The road to their destination was exhausting. Dennis insisted on taking a taxi further north to Scranton so they could double back on foot to the Poconos. "We can't give the cops a direct route to follow", he had said. Casey couldn't help but think back to the old Family Circus cartoons she used to read with her father as a child, where Billy would meander through a map taking the longest, most convoluted route possible. This fugitive thing was not nearly as glamours as movies made it out to be.

To add to that, traveling with Dennis was a harrowing experience. For the first forty minutes or so during the ride, he looked nowhere other than out the window, on high alert for any sign that they were being followed. Just watching him made her skin prickle, like he expected them to drive into an ambush at any second. Their cab driver gave up trying to get him to talk ten minutes into the ride;he just sat there rigidly, arms crossed and eyes glued to the window. Casey awkwardly tried to smooth things over, carrying on with her own half of the conversation, but it was clear that the cabbie was already intimidated into silence.

They drove in relative quiet for a while until Dennis shifted to glance at Casey. He was wearing sunglasses, and she hadn't even noticed he was looking at her until he cleared his throat.

She looked up, startled. "What is it?"

"We're almost there. You ever been here before?"

Casey glanced out of the window. The highway was giving way to drab city streets, and she studied the rundown buildings in disappointment. "No, this is my first time. Also, this looks nothing like The Office."

Dennis frowned. "What office?"

Casey pretended to be shocked, although she understood by this point that Dennis probably wasn't much of a television consumer. "The Office? Steve Carell? Probably one of the best tv shows in the past decade?"

His face remained blank.

She rolled her eyes. "The show is set here, in Scranton."

"This sounds more like a Jade or a Luke thing, sorry. I'm afraid I'm hopeless when it comes to tv references. At least, that's what the others tell me." He adjusted his sunglasses, and while she couldn't see his eyes, she could tell he was disappointed he couldn't really add to the conversation.

A few minutes later the cab pulled over to the side of the road, indicating that the journey was over. Dennis motioned for Casey to exit the car while he spoke with the driver. She obeyed and watched through the window as he handed the other man the money that was owed, and what she assumed would be a generous tip. They wanted to be on the good side of anyone they came across, less reason for them to stand out in someone's mind.

When the taxi pulled away, Dennis walked over to join Casey on the curb. "Let's see about finding some food and a map."

They began walking in comfortable silence, and Casey couldn't help but look around every which way. Maybe it was because the day was overcast, but the city was majorly depressing. Mom and pop stores that looked like they had seen better days were spread out between fast food restaurants, and running parallel to them across the street were old train tracks. Yeah, The Office this was not.

Suddenly she bumped up against Dennis, not realizing that he had stopped in front of a McDonalds. He turned around briefly to make sure she was alright, then inclined his head towards the fast food building. "This alright? I honestly have no idea what you like to eat."

Chewing on her inner lip, Casey sighed. She had had more than her fair share of fast food growing up with her Uncle John, it wasn't like he could be assed to feed her a proper meal. While she still found the food palatable, it certainly wasn't something she enjoyed. "Yeah, this is fine. You want anything?"

Eyeing the building with distaste, Dennis was about to decline until Casey reminded him they still had a long journey ahead of them. He sighed. "I'll take whatever you're having. Please."

After coming back outside with the food, they ate in silence, enjoying the peace of the relatively empty streets. Peaceful for Casey, that was. Dennis spent most of the meal trying to convince Hedwig to stay in his chair and no, he couldn't go play in the ball pit, he'd make a giant scene.

Once they were finished, Casey got up and stretched. "So what exactly was the plan? Are we actually walking all the way back south?"

Dennis flexed his upper back, as if to indicate the emergence of the Beast. "So to speak. There's a bunch of State Parks and Gamelands between this area and the Poconos, it will be easier to move unseen among the trees."

One map later, and they were on their way.

The second half of the journey was relatively uneventful. Casey insisted on walking for herself, she wanted to avoid the Beast's presence for as long as possible. After the first hour, Dennis grew impatient with their slow progress and insisted on taking them the rest of the way. While the Beast couldn't hope to compete with the speed of a car, he came pretty damn close. With the help the map and few breaks, Casey led them to her childhood getaway cabin within a few hours.

