Janus struck faster than they had expected, throwing a right hook into Virgil's cheek. Virgil barely even grunted as he changed direction and tackled Janus around the middle, snarling like an angry beast. When they hit the ground, Janus twisted almost impossibly, bucking Virgil off and darting away. Virgil was on his tail, growling low in his throat. Remus threw his head back and gave a crazy laugh.

"Come on, Virgil!" he hooted. "Catch him! Catch him!"

The Light Sides watched Virgil chase Janus around the room, and Logan's mouth went dry.

"They're fighting!" Patton shouted. "We have to stop them!"

"I don't think that's possible. Or wise," Logan whispered, watching Janus dance out of Virgil's reach again. "He said that I didn't hit that hard. But that means Virgil… does. Dear lord, I didn't know that this would happen when I agreed to this!"

Roman gazed in fascination as Janus tripped Virgil, the embodiment of Deceit laughing hysterically.

"Come on, trash panda!" he crowed, animalistic glee on his face. "Are you mad? Are you angry? Don't you just want to fight me? Well, catch me then! Come on! Come on, bandit boy!"

Virgil was getting angrier, and as Janus darted around the couch, Virgil launched himself over the back and grabbed him. Janus went down right in front of the fake wall, and the Light Sides watched in horror as Virgil snarled and then bit Janus's shoulder. Yellow essence spewed from the bite as Virgil worried the injury like a dog with a bone. Patton screeched, and Roman stepped back. Logan could only stare as Janus hissed and his face twisted. He kicked at Virgil, getting his shin, and Virgil released him with a scream of pain.

As he reeled back, Janus lunged up and sank his fangs into Virgil's neck. Purple essence joined the yellow staining their clothes, and then Virgil tried to get free and writhed, yowling. Janus dug in harder, his eyes crazed, and Virgil shifted and jerked his knee up hard. Janus released Virgil with a cry as he curled up to cradle his aching groin. Instead of relaxing when Janus was down, Virgil began to beat him, hitting him again and again with such force that Janus's body shook. And Logan gulped.

"I-I didn't hit him that hard," he said dazedly.

"No," Roman whispered, mesmerized. "You didn't."

Patton whimpered, covering his eyes. "No, no, no, no."

But Janus was recovering, and he lashed out with his teeth again, sinking his fangs into Virgil's wrist. As the anxious side yelped, Janus wrapped his legs around his middle and twisted them so that he was on top. His eyes were hellish, and Virgil's hand began to change into a sickly purple hue. Did Janus have poisonous fangs? It sure looked like it. Virgil writhed then reached up with his free hand, grabbed Janus's shoulder, and yanked hard at the same time he maneuvered his foot on Janus's stomach and kicked. The Light Sides saw Janus's shoulder pop out of place, and he released Virgil with a howl. He reeled back as he stood then kicked Virgil's ribs hard enough to knock the breath out of him. But Janus was dazed by the pain, and he staggered back and hit the ground, grasping at his shoulder and shaking as he hissed between his teeth.

Finally, after the terrifying, brief eternity that lasted barely five minutes, the fighting stopped. Virgil struggled to pull in a breath, curled up in a ball on the ground and Janus doubled over, gasping and groaning. Remus stood up but didn't approach, looking between the two injured Sides. Yellow and purple essence was everywhere, still pouring from the bite wounds and over the floor. The Light Sides couldn't move, concerned and horrified and confused by everything they just saw. That was working through their issues? Ripping each other apart? How did this help anyone? After a minute, Virgil wheezed and began to shake.

"He's hurt! Get us out of here!" Patton urged Roman.

And then something happened that none of them had expected. A soft, quiet noise that began to grow. The Light Sides gaped as they realized what the noise was. Virgil was laughing. And not just any laugh, but a real laugh that they had never heard from him. He rolled onto his back and laughed, his face so relaxed and relieved that it was breathtaking. It was what the Light Sides had longed to hear, a complete, open laugh that revealed a new side of Virgil. They had never been able to make him laugh, not truly, but here he was, bleeding and bruised, and he was laughing so hard that tears slipped down his cheeks.

