going on since inception, it's not something you just ease into the practices after testing the waters a bit."
"I know she is." Kate sighed, running her hands through her hair, "But I also knew that she was more reckless since her mom died, I thought I was doing the right thing by trying to get her to rein it in a little…"
They watched as tears began to form in the corner of Kate's eyes, Stacie reaching over and giving her hand a gentle squeeze. Kate lifted her head and smiled at her gratefully before continuing.
"I woke up the day before yesterday and she was gone. She left me a note saying that she couldn't sit around and wait anymore, that she had an in and she was taking it. And that if I hadn't heard from her by today to come and find you guys before I went to her dad. Abi said you'd be able to help…"
There was an almost pleading look on Kate's face as she looked around at them, finding only kind and concerned looks coming back her way.
"I think we can help Kate. We're certainly going to try." Aubrey knew she didn't have to ask the rest of them if they wanted to help. Abigail was basically family, of course they'd intervene if she was in trouble, "I'm going to hold off on ringing the Council just yet, I want to try and do this without alarming Dr Mitchell until we absolutely have to."
"Yeah I think that's best." Beca agreed as Stacie and Chloe nodded, "He's been through enough lately. They both have."
"Thank you." Kate sniffed, "I really owe you guys one."
"No you don't." Stacie smiled softly, "It's our job. And Abi's family."
"Literally." Beca chuckled as Kate grinned at her.
"Yeah, it's weird how much you look like her." Kate raised her eyebrow as Beca simply shrugged.
"Especially considering she's over two hundred years older than her." Chloe smirked a little as Beca scoffed loudly, her heart secretly soaring.
Chloe had been considerably more stable since her powers had been bound, still riddled with guilt but finally seeming to put it to use by helping as much as she could from the office when her team was out. And now she was cracking jokes. Beca really hoped that this was a sign that Chloe was on the road to recovery at last.
"Do you know where they're based out of?" Stacie asked as she rolled her eyes fondly at Beca's faux outrage.
"No." Kate sighed heavily, "We knew they were working out of New York but… there's virtually no paper trial on them, no finances, nothing. The only reason the Council knows anything about them is because there was a survivor who came forward and spoke to the authorities, but she had no idea where they had been when she got out. She was half starved, it was under the cover of darkness… we narrowed it down to three possible areas, all of them around the outskirts of the city, but in the time it would take us to go through them all Abi might-"
Kate shook her head, her hands clenching as she pushed back against the wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. Beca had been watching the way that Kate talked about Abigail, and something clicked. Kate wasn't just worried about her partner or even her friend; Kate was worried about someone she loved.
"We can look over the places you guys narrowed it down to tonight, and tomorrow as soon as the sun sets we'll hit whichever one is most likely." Aubrey seemed not to notice what Beca did, too focused on the task at hand to give it any thought, "I know that leaving her there another twenty four hours doesn't seem appealing, but we also can't go running in with half a plan. Not if they're comfortable with killing."
"I understand." Kate nodded with a heavy sigh, "I don't love it, but I get it."
"I'm going to make us all a coffee." Beca got to her feet, stretching out the knot in her back, "Kate will you come give me a hand?"
"Sure." Kate smiled softly, "Seems like the least I can do."
Stacie gave Beca a quizzical look as Kate followed her to the apartment upstairs but Beca dismissed the silent concern. She had no reason to doubt Kate and what she was saying, she just wanted to give her the opportunity to feel her emotions without the scrutiny of everyone else. When they were in the apartment, Beca turned to Kate who was searching for mugs in the kitchen cupboards.
"You love her don't you?" Beca's smile was kind as Kate froze, a heavy sigh escaping her lips.
"Shit. Is it that obvious?" Kate chuckled wryly, "I- I know I'm not supposed to. That because we work together I'm not allowed to but…" She turned to Beca, the tears she had been pushing back all night starting to roll down her cheeks, "She's my best friend, there really isn't anyone like her."
