Frederick spent a long time putting a plan together. Probably longer than was necessary. He knew he needed to get rid of Pericles, and honestly it was something that he'd been wanting to do for the past twenty years. The bird had been a pain in his rear for far too long, and it was time that he got what he had coming to him.

Still, he was hesitating and putting it off for one important reason. Fred.

Frederick wasn't a fool. He knew that if he went after Pericles he would have to break many of the rules that had been set in place as conditions for him to stay with Fred. He wasn't supposed to leave his home without permission, and he definitely wasn't supposed to hurt other people. Leaving with the intent of not just hurting, but actually killing the bird, was definitely against the rules.

If he was caught, which was a very real possibility, he would probably be sent right back to prison. He'd lose his boy, and the thought was terrifying.

Frederick couldn't back down. Too much was at stake.

He put it off as long as he could. Frederick schemed, and scheduled, and actually wrote down what he needed to do, how he would do it, and in what order things would happen. It was far more thorough than he had been when he had first betrayed Pericles. That had been the Freak, who was far more likely to just react than to plan.

Frederick liked to think that at least part of the reason why he was procrastinating was because he was resisting the Freak's instincts. He knew it wasn't the truth, but it was a nice thought.

After stalling for a week or so, Frederick knew that he had to act. He waited until 3:00 AM, when the world was dead and still. He got out of bed and, because he was a selfish human-being, he looked in on Fred. His boy was sleeping, a trap magazine on his chest. Though he'd been struggling with reading them, he was doing a lot better now.

Fred had improved in so many ways, and that was the only reason why Frederick felt okay about doing this. He would feel lost without his son, but he knew that his boy would be okay. He still needed support, but he had his friends, and they had always been a better support system than Frederick had been.

Fred would also have Dr. Alejo, and between them they would make sure that he was mentally okay. As for physically, Fred would continue to struggle, but he wouldn't be completely helpless. His wrist was basically completely healed, and his leg was getting there. As long as Fred didn't forget he was hurt, he would be fine.

He would still need people to check in on him regularly, but Frederick believed that Fred would be alright without constant watching.

His boy didn't need him. At least, not the way that he once had, and the way that Frederick wished he did.

Whether his boy needed him or not, Frederick would protect him, even if the best way to do that was from a distance.

Swallowing thickly, Frederick grabbed Fred's blanket and pulled it up over him. His son sighed contently and shifted in his sleep. His eyes slowly opened and he stared at Frederick blurrily. He felt a little bad about waking up his son, but he was also relieved about it. He wanted to properly say goodbye and explain why he was leaving.

He was selfish. He didn't want his son to hate him or think that he had abandoned him.

"Dad?" Fred blinked.

"Hey, Freddie." Frederick said. He knelt at the side of the bed. "My boy."

Fred frowned. "Are you okay?" He still sounded half asleep, but he was still worried about Frederick. His boy really was far too kind for him.

"As long as you're okay, I will be." Frederick said. "You know I love you, right? No matter how much I mess up and do things that I regret, I will always love you. That's not going to change."

Fred sat up, looking more aware. "Dad, what's wrong?"

Frederick let out a shuddered sigh. "I have to go. I have some unfinished business that I need to take care of." He wanted to say that he would be right back, but he couldn't promise that.

Fred's breath grew harsh and he looked like he was about to panic, but his brave boy was doing his best to remain calm. "Do you have to? Can't someone else do it for you?"

Frederick shook his head. "I'm afraid not." The power of the Curse was too strong and wide-spread. Frederick didn't think he could ask anybody else to take care of Pericles, and trust that they would resist the Curse's interference. The only other person who might fight the Curse was Fred, and he wasn't going to make his son do this.

Fred frowned. "Is this about the treasure? Or the Curse?"

"In a way." Frederick said. "It's complicated, and I know that you wouldn't like it. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm asking that you trust that I'm doing what I think is best for you. That's my job as your father."

