Vivi's feet barely touched the ground as she glided down the stairs next to Mystery. He stumbled once and she caught him by the arm, guiding him down the stairs with care. She kept one ear attuned to the soft footsteps behind her, ensuring Dulcie followed. Lewis had insisted his sister come with them, even less sure of Arthur's state than before. Vivi had swallowed some of his choicer words in the name of tact and gotten Dulcie to follow with the promise of meeting a unicorn princess.

"I know you're worried about Squire," she'd murmured to Dulcie, shutting the door to give Arthur his privacy, "but he needs space to think right now."

Mystery's breath came in short gasps like she'd never heard out of him. If she didn't know better, she would say he was crying. But this was Mystery. Her no-nonsense never-faltering comforter. He didn't cry.

Of course, she'd thought he was nothing but an intelligent service dog for years.

Her service dog, who had just found out his whole family had been murdered by someone who was his family.

His last step off the stairs tilted him to the side. Vivi seized his arm, struggling to keep him upright, but he let himself sag to the floor. He had the collar bands wound between his fingers as he held them at arm's length, staring.

"Mystery?" Vivi hedged.

He didn't respond.

She didn't know what to do. Last she knew, he was headed straight out of her life thanks to her repeated stupidity. Probably the last thing he wanted from her were comforting words, not that she knew what to say. What do you say to a centuries old creature holding the remains of its family?

You don't, she realized. You don't say a word. Scooting around behind him, Vivi wrapped her arms around his middle and rested her head on his shoulder.

His form dissolved in her arms, squirming around and driving an all-too-familiar snout into her shoulder. A high pitched keening wrung itself from from his lungs over and over, and Vivi closed her arms about the dog fiercely.

Her fingers worked through his fur and just under his ears until his cries faded and his breathing came regularly, with only tiny hitches.

"They have to be destroyed." Mystery shuddered. "They are corrupted, harboring terrible things. Gods, Vivi, I attacked Chloe for wearing this like it was her fault. The Shiker must have put it on her so she couldn't run. Maybe even Duet. And-" He barked a short, cold laugh. "And of course. Any kitsune they came across wouldn't remove it for them. Seeing something like that… no wonder Duet didn't like dogs."

"I don't follow." Vivi pushed her glasses up, trying to keep up with what he was saying.

"They've probably been attacked before. Maybe they even found a kitsune to go to for help. But no kitsune would help them seeing Hoshi no Tama around their necks. They would attack first, ask later."

"Duet always did freak out when you were nearby, even dog-sized you."

Mystery kept his face tucked down. "I attacked her. And a packmate harvested her. Unicorns are sacred across all realms, Vivi. The debt I owe on behalf of myself and my pack can't be fulfilled in ten lifetimes. We have to find her."

"We did." Vivi rubbed behind his ears. "We found her. Duet crashed our porch shortly after you took Squire upstairs. Chloe is resting and Duet is downstairs in a secure room."

Mystery finally lifted his face, eyes fixing on Vivi's. "What do you mean resting? How is she?"

"We've been in and out while Squire was unconscious," Vivi murmured. "She's burning up still. I don't know if it's the same fever she had last time we saw her or not. She's not breathing right. We've sent Deadbeats for medicine, but it doesn't do her much good. No, shock, right?" Vivi cracked a desperate grin. "Silly human trying to treat a unicorn girl with modern medicine. Gee, I wonder why it doesn't work."

He put a paw on her shoulder. "You're trying. You've been trying the hardest of all of us to get her back. Let me see what I can do now."

"But you're not a healer, unless you've been holding out on me." Vivi stood as Mystery climbed off her lap and stood over the collars.

"No, I'm not. But maybe I can ease the fever some and find out why she isn't healing herself. If I'm not mistaken, that is the meaning of the glow you saw on your sleepover."

Vivi's lips flattened. "Yeah, 'Make sure to keep a nightlight on for her, Vivi. It's really important there's a nightlight, in fact just keep the lights on.' Duet was pretty insistent on that. C'mon, she's down this way." Vivi gestured to Mystery, who clamped the collars between his teeth and followed.

It wasn't far to the room the Deadbeats had laid Chloe in. Vivi had brought medicine and cold cloths throughout the day. She'd even tried lining Chloe's bed with ice, but nothing brought the fever down and there hadn't been a single glow from her friend in all that time.

Mystery paused in front of the door. "Let me in there for a bit, Vivi. Can you wait out here?"

Vivi blinked. "But, why?"

"Because you're attached to someone who is needed out here right now," Mystery responded, before rearing up and working the knob. He slipped in through the barely open door and shut it behind him.

And then heat swelled from a pinprick under her collarbone to fill her whole body and she dropped to her knees like she'd been gut-checked, half expecting the hall to shake with the bulk of Lewis' weight dropping too.

"I don't know anything anymore, Vivi," he choked through her lips. "Ingredients? That's what I was intended for? And in all this, I turned on my sister and the man who tried to help me most. What am I? Who am I?"

