Chapter 19
Nightmare looked at the scene in front of her and stepped back. She fell out of time. The chill of the 13th hour rose around her. She took in the scene that was suspended in time as she realized that she had stepped into Death's time, the time where Time did not exist. "Uh-oh." She said as she looked at herself in shock. That wasn't good. She shouldn't be able to shift into the 13th hour. Death could bring her through the 13th hour, or surround her with it, but she could not actually enter it on her own. She swallowed as she wondered what it meant, and if it had anything to do with the shadows that had invaded her Memory Room. She shook her head. One problem at a time. She looked at the blow torches, the men she loved covered in gasoline ready to be set ablaze, and the woman and child, the woman being something to Leonardo. She frowned as she made a decision. She would risk putting the child to sleep, but that was all she could do at this moment and not have this, Shredder, get suspicious. She stepped back into time.
Leonardo looked at Nightmare as she spoke. "I would not do that if I were you." Nightmare said in an unconcerned voice.
The Shredder looked at her as he held up his hand indicating he wished to hear what she had to say. "And why should I let them live?" He asked.
Nightmare smiled. "Well you see, I am not done with the mortal turtles. If you kill them now you will ruin the plans I have for them and I will be very reluctant to give you your wish if you ruin my fun. As for the human woman and child, dead hostages are no good. If you wish for the turtles to play nice and not do anything rash, I would suggest keeping both alive." She pointed out reasonably.
The Shredder made a motion indicating he wished for his ninja and for Hun to stand down. Leonardo felt himself relax. He realized then that he would have to just trust that Nightmare had the situation under control.
"I do not like the idea of paying with my soul." The Shredder said to Nightmare. "I could keep you trapped in there until you accede to my wishes without having to pay with my soul." He said to her.
Nightmare looked around the circle and shrugged. "I am immortal Oroku Saki. I have all the time in the world. Can you say the same?" She asked him. "But I suppose you could look at it this way. If you are immortal, why would you be so worried about your soul?" She asked with a tip of her head.
"Because with in dealing with the Devil there is always a catch." The Shredder said to her.
"Always." She agreed. "You are correct, you will not be completely and absolutely immortal. Nothing ever is. The gods could kill you of course. Though you would have to find a very powerful god to do so, and they are rather few and far between. Upset any powerful gods that you know of?" She asked him sweetly.
The Shredder laughed. "No."
"Fine then we have a deal. I shall grant upon one Oroku Saki the exact offer that was given to one, Hunter Mason. In exchange for eternal life, which removes you from the Accords of Heaven and Hell, I shall receive in payment, the soul of Oroku Saki, in the event of your death. Are these terms and conditions agreeable?" She asked.
The Shredder looked upon Nightmare who looked at him as if she was bored and had better things to do than make stupid deals with mortals.
Leonardo wondered if The Shredder was truly arrogant enough to make a deal with the Devil, and think he had won.
"The Accords of Heaven and Hell, what are those?" The Shredder asked in suspicion.
"The Accords are the rules that Heaven and Hell obey. Mortals are not allowed to be taken to Hell or to Heaven. You will be removed from this because you will no longer be mortal, and thus be struck from their list. You will fall under the jurisdiction of Nightmare, Goddess of Magic." She said with a shrug. "Are these terms agreeable?"
The Shredder frowned and gave a curt nod." Agreed." The Shredder said with all of the confidence and arrogance born of stupidity.
Nightmare smiled and the smile was not pleasant. She snapped her fingers. "It is done. You now possess eternal life. You cannot die." She said with a vicious smile.
The Shredder looked at her suspiciously. He grabbed a tantō from one of his foot soldiers. He stabbed himself through the heart. He doubled over in pain, but he didn't die. He pulled the tantō from his chest and began to laugh. But his laughter was short lived as he looked at the blood that poured forth from his chest.
"What is happening?" He asked as he placed a hand over his chest trying to stop the stem of blood. "What have you done to me?" He asked in horror.
