—chapter thirty-seven.

  ❛ til the end of the world, do us part. ❜

"IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET OUT OF HERE."

"No! Not without you!"

"Ellis--" Elodie whirled around, stopping to grip her brother's shoulders. "Ellis. This is fucking -- this is -- neither of us are meant for this. But I would rather not have you die because I couldn't protect you. I-I can't put you in danger."

He shook his head, blearily staring her down. The wind howled cold and blusterous behind them yet still, Elodie burned at what felt like a thousand degrees. She begged for even a flicker of fear in his large, honeyed eyes, but all she saw was the boy she had raised. Determined, wise, and braver beyond his years.

"I'm not leaving your side. That's not what family does."

"Ellie..."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Elodie sighed and hung her head. All of her efforts would be wasted on him, and she knew it. There was no bit of his mother's cowardice running through his veins, nor his father's selfishness. He was too stubborn to listen to her. And as much as she would like to force him into a taxi and send him back home...she'd seen the state of things. He probably wasn't safe there. 

She might not be able to guarantee the eye of the storm was any better, but at least she would be there with him. She could protect him.

She would protect him.

"Fine. But you listen to me, and you do everything I say. No arguments. Got it?"

"Hey, no--"

"--I fucking mean it, kid." Elodie pulled him to her, squeezing at his frail shoulders. Tears threatened to prick, but she dared not let any fall, focused on just his face. She glared him down. "I'm serious. If I tell you to run, you run, no matter what I'm doing or what's happening."

His face crumpled and she could tell thinking about that was hard for him, too. But nevertheless, he nodded. "Okay."

Elodie smiled grimly and let go. "Good. Then, let's go, Ellie, save the world." She tried to look less dismal, repeating the same thing she had said only hours earlier. "Or...something."

IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT for Elodie to not pull a human candle. Truly, an egregious act that was consuming her from the inside out. All she wanted to do was freak out and let her body burn up like a matchstick, but with Ellis' hand tightly clamped around hers and the fate of the world possibly on her plate...

...honestly, if it wasn't a probably apocalyptic occasion, Elodie would be patting herself on the back, because she was doing one hell of a great job pretending to not be having a world-ending panic attack.

"She's already started."

Elodie followed close behind the rest of the group, voice low as she talked -- though, really only to her brother and Klaus. Luther and Diego were snapping at the bit to launch whatever ill-thought-out attack they had planned together, and Allison...was a whole other question entirely. Klaus and Ellis, though, didn't seem so eager to charge. They hung back with her and she appreciated that, especially Klaus. Somehow he had ended up the calming presence in her life and while she wasn't sure how, it was still greatly valued.

"We should probably come up with a better plan," she muttered to the man to her right. "I don't know your sister, but from the sounds of it, all of us just dropping in and crashing her performance probably won't be well-received."

Klaus bobbed his head and snorted. "Yeah. Good luck telling them that."

Unfortunately, he was right. Diego was already dashing forward to spring onto stage, knives at the ready and Luther not far behind. They would have made it, too, if Allison had not darted ahead and stopped them. But what good could she even do without a voice?

"Wha--" Luther stopped, staring at the notepad she held up; an all-capitalized, 'I need to go alone'. He groaned. "Allison, I can't let you do that. She's beyond reasoning."

"You hear that music?" Diego cut in, raising his voice so he could be heard over the orchestra. It rang out into their tiny area. Elodie found it eerily pleasant, like she stood in the opening scene to a thriller movie. "It's started."

Luther nodded at his brother. "Do you honestly think she's gonna listen? After everything that's happened?"

"Tch. We don't have time for this..."

"Come on," Elodie interjected. She let go of Ellis' hand and pushed forward, staring imploringly at Diego and Luther. She had tried to remain out of all familial matters, knowing she had no place butting in, but Allison's panicked expression was too much. She recognised the look all too well.

"Can't we just listen to her?"

The group fell silent as Luther and Allison exchanged looks. After a long moment, the larger man's head bowed in acceptance and the woman pulled away away, glancing at everyone before darting off. They all watched her run off and disappear into the darkness before turning back to look at Luther.

Guilt bubbled in the pit of Elodie's stomach as she realised what came next. But before she could confront Luther, Diego did it for her.

