Author Note: Thanks goes to calwitch and SamanthaLyn for the wonderful reviews. Thanks also goes to Mark 61 for becoming a follower to this story. After an intense battle, I'm going to tone it down for a little while, tie up a few lingering questions and some more romance. I hope you enjoy the new chapter and as always let me know what you think.

"Weigh down

Weigh down on the way down

I've lived behind a mask

So long so few know who I am

They know other sides of me

That hide behind a haunted man

Though my hands are made of stone

And I break everything I see

They save me from myself

And they stand by me"

'The Weigh Down' by: The Amity Affliction

Chapter 17:

Finn's fist connected with the hanging sandbag in the basement. The anger he felt inside was more than he could handle and knew that he had to release it somehow. Ayva was still asleep in his bed and no matter how many times he called out to her, the only response he received was silence. Sera remained lifeless, not knowing whether or not she would recover enough to ever wake back up.

The only thing he did know was that Aluxia took a serious blow. Though she was alive, he also knew that she would need a lot of time to recover from a blow like that one. Regardless if Ayva meant to or not, she had unleashed a major amount of power. Angelic power that was extremely lethal. She had killed a demon that was second-in-command of the inner circle. Not even Seth would have been able to withstand power like that, had he not killed him before the expulsion.

"How long are you going to hide down here?" Becky asked leaning against the far wall.

"I'm not hiding." He retorted holding his hands out to steady the bag.

"Then why have you spent most of the last week down here?"

What was he supposed to tell her? That he blamed himself for what happened, because his demon side was arrogant and didn't analyze the situation better. The only thing he could think of was Ayva and how desperate she had been to safe Sera's life. She even went to the lengths of asking for his demon, which in his opinion failed miserably. "What do you want me to say, Becky?" He asked keeping his back to her.

"For starters, you can actually come up here to eat something. I know you have to be exhausted. The demon coming out twice must have taken its toll on you."

"I'm fine..."

"You are not fine." She interrupted.

Becky shimmered to stand right next to him. It didn't take a genius to understand how he was feeling. The worry was written all over his face and rightfully so. Ayva had done the unthinkable. Unleashing that kind of power would most definitely have consequences on the user. Her best friend was ticking time bomb with energy and it even concerned her to the point that maybe seeing Rowana was something that needed to happen.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, slightly giving it a squeeze. Finn looked up to meet her gaze. Her warm smile was comforting. "She will wake up eventually, Finn. It's just going to take some time to recover from expulsion of power like that."

"I know. I can't help but feel like this is somehow my fault."

"Finn..."

"If I had left things alone, never bothered looking for her in the first place; then maybe Damien would still be alive and she wouldn't have this kind of power."

"Then she wouldn't have met you."

The second her words came out of her mouth he froze, because he knew that would have been the truth. If he hadn't listened to the old prophecy, then she never would have met him. He was never going to forgive himself for Damien's death nor Nicole's. The only thing he could do now was to make sure that Ayva didn't suffer the same fate that they did. Their connection was dangerous, forbidden on so many levels.

"Maybe that would have been better for her..." He admitted.

"How can you say that? She's been everything to you...the reason you walked away from the demon life, the reason you wanted a better life for all of us. So how dare you try to push it all away because we had one bad fight!"

Turning around, Finn could see the anger swirl in Becky's eyes, tinting them red. Anger was the trigger for her demonic side and if she wasn't careful, she'd release that onto their small family. Obviously sensing the change in her, Dean appeared beside her. He looked across the room at Finn, wondering what happened that could cause her such anger; then he understood. It was about Ayva. The one person that Becky was extremely protective over besides himself. "Calm down hunnie, it's alright. I doubt Finn meant anything he said." He soothed placing a gentle hand on her center of her back.

"No, I'm pretty sure I meant it all." Finn countered with hostility.

"Is that the demon talking or is that you?"

"Both."

Dean understood then what Becky had been trying to warn him about. Their personalities were blending together. He was turning into the same person he was back in the inner circle. With Ayva being out of the equation for the time being, there was little they could do to help with the situation. "You need her, so why all of a sudden do you want to sever it all. Pretend like she never mattered." Dean asked pulling Becky being him protectively.

"She does matter and that's the problem. Our bond is dangerous, Dean. It damn near got Sera killed and it still may have considering she has shown no signs of ever waking up. Aluxia will stop at nothing until Ayva is dead and I do not want that burden on my shoulders."

"So instead of talking to her about your concerns, you'd rather go to Rowana and sever the connection completely. Making a decision without her input at all, yeah that's smart of you."

Finn wondered how Dean knew of that idea. He was pretty sure that his mind was closed tightly to everyone. The demon within was urging him to do what was necessary to keep Ayva safe no matter the consequences to himself. Severing their bond was costly and it could even make her turn against them. Was it worth the cost if she survived? That was the question he had on his mind in that moment.

