Chapter: 26

Livia stretched her hand skyward careful of her shoulder which was still plagued by the untethered spell, wiggling her fingers in desperation. They, she, and Darren, were in their first history class since winter break. Christmas and New Year's passed by in a blur, a relatively calm normal uneventful blur. It was strange to have such a level of peace in their lives when usually there was some event or another that injured, terrified, or kidnapped them from that possibility of harmony. Not to say if wasn't a joyful time with family and friends. It certainly was, but it felt a tad mundane in a way that it hadn't in a long time. Livia's new 'normal' melted away to the hidden core of what was once familiar. It was a remnant of Boston, Livia's life before Gotham. Before she discovered her powers or met Darren and the Bats. When there had been time to lie in bed, laze around the house, plan for parties or dates or a get-together with friends without wondering when the other shoe would drop. When her only concern was school projects or a ballet audition.

Not that Livia would necessarily trade her current life away for the surety and normality of her recent past, she loved the people she's met, grew to love, and the relationships she's created since moving to Gotham. She loved learning about her powers, even if they scared her initially, and the truth about her parents and Baudelaire family members. If she had stayed in Boston, if Livia had never taken off that bracelet preventing her magic from blossoming, she wouldn't be where she was now. She would be living in ignorance. A peaceful beautiful lie. There would be no Steph or Tim, no Dick and Babs, no Alison or Sal...there would be no Darren. The Bats would be unknown to her, unable to celebrate holidays with her. As it was, they were all there, even Alison and Sal—much to Darren's chagrin—celebrating the holidays and peacefulness alongside her at the Wayne Manor holiday party of course. It was nostalgic with its festiveness in a way her life hadn't been recently, even if memorable on its own.

Presently, however, Livia had a bleeding headache. It ripped across her skull with no remorse. Even worse it felt like what she experienced before seeing the Other Side. A newfound ability Livia had accidentally enforced through her séance back in November. Not only had she been forced face to face with her would-be murderer, Léa, but she'd opened a subconscious door she hadn't known was closed to her before. There was no way to shut it once again either. Constantine said flare-ups were possible, even if Livia learned to close her mind to the ghosts that whispered from beyond their current level of reality. But she hadn't imagined this level of pain as they tried to force their way through to her conscious mind. Livia thought it would get easier, like working or strengthening a muscle, and that it wouldn't be like the first time she'd seen through the veil to the plane of the dead. But that certainly didn't seem to be the case.

Even though Livia was somewhat prepared, this still…felt different. There was the headache, that was familiar. There was also this tugging sensation, maneuvering alongside the headache. A deep raw feeling of tension within. Working in tandem with the force of the headache or trying to be obscured by the headache. It seemed weirdly…aware, alive, which stirred a visceral nauseous feeling in Livia's gut. It also nagged something in the back of her mind, but Livia's headache made it hard to think or make sense of what she was truly feeling. She also knew that she did not want to be in class once the ghosts started hissing in her ears. Livia had spent the better part of last year attempting to not seem insane, snapping at invisible beings would negate that effort,

"Yes, Miss Baudelaire?" Their teacher hummed airily as she glanced back from the smartboard, clearly still intent on zooming in on a specific region in Europe for their current lesson. What the class was covering that period, Livia had no idea, her head was taking up her attention,

"Can I please go to the bathroom?"

"Yes, you may," the teacher remarked flatly, not looking back from the map she was concentrating on. Livia ignored the grammatical rebuke and pushed out of her desk contraption, the stupid joint chair and desk setup, and practically stumbled over to the door nearly forgetting to take the bathroom pass on her way out.

Once in the thankfully empty hall, Livia lurched, almost like a marionette, down the checkerboard-tiled floor towards the nearest bathroom. Perhaps that was the best place to try and center herself. Away from prying eyes. The light from the wall-lined windows hurt her eyes as she passed by, Livia ducked her head, shielding her gaze from the sunlight with a hand in front of her face. The brief glimpse of the bright mid-morning sunshine had Livia's head throbbing. Livia grunted mutedly, clutching at the sides of her skull, nails digging into the thin skin at her temples. It was too much too soon; it was surely going to break—like a fever would—and the ghosts and visions would come cascading in. Overwhelming Livia as she tried to go through her school day. The thought was unappealing, and she'd go home sick if her father wasn't a doctor. He'd know Livia was lying, and she couldn't give herself Witches Pox twice now, could she? Alaric would catch on, the symptoms too repetitive and like the illness she once had that prevented her from taking a final.