Then another laugh joined his, and Janus was laughing, too, falling back onto the floor and writhing like a child being tickled. They looked so gleeful, so free, and for the moment, there was no mask on either face. And it was haunting and amazing and so vulnerable that it was a bit scary to the Light Sides. And then Remus joined in, jumping and whooping and clapping. He hurried over to Virgil and heaved him to his feet. Virgil cringed and grabbed his ribs but he kept laughing as he staggered over to the couch and dropped down. Janus soon joined him, wincing and limping, but still laughing. Remus hurried into the kitchen.

The laughter finally tapered off, and they both relaxed as Remus carried out some liquor and glasses.

"Come on! Come on!" he whined.

"Mm. Should we?" Janus asked languidly.

"Maybe we shouldn't," Virgil murmured.

"Stop teasing!" Remus wailed.

They both chuckled. Then Virgil spoke. "I'm sorry, Jan. For leaving you two in this $&!#hole."

Janus's face crumpled into an unguarded mask of pain and hope, and he sat up. "You mean that?" he asked brokenly.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." Virgil glanced over. "I didn't expect them to offer me a room up there. And I wasn't going to say yes. Not until you attacked me."

Janus blinked, looking confused. "What?"

"You told me that I was a traitor. And I hadn't said yes. The fact that you believed I would just leave… hurt. And then you… you said…"

Janus's hands flew up to cover his ears and then his mouth. "No! Don't say it! I've regretted it for so long!" Tears filled his eyes and began to trickle down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Virgil! So very sorry! Please! I need you! We both do! Come back! God, please come back!"

And he reached out with his uninjured arm, the pain and sorrow on his face making even Roman hurt for him. Virgil stared at him for a few moments as the Light Sides held their breaths, waiting for the answer. Then Virgil leaned over and hugged him. Janus let out a strangled noise and began to cry softly into his shoulder. The Light Sides were stunned by how open the Dark Sides looked, and they were uncomfortable and touched by the scene. Even Logan had to blink away tears at the display.

"They're… they're not so different from us, are they?" Roman asked, his voice holding wonder.

"Of course not, Roman," Patton said, his voice thick as he scrubbed away tears. "But they are different. And we didn't even try to understand them for so long. Jan still doesn't trust me. And I'm trying so hard…" He cleared his throat. "I want them to act like that around us. To be who they are. Even Virgil… I never knew he was hiding so much. Gah, what kind of friend am I?"

Virgil pulled back from Janus and wiped his cheeks, gently running his fingers over his scales. "I've missed you, too," he said hoarsely. "So much, Jan."

Remus burst out in a cheer and set the glasses down. "Goody goody! Are we friends again? Can we toast to it?"

Virgil and Janus glanced at each other. "How did you deal with him alone?" Virgil asked.

"I have the patience of a saint," Janus said, raising an eyebrow.

Virgil snorted. "Let's get that shoulder back in place. Then we can toast."

"Oh, don't. I'd love to use my off hand for drinking." There was a bite of sarcasm in his tone, but he had a smile on his face.

Virgil came around behind Janus and grasped the dislocated shoulder. "In," he commanded. Janus obeyed, breathing deeply. "Out." And he jerked back hard. Janus let out a cry of pain, a shudder racing up his spine.

"%#*&," he breathed then rolled his shoulder. "Thanks."

"Mmhm." Virgil dropped back onto the couch and accepted the shot that Remus poured him. "What have we got?" he asked lazily.

"Fire whiskey," Remus said.

"Mm. Excellent choice," Janus purred.

They toasted then drank, and to the amazement of the Light Sides, smoke poured from their noses as they breathed out.

"You've gotten better," Virgil complimented, waving away the cloud of smoke. "Nice burn. Full flavor."