"You're using her as a distraction, aren't you?"

He shrugged haplessly. "S'our best chance to incapacitate Vanya."

"Oh."

"She'll thank you later."

Elodie's brows furrowed low. "You gave her your word! What if -- what if she's right? I mean, she--she has to--"

"--how would you know what was right?" Luther retorted. "You don't know our sister, or any of us. I don't even know why you're here right now."

At that, Diego huffed and stepped in, jabbing at his brother's chest. "Don't talk to her like that."

"I can talk for myself," she bit back, glaring at him too. "And I'm here because fun fact, Bigfoot? I live on this goddamn planet too. And I'd prefer it in one piece, just as much as you do."

"Great, so you want to be a martyr. But this is a family matter, and just because you're Diego's girlfriend, that doesn't mean you get to--"

"--oh, you're just lucky I don't blast your ass to bits right here right now, Jurassic Park. If this wasn't all happening, oh--" a cold hand on her shoulder cut her off; Klaus. 

"Alright, alright," he said, attempting a placating tone, "let's just calm ourselves down." He looked to his brothers, "What's the plan?"

"Uh, you...wait out front."

"I-what?"

"You're the lookout."

Klaus huffed. "The lookout? Com--" he stopped, realising Luther was already done with the conversation and there was no point fighting. He pouted towards Elodie. "I'm always the lookout."

He said it in jest, but her heart twinged a little for him. Even in a world-threatening fight like this, she could help but catch just how broken the siblings relationship was, and how they suffered so harshly so easily, like this. Maybe it wasn't the others fault, maybe they just thought it was best to shove the weird drunk one into a corner...but it still had to hurt.

She smiled sadly and patted his arm. "You want me to come with?"

"No, no. You go be cool with your boyfriend," Klaus sighed dramatically. "You're probably wanted out there."

"Oh, Klaus..."

"No, no, there's no time to waste on pleasantries, Elodie! There's a world to be saved!"

She nodded knowing that once again, Klaus was right. So she left him with another pat to his shoulder, awkwardly hanging for a moment before mumbling a 'be safe' and turning away. Ellis followed close behind, racing after her as she took the stairs two at a time -- only, he was cut off short when they reached the top.

"You're not coming with me for this."

"What? But--"

"--this part's too dangerous. You..." her gaze caught on a closet door a couple feet away. She pulled him to it. "You're staying here, where it's safe." The closet was dark, tiny and crammed with fancy people coats, but considering all her options...at least he'd be out of harm's way. No one would care about a closet, Elodie assured herself. 

"I'll come get you once it's all over, okay Ellie? The second it's done."

"But what about you? What will you do?"

"I'll...I'll be fine. I have Diego and the others and we're going to figure out a plan."

"But you can't -- you aren't like them! You can't stop this!"

Elodie avoided his pressing gaze. "Don't worry about it, Ellis."

"Why can't you stay here too? So you'll be safe, too?"

"Because...c'mon, we don't have time for this."

The boy sighed. For a moment he looked almost older than she was, aged and wise beyond his young years. And tired, much more than he deserved. "I'm not a little kid anymore. You can trust me."

Elodie smiled sadly and patted his cheek. "I know. But you're still my little brother. And it's my job to keep you safe."

"But..." he glanced back to the closet, and a flash of fear ran over his face. "It has to be in here?"

"I'm sorry, bud. But there aren't a lot of places, and I can't just bring you out there."

"But you--"

"--I'm going to be just fine, Ellis. And so are you, small space or not." she didn't mean to yell the words, and she regretted it immediately after the words left her mouth. Watching him shrink into himself, startled at how angry she suddenly sounded...no. There's no time. "Just get in. Please."

And Ellis didn't have anything else to say to that, though he looked like he wanted to. He staggered down to his knees, pushing his small body back so he was crouched half hidden underneath the fancy coats and capes. He looked ridiculous, with his too-long legs pulled up close to his chest and fringe dangling into his eyes. Like she had found him many years before. Sad and confused, and upset that his sister, the only person he had and trusted...

"I'm sorry," Elodie murmured, more to herself than him. "I'll be right back. I love you, Ellie."

