"I'm not going anywhere." said Kate. She said in such a way, that it made Vicki look at her, really really look at her. What she saw stunned her: Kate's eyes had bled to a sort of sky blue, not vampire, something else though.
Vicki started toward her but she could only go so close before her skin started to prickle-magic, she felt it now, that's what it was.
"What the hell are you? Who are you.." Vicki was angry now even though she knew that things more pressing were at hand, she couldn't help herself. Mike had jolted back from his moment when he noticed Vicki's rage.
"Hey, Vic, back off." he said stepping between the two women. Vicki stopped where she was and pointed, "Look at her eyes, Mike, look at her, what the hell is that?!"
Mike turned around and saw her eyes, but he didn't seem shocked. "So, you can be with a vampire, but I can't be with..." waving his hands, looking for a word,"whatever this is.." he looked to Vicki and Henry, who had come to stand beside Vicki, for an answer.
Kate stepped up to stand beside Mike. "I'm a Bruja, a witch, by lineage. Not a bad witch, such that are protrayed, erroneously I might add, in movies. I'm like..." she sighed, " like Glenda, the Good Witch, for lack of a better example." Henry smiled, "I knew there was something about you. I just couldn't put my finger on it." Vicki shot him a look.
"You'd better not be putting your fingers or anything else on her!" He opened his mouth to say something when a sudden rush of cold air came into the room, prefaced by a demonic laugh. Vicki's marks glowed and burned.
"This is even better than I thought it would be." Barbas laughed again and Mike felt as though he would be sick.
"Get out!" Mike yelled, as if that would help. Mike heard a voice whisper, softly, "Let them help you, that's part of your fear, let them help you..." Sarah's voice trailed off.
"NO!! This is NOT happening, it...it can't be.." Mike backed away from the group.
Barbas was suddenly standing in front of Mike Celluci, his hand on his chest. Mike screamed in pain, Vicki yelled, "NO" trying to get to him. Henry and Kate both stopped her.
"Leave him alone you bastard! Get your hands off of him" Vicki said, tears stinging her eyes. Mike screamed louder and the small voice said, "release your fears..you must..."
Mike said, " I have no fears, I"m not afraid..." Barbas laughed as you could see Mike's lifeforce leaving his body, slowly into Barbas.
"That's it, that's it, keep saying it..." Mike opened his eyes, looked at Vicki and saw her fear, saw Kate's fear and realized he would have to stop being so macho.
"OKAY," he choked, "I AM afraid, allright, satisfied,?!'' Barbas faltered, but only for a moment. "That's not enough, Michael, I will have your lifeforce."
Mike did what he didn't want to do, "Please, Vicki, Henry, please help me..." he reached for them. Vicki took Henry's hand and did what Maggie had told her to do... open up.
When Vicki opened up, it was if a warm breeze flooded the room. Mike's fear began to scream out of him, if that's how it could be described. You could almost feel his fears, intimacy, letting go, failure, the vampire, letting them help him, all at once came streaming out into the air. Vicki and Henry had created a vortex with her ability and his immortality, somehow. She didn't know how, but she didn't care. She just wanted to help Mike.
It was time for Barbas to scream, a shrill painful scream..." I will be back, I will come for you Vicki Nelson, you will never let go of your fears and when they consume you, I will be waiting..." he screamed as he disappeared as quickly as he came.
Mike lay on the floor, unmoving. Kate and Vicki rushed over to him. They looked at one another across Mike and both felt it, a pull of sorts, a whispering of a woman's voice. They couldn't make out the words, but Mike suddenly came to and sat up with a bolt.
"Is..is he gone?" he looked around in earnest. Kate smoothed his hair back, "Yes, yes he's gone." Vicki narrowed her eyes at Kate, something that Henry noticed. Henry could sense confliction in Vicki, but only love in Kate.
"Vicki?" Henry asked and put his hand out. Vicki hesitated for a moment and then took it. Kate stayed by Mike and realized that she had blurted out one of the two things she wanted to tell him, and if front of the others no less..
"Look Mike, I've been wanting to tell you, really, but I just didn't know how." Mike looked at her and said, "After tonight, nothing surprises me. I just need some time... you know, to process everything." He looked at Vicki and Henry.
"Thanks, I owe you, both of you." Kate helped him to his feet and to the couch.
"Do you think he's really gone?" Mike asked. Kate nodded and Vicki held up her wrists. "See, all clear, my demon radar is off.." she smiled at him.
Kate looked at Vicki saying with complete confidence, "There is every possibility he will come for you Vicki." She nodded, "Yeah, what's new, "Demon chases Vicki Neslon-AGAIN." not a new headline for me." she shrugged her shoulders.
Henry was very stern, "Do not take this lightly Vicki, you know that." he stared into her eyes.
"I know, Henry, stop being so protective, I can handle myself." she said shrugging his hand off. Henry was angry and hurt. He tried to get into her head and found he was blocked.
"Well, I think we've had enough for the evening. By the way Mike, did you hear a woman's voice?" Vicki asked. Mike shook his head yes.
He laughed nervously when he said, "It was "Sarah" making quotation marks with his fingers in the air, "my guardian angel She said that she will see me again sometime, but that because she had completed her task, it might be a long while, that is, if I'm a good boy. Then she told me to wake up." He shrugged his shoulders.
"Hmm, interesting, okay, well, we'll leave you two. Oh, Kate, " Vicki stated before she left, "why exactly have you not told Mike or anyone else before now? And what exactly is a Bruja?"
Kate smiled, "Well, it is a familial term actually, kind of like "Irish" or some other kind of ethnic group." Vicki snorted, "hardly". Kate rolled her eyes.
"Look, I didn't expect it to come out this way okay, it was an accident, but I was afraid with all of the magic in the air, I might lose it and it would have been worse to find out that way." Vicki cocked her head and asked exactly what that meant.
"Well, if I go full force magic, my, ummm, aura shows. AND with the fact that Henry is a vampire and with you possessing magical abilities, I knew you two would see it for sure." Henry, who wasn't easily shocked, widened his eyes, "Whoa, how did you know I was a vampire?" he asked, very intrigued.
She smiled and answered sweetly, "You're aura and you're smell." Henry frowned at her, "I smell, " he replied flatly.
She laughed, "No, vampire's have a particular scent to the Bruja and Vicki, well, she has how do I put it a..." Mike and Henry both answered simultaneously, "Bitchiness.." Vicki hit Henry and stared Mike down, "No, she has a "prickle" to her that is only in people with power." Mike and Henry both laughed at that description.
"You two are in deep deep sh..." Henry stopped her, "Now, now, let's not get testy here. I think I'll take prickly here home."
Mike was still a little weak and Kate agreed to stay and make sure he was okay. Plus, Kate told them, they had things to discuss. Henry and Vicki left with Vicki still angry, but for the life of her, couldn't figure out why.