Pilot

We are dead, because neither Rawson nor I will leave Rome. This means we will die here.

Elenna fall on the ground and just started crying. She couldn’t help it, but she felt so useless. Even more useless then the day her brother died.

“Pull yourself together, you know what to do!” The voice of Nick was ringing in her ears, well maybe it was just the concussion. She probably had one after all the rubble that crashed onto her.

Damn he is right. I won’t die here and I also won’t one of the boys die. Andre would never tell us the real time he needs to bust out so I guess we have less than an hour.

Elenna took a deep breath, feeling that she had broken or bruised some of her rips. She felt how her appearance changed; she left the helpless little girl back on the floor and stood as the confident hunter in front of Andre. She could see the bathroom from where she was standing, the door was open and she could see the expensive bathtub. Elenna turned around to Rawson.

“Rawson? Watch him, don’t say anything and don’t do anything, not even try to do anything. And seriously stop just holding the shotgun as it is a pretty purse. Damn it shot when Andre tries to bust out. I need to do something!”

She walked slowly into the bathroom and closed the door. She couldn’t stop smiling. She turned the tap from the bathtub on, the drain was closed. “Exorcizo te creature acquae in nomine Deo, patris omnipotentis et in virtute Spiritu Sancti.”

The door opened and Elenna stepped out of it with a water filled bucket.

”That is for being such a pain-in-the-ass!”

She dumped the water; it had the same effect as the time when she saved Rawson.

“I am not a witch! So you will never meet me downstairs. I use much better powers. If you want call it white magic. The power is around us and with the right symbol and with a little concentration everyone can use these powers surrounding us. And just because I feel in a share and care mood, I am Elenna Fee and trust me a lot of your friends downstairs know me, so get in line for your revenge.”

Elenna continued her ritual to dump buckets full of Holy Water onto Andre. After a while, if she had checked her watch Elenna would have known that already half an hour passed, she gave Rawson the bucket.

“Use the water from the tub, and don’t stop until I tell you to stop. Go!”

She turned back to face Andre.

“Contremisce et effuge, invocato a
nobis sancto et terribili nomine,
quem inferi tremunt.
Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.
Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias
libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.
Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris,
te rogamus, audi nos.
Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae
te rogamus, audi nos.
Terribilis Deus de sanctuario suo.
Deus Israhel ipse truderit virtutem
et fortitudinem plebi Suae.
Benedictus Deus. Gloria Patri.”

Elenna had just finished the exorcism when her phone suddenly vibrated in her pocket.

You’re a moron. Of course they are real, and according to some legends they are a binding link to. It won’t help when you try to take them off, you will never succeed in trying. The only way to get them off is by the host's own willpower. Call me when you finished the job. Otherwise I will send the cavalierly. Bobby

This are actually good news. Gosh Bobby you will get a bottle of whiskey from me the next time I'll see you.

Elenna grabbed Rawson by his arm and pulled him away from Andre.

“Rawson, the bracelets, they are a binding link. That means it effectively locks Andre inside of Rome. It is like the ruby slippers of Dorothy, they only way to get them of is by Rome’s own willpower. We have to get Rome in control. I can’t do this; you have to find a way to give Rome this strength to take over the control.”

With every drop of water that touched his skin--for water it was, it had to be, he was sure of it--that burned the demon like fire and acid but left him unscathed--Romulus felt himself growing stronger. He was almost cognizant enough by the end of the dousing to cheer them on:

Come on, Raws, keep going! And I don't know who your girlfriend is, but she's pretty hot and seems to know her stuff. He wasn't sure what the end result would be: they might just as well continue to be unsuccessful--he might continue to be weak in the face of the demon--his brother might end up dead and he'd be possessed forever, but this gave him hope. Mainly because it distracted the demon from whatever it was trying to do to destroy the house.

"They'll never save you, you know. This show? Fun for a while, but it won't last forever. I'm too firmly entrenched here. These bracelets? All I need to keep me bound inside you, better than lock and key. And I will be out of this circle and they will be dead before you even have a chance to scream."

Rome felt rage building, slowly, giving him strength, but with every struggle, with every outside onslaught from Rawson and Elenna, Andre only bore down on his brain all the harder, clawing and clutching and hurting as bits of Romulus Remington slipped out of his grasp. The demon lashed out against the only thing that he still had the power to hurt: and that was Rome himself. It wasn't long before the holy water showers hurt Rome just as much as they hurt Andre.

Didn't I say they provided a strong link? I guess it makes sense they could work as a binding- especially since the temple writing alluded to the fact that when both bracelets were worn by the same person, they could only be removed by choice. This is just great. And I don't see how making Andre squirm is doing anything to help Rome. Frack this.

Rawson didn't really have that much to live for. He had a lot of cash he wanted to spend before he died, but giving that to the rest of the family wasn't such a bad thing. And his only unfinished business was writhing in pain a short distance from him. So, if one were to look at the situation objectively- and that was what Rawson was trained to do- he had a lot to win and very little to lose. As they sing in Evita, "when risk is sleight, one take's one's stand."

Last time they had fought, Rome had broken through when Andre was trying to kill Rawson. And that was something he could use. Because he was probably the most important thing in the world to his brother right now. Especially given what had just happened to their parents.

Thus decided, and hoping Rome would pull through for him, Rawson threw the bucket as hard as he could into the adjacent room, hoping it would take Elenna a moment to get it.
"Romie? Hey kiddo." Andre looked up at him, but Raws imagined Rome was in there too. "We can't get him out unless the bracelets come off, and only you or he can remove them, 'kay? I need you to take them off. You get a chance, you do that; don't worry about me."

And unflinchingly, without a second of hesitation, Rawson stepped into the Devil's Trap.

