DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN THE HOLLOWS!

Okay, I don't recall if I ever put a specific day in any of the chapters. So, here it is. The 1st chapter, when Rachel is "attacked," it occurred on early, early Friday morning. (Ivy left the noon of Thursday, but we never see her off.) Chapters 2 through 8, and half of 9 is still Friday, just later on in the day. (If any are wondering, Trent took the day off and closed the office.)The rest of chapter 9 and chapters 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 are really early Saturday morning, dawn of Saturday morning, and noon of Saturday.

Okay, y'all can continue on:)

TPOV

I sat at my desk, my pencil in my grip and my planner opened in front of me. My eyes, however were on my phone. I had thought that getting some work done, seeing as I took yesterday off, would be great to get my mind off of . . . certain . . . things. For the past ten minutes, though, the entire time I've actually been in my office, I've been debating whether I should give Rachel a ring. Ah, on the phone, that is.

I wanted to hear her voice. Just to make sure the conversation we had hadn't been in my head. I wasn't stupid. I knew it had happened, but I just found it hard to believe. Rachel hadn't acted the way I thought she would have. I'd pictured her telling me off, calling me names, storming out of the compound, and demanding that I never speak to her again. Instead she had . . . agreed with me? Told me that she understood? Nor had I expected myself to admit that I loved her. When I knocked on the bathroom door, I had thought I was going to have to repeatedly deny any feelings I had for her, not openly imagine how a relationship would have been with us. Kissing her was just the icing on the cake of disbelief I currently had.

Dropping my pencil, I ran a hand through my hair. Why did I even bother coming in? This was pointless. It didn't matter where I went, my mind would easily replay my morning for me to ponder through endlessly. If I was able to sleep, I'd most likely dream of it, but perhaps of a different outcome? Hell, Rachel had been in her underwear, and I certainly can't control myself in my dreams. The Goddess knows I've had plenty of those kinds of fantasies.

I yawned, long and loud. By the Goddess, I was tired. Two days I haven't slept, and eventually it was going to bite me in the ass.

The phone rang and I started. Sighing, I reached for it and read the number. Rachel? I quickly put the phone to my ear. "Rachel?" I asked. Thinking of the devil is as powerful as speaking about him, apparently. Why would she call? Unless it concerned that pesky little ex-boyfriend of hers . . .

"Hey, Trent," she said, sounding eager.

"Uh, hey. What happened?" It has to be something of Nick. Why else would she call?

Not missing a beat, she answered. "Al pressed charges against Newt." She blew into the phone. "Do you remember when you told me that the only way to remove a dream wish curse is with the blood of the one who twisted it?"

"Yes."

"I forgot to mention to you that the blood would only work if the person who twisted it gave the okay for you to untwist the dream wish curse." she said quickly, her words running into each other.

Damn it. Luck just never seems to like her all that much."He's not going to give us the, 'okay', now is he, Rachel?"

She sighed again. "No, and they can't make him."

"Well, of course not, Rachel. I'd think that would be cheating." The sound of her giving a startled laugh confused me. "What's so funny?"

"Al said the same thing, that it would be cheating." Her chuckle faded. "I was thinking that maybe he wants something from us? Like a get-out-of-jail free card?"

She wanted to rescue him? He had gotten Ceri killed, and she wanted to . . . free him? I mean, if it meant that Rachel would be safe . . . why not? Quen knows how I felt for Rachel, so I don't think he'd mind, if only so he could have the pleasure of torturing/killing Nick himself. It was just odd that she considered it after all he had done to her.

Mistaking my silence for disapproval, Rachel whispered, "I'm not thinking of freeing him from the ever-after and Newt, Trent." Okay, nevermind, she did have a problem with it. "I just wanted to see if there was another reason for him to curse us, besides wanting me dead, that is. He deserves to be there, and I'm not taking him out of there."

"I'm not judging you, Rachel. I was merely pondering that thought." And here we go . . .

Rachel's intake of breath was sharp. "We are not saving him from there, Trent," she said harshly.

Exasperated, I argued, "but if he gives us his-"

"No!" Rachel interrupted me and I bit my lip. "We are not going to save him! The world would be a better place-"

"Without him." I finished sourly. But the world would be a darker place without her. "Were you thinking of chatting with him any time soon, by chance?"

Through the phone, I could hear her taking deep breaths to calm herself. This might be a problem. "Yes. That was actually the reason I called. Al has him right now, so you're welcome to come, too. That is if you aren't busy."

