Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

* You really thought you could escape?*

Reggie snaps awake in a cold sweat, sitting bolt-upright, heart pounding in his chest. Reaching over the edge of the bed, he opens the drawer to his nightstand and rummages around, coming back with a small razor blade. With shaking hands he presses it to his arm, making a small, shallow cut. The familiar sting steadies his hands, his shoulders dropping with relief. 

Pain means real. This is real, he’s not in the nightmare anymore. Wiping off the blade on his boxers, he returns it to the drawer and checks the time. 4:50am. Which means his alarm is due to go off in ten minutes, not really enough time to go back to sleep. Reggie sighs, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes and trying to will away the headache already forming. It’s not like he was getting any actual rest while he was sleeping. He hasn’t in nearly a year. Not since…

Dragging himself out of bed, he steps into the shower and turns it on cold, the shock helping wake him up. Cold showers and coffee have been his saving grace recently, especially with the nightmares getting worse. He rubs the newest cut on his arm, others in various stages of healing reaching from his elbow to his wrist. He’s been careful not to cut too deep, just enough that he can feel it, just enough to reassure himself that he’s here, that he’s alive . 

He rushes through washing off, getting dressed, thankful that it’s finally cold enough to justify long sleeves again. Getting away with them during the summer had been… difficult, to say the least, but he couldn’t let anyone see his arms. His friends have been through enough in the year since the Maw incident without having to worry about him.

Reggie avoids looking at himself in the mirror. He already knows what he’ll see. Cheeks lacking color, bruising under his eyes, clothes looser than they used to be. Delsin’s been hovering recently, trying to coax him into seeing a therapist again. Billy and Alessia have been doing the same, but at least they’re subtler about it. 

He stops in the kitchen to make coffee before heading to his truck. He doesn’t bother with turning on the heat despite how cold it is outside. It keeps him awake, and the drive to the station isn’t that long. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he checks the rearview mirror solely out of habit. 

He’s greeted with the sight of sickly orange eyes and sharp teeth and slams so hard on the brakes that the truck fishtails. When it finally screeches to a stop, he whips around in his seat, heart in his throat. 

The backseat is empty. 

Swallowing down the acid that fills his mouth, Reggie bites down on his hand until the iron tang of blood hits his tongue. 

Pain.

Pain means real.

He’s awake. He either dozed off for a second, or his mind is playing tricks on him because he’s tired. But he’s awake. He’s okay, he’s not back there, the Maw and the cultists are gone. 

He drives the rest of the way to work with the lights on in the truck’s cab. 

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He jerks roughly awake when someone touches his shoulder and almost ends up on the floor. Alessia is standing next to his desk with a tupperware container in her hands and a concerned look on her face. “Hey Reggie. You feeling okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The sheriff offers her a weak smile and scrounges for his coffee cup. “No, you’re good. I didn’t mean to doze off.”

“Maybe you should take the rest of the day off? You don’t look like you’re feeling okay.” Her tone is gentle, and Reggie tries not to get frustrated. They’ve all been treating him like he’s made of glass ever since what happened a year ago, even after he got cleared to come back to work. He’s fine , just-

Just tired. 

“I’m okay, Sia, just a headache.” 

The redheaded punk doesn’t look convinced, but she also doesn’t argue. “Well, I brought everyone lunch. Trying that lasagna recipe again since you all seemed to like it so much.”

“Thanks.” He takes the container from her and sets it to one side. Her lasagna is absolutely incredible, and he’s hoping that maybe today, he can actually find the will to eat it. 

A couple minutes pass, and he glances up from his paperwork, startled to find her still standing in the door to his office. “Uh, did you need something, Sia?”

She slowly shakes her head. “No, just… Are you sure you’re okay, Reggie?”

“Yea, I’m completely fine, I promise.”

Grey eyes narrow, and he tries not to sweat. “Okay… Well, if you ever need anything, you know Billy and I are here for you.”

“I know.”

She leaves his office, and he breathes a sigh of relief. That was too close. 

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He’s running, but he’s not sure where he’s going or why. He just knows he needs to get away. There’s fire at his back, so close he can feel his skin bubbling, and a cold so sharp at his front that it burns. 

A thud. 

He looks down, sees claws protruding from his chest. 

* You thought you could get rid of me so easily?*

Reggie wakes up screaming. Delsin smashes through the door of his room, smoke flaring around him. “Reggie! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?”

His heart is beating like a hummingbird trapped in a cage made of bone, but he can’t tell his brother that. “I’m fine,” he pants, gripping his hands together to stop them from shaking as he climbs out of bed. “Bad dream.” Splashing cold water on his face, he leans on the bathroom sink and catches his breath. 

“You sure that’s all it was?”

He nods mutely. He needs pain, but he can’t, not while Delsin is still here. 

“Or you could kill yourself. That works too, if I remember correctly.”

Reggie freezes, slowly looking at his brother, who is leaning casually against the door. “What?”

Delsin takes a step forward, and Reggie takes a wary step back. “You heard me.” He smiles, and his teeth are too sharp. 

Reggie’s blood turns to ice in his veins. “You’re not Delsin.” 

And then he’s staring at himself, the twisted version that he thought they’d gotten rid of a year ago. “Ohhhh good job. I’m so happy the human I’m tied to isn’t a complete idiot.”

“You’re not real. You’re a nightmare, something my head conjured up. We got rid of you. ” Reggie snaps with more conviction than he feels. 

“Oh I’m a nightmare alright, but unfortunately for you I’m very real. ” Not-Reggie leans in, smile far too wide for his face. “And I’m not done with you yet.”

Reggie wakes up screaming. Delsin smashes through the door of his room, smoke flaring around him. “Reggie! What’s wrong?! Are you okay?”

He stares at his brother, breathing too fast, eyes wide with fear. No. Nonono-

Curling up into a ball, all he can do is cry. 

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Reggie lays on the couch with Marty curled up on his chest, the Maine Coon purring loudly. He’d tried to convince Delsin after he was done panicking that he was fine, that it was just a bad dream. His brother hadn’t accepted his answer, calling Billy and telling the deputy that Reggie was taking the day off whether he wanted to or not. The sheriff had been immensely frustrated that Billy had readily agreed with the younger Rowe, but had managed to make a new mark on his arm in the time it had taken Delsin to find his phone. He was awake. It had all been a bad dream. He’s fine. The light prick of Marty’s claws as he kneads on Reggie’s chest are just further proof. 

Pain means real. 

His phone starts buzzing on the coffee table and he picks it up with a sigh, turning it on speaker. “What, Delsin?”

“What do you mean, what? Guy can’t call to check up on his brother anymore?” Delsin’s tone is far too chipper, and Reggie rolls his eyes.

“Delsin, I’m fine. I’m resting on the couch like you told me to.” 

“...okay seriously Reg, cut the crap.”  

Reggie’s brow furrows. “What do you mean?”

Delsin sighs, making the phone speaker buzz a little. “You know what I mean, Reg. I know you think I’m an idiot, but I’m not oblivious. Something’s wrong and you aren’t talking to us. I’m worried.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, I’ve got things handled.” 

“Hmmm your arm says otherwise.” 

Reggie stiffens. “What?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?” 

His chest tightens. Shit, how did Delsin find out?! Reggie has been so careful . 

“I guess you really must have missed me, to think of me so often that you had to check that many times.”

…what? 

Reggie scrambles for the kitchen, making Marty meow loudly in protest when he’s unceremoniously knocked off the sheriff’s chest. Digging through the kitchen drawer, he finds a knife with a decent edge, and drags it across his arm. Blood wells up, dripping onto the kitchen counter, accompanied by the familiar sting that suddenly holds no comfort. 

“Didn’t work, did it?” Delsin’s voice croons gently from the speaker and Reggie can’t breathe. His head is spinning, and there’s too much blood on the countertop and he cut too deep and- 

Reggie lays on the couch with Marty curled up on his chest, the Maine Coon purring loudly. His phone is buzzing on the coffee table, but he doesn’t pick it up. His hands are shaking, but there isn’t a mark on his arm, no blood on the counter. Another dream? 

Swallowing thickly, Reggie gently sets Marty down and wanders into the kitchen. Where are- 

Right. That’s where he put them. He finds the bottle of sleep aids that the psychiatrist had prescribed when he’d first made it out of the cultist’s dungeon and dumps three into his hand. He’d been scared to take them at first, terrified that he’d be stuck in that nightmare with no way to wake up. But now? Now he needs to sleep, to reset things, to stop these hallucinations. He gulps them down dry and goes back to his room, Marty curling up next to him as he lays down.

He’s asleep before his head hits the pillow.  

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The barrel of the gun pressed to his temple feels real, but he’s not sure. One last attempt to find out. He pulls the trigger. 

And wakes up on the couch, his gun sitting on the table. His phone rings. “Did you really think that would work?” 

He gives up after six more tries. 

The hallucinations don’t stop. If anything, they’re getting worse. No matter how deeply he cuts, no matter how hard he presses a lit cigarette to his arm, he keeps seeing Not-Reggie in the edges of the mirror, sees his own eyes flash orange in the rearview. Pain means he’s real. So if he’s feeling pain, and he can still see the Maw, then that means…

The Maw is real too. 

He’s back. 

Reggie drags Ash into his office when he comes into work, ignoring the confused looks he’s getting from Billy, Alessia, and James. It’s been a week since that morning with the mirror (he thinks, his idea of time is a little skewed right now). “I need to talk to you.”

Ash eyes him with a guarded expression. “I’ve kinda wanted to talk to you too, but I’ll let you go first. What’s up?”

“He’s back.” Reggie blurts out. There’s no time to beat around the bush.

“Huh? Who’s back?” Ash asks, frowning.

“The Maw. He’s back and you’re the only one who knows how to deal with this kind of thing.”

Ash’s eyebrows dart up. “Reg, we got him. He was banished from this plane. What makes you think he’s back?” 

“I’ve seen him.” 

For a moment, Ash just stares, mouth slightly agape, then he’s opening the door to the office and peeking out. “Billy, could you come here for a second?” 

“Sure.” And then Billy’s standing in the doorway next to Ash, both wearing matching looks of concern. “What’s up?” 

Reggie pinches the bridge of his nose. “I was trying to avoid a panic, Ash, that’s why I didn’t want to tell anyone else.”

“Panic? For what?” Billy demands, looking between him and Ash, puzzlement clear on his face. 

“I saw the Maw again. He’s back , Billy.”

Billy goes very still. “When?”

“It started a week ago. At first I thought it was just nightmares, bad dreams, but then he started showing up when I was awake, and I know I was awake because I always check.” He pulls his sleeve up and Ash goes white as a sheet, Billy’s jaw dropping at the sight of his arm. “Pain means everything is real, and if he’s there when I’m real then that means that he is real, it means he’s back. And somehow it’s different this time, because killing myself just reset everything. I tried so many times but nothing stopped, it just kept going.” 