With a near-silent whimper, Livia pushed into the bathroom, the door swinging shut silently behind her. After a quick glance at the bottom of all the stalls—revealing a luckily empty bathroom—Livia all but threw herself at the sinks, hands braced on the countertop, blinking wide-eyed into the mirror running the length of the wall above. No black, nothing dripping out her nose or ears, leaking from her eyes like darkened tears. The fear that the curse had taken hold once more, that clouded her heart deeply and oppressively, dissipated slightly. Not completely, as Livia didn't know what to expect from the spirits that flocked to her once she was pulled into these trances. It wasn't as if the two separate worlds merged, more like Livia had one foot in reality and the other In the Other Side…literally. She maneuvered through her everyday life but was seeing and interacting with the Other Side. That world's layout did not match the world's reality. It was cracked, broken, chaotic and more often than not, blocked by shattered staircases or debris from a destroyed wall. Livia hadn't been exposed long enough the first time she saw the spirits to see if she could still walk around as if fully in reality when a vision was brought on. Livia didn't want to test drive that theory during the school day.

Livia winced as another wave of pain rolled through her head, gritting her teeth and ducking her head, her gaze slicing away from her reflection in the mirror. The headache felt odd, weird, there was that tugging sensation, that pull downward. To what, Livia didn't know, or couldn't describe. There was a pressure mounting alongside the tugging, like something working to break the surface of a wave in the ocean. A pressure Livia couldn't quite comprehend…almost psychosomatic, an extreme level of agony assigned to something minute. Something to pull attention…and resources too.

Realization dawned as Livia jerked upright, a strangled "no" breaking through her lips as she scrabbled desperately for something to hold onto…mentally…as she teetered metaphorically at the edge of a cliff hanging over the blank blackened abyss in the pit of her mind, her subconscious. But it was too late. There was no sound, no thought as Livia tipped backward, plummeting into oblivion within herself.

With a light gasp, Klarion—He/She/Them—awoke, red eyes gleaming.

Darren stared after Livia as she hurried out of the room, ignoring the droning history lesson Darren had endured once already with the Court, a tight frown on his lips. However calmly she played off the bathroom request it seemed to Darren that Livia had been in pain. He wasn't a stranger to hidden pain, as someone who has attempted to hide it and escape it throughout his life. His pain he could endure, Livia's pain he couldn't withstand. While initially, he thought it had been her shoulder, still cursed by an untethered spell, however, the assumption all didn't feel quite right either. There were no signs that she was in distress or unwell, but something curled in Darren's gut like a venomous snake. Call it precognition, though his head remained ache-free, but there was an unease within him. It had started once Livia raised her hand and remained for moments after her departure. Something wasn't right, he didn't know exactly, but it was there. Seeping through the cracks of logic trying to tell Darren to ignore his instinct.

Without prompting Darren's thoughts flashed to Livia's abduction by the Siphoner cult, to the revelation afterwards that Klarion was still aware, within Livia…like some inner conscious. The secret Darren promised not to reveal and the promise he'd unknowingly made way back when the Court had been successfully blackmailed. Also, to the fact that they don't know what happened to the cult or how Livia had escaped. Her lack of memory once thought a blessing was now something somewhat suspect with the newfound knowledge Darren had. He knew it wasn't Livia who was truly capable of that kind of destruction and malice, and yet, it was still a possibility even if Klarion was the true culprit. Even so, Livia's departure from the class could have just been a headache, or an actual need to go to the bathroom, or something to do with her menstrual cycle. Darren only had his instinct to go off…this was all he had, and it was all he needed. If Livia was in danger, if the school was somehow in danger, if he was in danger—the strange dark ability Livia had circled his thoughts—he couldn't stand by.