"Screw not supposed to." Beca rolled her eyes a little, smirking, "You can't help who you fall in love with. Believe me, I know. And besides, you'll get no judgement here, look at Stacie and Aubrey they're in the middle of planning their wedding!"
Kate laughed a little despite her tears, "That's true. Rumour has it they didn't even hesitate when it came to flaunting the rules."
"I think it's the first time I actually saw Aubrey as a human being." Beca chuckled, turning on the coffee machine, "Does Abi know how you feel?"
"I doubt it." Kate shook her head sadly, "Abi, she's so dedicated to her job. You should have seen her the day she graduated from The Academy, she was so proud of herself, she couldn't wait to get to Bangkok for her first assignment. I don't think it's even entered her head I might feel anything for her."
"When we get her back you should tell her." Beca's attention had turned to the coffee she was making, her own emotions barely below the surface, "Take it from someone who's been around for a very long time, don't ever pass up the opportunity to tell the woman you love how you feel."
It had been a long day going through all the information and trying to narrow down a location for the base of Rising Dawn's operations ("God why do the sound like the name of a bad tween novel?" Beca had scoffed). Kate's underlying distress and frustration had been palpable but easy enough to work around, but what had concerned them was the way that Chloe had secluded herself away from them all again. Beca watched her for a few minutes, Chloe staring at the pile of notes on her lap but clearly not reading them. Stacie nudged Beca a little, nodding to Chloe. Beca sighed and nodded and then got to her feet, walking over to where Chloe was sat on her own.
"Hey… you okay?"
Chloe seemed to jump as Beca sat next to her, clearly lost in thought. She sighed heavily as she looked down at the paperwork in her lap.
"Yeah. No. I don't know..."
Beca could see the haunted glint in Chloe's eyes that seemed present far too often these days. It made her heart clench, hating that Chloe was still so raw with pain after everything that had happened.
"You're thinking about Sheila aren't you?" Beca's voice was soft to keep Kate from overhearing. The last thing they needed was for Kate to misunderstand the situation with Chloe.
"How can I not?" Chloe sniffed slightly, "You heard Kate, Abi's been more reckless since her mom died... it's my fault she did this."
"Chloe..." Beca sighed softly, hand resting gently on Chloe's arm, "Abi made her own decisions, you know what Mitchell's are like, once we get an idea in our head we very rarely let it go."
Chloe scoffed a little at this, the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, "I just... I hate this. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try to make what I did right, it just keeps coming back to haunt me. And it should, because I did AWFUL things, I shouldn't get to rest or feel peace, I know that... it makes me wonder why I'm even trying to pretend that I'm a good person."
"You are a good person Chloe." Beca frowned deeply, feeling her heart clench. So much for the road to recovery, "I don't care if I have to tell you a hundred times a day to get it to stick, you are a good person. You are not the thing that did all of that awful stuff, that was pure Gail. One day Chlo, you'll see that."
Chloe simply shook her head, pulling away from Beca as she tried to focus anew on the file in her hands. Beca pursed her lips as she got to her feet and left Chloe to it. Stacie watched as she made a beeline for the door, knowing that Beca was headed for the basement to blow off some steam. She knew Beca was frustrated lately; frustrated that Chloe was still hellbent on blaming herself for everything, frustrated that she wasn't listening to Beca when she tried to convince her she was a good person, frustrated that Gail seemed to have such a stranglehold on all of them still. Stacie turned to Aubrey, leaning in close as she whispered to her.
"Will you go and spot her? You're the only one strong enough to, and last time she was down there on her own she almost brought the ceiling down on her head."
Aubrey looked up from her research as Beca disappeared downstairs and nodded with a heavy sigh, "I've ruled out the first one I think, it's a bit on the small side for their operations."
Kate frowned as Aubrey got up and left the room too, turning to Stacie who smiled softly.