He’s not sure when he started pacing, but when he finishes talking he glances to the side to find only Billy standing there, a pained expression on the deputy’s face. “Wait, where’s Ash?” 

“I asked him to step out.” 

Reggie frowns at him. “Why? He’s the only one of us that has any idea what this thing is or what it can do.”

“Have Delsin, Fetch, or Eugene seen him?” 

Shaking his head, Reggie scoffs. “No, he’s too clever for that. He only comes out when no one else is home.”

Billy takes a deep breath. “Okay. Sheriff, I think we need to call Delsin, and I need you to give me your gun.” 

Reggie shuffles back in surprise, his hip bumping into the corner of his desk. “What? No, have- have you even been listening to me?”

Raising his hands in a placating gesture, Billy takes a step forward. “I have been Reggie, I promise. I’ve been listening. Hand me the gun, okay?” 

Scowling at him, Reggie snatches his keys out of the bowl that sits on the corner of his desk and shoves past Billy, storming out of the station. 

“Sheriff, wait!”

Reggie keeps walking, yanking the door to his truck open.

“Goddamit, Reggie! Stop!” 

Billy's hand wraps around his wrist and he pivots, fist meeting flesh and knocking his deputy down. He follows, his fist coming down again and again and again and-

He's standing next to his desk, the keys in the same place and Billy standing in front of him. He feels like he can’t breathe. “It’s happening again.” 

Billy frowns, confused. “What’s happening?”

Reggie chews his lip. He can’t tell his best friend that he just tried to- “It doesn’t matter. You have to believe me, the Maw is back.” 

“I do believe you, okay? I do.” The deputy is using that tone , the soothing one he reserves for talking someone down. 

Anger wells up in Reggie’s chest. “I’m not crazy , Billy,” he snaps, and he doesn’t mean for the three steps forward to be threatening, but Billy backs up all the same, keeping his hands raised. Reggie’s standing in the doorway to his office now, and he can see James rising from his chair, a worried frown on his face, and near the station doors, Ash is standing next to Alessia, a hand on her arm.

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Billy starts carefully, “I think you went through something traumatic and your mind is playing tricks on you.” 

“No you’re not listening to me! He came back! It’s not in my head, he is real and we are all in danger.” Frustrated tears spill down his cheeks and he has no idea how he can get them to believe him. His gaze bounces around the room, looking for some sign that any of them believe him, and then his heart stutters to a stop.

The Maw is standing next to Alessia. A wicked smile stretches his face, and he reaches for her with soot-soaked claws. Reggie’s gun is in his hand faster than he's ever drawn it in his life, and he fires. 

The station’s glass door shatters and Ash yanks Alessia down to the floor at the same moment that Billy tackles Reggie. His gun goes skittering under his desk and he tries to get to it, needs to get to it, the fucker is here and he wants Alessia and-

And then James’ iron grip is on his arm, and it's two on one. He thrashes, attempting to fight off both of his deputies, and maybe a year ago he could've, but not now. Cold cuffs bite into the skin of his wrists and Billy’s weight presses against his back, keeping him pinned to the floor. To his left, he hears James on the radio. “Control, this is 404, I have a code 5150, address is 25 North Main Street.” 

Code 5150. Involuntary detention of an adult experiencing a mental health crisis. Seventy-two hour psych hold. Reggie drops his head against the worn carpet and sobs. “Billy you have to believe me, please.”

“Shhh Reggie it’s gonna be okay, alright?” Billy’s still attempting to soothe him, but Reggie doesn’t want that, he needs them to listen. 

* Did you think it would be that easy?*

His head snaps up, to find the Maw sitting on the edge of his desk, smirking at him. 

Reggie screams.

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His brain feels sluggish from the meds they give him. Cottony, too slow. It’s hard to think. He gives another half-hearted tug on the restraints around his wrists. He’s not sure how long he’s been here, but he very much would like to get out already. Two different psychiatrists have been in to see him already, but Reggie ignored them. 

He’s not crazy. 

The door to his room opens and he’s surprised to see Billy walk in. His deputy slowly makes his way over to the chair next to his bed and sits down. The two men stare silently at each other for a long time. Billy is the first to break the silence. “Doc said you’re refusing to let Delsin and Betty see you.” 

“Don’t want them near it.”

Billy’s brow furrows. “It?”

“Maw.” 

His shoulders sag. “Oh.” 

“How’d you get in?” His words slur together a bit thanks to the meds, voice a mere mumble, but thankfully Billy still manages to parse things together. 

“I’m still listed as one of your emergency contacts, so since you didn’t specify that you didn’t want to see me, they let me come in.” Billy leans forward, warm hand coming to rest on top of Reggie’s. “Doc also said you’re refusing to talk about anything. Reggie, you need to let them help you. All of us are worried about you.” 

“I’m fine , Billy, I just-”

“You’re not fine,” Billy snaps, tears in his eyes. “You’ve been hurting yourself, you admitted to more than one suicide attempt and you nearly killed Alessia!” 

Reggie’s brow furrows, the edges of his lips dipping into a frown. “No I didn’t.”

Billy bows his head for a second, takes a breath, and then looks back at him, swallowing thickly. “Do you not remember? You aimed right at her.”

“If I was aiming for Alessia, I would have hit Alessia. I was aiming for him.” Reggie shakes his head. “But I already know you won’t believe me. So just leave me alone.” He turns his head to face the other wall, ignoring every other attempt that Billy makes to talk to him. Eventually, his friend leaves, and once the door closes all he can do is cry. 

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It’s the middle of the night, and he’s awake. He can’t sleep, something itching in the back of his mind, some urgency fighting through the haze of medication. His room is dark, but not pitch-black, and his eye catches movement at the end of the bed. Orange eyes glow in the dark, and he squeezes his own shut. It’s only a dream. Only a dream, only a dre-

“I know you’re awake.”

Reggie’s eyes snap open, to find glowing ochre mere inches away. He can feel the other’s weight on top of him, can feel calloused fingers cupping his chin. “What do you want?” he whispers, feebly yanking on the restraints again, the heart monitor screaming in the background. 

“I need to borrow you for a bit. Well, your body, I should say. You are going to take a little nap in the back of our head while I get some things done. Like talking to some old friends.” 

“Please,” he begs, choking on a sob, “Please don’t hurt them.”

“You know, I love it when humans beg.” The Maw smirks. “Now sleep.”

Everything goes dark. 

Chapter Text

Alessia is amazed when, a mere two months after the incident with the Maw’s cultists, Reggie goes back to work. The doctor cleared him for desk duty, but she isn’t sure he’s ready. Billy shares her sentiment, but his attempts to reason with the sheriff are swiftly rebuffed. 

Another two months after that, the sheriff stops going to his therapist. She brings it up when they’re in the kitchen together at the Rowe house, but he shuts her down too. “I’m okay, Sia, really. Talking about it every few days is only going to make me think about it more. I want to forget that it happened and move on with my life.” 

She doesn't bring it up again, not wanting to overstep boundaries. But that doesn't mean she stops watching altogether. And what she sees is…

Concerning, to say the least. The problem is how to bring it up, or whether or not she should. Luckily, Billy solves the problem for her. 

She'd moved into his house about six months after the incident. They'd already gone on some casual dates before everything went down and she already spent quite a lot of time at his house. After, she found herself coming over almost daily, taking comfort in his presence as much as he did in hers, so he'd offered for her to move in with him. 

Three months later, and things are actually going pretty well for the two of them, all things considered. They're chilling on the couch together, a cooking show on the tv and dinner plates in hand. She can't help but think he looks distracted while idly petting Snip, the rat nestled into the crook of his elbow. “Billy?”

“Hm?” 

“You look like you've got something on your mind. Wanna talk about it?” she prompts gently, leaning into his side and taking a bite of chicken.

He’s quiet for a few minutes, but she can tell from his face that he’s thinking, so she leaves him be, waiting patiently for him to gather his thoughts. “I’m worried about Reggie,” he eventually admits, setting his plate on the coffee table and leaning back to stretch his legs out. She leans back with him, resting her head on his shoulder while he wraps his arm loosely around her waist. “You’ve probably noticed, being at the house so often, but he’s… off. He isn’t eating, and Delsin said he’s not sleeping well. At work he’s missing things that he’s known how to do since he was a rookie, like filing things a particular way, or stuff he needs to include on his reports. James and Ash have both come to me separately with concerns, but he’s skirting along the edge in such a way that I don’t have a good enough reason yet to force him to go for another psych eval or put him on leave.” Snip climbs up to his shoulder and he sighs, giving the rat’s back a scratch. “I’m pretty sure he flubbed the last one.”

Alessia’s eyebrows dart up in surprise. “You think he cheated on a psych test ? I didn’t even think you could do that.” 

“It’s hard, but if you know what to expect, you absolutely can. At this point though, I don’t think he could fool it a second time. Which is both good and bad.”

“Why so?” she asks, leaning forward long enough to set down her plate and snuggling into his side, folding her legs beneath her. 

“Because there’s a very good chance that they would force him to retire. And if I’m the one who pulled the plug on that…” he trails off, shaking his head again. “I know that in the long run, if that’s what were to happen, it would be better for him, but I also know that taking away everything he’s worked so hard for for over a decade would crush him.”

That part she can sympathize with. If someone were to suddenly take away Project Sanctuary from her, after years of hard work, she’d be devastated. “It’d be really hard,” she agrees, squeezing his knee. “But he would have us.”

Billy’s answering smile doesn’t reach his eyes. “We have to hope that that’ll be enough.”

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Three months later, Alessia wakes up to the sound of Billy’s phone going off. He leans over, searching for it in the dark. “Sorry Red,” he mumbles tiredly, but she just shakes her head against his back and wraps her arms around him a little more snugly. 

“Nah, ‘s okay,” she yawns back. She’s gotten used to being awoken at odd hours by calls for him. Just one of the perks of dating a cop. 

“Hello?...Hey Del, what’s up?...Why? What happened?” Billy sits up a little, sounding more awake now. “No, I absolutely agree. Keep me posted, okay?...Alright, bye.” He hangs up and tosses his phone back on the nightstand. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Alessia asks worriedly, propping herself up on her elbow. “Is everyone okay?”

“Delsin called to let me know Reggie’s taking the day off. Had a pretty bad nightmare, apparently he woke up screaming and Delsin couldn’t get him to calm down.”

Frowning, Alessia recalls the prior day, when she’d brought in lunch for everyone at the station. “He was passed out at his desk yesterday when I came over.”

“That’s not the first time he’s dozed off at work either. At this rate he’s gonna end up getting into an accident or end up in a dangerous situation at work.” Billy lays back down and pulls her against his chest. “I think I might have Ash talk to him, persuade him to take some time off, if for no other reason than to get some sleep.”

