Forgiveness

Okay explanations... Having personal problems and I just haven't had the drive to write and there didn't seem to be much interest in this fic, and I hate to seem like one of those I'm not updating unless I get more reviews, but I just don't feel motivated I put a lot of time into the fics I write and it's discouraging.

Also I sent it to my Beta a week ago but she still hasn't gotten back to me so I'm sorry about all the grammatical errors I do have this fic written out till chap 12 I'll update every tues until I get to that point. So if anyone wants to beta PM me.

I'd really like to have someone go over the grammar in the chaps before I post so any volunteers?

Chapter V

May 20

Balthazar awoke to a pain in his wrist and shoulders, entire arms really but mostly the wrists.

He opened his eyes and assess the situation, he was hanging by his wrists in a large cell about a foot off the ground. The lacerations in his arms and legs had been healed, but not the ones on his back. Still he was a great deal more comfortable now then he had been when Dave came to see him.

"Feeling better?" asked Alyne.

Balthazar's gaze travelled to his right where her voice had come from.

"I'm sure it won't last. How's Dave?"

"Don't worry about him," said Alyne dryly as she tossed a small golden object in the air. Balthazar squinted his eyes to figure out what it was, a ring. His eyes widened as he realised he didn't feel that familiar pressure on his left ring finger.

He glared at the women, trying to set her on fire even without his ring, bad enough they took his focus and half his clothes. She had to take his bloody wedding band?

Alyne ignored his glare and continued to toss the golden circle. "Hey how long do you think it'll before your wife comes looking for you and ends up here?"

Balthazar struggled against the shackles which cut into his skin, causing some blood to fall on his hair and face.

"Careful Blake. I don't want you to injure yourself." She pocketed his ring.

"Is Dave okay?" asked Balthazar, thinking it best not to worry about a situation that hadn't yet happened, he needed to stay focused on current problems. If he solved those he wouldn't have to worry about Veronica.

"Dave is fine, I only held on long enough for him to lose consciousness. Now, let's focus on what I have in store for you." She said pointing at him. "I've got an assistant this time, those wounds on your back will be cauterized shouldn't be too bad for you, you held up remarkably well in the square."

She nodded to someone behind Balthazar something about the nod felt off, but he was in too much pain to concentrate. He tried to move his head to see but gave up almost instantly. It hurt to much he was nearing his limit. He needed to stop worrying about what felt off about the nod, and focus on the techniques he had learned centuries ago to master pain. He inhaled sharply and tensed when he felt the heat on his back, felt the skin melt, but he was pleased he had suppressed any sign of pain.

After five repetitions there was a pause. Alyne looked at her assistant patiently, after a few moments her eyes narrowed and she barked. "Well finish the job."

Silence.

Balthazar tried to figure out what was wrong with her gaze, he knew it was important.

"Hurry up Hudson or you'll be the one punished."

'Hudson? Maggie's son. That's what was wrong with her gaze, it was too low.' "You're making kids torture prisoners?"

"It's part of the job description, they need to learn early on how harsh life is it will help them survive their ten year trial."

"Hudson?" said Balthazar.

"Yeah," replied a shaky voice.

"She's right, I'm fine, you just do what you have to."

"I don't want to."

"Will she hurt you if you don't?"

Silence.

"I'd rather you cauterize the wounds Hudson. It will help, it hurts, but it does help heal."

"… No."

Balthazar heard the clanking of metal on stone as the hot poker that Hudson had been using was thrown to the floor.

He craned his head to look at the boy, ignoring the sudden bust of pain that resulted. Hudson was behind the master sorcerer and just off to the right.

"Get behind me!" barked Balthazar as Alyne advanced to get a clear shot at the ten year old, who moved behind the master sorcerer.

As Alyne approached Balthazar's legs shot out wrapped around her knees, he gave a quick jerk causing her to fall.

"Back off," he hissed.

Alyne smiled, and held up her hand.

The next six seconds were a blur a literal blur everything was fuzzy and Balthazar didn't think it was a vision problem. Alyne disappeared and the master sorcerer thought he heard cries but they ended as soon as they started. It took a couple of seconds to realise he was under a temporal displacement spell. And that the cries likely belonged to Hudson.

He struggled trying to break free, after a few more seconds the spell ended.

"Hudson!" He looked around twisting in the shackles. "Hudson!"

"…Here." Squeaked a voice

Balthazar turned and craned his neck but he couldn't see the source of the voice.

"You alright? Any broken bones?"

"No, she just threw me against the wall, and did that thing, the pain spell, I'm fine."