With the very first gentle "Romey," from his brother's lips, Romulus managed to prick his ears up, though at the same time, and with equal force, he felt Andre scrabbling to drag him down. Down into the abyss of nothingness, where he could neither see nor hear what was going on around him, as good as if he was unconscious.

No. No, he couldn't. Not when Rawson was right there, trying to save him. Not when Andre could get out at any moment and kill his brother and his pretty little girlfriend, too.

No. If Andre tore his soul to shreds he wasn't going down without a struggle.

Not this time, dirtbag! You're not so tough in here that I can't fight you!

Andre's laughter echoed around he head, and he realized it was bubbling up in his throat as well, more by the look of shocked unease on Rawson's face than by listening with his ears. "And very little good it will do you, too. I'm still in control here. Fighting will only get you in trouble. And here I thought we had an understanding, Romulus. You behave, I don't kill the people you love."

Andre was still blocking him out, dragging him down, wrestling him, hog-tying him, but Romulus kicked and punched and wriggled and bit inside his own meatsuit so hard that he almost didn't hear his brother's words:

"--get him---bracelets come off--you or he can remove--I need you to take them off."

Take off the bracelets? Oh, sure, 'cause that'll work when I can't even friggen blink. Frack you, Raws, you try this!

"You get a chance, you do that; don't worry about me."

And then Rawson was in the circle with him. Fear gripped him by the throat. The kind of fear that made him freeze, paralyzed him, made him weak and unable to do anything, that gave Andre the edge over him. No. NO!! Rawson, you moron, get out! Get out!! He'll kill you!!

"Wow." Andre laughed, blinked, as if he couldn't believe his luck. "Just, wow."

"What's this?" Andre asked out loud. "Are you presuming I'm willing to deal when I have all the cards? Not a great negotiation style, but, then, I'm no Crossroader, so I'm not in the dealing business."

"Take off the bracelets," Rawson growled, low in his chest.

Rome could see he was afraid--and Raws was never afraid--as he stood there, fists balled, ready to defend himself but unwilling to step out of the circle.

"I assure you, I have no intention of--" Andre began, grinning, before he just stopped, staring off into space, as what was going on inside his meatsuit suddenly became more interesting than what was happening outside.

He's not talking to you, Romulus growled, with equal force and venom.

For the second time in one day, Andre, Hades' Treasure, Commander of Legions, felt a twinge of fear. So he did the only thing he could do, backed into a corner like he was: he fought tooth and nail.

Rawson knew what he had just done was stupid- he could admit that. But until Andre launched at him, Rawson hadn't remembered how damn fast the demon was. Intellectually, perhaps, but there was nothing like actually being in a fight against that strength and speed.

Weirding way my ass.

And that was the last thought Rawson had time to have, as he was suddenly engaged in a no holds barred brawl against a super-strong opponent whose only weaknesses were his inability to move outside of the circle, and he nice sizzling effect the water covering the floor had on him.

Rawson ducked, rolled, splashing up some of the water that was soaked through the carpet as he tried to move out of the way of Andre's lunge. He failed to escape the grasping hands completely, but his momentum combined with the holy water spray let him get out of Andre's clutches moments later. He could already tell he was going to have bruises from that.

"Really, that's all you're good for? I mean, come on. You can do better than that," Rawson taunted. He crouched down, rubbing his arms in the water as he smirked at Andre. "I thought you were going to kill me or something."

Andre looked furious. And his next attack came without regard to his own pain, his sole focus being on snuffing the life out of Rawson.

Well, part one accomplished- he's too pissed off to be thinking much. I hope. Romie, bro, you better hurry it up and fight this sucker or I'm going to end up very, very dead.

And Rawson felt something that should have been fear as he found Rome's body on top of him once again.

Cognitive thought very quickly became an asset Rome just didn't have. It was all adrenaline, all fight-or-flight, all do-or-die, he had one goal and that was kicking this demonic bastard to the curb, and to do that, he had to get the bracelet off.

Hearing his brother's cries of pain really only made him more frantic, more terrified, more urgently determined to rid the world of this demon, to rid his wrist of this shackle.

Fight. Kill. Get the bracelet off.

Romulus knew he was losing it. No longer the calm, collected, personable Romulus, but instead a bundle of nerves and rage and terror, of synapses all firing at once, that knew only that this bracelet had to come off, or his brother was going to die.

There was a fight going on outside. Two fights, actually. He registered pain, faintly, but no more than he registered that his brother was in pain. The second fight was, however, far more important. It was the fight between he and Andre. A fight to get this damned thing off of him!

Trapped. Back against the wall. Fight, bite. Scratch, kick, scream, hate, die.

Andre was literally shredding his mind, refusing to allow Romulus any power and making him fight scorched-earth style for every ounce of strength.

Rome smelled blood, and looked to Rawson in horror, but the blood was coming from his own wrist, bloodied now as he tried clawing at his hand to get it off. Get off!

"You think you can defeat me?!" Andre shrieked, reverberating through his mind like a fire alarm. "I will place your brother's head upon a spike and drag his carcass back to Hell! And you will be mine for all eternity!"

No.

So it wasn't his best comeback, but he was a little low on wit right now, since every fibre of his being was busy being squared against fighting Andre. He was already exhausted, but all power rerouted to this one purpose. And Andre really was scared. He could feel it now.

Rawson felt the difference in the fight. His fight with Andre rose and fell like rollers on the ocean. And that gave him hope that the second fight- the fight between Andre and Romulus- was in full swing.

Even with Andre at a disadvantage, however, it wasn't exactly an easy fight. And when they were at the highest point of the swell and Andre was concentrating fully on him, he was fighting for his own survival.

But when the swell was at it's lowest point, twice already, Rawson swore he saw a flicker of green in the pitch-black eyes. And a pulled punch, at one point, and a hesitation in Romulus' body.