Dennis slipped out of the light, exhausted from keeping a handle on the Beast for so long, and Barry took his place easily. Getting a good look at the property, he let out a low whistle. "Baby girl, this ain't a cabin, this is a freakin' lodge. Dennis is going to have a conniption fit trying to keep it all in order."

Casey cringed, but Barry laughed it off, nudging her good naturedly with his arm. "I kid, it's absolutely gorgeous! Just how rich is this guy exactly?"

"I really don't know. Like I said, he owns different vacation properties up and down the east coast. He's some kind of CFO or something."

Marching up to the front door as if he already owned the place, Barry peaked inside the glass pane. "Aw shit." He rested his forehead against the door and chuckled. "Well, the good news is that this place has power. The bad news is that this guy isn't dumb enough to leave his bougie cabin unprotected."

Casey moved to the window to see what he was talking about. Sure enough, the telltale sensor and control panel were on the other side of the door. She groaned. "I should have known better."

"Hmmm.." Barry looked around thoughtfully, clearly not fazed at all by this latest development. Casey wasn't sure if it was just his trademark optimism or if he really did have an idea. "This place have a basement, doll?"

"I think so." Casey waved for him to follow her and they trekked around to the other side of the house, passing a screened pool enclosure and hot tub on the way over.

Barry's eyes widened and he stared wistfully at the drained pool. "Too bad it's empty, I know what I'd be spending all my free time doing!"

Casey grinned. "Focus Barry. What's the gameplan?"

"Oh yeah." He sauntered over to the cellar doors situated next to the porch. The handles were shackled together with heavy chains and padlocked for extra security. "Now I don't have x-ray vision, but I'll betcha anything the main electrical panel is down here."

"Yeah? I'll take that bet."

He winked at her, then without warning reached out and grabbed a length of chain, then pulled hard. The doors ripped away from the concrete easily, as though he were working with paper and not steel.

"Barry!"

"What?" He turned to her, eyes black as charcoal. His tagteaming with the Beast would be the death of them all.

"Just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you should," Casey scolded. NOW Dennis was going to have a conniption fit.

"No worries doll, we'll fix this up nice in no time."

Frowning at the pieces of broken concrete scattered everywhere, Casey didn't feel very confident. "If you say so. Now what?"

Holding his hand out to her, Barry led them down the cellar steps. It took them a few minutes to locate due to low visibility, but sure enough the panel was hanging on the west side of the basement. Casey shuddered, she had never been down here as a child, and it was no wonder why. It looked like something straight out of The Evil Dead.

Barry went to open the box and switch the circuit breaker off, then suddenly jumped back so fast that he almost tripped over Casey. She moved to steady him, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I uh…" he rubbed the back of his head and pointed to the wall in front of them. "I'm not such a big fan of spiders."

Curious, Casey could just barely make out the form of a fairly large Wolf Spider. It had to at least be the length of her pointer finger. She leaned in to get a better look through the gloom of the basement. "God, I'm not sure I've ever seen one that big."

"Don't get so close!" Barry hissed. He put his hands on his forehead, grimacing, and for a moment he looked like he was losing control. Just as suddenly, he stood up straight, and Dennis had the light.

He looked around at their surroundings, squinting in the dim light and fumbling for his glasses. "Casey? What's wrong with Barry? I literally can't stay away for more than a few minutes without having to come back and clean up one of his messes."

There was another convulsion and Dennis was gone, replaced by Hedwig. "Hey Casey, what's going on? Wooow, look at the size of that thing." He reached out to grab it, and then jerked his hand back as if he had touched a hot stove. The alters cycled once again, and Casey was beginning to get concerned.

The most recent alter tisked at Hedwig."No touching please. The Lycosidae's venom is not deadly to humans, but I do hear the bite is quite painful."

Casey sighed. It seemed she was now stuck in a dark basement with the one alter that still frightened her. "Hello Patricia. Wolf Spiders need to have a powerful bite as they don't actually build webs, they stalk their food like an actual wolf would." If the woman were a little less terrifying, Casey might actually think they had a bit of an inside joke going on with their animal factoids.

"Casey." Patricia dipped her head gracefully, a near predatory smile playing on her lips. "I see you remain sharp as always. You are a fascinating young woman."

If that was a compliment, Casey would take it. "How are you?"

Without flinching, Patricia opened the electrical panel up and flipped the breaker, paying no mind to the massive eight legged monstrosity nearby. "I must admit, I have seen better days, what with my Horde being in disarray. And my goodness, for such strong men, a spider really has thrown our boys into quite a tizzy."