"Ayva..." A warm male voice called.

"Finn..." She replied softly.

"No sweetheart...it's me."

She opened her eyes to see Damien standing there with her father. The first layer of heaven was surrounding her on all sides. Her father's smile was comforting and the fact that Damien was standing there with him caused her to suddenly panic. What other reason would he be there other than her being dead? Looking into his soft eyes, eyes that once left her heart beating rapidly, they no longer gave her the same feelings that were there before.

"What's going on? Why am I here? I need to get back, Sera needs me!"

"Calm down, Sera is fine for the time being." Sidriel stated.

"Then why am I here?" Ayva asked again.

"Because you need to be informed. You are unconscious and the gateway was easier to open. I had to tell you that I'm sorry and that if you don't wake up now...you'll lose everything you ever wanted." Damien explained.

Ayva became confused as to what he was talking about. What did he have to be sorry about? What did he mean by lose everything? Sidriel extended his hand out for her to take. She hesitantly accepted and he pulled her to a small pond. The water was crystal clear and her reflection stared back at her vividly.

Damien hung back, looking at her closely. He could see all the changes within including the ones with her heart. Finn had completely taken over and rightfully so, considering he was her true intended. He had been selfish to think that he could change that. It was time for her the learn what he had done in the past and what Finn was currently planning.

"What am I supposed to see?" She asked.

"Patience little one. I will show you everything you need to know about the past and what's going on now." Sidriel replied waving a hand over the water.

Ripples formed on the surface of the water. Ayva squinted to make out the images appearing. With a single word in a language she didn't understand, Sidriel caused a projection of something he wanted her to see. Damien's form stood across from a woman with bright red hair hidden under a cloak. She assumed it was the witch Finn had mentioned before.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Her voice asked.

"Rowana please...she doesn't deserve this kind of life." Damien replied with such desperation.

"Ayva is a Nephilim by blood. You are going to be taking away her birthright."

"She's too sweet. She'd never be able to handle those powers. I love her too much to put her through that kind of life."

Damien's dark hair feel into his eyes as he look away from the witch for a moment. Ayva could see the hesitation and regret behind what he was trying to hide. Rowana pushed the hood of her cloak away to reveal her intense blue eyes. There no doubt in her mind that she was powerful and someone Finn graciously accepted as an ally.

"I will do what you ask; but I want you to understand what you're doing. Binding her powers to you will only last as long as you stay alive. Once you die, they will return rapidly. You will need to stay away from your family, mainly Finn for obvious reasons."

"I know."

"Okay then..."

Rowana placed a hand on his chest. He hollered in pain just as the images faded from the water. Ayva took a step back for a moment to let everything sink in. The man she once loved had taken her powers and knowingly kept Finn away from her out of fear of losing her. The betrayal in that knowledge only aggravated her sympathies.

She wanted to find something to keep her from hating what he did, because she knew that he had the best intentions at the time regardless of the consequences. Turning around to look at Damien in the eye, he couldn't even meet her gaze. "So that was what you are sorry for?" She asked.

"Yes..."

"You should be, because as you can see I can handle my power well enough."

"I know...I just wanted you to live a normal life...with me..."

"I wasn't supposed to be yours and you knew that as well. You selfishly kept your life away from me...out of fear."

Damien watched her walk closer to him. He didn't know what to expect from her once she got close enough to him. She took his hands into her own, brushing the pad of her thumb across his knuckles. It reminded him of the way she used to comfort him in the past when things upset him. He definitely wasn't expecting it. "Despite all of that...I can't hate you for it, because I understand why you did what you did."

"You've been asleep for over a week and Finn is getting restless. The demon inside is merging with his human side. He's becoming the person he was in the inner circle. He wants to sever your bond with him to keep you safe from Aluxia. He fears losing you more than anything else in the world, so he's willing to let you go to ensure you're safety."

Her eyes widened as she took a sharp intake of air. She didn't want to anything to change between them. Turning from Damien to her father, he only nodded in confirmation. He knew of the same plan. The desperation returned. She wanted to see Finn more than ever now. "I need to go back. Please..."

"Just will yourself and you will go..." Sidriel explained.

Finn walked passed Dean and Becky, heading straight up the stairs. He wanted to check in on Sera and Ayva before ultimately leaving for Rowana. Not bothering to shimmer into the rooms, he decided to walk and think about everything that had happened over the last few years. Every laugh that escaped Ayva's lips and every smile aimed in his direction soothed the demon inside. The feel of her lips against his brought on the rapid heartbeat.

