The motel was a whole lot less sketchy than Barry had feared it would be. And despite his anxiety that he would be recognized ("calm down, the stress vibes are flying off of you," Casey had told him), the young man at the front desk barely even looked at them as they checked in, too invested in his mobile game.

The room was sparse, but clean, and all they really needed was access to hot water and an outlet. So long as Dennis didn't emerge and freak out about the bed sheets or something, this would do nicely.

Barry collapsed onto his bed as Casey took a shower and he immediately fell asleep, the exertion of the day's running and climbing overtaking him. By the time he woke up, the sun had begun setting, and stomach pangs indicated to him that it had been too long between meals. He and Casey had shared some protein bars and fruit on the ride over to the motel, but he was ready for some serious food.

Looking around, he realized Casey wasn't in the room, and involuntary panic began to set in before he noticed a note lying on the desk next to his bed.

Just ran out to grab some takeout from across the street. Be back in a bit!

Barry wasn't sure how long she had been gone, but he would give her another half an hour before he started to get nervous. It also gave him time to take a shower.

He spent more time than usual washing, taking great pleasure in the feeling of hot water pound away at his cramped and sore muscles. It seemed like dirt was everywhere, and he soaped himself up three separate times before finally feeling clean enough. "God, I hope I'm not turning into Dennis," he mumbled, turning off the water and toweling dry.

Between the nap and shower, the day's stress had melted away, and when he heard Casey call out through the bathroom door that she was back with food, Barry didn't think the day could get any more perfect. Quickly he threw on his sweats and raced out to meet her, hoping she had brought enough food to curb his appetite.

To his great joy, there was a veritable feast waiting for him when he stepped outside the bathroom. Pizza, hamburgers, hoagies, and even some Chinese food was laid out on the table. He looked to Casey, a bit surprised, and she shrugged. "I didn't really know what you were in the mood for, so I got a little of everything."

"You're too good to us," Barry sighed, tearing into a box of pizza. "Speaking of which, would ya mind if some of the others came out to say hello? I've half a mind to keep all this deliciousness to myself, but I've been hogging the light recently."

Casey was about to voice her consent, then Barry noticed a frown appear on her face. He lowered his slice of pizza, concerned. "What wrong?"

"The Horde, are they going to try...?" she trailed off, unsure of what she was asking exactly. She wasn't completely clear on who was the enemy, or if there even was still a division inside of Kevin.

Barry shook his head vehemently. "The Horde was dismantled when Dennis switched sides and defeated the Beast. They're certainly still a part of us, but they're no danger to you. I doubt they'd even come out, probably still licking their wounds." He shrugged. "They'll come around, eventually. Besides," he looked at her pointedly, eyes shining playfully, "there's someone here who really, really wants to say hello, and he's been very patient so far."

Casey broke out into a grin. "Hedwig?" she guessed, and before she could react the boy appeared in the light and bounded across the length of the table to tackle her in a hug.

"Casey! I missed you so much!"

Laughing, Casey returned his embrace. "I missed you too. How are you doing?"

The boy shrugged noncommittally, looking around at his new surroundings. "I kinda miss the place where they keep all of the comic book characters, but at least you're here now. Hey, is this our new house?"

Casey stifled another laugh. "No, this is just temporary until we can figure out where we go from here."

Hedwig hopped up onto one of the beds in glee. "So you're staying, etcetera? You're not leaving us again?"

She didn't even have to think about the answer. "No, I'm not leaving you. I'm staying as long as you all want me to."

"Yes!" Hedwig began jumping on the bed in earnest, and Casey had to quickly settle him down before one of the neighbors started banging on their door to quiet them.

"Hey buddy, let's save the bouncing for the daytime, ok?"

He suddenly stilled, and Casey watched as youthful enthusiasm gave way to dignified poise. She was half expecting Patricia, and moved to protect herself, but whoever it was that took the light broke into a warm smile when they saw her. "Casey, I'm so pleased to see you again!"

"Orwell," she breathed in relief.

He reached out to gently clasp her hands. "How are you feeling, my dear? You weren't hurt back at Raven Hill, were you?"

"No, I think you occupied the police beautifully. They didn't even look my way."

The older alter looked pleased. "Wonderful!"

They chatted briefly, and then alter after alter cycled through to properly greet the woman who helped them escape their prison. When Jade showed up, Casey prepared herself for an altercation, but the other woman pretended like she didn't even know what Casey was on about when she tentatively asked her about her alliance with the Beast.

"Girl, don't remind me what a dumbass I can be sometimes. When I saw the Beast was real I figured Patricia was telling the truth about everything else, but Barry eventually set me straight. I broke his fucking heart when I joined the Horde, and I feel just awful about it all. Do you forgive me?"