"Can you move to where I can see you?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm chained to the wall." Balthazar heard the clanking of chains for emphasis.

"…I met your mom, and sister." Balthazar said quietly hoping the topic of family would help the boy.

"They okay?"

"They miss you, Isabel especially wants her big brother back."

"No way she remembers," replied Hudson his voice cracking slightly.

"She knows something important is missing, she was very brave, she warned me and Dave what would happen if we got caught, even though it was against the rules.

"She takes after mom."

"Yeah I notice they both do that stomping foot thing with their hands on their hips when they're mad.

"Dad always said that when mom does that I should nod and look at the floor and pretend to be ashamed even if I'm not. Isabel's doing it to?"

"Yep."

"My girlfriend does this head tilting thing when she's mad."

"Aren't you a little young for a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Okay then," replied the master sorcerer with a slight nod. "So… she pretty?"

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"What did you do to him," hissed Dave before the door even finished opening.

Alyne didn't answer, just closed the door behind her and closing the distance between them handed him a folder. Dave took it and looked through the contents, he frowned at the pictures inside, Balthazar with a ten year old girl, the picture was old, fuzzy, black and white, looked to be over a hundred. There was a form inside, for the adoption of a Penelope White to Balthazar Blake, dated 1897.

"Your master has taken in several foster children over the years, usually he wouldn't go through legal loops, just claim the child as his own or that he was the child's uncle or guardian. That one is one of the few he legally adopted."

"What's your point?" asked Dave not really caring about the answer, his mind was too busy wondering how many children his master had been forced to bury over the years.

"You're just one of many kids he's taken under his wing, he abandoned them, he'll abandon you."

"Balthazar wouldn't abandon anyone, not me, not his kids."

Alyne snapped her fingers, two guards entered each carrying large boxes. "Incantuses only give away so much," she told him pleasantly. "My family has detailed research on just about every single sorcerer in the past several hundred years, and considering how long Balthazar has been around…" she waved to the boxes been placed on the floor.

"At any rate," she walked over to a box and took out another file.

"These files aren't on Balthazar so much as on his kids. Let's see Sarah Blake born Sarah Anderson, 1775. Adopted at age thirteen, died age seventy five, from a bad case of influenza, which by the way, is a disease Balthazar is fully capable of healing. But he didn't. Her death certificate is in the file if you don't believe me." She told him, closing the folder and handing it to him.

Dave took it and glanced inside, flipping through the papers until he spotted the death certificate. Cause of death was listed as influenza.

"You okay Dave? You're looking a little white. And green."

"I'm fine."

"If you say so."

"You take this kind of interest in every sorcerer?"

"Just the powerful ones. We have one on Horvath that's just as big. Nothing on Veronica Hunt though. For obvious reasons.

"Our count says he took in about six children as his own in the past seven hundred years, and that's not counting students he eventually passed off to other sorcerers. He passed off quite a number, took em in for a few years, they made themselves useful but eventually he just handed them off. Like he'll do to you. I mean Morgana's beaten now, he has Veronica what does he need you around for?"

"I'm his apprentice."

"You're a tool he no longer has a use for. Did he even tell you what he wanted from you when you signed on? Or did he wait till after it was too late to go back?" She smiled at his expression. "He did didn't he? He gave you only information that made been a sorcerer fun and unique, made sure you felt it made you special. He told you about the danger, about fighting evil sorcerers. But he never told you the full extent of it, he never told you that you were going to fight and kill Morgana, never told you that the fate of the world was on your shoulders because he knew that would hold you back and he didn't want that. He didn't care about you making an informed decision all he cared about was you making the one that was right for him."

"That's enough!" shouted Dave. "I know what he did, I don't care! I would have done the same thing."

Alyne's eyes widened briefly in surprise then narrowed into a glare. "No need to shout Dave, it makes me wonder who you're trying to convince."

"Get out, unless you need me for your next experiment, get out."

The women's eye's narrowed at the tone used to address her and she practically hissed her reply, as she started walking to the door. "He'll abandon you Dave," she told him hand resting on the cell door handle "Just like all the others."

"Take your files," ordered Dave focusing on the picture in his hand.

"Sure you don't want to read them?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"You're gripping that picture of him and Pepper pretty tight."

"I'll give it to Balthazar. If he's still alive."

"He's alive, don't worry."

"Forgive me if I don't take your word on it." The door closed and Dave let out the breath he had been holding. He knew he and Balthazar had to leave tonight. Badly injured master sorcerer or no, Dave knew they would never allow Balthazar to recover to the point where he could stand a chance of escaping. Dave needed to find his ring get it to him and hope that between them, they could patch up Balthazar enough.

