Chapter Text
"NOOOOO!" The scream tore from Herbert's throat at the same time as his heart when the body of his wife was thrown before him, lying on her back with one arm above her head and the other over her abdomen. There were soft purple hand marks around her neck, telling him what happened to her. That brute...or was it Coburn? It doesn't matter. He flung himself forward and scooped her into his arms, holding her closer to him and abandoning his pride and courage altogether. He didn't care at the moment that his friends were watching him, or the monster who planned the death of Heather, lifeless in Herbert's arms. He held onto her, not wanting to let her go as he unleashed his agony on her.
Don't be gone, my love, his mind wept. I won't let you be gone! What's dead doesn't deserve to be dead; remember I taught you long ago. I promised you everyone would be all right, and I vow to keep that promise. The remaining heat and moisture of tears on his cheeks, soaking into his skin, burned with his returning determination as he slowly raised his head to the man who was the main cause of all of this. The man he once called a friend.
The man I will get for this. I promise, my darling, Herbert thought as he held Heather's head close to his chest, running his fingers through her hair. Her skin was getting cold; how long had she been dead? If it had been as long as Laura had been, then her will would not be strong enough to withstand Moreland's energy. He hoped that she would. He had known her well in life to know that she would.
"How does it feel, Herbert West," Eric leered, "to be surrounded by death – by the thing which you wasted your whole life to destroy? Beginning with your birth and then your poor professor in Switzerland, the man who raised you as his own?"
Blood on fire, Herbert bared his teeth in a vengeful snarl and lowered his bride's body to the ground, curling his hands into fists as he observed his enemy eye to eye, more than ready to kill him like his other enemies before him. "How dare you use my family against me," he hissed.
"And those you kill," Eric continued, stepping forward gracefully, "such as Hill, the Warden, Chapham..." At the mention of her father's name, Miranda clicked her gun, ready to fire at him, but Dan's voice urged her to put the weapon down. "...as well as the 'accidental' ones you never meant to happen but happened anyways? Laura Olney the journalist at the prison? The dean and his daughter – Megan?"
Dan exploded. "Don't you –" Herbert turned his head around finally and gave him the look he knew would quiet him down, before turning back to their foe.
"I would stop now if I were you," he warned with another step forward, "because my mercy thread is wearing thin with every second."
Those final words were the last straw. "Now your precious new bride behind you?"
"You DARED to take her away from me!" The dark and primal side of him was banging against its cage like a visceral animal hungry for its next dinner. Herbert could feel the sweat pouring down his skin with his rage, molten like lava. Go for it; kill him and never regret it. But there was also little Adrian, whimpering and crying in re-animated Coburn's stronghold. If he made a move for her, either that beast would go for him at Moreland's command or Leslie would tear the child to shreds right in front of him and his family.
And then Dan was there for him. Thank you, Daniel.
~o~
"Leslie, please don'thurt the boy," Dan blurted out. What was he doing? Francesca, with her hand on his arm, softly asked him the same thing. I know exactly what it is, he thought, bravery overtaking every cell in his body. Bravery for his son, for Heather's corpse on the ground.
Now that he thought of her...the more time passes, the less fresh she gets. We're running out of time. He tried again; the memory of Halsey as he tried to kill Dan that hellish night in the morgue before his daughter ultimately managed to get through to him was still fresh. If Meg could do that to her father, perhaps he could with Leslie. After all, Eric used Hill's drill on her and the others downstairs, littering the floors with the mutilated police officers. "Leslie, it's Daniel. Don't you remember me? That's my son you're forced to hold. You know you don't want to hurt him."
"Oh, please, Daniel, she's under my influence. She won't listen to you; I control every part of her mind now."
Oh, not entirely. Looking more closely, he saw her bloodied face contort into struggle. She was fighting! Dan could feel it, and a flicker of hope surged. Moreland might be all-powerful, but he didn't get any better than Hill. Results are the same as ever. Halsey and Hill once friends turned enemies in the next life, and then the dean bypassed mind control and killed Hill.
Come on, Leslie, please do the same here.
"Leslie..." This was one last attempt, and it was all or nothing. His son's life and Heather's depended on it. "Leslie Coburn, please snap out of it!"