Silently, Darren disentangled himself from his desk, walking as if a ghost over the linoleum floors aiming towards the door. The teacher's back was turned, she was writing a series of dates on the board, fully focused on what she was doing, not aware of his movements in the reflection of the screen or of his shadow from the bright florescent school lighting. Complete unawareness. One person's weakness was Darren's advantage, and he'd take it where and when he could. The other students merely glanced uninterested in his direction or were focused on their notes, and phones or didn't care about him as he crept down the lineup of desks. Without further thought or care, especially to the fact that if he got another detention, he'd most likely be benched from patrol again, Darren slipped out the door, closing it behind him with barely a click.

The hallway was relatively empty, a student or two hurrying back from their own bathroom breaks or to a different class or the cafeteria for their lunch. Faculty members passed by occasionally, off to meetings or for their break room to get coffee and food. Darren slowed his somewhat hurried pace around the teachers, but they paid no mind. It was late in the afternoon; their minds were on the end of the school day. There weren't many bathrooms on this floor, so not many places for Livia to go off to if the bathroom was her actual destination. It felt wrong to…doubt…Livia in this way, to think that anything she might have said was ingenuine, but the feeling of protectiveness and unease were coiling within him. The hair on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end and while there was no jumping out of his own awareness into a third-person view of himself Darren knew without a doubt that this was a different form of his precognitive ability. He'd explore what that meant concerning the ability, and his control of it, later. Now was time to think about Livia.

Darren caught up to Livia as he rounded the corner aiming for the second woman's bathroom on that floor, she was halfway down the hall walking in the opposite direction from their classroom which set off alarm bells in Darren's head. Livia wasn't like Darren; she wasn't one to go off and wander after requesting to go to the bathroom. She wouldn't leave the classroom without any reason or care, and she certainly wouldn't not come back. Not without a clear genuine reason. That wasn't like her. Livia looked normal; nothing was out of place in her appearance. It was her movement, the way she walked that seemed odd. She moved disjointedly as if stiff or sore…limping almost,

"Livy?" Darren called, continuing towards her. Relief cooled in his gut even as his uncertainty and worry roiled corrosively within him. Livia stopped after way too long a moment of disjointed walking as if she hadn't heard him, tilting her head to the side—her back still to him—seeming to consider whether to turn around. A moment of silence passed, stretching too long for comfort. Darren almost spoke again, mouth opening to call for her when Livia turned around suddenly. Her movement was too fast to be normal. Darren reeled back as Livia, with an attempt of a sweet smile, answered him,

"Yes?"

It didn't sound like Livia, not Darren's Livia. Her voice was too rough, as if unused or worn out, vocal cords that felt alien. The smile that graced Livia's face too harsh, teeth bared in a sharp grimacing grin. Muscles that moved in unfamiliar ways. But that wasn't what had Darren jerking away, that wasn't what shocked Darren to his core. It was her eyes, narrowed and sharp, that had Darren's heart in his throat. Where once there had been beautiful, earthy, golden green irises was now a deep blood-red gaze glaring down the long narrow hallway at him. That wasn't Livia, it was physically…but whatever was there behind those crimson eyes was not Livia it was not the woman Darren loved. That was a demon, that was Klarion. They were both too late, they thought they'd have more time to figure out the extent of Klarion's control. Obtain more of a layout within Livia's mind before including the Bats to their knowledge.

But Klarion was walking in her skin, and if this was happening right then and there, then who is to say it hasn't happened before? How many times has Klarion taken control of Livia's body? Does Livia even know, is she aware within herself, screaming and pounding to be let out. Desperately trying to reach out to Darren…he couldn't tell. Darren couldn't be sure how much of Livia was in there…and that thought killed him, destroyed him…terrified him.

Darren didn't know how long he stood staring dumbly at Livia but when he finally found his voice it was only to rasp across the expanse of the hallway,

"You're not Livia," and then he was upon her, he flew through the remaining feet between them practically slamming into her as he grabbed her shoulders and sent them both heaving into the nearby lockers, crashing against them nosily and roughly. Less than stellar subtlety on Darren's part. But he didn't care. Not in that moment. His only thought and care was on Livia and the demon that now had control of her body.