"Only what you wished. I have given you eternal life, but this does not mean that you are invulnerable or that you can heal your injuries. All it means is that you cannot die." She smiled viciously showing her canines. "Donatello please come here." She said as Donatello emerged from the shadows. His brother's eyes glinted more red than gold, and he wondered if it was his brother or his demon that was in control. Though with the malicious smile on his brother's lips, he had to conclude that his brother was all demon at the moment.
"You can't be here. Hun killed you. I saw it with my own eyes." The Shredder said in shock.
Donatello smirked. "Oh Hun killed me. Of course thanks to him, I am now a demon." He said with a smile as he held up a brown sack.
"As you have taken Hunter Mason's offer for yourself you have therefore agreed to the terms of said agreement. The agreement being that in the event that he touched and or threatened Leonardo, Raphael or Michelangelo again, I would curse him with eternal life, and I would rip him apart. And once I was finished, my demon would collect all of the pieces and put them in a sack and this sack would be dragged to the very deepest, darkest pits of Hell, and tossed in where he would burn for eternity. And so, as I am obligated to keep all agreements, I must honour this one." She said with a smile. "But not to worry I am not totally without mercy, one day I may let you die."
"Impossible!" The Shredder shouted in horror. "You cannot do this, we had an agreement. You lied!" He accused.
"Not impossible. I am not Lucifer. I killed Lucifer and now I am the Devil. As for your pathetic circle. Using a magic circle to keep in a goddess of magic is rather like trying to hold back a wave of water with water. And I never lied. Not once." She said with a smile. As she stepped from the circle. "Donatello, if you will." She said with a wave of her hand that was now encased in her clawed gauntlets.
Donatello nodded. "As you wish." He said as he appeared in front of him. "I wouldn't watch if I were you." Donatello said to him as the manacles that bound him to the wall were ripped away, as if they were nothing more than paper stuck to the wall with tape.
He didn't look, but he could still hear the Shredder's screams.
Donatello looked at Michelangelo who was holding his bloody cheek. Raphael was attempting to stand, the manacles being the only things that had kept him upright.
He looked to where Hun was holding a now conscious Miriam and Hunter. Hunter looked to be sleeping, and he wondered how the child could be sleeping.
Hun set them down and Miriam clutched at Hunter pulling him into her arms. She pulled the gag from her mouth and her son's.
"Don't come near me!" She yelled shakily as she clutched Hunter to her. Leonardo felt guilt roll around in his gut. Guilt and horror and sorrow and what he had done, at what he had put this woman and her son through.
"What is it you wish Hun?" Leonardo heard Nightmare ask. Leonardo's eyes narrowed. He was going to kill Hun for daring to bring Miriam and Hunter into this.
He turned to see Nightmare drenched in blood. She languidly licked a bloody claw.
"I don't want to go to Hell." Hun said to Nightmare desperately.
"Well I'm going to send you straight there!" He yelled as he grabbed at a broken sword that had been dropped by one of the retreating foot ninjas.
"Now, Now Leonardo, let us not be so hasty." Nightmare said to him. "Hun did after all set up this whole operation to trap and get rid of The Shredder. That must of course count for something." She turned her attention back to Hun. "This I will promise you Hunter Mason. I, nor any of my demons, shall drag your soul to Hell when you die." Nightmare said to him.
"What's the catch?" Hun asked suspiciously.
"It is as I said, your soul will not go to Hell, ever. Does that sound reasonable to you?" She asked him.
Hun nodded his agreement.
"Nightmare!" He shouted. "You can't just..."
"Can and did. You had better get a move on Hunter Mason, or I will let Leonardo here at you, or perhaps Donatello, after all, you killed him." She said with a malicious smile.
Hum looked at them and ran.
Nightmare closed her eyes. "I wonder?" She said curiously. She opened her eyes and frowned as she pulled an hour glass from her cloak. "That can't be good." She grumbled as she looked at the glass. "How very unfortunate." She said as the last of the grains of sand began funnelling down to rest in the bottom. "Let us see. Five, four, three, two, one." She said as all of the sand trickled down to the bottom of the glass. There was the sound of squealing tires and the twisting of metal. "Hunter Mason really should have wore his seatbelt." She said with a shake of her head as the hourglass vanished.
