Hey everyone! I'm just warning you, a lot of things are happening in this chapter that you'll want to watch out for. It's nothing super violent or worth a trigger warning, it's just a lot of story is happening at once and while I think you'll like it, I do want to prepare you for it.

With that out of the way, I hope you like what I have in store! I've been waiting to write a certain part of this for so long, and I hope it inspires a certain level of shock in you for it.

Or not. That depends on all of you I guess. Either way, I'll see you all the end!

Ed didn't always mean to cause confusion to everyone he met. He was a weird person who just happened to cause weird things to happen around him. It all made sense to him, so he didn't necessarily mind when people looked at him like he'd grown a second head.

However, Hellscream looking a little surprised and very confused was satisfying in a way.

"Ah," Hellscream wasn't sure how to deal with Ed acting this confident. As far as he could tell, he wasn't normally this smug looking. "I'm guessing you received some good news?"

"I'd say I did." Ed shrugged, humming to himself. He'd keep up the act for only a few second longer. "I think some problems are about to be solved really soon."

"That seems like a surprise, considering what you came in here for." Hellscream closed the door, scanning the office carefully. He hadn't left for even five minutes and nothing directly looked out of place. "I'm guessing you have a few ideas."

"Nah. I think I just found the source of the problem." Ed made sure the grin he put on was wide and disconcerting. "Mind explaining why you have files on Badwolf and some Ever After High students?"

Hellscream would've immediately denied having those if Ed didn't pick them up and wave them at him. His face went through several different motions before settling into resignation.

"Well, can't say I wasn't expecting at least one person to figure it out." Hellscream didn't make a move. He hadn't figured out what kind of Monster Ed was and didn't want to find out. "What tipped you off?"

"Everything immediately going bad when you come in wasn't really subtle. Trust me, I'd know." Ed shrugged, getting his feet off the table. "I mean, I get that you wanted this done fast, but seems a little obvious when you do it like this."

"Usually there's no problem. I've been doing this type of thing for years." Hellscream kept track of the boy's movements. He'd underestimated him, which was a mistake. He'd gotten cocky about all of this. "It's pretty cut and dry at this point. Honestly, it took longer than I thought to get to this stage?"

"And what is your process?" Ed's smile changed. It became toothier, the eyes sharper. It was of interest and anger that he looked at Hellscream. "Just curious."

It was the hunter's turn to shrug. "The first step is usually finding two groups with the most difficulty between them. Second's finding the best things to rile them up with, most of them being threats relating to a Monster's heritage. I'm honestly about to get to the third step pretty soon."

"And that is?" Ed motioned for him to go on. He did it with a cocky little wave and everything. Hellscream looked annoyed by it, which was the point.

"Kidnap a few notable people from each side and watch them both tear each other apart." Hellscream's hands went behind his back, which didn't go unnoticed by the teen. "I should probably get to that."

"Nah, I think you'll have some trouble with that." Ed grabbed his own phone out of his pocket, causing the hunter to jump. He tapped the screen several times, stopping a recording before pressing more buttons. "And, sent. I honestly didn't think you'd monologue there. Rookie mistake."

Hellscream's surprised face twitched at the barb, before changing to one of anger. He wasn't wrong and he knew it.

"I've gotten quite lazy after all. I suppose I should've listened to Crabgrass when I should." He titled his head, pursing his lips before smacking them. "Well, nothing to be done about it now. Might as well take one of you down with me."

Before Ed could move, Hellscream threw his hand forward, a potion gripped into it. The contents of it came out and splashed the boy on the face, landing square between the eyes. Ed had the decency to look surprised at the move.

The hunter himself smiled, waiting for the screams to follow so he could make his escape. The triumph quickly turned to confusion as Ed simply wiped off the potion with a grimace. A little bit of horror quickly formed too the longer the potion failed to work.

Eventually Ed did notice the quietly shocked look on the man's face before realizing something. "Oh, now I get it! That was supposed to hurt me!"

And then he started laughing.

Hellscream actually took a step back at that. He dropped the bottle, causing it to crash against the floor, making him even more frantic. Ed's laughter still didn't cease as he got up, leaning onto the desk to support his trembling form.