When Rawson saw the blood coating Rome's wrist, he concentrated on it for a moment. The bracelets were still on, he realized, but it was apparently a real fight for Andre to keep them on. It was a second's thoughtfulness that Rawson really couldn't afford. Rome always had been his weakness, and worrying about Rome's fight wasn't something he should be doing.

In the next moment, Rawson found himself on the floor, again, with a hand on his throat. And despite the flickering that was starting to make Andre's eyes look like strobe lights, the squeezing hand wasn't loosening. And black dots were taking over, slowly blotting out Andre's face- Rome's face.

Rome fought. But Andre fought harder.

There was an unearthly crack!, and with it, the marble floor snapped in two, a large black crack like a streak of lightning running through the outer circle. Andre had escaped. The demon had won.

The green eyes snapped black, like someone had turned out the lights.

Rome had no choice but to let go of the fight with his brother. I'm sorry, Raws.

The look of despair and betrayal in his brother's eyes was more than Rome could handle, and when Rawson's eyes went fuzzy, the lips bluing, strength slackening, Rome looked away. Andre was pressing his elbow hard into Rawson's throat, feeling the last of his life ebbing away with the air.

I couldn't do it, Raws, I'm sorry. I couldn't keep him from hurting you and get the bracelet off.

So when he let Andre have his way with his brother, the demon ignored his left wrist for just long enough that Romulus could wrench the offending piece of jewelry off. With all his strength he threw it away, as far as he could from himself.

Then it was like someone plugged a vacuum up to his mouth and turned it on, because Andre--now reduced to a black smoke--poured out of him like a jetstream, like a fire hose. He scrabbled and clamored for a hold, but he was too riddled with pain as the exorcism laid authoritative hands on him, dragging his ass down to Hell where it belonged. Rome was too far gone to feel any exuberance, only exhaustion, as the empty threat "I'll be back," echoed around in his head.

Things very quickly went black, and Rome felt himself falling, but it wasn't scary this time. Well, it wasn't much of anything, he was kind of mainly numb, but what he fell onto was real, corporeal, not the nothingness of his mind: it was his brother. That he felt the rise and fall of his chest beneath him was his only comfort as Rome lost himself in unconsciousness. Importantly, though, he was himself, now.

Rawson distantly felt the pressure on his throat desist. Moments later, a familiar weight fell onto his chest, making it harder to breath.

"Rome."

He wrapped his arms lightly around Rome, and concentrated on breathing. In and out. It shouldn't be so difficult to accomplish so small a task. In, and out.

And slowly, his vision started to clear. He could see the large crack in the ceiling overhead, the chandelier hanging precariously at an odd angle. Looking down, he saw the tousled hair of his twin, who was breathing shallowly with hitched breaths. And farther back, outside the circle, Elenna looked on.

Rawson sat up slowly, rolling Rome onto his back. He was bleeding- and from wounds that definitely weren't from this fight. Bullet holds, and damage to his elbow and thigh where Rawson had stabbed him back on the road the last time they had met. A messed up hand, and some sort of a wound to his ribs. He needed medical attention sooner rather than later.

"Elenna," Rawson snapped. "Keep an eye on him- yell if his breathing gets any worse. Don't touch him." He touched Rome's cheek briefly, and stumbled to his feet, quickly walking deeper into the house, left hand bracing him against the door. "I'm getting a med-kit," he called back belatedly. And then to himself, "Lords of Kobol I hope mom hasn't moved 'em."

He glanced into the room he was passing, and immediately wished he hadn't. His mother was lying on the floor, just like Andre had said. He'd have to take care of her and father before they left. But for now, he med-kit. That was his priority.

And, because his mother was a brilliant but logical person, they were still in the kitchen. He grabbed the case from the cupboard ("with you two boys I need the most medical equipment possible at home- honestly, we might as well move you to a clinic just to save time") and started back toward the main entrance.

Elenna watched the fight as if it would be a movie.

Rome? We don’t die? It worked, I can’t believe it.

“As if I would dare to touch him, Rawson. I know you barely look at me, but I am bleeding and in pain and so not in the mood to touch a guy.” shouted Elenna after Rawson.

Elenna looked around and saw for the first the house from the inside.

Damn they are rich boys. S*** I guess they have a security system. Okay dead owner, we have to cover our tracks.

Slowly Elenna stood up, feeling in every part of her body pain.

I hate crashing into walls, I really do! I wish at least someone would ask if I am okay. I mean I help him to safe his brother. It is like it is; no one cares if I am dead or alive.

Elenna went back in the bathroom and hoped she would find some bleach.

We have to remove the blood, we have to get away and we have to let the death appear as if someone broke in the house stole something and killed the parents.

Elenna started to clean the blood and all surfaces she might had left her finger prints. Systematically she cleaned everything and collected her belongings, the shotgun and her rosary in the bathroom.

Rawson was back and she said to him, even so she wasn’t sure that he was listening.

“Rawson, do you have security cameras in the house? We need the tapes from them! We have to leave the house as soon as possible and sorry to say this but we can’t do anything for your parents. We drive somewhere safe and call the police. But we need to make sure, we have to make sure that we don’t leave any evidence that we were here tonight! I know you wanna help Romulus first, but it won’t help him when the police find him. They don’t believe in something like demon possessions. Are you listening Rawson? Sorry I hate being like this right now, but I just want to leave, take a shower and sleep somewhere safe. Please Rawson.”

Tears of pain, relieve and fear were running down Elenna’s cheeks.

"We're not talking right now," Rawson answered without looking up. He'd managed to set the fingers however, amateur his efforts were, and from what he could tell there wasn't anything as bad as a punctured lung. But he wouldn't really be the person to know. He just thanked whoever might be listening that Rome hadn't stopped breathing while Elenna Fee was busy making sure she couldn't be tied to this house.