Opening the door to Ayva's room, Sera lay on her back with her eyes closed. The sunlight coming from the window sparkled against her skin, reflecting her wings against the sheets beneath her. The sound of her breathing was the same as any other time he came to check on her. He just wished that she'd wake up and give him some kind of advice about what to do. The others just thought through their feelings instead of logically.

"I wish you could answer me now..." He whispered.

"Don't...don't let her...go..." She whispered turning her head back and forth swiftly.

"Sera..."

After the brief moment of hope, she stilled and nothing further came of it. It was like it never happened and he was beginning to wonder if he had imagined it. Turning away, he stepped out of the room closing the door behind him. His feet carried down the hall to his own room. Ayva lay on his bed just as still as Sera had been. The reflection of her wings brought back another memory. This time, it was of him holding her in his arms at the clearing in the park. It was right after she had seen Aluxia slaughter all of his comrades.

"You have no idea how much I wish things were different." He said sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her.

Ayva could hear his words but her body refused to obey her commands. She wanted to wake up and argue with his choices. Sidriel's voice echoed inside her head, continuously telling her to will herself awake. That she really had to want it otherwise it wouldn't work. His featherlight touches across her cheek was heartbreaking. "Finn...please don't..." She called out.

"I want to keep you safe. It would kill me to see the same thing happen to you that happened to Damien." He said obviously not hearing a word she said.

Finn caressed her warm cheek and bent down to place his lips on her forehead. This was going to be his goodbye, because after it was all said and done he was never going to get to touch her again. In fact, he hoped that he'd die in the war so he wouldn't have to see what he wanted most. "Goodbye my angel..."

Ayva screamed out for him to reconsider. Her desperation intensively increased by the second. The weight beside her was gone, which meant he was walking away. Inside, she was crying. Crying tears for him. On the outside, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Smelling the salt in the air, Finn turned to see the tears rolling down her cheeks. A moment later, Ayva bolted upright gasping in sobs. He stood frozen in place unable to even form a coherent thought. The only thing he could see was her. "Finn...please...you don't have to do this..." She cried tossing the covers off her body.

"Do what?" He asked not knowing what else to say.

"Sever our bond. I know...I know what you have in mind and it won't solve anything."

"Ayva..."

She lunged herself out of bed and immediately rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly. Burying her face into his chest, she continued to sob. Finn wondered how she knew of what he had planned. Why she was even arguing it? "I deserve a say to..." She whispered taking grip of his t-shirt in her hand.

"I don't have the power to keep you safe."

"I can take care of myself. Stop worrying about me so much."

Finn pulled her arms from around his chest and held her away from him. She was surprised by his actions. It wasn't like him to physically push her away. He looked directly into her eyes, trying to keep his emotions in check when all he really wanted to do was kiss her. "That power you say that you can take care of yourself with...it's deadly and I don't know what kind of long term effects it will have on you."

"Just stop! You know while I was asleep...I saw my father and Damien. They showed me what happened in the past."

"What do you mean?"

"Damien didn't think I could handle my power either and bound them to himself, knowing how selfish it really was. He also kept me from you knowing that it was you I was meant for."

Finn looked away. He had hoped that she'd never learn about that. Why? He didn't really know himself. Ayva pushed his arms away and reached out to touch his cheek. The look on his face told a story. She realized that he already knew of Damien's crimes. "You knew...didn't you?" She asked trying to stay as calm as possible.

"I did..."

"You are going to do the same thing. Sever out bond because you are afraid I may get hurt, that's just idiotic. It's war! We are all going to get hurt at some point; so go ahead and sever it. I will always come back to you."

"That the point of severing...you won't feeling anything for me anymore."

"Damnit Finn! I love you and I will continue to love you through everything, including a severed bond."

Hearing her declaration of love out loud hurt more than he thought it would. He never expected her to say it; but here she was crying tears for him and admitting that she loved him. She recoiled her hand to her side, clenching both hands into fists. The anger swelling collapsed her to the floor. "Please just think about it. If you still think severing it is the best course of action, then I will go with you. I just didn't want you to never know that I love you. You've been everything to me. No matter how many times you tried to push me away, I continued to fight for what I wanted. I still want this."

Finn did all he could from going to her on the floor. He had to think about what was best for the situation. Her admitting her love for him was a fork in the road he never expected. Now every memory he had of them together was flooding back into his mind, forcing the demon back inside the cage. Closing his eyes, he shimmered out of the room.

Ayva stood up gingerly, trying to make her way back to the bed. The tears continued to fall uncontrollably. She wondered how long it would take until she no longer felt love for him. Mentally calling out for Becky, she immediately appeared in the room sitting down next to her. Laying her head on her shoulder, Ayva remained silent.

"A, you did all you could..."

"It just wasn't enough...I wasn't enough..."