This was a nice surprise. Would it be that easy to make peace with all of the identities?

"Of course I forgive you, Jade. I'm glad you came to see me, it will be nice to have another woman around to talk to."

Jade looked stunned at the admission, finally understanding that Casey viewed all of the alters as their own separate people. She had no smartass remarks, just hugged the other woman before she disappeared.

Once she blinked out of the light, the sparkle in Kevin's eyes indicated that Barry was in control once again. "How's it going babygirl, ya need a break from the carousel? I know this can be a bit much for people."

Casey sighed, but she was content. "It's nice to catch up with everyone, honestly." She picked up a box of noodles, all of that talking getting her hungry again. "Did you hear Hedwig ask if this was our new house? He cracks me up sometimes."

Barry flipped a chair around and sat down, arms resting on the sheaf. "So what did ya tell him?"

The question caught Casey by surprise. "I told him we hadn't figured out where our new place would be. Was that the wrong thing to say?"

Biting his lower lip, Barry looked her straight in the eyes. "Is that really what you want? To stay with us?"

"I…." Casey set her gaze downwards, suddenly feeling put on the spot. "I mean, if that's ok with you?"

"Ok with me? Hon, you're the best thing that's ever happened to us, of course it's ok! Honestly I think you're wack, wanting to deal with our nonsense, but then again, who am I to talk?" Barry laughed, and the sound was warm and went right to her toes.

Absolutely not.

Dennis's dissent came down like a bucket of ice water, quickly turning Barry's mood sour. He walked to the other side of the room, ready to chew out the other alter. "She's coming with us, Dennis," he insisted. "Now quiet, you're making me tight."

Dennis did not take this news well, despite predicting this was how events would play out. He pushed his way partly into the light, trying to intimidate Barry. "Was I not clear when I told the both of you 'no'? This isn't a democracy."

"Actually, that's exactly what this is. I don't remember Kevin dying and making you king."

Dennis sat back in his chair, glowering. "No, he never made me king. He did make me the guardian though, and I say the girl can't stay. We're going to be putting her in harm's way, and I've already given her more than enough of that for a lifetime."

"You know I can hear you two, right?" Casey called out from her bed, exasperated.

Moving back over to Casey, Barry collapsed down beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. "Sorry doll, we're not used to being around other people outside of work. This is kind of new for us. We don't mean to be rude."

Casey looked into his cerulean eyes, searching for the hard visage of Dennis amongst the sparkle. "I appreciate you being worried about me Dennis, but I'm a big girl now. I don't want to leave."

Watching Barry's smile morph into Dennis's stern frown was fascinating, and a little unnerving, and she scooted a few inches away to give him space. He regarded her with stony silence, and not a little irritation, before folding his arms. "Why?"

Looking down, suddenly feeling vulnerable, Casey started playing with the hem of her shirt. "I don't have family anymore, not including my uncle, I mean." The mention of Casey's uncle made Dennis's eyes flame, but he didn't interrupt. "To be perfectly honest, there's not much tying me down to Philadelphia. Kevin…you and the others…you're the only real friends I've had in ages."

There it was, the "friendship" angle. Dennis knew it was coming, and he had no defense against it. He knew it wasn't an attempt at manipulation, but he still resented her for the way it made him feel. He was already stretched so thin, he didn't think he had it in him to allow someone else to breech their walls. It was Barry's job to feel for them, but Casey didn't just want Barry, she wanted all of them. That was a danger to their very existence.

Maybe if he were honest, she would have mercy on him and give up on this ridiculous idea. "I revealed myself to Dr. Fletcher, and worrying about us is what got her killed. I put her in danger, and it's my fault she's dead. I'm not a good person Casey."

Casey reached for his hand, and he let her. God, why did he let her? He'd gotten so weak since she first came to see them at Raven Hill.

"What do you think is going to happen to me? The Beast likes me, doesn't he?"

"It's not just the Beast we have to worry about now. Half this country is probably looking for Kevin, we are a wanted murderer. You know what aiding and abetting is, don't you?"

Casey rolled her eyes. "I'm not helping you kill anyone."

"No. But don't think for a second the authorities will care."

"Well, I don't care what the police think. They didn't care about the years of torture Uncle John put me through. The only person since my father's death that has looked at me like I was an actual person was the Beast. He…he told me to rejoice, that I was worthy. Is it only the Beast that feels that way? Do you not like me?"