Livia, no Klarion's, crimson eyes widened, shock and even perhaps a little fear flickered within their sharp gaze, though she didn't cry out in pain as she struck metal—it was as if the impact wasn't even registered, it wasn't in their awareness—instead she strained against Darren's fierce hold, trying to break free—if Klarion was unnerved by the strength Darren exerted, he…she…they didn't show it,

"I what—?" she stammered in her harsh frog-like voice,

"Don't pretend, don't even try. I know it's you Klarion," Darren hissed. It was as if speaking the demon's name broke the spell and a different look gleaned its way into Livia's fake gaze, aloofness, ire…amusement as a slow grin curled at her lips,

"Hmm, how interesting. Might I ask what tipped you off?" Darren was taken aback by the casual question. He stared at her a moment, expecting a trick, some sort of attempt to escape,

"That doesn't matter," Darren hissed, shaking her slightly, "Release her now!"

"Oof, that untethered spell really burns. I wonder how she gets through it, day in and day out. Mortals are so fragile, aren't they?" Livia breathed into the small space between them, their faces were close. Those vivid red eyes so wide and threatening,

"You don't seem too concerned, might as well let her go. You don't want too much attention on yourself. You might look like her, but you won't fool anyone else with those eyes,"

"Ha! You think just anyone can see my eyes? You're insignificant, an anomaly, a nuisance, one I intend to remove permanently,"

"You wouldn't do that," Darren retorted, miffed by the eye statement, though doubt shuttered his confidence, Klarion was not above hurting young kids to get what he wanted—Livia's brother was proof of that. He wasn't beyond murder either, if what Darren suspected happened to the Siphoners proved to be fact,

"You forget what power I have, and I don't care if I kill you," Klarion murmured, almost docilely as he lifted a hand, twisting his…her…their shoulder out of Darren's ironlike grasp. The spiraling dark twisting mass of blackened magic twisted into existence, wrapping around Livia's hand as they reached for Darren's chest. Using his Talon speed Darren snatched Livia's wrist, mindful of the magic that twisted dangerously close to his chest,

"You won't kill me," he insisted, trying to keep the edge of desperation from his voice. He'd seen what this magic did to Talons,

"You seem to think I care," Livia's doppelganger mused, "As you said, I'm not your dear, dear Livia,"

"You don't know my value," Darren growled, Livia's eyebrow quirked, a frown lacing her face,

"Value, what, as her lover? You're an insect, a bug. So easily squashed," Klarion attempted to jerk Livia's hand free from Darren's grip, but Darren held firm, prying the hand back against the section of metal lockers off to his right, which glazed over in a sheen of inky-grey black before crumbling to dust. Livia—Klarion let out a snarling hiss, summoning the power again trying in vain the break free from Darren's hold. Ignoring the attempt, and the magic spinning dangerously near his head, Darren leaned in closely as if to whisper a secret in Livia's ear,

"I'm a Talon…more importantly, I'm an Anchor. I hear those are rare and important to your kind," Livia, Klarion, didn't say anything. But he could see the shift in her eyes, the light of intrigue and desire…and not the desire he was accustomed to from his girlfriend as the magic encircling her wrist sputtered and died out,

"I might not kill you, but you'll let me go. You're doing my work for me. That loud commotion, someone is bound to have heard. And what will they think upon coming to this scene? It's my word against yours…we're in a stalemate,"

"No, we're not, you can't kill me, and I have a promise to keep," Darren breathed, steeling himself as he threw himself forward and slammed Livia's head into what remained of that section of metal lockers. With a resounding crash, Livia slumped forward, unconscious into Darren's arms. The sound of running feet and resounding voices reached Darren's ears and glancing around, starting to feel desperate, he eyed the nearby woman's bathroom.

An echoing knock on the door broke Darren from his mildly panicked pacing in front of the first three stalls of the girl's bathroom. He turned on his heel and made a beeline for the door, opening it barely a crack even at seeing Stephanie's blonde hair and brown eyes and perturbed expression,

"I got your text Dare, what's with all the frantic secrecy?" Steph demanded,

"Did you get it?"

"Of course I got it—,"

"—And no—,"

"—No Tim," Stephanie finished with him. Darren stepped back allowing her entry, "No idea why no Tim," she sighed, shaking her head. Darren, instead of answering merely gestured to the middle stall where Livia slumped unconscious on the toilet,

"Oh my God," Stephanie breathed, "Please tell me you didn't kill her,"

"She's not dead!" Darren snapped indignantly, "Just…knocked out!"