He pulled out a cell phone and hit speed dial seven. "Hey, it's R. I need you to clean up a building for me. $20,000 in your account- half before half after, but it has to be tonight. I'll text the address. I need it to look like a robbery attempt- and it needs to be perfect." He paused for a moment, listening. "Yes, I know you're the best, that's why I'm hiring you. One man job- clean and reset the area. No chance of repercussions- just don't leave your fingerprints in this. Good. You'll get the address within the hour." He snapped the phone shut.

Alright- how much are we willing to be that Rome doesn't have more than a cracked rib? Doesn't look too bad. Probability- maybe under thirty percent. Acceptable risk.

Digging into his wallet again, he pulled out a business card and wrote a number on the back. "You get out of here. There weren't gunshots, and no-one lives close- we own the property for a ways out- so I have a bit of time to deal with this. If you want to meet up, head for this address. The hotel will let you in." And they would, of course. Rome had the suite permanently rented. Plus the place was discrete- Rawson's escapades during the last year could attest to that.

He cracked his neck, did another cursory look and Rawson, and jogged into the study to swipe the security footage for the past few hours. He then pulled on a pair of gloves, overturned the chairs, swiped books and disks off the shelves, and created a quick look of general mayhem in the room. As he headed back, a small glint of silver caught his eyes, and, remembering Vor's advice, he slid his bracelet back onto his left wrist.

"Alrighty Romie, we're gonna have to go for a bit of a ride. Sorry, bro- this is gonna hurt a bit but there's nothing for that." He hooked the med-kit around one arm and carefully lifted Romulus. As he walked out the front door, he headed left, toward his guest-cabin, and placed Rome into the green Camaro's back seat. Keys were snagged off the wall, and Rawson made two quick calls- one to the hotel saying to expect them, and one to a backer to ask for the number of a discrete physician in case he needed one. That call would cost him, but there was nothing for it now.

With a careful foot on the pedal and gentle acceleration, they were off. Rawson looked back briefly as he drove past the gate of their childhood home for perhaps the last time, and turned his gaze forward. Listening to Rome's hitched breaths, he started off toward the Alexis Hotel.

"Alright Romie, it's off to a fresh start, so to speak." He glanced in the rearview mirror. "You better be alright, you hear me?"

The sharp pain of movement woke Romulus initially, and he made some animal-like noise in the back of his throat, but "Shh," he heard, and he thought he recognized the voice enough to listen to it. Then the rocking became gentle, like someone was carrying him, or he was lying down in the back seat of a car.

Strange dreams visited him as he lay in the twilight of half-consciousness. First normal dreams: a pretty little brunette girl at a beach. Then the dream got weird, he knew her name somehow, Elenna, and suddenly she was fighting this mermaid-thing and it was pulling her under the water and then she wasn't moving...

Then the dream changed, and Rome knew in his heart that this was memory. The demon invading his mind...killing people...hurting him...killing his parents...

He couldn't handle this anymore--he had to get out! But movement proved agonizing where it wasn't impossible. He couldn't move. Andre was still here, still had him?

A pathetic sob was soon ousted by a cry of rage. "Lemme go!" Rome shouted, forcing himself to sit up. He was bleeding, everything hurt, he couldn't see, and he was still trapped. The demon had him. "Get off, no! Help! Raws, help! Rawson!!"

A screech of tires, the sound of a car door opening, wind on his face, and then arms on him. He struggled again until a voice broke through, but faint, like it came to him down a long dark tunnel:

"Rome! Rome, you idiot, it's me! You're okay, man, okay."

"R-raws-s?"

"Yeah, man, there you go. Stay with me, okay? You're all right. He's gone."

"Stuck."

"It's just a blanket, you're not stuck. You gotta stop fighting me, man, easy. You're okay."

And just like that, Rome was calm again. Funny how his brother could always do that to him. "Raws, d-don' leave m-me."

"Not gonna leave you, man. Go back to sleep for me, kiddo."

"Need to puke," he managed to get out as bile rose to his throat. Not I'm gonna puke, but I need to puke. Then he was being ushered out of the car to the dirt where he vomited what looked and tasted like his stomach contents of eight months ago. Plus some blood. Plus some black stuff. God, but if tossing his cookies didn't actually feel good, in a sick and twisted way: he'd desperately needed to throw up for eight months, between the pain and the horror of it all, and this was somehow cathartic.

Then there was water at his lips, and he was told to drink, and he tried his best, but he spilled most of it.

"Raws?" Man, his brain really felt fried.

"Yeah?"

"Raws, don't leave her. Don't let her go..."

"What? Who? Rome, stay with me..."

But his brother's voice got further away, and Rome felt himself slip irrevocably under once again, without him having anything to say about it.

Elenna was standing shocked exactly on the spot where was standing when Rawson said ‘We're not talking right now.’

“I can’t believe it. I told him how to safe his friggin brother and he just left me, like an empty bottle. Screw you Rawson.”

Elenna checked a last time to make sure she didn’t left anything behind and walked out the front door.

“Hey boy, I am glad to be back. I guess I should tell Bobby that I am still alive”

Hey I am alive and demon is gone. And I remember why I don’t like hunting as a team, but that’s a other story. Bye Elenna

She had a look at the business card Rawson had given her.

“Why the hell should I meet you? You friggin idiot would have killed your brother and would be dead by now and you know what Andre would still possess your Romulus. Normally people say something like ‘Leave, never come back, but thank you for your help.’ That is fine by me, but not the great Rawson, no he knows everything and can handle everything alone.”

Elenna was shouting while she pushed the Mustang to his speed limit, under her tears grin appeared.

“You haven’t seen the best of my baby, dear Rawson. And you know what I will come to the Hotel, but not because I miss you. I will give you a piece of my mind. I am broken anyway so some mort injuries from you won’t change anything.”