Fred looked into his eyes, searching for something. "Will you be okay?"

"I should be." Frederick said. He didn't think he'd be hurt by Pericles. Not if he acted quickly enough. The most painful thing about this would be that he would be taken away from Fred, but as long as he knew his son was okay, he could take it.

Fred didn't look like he believed him. "Are you going back to prison?"

Frederick sighed. "Probably." Fred sat up, clearly wanting to protest. Frederick put a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him to lie down again. "Look, I don't want this more than you do, but this is the very least I can do to make up for all the pain I've caused. I have to do this, and I have to do it alone."

Fred barely refrained from pouting. "If you get arrested, can I come visit you?"

"Nothing would make me happier." Frederick said. Except, of course, staying at Fred's side, but he had to be realistic about this. "You're going to be fine, Fred. I-I love you." It wasn't a phrase that either of them felt completely comfortable saying, but Frederick knew that he would regret it if he didn't.

"I love you too." Fred said quietly. "Can…can you stay with me until I fall back asleep?"

He didn't think he should, because this whole thing would be easier while it was still dark out. He had a few hours to spare though, and he selfishly wanted to stay near his son for every second he could afford to.

"Yes, I can stay." Frederick said. Fred gave him a relieved smile before he relaxed against his pillow and closed his eyes. His breathing evened and he fell back asleep in about fifteen minutes, but Frederick lingered for half an hour, just enjoying his son's presence. Finally, when it was almost 4:00 in the morning, Frederick left on his mission.

He left his house and went to the old Spanish church. He didn't know why he felt compelled to come here. He had no reason to think that this was where Pericles would come, and returning to the site of Fred's fall was painful. He could almost hear the sound of his son hitting the beach below. He felt like he was going to fall to pieces, but he stayed strong. Something deep inside of him, strong enough to rival the ferocity of the Freak, kept him going on.

Frederick stood on the cliff, looking out over the ocean. He heard flapping behind him, and then sharp claws dug into his shoulder.

"Well, old friend, you've come back to where it all began." Professor Pericles' said in that cool, even tone of his. "I wondered when you would come back for the piece you lost."

Frederick could honestly say that he had forgotten about it, but he doubted that Pericles would believe it, so he didn't say it.

"What do you want?" Frederick asked. He put his hands into his pocket, going for a casual look of trying to restrain himself. In reality, he was just reaching for the sharp knife he had hidden in there.

"The same thing you want." Pericles said. "The treasure." It was almost funny how little the bird knew about him. "We can help each other."

"We tried that before." Frederick reminded Pericles. "It didn't exactly work out." He'd betrayed Pericles, with the knowledge that the bird wouldn't hesitate to do the same.

"Yes, but this time we both have something the other wants." Pericles said. "I have two pieces, and the ruthlessness that you've lost." He said that as though it was a bad thing. Frederick would love to be proud of his apparent ruthlessness, but with his plans for tonight, he knew he didn't deserve to.

"And what do I have?" Frederick asked. "Why would you need me?"

"That's simple." Pericles said. "You can convince the boy to cooperate and do as he's told for once."

Frederick had thought that the Freak was the part of him that was the most fiercely protective of Fred. That should be the part of him that raged at the thought of giving his boy up so easily. The Freak was content though. It almost seemed happy with this plan. Of course it was. If Pericles wanted it, the Curse wanted it, which meant that the Freak did too.

But the temptation to give in was miniscule. His need to protect Fred was far stronger.

"You make a compelling offer." Frederick said, using the tone of voice he'd reserved for his mayoral work. "I have a counter-offer."

"Oh, really?" Pericles sounded amused and patronizing, like he believed he held all the cards and he was just humoring Frederick. He was underestimating him, and that was exactly what his downfall would be.

"Yes," Frederick casually began to turn, slowly pulling his knife out. Before he could overthink it or let the Freak pull him back, he struck. He used his free hand to grab onto Pericles' leg, and he swung the knife and cut deep into the bird's neck before he even had time to protest or try to escape.