"I'm sorry, it's not normally like this. We're all still trying to deal with the aftermath of Gail and her campaign of destruction on our lives." Stacie's shoulders sagged a little, "I promise that by tonight we'll have a plan in place and be ready to rescue Abi."
"It's okay." Kate smiled kindly despite the frustration she was feeling, "I've heard the stories of what she did, I can't imagine what it was like to actually live through that. I'd be more worried if you guys were completely fine I think."
Stacie laughed softly, a grateful look in her eyes as she turned her attention back to her own research. She hated that they were so off kilter still, that Gail had indeed ripped their team apart despite Aubrey's best attempts to prove otherwise.
True to Stacie's word they were indeed ready with a plan of attack. It had been virtually impossible to narrow down a single location, but there was one abandoned warehouse which seemed to slightly edge out the rest.
"Chloe if we're not back by sun up I want you to ring the Council and tell them what happened and where we went." Aubrey was securing the last of her weapons in her belt as she turned to Chloe.
"Got it." Chloe nodded, "Is there anything else I can do?" She hated feeling so useless whilst everyone else went out.
"Keep going through the files and the research we have, see if there's anything at all they might suggest we're going to the wrong place or that there's something about Rising Dawn we need to know before we go in." Aubrey hated leaving Chloe here alone and inventing busy work for her when she knew they needed her in the field with them. But without her powers and whilst she was still this determined to punish herself, there was no way Aubrey was recommending her for return.
With that, Aubrey, Stacie, Beca and Kate piled into the car outside and were soon on their way to what they hoped was the location of Rising Dawn and Abi. Kate was quiet as she stared out of the window at the passing streets, playing with the necklace around her neck.
"That's cute." Beca smiled softly as Katie turned to her with a start before grinning a little.
"Thanks. Abi got it me for my birthday a few months ago. It's set with smithsonite and black tourmaline." Kate looked at the pendant, turning it in her hand.
"Protection stones." Stacie grinned at Kate in the rear view mirror, "For grounding the wearer and helping them find peace. Sounds like she was looking out for you."
Kate's smile widened as tears formed in the corner of her eyes, "Huh. I guess so."
"We'll get her out of there." Beca could see where Kate's head was, "Mitchell's are tough. She'll be okay."
"God I hope so…" Kate sighed, staring out of the window again.
Abigail Mitchell groaned softly as she came to. She knew she was in trouble this time. God why hadn't she listened to Kate and just waited? She was going to be so mad with her. Abigail felt woozy, like her head was stuffed with cotton balls, and as she tried to move she found she couldn't. Her heavy eyelids fluttered open and she found that she had been tied down, arms stretched out from her sides. She could feel the dull ache of her body filtering through the fog in her brain and she winced as she tried to tug herself free of the bindings keeping her down.
"Fuck…" She mumbled, swallowing hard as she felt weakness cling to her. They were keeping her drugged and whilst they were there was no way that she could get herself free of ropes this tight.
Oh God. Was this it? Her poor dad… first her mom and now her. This was going to kill him. She should have stayed and waited. She didn't want to break his heart, he was already devastated at losing mom. Why had she done this to him?
And then there was Kate. Kate who had been at her side through so much. Kate who had her back no matter what. Kate who sat up with her all night and held her as she sobbed over losing her mom. Kate who she…
She had to get out of here.
Beca pulled her phone from her pocket as they pulled up outside of the warehouse that they hoped housed Rising Dawn and Abigail.
"It's Chloe." Beca mumbled, answering it immediately, "Hey Chloe, you're on speaker."
"Great. Listen, I've been thinking about the eyes and heart thing…"
"We all have." Beca grimaced, supressing a shudder.
"Not what I meant." There was an amused tone to Chloe's voice, "It seems like a really specific ritual, too specific to be a coincidence right?"
"Right." Aubrey nodded, "I got so caught up in trying to figure out where they were that I didn't stop to think why."