Francesca's grip on him was to the point of bruising him, whispering to him, "Daniel, what did you do?" He looked down at her horrified face and smiled at her. What conquers mind control once and for all: reach out and trust your instincts. He didn't have to look and see Leslie let go of their son, but upon hearing Adrian cry again, he jerked his head back up and saw his child in the grasp of Moreland, while Leslie was now fighting for her life against the big guy who could very much tear her limb from limb.
"Damn it, Eric, would you stop this and give us back our son?!" Dan yelled, stepping forward only to be stopped by Herbert's hand on his chest. "Herbert, get me Adrian back right now!"
Herbert started forward. "Moreland, this is your last chance. Give us the boy or –"
"Or what?" Eric purred acidly, gripping Adrian's shoulders with both hands, making him flinch. "What will you do before I throw myself off this ledge with him?" Demonstrating this, he picked up Adrian and slung him over one shoulder, kicking and screaming. Dan's heart stopped in its tracks; he was going to kill not only himself but also an innocent little boy! NO, Adrian, NOOO! he was screaming internally. Then his attention shifted to his right abruptly, seeing that Leslie had the upper hand when she jumped onto the back of her opponent, grasping his head and twisting with all her strength so it was all the way around, the flesh of the thick neck ruched like a dress fabric. The brute staggered backward and off the edge, taking Leslie with him; apparently, she decided this was it for her and allowed herself to fall to her death instead of living as she was now. This took Eric off-guard when he saw his re-animated ex-wife kill the bigger zombie and allow herself to fall from the rooftop with it, and then to Dan's surprise – and horror – Herbert took advantage of this and threw himself forward...and knocked both Eric and Adrian, as well as himself, off the ledge of the rooftop.
"OH, GOD, ADRIAN!" Francesca's howl of hysteria and sheer panic was matched with Dan's own. She was held back by Miranda while Dan burst over to the ledge, as much as he hated to but had to, to see the three bodies fallen to their deaths from the two-story building...
...only to witness the body of the celebrated Boston surgeon Dr. Eric Moreland on the ground, bleeding over a pool of black against the pavement, and Herbert held onto the ledge with one hand while his other held Adrian's tiny wrist in his other.
~o~
He mustered all his willpower to grab both the ledge and the boy at the same time. Moreland had not screamed as Herbert had hoped as he fell to his death at the bottom of the abyss. It hadn't been as sweet as it had been when the ends of the Warden and Dr. Hill satisfied him, but it had to do because all he was concerned with was the life of the little one in his grasp. And his father over them was reaching for his son.
Adrian's weight was getting to Herbert, pushing him to the brink where he would have to let go and fall to his own death, right beside his enemy's corpse. Perhaps it was for the best and he could die and be buried with his beloved – NO! Don't think like that! Hold on and be strong. Be a man and save yourself, then save hers while you have the chance. With that, he swung his aching arm upwards and tossed the little boy over to his father, who set him down before reaching out with his hand.
"Reach for my hand!" Dan yelled.
He was surprised that now his own life was on the line, though, unlike past life-threatening situations, Meg and Francesca's lives were chosen over his...but now that he would think of it, he'd been so selfish. And now he'd done the noble act of saving Dan's son before his own. "Don't you dare let go, Herbert West! I won't let you go this time!"
His hand was slipping, and he needed to act fast. He brought his other hand up and grasped Dan's. Warmth flooded his blood vessels and traveled throughout his system. It was hard to explain, but the moment Dan's hand held onto his and pulled him up and over the edge to safety – as well as holding onto him tight, much to the surprise of both of them – Herbert West truly realized then that there was a definite bond of friendship and partnership between them in spite of it all...we're brothers. Not in blood, but in bond. "You saved me," he spoke as soon as they sat up on their knees and looked each other in the eyes.
Dan gave a nervous chuckle. "I promised I would never choose a life over another again. And I'm a doctor, remember? It's what I do."
Herbert snapped his attention then back to his wife's lifeless body, still lying on the cold concrete, getting colder and deteriorating each minute that passed. "Come on, Dan, we have to give her the nanoplasm." First, he slung his bag over his arm before he scooped her into his arms and hurried for the staircase, the others following him and back into the office. This was the nearest they could get because the infirmary here could not wait. "Francesca, take Adrian out of here. He doesn't need to see this."