“Why not talk to him yourself?” she asks, tone curious but not accusatory. 

“Ash is the least imposing out of the three of us, whereas I think if James or I tried to talk to him, he'd feel backed into a corner and lash out.” 

“I could talk to him,” she offers, feeling his arm tighten around her waist. 

“That's a sweet offer, Red, but I think it's best to leave this to us.” 

His other arm comes up to gently stroke her side and she scoots up enough to kiss his cheek. “I understand, baby. Go back to sleep. You've got work soon.”

He pulls her closer and buries his nose in her hair. “What would I do without you?” 

She asks herself the same thing every day.

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Later that week, she's sitting next to Billy's desk, watching something on James' phone, when Reggie comes in and immediately drags Ash into his office, not saying a word to the other three. 

“Huh, wonder what that was about,” James muses, stowing his phone and trading a look with Billy. 

A minute or two passes, then Ash peeks his head out of Reggie’s office. “Billy, could you come here for a second?”

“Sure.”

Alessia watches him go, hears him and Reggie start talking quietly and pulls out her phone to text Eugene and distract herself so she doesn't eavesdrop by accident. 

A hand comes to rest on her elbow. “Hey Sia, can you come outside with me for a minute?” Something in Ash’s expression sets off alarm bells in her head.

“Yea, of course.” She hops out of the chair and lets him guide her towards the station doors. 

“I’m not crazy, Billy.” 

Alessia stops, glancing back at Reggie’s office with concern when she hears him snap, seeing Billy backing up with both his hands raised and Reggie advancing with an angry look on his face. James is halfway out of his seat already, and Ash’s grip on her arm tightens. She watches as Billy tries to calm him down, ever the mediator, but Reggie just keeps getting more agitated. “-he is real and we are all in danger. ”

Wait, he? Who's he? 

As much as she wants to get involved, wants to help, Ash’s minute head-shake tells her this isn't the time. Reggie’s gaze shifts to her, and he goes rigid. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he looked terrified. 

And then there's a bullet going past her ear and glass exploding behind her. 

She yelps as Ash flattens himself over her and covers her head. “Stay down,” he says sharply. Alessia's too stunned to argue. Her friend just took a shot at her. She hears a scuffle, sees James run into the office, and then Ash is pulling her off the floor and practically carries her out the station’s back door. 

“What happened?” she blurts out, finding her voice once they're outside, her hands shaking as Ash checks her over for injuries and brushes glass out of her hair. 

His lips are pressed into a thin line. “I'll explain in a minute. Are you hurt?” 

She shakes her head. “Just shook up.” 

A scream comes from inside, and her heart leaps into her throat. “Ash?” 

He swears under his breath and quickly guides her to his patrol car, opening the passenger’s side door for her. Once she's inside, he jogs to the driver's side and slides in.

“Wait, why are we leaving? What's going on, Ash?”

Ash glances at her briefly. “Right now my job is to get any civilians, aka you, somewhere safe so they can focus on Reggie. I also don't want you alone, so I'm taking you to Delsin’s house. I'll explain everything when we get there.”

She nods, rubbing her arms and working to calm her racing heart. A gentle tap on her arm, and she looks down to see Ash holding out a lighter and a pack of cigarettes to her. “I know you're working on cutting back a bit, but given the circumstances…” 

She gratefully accepts the carton. “How'd you know what kind I smoked?” 

“Reggie mentioned it one time. I always keep a carton for him and one for you in my patrol car,” he says with a half shrug. 

“That's really sweet,” she says softly, opening the window, the familiar smoke filling her lungs and stilling the tremor in her hands.

By the time they step into the Rowe household, she's calmed down, worry now at the forefront of her mind. Fetch is chilling on the recliner reading while Eugene is at the kitchen table, paperwork spread around him. Both conduits give the pair confused looks. “What are you two doing here?” Fetch asks, sitting her book aside. 

“Is that glass? ” Eugene is out of his seat and at Alessia’s side in seconds, worriedly looking her over. “What happened?!”

“It is, but I’m not hurt,” she reassures him. “I’ll clean up after we talk. Is Delsin home?” 

“He’s in the shower, I’ll go get him.” Fetch darts upstairs and Alessia takes a seat at the table, Eugene sliding into the one he’d only recently vacated. Ash remains on his feet, pacing the space between the dining and living room. 

Fetch soon reappears with Delsin in tow, the smoke conduit dressed in just his jeans and scrubbing damp hair with a towel. “Hey Ash, what’s up?” 

“We had a… situation, with the sheriff,” Ash begins, running a hand through his hair and grimacing when glass shards fall out onto the hardwood floor. 

Delsin’s eyes narrow. “What kind of situation?”

“He had a massive mental breakdown. James called a code 5150 on him.”

Silence. 

Delsin is staring at Ash, mouth open and jaw working but no sound coming out. 

“He said he’s been seeing the Maw, he’s absolutely convinced that the hellhound is back,” Ash continues, the room’s other occupants stiffening. 

“How do we know he’s not?” Alessia pipes up, the first to find her voice. “And what’s a 5150?”

“I considered it, but there have been no signs of demonic activity anywhere ,” Ash says with a sigh. “And a 5150 is a 72-hour psychiatric hold.”

“You’re going to lock him up for hallucinations? ” Fetch snaps, hands on her hips. “He doesn’t need that, he needs sleep!”

“This isn’t just about the hallucinations, Fetch. He admitted to multiple suicide attempts, has obvious self-harm scars, and pulled a gun on Alessia.” How the deputy manages to stay so calm through all of this, Alessia will never know. 

“He did what? ! No fucking way, I don’t believe you!” Delsin barks back, smoke wisping off his hands and a suspiciously wet glint to his eyes. “My brother would never pull a gun on his friends, or anyone for that matter!”

“If he’s been hallucinating, he may not have seen me, Delsin,” Alessia points out as gently as she can. She has first-hand experience with hallucinations, having dealt with them herself occasionally, one of the long-lasting consequences of heavy drug use. “He might have thought that I was the Maw, or something else entirely.”

Delsin makes a strangled, wounded noise and Fetch crosses the living room quickly to wrap an arm around him. “D, it’ll be okay. He’ll get some help and bounce right back. You two are stubborn like that.” 

“I don’t know if this’ll be a quick fix like that, Fetch,” Ash warns, shaking his head. “This has been building up for almost a year. It may take a while for him to get back to some semblance of normal.” 

“Will they keep him locked up that whole time?” 

Ash hesitates to answer, chewing on his lip. “I’ll be honest, I don’t know. A judge will have to decide once the 72-hour hold is up. There are a lot of factors that will go into it. Whatever happens though, we’ll be here to help, okay?” 

Delsin sinks into a chair and puts his head in his hands. “Yea… Thanks Ash.”

Alessia’s heart aches in her chest, wishing there was more she could do. She hates feeling so helpless. Eugene’s hand on her shoulder makes her jump a little, and he gives her a sheepish smile. “Sorry, Sia, I was just gonna say you can go shower now. I think you still have clothes here, if not you can borrow some of mine.” 

“Thanks Gene.” She goes to hug him but thinks better of it, glass still clinging to her clothes. Once she’s in the shower, she sinks to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs, and lets herself fall apart. 

000000

Later that evening, she and Eugene are on the couch playing Mario Kart, an obvious attempt by the video conduit to distract her. There’s a knock on the door around eleven, and Fetch opens it to find Billy standing on the porch, still dressed in his uniform and looking more tired than Alessia has seen him in a long time. “Sorry I’m here so late.” 

“It’s okay, come on in Billy.” Fetch steps aside to let him in and Alessia hops off the couch, running over to hug him. 

“Hi babe, I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner. Probably should’ve checked if you wanted to stay here tonight before I drove over.” 

The regret in his tone makes her heart ache again, and she quickly shakes her head. “You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. I’m glad you came to pick me up. Gimme just a second to get my shoes on.” 

While she puts her shoes on, Delsin shuffles over to stand next to Billy, nervously shifting his weight from foot to foot. “How is he?”

Billy’s shoulders sag. “Delsin, I don’t think-”

“Please tell me,” Delsin cuts him off, brown eyes pleading.

The deputy hesitates only a second longer. “He’s not doing too good. They ended up sedating him when we got to Seattle so he wouldn’t hurt us or himself.”

Delsin’s head drops, gaze on his socks. “Fuck, okay.”

Alessia finishes putting on her shoes and wraps the smoke conduit up in a hug. “One day at a time, okay?”

He hugs her back, squeezing as tightly as he can with her not being a conduit. “One day at a time.”

000000

The ride home is quiet, Billy’s hand resting on her thigh the whole way. “Have you eaten?” she asks gently, her own hand sitting on top of his. 

“No, I didn’t have time. And to be honest, I’m not sure I’m very hungry right now,” he admits, his gaze fixed on the road. 

“That’s okay, don’t force yourself to eat, baby. What can I do?”

His grip on her thigh tightens. “You’re the one who almost got shot today, Red. I should be asking you that.” She sees his throat bob, hears him inhale shakily. “I’m sorry for not checking on you. I knew that I could trust Ash to keep you safe so I could handle things but I still feel like a shit boyfriend for not even calling and-” The steering wheel creaks under his grip, his voice shaking, and she turns sideways in her seat. 

“Billy, pull over,” she says firmly. 

He does as she asks, but won’t look at her, his gaze still fixed on some point past the windshield, but she can see his shoulders shaking. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she reaches across the center console and wraps her arms around him, leaning her head against his while he presses the heels of his hands to his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispers, shaking like a leaf. 

Tears burn her eyes but she forces them back. “I’m not mad at you, baby, or even upset with you. You did what you had to. You were doing your job. ”

“Because I didn’t do anything sooner, ” he sobs, making her heart squeeze painfully in her chest. “I should’ve pushed, there were so many signs and I didn’t do anything about them and now Reggie’s-” He cuts himself off with another harsh sob, inhaling raggedly, but the tears are coming too fast now and all Alessia can do is hold him. 

000000

Neither of them get much sleep that night. When he starts getting ready for work the next day, she can't help but feel concerned. “Baby, are you sure you should be going to work after what happened yesterday?”

He offers her a tired smile and hugs her. “I appreciate the concern, Red, but I'll be okay. I'm sad, yes, but I'm stable. And I'd feel like complete shit leaving James and Ash to shoulder everything at the station when they're also dealing with this.” 

“At least let me make you breakfast then? You need to eat something.” 

He doesn't argue with her request, and she whips something up while he finishes getting ready for work. After he's done eating, she hands him a bag. “I made extra for James and Ash. If you guys need anything, call me, okay?”