She locked the door shut and turned away from it immediately. She couldn't linger. There was a war to be fought, and if Ellis had to suffer a little...it was for a better world. A future he could grow up in, safely. She could fix anything small after.

Elodie slipped down the steps and towards where she could just barely make out her boyfriend's figure. As she reached his side, Diego frowned, resting a gentle hand against her arm. His eyes shone bright and filled with worry in the stage lights. "You okay? Where's Ellis?"

"He's safe. Hidden," she responded curtly. "Closet nearby. Didn't want him here."

"Oh. Smart."

She didn't answer him, sinking back to survey the scene. The vision of little Ellis alone in the dark, alone and terrified out of her mind, clung to her as she finally let go of the ache in her stomach begging to be relieved. At once a steady rush of heat rushed through her veins. It swirled into her hands and they glowed bright in the fists shaking by her chest. Shadows of flames licked up her fingers and over her palms, not enough to be considered fire, but enough to make Diego keel back with silent amaze in his eyes.

She ignored him and pushed herself. The phantom flames grew higher. She gritted her teeth and swallowed her panic, watching from the corner of her eye as Diego got ready for a fight.

Was that what this was had to be? A fight?

The music began to swell and before both their eyes, Vanya began to glow, steady still so small on the stage. Her accompanying musicians looked startled, scared even as reality sank in, but Vanya didn't look like a real threat. Just a small woman, playing the violin, glowing as white as untouched snow.

Elodie didn't want what came next. The rush that fuelled her fire wasn't adrenaline, like it had been decades earlier with her father's roar in her ears, it was fear. Terror for herself, for her little brother, for the woman that was supposed to be a threat to them. The Hargreeves had seemed scared of her. They said that she had destroyed their home, killed the only friendly faces in their lives as kids. That she had to be stopped, one way or another.

But a tortured soul wouldn't go back into its box, once it got a taste of freedom. Elodie knew that. Surely the others knew that, seeing as they, too, had fled the first chance they got. Vanya was just scared, and in pain, with powers she didn't understand.

She'd hurt people, but...so had all of them, right?

They had all killed. Elodie knew the blood on her hands stained too deep to rinse away. The names, the howls that haunted her nights -- there were too many to count. No matter how many years it had been, no matter who made her or why, she had done it, burned too bright and fast to be stopped.

What did that make her?

Just as she reached out to Diego, Luther moved first. He gestured on the other side and Diego responded, too fast for her words to reach him. "Now," and without any warning he was off, racing alongside his brother towards Vanya. Elodie moved just a breath behind without even thinking, extinguishing her flames and reaching out to grab Diego's hand --

-- only, none of them would ever even get close to their target. Just as they got close, Vanya stood and white energy flooded the stage, building out from her and her glowing violin and crashing out towards the trio. Elodie went flying through the air, over the audience and falling gracelessly to the aisle. Nothing could have cushioned her fall; she splattered in a pile of limbs and aching head, which had taken the brunt of the blow. She groaned.

A second later a dark figure slammed into her.

"FUCK."

"SORRY."

"OW, D--"

"--sorry," Diego hissed, rolling off her with a grunt of his own. He offered her a hand and pulled her up to him. His hands pressed frantically into her, checking her limbs and head. "You okay? Anything broken?"

"Yeah...never better, dude."

He didn't laugh. His fingers threaded through hers, and Elodie made careful note not to let that hand ignite. "Come on. No time."

The orchestra began to play again, but Vanya's violin rose high above the rest of it all. It was all Elodie could hear, amongst the chaos of the fleeing audience. It was intoxicating, enthralling -- like what Satan himself would pick as elevator music for the ride into hell. She almost wanted to stop right then and there. Take a seat and give into the music, whatever that entailed.

If it wasn't for Diego's hand in hers, she might have. He tugged her forward and she followed blearily as he ushered the audience members to the door. 

Elodie glanced across the room and caught Allison. The music faded as the two woman watched each other. Even across the room, she could see her face, teary-faced and heartbroken. Guilty nausea replaced the music's intoxication. She should have gone with her gut, Elodie realised.