"Why didn't that hurt you?" Hellscream took another step back. He didn't dare reach for another bottle, unsure if any of them would harm the kid. "What even are you?"

Ed eventually slowed down the laughter, an occasional chuckle coming out of his mouth as he raised an eyebrow at the hunter. His expression looked way too playful. "Do you really think you're the first human to sneak in here, Victor?"

The question made the man pause, which was a mistake. Ed lunged forward, over the desk, slamming his palms against his shoulder and one of his knees. Hellscream could feel something jab into them quickly, then leave him almost as fast. He let out a strangled cry.

Ed hummed as the man's back hit the door, watching him reach for the handle. He made the paralytics last night with Double D's help, along with the tiny needles he needed for it to work. It wouldn't leave any serious wounds on him, just surface level punctures. He was going to lose feeling in his arm and leg soon enough.

"Other than wanting to destroy this place, there's one thing that makes us different, Victor." Ed cackled as the man opened the door finally opened, the man running for his life. "I'm so much more creative."

Ed laughed fully as shadows formed and his monster form was finally let out.

Double D had hoped that things wouldn't turn into fight, but Ms. Crabgrass had quickly dashed them. That just made sure that he would attack her twice as hard considering the circumstances, though.

The fake Bloodgood had shifted into Crabgrass long ago, attacking to and fro with her plant tentacles, attempting to hit him. His metal arms helped him navigate the hallway quickly, moving from wall to ceiling, ceiling to wall, and then back onto the floor.

A pause within her attacks gave him room to lung at her, grabbing a plant tentacle with force. He put in several volts, stopping her dead and deal with the electricity. To his right, Eddy slammed his hand onto the floor, causing it to rise and land a solid hit to the woman's midsection.

"I better get extra credit for this." Eddy closed a few more doorways, forcing Crabgrass to continue running down the hallway. "Hey Sockhead! Did ya ever think we'd ever end up in this situation?"

"Of course not! Who'd imagine themselves doing this?" Double D dodged as Crabgrass threw a textbook at him, giving Eddy a brief glare. "I figured we'd just be setting up a few parties or school events. Not fighting for our lives."

Double D grabbed a few school supplies, throwing them straight at Crabgrass. While a gym bag and a stray textbook missed her by a mile, an errant basketball did land a hit to her face. She growled as she went on the offensive again, throwing thorns in his direction.

Most of the thorns were immediately blocked by a wall appearing, which Eddy sent straight towards her with plenty of force. It knocked her back again, causing her to go on the run even more.

"Yeah, yeah, but what can we do? Already decided to go with the action route." Eddy hummed, sending more walls up towards Crabgrass's way. He made a note to up the power of his suit at some point just in case something like this happened again. "That reminds me; there's this party that I think would really stick it to Grimm…"

"This probably isn't the best time to discuss this. Maybe after this is over?" Double D ripped off a piece of the ceiling, throwing it near Crabgrass to keep her away from an open window. It was promptly shut as they passed. "I'd say that this kind of takes priority here."

"Will you two take this seriously?!" Crabgrass yelled behind her. She stopped fully, aiming an attack at Eddy that was blocked by another wall. Her tentacle arms were promptly grabbed by Double D again, sending another shock into her system.

"No. Unless you want to start coming in quietly instead of continuing this charade?" Double D tilted his head to dodge some debris launched his way. "I'll take that as no then."

"We are way too casual about this." Eddy actually sent a blast of magic at Crabgrass, throwing her even further down the hallway. He messed with the doors even more with a casual snap of his fingers. "If you want us to focus, then let me show what that looks like!"

Eddy put his hands outwards before letting them out into a huge clap. It sent a shockwave filled with Transmutation magic that made caused random parts of the floor and walls and to suddenly ram into Crabgrass, one after another.

Double D jumped in afterward, actually hitting her with the long end of the metal arms. Knocking her about several times, he lined up a blast of pure electricity her way, causing her to nearly collapse a little way away.

The end of the attack was punctuated by a roar coming from somewhere else in the school, causing the Eds to stop and listen to it. It barely took them a second for them to realize what it meant.

"Oh, looks like Ed's going after Hellscream." Double D was a little relieved to hear that. Must've found the evidence they needed in order to actually go after him. "That certainly makes things easier. Hopefully, he'll get here fast enough."