"Right now is just fine." I said, looking down to my attire. I hadn't worn my usual business suit. Why would I? No one was in today. I was just playing catch up, or trying to anyways. I wore a snug pair of jeans, boots, and a white button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up.

"Okay, great. We'll pick you up in your line. Don't take too long."

"Wait," I rushed in to say, but she had already ended the call. We were talking to him in the ever-after? Not that I didn't trust Rachel, but I didn't like being there. Where would we be? In her demon's apartments?

Too late to back out now, and it wasn't like I was going to. I stood, and walked out from behind my desk. I leaned against the front of my desk, wondering how long it would take them to get here. A few seconds, I suppose. Thinking I had enough time, I reached over behind me to press the little hidden button on my desk.

"Sa'han?" came through clearly from the unseen speakers.

"Quen, Rachel and her demon are taking me to the ever-after so we can all speak to Sparagmos. He may be willing to negotiate some sort of deal."

"Daddy!" was what answered me. That sounded like Lucy.

Surprised, I said, "Quen, are you with the girls?"

"Yes." He said quickly. "You're going in the ever-after?" I waited patiently for him to catch on, taking turns on greeting my girls. I didn't have to wait long. "Okay."

I felt a nudge in my chi. "They're here Quen. I'll be back in a few hours, or less."

I left my desk after re-pressing the button, and headed for the ley line.

*A few seconds later*

"Where are we?" I whispered in Rachel's ear. She shivered, and I pressed against her side to keep her warm. It was the chill that made her tremble. Right?

She tossed her hair over her shoulder, sending the scent of meadow to me. The woman must be nervous. "This is Al's library," she whispered back. I looked over the room. Al's library. It seemed fit. In front of us, there was an arrangement of two back-winged chairs, a couch, a coffee table, and a small bench at the fire place. Behind us were his bookshelves.

I followed Rachel when she moved to sit on the chair nearest to the fireplace. As if she did it often, she held a hand out to the unburnt wood inside it, and with a word of Latin, she lit them up. Smiling, she sat back and brought her knees up. I didn't know what to do. There she was, getting cozy in a demon's library, while said demon removed his crushed velvet jacket and sat on the couch, completely relaxed. Al had his eyes on me, and watching him, I lowered myself to sit in the chair next to Rachel. He didn't object, though I don't see why he would. He moved his gaze from me to Rachel. Still feeling eyes on me, I turned my head and found it was Rachel's. I gave her a small smile, and she returned it. Together, we turned back to Al.

"Where's Nick, Al?" Rachel asked.

"Like I said before, itchy witch, he's in a box." I blinked. A box? "I need to make sure neither of you are going to do anything stupid."

Incredulous, she protested. "Stupid? Like what?"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't harm him." He kept staring at Rachel, daring her to object.

"Why are you looking at me?" Rachel shifted her knees to one side and folded her arms in her lap.

"Because I don't believe Trenton is going to be trouble. You, on the other hand, might be." He said, almost glaring at her. Well, that flattered me. She, though, huffed and looked insulted. "He's still Newt's property, Rachel."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, fine, whatever. So, when are we going to be able to speak to Nicky?"

He sighed, and then there was a pop of displaced air. Rachel stood at the sound, her eyes going to the figure that misted into existence where we had come in. "Nick," Rachel practically snarled. I gained my feet as well and placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her from going to him. Best to keep our distance.

I glared at the human in hatred. When I stopped Rachel from giving the demons the go ahead to kill him, I hadn't thought that this little insignificant human would threaten her life again. I had believed that issues with Nick Sparagmos were over. Though Quen and I had agreed that being the familiar of the most insane, impulsive demon was a fate he very well deserved. It rankled that I may have to save his ass - because it was obvious Rachel wasn't going to do it - as payment for him giving us the consent to untwist his curse. If I hadn't loved Rachel, if it were some other person who didn't mean as much to me, I wouldn't have thought it worth it. But it was Rachel, and it would be worth keeping her alive.

Then again, he may think living in hell was a good sacrifice if it meant she'd die, and I'd lose her, though it wasn't as if she were mine to begin with.