But there was no time for guilt. Diego pulled her along over to Luther, who was crouched behind the seats. They fell to do the same. And as Diego talked (well, more yelled, trying to reach about their sister's music), Elodie tried to remember how to breath again.

"This isn't fair," she muttered to her burning palms. "I-I don't deserve this. I-I-I was fixing all this. I made things better. I'm a good person, now. I-I fixed it. I stopped him, I stopped m-me, and Ellis...Ellis..." If she didn't deserve better, didn't he? What about the billions of innocent lives, were they all doomed to burn because of her mistakes? Because of their parents?

In her hapless state, Elodie stifled a chuckle. To think just a day ago, her most terrifying moments was spent worrying about a stupid box. How things change.

Thud. Allison had somehow managed to join them and was glaring them down from across the aisle. 

"Yeah, we're fine, thanks for asking." Allison continued to glower, and Luther sighed. "Look, I almost lost you once, okay? I wasn't about to lose you again."

Elodie groaned and leant back against the theatre seat. Her head ached dully and the siblings' bickering didn't help the budding migraine one bit. Not that it mattered, because none of it mattered. The world was ending, you fools -- she wanted to grab their heads and knock them together, try and make them pay attention to her at last, only she had no clue what she'd even say. There was no plan. No way out. 

Just four idiots up against a glowing violinist, and Klaus. Wherever the hell he was.

Somewhere above the arguing, Elodie heard something familiar. Popping, something like what she had heard only hours before. "Shit," she cursed to herself, under her breath. She turned to glance towards the others, but they were too distracted to notice. "Shit, shit--"

Within seconds the gun shots had built from quiet bap-baps to explosions all around them, booming from the same sleekly uniformed beings they'd met at the bowling alley. Elodie watched them from her hiding spot, staring at their red, glowing eyes, demons careening into the auditorium like moths drew to a flame. Only their mission wasn't warmth, it was to take out their rag-tag group of idiots however they could, at all costs. 

All the exits were covered. No way out. Poor Klaus was probably gone, dead or--

"--what the hell happened to Klaus?" Diego screamed from behind her. She felt his hands scrabble at her clothes as he moved her to him, his last attempt at comfort. "He was supposed to be on lookout!"

Elodie didn't offer an answer. She clung to her seat and tried to only focus on the feeling of Diego by her side and the soul of Vanya's playing, not the bullets, or the screams or the fact that they were all going to die in like, maybe thirty seconds or so. Bile clung to the back of her throat; she fought the urge to retch up her dinner over the auditorium seats.

"What's with all the lollygagging?"

Somehow, the weirdly prepubescent fifth Hargreeves' didn't even faze her. It made sense, really, having him come out of nowhere and join her just before they all went up in flames. How he was there, or how he was alive -- well, Elodie snorted, it didn't matter anyways. 

"Five...I thought you bailed on us?!"

The boy scoffed, calling back to him, "I had an errand to run." He paused before raising his voice once more. "This is not good!"

Understatement of the motherfucking century, Five.

"You know these guys?"

Elodie twisted around and sank back against the seats. She ignored Diego's eyes to meet the boy's. He looked more annoyed than scared, and she wondered if he had figured out the end, too.

"Yeah, I do."

"And...?"

"Well, we're screwed."

Elodie swallowed a laugh. Of course.

"HEY!"

That was unexpected. Elodie's eyes widened and she scrabbled up to watch Klaus stumble into the auditorium. She was beginning to think all the Hargreeves were just cockroaches doomed to live through all the chaos of the world as everyone else fell -- because how else could he be still kicking? She could just barely hear him yelling, thumping echoing high above her position as he avoided the gunshots. He barely missed a uniformed being, tripping into an aisle and running down a row of seats.

"We're so fucked," she wondered. Another mirthless laugh choked in her throat, sour like the vomit trying to worm its way out. "Like, so absolutely fucked."

From beside her, Diego hung his head and shook it wearily. His hands still clung to her loosely, like that would help at all. "And here I thought you were supposed to be the positive one of us."

"I'm serious," she hissed back, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm -- we're trapped in here like sitting ducks. We can't get out with both of these things out there, and -- and -- and Chi-Chi or whatever out there too? Diego, we're basically dead already."

"Hey. No, no, no, no, no, no, you don't get to give on me now. Not after all this."