"Stay away from my son." Frederick growled. Pericles gurgled, choking on his own blood. He stared at Frederick in betrayed horror, but he soon fell still.

Frederick released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He dropped both Pericles and the knife. He felt like a weight that had been sitting on his chest for more than twenty years had finally been lifted. He could breathe easily now.

He lingered on the cliff for nearly an hour, until the blood on his hands had dried. He wanted to throw Pericles' body off the cliff and never think about him again. He wanted to go home and pull Fred close and never let him go. He couldn't though. He still had some work that he needed to do. And even if he could go home, he wouldn't. Sooner rather than later the cops could come after him, because the Curse wouldn't let him get away with this with no consequence, and he didn't want to traumatize his son by making him watch his arrest.

Frederick took off his jacket and wrapped it around the body before him. He began his journey. He brought out his cellphone and called Destroido Corp. Despite the early hour, the phone was quickly answered.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Ricky said. "Who is this?"

"It's Jones." Frederick said.

"I'm assuming Pericles talked to you about our alliance." Ricky said easily.

"He did." Frederick said. "And I killed him."

Ricky was quiet for several long moments. Frederick would almost think that the call had given out if he couldn't hear the harsh breathing on the other end. "...You what?" Ricky finally said breathlessly, sounding so much like the vulnerable young man he'd been twenty years ago.

"He was a threat to my son." Frederick said. "I had to keep my boy safe." He wasn't apologizing, as the bird definitely had it coming. A small part of him felt bad that it had to come to this.

"Are you calling to say that I'm next?" Ricky asked tensely.

"I'm calling to ask if you want his body." Frederick said. "He deserved it, but I know that a part of you is grieving the friend you thought he'd been all those years ago."

"I'm not grieving anything." Ricky said in intense denial. "I have no love for that fiend." The lie was clear in his tone.

"Do you want his body or not?" Frederick asked.

"...Yes." Ricky said angrily. Frederick thought that he was mostly just mad at himself.

Frederick didn't mention the treasure. He'd leave that to Cassidy, whom Ricky would surely seek comfort from. If he warned Ricky to not pursue the treasure, or drag Fred into it, then he would probably act rashly and do just that out of spite.

"I'll leave him at the radio station." Frederick said. He knew from Fred and his friends that Cassidy still worked there. "For the record, I regret that it's come to this." Frederick regretted everything that the Curse had brought.

"So do I." Ricky said quietly, and Frederick didn't think he was meant to hear it. "...Thank you." Ricky hung up before Frederick could ask if he was grateful for the offer to have the parrot's body, or if he was glad that his manipulative old friend was now out of the picture.

Frederick sighed and put his phone away. He numbly continued his walk to the other side of town where the radio station was. Just as he expected, the police were there waiting for him. He was scolded, yelled out, and arrested with so much force that he would probably have a bruise come dawn.

He barely noticed any of it. He saw Cassidy holding his jacket in her arms, looking sick to her stomach. He caught a glimpse of Ricky. After that, he toned everything out and just went through the motions. Even the Freak was quiet.

Last time he'd been arrested, when he'd been abandoned by the Freak, he had felt empty and devastated. Now he couldn't help but feel content and at peace. Pericles was gone. Cassidy would hopefully stabilize Ricky and pull him away from the call of the treasure. Brad and Judy would leave Crystal Cove, and Freddie, behind them as they either went back to where they'd been hiding for twenty years, or looked for the treasure on their own.

Fred was going to be just fine, and that was all Frederick could ask for. He didn't care what happened to him. He'd already messed up his own life. Just as Pericles had to deal with the consequences of his actions, so did he. Fred though was still young, and innocent, and he deserved the world.

Frederick couldn't get rid of the Curse's influence for good, but if what he had done could keep others from pulling the kids down with them, then all of this would have been worth it.

Fred had his whole life ahead of him, and Frederick couldn't be happier.