Disclaimer: Does not own WITCH

A/n: Not completely pleased with this chapter, I slightly feel that I'm rushing this story to its end, but as much as I love this series I feel that it has gone on too long.

Love is a Hearts Child: 3 – Two Halves of Dark Hearts

Chapter 11

The inside of the old carnival fun house was nothing like what the group assumed it would be. While the outside had been run down, the inside was in perfect condition. Nor did the inside of the building share the atmosphere or appearance of the outside. It was old fashioned brick work, of mostly blues and greys, and shared a sense of style of Meridian. It made sense; the collector was originally from Meridian, why wouldn't he change the building to be more like his original home. "I don't like this. It feels like a trap." Taranee told the group as the proceeded through the hallway. "I concur, we should be on guard." Cedric agreed.

Carefully the group proceeded on, checking through the doors in the hallway as they went. Most of the rooms appeared empty, with no real purpose other than basic furniture. It felt like house rather than a lair. One only half moved into, as if the collector had yet to finish construction on it. Continuing down the hallway, one of the doorways ahead opened, and someone stepped out. "Hello everyone." Irma said smiling at the group, calmly cradling Will's daughter in her arms. "Irma!" Steven, Taranee and Hay Lin all exclaimed in unison, only to be drowned out by Will and Caleb. "Brigitte." The parents screamed both dashing towards Irma.

"WAIT!" Cedric shouted out trying to stop them. It didn't make sense for Irma to be here with the daughter, freely walking around. "Fools." A mesh of male voices said, from nowhere a man that none of them recognised appeared cutting off Will, Caleb and Irma from the rest of the group. "You are not welcome here." He said raising hand in front of him. A wall appeared from nowhere cutting off the group from the others.

Will and Caleb spun on the spot to face the man. "Collector!" Caleb shouted with rage charging forward without thinking. A blast of magic flew from the man's hands sending Caleb flying into a wall. "Is that what you think, I'm not the collector, but in a sense I'm working with him." The man said with a amused grin. "That felt like Phobos." Caleb said picking himself off the ground. "Wrong again." The man informed them. "Collector or Phobos I don't care, you're going to pay for breaking your vow." Will shouted, throwing lighting.

The bolt struck air just in front of the man and stopped as if hitting solid stone. "But I did not, is not the child in your friends care." The man told Will gesturing to Irma and the child. "You're manipulating her still?" Caleb asked confused. "I'm not doing such a thing, am I love?" The man asked Irma. "Not at all." Irma replied. "Irma snap out of it, he's controlling you." Will turned to Irma, advancing towards in hope that she could get Brigitte off her.

Irma backed up back into the room she had been in, and placed, Brigitte in a cot that was in the room. Will and Caleb followed, the man following them inside. "You see guardian, your child is quite safe just as I promised." The man told them. "Who are you? If you're not the collector and you're not Phobos who are you?" Will demanded to know, while Caleb quickly stepped over to the cot, trying to pick his daughter up, some unseen barrier preventing him from doing so.

"You mean you haven't figured it out? A shame, allow me to explain."

-

On the other side of the wall, Steven, Cedric and the remaining guardians tried to break through with all they could. Each had tried teleporting, to no avail. While each of the guardians tried breaking down the wall with their combined powers, but without all five of them it managed to resist. Cedric had even tried to break down the wall with brute strength like he had done so in Meridian and it stood up to that as well.

"There has to be a way through." Hay Lin shouted, trying again to blast the wall down with hurricane force show of magic. "There is, but this time you can all take the risk with me." Steven told them. "Wait are you suggesting, what I think you are?" Taranee asked taking a step back. "I can move mind from one body to another, and I can now take mine out of mine." Steven replied. "That insane you barely could stay together like that yourself and you want to try taking us with you." Cornelia shouted at him.

"As long as we get into another body we should be fine. Cedric can stay here to guard our actual bodies." Steven told them. "How could we even help though, there is no way you think you could just possess the collector and win, he knows your powers way better then you do." Taranee voiced her problem with the idea.

"No, but he could possess Caleb." Cedric in snake form told them. "What good would that do?" Cornelia sapped back. "Simple, you three and Steven's powers in one body." Cedric said like it was the obvious conclusion. Taranee, Hay Lin and Cornelia shared looks. "Do you think you really could get us all through the wall and to Caleb before our minds faded away?" Taranee asked. "Not a clue, but it's either that or attacking a wall we can't seem to dent and hoping that everything turns out okay, when it looks like it really won't." Steven replied resolutely. "And to think you didn't even want to try it in the first place." Cornelia said in a snarky. "So?" Steven ignored Cornelia comment, and asked if the others wanted to take the risk.

-

Back with Will, the unknown man spread his arms to his side dramatically and looked up at the ceiling as if there was something beyond the room they were in.

"When 'The Collector' was defeated, his mind broke free of the body he possessed and fled. Near powerless and broken with only the strength to exist but nothing else.

When Phobos seemingly tried sacrificing himself to destroy you, he also escaped in the same way, with 'The Collector's power. However while powerful, he did not have full understanding of his form and started to fade away.

Floating bodiless in the ether, one was weak but stable, the other dying yet still strong. With seemingly no choice both still wanting to attain their goals, they made a deal. Call me Deimos the Collector, for I am what made both of them.

Two halves of dark hearts, reside within my soul. One aiming love long lost, and the other to rule. I have already managed to bring about one of my desires, and it is only time that separates me from the other."

Deimos the Collector, lowered his glance and arms and watched to see Will's and Caleb's reaction. "My dear Daphne, dispose of them." Deimos the Collector ordered with a wave of a hand. Suddenly Deimos and the cot containing Will's and Caleb's child, vanished from the room.