Michelangelo shook his head. "Hun really should have known how the Jack 'o Lantern got its name. You should never make a Deal with the Devil. You'll never win."
"Very true, and now Hunter Mason will spend an eternity walking around in limbo, in the dark, alone. But perhaps I will be merciful one day, and give him a light." Nightmare said with thoughtfully.
Leonardo looked at Donatello who was holding a bloody sack. He could hear the muffled screams of the Shredder coming from within. He turned his head away because he wished he could feel something. Some regret, some need for mercy to his hated arch rivals, but he felt nothing, not even pity, and he supposed that was truly a measure of the creature he had become.
"Are you okay Raphael?" He heard Nightmare ask of his brother.
"Yeah." Raphael replied softly.
"Then that leaves only one loose end." Nightmare said as she turned to Miriam and Hunter.
Miriam closed her eyes as she wrapped herself tightly around her sleeping son. "I think I shall leave this to you Leonardo." Nightmare said.
He looked at the woman he loved and the woman he had tried to love. He took a step towards Miriam.
"Please don't hurt me." She whimpered.
"Miriam...I...I'm so sorry. I 'm not going to hurt you. No one is. I promise." He said gently. If it was possible she pulled herself in closer. He took a step towards her. He felt a blast of heat from behind him. He looked over his shoulder as a Hell gate opened and Samael stepped through in his human form.
"Take this Samael, throw it in the Pit if you will." Nightmare ordered as Samael took the bloody sack from Donatello's hand.
"As you wish, my Lady Morning Star." He said with a bow, but paused. "My lady, what have you done?" He asked in shock.
"I am not sure Samael. Perhaps, I shall find out later." She said with a shrug.
"Baёl wishes an audience My Lady." He said to her softly.
"With who specifically?" She asked.
"With Nightmare." He informed her.
Nightmare nodded. "You can go Samael." Samael reluctantly bowed and returned through the Hell Gate.
"Nightmare is there a way to make her forget. Forget everything, this night, me...us." He finished softly.
Miriam was mumbling softly under her breath. She was probably saying a prayer.
"Leonardo." Nightmare said. He looked at her finally and what he saw nearly broke his heart. Gone was the arrogant mask of the goddess, and of the Devil, instead, Katherine looked back at him, her face full of worry and concern. He would have expected anger, betrayal, anything but the look of saddened worry on her face.
"I'll pay. Whatever the price, I will make this right." He managed to choke out.
"No. You don't get that choice Leonardo." She said softly. "She does."
Miriam collapsed onto the floor and vanished.
"She is now safe at home in her bed. Her son will remember nothing, but, I can't just take away her memories without giving her a choice. Take it from someone whose memory has been locked away for thousands of years. You do not have the right. We'll see how things stand in the morning. She should at least get an explanation, a choice." Nightmare said as she walked over to him.
"Do I still terrify you Leonardo?" She questioned as she stood in front of him.
He looked at her, drenched as she was in the Shredder's blood. Cruel enough to rip him to pieces and know he will never be free of pain until she chooses for the pain to stop. Sadistic enough to offer Hun hope and plunge him into a hell of darkness for eternity, with no peace, no rest.
"Yes." He said simply because she did. she terrified him on so many different levels, but none of it to do with what she was, what she had become.
She studied him and smiled, and it was a smile that lit her eyes and made his heart light. There was part of him that feared how much he needed her. That's was why she terrified him. He was terrified and awestruck by the shear amount if love that she had for him, and he for her. Even though he knew that she loved his brothers as well, when she looked at him, with that smile, it made him feel as if she loved him and only him.
He frowned as he studied her again. There was something different about her. Something he had already noticed. Something his heart had told him, but what his brain had refused to acknowledge.
He grabbed her and hugged her to him as he felt tears well up and threaten to fall. "It's you." He whispered as his voice cracked with emotion.
