Evan woke up on a couch in a house he didn't know. It took him a moment to register that he was alone in his head and he had control of his body. As soon as he realized that he sprung into action rolling of the couch and landing silently on the rug before looking around the room franticly. He was alone. He got up slowly and shifted from one foot to the other clenching and unclenching his fists uncertainly.

This wasn't his house or Vinny's.. or what he had understood as his and Vinny's houses. He remembered that he couldn't even trust his own mind anymore.

" 5." Evan counted hitting the side of his head lightly just to remind himself it wasn't hollow yet. He still had a mind. He decided he would explore the house. It was something to do. He looked around the room and then patted himself down finding a knife and a few pieces of candy in his pocket rolling his eyes at Habit's priorities.

He heard something and stopped listening closely and heard some rustling. Pulling the knife out of his pocket he flipped it open as he walked to the door and opened it slightly. The rake froze when Evan spotted it but Evan relaxed.

"Oh it's just you." He said wrinkling his nose in disgust. The rake gurgled some sort of affirmative. "You're here to keep an eye on me?" the rake nodded. He couldn't speak but he could answer yes or no questions. "Can I explore the house?" Evan asked hoping the rake hadn't been ordered to keep him in this room. If that was the case Evan might fight the rake again just to have a distraction from his thoughts. But the rake shook his head.

"Oh good." Evan sighed and slid out of the room. "Don't worry I won't leave the house." The rake growled at him and sat down watching him closely. When Evan started walking down the hall the rake followed him. "Really you don't have to follow me I won't leave. Habit broke me ages ago I just don't want to think till he get's back. Are there any drugs in the house?" The rake sat down and cocked his head at Evan.

"Of course you don't know." Evan sighed and then walked away the rake followed him again. Evan didn't care he was just looking for a bathroom that might have a drug cabinet. He found it quickly enough, there wasn't much good in the drug cabinet but there was half a bottle of aspirin, which he downed and then sat down on the bathroom floor as nausea set in. He kept the pills down for as long as he could before he threw them up and then passed out on the floor.

When he woke up again he was in a bed. He twitched his fingers and then made a fist checking that he was still in control. That was odd. He stayed still for a couple more minutes expecting to feel Habit re-entering his body at any second but it didn't come. When he was sure it wasn't he tried to sit up and then groaned when his stomach cramped and ended up just curling up on his side.

"I knew you were getting bad." A voice said and Evan glanced up to see a man he didn't recognize standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Evan clocked his voice harsh from the stomach acid that had burned his throat. The person cocked his head to the side in a very familiar way.

"Well fuck you to. I change what I'm wearing and you can't recognize me. I'm hurt." Habit said and came farther into the room. Evan didn't move. He stayed perfectly still. He didn't know what Habit was planning but his best guess was that Habit was planning to torture him to what end Evan didn't know but it might be just for fun. Habit picked up a a glass of water from the bedside table and held it out to Evan.

"Drink." He ordered. Eva sat up slowly and reached for the glass he sipped it not bothering to wondering if it was drugged. He drugged himself whenever he could after all so he wouldn't have to think. Habit frowned speculatively at him. The cool water soothed his throat and the ache in his stomach and he drained it quickly then relinquished the glass to Habit before his shaking hands could drop it. Habit kept frowning at Evan and Evan didn't meet his eyes, Habit gripped the back of Evan's hair gently and pulled his head back so his face was angled up towards Habit.

"Where's Vinny?" Evan crocked. Habit made a small hissing noise and Evan flinched slightly.

"He's safe." Habit promised. "He's out of harms way. I just need to look after you right now." Habit said letting go of Evan's hair now that Evan was looking at him.

"Look after me?" Evan asked and Habit nodded sincerely. His expression was sincere. Even looked down and licked his lips nervously. "Vinny could look after me." Evan pointed out nervously. Habit give a annoyed sigh and Evan tensed expecting to be on the other end of one of the treatments Habit had used his hands to preform.

"No he couldn't and you know it." Habit said crossing his arms instead. "He cares about you a lot sure but he's obsessed with answers. He'll think the best way to look after you is to get this war over with as quickly as possible and you need a break now don't you?"