Remus flushed with pleasure. "Thanks. The glands are getting easier to extract." He laughed ruefully and shook the bottle. "This particular dragon burned my #$&. Too bad you have to remove them while they're alive."

Virgil chuckled. "Imagine Roman doing that."

They shared a laugh, but Remus's eyes flickered to the wall where the Light Sides were hiding. Logan licked his lips.

"We, uh, we're about to be the subject of their conversation," he said nervously.

"Oh really?" Roman asked, crossing his arms. "Let's hear it."

Patton looked uncomfortable as the Dark Sides poured another round.

"I know Romy could do it," Remus said, tapping his glass. "Face the dragons, I mean. He does it all the time. But he doesn't know how to distill whiskey."

"Mm, too bad for the Light Sides," Janus murmured. "They could use a drink or two." He turned to look at Virgil. "Do they ever drink?"

"Logan drinks wine. Roman and Patton…" Virgil shrugged. "I've never seen them drink. Then again, why would they need to? They're the perfect ones."

His voice was bitter and it cut through Patton like a knife. "I'm not perfect, Virgil," he whispered, tears filling his eyes. "I never said I was."

"Mr. Innocence refuses every time I offer," Janus said. He studied Virgil then reached over and tilted his chin up to see his neck. "Mm. We should stop that. It's still flowing. Remus?"

Remus waved his hand and conjured a green glass bottle and a rag, which he handed over.

"Your shoulder is soaked," Virgil said casually.

He moved to lay down, placing his head on Janus's lap then looked to the side. It was straight at the Light Sides, and they squirmed. Virgil looked content, happy, and relaxed, more than they'd ever seen him. They knew this was supposed to be a private moment, but they couldn't not hear it, and they couldn't get away. Janus tipped a clear liquid onto the rag then set the bottle aside and touched Virgil's cheek with his gloved fingers.

Virgil closed his eyes and sighed then flinched as the rag made contact with the bite. "Cold," he murmured.

"Mmhm."

The Light Sides didn't know what was in the bottle, but the essence began to slow and then stop as Janus wiped at the bite.

"What is it?" Patton asked.

"I'm not sure," Logan said. "But I've never seen essence stop flowing that fast. Usually it takes hours." He leaned forward slightly and peered at the wound. It was ugly, and Janus's fangs hadn't been the only teeth to pierce Virgil's skin. Besides the two deep punctures, two rows of human teeth marks showed, the flesh raw and open. Janus drew his fingers gently over the wound, crooning softly.

"Nice bite," Remus said, leaning forward.

"Mm." Virgil raised his swollen, angry hand, and Janus treated it with the stuff from the bottle, humming softly.

"How is it?" Janus asked, peering at his wrist. Unlike his throat, only the fangs had pierced his wrist, which was a strange purplish color.

"Partially numb," Virgil said. He flexed his fingers. "Boy, you went all out with the venom this time. Even my feet are tingling."

Janus flushed, looking away and picking at his clothes. "I… I was very angry, Virgil."

Virgil snorted. "You know I don't mind, Jan." He paused then looked at his hand, and his brow furrowed. "But how in the hell am I going to explain this to the Light Sides?"

Remus's eyes flashed over to the glass wall again, and Janus hummed. "I don't suppose I can explain my bruises, either. Perhaps they'll believe a little fib."

"A fib?" Virgil asked. He laughed. "It would be a bald faced lie. What are you going to say? That you're suffering a delayed reaction from Logan's breakdown?" He shook his head. "They'd never believe it. Especially Logan."

Janus pouted. "Certainly I of all people can come up with some kind of bull$&!# for them."

"How?" Virgil asked. He sat up and placed his head in his hands. "We shouldn't have done this. You know what they'd say, right? That it's not healthy."