Vivi flattened her hands against the ground to stabilize herself. "You're Lewis Pepper. You died in a terrible way, and you're back with me. And I'm never letting you go again."

"How can I be Lewis Pepper?" The words came like sledgehammers. "Kay was right. Lewis Pepper would never do what I did. I don't know who I am, Vivi." Tears sizzled down her face. "I'm lost."

"Lewis?"

Vivi's head whipped up. She'd forgotten Dulcie was following her.

Deep creases hung at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes were squinched as if she were trying to keep them open and shut at the same time. "Lewis. I'm sorry. I know you're upset. And. Don't know what to think. And." Pauses and deep breaths punctuated her sentences. "Want. Someone to tell. You. It's okay. But. I'm scared."

Lewis gave a low groan and reached out. Vivi's arms enfolded Dulcie.

"I don't. Want. To die. Or get taken. Away. And. I don't have. Anything. To stop it. And Kay's dead. And Aji's gone. And Mom's scary. And. And. I don't even know. What's happening. To Dad. And you died. And everyone's working. So hard. So that I don't. Die. But even Arthur thinks. It won't work. And I'm s-s-soho scaaaaared." She buried her face in Vivi's shoulder, sobbing.

And Lewis wept with her.

Strange, Vivi couldn't help thinking. She wasn't cut out to be any kind of comforter. But there wasn't anyone else right now. Funny how it worked.

"Hey," Vivi said softly. "Lewis, you're not so lost as you thought. This was you, big guy. You're hugging your sister right now. That's something my Lew would do. You made some screwed up choices, but you're still Lewis Pepper."

The locket beat painfully in her pocket. But he was listening, she could tell. She ran her fingers through Dulcie's hair. "And you. I'm not ready to quit. And I don't think Squire is either. He's scared too, but he doesn't give up. He hasn't stopped trying to figure this thing out once since this all started. It's not over until it's over, and we are going to keep at this thing, you hear me?"

As the words left her lips, a fearful screech echoed down the hall. She glanced up to see Squire rounding the corner, one hand latched onto the shaking Deadbeat that led him there. His eyes were flinty green, but there was something of the old Squire in his expression that lifted her spirits. A touch of hope.

…..

By the time Arthur had straightened his clothes and left the master bedroom with Uncle Lance, he had his anger firmly tucked in the corner of his mind, right next to grief and fear. By the time he hit the bottom of the stairs numbness had begun to settle in, and that was just fine. Survival was all that mattered right now, and since he couldn't do anything more for the Peppers, he might as well turn to the matter of figuring himself out.

His thoughts were interrupted by the weight of the case Lance shoved into his arms. His tool kit. He raised an eyebrow, glancing at Uncle Lance, who shrugged.

"Little pink guys are eager ta help. At least, I think so. Dunno how that works. Been bringin' me what I ask fer."

The corners of Arthur's mouth pulled down. "Eager to help" weren't the words he would use to describe mere husks of ghosts attracted to power. Lewis had probably assigned one or two to help Lance so he wouldn't have to split his attention away from Vivi.

"Generous, Lew," he spat, flipping open the case and checking his tools. A small flicker of warmth lit just under his collarbone as he ran his fingers over their battered surfaces. He fixed his eyes on the scratched, dull metals, ignoring the bright green vines coiled around his hands. Kay used to ask why he didn't get a new set. This was his first set, though. And as long as the tools weren't broken-heck even if they broke he could fix them, and he'd probably keep on. They were special. She sort of got it, but still teased him about getting a new set-

He flipped the case shut, glancing up. Lance had squatted down in front of a garage door set in the wall. Arthur blinked. Had that been there a minute ago?

No. Lewis' mansion was, apparently, malleable as he willed it. His fingers clenched around the handle of his tool case, recalling Vivi's mumbles about going to check on something as she'd excused herself and dragged Dulcie and Mystery with her. Even when Lewis wasn't with Arthur, he was present. Arthur's shoulders lifted, his lip twisting. He wondered how many Deadbeats were watching him now, reporting his every move, as if he was the one that had proven dangerous all along.

But then, everything had changed.

Lance grasped the handle at the bottom of the garage door and rolled it up. There she sat, the Mystery Skulls van. Instinct took over and Arthur circled around the side, giving an initial visual sweep before bending down to check the tires, see if anything was leaking, then stopped at the hood to flip it up.

"Alignment's probably shot, she was wrenching it all over the road," he said shortly. "Couple extra dents, minor collisions. Leak underneath, might have ruptured something."

"Mhmm. Sounds about right." Lance pulled out a creeper and lay back on it, rolling under the van. "I'll get a closer look down here, you take the front."

Nodding absently, Arthur settled into a rhythm. Running his hands along the belts and inspecting the coolant level, he ticked off the checklist of basic maintenance in his head while searching for any serious damage.

"Quite a show you put on," Lance's voice came muffled from under the car. "Not that I get a damn thing that's happenin', but looks like you landed yerself a heap'a steamin' crap."