When Elodie fell back to his side, she found his face mere inches from hers. His hands shook, rising from her waist to hold her face. Her cheeks squished under his long fingers. It made him look only more scared, really, and tired beyond belief, but the sentiment was there and it was still hope. "We'll figure this out. We'll get through this."

"You don't know that."

"I know I ain't giving up until I'm dead," he assured her, "and I know there's gotta be a way out of this."

From behind them, Five muttered something snide, but neither caught it.

"Just focus on me," Diego told her, pressing a swift kiss to her forehead. "We'll get through this."

"Well -- I just --" she paused, lifting her head just enough so she could see over the seats. "We're trapped. They're blocking all the exits."

"So we come the way we came?"

"We'd have to get through Vanya."

"Yeah," he winced, "probably won't work with them firing still." She felt his hands twist down and into her hair, pulling tangled locks absent-mindedly. She didn't stop him. "Anything else?"

Elodie frowned, trying to think through her bleary panic. Exits covered, Vanya and a crap tonne of demon-eyes in their path, all siblings scattered, and... "I mean, I might have something. But you, uh, might not like it."

"Can we hurry this up? We don't have time for moments, people!"

She huffed and purposely ignored Five's petty remark. "What if we, I don't know. You get behind me, and I'll--"

"-- are you crazy?! NO!"

"No, I'm, I'm being real here," Elodie whisper-yelled back. "I think I can actually get you guys out." She pulled away from his hold, much to Diego's disgruntlement, and rolled her neck. Honestly, she wasn't sure of any part of her plan, but still the energy drummed within her, roiling past her guts and surging into the cold air around them. Her skin began to vibrate, and light pooled just below the surface, like water dancing under a pool cover. "We don't have time. Just, just follow my lead. Okay?"

"Absolutely not. Elodie, listen to me here, you are not--"

Elodie shot him one last smile and rolled into the aisle. Diego lunged for her, but it was too late; she was standing in full view of the guards. Immediately, they turned to their target. Light flared and boomed like fireworks, coming straight for her chest. Screams came from around her, some familiar and some foreign, all miserable and terrified as the room grew hotter.

Eyes scrunched shut, she couldn't bear to chance a look at whether or not she was still alive. All she did was stood, letting the power take over, until she heard a very soft kid's voice utter,

"holy shit."

Her eyes flew open, but all she could see was light. She could barely see the soldiers anymore, or make out any of the Hargreeves. All she saw was fire as fierce as it had been the very first time.

"It worked," she mumbled, staring down at her body in amazement. "I did it!"

But there was no time to wonder. Splatters of something hot hitting the ground echoed around her form like rain. Bullets. She glanced back to Diego, who was staring at her in utter amazement, and smiled. "Come on," she urged, moving forward even as she spoke. In her peripheral, she saw Klaus stand and blue energy fill, but she could waste no time looking over. "Let's clear a path."

Elodie began to push through, running faster than she thought she even could at the crowd. Knives joined them and together the duo ran, chasing the uniforms down towards where Vanya still played. Her body ached and exhaustion began to set in, leaving her shaking even in the fiery illusion, but still she pushed, a spinning cyclone of pure flames setting anyone in her way ablaze.

Finally they had cleared a path, and just as she was going to go after the last of them, ghostly blue arms of some sort reached down to yank the beings out of the air. Elodie and Diego turned to stare as a shaking being stood in front of Klaus, blue tentacles wrenching beings up and apart left and right, screams filling the air. She had no clue where he had come from, or how, but she did not need to be told who it was.

"Ben."

Unable to hold onto the illusion anymore, Elodie stumbled back, colliding with the seats. Immediately Diego was beside her and holding her up. She smiled up at him, patting his arms with what little strength she had left.

"I'm okay. Just...I'm okay."

"Yeah, right."

Elodie shook her head and forced herself to stand straight. Every inch of her body cried for relief, and she felt like a human bruise, aching and purple all over. But Diego didn't need to know that. "See? I'm all good."

Diego just shook his head in disbelief, smirking low. "You're unbelievable."