"Me neither, not until you guys left. But I've been reading books on Other Realm creatures, trying to keep myself busy when I couldn't sleep, and I remembered there was something about a subset of scavenger demons that fed on hearts and eyes, which y'know gross, but also I found them… I think they're the ones running Rising Dawn."
"Chloe you're a genius!" Beca grinned, "And I certainly feel a little better going in there if we're fighting demons and not humans…"
"They can morph into human form, but if you can turn down the heat then their disguises will crack and hey presto you'll have yourself some ugly looking, eyeball eating scavenger demons."
"This is really helpful Chloe, thank you." Aubrey smiled warmly.
"Of course. Please be careful guys."
Abigail felt a weight on top of her and her heavy eyelids opened again, frowning as she felt coarse fabric inside her mouth and realised that she'd been gagged. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the weight on top of her was that damn woman that was running this place. What was her name? She had to remember her name for when she got out of here… Selma… Selena?
"A sacrifice has been demanded of us once more."
Her voice sounded like it was underwater as Abigail continued to struggle feebly. She could feel the drugs beginning to wear off but it was still taking a long time for her to regain control. Dammit.
"And who better to offer up to appease the demands of our Goddess than the non-believer who tried to ruin our Paradise?"
Crap.
Abigail grunted as she tried to push what little strength she had into her arms to try and rip her restraints from them. She glared at the woman (Sandra? Sally?) towering over her, knees straddling her hips as she stared down at her with a hungry look. Her eyes widened as the woman (Sarah? Sophie?) brought out a long ceremonial dagger from the inside of her robe, trying desperately to free herself. No way was she going out like this.
The room seemed to grow colder as Abigail felt it stir her quicker, but still not enough to free herself as she watched the dagger be raised higher and higher, ready to be plunged into her chest as the rhythmic chanting around her increased in speed.
'Please don't let dad find me.' Abigail thought, 'Not like this. Have someone else find me and tell him.'
Abigail clenched her fists, still struggling fruitlessly, glaring at the woman above her as she braced for impact. If she was going to die here then she was going to go down fighting. Screw this woman and her cult and her cracking face. Wait. Cracking face?
There was a low growl and then just as the dagger swung down towards her the weight on top of her disappeared, a dark flash following the woman onto the floor. Abigail tried to free herself, the strength starting to rush back to her limbs, but it came along with the dull throbs and sharp twinges from her battered body and it forced her still again from the pain as her head swam.
"Abi? Abi are you okay?"
A hand cupped her cheek as she forced her eyes to focus. Kate. Kate was here. The gag was pulled from her mouth as Kate's worried eyes met hers, Abigail swallowing hard as she nodded softly.
"I'm okay." She smiled, voice hoarse, "Great timing by the way."
Kate laughed as she shook her head, tears forming at the corner of her eyes, "Don't thank me. Thank your friends at Vampire Hunters Incorporated. I wouldn't have stood a chance on my own."
Abigail turned her head to the side as she felt the restraints around her wrists give way, finding Beca grinning at her as she discarded the rope that had rubbed her wrists raw. Abigail sighed softly, relief flooding her as she slumped against the table.
"Thanks." She mumbled, "Does dad know?"
"Not yet." Aubrey was stood next to Kate, an eyebrow raised even as her expression remained relieved, "I wouldn't to rescue you from the mess you'd made first before I worried him."
"I'm sorry." Abigail croaked, wincing as Kate helped her into a sitting position, "I never meant to worry anyone. I just wanted to… to do something other than sit and wait y'know?"
"We do." Stacie nodded, sitting next to Abigail as she held her hands over her injuries, "But sometimes you have to wait it out."
"She's right." Beca smirked, "If you go in without a plan and without back up a crazy, human sacrificing, scavenger demon run cult might tie you to a table and try and harvest your eyes and your heart, and no-one wants that."
Abigail chuckled and then winced as her ribs throbbed, leaning heavily against Kate who had her arm wrapped around her shoulders, "Dad's going to be furious with me isn't he?"