The apprentice sat on his bed and tried to think. His cell was in a tower if he tried to pass through the walls he'd fall to his doom. Only way out was the door and that was enchanted to set off an alarm should he try to pass through it and give him a nasty shock.

He smiled, he remembered what Balthazar had told him about wanting to disappear really quick, either go up or down. He looked at the floor, had they thought to alarm that? One way to find out. He knelt down on the floor and poked his hand through. No alarm, no magical energy forced him back. He withdrew his hand, bent forward and pushed his head through the floor until he felt air on his face and opened his eyes.

A bedroom, not exactly what he had expected to see. Whose room was this? There was a four poster bed with drapes, Dave wondered if the canopy could hold his weight, it was a fair distance to the ground. There was a vanity mirror with a jewellery box, and make up, so he figured he had to be in a women's room.

He almost pulled his head up when he heard the door open, and in walked Alyne. Dave couldn't believe his room was just above her's, his shock however soon turned to joy when he realised that her room was the most likely place to have his master's ring. He had dealt with enough bullies to know they liked trophies and the focus ring of one of the most powerful sorcerers of the past several ages would certainly qualify as a trophy.

Alyne stood in front of her mirror looking over herself with a critical eye, before walking over to her closet and shifting through its contents. She selected a green dress and began removing her current one.

Dave pulled himself up. Deciding he would check in again in a few minutes. When he did so Alyne was trying on another dress this one a light blue. He pulled up again but not before he saw several scars along her back as if she had been whipped. He decided to return to his bed and check back in twenty hopefully Alyne would be done by then. Been an only child and well, him, he didn't have a lot of experience with girls, but it couldn't take Alyne that long, right?

An hour later, Dave poked his head in again to see Alyne putting on make up, she gave herself another critical look in the mirror and smiling left the room. Finally.

Dave pulled his head up and went over to the section of floor directly over Alyne's bed, he let himself fall through onto the canopy, and then using his elbows and knees shuffled himself over to the edge, he swung himself over and grabbed the drapes, making a note to thank his highschool gym teacher if he ever saw him again, which he doubted, man was a sadist, he climbed down.

Now safely on the floor of the room, Dave listened for any sign that someone was about to enter noting that under the bed was his best option if he needed to hide real quick, or maybe the closet. He heard nothing however and made his way to Alyne's vanity and started rooting through her jewellery box.

"Come on come on, it's gotta be here somewhere…" after a few minutes he gave up looking in the box and started ransacking her drawers. The first two revealed nothing, after an exasperated sigh Dave noticed something on top of the drawers next to the mirror a gold ring, what was odd was that it was too large for Alyne, frowning Dave plucked it from it's place and looked it over, he noticed the engraving inside, éce. Dave clenched his hands before pocketing the ring, if it was here the focus couldn't be far away there were still another two drawers.

The next drawer wielded the needed result. "Finally," said Dave breathing a sigh of relief. Things would go much easier if both sorcerers were capable of performing magic.

Now all he had to do was get to the dungeons unseen, find Balthazar and get out. Dave closed his eyes and focused on his clothes casting a similar illusion to the one Balthazar had back in chinatown, he even gave himself some facial hair, though, instead of a moustache he went with a van dyke, he also lightened his hair color and gave himself blue eyes. He checked himself over in the mirror and satisfied, went to the door after first listening to make sure no one was outside. He took a deep breath to steady himself and walked out.

It didn't take long for him to find a familiar stairwell he could find his way to the dungeons easily. He had memorized the route earlier. Although he was pretty sure they would have moved the master sorcerer to another cell by now. Hopefully it wouldn't take him to long.

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"Balthazar?"

The master sorcerer moaned slightly as the quiet voice persisted in dragging him from Morpheus's comforting embrace.

"Balthazar, come on buddy we gotta go, like now."

The older man opened his eyes with a groan, surprised to find he was lying down on the floor he didn't remember been lowered.

"Where's Hudson?"

"Hudson? Maggie's son?" asked Dave while he ensorcelled the locks of the shackles open "Balthazar, we're the only people here, and we gotta go, how are your legs? Can you walk?"

"Yeah they patched those up. Worried about blood loss."

"Don't suppose they gave you a transfusion," said Dave as he gently placed his master's arm over his shoulder and lifted him to his feet. "You lost a lot."

"No they didn't. How'd you get out?"

