"She said at night in my dreams/ You dance on a tightrope of weird/ But when I wake up you're so normal that you just disappear/ You're so straight like commuters with briefcases towing the line/ But there's a residue of a torturer inside of your eyes/ And I said/ If crazy equals genius/ If crazy equals genius/ I'm a bloody arsonist/ I'm a rocket scientist/ If crazy equals genius/ You can set yourself on fire/ But you're never gonna burn, burn, burn/ You can set yourself on fire/ But you're never gonna learn, learn, learn//

- Crazy = Genius

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"Well then", Hils exclaimed, clicking two monocane darts into her rifle. "We just going to sit here or actually fight?"

"I didn't know it was going to go this far, Hils. If you, or any of you for that reason, want to leave, I won't blame you", Olalla started, and was just met by Hils chuckling under her breath.

"Do you really think I have anything else to do, hm? I'm out of a job, been living like a bloody introvert ever since Max left. I'm not going Olalla. At least it'll look courageous on my gravestone that I met my end battling demons".

"Let's go". The group cautiously emanated from the trees, Olalla leading, but was met with the sight of Keres, leaning on one of the gravestones. She smoothed back her hair, apparently oblivious to their arrival, but shot a sidelonged glare at Olalla.

"So glad you could make it, my child", she lulled softly. "And you brought some friends too. How wonderful".

"We're here for Hyde. I want my brother back", Olalla answered, trying to ignore the almost sarcastically kind look in her eyes.

"Well, that was obvious. You wouldn't be here for me, would you? Those days are long gone", she murmured, her words drifting off near the end of her sentence as she picked at her nails. "What happened to you, Olalla? Such potential, wasted on such a... freak show".

"You broke me".

"I didn't break you, darling. You did that yourself. I merely directed you, bent you to Tenebrae's rules. I never knew that my good efforts would be misspent on such a useless, little br-". Olalla couldn't take it anymore, leaping forward with her knife gripped in her hand, but Keres just disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

"Is everything just illusions with you, Keres?" she shouted into the darkness of the church. "You're a coward".

"Want to say that again, vamp?" growled a voice back. Not Keres's though. Hyde's. "Have you learnt nothing from our last encounter?" His crimson eyes almost glowed in the darkness, and the sunlight bounced off the Hyde Sword in his hand as he came out of the church. It devastated Bella to see him like this; to see the human she saw in his eyes every time the monster emerged gone.

"Hyde", Bella breathed softly, approaching him. She put her gun in her pocket, and put her hands out, like you would with a wild animal. "I came back. I came back for you". Continuing to draw nearer to him, she smiled, a sad sort of smile, like he had asked her to at the Empire when she saw him last. "Look, you're sick, and I know I'm probably the root of the problem, but... come home, please. I've missed you, Robert. I've missed... us".

"Who the Hell are you to tell me I'm sick?" he snarled.

"Who the 'ell am I?" Bella repeated, having to hear it again just to make sure she wasn't mistaken. "Robert... do you really not know me?"

"No", Hyde replied. Bella didn't think words could hurt her, but now she knew. Words were knives that often left scars, and one simple word meant so much heartbreak for her. He really didn't remember her.

"Please, Robert", Bella implored, holding him by the wrists. Her hands ran up to the lapels of his jacket, and she held on, as if she let go she would lose him forever. "You're my everything. From the moment you walked into the Empire you had my back, and I had yours. And I've lived a life, I've seen life and death, demons and angels. May not believe in them all, but if there's one thing I believe in, it's you. So get up, off your arse, and win". Hyde paused for a moment, hand loosening slightly around the sword, and the scarlet in his eyes seemed to fade to blue.

"Get away from her, Hyde", Keres hissed from behind him, and she grabbed his arm. "This is who I told you about. This is Isabella Charming. She's the one that killed me". Hyde looked at Keres for a second, the red reappearing, and he launched himself, sword outstretched towards Bella's neck. He held it there, and Bella's face was a picture of hate.

"You lying bitch", she exclaimed towards Keres, who just scoffed.

"Please mind your language Miss Charming. We're outside a church, have some respect".

"I'll give you respect", Bella retorted, heading the vampire's way, but Hyde restrained her. Keres bared her fangs, but Olalla swiftly stood in her way.

"Don't you dare", she whispered, and Keres raised an eyebrow.

"Do you sense it, Olalla? Your brothers and sisters coming home?" Keres lulled, and Olalla cast a sidelonged glance inside the church towards the portal. Out of the cyan light was a black, clawed hand reaching out, followed by an arm, then a hideous, horned head. Soon enough four demons had escaped, blackening everything they touched, turning every mural in the church into a burnt surface.