"Like that's any better? How long has she been like that? Why is she knocked out and why are you holed up in here acting like a skittish criminal?"

"Because I am a skittish criminal!"

"So you did do this…why?"

"I…ugh…I can't tell you, but I assure you it was for a very good reason and a very good cause,"

"You tell me now or I call Tim. Also again…why no Tim?" Stephanie held up her phone menace in her gaze,

"Because he's going to yell at me and I thought you wouldn't yell at me…and here you are, yelling at me," Darren reached to snag the device from her hand, but Stephanie jumped out of the way,

"Because my best friend is unconscious in the toilet! Why are you hiding in the toilet?"

"It was the closest place I could think of to hide, which is why I needed you to grab Tim's handheld holo-computer. I need to scrub the cameras," Darren reached out for the holo-pad clutched in Stephanie's other hand, but she darted out of his reach yet again. They were brokenly dancing around the bathroom at that point, and it was starting to annoy Darren,

"Why?"

"I used my abilities to…knock her out, Steph, this is a matter of protecting all of our identities,"

"Why. Did. You. Knock. Her. Out?" Stephanie demanded, backing away towards the bathroom door,

"Klarion! Klarion is why!" Darren finally snapped, unable to keep Livia's secret while also maintaining his own if Stephanie kept denying him the chance to wipe the school's cameras before a faculty member tries to investigate the noises they heard,

"What?" Stephanie gasped, her hand dropping as her gaze snapped to where Livia was still slumped over on the toilet, "I thought he was gone,"

"So did I," Darren agreed, "But he's not, he walks in Livia's skin like a puppet-master," Stephanie shuddered, and Darren couldn't help but feel the chill that swept over him at hearing the words out loud,

"How many other times—?"

"I don't know. I don't think even she knows…I-I couldn't tell if she was there at all." Darren could practically see all the other moments, the possibilities of when Klarion could have been aware and using Livia's body fly through Stephanie's mind, see the reality settle on her shoulders…the gravity, the danger of that reality. She swallowed stiffly before looking to Darren once more,

"I'm…I'm sorry for doubting you…or I guess thinking badly of you I should say. And I'm sorry that you had to see her like that, it probably wasn't easy to do that to your girlfriend…let alone someone you love,"

"It wasn't," Darren said quietly. A pause settled between them until Darren finally reached out for the holo-device, "I need to cover our tracks,"

"Oh right," Stephanie handed him the computer as she moved closer to Livia, checking to make sure she was alright even while unconscious. As Darren set to work erasing the video footage,

"You know you could have told Tim too, right?" Steph murmured off-handedly,

"Perhaps," Darren muttered uncommittedly, "But I wanted to call you,"

"Me? Why?"

"Because you're her friend…and she might not be too happy to see me when she wakes up,"

"Oh Darren, you know that's not true. You did this to save her. She knows you wouldn't willingly hurt her!"

"I made her a promise," Darren found himself saying, "I didn't realize at the time what she meant or why she had me do it,"

"What was the promise?" Before Darren could answer, Livia let out a groan and shifted slightly. Stephanie let out a yelp as Darren shifted to move protectively in front of her, arms out and ready—for what he wasn't sure—Stephanie peered over his shoulder…the two of them stood tense and uncertain at the bathroom stall's opening,

"Do you think this was enough time for her to you know…get back to herself?" Stephanie whispered at his shoulder, as if Livia—Klarion—could hear them,

"I don't know, I wasn't exactly informed on the specifics of this," Darren muttered, "But I'll know it when I see her eyes,"

"Her eyes?" Stephanie questioned. The bell for the next period blared before Darren could respond, causing him to wince and clutch his ears—he wasn't expecting it, too tense and focused on Livia, the sound was grating on his enhanced hearing,

"Shit," Stephanie muttered, "Bathroom rush!" Out of desperation, Darren threw himself into the narrow stall, pulling Stephanie in with him. She closed and locked the door while Darren hoisted Livia into his arms and hopped up onto the toilet with her limp in his lap, crouching low enough that his head wouldn't be seen over the tops of the stalls. Sure enough, moments after the door was thrown open and a few girls hurried in to use the restroom.