The dipstick only shone at a third of the length it should have. The oil was low. Combined with the darkish puddle he'd spotted under the van, there was an oil leak at the very least. The car was cold, no danger of burning himself. He reached in.

"Care ta let me in on a few things?" Lance persisted.

"Pepper women are all sirens," Arthur said flatly. "Straight out of mythology sirens. Mrs. Pepper is cursed, all her children are cursed, and I've been trying to stop it. With no help from anyone who could have told me what I needed to know, of course. And now I've been possessed by the demon that took me the first time. But since he was killed inside me, I inherited his abilities and history."

"Mhmm. Lines up with what bits I been hearin'. And Lewis?"

"Possessing Vivi. I couldn't care less."

"Right. Sounds like you don't care."

There was the leak. The tear in the tubing caught on his fingers. "I don't."

"Good ta hear you talk again, though."

Unsettled, Arthur glanced to the side. He could make out Lance's kneecaps and shins down to the ripped up sneakers he favored when working the shop.

"Yeah. You wouldn't be if you understood why."

"So maybe I don't hafta get it all. Mebbe it's just good somethin' small's gone right."

Arthur's mouth worked as he stuck his head back under the hood. "Touché."

"So, Kay's gone."

Arthur nearly crushed the tubing in his hand.

"Sorry, Artie. She was a real sweetheart. Saw yer face when you're around her."

He tromped down the grief. He couldn't let any of the really big feelings blow. Not until he figured out how to handle the darker aspects of what he'd become. Not with Dulcie and Uncle Lance nearby.

"What're you gonna do, Artie?"

"Nothing." His voice was flat. Resigned. "There's nothing to be done. There never was, but I didn't have enough information to understand that." His mind ran through the aspects of the curse. "The kind of curse they're under is designed to customize itself to its host and surroundings to ensure maximum damage. Its ingredients are highly illegal to harvest in the," he paused, sifting through information, "I don't have a word for it, but it's another reality. A reality where the gods and goddesses of old seem to have collected themselves." His brows drew together. "Why would they do that? If they actually exist, and they had a marked history of interference with us, why withdraw all of a sudden?"

"Gods an' goddesses. Bit above the Skulls pay grade," Lance remarked, clanking around under the car.

"Yeah." Arthur rolled his shoulders, returning to his monologue on the futility of trying. "Look, Uncle Lance. There's things that are inevitable, no matter how hard you fight them. I've tried. But fighting a curse is about as useless as fighting a siren's call. And I know a thing or two about that now that I've been under-" the tool fell from his fingers, clattering into the air filter.

"Okay up there?" Lance slid out from under the car, glancing up.

Arthur couldn't move. He could hardly breathe. It was right there, all the time, and he hadn't seen it. He'd been fighting on the wrong front this whole time. But it wasn't too late. Dulcie hadn't fallen yet.

"Artie?"

Having to obey Kay's order to go hadn't prevented him from coming back. Having to obey Teles' instructions to not speak of her past hadn't kept Mr. Pepper from writing it down. Arthur turned, pelting out of the garage and running face-first into a Deadbeat. It scooted back, squawking as Arthur snatched at its tail.

"Take me to Lewis!" He ordered, a growl underscoring his words.

Panicked, the Deadbeat took off. Arthur kept a tight hold as it led him to the other side of the foyer and down the opposite hall. Vivi knelt in the center of the hall, arms wrapped around Dulcie, a subtle pink glow at the tips of her hair.

"Dulcie," Arthur gasped, plunging in. "Lewis, listen to me!"

Vivi turned, her eyes flashing pink and her body tense. For the first time, he noticed the deep cuts across her face; four parallel lines.

He hesitated at grabbing her arms-still bandaged from burns-and settled on grabbing her wrists. "Lewis. Vivi. We've been doing it all wrong. You can't stop a curse from happening, it's not possible." He stared hard into Vivi's eyes, begging Lewis to understand. "Just like it's not possible to disobey a siren."

Vivi's eyes widened, her mouth falling open.

"It isn't about preventing the curse." He dropped Vivi's wrists and bent down, placing his hands on Dulcie's shoulders. "It's all about how you handle things after the curse is fulfilled. Dulcie," he paused, slipping a little rainbow hairclip out of his hair and placing it back in hers. "You're going to need this more than me. You're going to have to be very, very brave. But if you can do that, I think we can save you."

…..

Note: This marks the end of The Weight of Living. Keep your eyes peeled for the next fic, Torn Apart. This is probably a good time to make a disclaimer here: at the time of THIS WRITING we have just been informed that the SECOND VIDEO "Freaking Out" is almost done and probably will be released within a week. Obviously I have already wrecked tons of canon, but I do try to keep things in canon as much as possible based on information I already have. However, as I have already built up a crapton of stuff BEFORE I had any information, well… you know how it goes. Just gotta keep going with what I have. So, if anyone is reading this in the future and goes, "But it wasn't like that…" Yeah, well, before there was canon information there was AU's everywhere. Like this.