Elenna drove angry in the direction to the Hotel. When she arrived she didn’t plan to go in immediately.

I wait a day so that Romulus is better, even so I hate Rawson, Rome is not the one I am angry with. I don’t want that he dies while I scream at Rawson.

The Mustang was parked so that Elenna could see the Hotel entrance. She had spent night before in the car; it is the safest place she could think of. The first thing she did was checking if any of her wounds were serious. Lucky her they weren’t, just painful. And then she waited not sure for what. She didn't stop in her mind to curse Rawson, but she uses magic for good so she didn't actually cursed Rawson. She could have, like let the air around him always smell like rotting eggs or let him constantly police sirens, but she is not one of those evil demon bound witches. But she could have and that was her point.

Getting into the hotel took a bit of creativity on Rawson's part. It could have been- perhaps should have been- far easier, but he was wholeheartedly against Rome straining his injured body in any way. And sadly that meant he was determined to carry his twin up to the room, a determination Rome wanted no part of.

"I'm fine Raws." You don't have to carry me like a damn bride. Rome was still feeling rather woozy, but even in his current state he knew this was an awkward trip he wanted no part of.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Rawson retorted succinctly. "I'm still not sure you don't have a broken rib, and you puncturing your lung right now? Not a fun idea."

Rome sighed. He didn't want to vex his twin, but, "we didn't get married." Rawson stared at him. And for good reason. Rome wasn't sure how they'd gotten from getting into the hotel room to twincestuous weddings. He shook his head, trying to dispel the image of fake-Raws he saw standing to the side in a wedding dress. "Less attention better, 'specially tonight." Which was a valid point. Or was it? Something... ow. His head hurt.

"Alright, alright, less talk of marriage more of getting you inside. You made it out of the car to vomit, right? I'll put an arm around your shoulders since you look half-gone and lords know we drink a fair bit, and you can walk through the public parts of the hotel." He gave Rome a Look. "But I reserve the right to do whatever I think won't involve you puking up blood once we're out of the public eye." Black was bad enough, but Rome puking red? It wasn't a sight he wanted to be forced to stomach.

The idea worked fairly well once they'd wet-wiped themselves to a state of half-decency. They did wind up walking in smelling of car-cleaner wipes, but that was livable. A cursory wave at security and the twins stumbled to the elevator at the back, pushing the button for the top floor.

It was a bit like coming home again. Like the house, the hotel was definitely a part of their past lives. But such was life. It had comfortable beds, a large tub, and many of the smaller necessities of life. Like toothbrushes.

"Alright Romie, how bad are ya feeling?" Rawson asked quietly. "The bandages are still tight, and I think the open wounds are fine for now. By the way- bullet wounds? Idiot. You're so lucky they didn't hit anything important." Rome gave him a disgruntled look. "Anyway, you want me to try to sew you back together, or do you wanna jump in the tub for a few minutes first?"

“Rome doesn’t look to bad. Good then let the show begin.”

Elenna was grinning. She took her cell and opened a new text message.

Hey Rawson, thanks for asking if I am okay. Yes I am fine, it’s normal that people spit blood. Why bother to ask a stupid little girl, that oh by the way just saved you from killing your own brother and get himself killed, to ask if she is okay. I know how it feels, to lose everyone. Don’t get me wrong I am glad Rome seems okay, but well you get paid with a lot of money in your job. You know what my payment is? The smile I see on the families faces after they are save. The “Thank you” I get. That is more worth than any money in the world. Elenna

Elenna pressed angry the send button.

"It would be nice to sleep once in a pretty hotel like this one."

"I want..." Rome blinked. The trip to the hotel had taken its toll, and he was just noticing how generally terrible he felt. He felt violated, dirty, cold, in pain, shaky, hungry, thirsty, and he had to pee and the bandages were itchy.

"Rome?"

"Uh. Yeah. I think...shower." Rome was staring off into space, trying to collect his brain cells into speech and cogent thought. On the one hand, he wasn't necessarily too keen on remembering anything, either, but it had to be dealt with. Just, you know. Not now. Or any time soon.

He took in a ragged breath, as if to rally himself, and lifted his head. Rawson's face was blurry and weird, but he was pretty sure that was just him. And even at such a disadvantage he could see the skeptical frown in Raws' features.

"I didn't do it," he tried, lamely. God, he was tired.

"Dude, you're gonna drown on me."

"No, I'm--" Oh, right. Bath. Okay, maybe not a good call. He tried again. "Help me up. Gotta take a leak. Then sleep." He paused, considering. "Maybe food first. Then sleep."

Rawson grinned at him, or maybe he was imagining things, because he was pretty sure Rawson had never had pink elephant ears, nor were hotel walls supposed to be transparent and wobbly like that, either.

He didn't remember much of the trip to the bathroom or if he'd even made it, but Rawson didn't say anything so he figured it went okay.

He watched Rawson warily as he left him on the bed to go to his pack, rummaging through it until he pulled out mom's old--his throat tightened, but he didn't even go there--first aid kit, half afraid he'd disappear at any moment.

"Hey, Raws?"

"Yeah, Romey?"

"Cold."

Raws materialized in front of him, and Rome flinched, but he only folded the blanket up over him, and felt his forehead. "You're burning up, man."

"Cold," he repeated. Then, before he could help himself, "I'm sorry."

Rawson looked like he was going to get mad at him, but settled for rolling his eyes. "None of this was your fault, bro. None of it, you hear me?"

Now Rome found his brain was somewhere else entirely, probably some sort of defense mechanism: If he didn't distract himself, he'd completely lose what few marbles he still had. Of course, it made him look--and feel--like a nutjob, his mind going different directions all at once, but whatever, it really friggen hurt. "There was a girl, there, right? Sh-she okay? Where'd she go?"

