There were flowers growing where he'd died. They were black, void of life and pollen, but somehow, they were still beautiful. Alexa knelt beside them, stroking the petals as if she could still his face within them. It wasn't supposed to be like this. This time, when the tears came, she let them flow. She let them drown her. There was nothing but the echoing of his voice in her ears, telling her how much he loved her. Alexa's fingers closed around the petals, pulling them off the buds. A sound penetrated her grief and she looked up to witness the sight of a figure moving beyond the doorway. After blinking a few times, it was gone. Using her Sight, she looked for the figure again, only to find... The ashen city. It was... 

James's Magik cracked and crumbled, giving way to the New York skyline. Colours of blue and red surged back into the sky. Alexa's crying subsided a little, just as the barking of a dog touched her ears. As she stretched her Sight even further, the little dog and its owner on the bench reanimated and yawned, as if awoken from a deep sleep. Life started to move again, with children laughing and infants' wailings as humanity's ever-present glow lit up the world. Alexa drew back, her vision re-adjusting to the skeleton of the mansion. Jake had run outside, as had his mother. They were laughing, watching as people emerged from the ash like phoenixes from the fire.

"Alexa! Alexa?" he called and turned around. She hadn't moved. She didn't think she could. Despite the sound of the humans and the laughter, she couldn't bring herself to be happy. She'd killed the only brother she'd ever had.

"Alexa, you have to see this. Everyone's alive! We did it," Jake yelled with delight, hugging his mother. They were beaming. At least she'd helped them, at least Jake's side of the bargain had been reached. Hers had too, in a way. James was dead after all. That was what she'd wanted. Around her, the foundations of the building rocked, swaying in a ghastly rhythm. Jake, after releasing his mother from their embrace, started pulling her out of the mansion.

"Alexa, this place isn't going to stay upright much longer. We have to get out of here," he said. She stayed exactly where she was. Just sitting. Unmoving.

"Alexa, come on". A wooden beam that had previously been used to hold up part of the roof came tumbling down, missing her by centimetres. She still refused to move.

"Alexa, please!" That was Emma. The building shook again, sending ripples of fear up her spine. What if a beam fell through her heart? Would she die too? It seemed like a fitting end now that she thought about it. One she deserved for killing family. Her blood-kin. Her only living relative.

"Alexa!" That definitely wasn't Emma this time, or Jake. The voice was deeper – a heavy chestnut drone. Air shimmered and as the roof began to fall, a white light blasted into her vision, acting as a shield against the cold kiss of cement, while holding it in place. She gazed at it in shock. This wasn't Jake's power, surely not.

"Alexa!" The smoke cleared, the whiteness fading into grey. It wasn't him, it was just a hallucination. Some concoction of her mind brought to life by her last moments. Perhaps, in her last moments, she could see the Gates of Hell. Her father couldn't be running towards her. He couldn't be—

His tree-trunk arms wrapped around her and he enveloped her in a never-ending embrace.

"Papa," she whispered. Her father's eyes danced, and he hugged her again.

"Lexie. I thought I'd lost you. James told me you were dead".

"Papa, how are you here? I thought James killed you". Her body fell limp and she let herself be carried towards the entrance.

"For a moment, I thought he was going to. Instead, he used your mother's heritage to save me".

"What? I do not understand? That white light I saw," she broke off, stared at the large group of Vaskels in the doorway. Jake armed himself with a brick, as did his mother.

"We mean you no harm," said the first Vaskel. She was dressed sombrely in a grey robe, with a strangely shaped ring around her finger. Alexa glanced at it warily. Whatever it was, she felt the sudden need to steer clear of it or perhaps blow it to smithereens.

"We received a distress call from your brother, and we saved your father at his request," the woman said.

"I thought. I thought," Alexa found that her words had jumped ship.

"We are from the Official Vaskelian Court. Our species has progressed, passed Acts of Peace and Natural Rights in our Council hearings to ensure your kind are no longer hunted. Still, there are indeed many Vaskelian Factions that seek to remove you, but to us, Halfbloods are our allies. I am only regretful that we could not locate you in time". The woman smiled sadly. Alexa looked back to where her brother's ashes lay and silently thanked him.

I forgive you, she sent down the last threads of their link. This time she meant it.

"Is this light a portal? Is this how you saved my father?" she asked. The woman nodded.

"This is the Adeline Portal. Don't worry about them seeing," she added and gestured to the humans outside. "One thing we do continue to pride ourselves on is our discretion". A loud thunk could be heard. At long last Jake had dropped the brick. His mother followed shortly after.

"Apologies," a man took over speaking. He was dressed in similar attire, but his eyes sparkled with mischief. He gave Alexa a small grin.

"The last thing we wanted was for this to happen. We've been monitoring your situation for years".

"You are aware of Wolfie?" Her father glanced awkwardly at her. The man nodded, slightly irritably.

"Well aware".

"One might say a little too aware," the woman put in. "I am Lucine Ruelle. These are merely some of my associates of the Court. This is Gospel". She pointed to the man at her side. He bowed.

"Pleasure".

"I am afraid I still do not understand," said Alexa.

"You are the last descendant of the Jacoa Dynasty, unless the boy has chosen a different path". Lucine glanced at Jake, who shook his head.