Setting the bag down, Billy hugs her tightly, pressing his nose to her hair. “You always take such good care of us. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm grateful I have you.”

She smiles and kisses him once he steps back. “And I'm grateful for you. Be careful out there today, okay?”

“I will be, I promise.”

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Billy texts her partway through the day that he's going to visit Reggie after work, so when she gets home that evening, it's just her and the pets for a while. She lets Buck outside while she works on dinner, the sound of happy barking clueing her in to her boyfriend's arrival home. Billy steps inside, Buck bouncing around his feet eagerly. “Okay Buck, okay, lemme take my shoes off, sheesh,” he chuckles, toeing off his boots and petting the excited golden retriever before coming to kiss her in the kitchen. 

“How'd it go?” Alessia asks, studying him. He looks tired, drained, and given the circumstances she can't blame him. 

Billy takes a minute to answer, cracking open two beers from the fridge and handing her one. He rolls the cap between his fingers, clueing her in that he's stressed out. He always fidgets when he's stressed. “Could've gone worse. Could've gone better. I won't say anything else for now.” 

She hums softly, respecting his desire for privacy, and taps her beer to his. “One day at a time.”

He smiles. “One day at a time.”

000000

The next day, a hellacious storm slams Salmon Bay with torrential rain and howling winds. Alessia finds herself alone once again that evening, Billy forced to pick up overtime with Reggie’s absence and the extra work the storm brings in. Buck sprawls against her side on the couch, her two rats tucked into the fur on his side, all three fast asleep. She has her laptop open, working on things for Project Sanctuary, one of her chill playlists drifting from the stereo system and muffling the sounds of the storm outside. Not long before midnight, she’s considering turning in when an absolutely blinding bolt of lightning hits somewhere near the house, the ensuing thunder making the house shake and Buck snap awake. The power goes out with a harsh crack, plunging the house into darkness. 

“Shit,” Alessia hisses, saving her work and closing her laptop to conserve battery. “It’s okay, Buck.” She pets his head and scrounges for her phone, flicking on the flashlight to make her way into the kitchen, rummaging through drawers until she finds where Billy keeps the big flashlights. Buck stays close to her heels while she turns it on and shoots Billy a text, letting him know the power went out and that she’s heading to bed. “Guess this is someone’s way of saying that it’s bedtime.” 

She gently scoops both Abby and Snip off Buck’s back, returning them to their cage in the bedroom and searching through the clean laundry hamper for something to wear to bed, settling on one of Billy’s worn, soft t-shirts. In the middle of sliding under the covers, she pauses, frowning to herself. “I should probably turn the stereo back down, if the power comes back on before we’re up in the morning then the volume will end up scaring the crap out of us.”

Buck follows as she pads back into the living room, reaching for the knob, when the stereo crackles to life. 

“ Seven—six—eleven—five—nine-an'-twenty mile to-day”

The man’s voice sounds like some old-timey broadcast from the early 1900s, and Alessia’s hand is frozen, hovering in the air. 

“ Four—eleven—seventeen—thirty-two the day before ”

No other lights come on in the house, just the soft orange glow of the stereo’s display. 

“ Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again!
There's no discharge in the war!”

Buck’s hackles go up the same moment that her flashlight beam flickers, then goes out. 

“ Don't—don't—don't—don't—look at what's in front of you.
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again)”

A cold breeze tickles her feet and she spins around, heart beating against her ribs. 

“ Men—men—men—men—men go mad with watchin' em,
An' there's no discharge in the war! ”

The back door is wide open. 

“ If—your—eyes—drop—they will get atop o' you!
(Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again)-
There's no discharge in the war!”

All she can hear is her own terrified breathing, and then-
Footsteps in the hallway.
She bolts out the front door into the pouring rain, dragging Buck with her. 

“ Try—try—try—try—to think o' something different ”

The voice from the stereo is getting louder, seeming to echo in her head and making her slip on the wet grass. 

“ Oh—my—God—keep—me from goin' lunatic! ”

She hits the door to the pole barn, scrabbling to get it open, Bucky barking wildly at her feet. 

“ (Boots—boots—boots—boots—movin' up an' down again!)”

A terrified glance over her shoulder.
A shape walking towards her, close, so close, too close -

“THERE’S NO DISCHARGE IN THE WAR!” 

SLAM!

Silence.

Alessia locks the door to the barn behind her and hurries to where Billy’s workbench sits, crawling under the counter and sitting against the wall with her knees tucked against her chest. Buck squeezes in next to her and she wraps her arms around him. Her hands are shaking, and her heart is still beating way too fast as she strains to hear any hint that someone might be trying to break into the barn. She should’ve grabbed a weapon, but all she could think to do was run. 

Minutes pass, and she’s beginning to think the worst has passed, when she hears the soft crackle of the radio sitting on the bench over her head. 

“ Four—eleven—seventeen—thirty-two the day before ”

Alessia’s so terribly distracted by the radio that she doesn’t notice the quiet tread of approaching feet until their dark outline appears in her vision. Her heart stops, Buck’s low growl vibrating through her body. The person crouches, and then a flash of lightning throws Reggie’s too wide smile into horrible clarity for a single moment. 

“Hey there, beautiful.” 

Chapter Text

Billy rubs at his sore shoulder, turning the heat up in the cruiser. He's almost home, having to take the long way back from the station after one of the roads washed out near the house, and very ready to change into dry clothes and cuddle up to his girlfriend for the night. 

Pulling in front of the dark house, he hurries to lock the cruiser and get inside, pausing just long enough to stomp mud off his boots on the front stoop. He pauses just inside, frowning at the door, his hand still on the knob. Odd, Alessia usually locks it when she’s home alone. 

Buck doesn’t appear when he closes the door, but that’s not as weird. Alessia’s got a pretty good death grip when she sleeps, and the golden retriever makes a great teddy bear. Kicking off his boots, he hangs up his jacket and makes his way across the living room. His foot hits something that feels like metal, the object rolling a few inches. Tugging his flashlight off his belt, he flicks it on, blinking when he sees one of the big flashlights from the kitchen resting on the floor. Crouching, he picks it up, flicking it on and back off and setting it on the coffee table. Straightening once more, he swings his flashlight slowly around the living room.

His heart leaps into his throat when the beam of light illuminates muddy footprints, too big to be Alessia's. 

Drawing his gun, he runs into the bedroom, finding Abby and Snip in their cage but no Alessia or Buck, just an empty bed. A thorough sweep of the rest of the house reveals more footprints, but no sign of his girlfriend. Holding his flashlight between his cheek and his shoulder, he pulls his phone out, about to call her. The phone starts ringing as soon as it’s in his hand, the caller ID showing the Seattle PD. 

A sense of dread curls into his lungs. “Hello?”

“Is this Deputy Jackson? This is Officer Wyatt, with the Seattle PD.”

“It is. This is kind of a bad time though.”

“I’m sorry sir, but this couldn’t wait. Earlier tonight there was a power outage at Seattle Memorial. By the time they got the generators running, they found that Sheriff Rowe had escaped custody. No one has been able to locate him since.” 

Billy doesn't hear the rest of what he says, white noise filling his head. Reggie escapes, and suddenly Alessia goes missing? He's been a cop too long to ignore the connection staring him in the face, but he's praying that he's wrong. The other officer is still talking, but before he can tune back in and listen, another call comes in. 

Incoming call from:

LittleRedRat

Thank fuck. Billy answers without a second thought, cutting off the other call. “Sia? Baby? Where are you? Are you okay?”

“Hello Theodore. ”

Billy's lungs fill with ice. “Reggie? What are you- Where's Alessia?!” Don't panic, don't panic, focus . Listen for clues. Rain, he can hear rain. Not muffled by walls, so Reggie has to be outside somewhere. He runs to the door and shoves his feet into his boots, not bothering to tie them, just shoving the laces down next to his legs. 

“Still in one piece. For now.”

He yanks open the front door and sprints outside to his cruiser. He has one hand on the car door when he hears a voice, not from the phone in his hand, but from right behind him.

“One problem though. I’m not Reggie.” 

Billy whips around, dropping his phone and flashlight to aim with both hands. The dropped flashlight reveals that Reggie is standing right behind him, still dressed in hospital clothes and covered in mud. His friend smiles, but there’s something sinister to it that makes the hair on Billy’s neck stand up. They stare at each other in silence for a long moment. “If you’re not Reggie, who are you?” he asks, eyeing him carefully. 

“You already know the answer to that.”

Billy’s eyes narrow. “Enlighten me.”

“Cruentum Ingluviem.”

First Reggie thinks he’s seeing the Maw, now he thinks he is the Maw. How? How did it get so bad so fast? Is there any way for Billy to get his friend back? He realizes that he needs to play along for a bit. “Where’s the real Reggie then? And where’s Alessia?”

His friend scoffs. “This is the real Reggie. Your trick with the mirror a year ago didn’t kill me, it destroyed my physical form, so I had to borrow this skin to walk around in, like some common demon. It’s fucking aggravating . As for Alessia, she’s around. The dog too.” 

“Tell me where they are.”

“Seriously?” Reggie asks, raising an eyebrow. He sounds amused. “You think that approach will work.”

“Tell me where she is or I’ll shoot.” Billy grits out, hoping the bluff will work. He can’t go looking for her without making sure Reggie’s secured. There’s too great a risk otherwise, and Billy has a responsibility to keep them both safe. But he’s wasting time. 

Slowly, Reggie tilts his head. “So you’d kill your best friend to save your girlfriend? Thirteen years, and you’d still rather think he’s crazy than believe him. Hm, and I thought hell was cruel.” Reggie takes a step forward. 

Billy responds with a step back. “I didn’t-” his voice gets caught in his throat. 

Another forward, another ba- his back hits the cruiser, and Reggie closes the distance between them, the barrel of Billy’s 10mm pressed to the center of his chest. “Go ahead. Shoot me.” 

The blood drains from Billy’s face. He can’t, he won’t. No matter what happens, no matter what Reggie does, Billy can’t pull the trigger. “No.”

Reggie stares at him for a beat, and then sighs. “Humans. You’re so disappointing.” Faster than Billy can register, Reggie tears the pistol from his grip, his other hand snapping out and grabbing a fistful of Billy’s hair, slamming his head onto the roof of the car. 

Everything goes black. 

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Billy wakes up to the feeling of rain on his face. He’s fucking freezing, and one of Alessia’s heavy metal bands are currently playing an instrumental bit behind his closed lids. He opens his eyes and tries to sit up, but the movement causes his vision to swim and his stomach to roll, forcing him to lay back down. He feels around the grass and manages to find his phone. It still works, even though it’s been sitting on wet grass for the better part of… He checks the time.

One hour. 

Panic zings through him and he once again tries to sit up, gritting his teeth against the bile that rises in his throat. His cruiser and gun are gone. Fuck. Fuck. He calls the station and staggers to his feet. Ash answers the phone. “Hello, Salmon Bay Sheriff’s Department.”