"Who's Ed?" Crabgrass looked around in panic, realizing very quickly that roar did not signify good things coming her way. "Dear god, who in the world is Ed?!"

"You'll see him soon enough, lady. Right now, though," Eddy smirked, hands lighting up with magic once again. "Let's get back to business."

Crabgrass took that as her cue to keep running, as the boys assault started once more.

"Did anybody else hear that?" Clawdeen shouted, closing a door to an underground hallway. "I can't be the only one that heard that."

"No, I definitely heard it too. That means we need to step on it." Ghoulia checked her maps again, sighing loudly. "They're going on the second phase of the assault. I really hope the other students got out in time."

"I'm sure they did. We just need to do what we can here." Raven cupped her hands over her mouth, shouting out into the halls. "Cerise, Maddie, you find anything?"

"Nothing yet! Just a lot of junk and old labs!" Cerise's cough came loud and clear throughout the halls, her voice tinged with frustration. "Somebody really needs to use these. Just a lot wasted space that could be used better."

"Maybe we should change tactics. There's a lot places to look here and we don't have- wait!" Maddie was about to suggest another plan, but something must've caught her interest. This was proven by all the noise coming from her direction. "Girls, I think I found her!"

This prompted everyone else within the catacombs to run towards Maddie's direction. Ghoulia fell behind as her phone started ringing, causing her to pick it up.

"What in Ra's name is going on in there?" Cleo didn't bother saying hello, deciding to just jump right in. "Is Ed in his monster form again? Can he even fit inside the school?"

"It's a little difficult, but I haven't heard any crashes." Ghoulia answered. She heard a door swing open not far away from her position. "Is everything set up outside the school? It looks like we may have found Bloodgood."

"Thank goodness. We have everything prepared out here when they get out." Apple thankfully cooperated and gave her the information she wanted. "Have Raven teleport you guys out of there when you're ready. Make sure to get Bloodgood up here too."

"Roger that." Ghoulia didn't bother saying goodbye, hanging up the phone as she neared the room with Bloodgood in it.

Thankfully, it turned out she was right about the statue theory. Unfortunately, it wasn't exactly a pretty scene finding her.

The zombie watched as Clawdeen and Cerise picked up the statue that was Bloodgood, moving her across the floor and out of an open closet. Raven and Maddie looked disturbed at the visage of the headmistress, whose face showed the betrayal and fear she had most likely felt as she'd been petrified. Her body even looked defensive, as if she were trying to fight off an assault.

"Okay, we need the Gorgon Tears Powder now." Cerise was able to take it from Ghoulia wordlessly before looking at the statue with some wariness. "Are we all sure this is going to work? We just need to apply it again and she'll get out of this?"

"It has to work. Besides, Ghoulia said it would work, so it has to." Raven waved off the concerns as best she could, even if she shared some sentiments of it too. "Let's just do this and hope for the best. She's a key witness in all of this."

"Let me do it. We need to get this done now." Maddie grabbed the box, opening it slowly as to not drop any of it. She grabbed enough for a small handful before putting her palm upward and blowing some onto the statue.

The statue didn't react for a few seconds, making the girls worry that they didn't do it right. Before they could speak up, a small crack formed down on Bloodgood's face. It caused a larger web of cracks to grow, slowly going outward and breaking off the stone covering piece by piece, until it turned into rubble near the woman's feet.

"Ms. Bloodgood? Are you feeling alright?" Clawdeen tentatively asked, taking a step towards the headmistress. The woman tried to take a step too, but stumbled, causing the werewolf to instinctively to move and grab her. "I'll take that as a no."

"Headmistress Bloodgood, can you hear us?" Ghoulia snapped her fingers in front of the woman's face. It seemed to wake up Bloodgood enough catch her attention. "Bloodgood, are you okay?"

"Girls?" Bloodgood tried standing up again, this time gaining some purchase before stumbling again. "What are you doing here? Where am I?"

"You're in the Catacombs, miss. Just try and stay awake for us if you can." Maddie motioned for Raven to come closer. "Can you teleport us out of here? We should probably get topside before things get too crazy. And I don't mean the fun kind of crazy."