"Thank God they have us to protect them," Casey joked, smiling weakly.

That animalistic smirk was back. "Indeed. Come now lamb, let's you and I have a chat."

Casey stood frozen in place. She really did not believe that Patricia had her best interests at heart, and she wasn't keen on going anywhere with her. Patricia reached out to gently rub a thumb over her cheek. "Do relax. If I intended to hurt you, I would have. And know I hold no such intention. In fact, it seems we have more in common than I previously thought. Please, hear me out."

It didn't feel like Casey had a choice. If she was going to be living with Kevin and all of his alters, it would be best to be at peace with all of them. She nodded. "Alright."

They walked up the cellar stairs leading into the house, and the door swung open easily, leading into a dining room. Patricia hummed to herself, looking around at their surroundings. The inside of the cabin was just as luxurious as the outside, if the massive mahogany table and chandelier hanging over them was any indication. "Hmmm…I think this will do nicely. Well done, Casey."

All sorts of childhood memories assailed Casey as she stepped through the doorway, so much so that she barely registered what Patricia had said. "This will do nicely for what?"

Patricia frowned, clearly annoyed that Casey wasn't keeping up with the conversation. "To serve as a shelter for god, of course."

A chill ran down Casey's spine. All they needed was for Patricia to start talking nonsense again. "God? You mean the Beast? He's not a god, Patricia, Dennis beat him."

She expected her challenge to incur Patricia's anger, but instead the older woman dabbed at her eyes, clearly distraught. "He adores you, and yet you still continue with your blasphemy."

"He adores me? Who?" For the briefest of moments, she nonsensically thought Patricia was referring to Dennis, but then the reality of what she was saying dawned on her. "You mean the Beast?"

Recognizing the hope in Casey's face, Patricia narrowed her eyes. She had secretly wondered if the young woman harbored some sort of feelings for Kevin, or at the very least one of the others, and her suspicions had just been confirmed. "Of course I mean the Beast, who else would I be referring to?"

Flushing in shame, Casey still refused to look away from the other woman. She wasn't going to tip toe around the Beast's priestess anymore. "It doesn't matter. Is this all you wanted to talk about? Because I didn't buy what you were selling months ago, and I sure as hell don't now."

"Oh no, I think you'll want to hear what I have to say, dove. Come with me, let's explore the kitchen and see if we can't find some tea."

Finding her curiosity was outweighing her annoyance, Casey obediently followed Patricia through the dining and living rooms into the kitchen. While not as large as the other areas, it was still quite impressive. A marble table was the centerpiece of the room, surrounded by cherry wood cabinets and chairs. The ceiling was vaulted and a smaller version of the chandelier out in the dining room hung over them. The stairs to the second floor were located on the far end. Already making herself at home, Patricia began searching through the cabins and tins, on the prowl for her beverage of choice.

Deciding she'd rather make herself busy then just stand there and feel awkward, Casey joined her, finding the kettle and going to fill it with water from the sink. She turned the faucet, then cursed. "Shit! We forgot to turn on the water."

"Language, my dear. That's no way for a young woman to speak."

Casey rolled her eyes, about to remind Patricia that she was the last woman on earth to grouse about manners, but she held her tongue. She was trying to build bridges, not burn them. "Yeah, sorry."

"Never you mind. Why don't you head back down to the cellar and get that water situation fixed, and I'll see if I can sort the alarm system out. It won't do to be without power long in this weather."

Shrugging her shoulders, Casey turned to leave the kitchen and retraced her steps back to the basement door. While down in the dark, stumbling around to look for the water valve, a loud bang rang out upstairs and Casey jumped so high she nearly hit the wooden beams of the ceiling. Now in a hurry, she followed the water pipes to the main water valve and turned the handle, then sprinted back upstairs.

Patrica was waiting for her, and at her feet lay various pieces of the alarm system. Holy shit, Patricia too? "Why do every single one of you just resort to punching things if there's a problem? It's like living with the Hulk!" Casey yelled, exasperated. How were they going to fix this? Installing a new cellar door was one thing, but not an entire home security system.

Patricia just winked at her, obviously pleased with herself. "Now we have water AND electricity. Isn't it wonderful? Be a dear and turn it back on, won't you?"