No, no mercy here. She was going to make this as awkward and horrible as possible. He ran his free hand over his head; she had gotten under his skin. Damn Barry and his dumb, blasé face, he should be the one here talking sense into Casey, not him. If only Barry weren't being selfish and considered her well-being instead of his own desires.

Dennis removed his hand from Casey's grasp, could see the hurt in her eyes, but he didn't have a choice. He felt too damn defenseless; he couldn't keep having this conversation while feeling the warmth of her skin against him. He would break. "I like you a lot, Casey. That's why you can't stay. I'm trying to put your safety ahead of my own feelings, unlike the others. I heard Barry tell you about our earlier conversation on the ride over here, you know my plans. I'm putting Kevin at risk enough as it is, I don't want to be responsible for you too. I would never stop worrying."

Seeing his chance, Barry piped up from his chair.That's the deal then, Dennis. We go along with your little crusade until it's all out of your system, and Casey stays.

"No."

I wasn't asking. It's called 'compromise', and I'll have you know most of the others agree with me. We all want Casey to come with .

Dennis closed his eyes in irritation. He knew Patricia, if she would even deign to speak with him, would agree, not to mention some of the other older, more responsible alters. But Casey had gotten her hooks deep into Kevin, and most everyone adored her. If he wanted to be allowed to utilize the Beast, he would need the others on board. He needed to be on their good side, and was currently a single fuck up away from being on the shit list again. He had no room to bargain, and Barry knew it.

"Fin-"

Before he could even finish, Hedwig came roaring out into the light, knocking Dennis back into his chair. "Yay! Mr. Dennis says you can stay now!" he jumped on Casey and they fell off of the bed, Hedwig never quite appreciating that he was in a grown man's body. Casey laughed despite being crushed under the boy, his joy was contagious.

For fuck's sake Hedwig, get up before you suffocate her! Jade snapped, but she was pleased too. Most all of the alters were delighted, some more secretly than others, but for the first time in a long time, the personalities inside Kevin were unified.

As Hedwig and Casey celebrated in the light, Barry clapped an irritated Dennis on the shoulder. "I knew you'd see it my way. Now that we settled that, can we get going where we need to be?"

"You obviously don't want my opinion on anything, do what you like," Dennis grumbled.

"Now now, don't be like that, Princess. I know this is what you wanted."

"I wanted to do the right thing. If she gets hurt, this is all on you Barry."

If he rolled his eyes any harder, Barry would have given himself a headache. "What is it with you being so fixated on her being hurt? What do ya think is possibly going to happen to her?"

There was no point in Dennis explaining it to Barry, he would never understand. He wasn't the one that went to that train station that homed so many ghosts, removed his shirt, folded it and set it reverently down on the old dilapidated seats. Barry wasn't the one that willingly passed the light on to a god of suffering that would go on to possess them, drive them, have them carve out a scar of agony across Philadelphia. There were endless tears and blood on Dennis's hands, and bleach couldn't ever touch the stain. He knew, he had tried many times. Dennis had brought Kevin full circle: he was now a ruiner, an abuser, a monster. He was Penelope fuckin' Crumb. Dennis was their downfall, and if they weren't careful, he would be Casey's too.

"I've said everything I could possibly say about the situation, I'm done," Dennis brooded, crossing his arms. "So, valiant leader, what next?"

Scowling, Barry was about to snap back, but decided the ensuing fight wouldn't be worth it. "Casey knows a place. Out in the Poconos. Said it remains empty most of the year. I figure we can hole up there until we get our bearings."

Dennis hated it. Cleaning up an uninhabited cabin would be a massive pain, and winter was fast approaching. Being snowed in with no food and no running water could be a very real possibility, and now they had Casey to worry about as well.

Barry could tell that Dennis wasn't happy. "Do ya have a better idea?"

No, he didn't have a better idea. Between fighting the Beast and escaping Raven Hill, Dennis's mind had been occupied with other things, like trying to keep them both alive and sane. His silence was enough of an answer.

That was approval enough for Barry. "Well, we agree then. We get some sleep, and then we head north."

Dennis groaned. He was looking forward to a good night's rest, but now he had to make contingency plans for living out of a cabin. The list of things they needed would be massive, and money would be tight until he could access his emergency bank account, made under his own name. He had gone through great lengths to repurpose his father's-well, Kevin's father's-social security number as his own. Living in a city as big as Philadelphia, you could find people to do all sorts of things for you, for the right price. And Dennis went to any length to make sure that they would be taken care of in any situation. There was also the fact he had every intention of paying Casey back for the money she had spent on them thus far. He wasn't going to start his new life by taking money from the woman he had victimized.

Before he got started though, there was one more thing he had to do.