"I got this. Everyone get close." Raven started firing up the spell as everyone moved together. She gave a sympathetic look towards Bloodgood. "Sorry to do this so soon. Hold your breath!"

And with a flicker of magic, they all disappeared.

This was the worst day of Hellscream's life. This wasn't a fact that could be easily disputed.

Running like his life depended on it, an arm and a leg rapidly losing feeling, and at his wits end as he still keeps on throwing potions behind him made sure to exhaust him. He couldn't stop though as a cacophony of roars followed behind him, along with the loud thumping of the boy- no, monster- following behind him.

Hellscream felt his instincts scream at him to move left, which he did. A tentacle hit the ground where he was, the shockwave causing him to stumble. He hit a locker in the confusion, almost making him fall completely.

He got up fast enough to avoid another tentacle from grabbing at him, this one with a claw. It damaged the locker, crushing the door to it before it was ripped off. An angry roar followed as it was thrown away.

There was no way in hell that child was human, Hellscream thought to himself. No child could do this. He had to be supernatural or something.

Maybe he'd been human before coming here. That had to be what he meant, how he avoided taking any damage from his potions. Were the Monsters trying to create more of themselves now? Were the Legends in on it? Dear lord, was this the first sign of an incoming attack on all sides?

These thoughts paraded through his mind before he made it into another hallway, nearly running face first into Crabgrass. In a violent tangle of limbs, the two landed onto the floor in a heap before they were able to get up through hurried movements.

"Well, would you look at this." Hellscream looked at the new voice, recognizing Eddy instantly. Had he been human too, trading his humanity for magic? "I was wondering when you'd show up. Good job bringing him here, Ed."

The creature that had been a boy growled lowly, keeping its eyes on the both of them. Crabgrass had finally taken a moment to see it, paling significantly at the sight. She didn't say a word as Hellscream did his best to try and stare the boys down.

"Now, even though we've said this before, I do believe it's time to give you this option again." Double D moved two metal arms up at them, ready to grab them at a moment's notice. "Surrender now or this gets worse. There's no way out of this."

"There is no possible way I'm ever going with any of you." Hellscream tried growling out, letting his hatred seep through as he glared at the boys. "I don't know what any of you actually are, but I'm not being taken in by the likes of you. I'm here to save humanity, and so help me-"

"Save humanity?" Eddy cackled at the man's declaration. "That's what you're calling all of this? Man, you must be delusional to think this'll help anybody."

"Your thought process really does seem to be very off kilter for someone who created a complex plan." Double D chuckled, metal tentacles lighting up with increased power. "Then again, I suppose that shows that you can't be helped. Ed, get them."

Despite the casual command, Ed lunged at them immediately, jaws snapping at them. Crabgrass unceremoniously grabbed him up and tried to swing away using her own plant arms before they were bit.

"Chase them down to the entrance. I'll cover up any other exits." Hellscream could hear Eddy's mirth to calculation. "They're not getting away from here, especially if the girls got everything set up."

Hellscream didn't know what the boy meant until he saw the hallway shift around him, hiding the doors behind concrete. Hallways were cut off with created walls, all slowly, but fast enough to stop them from taking them.

They were being herded. To what, he didn't have any idea.

The numbness spread, and he was starting to believe it wasn't just whatever the boy injected him with.

Cleo had started pacing not long after the call was finished, and it was starting to make the Anubis guards and Apple's knights to become nervous. Especially since she had a very concentrated look on her face.

"Everything is going to be fine. We just need to wait for them to come up." Apple's little mantra to herself as she nervously chewed her bottom lip and kept her eyes on the school didn't help things. "We just need to wait."

"If I have to wait any longer, then I'm going to go absolutely insane." The mummy didn't even look at the blonde as she said this, keeping pace. "I'd like to hear something at the very least. One thing. Just one thing."

"At the very least we know Bloodgood might be found." Apple tried to snap them out of their funk, though she didn't seem to be convincing herself. "At least maybe the others will- oh dear."

Cleo actually did stop to give the princess a raised eyebrow before a new voice came from far off.

"Apple!"

"Oh no." Cleo pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closing in annoyance. Daring was coming over to them.

The blonde boy was followed closely by his brother and sister, who looked around the scene with serious concern. The young hero-to-be stopped in front of the girl with apparent concern on his face.