"Had a good teacher, and their security wasn't all that great, I think they figured I wouldn't chance anything while they had you." Dave forced a pained smile "The guards weren't sorcerers."

"Pity for you, we are."

Dave and Balthazar turned to see Alyne with three others, two men and one woman.

Alyne sent a concussion wave, which Dave blocked with a shield. Alyne walked towards them as her lackeys surrounded the pair.

"Come quietly Dave."

Dave, glared at her, sending more power to his shield. "Don't suppose you have an idea?" he asked his master.

"Give me a minute," said Balthazar trying to size up their opponents.

"We're not magicless like the guards you killed in your escape Dave. You can't win against four opponents in close quarters like this."

Dave stared coolly at her, his face granite.

Alyne rolled her eyes. "Now," she commanded.

Four plasma blots hit the shield at once, Dave stumbled at the sudden impact but the shield held.

Then another four hit. Still the shield held.

"On my mark lose the shield, drop to the ground and aim at Alyne's legs, once she's down run."

"Can't do that and drag you along…" his eyes narrowed as he realised what his master was asking "No Baltha— argh." Dave bend over as his shield took another four blows.

"Now Dave!" shouted Balthazar when he saw the group charging another set of blasts.

Dave lowered his shield as he and Balthazar dropped, he blasted Alyne's legs, well he tried to, the woman jumped, evading the blast as soon as she landed she shot another plasma bolt towards the duo. Balthazar moved to cover Dave, the bolt hit his arm.

"Balthazar!" Dave stopped focussing on their enemies and tried to examine his master.

"Run!" shouted Balthazar, he had just enough time to see fear and sadness cross his apprentice's face before the younger man was sent flying towards the wall.

"Dave!"

Dave readied a couple plasma bolts but was hit with two. He clutched his side and crumpled.

"Handle him," Alyne ordered the two men, who nodded and darted to Balthazar, grabbing his arms and twisting them behind his back. The master sorcerer thrashed and hissed in pain at the pressure on his wounded arm. When they got him under control he was facing Alyne and Dave, who was grimacing in pain, as he clutched his stomach where he had been hit.

"You know Dave," said Alyne pleasantly. "I'm starting to think our experiments can be done with a corpse."

"Leave him alone!" shouted Balthazar.

Alyne turned to him and smiled, Balthazar noticed her hand glow red. She knelt down and placed her hand on Dave's chest.

Dave slammed his head against the wall when he threw it back as he screamed in agony. He started thrashing, Alyne stopped casting she grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward the guards holding him let go and he fell onto the floor, she placed her knee on his back and her left hand on his head she brought her right hand to his shoulder, and cast the spell again.

"Stop!" Balthazar struggled to be heard over the cries of his apprentice. But she didn't, Dave continued to scream and cry and thrash.

Balthazar pleaded for her to stop. "Stop! I'll talk to him he won't try this again! Just stop! I'll do whatever you want, I'll make him do whatever you want! Stop!"

Alyne only smiled at the old man's pleas. All the while Dave continued to thrash and scream.

"Balthazar help!" shouted Dave desperate for the pain to stop. Alyne lifted her hand away from the young man's back and turned to the master sorcerer.

"Balthazar... your apprentice just begged you to help him, isn't this the part where you do something impressive?"

Balthazar renewed his struggles against the guards holding him, but to no avail. Alyne smirked and turned back to Dave who was still gasping for breath. "No point in asking Balthy for help boy, he's as helpless as you." Her hand burned with red light as she pressed it to Dave's back and the youth cried out as pain ripped through him.

Despite Balthazar's efforts he couldn't break from the guards holding him. He continued to watch on as Dave thrashed and flayed as he attempted to escape Alyne's grasp, each cry piercing the master sorcerer's heart and twisting it like a knife. Eventually Dave… just stopped.

Alyne moved her fingers to his neck, then glanced at her watch. "Time of death, 9:23, hmm he survived fifteen minutes of my little pain spell, that's a new record."

Balthazar said nothing he was just staring at his apprentice's body willing it to move to, make a sound.

"Let him go," ordered Alyne.

Balthazar darted to his apprentice gently he rolled Dave onto his back, even now the apprentice's face was contorted in agony.

"Dave?" Balthazar pinched Dave's nose and tilted his head back, he bought his mouth to Dave's and exhaled, he did it again then placed his hands on his student's chest over the heart and pushed down.

"One, and two and three and four and five, one and two and three and four and ten one and two and three and four and fifteen." He counted, then moved to give Dave a few breaths. He repeated the procedure again and again, but still there was nothing.