"We needed to do this, though" Janus said, and he sounded bitter. He drank his second shot and more smoke poured from his mouth as he huffed. "I never understood why you started wearing eyeshadow, Virgil. Why would you hide your natural markings, I wondered. Why put on a fake concern when you went to talk to Thomas?" He snapped the glass onto the side table and his face twisted. "Me, of all the %#*&ing people in the #&$% Mind, wondering why you hid from them! I am a fool, Virgil. An imbecilic pompous #$&."

An angry hiss came from between his teeth and his snake eye became a thin slit.

"Um… Hey, Jan, how's your shoulder?" Remus asked, his eyes darting to the Light Sides again.

But Janus didn't acknowledge that Remus had spoken at all. He trusted him too much to doubt him, and a cold sweat broke out on Remus's skin at that realization. This was not supposed to happen, he thought as Janus continued to reveal his actual personal thoughts and feelings. He needed to tell them that the Light Sides were listening. Janus would never forgive him if the Light Sides saw him so vulnerable. But even his dark creativity couldn't find a good solution to the problem he'd created. So he could only sit there, his eyes darting to the Light Sides' hiding spot every minute or two as he grew more and more uncomfortable and Janus revealed himself, the most secret and hidden part of who he was, to an audience of three Sides who shouldn't have access to this.

"Well, you're definitely all those things sometimes," Virgil said, glancing over. "What's your point?"

"Oh, Virgil, do continue to make light of this," Janus snapped, shooting a glare at him. "It's always so easy for me to tell you these things."

"Sorry, Jan."

Janus rolled his eyes, and stared resolutely away from Virgil. As he passed his gaze over Remus, he noticed his eyes dart to the wall in front of them. Janus ignored it. He had to get this said while there was no chance of being overheard.

"I should know the instinct for a mask, to protect yourself from those who hate you or that you desire to like you. But I didn't look deeper than the surface, Virgil. I didn't try to understand your attitude shift, nor did I consider that there might be reasons behind your changing desires. Because I noticed the change, we both did, and instead of trying to do what was right, I tried to protect you from them. Because when you came back the first time Thomas rejected you, you were hurting and I couldn't stand to see you like that! I wanted to bite them, to sink my fangs in their precious porcelain skin and make them scream because they hurt you! Again and again and again!"

Remus squirmed and glanced to the side again. Janus didn't stop speaking, but this time he didn't dismiss the movement. Was Remus actually trying to hide something? He had never been very good at that sort of thing. Perhaps a surprise he couldn't wait for? Janus would ask later.

"And yet you kept going back!" Janus said, throwing his hands up. "You went back only to get beaten into the ground again and again! They ground you up like a discarded cigarette beneath their heels, but I didn't stop to ask why you went back. And #&$% it all, I should have! By the time I looked at you that day, I didn't see you anymore. I saw somebody new, somebody I didn't know, and that terrified me, Virgil!" He stood up and began to pace. "Why didn't you come to me sooner? Back when I would have recognized you?"

"Jan, I'm sorry," Virgil said, swirling his drink. He tossed it back and breathed out smoke as he set it aside. "I didn't want to bother you with how complicated things were getting. You know at one point I just gave up, and then… they came to get me. For the first time, I felt included. And when Roman asked me if I wanted him to make me a room up in the Conscious, I was shocked and… and it made me feel like maybe they were starting to actually accept me. And I came to you and I was scared because I realized that day that I wanted them to accept me. I wanted them to like me. But they didn't know who I really was. And then when I confided in you…"

"I know," Janus cut in. Remus glanced over again and shifted uneasily. "I know what happened. Don't repeat it. But you must understand that I was scared that day, just like you. I wanted the old you back and when you mentioned the room, all that registered was that you would leave. And I panicked. And I just lost it. And I'm so, so sorry, Virgil. I wanted to take it back as soon as it left my mouth, but you left. You just fucking left like I was afraid you would."