“Ash,” he gasps out, stumbling to the house. At least the power is back on now. “Reggie took Alessia.” 

“He did what ? How did he get out of the hospital?” 

“I don’t know. He took my cruiser. I need you and James to come to my house. And call Delsin, we need all hands on deck.” 

“On it. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” 

His head is killing him, but he doesn’t have time to worry about himself. “I’m fine. Just hurry.” 

000000

As soon as Ash sees him, the other deputy freaks out. “ This is what you call okay?! I’m calling the paramedics.”

“No, Ash, we don’t have time to-” 

James cuts him off. “If we’re going after him, we need you to be in good shape. Let the paramedics take a quick look. Besides, I already called them on my way over. They’ll be here any minute.”

“Going after who ? What’s going on?” Delsin asks from his perch on the kitchen counter. 

“You didn’t tell them yet?” Billy snaps at Ash, who glares right back. 

“I was in a hurry.”

James steps outside to meet the paramedics while Billy massages his temples, wincing when his fingers find the goose egg Reggie left. “Somehow, your brother got out of the hospital during the blackout. He took Sia and my cruiser and I have no idea where he is. And unfortunately, the problem is even bigger now. He’s not just seeing the Maw, he thinks he is him.”

“How the fuck does that work?” Fetch asks, frowning. “That seems like a pretty big jump.”

“Delusions of possession can be a symptom of schizophrenia,” Ash muses, hand on his chin, deep in thought. 

“I doubt it’s that,” James pipes up as he walks back inside, shaking water off his raincoat. An EMT follows him inside, a pale, slender young woman by the name of Jimèna Martinez. “He’s a little past the age where it usually shows up, and he doesn’t have a lot of the other symptoms.” 

“Why are we sitting here discussing this instead of getting out there and finding him ?” Eugene demands, looking strung-out and ready to lose it. “Are we forgetting he has Alessia? ”

“No, we’re not. Remember what happened last time?” Ash points out helpfully, “We know she’s alive because the Maw’s MO is to leave people alive until we get close to toy with us. We need to take a second to think things through and come up with a plan, not run in half-cocked.”

“Why? We’re conduits, Reggie can’t hurt us.” 

“ You are conduits. Alessia is not. And we have no idea where they are, or where they’re going. You could end up pushing him over the edge before we can stop him and get her killed.”

“You guys are talking about the Sheriff, right?” Jimèna asks, sitting her bag down next to Billy and pulling on a pair of gloves. “Seattle PD sent an alert to every first responder in the surrounding counties to be on the lookout for him.” 

“Shit,” Billy hisses, and not just from the disinfectant that Jimèna presses to his head. “Ash, put out a BOLO for my cruiser, and update the alert that SPD put out, let them know Reggie has a hostage with him and he’s armed and then see if you can figure out where they’re going. Eugene, send some angels out to scout around and help Ash. James, check the barn for anything that might help.”

“Wait, I thought all the cruisers had GPS?” Delsin interjects as James jogs outside, having been quiet up to this point. 

“I already checked, Reggie disabled it.” 

Ash’s response makes Delsin growl with frustration. “Great, so one of the SPD are going to get to him first and fucking murder him before we can do anything .”

“Delsin, that’s not-” Billy starts, but Delsin cuts him off.

“Don’t,” he snaps. “Don’t sit here and act like you all haven’t been talking about my brother this entire time like he’s a fucking criminal. I guess I should’ve expected that from a bunch of fucking cops though.” He turns his glare to Eugene. “I shouldn’t have had to expect it from you.” The video conduit flinches, but before he can reply, Delsin is stalking out the door into the pouring rain. 

Fetch sighs. “I’ll talk to him.” She flits out the door, leaving Eugene to sink onto the couch next to Billy. 

“I didn’t…” Eugene swallows thickly. “I wasn’t trying to make Reggie out to be a criminal. He’s my friend too, and I know he can’t control what’s happening to him. But I’m scared for Alessia.”

Billy gives his knee a reassuring squeeze. “I am too, but Alessia’s also a lot stronger than we give her credit for. She’ll be okay.” She has to be, otherwise it’ll break them.

“Deputy Jackson?” Jimèna speaks up carefully, pulling a bandage out for his head. 

He blinks up at her. “Yes?”

“Could he possibly have DID?” 

“What’s DID?” Eugene asks, looking between her and Billy. 

“Dissociative Identity Disorder, more colloquially known as split personalities,” Ash answers from the table, Billy’s laptop in hand. “What makes you say that, Jimèna?”

“Well, my conduit power, for lack of better terms, is ‘life’,” she explains. Billy nods along. Her coming out as a conduit was part of why she’d transferred to Salmon Bay. Reggie and Delsin had both vouched for her, and pointed out that her power was something that could be very useful for medical staff. “I can sense life energy in a person. Not quite a soul, per se, but close enough. I was one of the responders when Sheriff Rowe had his breakdown. When I checked his life force, it felt… off. Like there was something there, siphoning energy off of him. Not a second life, more like a black hole. It just felt… empty.” 

“If I was aiming for Alessia, I would have hit Alessia. I was aiming for him .”

“Billy.” 

He’s drawn out of his musings by James’ voice. The other deputy is standing in the doorway, a grim expression on his face. “You need to come look at this.” 

Thanking Jimèna for her help, Billy hurries to follow James outside. He can see Fetch and Delsin conversing off to one side and opts to leave them be for now. The inside of the barn is trashed. Tool boxes have been upended and knocked over, parts and chemicals swept off the counters and leaking on the floors. “Over here.” James picks his way over the mess to the back counter and Billy joins him. What he sees makes his stomach flip.

There’s a pool of blood by the back wheel of the Firebird, and handprints on the tarp covering the car. More bloody prints, including a few pawprints, coat the cement floor. He frowns, crouching to study the handprints. Only two of the prints are small enough to belong to Alessia, the rest obviously belonging to Reggie and Buck. 

Come to think of it… Why did he take Buck? 

“Why would he take Buck with him?” Billy voices the thought aloud. “Why take Alessia? I know the Maw liked to mock us, but there always seemed to be a point to everything he did. If Reggie were copying him, wouldn’t it make sense for him to copy that? What point is there to taking them?” 

“I don’t know,” James admits. “But something about this… I feel like we’re missing something.”

Billy gets to his feet again and moves through the barn slowly, gaze sweeping the floor. On the other side of the barn, near his photo corkboards, he finds his smashed polaroid camera and frowns. Another oddity. A flash of white catches his attention. Stuck under the corner of an upended toolbox is a polaroid, the material fluttering from the faint breeze of the open door. He picks it up and turns it over, face blanching when he sees it. 

Reggie is lunging at the camera, teeth bared in rage. His arm is a mess, covered in bite wounds that were no doubt courtesy of Buck. The barn is dark behind him, illuminated by the split second snapshot. Smart girl, Billy thinks affectionately, using the camera like a flashbang. His smile sobers and he tries not to cry as he goes to set the photo down, unable to look in his best friend’s wild eyes anymore.

…wait.

He brings the photo closer, studying it again. Human eyes don’t glow like that. No, that’s more like-

Billy practically throws himself at the wall of photos, snatching one of Buck off the wall. The golden retriever’s eyes glow the same way. “James!”

The other deputy is at his side in seconds. He hands him both photos. “Look at this.”

James compares the two, his eyes slowly widening. “Could it be a camera effect?”

“It’s never happened before, so I doubt it,” Billy answers. 

“If I was aiming for Alessia, I would have hit Alessia. I was aiming for him .”

“I need to see something.” And then he’s sprinting for the house, James on his heels. Delsin and Fetch must sense their urgency, running over as well as they burst through the front door, startling Ash and Eugene.

“What is it? What did you find?” Delsin presses, but Billy ignores him. 

“Ash, I need my laptop.” Ash scoots over without question and Billy rushes through pulling up the Station’s saved security footage. “Eugene, do you have the ability to go frame by frame somehow on a video?”

“Uh, yea. Yea, I can do that.” Eugene steals the laptop from him and plugs his phone into it, tapping away at both. “Any particular timestamps?”

Billy pulls up the video he has in mind. “From here to here.”

Eugene nods and gets to work. 

“You wanna share with the class?” Fetch asks with a raised eyebrow, her hands on her hips. Billy ignores her, chewing on his thumb. Maybe he’s wrong, maybe there’s nothing and it was just a fluke, maybe-

“ Oh my God,” Eugene whispers in horror. Billy leans over his shoulder. The frame frozen on the screen is from the exact moment that Reggie shot at Alessia three days ago. Standing slightly behind her is another Reggie, with glowing orange eyes, reaching a blackened hand towards her shoulder. 

Maybe his best friend isn’t crazy. 

000000

Alessia groans quietly, eyelashes fluttering open, only to wince from the dull ache in her head. Her shoulders ache something fierce, but she can’t really feel anything from her elbows to her fingertips. It takes her a minute to realize that she’s hanging from the ceiling, her wrists bound together above her head and her feet a good six to eight inches above the stone floor.

Where is she? How long has she been out? 

It takes a moment for the world to swim into focus, revealing a cavern lit by the soft glow of torches. A few yards away rests a stone altar, littered with dried flowers, animal bones, and candles. Laying in the center is Buck, blood soaked into his fur and ropes tied tightly around his limbs and his muzzle. The dog whines, yanking at his bindings, to no avail. Alessia’s heart starts to hammer in her chest, vision blurring with tears. 

“Stop struggling, mutt, it isn’t going to do you any good.” 

Her head snaps toward the voice. In the far corner is a wooden table, littered with occult objects and more candles. Reggie is leaning against it, flipping through a book not unlike the one the Maw’s cultists had. His injured arm is haphazardly wrapped in dirty bandages, red already seeping through from where Buck attacked him. He glances up and notices Alessia staring at him. “Finally awake, I see. Didn’t think that stuff I dosed you with would work so well.”

She wants to cry. “Reggie, why? Why are you doing this?” Her voice cracks, but he simply rolls his eyes. 

“As I told your boyfriend, I’m not Reggie. He’s in here with me, but I’m steering the ship right now.”

Her heart leaps into her throat. “Billy? What did you do to him?!” She doesn’t understand any of this. It makes no sense! 

“He’ll wake up with a headache, but he’ll live. Just long enough to watch you die.” 

“Why me?” she demands, unable to stop the wobble in her tone. “Why Buck?”

“Because you were there,” he says with a shrug. “And as for the dog, because I’m a hellhound. Kinda need a hound to recreate my body. Your soul is simply fuel for the process.” 

Hellhound? 

