Staggered, I stared at the blank wall with a dizzying sense of sudden loss.

"Shit."

"Susannah," Jesse looked at me, "Surely you understand we have been putting our lives on the line in the company of a madman."

"Paul's always been fucking messed up, the problem is he's not stupid." I leaned forward, resting my forehead against the now smooth concrete, closing my eyes. "So we have to guess what he was thinking, and what we do now."

"How are we supposed to get into the head of Paul Slater?" He shook his head, inky black curls falling over his eyes. "It's like trying to understand the devil."

"Yeah, I know, but we have to try." I said urgently. "Whatever's on the other side is important, or we wouldn't be here. He was just trying to get through—but its not like he can just open it from the other side." I stared hard at the blank slab before me. "So he either has to come back for us, or we have to go in."

"Or he failed the clearly impossible obstacles and we're wasting out time here."

I hesitated "I don't think he would have done it if he wasn't sure he could."

"You saw that thing. You go through torture and temptation in there. He may get through the pain, Susannah, but I can't see him resisting true temptation."

I shook my head, and said quietly, "He's never been Adam. Always the snake."

"He's entirely self-centered. If that thing offers him what he wants…"

"In the end, if he gave in, he'd be the property of that thing forever. That wouldn't serve his self interest in the end, and he knows the consequences." I looked hard at Jesse. "I'm not trying to defend his character, here, but either way, I think we have to try to go in."

"I can't let you do that," He said solemnly, "Your parents, Father Dom, they're not here to protect you against all this- you cannot risk your soul to get into some secret laboratory here. It's ridiculous."

"Listen Jesse, we're trapped on the inside of Dennis's plan, no one else can get in. We're in the most danger, yeah, but we're closest to the heart of the problem, and if we act fast, we may be able to kill this before it get's too big for us to control. You said you'd support me, and this is one of the things we need to do. I need your help. I need your support right now." I hoped I sounded convinced, I certainly didn't feel that way. Jesse's words, coaxing me out of danger, trying to protect me, felt like a welcome surrender to the horror I was trying to talk myself into. But we needed to do this. Paul was in there already, and even if he didn't make it…even if he didn't make it- the thought jarred in my mind and I closed my eyes, wishing the sudden discomforting thought away.

Jesse was staring at me. "I…" He sighed. "I really wish you would listen to me. But I see that no matter what I say, you're going to continue on this path. And I won't try to stop you anymore. But I…I can't do this, anymore. You don't want me here, and I'm sick of watching you walk yourself into danger alongside the boy we once agreed was the closest thing to inhumanity, and I don't want to have to watch this disaster."

I felt my voice go small. "So you're leaving."

He nodded. "I think I should go home and warn Father Dom about what is happening here. Maybe we can help from the outside, but I don't think it'd be possible to come back again, so…" He closed his eyes, swallowed, and opened them again, those smoldering black eyes I used to drown in. Jesse…I felt his name on my lips- "So I wish you good luck. Please, for me, you must promise me you'll come back home to me alive."

I swallowed the last syllable of his name in my throat, and stepped forward, hugging him so hard that had he had the ability to breathe I would have eliminated it. "I'll always love you," I said in his ear, and blinked away the tears in my eyes. "I'm sorry about everything."

"You need to discover something for yourself right now," He spoke softly, still holding me to him. "I understand that. But once you find it, I hope you realize that I'm here, and that I'll always be waiting for you Susannah."

I nodded, and stepped away, ignoring the sudden clench in my chest at the separation. "Goodbye Jesse," I said quietly, and looked down.

And when I glanced up again, he was gone.

I hardened my heart, closed my eyes, and turned to the wall. "Let me in," I spoke clearly in the dim light of the hallway.

It's face appeared, and smiled at me grimly. "So, you want to give it a try then?"

I didn't reply. I just tipped my body weight forward, willing myself to face whatever lay inside, and let myself fall straight into darkness.