"And what about me?" Chapham asked, hands on her hips.
"Stay and watch. Seeing is believing," Herbert stated as he laid Heather down on the desk and opened his bag, grabbing the vial and a syringe. "Unless you've seen enough of this for a night."
She huffed. "I've seen enough in my lifetime. But that doesn't mean I won't watch you bring back a loved one. Just like I tried to do to my daughter years before."
The sudden knowledge of a daughter stunned both Herbert and Dan, but there was no time for him to ask her further. "Then you must know what it's like that I can't lose my Heather the way I lost Dr. Gruber and my parents." By then, he'd finished filling the syringe and nodded for Dan, who looked more nervous than before, to lift Heather's head so he could plunge the needle into the back of her neck, pushing it deep into her veins.
~o~
"Heather? Heather,can you hear me?" The voice was distant, but she could still hear. A hand was tapping the underside of her face, trying to get her to come to. Heather's lids felt like lead and she struggled to open them; her head was just as heavy. Her whole body was light, but not numb. She could move her arms, but it felt like nothing was there.
"Heather, please, it's me!"
She managed to open her eyes then. Light blinded her vision to white, and she squeezed her eyes shut for a few seconds to get used to it again. Reopening them, she saw that she was surrounded by familiar faces she loved so much. "Dan...Herbert." The latter was the one she wanted the most, and he was so handsome in his fusion of relief and happiness, his face shining with tears of joy. She'd been dead, lost in the darkness and not recalling ever being in another world, only to return and awaken to his face and Daniel's. Heather was in an office – they were still in the police station – but where were Moreland and his monsters?
Herbert's lips on hers washed the question aside; she moaned into his mouth and brought her hands up to both sides of his face, moving up north to wove her fingers through his soft dark hair. "Oh, Heather," he whispered, briefly pulling apart, "we thought we lost you."
She laughed, her strength returning much to her amazement. If this was how Laura felt, then she couldn't be happier with that result. "You didn't," she said. "You made your promise to me, remember?" She looked longingly into his deep eyes, seeing no trace of the cold calculation or scientist's precision she'd seen him bestow upon restored subjects – no, it was love. True, unadulterated love.
He placed another kiss on her mouth. "And I kept it," he breathed huskily. "In the name of love."
Heather felt a hand on her shoulder, and it was Dan's warm, caring smile bearing down on her. "And I didn't believe it at first," he said softly. "Herbert saved your life, and I saw it all. I can't believe I didn't accept it at first." His hand left her arm and traveled to cup her cheek; sensations shot from his warmer skin to her cooling one, and she shivered. "Do you remember what happened?"
As much as she didn't want to bring it up... "It was Leslie. She...strangled me, and I don't remember what happened after that. I tried to get away, but she was too strong. It was her and a...big one who got me."
Herbert chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel better, they both took a tumble off the roof along with Moreland."
Heather gaped at him. He – Eric Moreland was dead? He's dead, and so are Leslie and the other one? "Were you guys up there?" She couldn't help but once more grieve for Leslie Coburn, but at the same time, it fueled her desire to continue as she'd been asked by Leslie as she lay dying in Heather's arms, surrounded by irony and tombstones.
Another voice broke through the air. "They were, and so were I and Mrs. Cain. Adrian was held in place by your friend, and the big guy had you thrown at us. But your man got to Moreland in time to save the boy," Detective Miranda Chapham added with a wink to Herbert. Her change in personality baffled Heather to no end. What had happened while she was dead? "I never thought I would say this, but Dr. West, I think you're a hero if only people would see it now and accept it."
Sitting up on the desk she'd been lying on, Heather held onto her heroic husband for support as she tried to absorb all of this, not sure how to think in exact words. She'd been dead for who knew how long, Moreland and all his zombies were dead, and now Detective Chapham, the woman who hunted them down for her jurisdiction, was suddenly telling them that she had been WRONG all this time? "Why are you telling me this now?" she asked suspiciously.