His eyes catch the light, and her breath stutters to a stop. An illusion, it has to be an illusion, or a hallucination. She really hopes it isn’t a hallucination. Now is not the time for those. “Okay, if you’re not Reggie, who are you?” 

“I know you have a brain under all that hair dye. Use it.”

Ouch. Okay, this version of Reggie is an asshole. She plays along though, trying to remind herself that this isn’t her friend’s normal behavior. Something is broken in his head, and there has to be a way she can either stall until Billy comes to the rescue, or he works himself out of this hallucination “The Maw?” 

“Bingo. See? I knew you could get it.” 

“If you’re the Maw, then where’s the real Reggie?” Maybe she can catch him in a paradox and trip him up enough to snap him out of it.

“Did you not hear me? My body got destroyed thanks to your boyfriend, so I have to remake it. This is the real Reggie. I spent the last year wearing him down until he got to the point where I could get control, and everyone believing he’s crazy was the final blow to weaken him enough for me to take over. You humans have some annoying mental resilience, but any walls break if they take enough of a beating.” 

She stares at him, a terrifying, horrifying thought swirling in her mind. “Wait. You… you’re really him, aren’t you.” 

He grins, mouth full of sharp teeth, his eyes glowing the same color as the firelit torches. “Yep! Took you all long enough.”

And suddenly she’s angry. “So you bullied my friend into hurting himself and making everyone think he was insane, hurt my boyfriend , hurt our other friends , and kidnapped our dog, for what? To get your fucking rocks off?!” 

“Because I'm fucking bored !” He explodes, causing every flame in the room to flare brightly. “I am stuck in Purgatory for decades, centuries on end! The last time I got out was during the fucking World Wars! My master doesn't come out for every little skirmish, only major wars draw his attention, so he and his brothers spend most of their time sleeping. The most excitement I get is travelling to hell every so often to rear new hellhounds, but I hate it there.” 

“And that means you get to take it out on innocent people?” She snaps back “We have lives, feelings, people we care about! We're not toys .”

“No, you are prey. ” He bites out. “Do you think a wolf gives a shit if a rabbit has feelings ? I am tired of picking through scraps of souls after my master and cultists are finished taking what they want. I want to hunt again, I want to be free of feeling like a damn parasite.” 

“You're not a parasite, you're a fucking bully! And a bad dog!” 

Alessia squeaks when he storms over and grabs her by the hair, yanking her head back and baring his teeth. “Call me that again and I'll rip your fucking throat out.” 

She does the only thing she really can in her current position (besides, ya know, staying quiet, but where’s the fun in that?) and kicks him in the stomach. He stumbles back, swearing, and goes to lunge at her. “You little bitch -!” He stops, frozen midstep, and growls, trying to force his fist to move. Glaring at it, he tries again, but his hand won't move.

Understanding dawns, and her eyes widen. “Reggie’s fighting you, isn’t he? Because you're not used to control, you're used to linking up with a person but still wearing your own skin.”

“Shut up!” he barks, glaring daggers at her. It’s a far cry from the taunting, teasing prick she met last time the Maw showed up, and now she understands why. 

“You’re afraid.” 

He stalks back over to the table and snatches up the knife that sits there, slicing through the rope holding her to the ceiling and pulling her towards the altar. “Fuck it, I’ll find another bitch to gut, I’m done with your yapping.”

Alessia puts up as much of a fight as she can, struggling to get away and kicking at him, but he just drags her over by her arm, her back hitting hard stone as he lifts her onto it. Buck whines louder, thrashing against his bindings, and Alessia can only stare up in horror at the thing wearing her friend’s face, candlelight gleaming off the blade in his hand as he raises it. Squeezing her eyes shut, Alessia hopes that it’s quick, tears slipping out from under her lids. 

Nothing happens. 

“Alessia!” 

Grey eyes snap open, meeting familiar brown, all traces of malice gone. The knife in Reggie’s hand is still raised above his head, a tremor running through his arm and sweat beading on his skin. “Femur,” he gasps out, like he’s struggling to speak. “Hit me.” 

Sia’s hands scrabble blindly over stone, clumsily grasping a solid longbone by her hip. Managing to wedge it into the rope tying her wrists, she meets Reggie’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” She swings it as hard as she can, smashing the end of her improvised club against the side of his head. He crumples, and Alessia scrambles off the altar. Her hands are shaking so much while she saws through the rope that she ends up nicking herself. Rubbing feeling back into her wrists, she swallows back tears and picks the knife up, her fingers refusing to work at first. While she works to free Buck, she keeps glancing back at Reggie, unsure how long her attack will put him out of commission for. 

As soon as Buck is free, he hops off the altar, placing himself between Alessia and the unmoving man on the floor. Now that she’s free, she has no idea what to do. She’s standing in a cultist’s cave with a dog, a knife, and an unconscious sheriff who also happens to be possessed by a demon.

And she’s not wearing pants. 

A quick search of the cave reveals a hidden opening. Biting her lip, she carefully moves Buck out of the way and kneels next to Reggie, pressing her hand to his neck. His pulse flutters against her fingers and she sighs with relief. “I’ll come back with help. I promise.” And then she’s running, Buck at her heels. 

She needs to find Billy. 

Chapter Text

It’s been nearly four hours since Billy woke up and found that his girlfriend and friend were gone, and the stress is starting to get to him. Two of those hours had been spent searching for clues and figuring out what to do now that they knew that the Maw was indeed back, the other two were spent driving once they figured out where exactly the cultist’s other hideout was. 

Honestly, he’s not all that surprised that it’s in the same woods. Ash had likened the cult to a warren of rabbits. Multiple chambers and multiple exits, which meant that even though the first house had been demolished and those tunnels caved in, there were more. 

Delsin had been quiet the entire drive, glaring daggers at everyone. When they’d realized that the Maw was indeed back, the smoke conduit had lost it on everyone, and James and Fetch had had to intervene when he tried to swing at both Ash and Billy. Secretly Billy wishes that Delsin would’ve been allowed to hit him. Maybe it would ease some of the guilt weighing the deputy down.  

Currently, they’re working their way through the labyrinth of tunnels under the second hideout. This time, they’d made sure to bring radios to keep in contact, phones still all but useless. James and Delsin had taken the first split, Eugene and Ash the second, leaving him with Fetch. Trails of neon follow them, lighting up the otherwise dark tunnels. 

“Ya know, times like this really make you wonder how many people over the years have actually been possessed.” 

Billy is startled from his thoughts by the out of the blue comment, glancing at Fetch with his lips pressed into a thin line. “Probably more than we think.”

They lapse back into silence for a moment, their footsteps echoing off the walls. “Makes me think too, if demons exist, and hell exists, does the other side?”

“Are you asking if heaven is real?”

She looks down, something pained and sad flashing over her face. “Yea. I know it’s probably not where I’m ending up, but I hope Brent’s there.” 

Billy isn’t sure how to respond to that.

Fetch shakes her head and offers him a wry smile as they reach a turn in the tunnel. “Sorry, ignore me. Not the conversation we should be having right now.” 

He’s about to try and reassure her when the sound of running feet reaches his ears, coming from in front of them. He raises his gun and she holds up both hands, neon swirling, tension coiled through both of them.

Alessia rounds the corner at full speed, Buck at her heels. She stumbles when she spots them, catching herself, and wide grey eyes meet blue. “Billy!”

He shoves his gun back into its holster and closes the distance between them, scooping her up and holding her tightly to his chest. “Sia! Thank fuck! Are you okay?!” Her legs wrap around his waist and he can feel her shaking as she clings to him, sobbing into his shoulder. 

“He’s real , Billy! The Maw, he’s here! Reggie- sniffle- Reggie wasn’t crazy! He was telling the truth this whole time!” 

She’s covered in dirt, dried blood on her head and her wrists, and dressed just in one of his old t-shirts, so she has to be freezing. He manages to shrug his jacket off without dropping her, wrapping it around her and stroking her hair, waiting for her to calm down a little while Fetch radios the group. Buck nuzzles him and Billy reaches down to pet his head, relieved that they’re both safe. “I know baby, I know. We figured it out. Did he hurt you?”

She hiccups, scrubbing at tear-stained cheeks. “He tried. Reggie stopped him.” 

That forces Billy to pause, staring at her. “How?”

“He’s fighting back. From the inside. The Maw isn’t used to possessing people, so he doesn’t have very strong control.” 

Billy and Fetch exchange a look. “Okay, that’s good to know. Let’s get you out of here, and Delsin and the others can go look for him.”

She shakes her head. “I have to go back, I promised I’d come back!” 

“Alessia, you are in no shape to do anything,” Billy says, already starting back the way they came. “And if the Maw considers you a target, we need to keep you away from him. We have no idea how long Reggie can keep fighting.” 

“If it’s up to me, not long.”

Billy stiffens, his grip on Alessia tightening as he looks over his shoulder. Buck is already growling, teeth bared and hackles raised, while Fetch shifts to a fighting stance, neon pulsing wildly. 

The Maw stumbles down the corridor, leaning heavily against the wall. The bloody bandages wrapped around his right arm are new, as is the dried blood coating the left side of his face. The murderous glare he has fixed on them makes the hair on the back of Billy’s neck stand up, and he turns part way, body shielding his girlfriend from view. 

“Long time no see, asshole,” Fetch sneers, taking a threatening step forward. “I’d love it if you gave me back my friend now, otherwise his little brother is gonna kick your fucking ass back to hell where you belong.” The cramped corridor is not the place for a fight, and Billy tenses, preparing to run. 

“He can sure as shit try, but I promise you, I am never going back,” the Maw hisses, and then there’s a wall of fire surging towards them. Billy takes off, Buck right behind him and Fetch bringing up the rear, attempting to bring down the wall with neon. They round a corner and it hits the stone behind them, leaving Billy sighing with relief. A rage-filled scream follows them into where the corridor widens into a cave, back where the second tunnel split was. Eugene and Ash come sprinting out, both looking a little winded. 

“Squeaks!” Eugene hurries over and hugs her, burying his face against her arm. “You’re alive!” 

She twists in Billy’s arms as best as she can to hug him back. “I’m okay, just shook up and really goddamn cold,” she reassures him. “But we have bigger problems coming.”

Eugene glances over to where Fetch is hovering by the tunnel entrance and frowns. “The Maw?”

“Yea.” 

Footsteps behind them clue Billy in to Delsin and James’ arrival. “Alessia! Shit, thank fuck!” Delsin gives her a quick hug, then looks around at the assembled group. “Where’s Reggie?”

“Coming to meet us,” Fetch says grimly, gesturing down the corridor. Delsin goes to stand with her, hands curling into fists. “Eugene, take Billy and Sia and get them out of here. We’ll deal with this.”