Rawson looked as if he was about to answer a question he didn't want to answer before his phone vibrated, so he chose to ignore the question for now and opened up his phone. He stared at it a second before, "Frack," he said.

Rawson glanced at Rome, then back at his phone. "Witch." He sighed, and set the phone down. Alright- awkward conversation time. "Rome, she's fine- was spitting a little blood- I mean, she did manage to chuck herself into a wall- but she's fine. B******* up a storm via text. She was certainly okay enough to leave you unconscious on the floor when I thought you might have a punctured lung and asked her to make sure you didn't stop breathing while I went to get a med-kit. She ran off to go start bleaching everything she'd touched." He sighed and tried to calm down; rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing she'll be back to yell at me for being unappreciative." He coughed a rather derogatory term.

"Anyway, I say forget the brat. She isn't dead, if that's what you're asking. So you don't have that blood on your conscience." He gave Rome a look. "Although, to be fair, you don't have any blood on your conscience." Even out of it, Rome glared. "You were possessed Romie. You'd never do those things, and they certainly weren't your fault."

Rawson sighed, and walked to the closet to grab another blanket. Now he just needed to take a few days for Rome to start to heal. And, the harder part, keep Rome from managing to exacerbate any of his wounds. Alright. He needed a caffeinated beverage. Or three. Time for cocoa-cola via room-service.

I wonder if they'll bring up a two-liter? Or four...

"It's not her fault, Raws. I didn't die, wasn't like I was going to die. She's the one who got the demon-y...thing...out. Right?"

Rawson looked like he didn't want to answer him. Was threading a needle.

"Right?" he pressed.

"Yeah," Rawson admitted gruffly.

"That's a pretty big needle," Rome whined, but Rawson didn't respond. Maybe he was hallucinating again. Rawson had it under control. He just had to remind himself of that. Rawson had it under control... "Ow!"

"I haven't touched you yet!"

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah. Just hang on, gonna numb this a bit. You with me?"

"Sorta. Brain's been through a friggen rotary grinder. Like parmesan cheese. Or a garlic press." He thought about where this was going. "I'm hungry, Raws."

Raws snorted a laugh. "Okay, man."

"Italian."

"Got it. Just hang on. Kinda like to stop you bleeding everywhere first."

"'Kay. You gotta be nice to her, Raws. She was nice to me."

Raws nodded, not wanting to answer, and it took too much energy to try and decide why he wasn't talking, so he let it go. Rome was usually good at reading his brother. Right now he wasn't sure he could read a cereal box.

"She was cute, too. Your type."

"Stow it, Rome."

Rome only just realized that Rawson had begun stitching up his shoulder, and it only began to hurt, he was sure, because he looked at it.

"Mom shot me," he said quietly.

"I know," Rawson replied, even quieter.

"Sorry."

"If you apologize one more time, Rome, I swear, I'm gonna--"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Both of them jumped, but it was only a knock on the door. Still, it wasn't a friendly knock. Rawson went into Marine mode--he'd always been best at it--and went to his pack for a gun. He was halfway to the door before Rome realized what he was carrying. That certainly wasn't the civilian version.

"What the hell, Raws? Since when did you turn into frakking Rambo on me?!"

“Yeah don’t answer me Rawson. You know what screw you. You said we can meet here, so here I am darling. Maybe I should...”

Elenna opened lost in thought the hidden box in the driver’s seat door. She saw the tanfoglio witness .45 it was lying innocently at his places, her hand slowly moved to it and stopped in mid air.

No way, I am taking this. I mean, it could, I could well hurt anyone and... But I won’t go in unprepared.

Elenna draw a symbol on her hand. The symbol looked a little bit like an “e”.

“You will be surprised what happens when you get angry and forget your Richie Rich manners.”

Elenna went inside went to the lift. When it stopped she felt dizzy, she did bang her head pretty hard.

I know what I do. That is the right thing to do; he is not nice when I saved his friggin brother.

She bangs with her left fist impatiently at the door. It took just a moment until it open and Rawson was standing in it. She could see that he was in marine mode and she also saw that he was hiding something behind the door, her guess was some kind of macho gun.

“Thanks for letting me in, that is so nice of you Rawson.”

Elenna just passed him and walked right into the room. She looked around and saw Rome on the bed he looked okay. Not as if he would be dying in the next ten minutes.

“Hi Rome, I am Elenna Fee. Nice to actually meet you. I hope you are okay?”

Elenna smiled friendly at him. He looked a little lost and she wasn’t sure if he could see her clearly. She turned around to face Rawson, who now didn’t try to hide the huge macho gun anymore.

“So you wanna shoot me? That is nice, really. Oh and you are very welcome. The next time someone of your family is possessed and wants to kick your ass and I am really stupid enough that I want to save you again from a street. Remind me not to do it. I mean I would safe anyone anytime again, well except of you. I mean how hard it is say one simple word. Thanks. Thanks Rawson for taking care that not only I got away. I mean no one bothers if your prints are in your house, but the blood, which I also was trying to clean up. It would have brought you in a lot of trouble. So here I am the stupid little hunter kid, standing in front of you the one who is pointing a macho gun at me and say thank you. Unbelievable.”

Rawson looked angry.

“I mean seriously do you think I name my car just for fun? I saved your brother, not everyone can say that this is possible.”

I guess one more word and I’ll be in trouble, so let’s better start the show.

Elenna lifted her hand and said quickly before anyone could make a move. “Wasser das uns umgibt erscheine und folge meinem Willen!”

Rawson was surrounded by water; he was so surprised that he dropped the gun. He was never in danger but he was trapped in a ball of water, he couldn’t escape out of it. No matter how hard he tried. It came out of nowhere, but you could have felt the change in the air. Suddenly the air was extremely dry. A thumb on the other side of the room let Elenna turn around not lowering her hand. Rome was half sitting half lying on the floor.