She pulled away and smiled at him, with Her smile, Katherine's smile. She chuckled. "You guys got old, I mean really old." She said tipping her head to the side and rubbing her now bare thumbs across his cheeks. "You're looking better Leonardo, but you need to smile more." She said patting him on the side of the cheek.
She turned her attention to Raphael and grimaced. "I should have known you would make a mess of yourself Raphael." She said shaking her head and tracing the lines of the scars that covered his face. Raphael looked confused.
She then turned her attention to Michelangelo. Her eyes searched his as if she was looking for something. "You lost heart Michelangelo." She said solemnly. She touched his cheek. "Without the heart, the body cannot survive."
"I lost my heart when I lost you." He whispered as he pulled her close.
"Yes, but you were supposed to keep going, for me Michelangelo. I was counting on you."
"I failed." He whispered.
She sighed. "You didn't fail, you stumbled, but you managed to pick yourself up." She patted his cheek and pulled away from him.
"Is it really you?" Raphael whispered to her as he took a stunned step towards her.
Nightmare smiled. It was a brilliant smile that lit Leonardo's world. She laughed then. Raphael pulled her into his arms.
"What happened?" Raphael managed to choke out. "You were Nightmare, and now, you sound like...Her."
"Yes well, my soul and I had a nice little chat. Darkness told me that she would one day be alright with having been Her. I decided that I was okay with being Her, which meant that my soul is no longer a fractured mess, and I am who I was, well mostly because I don't look the same and I am really, really old. It hurts my brain to think about how old I am." She shrugged, but turned serious. "I missed you Raphael." She said pulling him tighter. "I missed all of you." She said pulling out of Raphael's arms and bringing them all in for a hug. "It's good to be back." She pulled away from them.
She pulled away and shook her head. "I leave you guys alone for not even five years and everything goes to pot." She sighed but turned serious. "How do you feel Donatello?" She asked Donatello over her shoulder. He had been standing a little bit away.
His eyes flicked to him and flicked away. His eyes were red-gold and Leonardo wondered if it was Donatello or his demon who was in charge. She walked over to Donatello brushing his cheek with her own.
Donatello puffed out a breath of air and brushed his cheek against her cheek. "I Hunger." He whispered. "And my brother's blood smells sweet." He choked out.
"Yes well, I was not being facetious when I said blood in the life. It is everything. It holds power. If you kill someone, devouring their blood until death gives you some small part of their essence, their life force if you will. Not to be confused with the soul." She said with a gentle smile.
"Great, now I want to drink my brother's blood." Donatello mumbled.
"Donatello. If your brothers can still love a creature such as myself, and if you can still love me, then they will still love you, and it is okay to love yourself. Demons do not do self pity and hatred you know." She said as she pulled Donatello into her arms.
Leonardo walked over to Nightmare and Donatello and put his arms around them both. "We still love you Donny." He said to his brother. "No matter what." Michelangelo and Raphael hugged Donatello close as well.
"Group hug!" Michelangelo said happily. "So now what? Shredder's gone, Hun's gone." He asked as they pulled away.
"I have business to attend in Las Vegas, Leonardo needs to fix his mess, and I suppose you two may want to go and say hi to your niece." Nightmare said with a smile.
Their eyes widened. "She's been born?" Michelangelo asked in shock a smile spreading across his face.
"Say hi to April and Casey for me." Nightmare said as Michelangelo and Raphael vanished.
"Would you like to run the rooftops Leonardo or shall I just send you to Miriam's?" She asked softly.
"Nightmare." He said as he felt guilt ride through him. "It isn't..." He began, but she vanished as he looked around Miriam's apartment.
His shoulders slumped. "What it looks like." He whispered, a feeling of loss welling up within him.
He checked on both Miriam and Hunter and found both to be sleeping soundly in their beds.
He walked into the bathroom, showered and lay down on the couch, waiting for his not really ex-girlfriend to wake up. Then he would then try to explain to her that the love of his life was not as dead as he thought, she just happened to be the Devil, and a goddess. He could see that going over really well.