Nick leered at Rachel, then at me, probably already had guessed what we wanted to discuss with him. That he clearly found comfort in the fact he had the advantage in this ludicrous situation didn't surprise me. "It doesn't shock me that you're opening your legs for Kalamack now. That's what? In the high twenty's now?" He simpered, and my spine crawled. Heat rushed to my face, not in chagrin, but in fury. Was he calling Rachel a slut?

"I'm not having sex with Trent." Rachel said stiffly. Her hands became fists, and I had the brief thought of how much I wished that fact to be a lie.

He made an ugly face at her. "You're just fucking him for his money, aren't you? Tired of being broke all the time?"

I cleared my throat in warning. If this man did not shut up and stop insulting her, I swear I'd rip his heart out. "If that were true, she wouldn't have stuck with you." What had she seen in him? He was slime.

Nick glared at me. I gave him a mocking look. Honestly, I couldn't see the appeal. "How's that little girl doing without her momma?" He taunted. I growled at him, catching myself when I almost leaped at him. "That's what I thought," he sneered.

"You son of a bitch!" Rachel yelled, moving around the furniture and running to him with her fists raised. I was to slow to stop her, but Al did before she could land a punch on Nick's smug face. Al wrapped his arm around her waist and held her to him.

"See what I mean, itchy witch?" He grunted, ignoring the few kicks and punches she threw his way.

I stood still, leashing in my anger. Ray. All because he had lied to Ceri and Pierce, she wouldn't know her mother. The blood in my veins pulsed harshly and the room became a blurry nothing. All except for Nick. How badly I wanted to tear him to shreds. To throw the most painful spell I knew at his ass. I wanted to throw him down a wood cutter, burn his liquid remains, and gift his ashes to demons to be used as spelling ingredients. I wanted to hunt him down and have my dogs eat him alive. Hell, I'll turn Jonathon back into a person just so he could torture the life out of this fool. I'll turn Nick into a rat and have him as a contestant in the city's rat fights. Hell's bells, how much I wanted to do all those things. Burning alive is the most painful death, or so I hear. . .

But we needed his worthless hide alive, and we needed him cooperating, not screaming in pain and success, knowing he had won.

I took a calming breath, and then another, closing my eyes. Inhaling through my nose and exhaling through my mouth. I opened my eyes, focusing on Rachel. She was done struggling against Al, just trying to blink away the tears that flooded her eyes. Even though she and I weren't going to happen, I needed her alive. Ray was going to need her. Lucy, too. They have Ellasbeth, but she wasn't what they needed. They were going learn many things from Rachel, but not if she is killed.

Rachel met my eyes, and whatever she saw had her straightening to her full height. Her eyes cleared as she calmed. Al let her go, and gave me an unfathomable expression from over her head. In unison, we all turned to Nick. He stood there with humor in his eyes.

Rachel ran a hand through her hair, and gazed at him from around her red curls. "How's Newt doing, Nicky? I heard she hasn't been exactly . . . sane for the past few weeks." She practically cooed at him. Nick's complexion turned a ghostly white, and I glance at Rachel. She seemed to be in a better, more teasing mood. Leave it to her to mock him.

"How's Pierce doing, bitch? Oh, I forgot. He's dead." If Nick hadn't been as pale as a sheet, and his voice wasn't raspy and weak, he might have pulled off that air of arrogance he was trying for. Instead, he looked stupid.

Rachel didn't even get riled up, she simply smiled at him. "He's at a peace now. Ceri, too." We could only hope they went to better places, I thought.

Nick's face went ugly, but Al spoke before he could. "If memory serves me right, I believe there was something you wanted to speak to this rat about, itchy witch?" Rachel lost her smile and flicked her gaze to her demon a little besides and behind her. As he waved his hand to get on it, I moved around the coffee table and stood at her other side.

She looked up at me, and I reached for her hand, giving her fingers a slight squeeze, and then let go. Encouraged, she licked her lips and said, "Why did you curse us?"

He glared at me in disgust, and in anger at Rachel. "It's because of you two, I'm Newt's familiar." Then he spoke only to Rachel. "You let her take me!"

So, it was for revenge that he cursed us. It wasn't so shocking, and judging from the indifferent looks on Al and Rachel, they probably guessed as much. Rachel cocked a hip and placed a hand on it. "Nick," she said harshly, "two of my close friends are dead because of you. Pierce was Newt's familiar and you are responsible for him getting killed by Ku'Sox. She had every right to claim you."

"Why didn't you try to save me, then?"He accused, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes. By the Goddess, this human was stupid.