He blinked into the light, only to see that Hedwig and Casey were curled up on one of the beds, watching cartoons. As calmly as possible he disentangled himself from Casey's arms, causing her to look at her companion in confusion until she recognized the telltale furrow of his eyebrows. "Dennis?"

"Casey." He was barely looking at her; he was too preoccupied investigating the shoddy motel sheets they were lying on and trying not to have a panic attack. "This place is disgusting."

Casey looked at the spot on the sheet he was staring at, trying to see what he saw. It appeared perfectly fine to her, but she wasn't foolish enough to tell him that. "Yeah, Barry wasn't sure how you would feel about all this; he thought it best if one of the others spent the night here."

Now Dennis turned to quirk an eyebrow at her, slightly annoyed. "Barry thinks I'm that fragile?"

"No, not at all!" Casey protested, afraid she would start another argument. "He was just thinking about what would make you most comfortable. There's no shame in having…you know, your preferences."

Dennis sighed, standing up. "Compulsions aren't preferences Casey, but it's kind of you to be understanding. I'm going to take a shower."

"But Barry already-"

"I'm going to take a shower," he repeated, not wanting to have to explain himself further. "Check out time is at eleven in the morning; please make sure you have an alarm set. Knowing Hedwig, he's going to try to steal the light when I fall asleep, so I might not be around to make sure we get up in time."

Casey nodded, and with faint acknowledgement on his end, Dennis stepped into the bathroom.

Casey reached over to the nightstand and turned off the lamp, getting under the covers and curling up on the warm spot Hedwig had been occupying. Secretly she hoped the boy would take the light from Dennis. Although she was used to sleeping alone, having him or Barry nearby would make it easier to keep dark thoughts from clouding her mind before she fell into unconsciousness. And dark thoughts usually led to nightmares. She was too afraid to tell Barry that their new roommate had some night terror issues, and didn't want Dennis to be the one to find out.

She heard the water turn on, and as she drifted off to sleep, she tried not to imagine Dennis undressing and getting into the shower. She tried not to imagine the steam rising around him as he slowly soaped himself up, tried not to imagine the hard outlines of his body shining and wet. Tried not to imagine...

Good GOD, what was she doing? She relaxed her thighs, not realizing that she had them pressed so tightly together, and breathed deeply, trying to make the hot flow of her blood run cool.

It couldn't have been more than a few hours after falling asleep that Casey was urgently shaken out of slumber.

Opening her eyes, she saw Dennis standing over her and for a moment thought she was dreaming, a carryover from her hypnagogic fantasies.

Unfortunately if it was a dream, it didn't seem to be of the sexy variety. His mouth was pursed, and she could tell he was upset. That jolted all the sleep from her body. "Dennis? What's wrong?"

Stepping back from the bed, he ran his hand over his head. "You've had a phone this entire time?"

"I...yes?" He woke her up for this?

Pinching the bridge of his nose, she could tell he was trying to calm himself. "Why? You realize we're trying NOT to be found, correct?"

Understanding finally dawned on her, and she unconsciously burrowed deeper into the covers, as though they would keep her safe from the consequences of her misstep. "I haven't been keeping it on though. Only to get a ride, I swear!"

"That won't stop the police, Casey. And if it does stop the police, it sure as hell wouldn't stop the FBI."

In the midst of all the excitement, Casey hadn't even considered that might be a possibility. "I'm so sorry Dennis; I'm already screwing this up for you."

The anger instantly deflated from him. He owed her so much that by this point he didn't think he'd ever have the right to be angry with her. The hard lines on his face softened a bit. "And I'm sorry, but I had to get rid of it. Spent the past forty minutes running around town before dropping it in the absolute dirtiest Walmart I have ever had the misfortune of stepping foot in."

The idea of a horrified Dennis stuck in a Walmart struck Casey as hilarious. "How many Walmarts have you been in?"

Gathering up the scant few items they had with them, Dennis paused to think. "Well, just that one. And never again, do you hear me?" He legitimately looked a bit traumatized, and Casey had to bite down on her lip hard so that she wouldn't laugh out loud.

Opening the front door, Dennis took a quick peak outside before motioning to Casey. "Come on, grab your shoes and let's go. We can't stay here any longer. You paid for everything in cash, right?"

Nodding her head, Casey followed after him, turning out the lights. And when he instinctively reached out to grab her hand, just in case there was some sort of police ambush waiting for them outside, she tried to force herself to breath.

And when the coast was deemed clear, and he still kept his much larger hand wrapped over hers? It was just because he was preoccupied with their escape and wasn't thinking straight.

Right?