"I think you meant," she winced, pressing a hand to her side. It hurt like nothing else; must be a side effect from over-exertion. Silently Elodie promised herself that if they ever made it out of there, she'd start going to the gym. "incredible."

"Bit a both, with you."

Elodie grinned cheekily. "Come on, now. You can butter me up later. We have a job to--" she stopped, staring past his shoulder to the moving shadows. "Behind you!"

The man whirled around, only to see the woman he called Cha-Cha coming out of the shadows. She looked worse for wear, battered and bloodied in her own way, but the bloodthirsty look in her eyes told Elodie, she wasn't looking for surrender. Immediately, his face morphed from shock to pure anger, and he moved to run towards the woman -- only to stop and turn Elodie's way. "But..."

"Go," she whispered, leaning her weight against the wall. "It's okay."

With one last concerned glance, he was off, and Elodie was finally able to let go of her act. She slid down the wall to the ground, head falling back against the cool cement. Everything hurt. No, it fucking killed. She felt worse than she ever had, using her powers. 

"At least it did the trick," she chuckled, rubbing her side. That hurt most of all. And it wasn't like a dull bruise, pounding through her figure like she'd been used as a batting target -- no, that pain was sharp, and pointed, running jagged every time she took in a breath. "Huh...hell."

It wasn't that surprising, though. Pain used to be her only friend as a child, back when Archibald forced her to abuse her abilities almost every day. She used to have to soak in ice for hours, trying to rid herself of the ache inside her muscles, only to be roughly awoken and forced to light herself up again. Her body had gotten used to it, after a while, but years of disuse and shitty practice sessions would bang it up pretty bad. Which was fine; she'd take achey muscles if it meant getting out alive.

Elodie frowned. She had been rubbing her side, hoping to ease whatever cramp was building, but something wet had cushioned her hand. Something warm. She pulled her hand away, eyes wide as they caught something dark spilling over her fingertips. Even in the dim lighting, she could see the red, illuminated by her quietly burning veins.

"No, no, no..."

She scrabbled at her side, pulling up her shirt to reveal more of the same colour. Her pallid flesh was coated in red. She wiped it across her torso, trying to rub it away, but more and more spilled. Her skin crawled as sickly realisation settled in. Nausea once again built, only that time, she couldn't hold back. Elodie turned her head and retched onto the linoleum.

"Fuck," she cursed, wiping her mouth with unsteady, bloodstained fingers. "Th...this isn't...dammit, Elodie."

It had to be a bullet wound. It looked like all the ones Diego had returned home to her with. Only, then it hadn't been so scary. Those could be fixed. She had the time and materials and mental stability to fix them with. He had always laughed through the pain and assured her he would be fine, that it barely hurt anyways. But those were scrapes and grazes, compared to the red staining her skin. She looked like the start to a bad action movie, where the hero had to hold his dying lover in his hands and vow revenge and something or other.

"Really regret not paying attention now, huh," she muttered to absolutely no one. She pressed hard against the wound, trying to stave the bleeding. The pain was building up worse and worse. "Dammit!"

Everyone was busy. Luther and Allison were with Klaus, Five not too far away, and Diego had just tumbled off-stage to fight Cha-Cha. Vanya still played, her body almost entirely consumed by the same white energy that had pushed them away first. Everyone was gone, occupied with their own worries and struggles. No one had time to wonder about her or her safety. 

And for that, she was actually grateful.

"Alright, Elodie." She tore the bottom of her t-shirt and used it to first mop up the blood on her hands. It didn't work well, but at least it was dark to cover up the stains. She pressed the rag to her side and tied it as tight as she could. Diego had done that before, something about staving the flow to avoid bleeding out...she couldn't remember. It didn't matter. Whatever worked. 

Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself up from the floor. It took everything in her not to scream. Pain was the only thing she could feel anymore, raw and excruciating, dragging against her very core as she tried to just breathe. But even that simple thing felt an impossible ask and a part of her wondered if she would die like that. Alone, struggling to take another breath...

"Fuck right off," she growled to her thoughts. Her hand clamped down tighter. It glowed slightly, hot against the puddle on her shirt, but she didn't notice. Her legs dragged her forward, up to the exit. She had somewhere to be and a brother to find and no time to worry about herself.