At this point, Casey was pretty sure Patricia was trying to see how many errands she could get her to run, but dutifully did as she was asked.

When she returned to the kitchen, she found the other woman looking rather grim. As she reached for some tea cups, Patricia finally confessed what was really on her mind. "Listen here dove. I don't have much more time in the light, the others are growing impatient with me. Will you hear me out?"

Casey raised her eyebrows, obviously waiting for her to continue.

Patricia began pouring them some English Breakfast Tea. "You have entered into a pact of survival with us. Any and all measures must be taken to ensure our continued existence. Dennis will not listen to me. Barry will not listen to me. You care for Kevin and have outside perspective, so I hope you will listen to me."

This got Casey's attention. "Alright, I'm listening."

Tears glistened in Patricia's eyes. "The Beast is waning. The others' refusal to feed him is beginning to take its toll, I can feel it. It is not much, because he is impossibly strong, but it's there. If he's not fed properly he will die. And I have no doubt we would perish soon after."

It felt like Casey had just been hit by a truck, all the air being knocked from her. Could it possibly be true? Was Kevin's survival actually tied to the Beast's? "How is that possible? How can a fragment of Kevin's mind actually die?"

Scoffing, Patricia turned, angrily wiping tears away from her eyes. "Haven't you grasped it by now? The Beast is not a mere alter. He is the next step of human evolution; he doesn't reside within the confines of our own existence, or even reality. He's extraordinary."

The aching fear in Casey was threatening to overwhelm her. "Kevin...but..." It wasn't fair, she couldn't lose them again. "Kevin can't die, I won't let him," she whispered, more to herself than Patricia.

"I knew you would understand. Please, you must talk sense into the others. I know Dennis believes he is on some holy crusade for redemption, but what good is salvation if we are dead?"

Casey was no fool. There was every chance Patricia was lying to her, but the possibility that she could be right was enough to make Casey ill. "I'll talk to him. I don't know what you expect us to do, but I'll talk to him."

A sigh of relief escaped Patricia, and she gently clasped Caseys's hands. She certainly seemed sincere enough. "Thank you. I knew we could count on you. I will fetch him now."

Nodding, Casey held her breath and waited for Dennis to take hold of the light. She had seen it many times by now, but the process always fascinated her. Patricia's elongated neck and gently sloping shoulders straightened and squared themselves until Kevin's body became a living, breathing rock. Reaching for his glasses in the front pocket of his shirt, Dennis had emerged. He briefly glanced around at his new surroundings before fixing Casey with his stare. "You were discussing something with Patricia? She said you had something you needed to tell me." He crossed his arms, waiting.

Suddenly feeling foolish, Casey stammered. She knew that no matter how convincing Patricia seemed to her, Dennis would never give her concerns the time of day. She might as well just come out with it. "Patricia claims that the Beast will die if he doesn't get, you know, sacred food, or whatever the hell you were calling it."

The silence that hung between them seemed deafening, and then Dennis shocked the hell out of Casey by chuckling. Had she ever seen him laugh before? Her mouth dropped open. "What's so funny?"

"Assuming she's telling the truth…assuming," he emphasized, "how would that be a bad thing?" He briefly remembered having this conversation with the Beast before, back at Raven Hill, but he had assumed the threat of death was a lie. Why wouldn't they lie to try to regain control?

"She said that if the Beast died, you all would die with him."

Any hint of mirth on Dennis's face disappeared. "Maybe we should die."

Those words hurt Casey more than she possibly could have imagined. She searched his face for some sign that he was making a tasteless joke, but saw nothing but naked, painful honesty. "Please don't say that."

He scoffed, but when he saw she really was upset, he sobered. "It doesn't matter anyway, Patricia is lying. Alters can't die the same way you or Kevin can, we're not…" he searched for the right words. "We're not material. Not physical. We're just-" he pointed to his temple. "We're just in here. We don't exist like you do. We only die if Kevin does."

His words rang true, and they should have been comforting, but the fear in Patricia's eyes had been haunting. "But what if you're wrong?"

"I'm not."

"But you didn't see-"

Shaking his head, Dennis sighed. "Don't let Patricia get into your head, nothing good can come of it. I should have never listened to her myself." He sidestepped past her, walking into the open space of the living area. He would have to have words with Patrica about trying to make Casey do her dirty work.