“Don’t worry Rome, Rawson is okay and I am faster gone as you think. To see how much you two care for each other, reminds me to much at something I don’t want to be reminded of. All I want is a thank you. So Rawson, I saved your brother and also your pretty ass, anything you wanna say to me?”

Elenna smiled at Rawson her friendliest smile she had.

Whoa, okay. So he totally had to be seeing things. He was seeing things. And that was okay. He had just been mind-raped by a demon, he was allowed to be down on his game. He just had to sit back and let things run their course.

Holy crap! This chick totally dunked Raws in a...bubble of...water?

Seeing things. Crazy.

Still. Something wasn't right. She was yelling at Rawson and he looked pretty pissed off and oh, hell, this was going to go south real fast, wasn't it?

Rome got up from the bed. At least, that had been his intention. What he achieved was more of a falling off the bed. Bam! and he was down on his hands and knees trying not to puke, having completely forgotten that he'd been stabbed in the knee and he couldn't really see straight. The threaded needle dangled from his shoulder, as Raws hadn't had time to tie it off, much less finish stitching the damn thing.

If Romulus knew anything about his brother, it was that Rawson didn't respond well to threats. And apparently since he'd gone and become Boba-freaking-Fett during his hiatus, that would only make this worse.

He startled the girl when he was suddenly on the ground next to her, clutching at her arm a little desperately. Okay, a lot desperately, two of his fingers wrapped up and taped to popsicle sticks and looking ridiculous. He was even on his knees, for crying out loud, though by no choice of his own. The fear was evident on his face, and he was scared as all hell of touching her, but he was even more terrified of what would happen if he let her go.

"Please!" he began, "Please, Elenna. Don't do this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." That's not what she wants. "Thank you. Look, Raws--Raws, he's a moron. An overly-protective, defensive, macho, emotionally crippled moron. He's not gonna say thank you, and sure as hell ain't gonna say it like this, but he means it, he does, he's grateful. I know he is. Please, let him go. Please. D-don't hurt him. Please." Okay, so the world was going fuzzy now. No. Damn it. Raws needs me.

"Please, let him go. You got issues, you take them up with me. I'm his PR guy," he managed a grin. "No need to get all crazy and...make me think I'm seeing things. You--you just let him go, and Raws will leave his gun alone, and I'm gonna pass out now and you can guys kiss and make up but if you're gonna have angry sex then make sure I'm unconscious first and...and..."

But now things were going white instead of dark. And his head was killing him. And then he didn't see the hotel room anymore.

Rawson coughed heavily.

“Actually, there is,” he replied.

Elbow to the throat, thigh to the crotch and shove her to the left. Dirty socks in her mouth for a gag and pin her down with both hands. Guess that answers how good she is with close combat fighting.

“That’s a little better. Now, where to start? "Darling"? In your dreams. Clearly, you’re a psychotic bi*** with major people issues. I mean, I thought I was bad, but you- you take the cake! You alternate between the personalities of a demented child and a crazed banshee, and honestly? Between you and Andre I almost prefer him. At least I know he’s an evil fracker who’ll try to kill people. Now lets see.”

She looked pissed. Rawson was even angrier. And Rome? “Romie.” Calmly spoken as he glanced towards the bed/floor. “Please don’t try to move. You’ll end up hurting yourself.”

Best to keep an eye on him just in case, though. Oh, Rome. Always ready to believe the best in people.

“Now, way I see it we were equally involved in getting rid of Andre… I think. I still don’t know if it was your chanting or just the aftereffect of removing the bracelet that got rid of him. But there’s no way in hell you could have gotten the bracelet off. So you can take your better-than-thou s*** and shove it.” He glared at her.

I never actually swear this much. Weird. Eh, whatever. Now, the list of mistakes.

“You threw everything you had at a smarter, faster, stronger enemy without thinking. A direct attack? Are you seriously that stupid?”

“You might think you’re some superhero, but when the fight was over you left a man on the floor who might have died. You didn’t even give me time to check. We were on the middle of a huge estate and had plenty of time to deal with the mess, but instead of taken two damn minutes to make sure Rome kept breathing while I got medical supplies, you had to run off and start bleaching your own bloodstains and prints. Great job there. You’re damn lucky he was alright- he definitely has a cracked rib; I was worried about a gorram pierced lung.”

“You were ready to do a half-a**ed cleanup that still could have ended with a dangerous investigation for one of the three of us. Great job there. I took the time to make sure it looked like a burglary, rather than risk suspicion falling on one of us. Because Rome and I are directly related to the victims, a more thorough cleanup with some careful misdirection was cleary needed. And, as I said, we definitely had time to do it as has been proven.

“You claim you’re not demonic? I’ve already asked a contact, who’s getting back to me. But from what I know, working with talismans, tools, cards, objects? That’s the most voodoo priests or medicine men and women can do. Your s***? Definitely demonic. Unless you want to claim you’re a saint blessed by angels or something equally unbelievable. Did you sell your soul or just allow one to possess you? How moronic can you get?”

Rawson didn't think he'd spoken this much at once since... um... reading an essay allowed freshman year of high school? That was probably it.

“Now, Romie wants me to play nice, so that’s what I’m gonna do. I won’t hurt you for this or for your childish little tantrum a moment ago. If you want to act like a brat, you’re free to leave. If you’re willing to act like an adult, I’ll let you stay for Romulus’ sake. I’m going to let you go now. If you try to attack me again, I’ll get my own back either tonight or later. Consider that a promise. Now, be a good girl.”

Rawson held her arms with one hand and released them as he quickly stepped backward, grabbing a smaller gun as he moved to stand next to Rome, never taking his eyes off her.

“Wow that is how you treat girl? I never wanted to hurt you, but you?”

Elenna looked angrier than before, but she wasn’t anything that he said she is.