Elodie ran, well she did her best to -- it was more of a drunken stagger. Luckily the corridors were mostly empty, aside from a few lagging soldiers. Though she took care of those well enough. "Dumbasses," she gritted out, stepping over the last one before continuing her sway over to the closet. The sickening scent of charred flesh filled the air. She tried not to think about that too much.

Elodie quickly wiped her bloodied hand off on her top before knocking on the closet door. "Ellie? Ellie?!"

A muffled voice came back, soft but still there. "Elodie?"

She could have dropped right there, so overcome with relief. Still, she held herself together, forcing the sniffles back as she fumbled with the door lock. Even after wiping her hands off, blood left the knob slippery and hard to open, and she almost vomited again at the thought. Heart in throat, she tore the door open, only to have Ellis immediately fall into her arms. She groaned as he hit her, muffling the pain in his hair.

His slim body shook in her arms and she realised he was crying. "Shh-shh, it's okay honey, it's okay," she assured, her own voice thick with tears. "It's okay...I'm okay...it's okay."

"I, I heard gunshots and screams, and I thought -- I thought -- I didn't know what-"

"--it's okay," she assured him. Even as her side pulsed with pain, she smiled. "Alright? I'm here now and I'm okay. It's all gonna be okay."

"Yeah?" Ellis had never sounded so vulnerable in his life. "You swear?"

"Sweared and true." And a lie had never hurt worse -- but Ellis couldn't know that. Elodie forced her lips to stretch wider and reached her free hand out for him. Under her layer of clothes, blood dripped free and dark. "Come on. We have to get back to the others."

Ellis held on tight and did as she asked, no questions. He still shook in her grip, though, and that stung almost as bad as her side. Poor kid -- but at least, it would be worth it. At least his own turmoil distracted from Elodie's rough state. He didn't ask any questions as to why she staggered so, and maybe he didn't notice. Even for a perceptive genius, shock wasn't an easy torturer.

They burst through backstage, only to skid to a stop at the scene unraveling before them. Vanya was entirely lit up, and the same white light that consumed her erupted from her chest in what looked like squid legs to Elodie. They wrapped tight around her brothers, all squirming and screaming in her grasp. But they couldn't escape. Vanya was too powerful, or whatever was inside her was, whoever she had become -- it couldn't let go.

Elodie stared out tearfully, hands clutched to her abdomen as little by little, the men were tore to shreds by the light. She could barely stand, swaying as she held tight to poor Ellis' hand. More and more did her vision fade and the shadows jumped out at her faster and stronger. They'd get her soon. But she couldn't let them die, not when they had come so far, and definitely not at the hands of their sister.

"Look away, Ellis." She dropped his hands and pushed over his eyes. He didn't even fight her. "You'll be okay, just -- I'll let you know when it's over."

"I trust you," he muttered back.

She smiled tearfully and let go of him. Her hands didn't glow like they did earlier. It all hurt too much. They were saplings swaying in a hurricane; they'd surely snap off at any second. But she tried anyways. 

Slowly but surely, the energy built in her palms, warm and quiet. It wasn't anything like the drama she had dug out before; it was rather pitiful, in comparison. Still, struggling through the white-hot pain, she began to draw the energy out, forming a tentative ball of white-hot energy in between her fingers.

"Elodie?"

"It's okay," she muttered. Salt lingered on her tongue; she realised it was blood, that she had bitten through her lip. "It's gonna be alright."

When Elodie looked up again, she suddenly wasn't alone. Allison had come as quiet as she had before. She stood behind Vanya with a gun in hand, pressed to the back of her head. Vanya seemed totally unaware of her sister's presence, if she was aware of anything anymore. 

"What's--"

"--shush," she urged her brother. Slowly she shuffled forward, barely out of the curtains when Allison shook her head. Elodie watched as the woman gestured her back. The light started to dim between her palms and the seconds of hope were draining quickly as they stared at one another, trying to read each other's plans from across the stage.

Elodie sucked in a breath, dipped her head and moved. Both women fired; Elodie's hands aimed at Vanya's feet, Allison's gun erupting just a second later. The stream of light in Vanya's faltered under the distraction and she slumped back, shooting the final beam of energy towards the ceiling. Glass fell as ran onto the group, everyone else collapsing with it.