"I never tell anyone this, because they would have called me a mother in grief who couldn't see past her suffering."
Heather's world changed in a single spin. Now for the first time, her eyes fell on the older woman's left hand, seeing a silver wedding band on that finger. "You're married, Detective?" she whispered, shocked. Should I find it funny, that a woman like her would be tolerated by a husband and probably is hard on her kids?
Chapham nodded. "Was, for twenty-five years. I lost my husband to cancer, and we couldn't afford to pay for any operation to remove the tumor. My daughter, Rosemary, was all I had left until five years ago when she passed away in a car crash. After I lost my whole family, I had no one left." She sighed and shook her head. "I had hoped there was a way to save them, but I was told time and time again that there was nothing that could be done. I did loathe you, Dr. West, for everything that happened, but as much as I tried to fight it, I knew all this time there was something about you that was trying to save lives, regardless of how...gruesome it was."
Heather's heart had always been easy to sway, so that was what happened right now, but only because she could hear and see the honesty and sincerity in the detective. She'd lost a family and resented Herbert as an act to hide how she really felt about him and his work. That must mean she always hated her father for how he treated her and her mother, but she didn't want anyone to know because they would have called her something horrible. Heather felt like crying. "That reminds me of my sister," she croaked out. "I wanted to save her, too. And it brought me to him." She turned her head upright to the man she'd married tonight and saw his face split into a full smile. "I believed in him, too, and in turn began to believe in myself, that we could conquer death together."
"And me, too," Dan stepped in. "I always knew we could do this, but there were obstacles that prevented me from fully believing."
Heather and Herbert both looked at him in surprise. There was no mistaking what he was trying to say. "Dan!" she gasped. "Are you saying that you...?"
He nodded. "Yes, I'm in. I want to do this with you guys now."
Chapham laughed as she watched the touching scene between the three. "I knew you would find it in you, Daniel. And Herbert...thank you for making me see past my father," she told him with a grateful smile.
He smiled back. "You're very welcome."
"But I'm afraid we have to get going, remember? Get you on a boat fast, take you guys somewhere safe."
Oh, that's right. But we have to get our things back, first. Heather looked up at Herbert and leaned up to kiss him. "Go ahead outside with Fran and Adrian. I'll be right with you, honey."
"'Honey'...that's a word I have to get used to." He chuckled and shook his head, letting her go and moving to gather up the nanoplasm device and the empty syringe. Suddenly it crossed her mind: Eric's NPE was used on me! She started to panic that he would begin to take her over like the Warden did to Laura...but on second thought, she hadn't felt it. Maybe her will was strong enough to withstand him. If Herbert noticed, too, he would have said something. She tried her hardest not to think about this too much.
As soon as Herbert and Chapham were out of the room, she stopped Dan. She had to tell him. "I'm glad you changed your mind."
"Because it takes more than just persuasion to get me on board," he replied. "I didn't because I was just scared. Afraid of losing everyone I loved because of..." He trailed off then. "I thought I'd lost you up there." He jerked his head upwards.
"But I made it." Heather wrapped her arms around him. "I don't remember telling you this, but..." Her throat tightened a little because with those words came a powerful feeling too good to describe. "I love you, Dan. I love you like a father, brother, and best friend. Even more, now that you believe in this." You were always there for me since I lost my sister when my parents abandoned me emotionally. Even more when I got involved with the man I love, whom I feared and idolized at the same time, becoming something more.
His arms wrapped around her in return. He sounded like he was trying to keep himself from cracking, too. "I love you, too, Heather."
~o~
Standing before the boat felt surreal; he hadn't left a country since the incident in Switzerland all those years ago. Only he wasn't alone this time. Right beside him was his wife and the family of three, their dearest friends who were in this with them. As well as the detective who had been against them now helping them get out of there. "Aren't you coming with us?" Francesca offered, holding her son with one arm while her other managed her luggage.
Chapham laughed and shook her head. "I'd rather stay here and clean the mess up, but thank you for the offer."
Heather shook her head. "There's nothing left for you here, you know, with you losing your family. You should ride with us." Suddenly harboring a soft side now, are we? Herbert looked at her with vague amusement. But then again, she always cared about other people before herself and wouldn't change it even if she wanted to.