“Be careful,” Billy pleads before turning to follow Eugene. They haven’t made it more than three steps down the other tunnel when flames burst from the ground, making Billy wince and quickly turn to shield Alessia from the heat. “Shit!” The roaring fire reaches the ceiling and begins to spread, forcing them back into the cave with the others. The fire circles the room, forcing the group together in the center. 

“I’m sorry, did you think you were going somewhere?” The flames die off in an instant, leaving the room suddenly cold. The Maw is standing a few feet away, leaning most of his weight against the wall. 

Delsin inhales sharply. “What did you do to him?”

“Why don’t you ask the redhead?” 

Billy glares at the thing puppeting his best friend. “Let him go. It’s over, you lost.”

“Fuck you.” Fire races along the floor, forcing them all to scatter. Delsin goes straight for the hellhound, obviously expecting him to teleport or at least try to dodge, but the Maw simply accepts the hit that Delsin had aimed for his chest. Billy’s eyes widen in horror and Alessia lets out a gasp when Reggie hits the wall behind him, the loud thud echoing through the room. He collapses to the floor, and Delsin freezes. While the Maw’s true form seemed to have had conduit levels of durability, in Reggie’s body, he has Reggie’s durability, and Delsin didn’t hold back. 

Billy’s heart is in his throat, his grip on Alessia tight. The Maw staggers to his feet once more, wheezing for breath.

“Hit me again.”

Huh?

“What?” Delsin breathes, though his voice still carries in the silent room. 

“I said, hit me again, Delsin.” It’s Reggie that looks up at them, brown eyes tired. “End this. If I go, he goes with me. I can’t keep doing this.” 

“No.” Delsin shakes his head, his fists shaking. “Don’t ask me to do that!”

Reggie looks at his best friend next. “Billy?” 

Billy also shakes his head, swallowing roughly. “I can’t-”

“Please.” 

The two stare at each other for a heartbeat, and then Billy gently hands Alessia over to Eugene. She panics, fighting to get out of Eugene’s arms. “Wait, Billy, stop! What are you doing?” 

He ignores her, coming to stand in front of Reggie. “I'll help.”

“Like fucking hell you will!” Delsin snaps, grabbing his arm. Fetch is tensed to charge, though she looks unsure about who to charge at , while Ash and James both stand with weapons drawn but aimed at the floor. 

Billy looks Delsin dead in the eyes and carefully removes the smoke conduit’s hand from his arm. Turning back to his friend, he pulls Reggie into a hug. “I’ll take care of it.” 

Reggie sags against him. “Thank you.”

In a flash, Billy has him on the ground, hands behind his back and cuffs locked in. “James!” The other deputy is already on it, jabbing a needle into the sheriff’s arm. A look of betrayal flashes across Reggie’s face, brown eyes boring into blue, but Billy simply offers a comforting smile in return. “Trust me.” The drug doesn’t take long to take effect, Reggie going limp, eyes slipping shut, and Billy breathes a sigh of relief. 

“I hope you have a plan, because this won’t last long,”James warns, capping the used needle and pocketing it. 

“Where did you even get that?” Delsin asks, coming to Reggie’s other side and helping Billy pick him up. 

“Jimèna. Ash figured out that if the Maw was possessing him this time, then there was a good chance that human methods would affect them. So Jimèna snuck me a couple doses of sedative,” James explains, gaze shifting to the aforementioned deputy. “Ash, how do we get rid of the fucker this time?” 

Everyone turns to look at Ash, who does a very good impression of a deer suddenly being stared down by a pack of wolves. “Um, we’ll need to do an exorcism.”

“You’re joking, right?” Fetch deadpans, hands coming to rest on her hips.

“No, I’m serious. If we can find someone who knows how to do it, that’d be best, but if not I can… try?” he squeaks, holding up his hands helplessly. 

“How the fuck are we going to find someone at the ass crack of dawn who knows how to do a fucking exorcism?”  

“I know someone who can do it.” 

Billy turns to look at his girlfriend so fast that he’s certain he gave himself whiplash. Eugene blinks at her. “Who, Squeaks?”

She just smiles. “An old friend.”

000000

Kyros definitely looks surprised when he opens the door to see their ragtag group standing on the steps to his church as the sun is just peeking over the horizon line. “Um, hi?”

“Hey Kyros, I’m sorry I didn’t call, but we need your help!” Alessia blurts out, standing at the front next to Eugene and Fetch, James behind them.

The priest’s brows knit together in confusion. “With what?” He takes a step forward, concern in his eyes. “Is that blood?”

“It is, but I don’t have time to worry about it. Do you know how to do an exorcism?”

He blinks at her, then at the group, then back at her. “A what?” 

“An exorcism.” 

“Okay, right, just wanted to make sure I heard you correctly. Why are you asking me about something like that?”

“We need one,” Fetch answers. “And we’re running out of time.”

Kyros frowns at them. “Alessia, I’ve never known you to make jokes about something serious-”

“Kyros, I promise you that I’m not joking,” she insists. “Can you do one?”

He hesitates, chewing on his lip. “I mean I can, I’ve been taught the procedures, but I’ve never actually performed one. No priest has, they’re not necessary. Demons don’t actually exist, they’re just mental illnesses we don’t understand or-”

“You believe in God, right?” Ash interrupts.

“Yes, of course,” Kyros replies without hesitation.

“Then believe me when I say that the other side exists too,” Ash says firmly. “We’ve seen it, dealt with it. We’re dealing with it again.” 

A beat of silence. “Show me.” 

Fetch zips back to the cars, returning with Delsin and Billy. The Maw stands between them, struggling against their grips and the cuffs. “Are you serious? A fucking priest?” He growls, teeth bared at Kyros. 

The priest frowns and beckons them inside, locking the door after they’re all inside. Alessia quickly fills him in, giving him the condensed version. Kyros eyes the Maw curiously. “He looks fairly normal, right now.”

“And you’d look better ass up face down,” the Maw snarks back, making Kyros blink. 

James snickers while Alessia groans “I’m sorry, Kyros, he’s kind of an asshole.”

The priest shakes his head. “It’s fine, I didn’t exactly expect demons to be friendly. I haven’t really seen anything… demonic, yet. And the holy grounds don’t seem to bother him.” 

The Maw scoffs. “Holy grounds don’t affect me, I’m not some common crossroads demon or succubus, dry bones.” 

Kyros stiffens. “I’m sorry, what did you call me?”

A vicious grin spreads across the Maw’s face, teeth turning sharp. “Ohhh was that a secret? Naughty boy, what would your mother say? Oh wait, you can’t find her. ” 

Kyros’ furious glare lands on a wide-eyed Alessia, who quickly shakes her head. “I swear I haven’t told him anything!” 

“Dic mihi non opus est. Ignis exurit omnia abscondita donec sola veritas remaneat.”(*)

They all stare, wide-eyed, at the grinning Maw. 

“Um, can someone translate that?” Delsin asks after a moment, looking between Ash and Kyros. 

“I got the gist of it,” Kyros replies, “But it’s not important. I’m starting to believe you though. He showed his powers during combat, why hasn’t he tried to use them to escape?”

“Too vulgar a display of power,” the Maw says with a shrug.

“When has that ever stopped you?” Delsin mutters while Ash frowns at him. “Wait, really?”

“No, dumbass, it’s because I don’t wanna risk torching this fleshbag and having to find another one. Do you know how hard possession is when you’re not used to it?” 

“Isn’t that an Exorcist quote?” James chimes in. “How do you even know that movie?”

“Simple, my host has the dialogue for just about every major horror film memorized and let me tell you, there was some great material in here for figuring out how to scare the piss outta people.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t be conversing with a literal demon in such a familiar manner,” Kyros points out.

“Hmmm maybe I’d like to get more familiar with you . I’m always hearing from other demons about how much fun priests can be,” the Maw purrs back, eyes glowing bright orange. 

“If you hate humans so much, why do you flirt with us all the time?” Fetch scoffs and plops onto a pew, James following suit. 

“I’m a hound, but humans prefer flirting. Harder to blend in by humping everyone’s leg. I can if you’d prefer that though.”

“Please don’t.”

A loud whistle makes them all flinch, turning to stare at Ash, who gestures to Kyros. “We’re here for a reason, remember?” 

The Maw scowls. “Oh I remember, why do you think I’m trying to distract you? I have no intention of leaving this vessel quietly. Or at all.” He slams his elbow into Delsin’s nose, wrenching his arm out of Billy’s loosened grip and bolting. Fetch runs after him, but a wall of flame blocks her way. He's almost to the door when a skull appears, floating in the air in front of him. The Maw growls, flames rushing to lap at cold bone, but they have no effect. The hellhound warily backs up. 

“If you know what I can do, then you know what that can do,” Kyros says calmly, stepping forward. “You have lost, hound. Be a good boy, and don’t continue to fight us.”

The Maw’s head snaps towards Kyros, his expression one of surprise. It’s alarmingly open, and for a moment Alessia thinks that Reggie has taken back over, but no, brown eyes still glow an otherworldly orange. He doesn’t fight when Billy and Delsin drag him towards the front of the church, and when Kyros draws a circle on the floor with a piece of chalk, he still doesn’t move, just sits quietly. Something about it makes Alessia wary, and while Kyros gathers what he needs, she crouches in front of the containment circle, salt having been added to the chalk runes. “For a dog that never stops yapping, you’re suddenly really quiet.” 

His gaze stays fixed on the cuffs around his wrists. “...no one’s ever called me that before.”

Her brow furrows. “Called you what?”

“...a good boy.”

 Before Alessia can ask him to elaborate, Eugene is pulling her away, and Kyros approaches with a bible in hand. 

“Is this gonna be more Exorcist or Conjuring? Just so I know what to expect.” 

The withering look that Kyros sends James has Alessia biting back a giggle. The priest starts reading aloud in Latin, a rosary clutched in his hand. The Maw shakes his head like he’s trying to clear it, letting out a quiet whimper. Kyros turns the page, voice getting louder, and that’s when Alessia notices the wind picking up. She presses into Billy’s side, tugging his jacket tighter around herself, while the Maw brings his hands up to bury in his hair, whimpers soon changing to cries of pain. Delsin takes a step forward, concern on his face, but Ash and Fetch both move him back. They can’t interfere. 

Soot crawls up the Maw’s skin, flames licking the edge of the circle, and Alessia grips Billy’s hand tightly. She has no idea if people usually survive an exorcism, so they’ll just have to trust that Kyros knows what he’s doing. 

The flames continue to grow, and when Kyros pauses, coming to the end of a passage, they flare up to the ceiling with a roar, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. Alessia can hear screaming, and then a dull thud, and then silence. When she’s able to look again, she sees Reggie laying motionless outside the circle, and the Maw in his true form within. 

“Reggie!” Delsin hurries to his side, and Alessia gives Billy a gentle push towards the brothers, knowing he’ll be torn about leaving her. He gives her a grateful look and rushes over as well. 