Evan opened his mouth to argue but then though better of it. Habit was probably right after all last time it had been Vinny who insisted they summon Habit again even though Evan hadn't wanted to. Vinny had been convinced it was the right thing to do to find answered and Evan didn't know Vinny to change his mind.

"You need to eat something." Habit said after waiting for a minute to make sure Evan didn't have any objections. "I'll make you something. Don't worry I can actually cook I just don't very often."

"I'm not eating anything you give me." Evan yelped quickly and curled up tighter hugging his stomach and feeling sick for a very different reason. Habit froze and looked at Evan questioningly, looking oddly like a kicked puppy. "You made me eat my daughter." Evan reminded Habit and to his surprise watched a look of regret pass over Habits face, he actually winced.

"You still need to eat." Habit pointed out and Evan looked down stubbornly. Habit slid one finger under Evan's chin and made him look up again studying his face. "Are you up to cooking for yourself." Evan didn't answer, he still felt sick and his stomach was cramping, he felt week to though that might have been from hunger. "Okay what if you come down to the kitchen with me? You can watch me cook to make sure I don't put anything objectionable to you in it?"

"Okay." Evan agreed licking his lips nervously again. He might have been able to walk down to the kitchen but Habit picked Evan up before he could try. Habit didn't have any difficulty doing it, the body he had chosen was much taller and broader then Evan. "Who's body is that." Evan asked, curled nervously in Habit's arms.

"Dose it matter to you?" Habit asked raising his eyebrows a little.

"No." Evan admitted after a minute of trying to make his rusty mind think. "But I feel like it should. It would matter to Vinny."

"Vinny is one of a kind." Habit said setting Evan down in a chair once the got to the kitchen and started collecting ingredients which he put on the table in front of Evan so he could see what they all were. "I've never known anyone else who can just keep caring like Vinny dose. Not caring doesn't make you a bad person Evan, it's normal to be willing to sacrifice strangers for yourself and the people you love. Vinny's some sort of Angel I don't even fucking know."

Evan watched as Habit started cooking and stayed quite. He was trying not to think and if he wasn't thinking he didn't have anything to say. His mind did start working again slowly as he watched Habit cook and then as he ate the plate of food that Habit set in front of him and then sat across from him and at as well.

"Why do you want to look after me?" Evan asked without looking at Habit. He didn't want to look at that monster using another body. "You want to use me. You wanted to break me. That's why you killed-" his words caught in his throat and he ducked his head letting the hair Habit had let grow long fall over his eyes. He heard Habit get up and walk over to his side of the table and felt Habit leaning over him and shrunk down even farther.

"Evan look at me." Habit said. Evan shook his head. Habit put his hand on either side of Evan's head and made Evan look up gently waiting till Evan met his eyes. "I don't want to brake you anymore. This is a war Ev, but I want you to have a life after it. I want you to be okay."

"I'm not okay." Evan said, voice soft and slightly choked with emotion. There was no use lying or acting like he did for Vinny. Habit had been in his head, he knew what a mess it was.

"I know you aren't." Habit sighed and let go od Evan, take a step back. "But you will be. I'll look after you. There will be more blood on this road but I'll look after you, and Vinny."

"You promise?" Evan asked, Habit kept his word for all his faults.

"I promise. I'm not a idiot, Vinny's all you have left to fight for and I need you fighting. There's still a war to win and the sooner we win it the sooner you and Vinny can get back to your lives."

"Then let's go." Evan said trying to push himself up, Habit caught him when he stumbled.

"No, you're the priority right now. Winning the war won't mean anything to you or Vinny if you're broken by the end of it. We need to look after you for now, don't worry about anything else, I've been inside your head remember? It's a mess and we need to look after you, otherwise you won't be able to live with yourself after this even though it's all my fault."

"You're fault?" Evan asked softly. He and Habit had become almost inseparable in his mind. He couldn't think of Habit hurting people without thinking of himself having done it.

"Yes my fault." Habit promised. "None of this is your fault Evan, you didn't do anything wrong. You're a good person Ev, I'm the monster."

Evan was so relieved that he started crying. He leaned his head against Habit's chest and clung to him like he might have a teddy bear when he was a child. Habit made small comforting and hushing noises as Evan wept and stroked his hair. Evan wasn't one for tears but so much had happened and he didn't know how else to deal with it. Habit seemed to understand.