"I'll talk to him." Beca reassured her, "You made a dumbass move, but it was a Mitchell move through and through. He'll understand that."
"Thank you." Abigail smiled softly, "For everything."
"Don't mention it." Aubrey grinned, "We'll drive you two back home, worry about the Council and your bad tomorrow when you've had some rest."
"Wait, so that's it? Rising Dawn is done?" Abigail frowned softly as she looked around her.
"Yeah." Stacie nodded, "The scavenger demons have been taken out, there were surprisingly few humans here actually. Although that has terrifying implications that I just don't want to contemplate right now…" Stacie grimaced as Aubrey slid her arm around her waist.
"Huh." Abigail smirked a little, "Well that's that then. Onto the next assignment."
"Not quite." Aubrey's face was serious as she looked at Abigail, "I'm going to recommend to the Council that you take a couple of weeks of leave, spend some time with your dad and properly grieve for your mom. Because until you do you're going to keep making reckless decisions like this."
Abigail frowned, opening her mouth to argue but silenced by Kate who cupped her cheek and lifted her head so their eyes met.
"Abi please. Take some time out. I can't go through this again, I need you to be the cautious badass you were before your mom died." Kate sniffed softly as Abigail looked up at her.
"Okay." Abigail nodded softly, feeling her emotions bubble to the surface as she saw just how deeply her decision had affected Kate, "I'll take the time off, I promise. I won't do this again."
Beca gave Aubrey and Stacie a look as she jerked her towards the exit, "You guys take your time, we'll be waiting by the car when you're ready."
"I really thought I was going to lose you." Kate mumbled into Abigail's hair as she pulled her closer to her.
"I really am sorry." Abigail sighed softly, letting her head rest in the crook of Kate's neck, "I never wanted to scare you."
"Why didn't you at least tell me where you were going?" Kate asked. It had been bothering her since she had found Abigail's note.
"I knew you'd follow me on your own." The smallest smile tugged at her lips, "I had to make sure you had back up before you attempted a rescue mission."
"Oh so it's okay for you to run around without anyone to help you, but woe betide I do?" Kate scoffed as Abigail lifted her head to look at her, a wry smile on her face.
"Thank you for coming to rescue me Kate." Abigail whispered, eyes glittering with emotion.
"Of course." Kate smiled softly, "I will always come and rescue you Abi. I love you."
Abigail's face broke out into a grin as she leant up and kissed Kate with as much passion as she had the strength for right now.
"I love you too."
"Hey Chloe." Beca had stepped away from Stacie and Aubrey for a moment, deciding to call Chloe and fill her in on what had happened, "That scavenger demon tip was just what we needed."
"So Abi's okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine. A little bruised still and facing two weeks mandatory leave, but given how she was looking at Kate I don't think she'll be taking it too hard." Beca chuckled, other hand in her pocket as she leant against wall of the warehouse.
"I'm so glad she's okay." Beca heard Chloe sigh heavily, "Thank you for calling me to tell me."
"Of course." Beca smiled softly, "We'll be home soon, I just figured Abi and Kate might need a minute together after all this."
"That's sweet of you Beca. I'm sure they'll be grateful for that."
"They're good kids. They just needed a little nudge." Beca shrugged. The words 'I miss you' were on the tip of her tongue but Beca swallowed them. This wasn't about her.
"I'll see you soon Becs."
"Yeah. Yeah we'll be back soon. Bye Chlo."
Beca sighed heavily as she hung up the phone. She just wanted to fix everything for Chloe, wanted to be able to wave her hand as easily as Stacie could but be able to wipe away all of the pain that Chloe had been through. She was exhausted from always being on edge all the time, but as long as Chloe was still suffering and blaming herself, Beca would be right there to try and steer her back onto the right path.
It was going to be a long, long road but Beca would crawl it if it meant that at the end of it, Chloe would be okay.
"C'mon Becs." Stacie's hand on her shoulder pulled Beca from her thoughts, "Let's go home."