"Why would I?" She almost yelled in exasperation. "You got what you deserved!"

"You used to love me, Rachel." He came back with, attempting to guilt her, and I leaned closer to her. From the corner of my eye, I saw Al do the same thing. "I know we didn't exactly end things peacefully, but doesn't our history mean anything to you?"

Rachel took a step forward, and Al and I each grabbed a hold of her elbows. I couldn't see her face, but the way she held her chin higher and squared her shoulders, it obviously didn't matter to her that she used to love him. He was a part of her past, and she'd rather leave him there. "I used to love you. Used to. But you sold secrets about me to Al, told the coven I could kindle demon magic, and tried framing me with that elf porn statue!" Ah, yes, I remember that little incident, and because of it, I now know what a hairy naked Rachel would look like, and let me tell you that that image wasn't as bad as one might think. "Look, I want you to give us your blood so we can untwist this stupid curse you put on us, and then Trent can go to sleep." Rachel commanded.

Unfazed, he snorted. "Or what?" He questioned, visibly gaining his confidence back as the conversation shifted back to where he held the power. "You can beat me, beg me, all you want, and I still won't give you my consent."

My already fast-beating heart quickened a tad more, and I began to hear it in my ears. "What do you want?" I demanded in a calm voice.

"Rachel dead," he said simply, as if it wasn't obvious. "And you broken. You can stay up as long as you want, but eventually you're going to nod off, and Rachel will die." He grinned at her. "But there is something I would find more pleasure in than you dead, Rachel." He paused. "Buy me from Newt, and release me." He turned to look at me. "You will pay for my living for a couple of months. I want two hundred grand from you." I raised my eyebrows, not surprised. Of course this greedy son of a bitch would demand money from me.

"No," Rachel said, and her demon and I turned to look at her.

I put a hand on Rachel's shoulder, and turned her to me. She had that stubborn slant in her eyebrows. Bloody hell, why did this woman have to be so righteous? "Itchy witch," her demon warned from over her shoulder.

"No," she hissed.

What is wrong with her?! We had a way to save her, and she was refusing? "Rachel," I tried to persuade her, but she slapped my hand off of her.

"Itchy witch," Al snarled. "What did you expect when you requested to see him? That by batting your pretty lashes at him he'd succumb to you?"

"I just wanted to talk to him!" She whispered for only us to hear. "I'm not going to save his ass from Newt. He deserves it!"

Staring into her face, I saw the tears forming in her eyes. She fought the pout her lips wanted to make, but lost the battle of keeping her face from going a light red. As if he sensed her ready to cry, Al shifted his body to block Nick's view of her. He gripped her arms and turned her back to him. I moved with her, keeping her between Al and I. "Rachel," I begged softly, "we can free him, and then get him on our side of the lines. Quen would love to have a shot at him for what he did to Ceri."

She glared at me even as a tear spilled. "Save him, and then kill him?"

"Well, if you don't like that idea, we can always just keep him as mine." Al said, and I looked at him to see a menacing smile on his face. That could work. After all, he asked to be free of Newt. I don't believe any other demons were mentioned. Seeing my understanding, Al's grin widened. "You wouldn't want all my efforts to gain him as a familiar to go to waste, now would you, itchy witch?"

Rachel looked more inclined for that thought, but not that convinced of it. "Or we can give him to the men-who-don't-belong. Finding them might be a bit difficult, but I'm sure if I sought them out, they'd take him." Though that wouldn't be as satisfying, I thought to myself.

She perked up at my suggestion. "As long as I get to cuff him." But she grimaced, tilting her head to side to see Al behind her. "Isn't there anything else that can untwist the curse, though? I like him being with Newt."

"Well, there is one thing you can do, but I doubt you, or your elf, is willing to do." Al admitted just as I was about to tell her no. I looked at him over Rachel's head, shocked, and she turned around completely to see him. There was another way? There was nothing about another way in my books.

"What?" Rachel hissed. "You had me thinking this was the only way, but there is another?!"

Al stared calmly at us. "You aren't going to do it, Rachel," he stated confidently. "You wouldn't, even if would save your life."

She has to do it? "Do what, Al?" I exclaimed in a hushed tone. We can't have that human overhearing, now could we?

"The only other way is if she kills you, elf."

Okay, so there's chappie 15. Hope y'all liked it! I'm not so certain that an encounter with Nick would be like this, but I did my best:)