"I heard you were bringing nearly every professional knight in the city here! What in the world is going on?" Daring took a look at all the knights as they milled about, keeping a perimeter around Monster High. "Is something happening? Is the school being quarantined?"

"He also wants to know why he wasn't called in to help." Darling provided slightly sarcastically. She still seemed to take all of it very seriously, the general vibe keeping her tense. "But he does have a point. This all seems really official."

"I won't lie and say that its nothing," Apple nervously started, desperately not wanting to get more people involved with this. The only reason she didn't invite Daring is because he would've made it a spectacle. "But everything is being accounted for. No need for outside interference."

"Are you sure?" Dexter was certainly feeling anxiety as the Anubis guards got into position as well. Apparently they sensed something they didn't and that was throwing him off. "It doesn't really look like nothing."

"Look, we can't afford any more variables to be in play right now. We appreciate the concern, but everything is fine." Cleo waved her hand over the campus. "Everything is under control."

This was immediately followed by a poof of magic blinding everyone for a few seconds, revealing the girls that had been in the Catacombs holding up a very tired looking Bloodgood.

"Can we please get some help here?!" Raven waved down a few wary guards, moving the headmistress towards them. "This woman needs medical attention! She's been petrified for several days!"

The Charming siblings looked at the ensuing scene before looking at the two with very confused expressions.

"…that's technically under control." Apple waved it off, trying to direct the attention away from it all. "But that's currently under control. Nothing else is happening right now."

As if on que, the doors to Monster High opened up with a bang, Crabgrass and Hellscream running out. Ed and Double D were quick to follow as they surrounded the two to prevent any escape. Apple immediately went to work directing the guards to help complete the circle.

Eddy himself burst out seconds later, suddenly taking a turn to the afterwards with fire following behind him. He slid around the entire group to eventually land right next to the rest of the group.

"…We should really stop talking." Cleo sighed, ignoring the Charming siblings very shocked expressions for now. "Eddy, how much magic do you have left?"

"Not much." The magic flames in Eddy's hands flickered weakly with magical flames. He really needed to make this one last attack count. "Take your phones out for this one. This is going to be awesome."

Eddy blasted some magic into the ground before raising his hands up to about eye level, palms open as the earth shaped up. The magic arced until it went around Hellscream and Crabgrass, the earth rising up to their necks. Eddy slammed his palms together, causing the walls to close in on the two fakes and trap them.

Cleo actually whistled at the display of power, even if Eddy looked ready to collapse afterward. "I'll give you that, that was definitely impressive."

"That was the scariest move I've ever seen." Daring blinked after seeing the display, his face only becoming more terrified as Ed shifted out of his monster form, moving to the girls holding Bloodgood. "Is that what that guy really looks like?"

"Don't worry, Ed's really friendly. He just has a really scary monster form." Apple waved it off as Ed caught up with the others, Double D close behind him. "I'd really avoid ticking him off, though. I think you'd have to try."

"Let's just get on with this first. You'll get an explanation later." Cleo walked forward to report to everyone before noticing something was off. "Hey, is somebody missing right now?"

Apple actually did take a look herself, raising an eyebrow as she mentally went through a role call in her head. She did notice a prominent red hood was missing from their lineup.

"Hey, has anybody seen Cerise?" Apple started looking around, her fellow classmate nowhere in sight. "You teleported her here with you, right Raven?"

"I should've." Raven looked around, panicking slightly as she realized the absence too. "Maybe she wasn't close enough to me when we teleported. She's probably still in the Catacombs."

"I'll go get her. She's most likely found her way out already." Double D brought out the octo-arms again, heading straight for the school. "I'll bring her here after I find her."

"I'll come with. We can split up after we get inside." Clawdeen ran to catch up with him. "Hold down the fort while we're gone!"

"We will!" Cleo waved them off, turning around to and deciding to head towards Crabgrass and Hellscream. She heard Ghoulia and Apple fall into step behind her, reaching the two as they tried to struggle out of their confines. "I hope you realize how much trouble you're in. Kidnapping a teacher and endangering our lives really isn't something you can get off with a warning from."