Janus stopped pacing and sat down, his face distressed. "Do you know why I disguised myself as Patton that first time, Virgil? I didn't give a #&$% about Thomas's problem. It's because I wanted to see you so %#*&ing bad. I wanted you to talk to me like I was your friend again. And so I picked Mr. Innocence because he was the one who you were closest to. But you knew him by then, and you know me. And you suspected. I saw it in your eyes. And then Logan called me out, and Thomas knew I existed! And it %#*&ing hurt! I didn't understand the spotlight he put you in once he called you up, and #&$% I hated it!"

Another glance, and Remus was starting to look slightly panicked. Janus's eyes flickered over to the wall and he studied it. Logan straightened.

"Oh no. Janus suspects. Remus is going to give us away," he said tightly.

"Oh, that's not good," Patton whispered, his eyes latched onto Janus's face, his expressive, unguarded face.

Even Roman was looking uncomfortable at the stream of confessions coming out of Janus's mouth. He'd thought he wanted to understand his motivations, but this was too much at once. And it was brutal to listen to Janus's actual thoughts and feelings. But Janus looked back at Virgil and continued to speak.

"And things are changing, both for me and Remus. We suddenly care about what those haloed freaks think about us."

Remus flushed. "Hey, keep me out of this. I don't give a flying %#*& about what they think about me!"

"For %#*&'s sake, Remus! You exchanged a bone for a potato! A potato, Remus!"

Remus actually blushed, and Roman was shocked. "Shut up, snake-bite!" Remus muttered. "I don't care!"

"Liar!" Janus pronounced, his eyes glinting. He turned to Virgil. "Virgil, we care, okay? I care. I get it now. I didn't before, and I'm sorry, but by all things sacred, you have to help us! It's driving me mad to spend time with them! I'm constantly wondering if I'm doing or saying the right thing! I'm terrified my #&$%ed fangs are showing half the time, and I have no idea how you've managed to keep yours from them. But by God, please help me! I'm tired of looking like a %#*&ing animal to them! What can I do to get them to like me and not see a slimy serpentine freak that— WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH ARE YOU HIDING, REMUS?!"

Remus jumped, and Virgil looked up, startled. "Jan? What's up?"

"I don't know," Janus said. "But he's obviously hiding something. He's squirming like he wants to get up and run around, but he's not. And he keeps looking at the wall. So he's obviously hiding something. Do you have a surprise for us? Something to celebrate? Because I'm trying to be honest here, and it's quite distracting to have you wriggling like a schoolboy that wants to share something with the class. So please get it over with so I can finish this conversation!"

Remus's face turned red and he shrank into himself. "I… I don't want to," he said in a tiny, frightened voice.

Virgil sat up straight and stared at Remus. "What did you do?" he asked suspiciously.

When Remus didn't answer, Janus narrowed his eyes and stood up. "Remus? What did you do?"

"Can we just… stop talking about this stuff now? I… it's not a good time."

"Not a good time?" Janus asked. "Why wouldn't it be a good time? The Light Sides are sleeping! We always do this when they're…"

Janus's face went blank and he turned to look at the wall. Virgil also stood up and suddenly looked leery.

"Remus," Janus said. "Are the Light Sides sleeping?"

Remus squirmed. "I, ah…"

"Remus…" Virgil said hoarsely. His voice was tight and the darkness around his eyes spread down lower. "What did you do?"

"I… Don't… don't be mad. But I thought… I just thought that we could all be… be honest about things…"

Remus sank lower and lower into his chair as Virgil and Janus stared at him. Virgil's pupils were blown and his face began twitching, and Janus didn't move an inch, but stared so hard that the Light Sides were shocked that Remus wasn't melting.

"Please… we weren't supposed to talk about…"

"What did you do?" Janus hissed. "Show us. Now!"

Remus was trembling as he lifted his hand and snapped. The wall facade faded, and the Light Sides stood behind the sheet of glass, staring at the Dark Sides with wide eyes. There was a moment of silence as Virgil and Janus gaped at them. Then they turned on Remus with a vengeance, and the Light Sides could do nothing but watch the destruction.