Nightmare looked at Donatello, whose lips were stained red with her blood. She kissed him deeply then, the copper taste sharp and sweet in his mouth. She pulled away and sighed. She was tired, and felt cranky. Mostly she was tired though, so she was going to throw Baёl completely off balance. She didn't feel like pretending to be weaker than she was right now.
Nightmare looked around Baёl's suite. "I will never understand why you so enjoy modern décor." Nightmare observed, Donatello silent beside her.
Baёl twitched and sloshed a tiny bit of liquor that he was pouring from a glass sideboard into a crystal glass.
The living room was decorated in blacks and whites, with hint's of pale blue here and there, and glass, lots of glass. There was a glass coffee table, side tables, works of art, mirrors and glass dividers separating the large open space. She looked at the pristine white couch. "And you with children, your cleaning bill must be astronomical."
Baёl turned and looked at her. His hand shook slightly. "I see I shall have to kill whoever set the wards around this floor."
Nightmare sighed. She walked over to the couch and slumped down on it.
Baёl's eyes widened in horror as he looked at her bloodied appearance. She got rid of the blood before she touched the leather of the couch.
"Leather, smart choice." She said with an approving nod. "As for your wards, I can walk through them whenever I want. I was just being polite up until now. But I am just really tired and don't feel like playing nice right now. So tell me what it is you would like."
Baёl studied her for a minute and took a sip of his drink. "Can I offer you anything?" He asked politely.
Nightmare smirked. "Are you offering?" She questioned.
Baёl smiled. "How can such a weak creature with a permanent mortal body be so strong?" He questioned.
Nightmare shrugged. "Because I must."
Donatello walked over and stood behind the couch, arms folded. Baёl's eyes flicked to Donatello and studied her again.
His eyes widened. "An aura of death surrounds you." He said softly. "What have you done Nightmare?" He asked with growing horror. "The gods wish your death already. You, who will be the destroyer of worlds." He whispered.
Nightmare looked at him and smiled. "Oracles are so much fun. Always predicting doom and gloom. But remember there are always so many different kinds of destruction."
Baёl took another shaky sip of his drink. "I need you to un-damn my wife's soul." He said seriously.
"I need to?" She questioned.
"I am asking for your help." Baёl said, his blue eyes giving away too much desperation.
Nightmare sat forward resting her elbows on her legs. She looked at him seriously. "Do you actually know what you want Baёl. I need you to think about what you want very carefully, and remember, there is always a price for everything."
Baёl walked over and knelt in front of her. "Please, I am begging you. Whatever the price I shall pay it. I cannot bear to picture Samantha burning in Hell for wanting to be with me."
Nightmare sighed and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I can strip away the smut that darkens and damns her soul, and I suppose I could make her some sort of immortal creature, but..."
"No." He said with a shake of his head. "I have lived around both demons and mortals and gods for Millennia. And I have found that there is some spark, some life to humans that demons and other creatures cannot attain. I love my wife, and I want to spend and eternity with her, but..." He let the sentence hang.
"The price for what you wish, is your son." Nightmare said softly.
"Nightmare!" Donatello hissed in shock.
Baёl looked at her in shock. His shock turned to anger. "Get out." He said turning his head to the side so she wouldn't seen the broken expression he was trying to hide. "I'll find another way."
"To be a protector, a bodyguard." Nightmare finished.
"A bodyguard? He's only 1." Baёl said in confusion.
"I know. But bodyguard and protector are only a small part of what I need from him. I need him to be a Soul Starter."
Baёl looked at her, his eyes widening. "Such a thing does not exist." He whispered.
Nightmare smiled.
"What are you?" He asked as fear began leaking into his voice.
Nightmare's smile widened. "Something you could never understand. Do we have a deal?" She asked.
"Are you going to take my son away from me?" He questioned.
"Of course not. Raise him, train him, make him powerful. Release his dormant demonic powers, he will need them. In fact I would suggest releasing your daughter's powers as well, train her as you will trained him. And on his 16th Birthday, you will let him finish high school in New York." A piece of paper appeared in her fingers. "Enrol him in this school."
"And after?" He asked softly.