"You don't realize the trouble you're causing here!" Hellscream's panic was palpable, growling like a trapped animal as he kept jerking himself to and fro. "The forces you're trying to create won't survive, I swear it! I'll make sure all of you pay for this!"

"I think we can manage. Besides, it doesn't look like you'll be doing anything anytime soon." Apple motioned for their zombie friend to step up. "If you'd do the honors for us, Ghoulia."

The girl only smiled as she grabbed a handful of Powdered Gorgon Tears and blew it into the conspirators faces. Their faces as they were petrified were almost priceless.

Cerise really didn't want her friends to worry, so she had to make this quick. If she were gone too long, they'd get concerned, so she just had to find what she was looking for and go.

The teleporting spell was the perfect way to separate herself from the group and it didn't take her long to get out of the Catacombs. Eddy hadn't sealed all the exits and certainly left a trail long enough for her to determine where they met Hellscream. All she had to do afterward was search around for the trail of destruction Ed left behind running after him.

It would've taken someone a good while to reach Hellscream's (now former) office, but she was good at tracking. She learned it from her dad after all.

Cerise didn't take any time to check the area around her before opening the door to the office, rushing in. He most likely had a file and she needed to find it before someone else did. Ed had had made a mess of the place leaving, though it only took her a second to find the file labeled Badwolf on the floor.

She dove to grab it, opening it to check inside, carefully cataloging everything before closing it with a deep sigh. Some stuff looked missing and that drove her anxiety up through the roof, making her fidget.

"Cerise?"

Double D's voice startled the hooded girl immediately, almost causing her to drop the file. She turned around quickly, standing up fast enough to nearly make her lightheaded.

"Double D!" Cerise internally winced at how loud her voice came out, while Double D's was external. She hid the file behind her back so he wouldn't get a good look at it. "Didn't hear you coming! Is everything okay outside?"

"Yeah, we caught Hellscream and the imposter quite easily. Everything went according to plan for once." Double D tilted his head, suspicion slipping through. "Is something wrong? Did you find something?"

"Oh, no. I mean, I was trying to check some things out." Cerise rubbed the back of her neck, trying to act nonchalant. "Y'know, see if there was anything incriminating we can use against him. He did ask for files on some students from our school, remember?"

"Yes, but Ed was able to take those before going the hunter. He apparently left the Badwolf file here and needs us to find it." Double D looked around too, cringing at the mess. "Hopefully, we can find something in here."

"Maybe there isn't a file. Knowing Hellscream, he probably just threatened Badwolf's daughter and tried to play it off like it was something bigger." Cerise shrugged unconvincingly. "Or the thing was empty. Ed probably didn't have enough time to check it since he had to look for the Gorgon Tears and…"

Double D narrowed his eyes as Cerise started to ramble, taking another glance around the office before noticing something near his foot. When the hooded girl wasn't looking in his direction, he reached down to snatch it up, studying it before freezing.

The paper he'd found was photo, one that obviously taken without anyone permission. Badwolf himself was in it, having a picnic with three other people, smiling in a way he'd never seen before. One of them had wolf ears and a punkish appearance, who he could only assume was Ramona.

The other two attendants were a surprise, though. One was wearing an iconic red hood, setting out the food from the picnic with gentle smile on her face. It was obvious who it was, especially since it matched Cerise's own features entirely.

Cerise was sitting there too. No hood on, hair down, rolling her eyes with a fond look on her face.

And wolf ears like Ramona's.

Double D didn't realize how long he was looking at the picture before it was snatched out of his hands by a panicked Cerise. She looked over the phot briefly, hackles raised before grabbing Double D and nearly lifting the boy off his feet.

"Don't say anything." Cerise's eyes were glowing gold, panic clear and present. "Please, don't say anything. That photo wasn't real, I swear."

"You're Badwolf's daughter." Double D muttered, looking the girl carefully. Mentally, things started falling into place as this nugget of information finalized itself into my mind. "That's why you were so worried. Not just for your story, but over family."

"Don't say that out loud!" Cerise shook him as she said this, yelling without meaning too. She bit back her words after realizing that, eyes turning pleading. "Don't- please don't tell anyone. You can't tell anyone. You have no idea what this could do to us, to my family."