Taking in the layout of the cabin, he found himself both impressed and irritated. It truly was a gorgeous home, but Dennis didn't really get to appreciate gorgeous when he had cleanliness first and foremost to be concerned with. He took note of all the various ways Hedwig could get himself into trouble, and started compiling a mental list of things he would have to do to "Hedwig-proof" the place. Not to mention the food, supplies, and most importantly, money that they would need. And providing all of that meant going back to Philly. One more time.

"What do you think?" Casey asked, taking her place next to him. She had to put a pin in the Beast talk for now, it was clear he wasn't interested in discussing it further.

Looking down at her, Dennis was suddenly filled with the intense desire to provide for her at any cost. She had been through so much, and she still retained a palpable love of life that radiated from her every cell. She was a bit like Hedwig and Barry that way. He had to protect that at any cost. He had to bite the bullet, tell her he was leaving again. "I know things have been very hectic, but there's one more trip I have to make. I'm going back to Philadelphia, grab some things that were left behind in our rush to get away."

He watched her shoulders slump, clearly tired. "Can I at least get a nap before we go? I feel like we've been moving non-stop."

Here we go he thought. "You can sleep whenever you'd like, you're staying here."

To say she was incredulous was an understatement. "Wait, you're going without me?"

Now hold on just a damn second!

Dennis sighed. He didn't think he could deal with being tag teamed by Casey AND Barry. He stepped aside to allow the other man to come into the light alongside him."You got something to say to me, oh extroverted leader?"

Surfacing, Barry rolled his eyes."Stop calling me that! Dr. Fletcher called me that once. Once! Time to get over it. And yes, I do have something to say. Why the hell did we spend all that time coming over here just to head back again?"

"I'm kind of making this up as we go, Barry. I don't exactly have a guidebook for this sort of thing."

"Fine! But how about we actually sit down and plan this out instead of rushing around doing whatever seems like a good idea at the time. All this spontaneous decision making is really unlike ya Dennis. I'm gettin' worried."

"Worried? The time for worrying is long gone. I don't know if you remember, but you wanted Casey to stick around, so fine. Fine! However I've had certain provisions set in place in case of an emergency, and it's time to utilize them. And we can move much faster if we go solo, without Casey. It's safer for her here."

"But, but…" Barry trailed off, grasping for words. How was Dennis alright with the idea of leaving her in the middle of nowhere, all by herself?

Dennis got what he was about without him even having to say a word. "I told you that if you made me bring Casey along, it would get dangerous. Did you think I was being difficult for shits and giggles?"

"Um, well yea-"

Casey cut off what was sure to be another argument between the two men. "Don't worry about me Barry. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I'm a bit of a survivor. I do well under pressure, you could say."

Dennis understood she was being sardonic, but he still flinched. It was damn true though, she was the bravest person he had ever met, even when he himself had been the one to put her in harm's way. He gazed at her in that unflinching way of his, hoping he was doing the right thing. "You know that I initially was resistant to you joining us because that required a commitment to keeping you safe. But I agreed, so here we are."

Casey blushed. She knew he felt like she was an imposition, but he didn't have to keep reminding her.

Understanding her discomfort, Dennis gentled slightly. "I'm not saying that to make you feel guilty. I'm telling you so that you understand the parameters of this…relationship."

The word "relationship" hitched in his throat, but she didn't point it out. "And those would be?"

"You're under my protection now, and you know when I commit to something I don't half-ass it. If I ask you to do something, it's to keep you safe, alright? And if you need something, you just ask me." He fidgeted, starting to feel a bit vulnerable. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not so used to worrying about other people, not outside of Kevin at least. But I'm trying Casey. To take care of you. I wouldn't be going if it weren't necessary."

Barry found himself nodding along to Dennis's words, he could certainly get on board with all of that. He reached out to grab Casey's hand, and her touch spread warmth across their chest. Dennis couldn't tell where his feelings ended and Barry's began. This tiny thing had them wrapped up in knots, and she had no idea.

"You sure about this, doll?" Bringing her fingers to his lips, Barry planted a soft kiss on her palm and Dennis tried not to wince. Barry had always been a touchy man, but this was getting dangerously close to something else entirely. And if Barry couldn't control himself, Dennis had no hope of keeping his own feelings in check.

Wrapping her arms around their waist, Casey sighed. "I'm sure. Just come back to me soon."

They would come back to her. Of that, the two men were in agreement.