"What's happening?" Lily asked, alarmed, and clicked a new round of bullets into her pistol.

"Hell is empty. All the devils are here", Lottie murmured a reply, watching the dark creatures move swiftly out of the church doors.

"Is it really time to quote Shakespeare?"

"Sorry. Sackler's rubbing off on me", Lottie chuckled, green energy appearing around her fingers. A demon ran towards her, claws outstretched, but a bolt shot from her palm, making it fall backwards and shatter on the floor. "Well that was easy", Lottie commented, but was forced to backtrack when the shattered pieces rejoined together and the demon roared.

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Olalla stood her ground, knife hovering over Keres's chest.

"If I pierce your heart, you'll be dead", she whispered towards the vampire queen, who just nodded. She was looking over Olalla's shoulder, a small smile crossing her face.

"Do you really want to do that, Olalla?" said a voice behind her. Oh, God. Of course. Wherever there was chaos, there was always...

"What the Hell are you doing here, Dance?" Olalla retorted, not looking at him. Instead, he walked over, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Appropriate choice in words. I was just seeing how my little project was coming along", he answered, smirking.

"W-What do you mean?"

"You really think Keres could come up with this? I mean, I'm not being funny, but she's not the brightest spark, are you?" Dance chuckled, and the said vampire just rolled her eyes. "And you know I'm always the brains in an operation. Always".

"But... why? What did my brother do to you?"

"I wanted to show you something. What you could be. There's still place for you in Tenebrae, Olalla", Dance lilted, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. "Did you really think I'd forget you?"

"Release Robert and we'll talk", she answered, looking over to her brother, who looked utterly broken. Like the façade he had been wearing this past month was slowly cracking.

"Ah, well, I have to admit, it was never meant to be like this, but I... I wanted to isolate you. I was going to make a servant of Fedora, but that fell through. Though you'll be glad to here the one that helped her has now been permanently despatched by Silas".

"Get to the point".

"Those instruments Hyde is holding are slowly killing him. The power is burning away everything he is or was. Nothing that can stop that, well, apart from a miracle or a great doctor. And unfortunately, the doctor half of him is dead. You don't deserve to see him die, let me take you back to headquarters". Olalla growled quietly under her breath - they were boxed in.

"Why shouldn't I just run this witch through? She's the cause of this".

"No reason why you shouldn't, but let's make this a bit sweeter, hm?" Keres simpered, seeing where this was heading. "Everything that Keres has infected with vampirism in bound to her. They have her life force running through their veins. So what will happen if you kill her, eh? I'll tell you. If you kill her, you will lose your Hyde side. For good". Olalla whimpered silently, she couldn't lose her. Her Hyde side was the only thing keeping her going. But Keres had to die. She had to face up to her sins. What the Hell was she going to do?

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"Funny", Hils commented, shooting a monocane dart into an approaching demon. "How did we get lugged with the work?"

"Keres and Hyde must have some sort of defence against them. And because Olalla and Bella are in contact with them, the demons must think not to attack them either", Lily answered.

"So, you're saying if I went up and hugged Keres, these demons wouldn't go after me?"

"Would you want to do that?" Lottie asked, chuckling as she sank a blade into a creature's back. Suddenly she stopped, seeing Dance. Her eyes widened, not out of regret, or guilt, just sadness, at thinking they were on the same side no longer.

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"You can stop this, Hyde", Bella whispered. "No one will blame you".

"And why in Hell's name should I trust you?" Hyde snarled, making Bella step back.

"Because I didn't just fall for the man, I fell for the monster as well". Hyde just chuckled, amused at her distress. Though her answer was cryptic to him, she must have loved whoever she was talking about. But love was a weakness, well, at least to Hyde.

"Who am I to you?"

"You're the one that, on the first time I met you, you broke my best tankards, started a bar fight, and then fell asleep in my loft for three days. You turned my world upside down, in more ways than one".

"I don't believe you".

"I know you don't. But... do me a favour. Somewhere in your mind you'll find a man called Robert Henry Jekyll. If you see him, tell him that I love him, that I want him home, and that", Bella started, noticing the unruly mass of brown, curly hair on his head. "He really needs a haircut. But mostly, tell him I sent him this..." Pressing her lips to his, she was surprised to find him kissing her back.

"Bella", he whispered. "How could I forget you?"

"Robert?" Bella asked, watching Hyde's eyes rolling back into his skull, and he fell...

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