Double D reared back at the look, a feeling of guilt rising in his chest. "Cerise, why would you think I would-"

"Please!" Cerise gave him a small shake again. She was almost crying. "Don't say anything to anyone. I can explain everything later, you have to promise me!"

Double D's gut twisted again, mouth shutting itself. A lot of words came to the forefront, echoing in his mind. Apologies for invading her privacy, promises to keep this secret, questions about all of it. It all fought itself out in his mind before he spoke up again.

"Cerise," He started, much more calmly than he actually felt. He didn't even expect his next words either. "Have you ever heard of mutually assured destruction."

Cerise blinked back her tears, the question confusing her. Her response was shaky. "Not exactly."

"It's simple really. I have a secret that could destroy your reputation, but you have absolutely nothing on me." Double D had no idea what was spilling out his mouth, but he couldn't stop now. He had to make this right. "Nothing that, if I ever talked about this, you could say back to bring me down with you. I think we should be able to trust each other implicitly by now, but I feel I should try and make up for invading your privacy."

"Double D," Cerise stopped, taking in a deep breath. She was still on the verge of hyperventilating right now, but the new subject grounded her long enough to stave it off. "What are you getting at? You're not making any sense."

"I'll keep it brief then." Double D took in his own breath before getting serious. "Cerise, do you want to know what I am?"

The question made Cerise go silent. A look of interest did pass over on her face, though it was replaced by suspicion. "You're not supposed to talk about it though. Besides, how will I know you're telling the truth?"

"Then maybe I should just let you guess." Double D raised his hand, four fingers up. "I'll give you four guesses to understand what I am. Make them count."

Cerise frowned, mind now calm under the expecting look of her friend. She took a moment to think up of an answer. "A Monster. Some kind of mad scientist type."

"Understandable, but no. Though I do exhibit some mad scientist traits, I suppose." Double D dropped a finger, leaving three up. "Guess again."

"Then you're a Legend. Not really sure what type, but I can figure it out." Another finger fell, causing irritation to flash across her face. "Seriously? How am I wrong?"

"As I said before," Double D stated carefully, thanking the fact this exercise was calming her down. "Guess. Again."

"A hybrid?" Cerise threw her arms up, waving them as she threw it out there. "That wouldn't be too surprising. Cupid did say she was related to a god and had some skeletal monsters in her family tree."

Double D said nothing as he brought down another finger. He looked her dead in the eyes as he did this, not giving anything away.

"No?!" Cerise hackles raised, confused, and frustrated beyond belief. "How is there anything else?! You can't be anything else, that's the only answers that make sense! The only thing left you'd be is…"

Cerise stopped and Double D knew why. He sighed, waiting for the realization to settle in, hoping this gamble paid off.

"…You're a human." Cerise looked at him blankly, the boy suddenly incomprehensible to her. "You've been human this whole time. That's why you knew Hellscream was an imposter."

"Correct." Double D dropped the hand, face set in stone. "And now we both have something on each other. Things we can't tell anyone else without hurting the other and ourselves later."

"Mutually assured destruction." Cerise finally understood what he meant. He wouldn't dare tell anyone.

"Exactly." The boy coughed into his hand, doing his best to catch her attention. He raised it in front of him with a grim expression. "I won't say anything if you don't. Do we have a deal?"

Cerise hesitated, almost moving back from the outstretched hand. She stopped herself though, swallowing it with a loud gulp.

Her face just as grim as his, she grabbed his hand, deciding to extend the trust he was giving her with her own.

"Deal."

The two were so focused on this little moment that they didn't hear someone down the hallway run away as fast as they could.

A young woman ran away from the office, mind racing as fast as she was pumping her feet. She didn't stop running until she ran into a secluded bathroom, her mind mirroring her body as she nearly crashed and fell onto the floor.

Clawdeen Wolf didn't mean to hear anything at all from there, but she did. And she had no idea what do with that information next.

Just to let all of you know, I've wanted to write that second to last section for so long. As in, I've had the dialogue pictured in my head and written down since I started this fic and now I have it in front of me! I'm happy with it though, and I hope you are too.

Also? I don't know how often I've made them say this, but "Do we have a deal?" means a heck of a lot in this fic. I hope you like it.

See you all next chapter and feel free to yell at me in your comments and reviews!