"My place is here, and my job is to serve and protect, remember?" She winked. "And I just helped you get away safe and sound; that's enough for me. All of you take care of yourselves, and I wish you the best." Her gaze fell on Herbert and Heather. "Someday you both will be known as the doctors who conquered death."
"That's what Leslie said before she died in my arms," Heather stated, forlorn and distant. Herbert grasped her hand into his, massaging the back tenderly. She is right, my dear. We'll still make it.
"And I can see it happening one day. Maybe you'll return better than ever." With that, she nodded and turned away to start for her car. The group watched her go before turning to board. Herbert had no idea how to take it all in but decided it wasn't important because he was finally going somewhere else where he and his wife could finally start their lives fresh. Someplace where nobody knew who they were. He could see them starting a family as soon as they settled in.
Adrian laughed as soon as he was set down and left to roam free. "Yay, we're on a boat!" His parents laughed and followed him as they went on the hunt for their cabin. The boat was big enough to house three altogether, so the little one would be having his own, lucky him. Herbert chuckled at him being spoiled. The last one was left to him and Heather. The newlyweds were surrounded by warm mahogany and would wind up sleeping under handmade, geometric-patterned covers. Herbert was briefly reminded of his youth and a similar one that Gruber had customized for him. None of them felt like unpacking, so they dropped their bags to the floor and collapsed onto the bed together, Herbert on top of her, and this position as well as her body heat mating with his made it impossible to resist. "It's been one night for us, hasn't it?"
She grinned up at him. "Not wholly perfect, though." She sighed. "Now that I remember, I wish Emily were here to see me."
And holding your body in my arms...I believe I now know how you felt when you held hers. He never spoke it aloud, but she looked into his eyes, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "She would have been happy for you," he assured her, leaning down to kiss her, which became more than one, eventually them getting out of their clothes for another round of lovemaking to make up for the troubles tonight.
He was thoroughly exhausted after the release, but it was better than ever with his body savoring the sensations of feeling whole and complete with his wife as he slowly pulled out and laid beside her. She turned around to face him, resting the side of her face atop her hands. Herbert watched her without a word, deciding none were needed until she surprised him with what he never thought she'd ask of him.
"How much do you love me, Herbert?"
He shifted so he faced her to the side. "Why do you ask?"
"Does it hurt ever to hear it from you?" Heather laughed, which he followed.
"I suppose not." He reached out with his free hand that wasn't under the covers to cup her cheek. "Heather, I love you not only because of your beauty which is often seen as simplistic in the eyes of the rest of the world, but for your brilliance and ability to see what's in front of you. You mean everything to me, more than anything else...as much as our re-agent. I promise I will protect you no matter what. I never want to lose you again like I almost did back there."
She turned her face into his hand, then placed hers over it. "But if you lose me again, I know you will bring me back." An image suddenly shooting up into his brain forced him to pull his hand back, and he rolled onto his back, taking a few deep breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart.
"I might not make it in time by then." And good luck can always run out. Life has taught me that, but...but I'll find a way to prevent it. I always have.
"Oh, stop it, Herbert West." She moved so she was on top of him, looking into his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere again EVER. So stop worrying about me."
Herbert grinned and lifted his head to kiss her. "What worries should we focus on, then?"
She paused, face etched in thought. "Like...how about making love to me all night long and getting me knocked up fast before you reach the 'too old' point in your life?" she answered, planting a light slap on his cheek. That primal side of him which made his nerves ignite prompted him to move with the speed of a snake so he reversed their positions, and he was on top of her again.
"What, you want a baby now? So soon?" He shook his head. "Heather West, you're a naughty girl tonight."
"What," she returned, a devious gleam to her eyes, "you getting too old for a child or me succeeding in seducing my husband into it?"
"Both," he answered, leaning down and capturing her mouth hotly, ravishing her for the third time that night and loving the woman who would be spending all of eternity with him. Beyond them lay the vast sea of the unknown, which man was known to fear, but they would make it as a family; their family composed of themselves and the other three about their getaway boat.
He, Herbert West, the man who defeated death, was happier than he had ever been in his lifetime.