"Dave? Come on, still lots to learn," he continued to compress the younger man's chest. "Come on!"

He stopped cpr, and cradled his protégée. "Dave…"

"Well that's enough of that," said Alyne crisply. "Time to wake up Blake."

Balthazar opened his eyes, he was lying on his back, Alyne's forehead was pressed against his.

"Don't worry Blake, just a dream weave." She raised her head and smirked down at him. "Dave's fine." She placed her chin on his shoulder which he was quick to note, for some reason didn't hurt, he wondered if he had enough mobility to punch Alyne's face in.

"I cast a pain killer spell, you still can't move it not after all that hang time," she told him noticing that he was looking at his shoulder. His gaze shifted to where Hudson had been. "As for Hudson, I sent him to his room."

"Nice weave," commented Balthazar. "You're very good, if you're done, I'd appreciate been alone."

"Not done, in the dream I told you Dave killed a few guards in his escape. That didn't seem to surprise you. I bet it would have once. Has the great Balthazar Blake gone and corrupted another young soul?"

"Get off me."

"You know I think next time I'll try and conjure a dream with your wife in it. Kill her in front of you just like Dave. I may eventually do that in reality."

Balthazar tried to move but his body wouldn't obey the command, so much for breaking Alyne's nose. He settled for one of his death glares. "Don't touch her."

"Hmmm you know, she's powerful, but she didn't come with you."

"Thought I'd make this trip a guy thing."

"Doubt it, she would have been freed a short time ago, and you're… you're big on kids. Is she pregnant? Cause if she is and she comes here… well you know what we do with children who are sorcerers, and no doubt yours would be powerful."

"I'm going to kill you."

"Threats don't make for great pillow talk dear."

Balthazar inhaled deeply, and tried to steady himself. She was trying to rile him and he was tired of it. He hoped that if he stopped rising to the bait she's leave him alone.

"Nothing to say?" she paused and shifted so her face was above his. "You know, I bet before he met you, Dave wouldn't have thought himself capable of killing anyone. But with you as his guide he rose to that particular challenge. How did you do it? I wouldn't have thought manipulation was your thing." She smiled when he didn't respond. "Remember what you said in the dream? About making Dave do whatever I want? Do you really think you could do that? Bet you could. I bet you know just what buttons to push. With your help I could have him working with my family.

"Dave would make a wonderful addition. I'm sure you could help convince him."

Balthazar turned his gaze from the ceiling to the women. "Dave would never join you, nothing you or I say or do will convince him."

"Guess I'll just have to torture him to death. What can I say, I don't handle rejection well though you're familiar with that concept aren't you?"

She smirked when Balthazar didn't reply, then continued. "I really don't think I can convince Dave to join up unless I can get him to turn against you, I've already taken a few steps toward that goal but I'll need your help. You have about two months to change his mind, we should be done with our experiments by then, and if he hasn't been convinced…" She shrugged before continuing. "At anyrate, you, apparently need some convincing, to that end I have a gift for you." She held out a hand and lightly swung a silver chain with a matching silver dream catcher. "I spent the better part of my day making this for you, I weaved exactly one hundred nightmares into the silver thread. They'll show you exactly what I'll do to Dave if he refuses. So maybe it'll motivate you to persuade the boy to join my family. Each dream will feel like twenty minutes to half an hour, and because time get's all wonky with dreams each one will take four to eight minutes in the real world to occur, so it'll still take awhile to view them all but I think a few nights worth should be all it takes."

Smiling, she placed the necklace over Balthazar's head so the dream catcher rested on his chest.

"Now you know how dreams are, it's very hard to tell you're dreaming once you're inside them, even if they make no sense. Now you been you, you'll probably be able to tell occasionally that you're dreaming, which is a pity, but I'm sure it won't help you all that much. And with enchanted dreams you can even feel pain, no pinching to wake yourself up. Pleasant dreams Balthazar," she chuckled placing her hand over his head she cast a sleep spell.

Okay explanations... Having personal problems and I just haven't had the drive to write and there didn't seem to be much interest in this fic, and I hate to seem like one of those I'm not updating unless I get more reviews, but I just don't feel motivated I put a lot of time into the fics I write and it's discouraging.

Also I sent it to my Beta a week ago but she still hasn't gotten back to me so I'm sorry about all the grammatical errors I do have this fic written out till chap 12 I'll update every tues until I get to that point. So if anyone wants to beta PM me.

I'd really like to have someone go over the grammar in the chaps before I post so any volunteers?