"Supernatural Politics isn't really my thing". Sometimes, Alexa wished he'd just keep his mouth shut. She couldn't keep saving him forever, even though she thoroughly enjoyed doing so.

"How and why did you find me now?" Gospel and Lucine exchanged glances.

"A telepathy call from your brother, in his last moments of dying. We located you using his energy print. Your father provided us with excellent help".

"But"—

"We came to offer you a position. Refuge. In Undergod". The world of the Vaskels? She recoiled and clasped her hands to her sides.

"I am not a Vaskel," she began, but Lucine only laughed.

"You are the Jacoan Heir, it is in your birth right. If you are willing," she added. Was she willing? It was one thing discovering Halfirr wasn't a theory, let alone actually going to the Twelfth World. She calmed her thrumming veins. Glanced at the world around. Jake, Emma. Earth. It was all she'd ever known. This was too much, too fast. Her father guided her outside the mansion and she expected the humans to start running for their lives. Because of the portal's cloaking Magik however, no one noticed.

"I, I can't," she stared at Jake. "He is my nephew. I cannot leave him". Her father twitched and whipped around.

"I have a grandson?" Rushing forward, he lifted Jake up into his arms. Jake shot her a dirty look and she laughed. Her father finally let him go, an odd expression planting itself on his face.

"You're choosing to stay human? Why?" Jake smiled and held his mother's hand.

"It's who I am". Archibald was about to say something else, but she stopped him.

"Father, I will go with them. We will go them. Jake does not have to follow if he does not desire this path".

"The genes cannot be fought, my boy"—

"I know," Jake cut in. "I'll figure something out".

"Then you are stronger than any Halfblood I have ever met". Alexa stepped over the rubble in the doorway, pushed past Lucine. She gritted her teeth to stop the onslaught of tears. A solemn smile graced her lips.

"Jake," she said. There was nothing else to say. He flung his arms around her and she fought to keep the tears at bay.

"You're really not coming? You could hone your power, become a Halfblood".

"You know I can't".

"You're so stubborn," she sniffed. "Jake, please. I don't want to leave without you".

"You're going to have to". He squeezed her hand, then grinned. "Aunt Alexa". She gagged. She was too young to be an Aunt.

"Oh, my Halve, please just call me Alexa from now on". Chuckling, he nodded. Muttering drew up from the group of Vaskels and Lucine darted forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We must hurry. Amiss can only keep the Adeline open for so long".

"Amiss? The Demon Amiss?" Lucine said nothing. She didn't need to. Her father trotted over and scooped her up on his shoulder. Her fingers traced the buttons of his coat as if she thought he'd disappear. Yet he remained. With her. Alive.

"Goodbye Jake," she said.

"Not forever though, right?"

"Don't tell me that after all this time you've finally grown attached to me". He crossed his arms.

"Old people".

"Humans," she whispered back, letting her father wipe her tears away. This wasn't the end, she could feel it. It couldn't be the end. Lucine hurried them along, and they stood there, waiting for the light to wash over them: Halfbloods and Vaskels. Side by side. Whatever had happened in those three-hundred years, she didn't care. Instead she finally allowed herself to smile. Her father was alive and though the trenches left by her mother and brother were deep, she knew that one day they'd heal.

"Goodbye Jake". He raised a hand up to his face, shielding himself from the Adeline's light. Within seconds, his outline faded.

"Goodbye, Alexa". Everything blazed white.

As the heat of New York broke through the remnants of James's Magik, no one seemed to notice. No one was aware of how close they had strayed to eternal sleep. Wolfie watched Jake and his mother limping across the road to a free hospital clinic, covered in soot and scrapes. Jake so pale, his skin almost reflected her. How long would he last? He could pretend to be immune to those Halfblood genes all he wanted, but that wouldn't stop them from killing him. Decaying his body day by day. Not that she felt sympathy of course. His bravery was probably the kindest phrase she could think of to describe his idiocy. She wrinkled at her nose. The blood on her clothes reeked and there were bullet holes in her skin. The trench coat didn't seem to be helping. Instead it just made her appear as if she'd been shopping in Prada's Flasher section. A few passers-by glanced at her white hair, at the matted ink-like stains within it. What they knew couldn't kill them. Probably. Sirens wailed, and she caught flashes of the fire department pulling up downtown. Where the mansion was. Vaskels sure didn't clean up their messes. Or hide their mistakes. That was what she'd been counting on after all. Calling forth the claws of her mind, she searched for Him. Darted into his thoughts without so much as a flicker. She'd been training for this.

Hello 'Him'. I should really stop calling you that. It's a little bit of an ego booster, am I right? Do people send you birthday cards under that title? I digress. Look, I just wanted to say old chum that I know you who are.

She knew He was listening – never could He drown out her voice. And, she realised, if she could not find Him, she would haunt Him until the end of time. For everything he had done. Sending those wolves to kill Hope, driving James to madness. Making James create her and hunt her for hundreds of years. Watching her. Trying to bury her Sister. And her nephew. 

Offering him a telepathic smile, Wolfie, or rather Alexa Jacoa, slunk off into the throngs of people. 

There was so much to look forward to.