Kyros, meanwhile, holds the rosary in his hand aloft. “And now, Infernal Beast, I banish thee!” Skeletal hands coated in shadow burst from the floor, grasping at the Maw’s bones while Kyros reads further, starting to drag him below. Alessia expected him to be angry, to curse, to spew obscenities at them. But instead, the hellhound panics, thrashing and snapping and clawing at the hands. 

* No! I don’t want to go back! Don’t make me go back! Please don’t make me go back! *

Maybe it’s because he’s still speaking with her friend's voice, maybe it’s because despite being an asshole talking dog, he’s still a dog, or maybe it’s because in the end, Alessia’s heart has always been too big. She runs forward and rips the rosary out of Kyros’ hand. “Stop!” 

The wind and the flames die down in an instant, and Kyros stares at her in shock. “Sia, what are you doing?”

“I don’t know but something about this just feels wrong! ” She wishes she could explain why. A quiet whine catches her attention. The grasping hands have receded from the circle, and the Maw yanks the lower half of his body out of the crack in the ground, scrabbling as close to the edge of the circle as he can. His bony tail is tucked between his back legs, and the lights in his empty sockets have gone out. 

Approaching the circle, she stops just past the salt and the massive canine skull turns to face her. “Can you call your master for me?” 

He doesn’t move, doesn’t answer, and the empty stare is starting to unnerve her.

*Why?*

“I want to talk to him.”

“Sia, are you nuts? ” Eugene yelps behind her, but she ignores him. 

*Okay.*

And then Cruentum Ingluviem throws his head back and howls. It rattles through the foundation of the church, through her very bones, shaking dust from the rafters and making the bells high above ring out. When he stops, no one moves, no one dares to breathe. Billy slowly gets to his feet. 

Drip. Drip. Drip. 

Puzzled, Alessia turns, and spots something dripping from the cross hung high above. James shines a flashlight on it, and her face blanches when she realizes it’s blood. Slow at first, the drops soon become a shower, and then a flood, pouring down the altar and pooling mere inches from the circle of salt. The blood begins to rise, weaving and shifting until it forms the shape of a horse and rider, and then he’s there. 

War himself. He who rides the red horse. Bringer of the Apocalypse. 

Alessia suddenly wonders if this was a bad idea. 

His armor gleams in the candlelight as he slips off his horse, heavy boots thudding against the ground. “There you are, Ingluviem, I had wondered where you ran off to.” He doesn’t even seem to notice the humans standing around, a wave of his hand banishing the circle. A crude ring of iron surrounds the hellhound’s neck bones, connected by a chain to the horseman’s hand. “Come.” He gives a tug and makes to walk back to his horse, the Maw following obediently. 

“Hey!” 

The horseman slowly looks down. A human female stands before him, hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. “You’re War, right? You’re the Maw’s master?”

“I am.”

Clang. 

“Good! I’ve got a bone to pick with you!” The red glow within his helm’s sockets disappear and then reappear, the supernatural entity’s version of a blink. Alessia grabs another candelabra, preparing to chuck it, but Billy snatches it from her hand. “Sia what the fuck?” he hisses, but she ignores him.

“I can’t stand bad pet owners, and you, Sir, are one of the worst! You let your dog run around terrifying me and my friends, and didn’t even know where he was for the past year! You keep him locked up in Purgatory, or stick him in Hell, which he hates! No wonder he was so desperate to stay here, he’s got no enrichment where he’s at! He’s a working breed, they get bored easily. When’s the last time you played with him?”

“...Played?” War echoes.

“Yea, play. Or even just take him on a fucking walk. He’s as old as you, the concept of warfare itself, and Kyros was the first person to ever call him a good dog. What the fuck, man? No wonder he’s a dick, no wonder he’s so aggressive. You’re a shitty pet parent. Do better!”

For a moment, he’s still as a statue, and she wonders if he tuned her out or something, then she hears it. Soft at first, then bubbling up to a boom. Laughter. He’s fucking laughing. She snatches up another candelabra, Billy scrambling to stop her, when War shakes his head. “You have spirit, human. It is refreshing, and it is not often that anyone other than my brothers is willing to call me out.” 

He looks down at the Maw and rests a massive gauntlet on the skeletal canine’s head. A fiery tongue lolls out of the hound’s skull, bony tail wagging. “Hm. I had not realized there was anything amiss. I will heed what you have said.” 

He turns to leave once more, but this time Billy takes a step forward. “If you want to ‘heed her’, one way you need to start is by cleaning up his mess. You’re responsible for him, so you need to fix what he broke.” 

War’s gaze roams over all of them, finally coming to rest on Reggie, who is still out cold in Delsin’s lap. “I see.”

“Reggie mentioned the Maw doing time resets, couldn’t you just do that?” Ash offers, but War shakes his head. 

“Such resets were mere seconds, at most minutes. Resetting anything more is beyond my realm of control. However, I can still offer a solution.” 

“Which is?” 

War holds out his hand, a warm glow appearing, hovering above his palm. “Memories can be changed. The only ones who will remember what truly happened are those within this room. Beyond, there were no hallucinations, no Maw. The Sheriff’s gun discharged by accident, and he was released from the hospital today.”

“Wait, you’re not taking the hospital part away?” Delsin demands angrily. “What the hell?!” 

The glow in War’s hand disappears. “I have allowed this much because I accept my mistake in causing this, but do not push me, human.” He turns away. “There is strength in knowing when one’s time on the battlefield has come to an end. Come, Ingluviem.”

The Maw takes one last glance back at Reggie, then follows his master. War mounts his horse, reins in hand, and pats the hellhound’s head. “Good boy.” A burst of flames, and they’re gone. 

000000

Reggie snaps awake in a cold sweat, sitting bolt-upright, heart pounding in his chest. Reaching over the edge of the bed, he opens the drawer to his nightstand and rummages around, coming back with a small razor blade. It didn't feel like one of the Maw’s nightmares, but he can't be too sure. Even after waking up in the church and no longer feeling the hellhound in his mind, he's not entirely convinced it's over. 

Before he can cut into his arm, a hand grabs his wrist. 

* Stop. *

He freezes, eyes slowly trailing up to find his own face staring back at him. His heart hammers against his ribs, and he gives the door a quick glance. Should he wake up Delsin?

* There's no need to wake your brother. I'm not here to hurt you.* 

“So you are still on my head,” he accuses, fingers tightening around the blade in his hand. 

But the Maw shakes his head. * No, I've just been in it long enough to know how you think. You don't need to hurt yourself again. This is real. Any nightmares you have are ones of your own making, not mine.*

Reggie watches as he steps back, disappearing for a moment and returning in hellhound form, albeit far smaller, around the size of a regular dog. Hopping lightly onto the bed, he keeps a respectable distance from Reggie and lays down, crossing his paws. 

They stare at each other for a long time. 

“Why are you here?” Reggie finally asks softly, unable to stand the silence any longer.

* ...I came to apologize.*

Reggie blinks. “You're kidding.”

* No, I am not. I caused your friends quite a bit of grief, and gave you scars inside and out that will never fade.* Empty sockets flare brightly for a second. * I am the companion of war, born from the very first conflict between humankind, and that is all I see. That is all I have known . Cultists summoned me for my power, but they didn't treat me kindly. Or with the respect they would show my master. I am a tool, a means to an end, and always have been. War is horror. War is brutality, bloodshed, conquest, death.* He goes quiet for a moment, sockets dimming as his head drops closer to his paws. * But there is also honor, hope, moments of peace and moments that allow humans to remember their humanity. I never got to experience those parts, have never known kindness until Alessia showed it to me.*

“...so I'm just supposed to forgive you like nothing happened? Like you didn't ruin my life and fuck up my head?”

The Maw shakes his head. * No. I'm not here to excuse my behavior, merely explain the reasons behind it.*

“Why?”

* So that you understand that you were not merely singled out. That this was not divine punishment. I hated you because you are human , not because of who you are, and I am here to tell you that you did nothing to deserve it. You are not my first victim, but you are the first one I have come to regret.*

“Thanks? I think?” Reggie clears his throat. “What happens now?”

The Maw shrugs, which looks rather weird on a creature made entirely of bone. * I leave, and you try to move on with your life. I will not bother you or your friends again, on that you have my word.*

“...okay. I don't really believe you, but I guess it's better than nothing.” 

Rising to his feet, the skeletal canine walks closer, lowering his skull near Reggie’s hand. * I also leave you with a gift. No tricks, no lies, no secret ties to me. I know you will not forget me, but maybe this way something happy can rise from the ashes.*

Reggie watches as one of the flames in the Maw's socket sinks into his hand and disappears. “Why not give it to Alessia? She was the one who was nice to you.”

* Because I was tied to you. And she already has her gift. She doesn't need one from me.* The Maw hops off the bed onto the floor. * Maybe if the whole world were a little more like her, I wouldn’t need to exist anymore.*

And then he's gone.

000000

ONE YEAR LATER

“Stupid matches,” Billy mutters from where he's kneeling next to the fireplace, swearing when yet another one breaks. 

“I got it, Billy,” Reggie says with a laugh from his spot on the couch, Alessia's feet propped up on his thighs and his textbook balanced on her feet. Flames spring up on the wood in the fireplace and Billy rolls his eyes. “I still think you shouldn't be messing with that, but I know I'm not going to be able to stop you.” 

“Nope,” his friend replies with a cheeky grin. 

Billy gives an exasperated, fond sigh and sinks onto the couch on Alessia's other side. “How are classes going?”

“Well enough. Feels weird going back to school at fucking thirty-two. Had a classmate ask me out, she's like nineteen.”

“Hey, that's legal!” Alessia points out with a grin. “Besides, with that new ink, who can blame her?”

Reggie’s cheeks go red and Billy can see him absently rub at the recently finished sleeves covering his arms, courtesy of James and his older sister Charlie. “I dunno, feels like I've been outta the dating game too long. I'll just be an old cat dad. Marty doesn't care about the baggage.”

Alessia pokes him with her toe. “Just gotta find someone who has enough trunk space.” 

The trio sits in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Alessia pipes up again. “Been a year, again.”

“Time really does fly,” Billy agrees, stroking her arm and pulling her closer into his side. 

“Seen anything of him recently?” she asks Reggie, who shakes his head.

“Nope. I think he's really gone for good. At least I hope so.”

“Yea, me too,” she agrees softly. A beat, and then she pops off the couch. “Study break! I'm fucking starving, what do you boys say we go get food?” To her right, Buck lets out an eager bark. “One vote for yes!”

Reggie sets his textbook down. “God yes, save me from Organic Chemistry.” 

She turns to Billy with a grin. “What about you, babe?”

He's already getting off the couch, matching her grin. “I'll get my keys.”

Life is good.