“Let’s start with I am not a child and you can’t talk to me as if I am. I guess the irresistible puppy-dog of your PR guy help me to be” Elenna really didn’t like to use his words. “a good girl. Could you just do me a favour, I mean you just showed that you don’t need any weapons to fight me, so please put the gun any. You know those thing are really scary.”

She looked at her hand, the symbol still on it.

I guess I have to play nice.

“If you have some alcohol I remove the symbol and then I am just me, without any tricks. And just for the records, I didn’t serve a demon or sold my soul. This is old German magic. I just connect through the symbols to the elements and I can call them with the right words. Nothing demonic, I swear. I just can use what is around. I can explain it more if you want me to, but it is difficult, most hunters won't understand how it works. If you want I can dry your clothes as a sign of peace?”

Elenna looked at Rome and saw that he was unconscious or he looked like it. And he was in pain, serious not kidding pain.

“I didn’t do anything to him Rawson, I swear! I can’t hurt anyone like this. Not in this way.”

Well I had an idea how to do it, but I don’t dare to try it ever.

Suddenly she knew that this was one of her huge crazy hunter girl ideas. She felt stupid and scared about the gun Rawson had.

Ow. Okay. Major ouch, here. Ooowwwww....ieeeee....

"Raws?" Rome groaned, reaching out blindly. Everything was white, and his head hurt like a mother. He couldn't see it, of course, but his unseeing eyes had lost all their greenish-blueish-brownish pigment, going completely gray, like pain had leached their color away. "Raws, you there?" but he wasn't sure whether it got out, because he suddenly realized he couldn't hear anything, either.

Crap. Gone again. How? Where? Does it matter? Raws isn't here. And my head really hurts...

Images shot at him like bolts of lightning, and though he'd never been struck by lightning, he guessed it felt about as fantastic as this.

Sand. Beach. Sunny.

"Owww...sh*t. Raws?"

Elenna. Red bikini. Nice rack. Extra pain. Okay, he probably deserved that.

A mermaid. How did he know that? It had freaking fish tail, that's how. Looked kinda like Leonardo di Caprio, you know, pretty-boy. So, mer-man?

The mer-man's form shifted, melded, shimmered, molted, transformed, disgusting, and suddenly it was just this ordinary kid. Dark brown hair, light eyes, average height, average build, a young moustache, a Yankees baseball cap.

"Nick?" she said, and dropped the weapon she was holding.

Rome groaned as his brain flashed again. It was like a lightning storm inside his skull, and considering the abuse that part of his body had already taken, this was shaping up to be the crowning turd in the toilet bowl. How much more of this could he take before he actually became a drooling retarded mess that Rawson had to spoon-feed?

The mer-thing smiled and then made it's move, and that move was at her. She went with it, smiling, to the water, and it was holding her under in what looked from here like a platonic embrace, that was until she began thrashing around and screaming.

Rome couldn't breathe. He was underwater! He was there with her, salty sea-waves splashing over his nose and mouth, stinging his eyes. "Raws, help!!" he called, but he was pretty sure it just came out a gargled mass of bubbles. Wait. Water bubble. Wasn't Raws underwater, too? A final flash of lightning:

She wasn't moving. The creature was gone. She was just floating, lifeless, face up, eyes open, terrified, lips blue, swaying only to the gentle rhythm of the waves.

"Raws?" Rome groaned, before going completely out of it again.

"Romie? I'm here, kid." Rawson shot Elenna a final glare and knelt down next to Rome, putting a hand on his arm and a palm on his forehead. "I'm right here." Rome's eyes fluttered.

What the?! What's going on now? His eyes are slate grey- eyes don't just change color. Not like that. Romie, what's wrong with you now?

Romulus gasped some unintelligible string of syllables, and Rawson tried to shake him out of it. "Come on Romie, wake up. Romulus!"

And heck if Rome wasn't being a pain even now. Because Rawson wasn't sure what to do, and although he felt the urge to puke just thinking about it, if it was some after-effect of long term possession and the girl could help, they needed her.

Fracking dammit to gorram tartarus!

Rawson looked up at her as he moved behind Rome, propping him up against himself so he wasn't twitching on the floor. "Any insight regarding what's happening to him?"

Some days, I really hate my life. Thanks for making me remember that Romie.

Rawson sighed.

Whoa he really asks me for help? That is, well guess I am the b**** here not he.

Elenna looked worried at Rome, his grey eyes scared the hell out of her.

“Um not sure, can I try something it won’t hurt him I promise.”

Elenna looked scared at Rawson; she didn’t want to make him angry again. She took slowly a little bottle out of her jacket pocket.

“That is holy water, I don’t know but his eyes maybe he is still possessed?”

She poured some of the water over Rome’s hand, but nothing happened.

“He is not possessed. And I have never seen something like this before. Sorry.”

Elenna looked lost and in her mind she was thinking about every passage in all the books she had read about demons.

“Well Rawson to tell you the truth. I never saw someone being possessed for such a long time and not going nuts or die. Demons don’t take care of their meatsuits. I mean Rome must be a really strong person. So I don’t know what to do. I can call someone and ask him, if you want. But I am not sure if he can help.”

Elenna spoke totally different, she sounded much friendlier. But she had just one reason, a reason she doesn’t like to think about.

I wish I know what’s wrong with you Rome, I really do. But I am also glad that Rawson doesn’t think I did anything to you. I guess I would be dead by now, if he would. Kill the witch and the spell stops.

Elenna couldn’t look away and tried to understand what Rome was mumbling, when he suddenly said pretty clear. “Nick.”

Elenna gasped and felt sick.

What the hell is going on here? That can’t be. He doesn’t know anything. I never told them about him. He is not talking from my Nick. No it can’t be, it just can’t be.

Elenna was shaking and went really pale.