Darren and Stephanie stood and crouched in the bathroom stall in petrified silence, frozen as they waited for the all-clear. Eventually, the sea of students coming and going died down until only two or three were in the stalls, both Darren and Stephanie relaxed somewhat, eager to get out and hopefully revive Livia. Unfortunately, Livia shifted in Darren's arms causing him to pitch forward on the toilet seat, and his foot hit the water with a loud splash. Stephanie threw him a look as Darren grimaced at the feeling of a wet shoe and sock. A girl off to their left let out an amused snort. An instant later Livia let out a groan. Darren smacked a hand over her mouth, which caused her to snap awake, green-gold eyes blinking rapidly. Stephanie clapped a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out in shock while Darren threw a quick thumbs up to let her know everything was all good. Livia stared at them with wide eyes, Darren merely mimed being silent,

"Are you okay in there?" A girl asked as she stepped out to wash her hands. Darren, Livia, and Stephanie exchanged frantic looks before Stephanie dropped her hands in exasperation,

"Yeah, totally fine…just, that meatloaf surprise from lunch getting to me!" Steph shrugged in response to Livia and Darren's questioning looks,

"Stephanie is that you?" the girl responded. Stephanie tilted her head back with a grimace, clearly unhappy about being found out in the bathroom,

"Uh…yup, it's me," Stephanie replied helplessly. Darren's other foot slipped off the lip of the toilet, landing thankfully on solid ground but forcing him to throw a hand out on the metal wall of the stall to keep both him and Livia from tumbling to the floor. Stephanie glared at Darren while he grimaced an apology,

"Is someone else in there with you?" the girl questioned alarmed,

"No! That would be ridiculous and stupid and weird…again, just not feeling well and uh, I lost my balance,"

"Want me to get the nurse?" A different girl asked, the second to last girl in the bathroom with them, the others had left which left the girl who knew Stephanie and the remaining girl just leaving the stall to wash her hands,

"No! I'm fine, you guys just head to class!"

"Okay, if you're sure." Darren held his breath waiting for the swishing sound of the main door opening and closing before letting Livia get to her feet—she grimaced and put a hand to her head as she leaned the other on the bathroom wall for support—and pulled his foot out of the toilet,

"Well, that was an absolute disaster," Stephanie sighed, putting a hand to her heart,

"Are you okay?" Darren asked, immediately reaching for Livia. She let him gently turn her head to the side to see if there was any blood,

"I'm fine. Really. Thank you…but I can heal myself," Livia sighed, taking Darren's hand in her own and giving it a squeeze…the gesture reassured Darren that he was forgiven for the head slam, though the act still felt unnerving. As unnerving as seeing strange and unnatural crimson eyes bearing into him from the person he loved, "I guess the worst has happened?"

"I say we get out of here and find Tim…then we discuss. I think we've learned from the past year that keeping these kinds of secrets just leads to more trouble," Stephanie muttered, opening the stall door,

"I'd say no…but…after what just happened, I couldn't even do anything to stop it. It came on so suddenly—Klarion took hold of me, m-my body and mind so suddenly…I couldn't stop it," Livia sounded stunned and scared,

"It's your secret, your choice," Darren stated,

"I think there's no hiding this anymore," Livia admitted,

"Then let's go…now," Stephanie said, leading the way out of the extremely stressful bathroom, her phone out as she sent an SOS to Tim.

As the bathroom door slipped shut behind the three of them, a group of students passed by a stream of whispers and glances following their wake,

"Great…that's going to be a fun rumor to deal with. C'mon, let's go before we cause even more scandal." Stephanie sighed in exasperation.

A/N: Happy Holidays! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Short and sweet and creepy! Had a ton of fun writing out Darren's interactions with Klivia. The sort of grotesque kind of descriptions of something else moving around in someone's body. Very 'Grandma what big teeth you have' kind of vibes. It was also significant that Darren revealed his anchor status to Klarion. How the demon might use that information could be catastrophic in the long run, especially on top of everything else Darren has had to deal with this entire series and especially when this person who might use that information wears the face of his girlfriend.

I also had super fun writing Darren's interaction with Stephanie. It felt like a while since we had a one-on-one interaction with Darren and Steph so I fit that in here. Their panicked energy matches really well and I thought it was super comedic.

In the end the Klarion cat is out of the bag, what this means for Livia remains to be seen.

As always PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!