"Pray for his survival and that of his mate." She said softly.
"You are making my boy Soul Rung." He accused.
"Soul Rung? I have never heard the term. I would not think that it would ever occur for it to actually have a name." Nightmare said curious.
Baёl shifted on the floor, still lower than her but now he sat with one knee pulled up. "It doesn't happen, isn't supposed to happen, but there was always the possibility that it could. The spirits whispered that it happened once, a few years ago two mortal souls began to ring together. It rocked the godly realm. But one of the souls was killed. The other still lives a miserable existence, but I suppose there is always the chance that one day they may find the other."
"I suppose there is." She acknowledged. "I can make you and your wife Soul Bound." Nightmare said to him.
He nodded. "Who does my son protect?" He asked.
"A child who was not meant to be born." She said with a soft smile.
"Mortal?" He asked.
"Debateable."
He nodded again. "I accept."
"It is done. Your wife shall age from this point on. Her soul has been purged of the smut of Hell, and you are now Soul Bound." She said as he collapsed on the floor.
Nightmare stood and looked down at the unconscious demon. She smiled down at him. "You made the right decision Baёl. I am proud of you." She said as she gently touched him. His body shimmered revealing the monstrous form underneath. He had three heads, a cat, a man and a frog's all attached to a spider's body. "I think you have lived as a demon long enough." She said as his form shifted again, revealing a beautiful man with medium length black hair and sun kissed brown skin. "I free you Ba'al, god of rain and thunder, fertility and agriculture. I acknowledge you, fallen god of the Phoenicians.
Nightmare stood and looked at Donatello who was looking at her with shock and awe. She smiled."What did you just...?"
"Sometimes it is as much about the strength of Belief, as the quantity of the Belief." She said with a shrug.
"You mean, you believed him into being a god again?" Donatello said in wonder.
"Something like that." She walked into the room that held Ba'al's son. She picked the child up and looked at him. He was fast asleep. He was dark-haired like his father and possessed the same sun -kissed dark skin. "What colour are your eyes I wonder? I would guess green, like your mother. You have a Destiny I'm afraid, but I think she will be worth it." She said as she placed the child back in his crib.
"What is a Soul Starter?" Donatello asked softly.
"There is so much more to life than just breath and body, even soul. There is an innate spark of something that is so much more than that. Shadow basically needed a defibrillator to get her soul ringing again. By using Ba'al's son's soul I was able to get her soul ringing, but this meant that they now ring together."
"Soul Rung." Donatello said with a nod. "Just like you and Raph. And we are Soul Bound." He said softly. "Soul Mates."
"Yes Donatello." She said with a loving smile.
Donatello frowned at her. "But how did you get Ba'al's son's soul to ring with Shadow's? She's already been born."
Nightmare smiled. "I figured that Ba'al would ask me for a favour. I took the liberty of taking payment before the request, when we were last in Vegas. Come Donatello." She said to him.
"Why didn't he want his wife to be immortal?" Donatello asked softly.
"Being immortal is a heavy burden, especially for mortals, they usually go insane after a while. But mostly, he loves his wife just as she is. So when she dies she will be reborn and he will search for her, find her, and fall in love with her all over again." She smiled at him.
"Will I go insane?" Donatello asked as he looked at his hands.
"No, because I shall keep you sane." She pulled him close burying her face into his neck. "Come, it is time for you to go home."
Donatello frowned at her. Where are you going?" He asked suspiciously.
"To help Leonardo." She said softly.
"Are you angry with him?" He whispered.
"For what, trying to move on?" She asked him in surprise.
"For loving someone else." He said gently.
"Are you angry with me for Loving Samael and Gabriel? Are you angry with me for loving your brothers?" She questioned.
Donatello looked as if he thought over the question. "No." He finally answered. "Without Gabriel and Samael you would have been lonely. I suppose I can only be thankful that they were there for you. I'm sorry I growled at Gabriel. I don't think I was really myself."
Nightmare chuckled. "I shall see you in a bit."
Donatello nodded and vanished.
Thoughts opinions? It is getting so close to the end.=)