"Elodie? Is it over?"

Everything was blurry. And dark. Her hands fell limp at her sides; she couldn't make them move, no matter how she tried. With only a whimper, she fell. Pain thudded through her spine, but it was nothing compared to the fire exploding from her abdomen, like a thousand bees burying themselves under her skin.

She realised that for the first time in her life, everything was freezing.

Someone that sounded like Ellis screamed behind her but it was muffled and blurry, like his words were underwater. She wanted to reassure him, promise him even just an 'I'm okay, 'but nothing left her lips but another cry of pain. It was too much; everything ached, and it was cold, colder than the dozen winters she had frozen herself in.

How much time did she have left?

Red swarmed her vision, but she couldn't tell if that was real. Floorboards shook and groaned around her; bodies, people, hands grabbing at her sides, asking her questions. It was all a blur.

"Shit, no, no, no -- come on!"

Elodie felt herself be pushed onto her back, and her eyes pushed open a sliver more to meet Diego. It was everything she didn't want to see; shock and anger pooled gruesomely on his cheeks, barely lit under the theatre lights. Grief didn't suit a man like him, she mused, it painted his skin all the wrong colours. He was as cold as she felt, and she just wanted to reassure him, warm him up in her grasp.

She had waited so long to see him happy, too...

Iron coated her mouth, mingling with something salty. Tears? It was too thick, though, and when she coughed, something splattered across her face. Elodie swallowed and the bloody mixture lingered in her throat, over her tongue, everywhere until she was sure she was being consumed from the inside, out.

"Di...Diego..."

"No, c-come on, baby, you're--" his eyes left hers, scanning above for something she couldn't see. More footsteps thudded against the wooden floor. "Come on. Come on. Yo-yo-you're fine. Okay? We did it. We did it. You're gonna be okay, Elodie...j-just focus on me, on my face, okay?!"

A smile formed, even despite herself. "Diego...stop..."

"No! No! You're fine. Everything is fine."

"Lola, please--"

"--hey," she mumbled, only to choking on more blood blooming in her mouth. In her delirium, she almost missed her little brother's slip. But the nickname still hit and she winced at the implications. He hadn't called her that since he was a kid. "It's...it's fine. It's okay."

Diego shook his head violently. From somewhere out of frame, more hands pressed against her icy skin. Cold was a bad sign, right? She couldn't remember. She couldn't even figure out how to move and ask. All she could do was keep staring at her lover, hoping he got the message she was trying to relay in her eyes, somehow. But they wouldn't stay open, and she choked again on a sob.

Death was nothing like the movies, she decided. It hurt like a bitch, and it was absolutely terrifying. She was scared and cold and she knew that this wasn't right, that people still needed her. How did all the hot castaway characters die with smiles on their faces? Because she...she just wanted to cry. She wanted to be told everything was going to be okay, that it was all a bad dream and the look on Diego's face would go away, just as soon as she woke up.

"I already lost you once," Diego choked out. He shook her; she barely felt it, awash on some icy current. "I'm not lo-lo-losing you again, Elodie. Not you t-t-too."

Something small and warm squeezed her hand. Ellis. She tried to press back as tight as she could, but it barely felt like a tremble. His small fingers pressed into her skin, over and over like some secret message. If she had the strength, she would tease him about it. But the words wouldn't come, and she couldn't get her brain to even try.

So instead her head fell back, and her eyelids dipped low again. "I...I don't...I don't wa...n...wanna go..."

Something hot hit her cheeks. Tears, mingling with her own. Diego sobbed against her lips and she craved the warmth his breath offered her chilling skin. His forehead pressed into her own, skin against skin. Was she as cold as she felt? Or was she burning him without even realising it?

"Come on," he cried. Red-strewn fingers, stained with her blood, pressed into her cheeks. Her neck. Her lips. "C'mon, Elodie. Don't do this. Don't...don't you dare d-d-do this."

"I...I love you," she sobbed. That made his head jolt up, looking back to her with wide eyes. She nodded and forced her lips to move again. They cracked and stung; she almost welcomed the pain, among the rest of the nightmare. "I...didn't say it...earlier...I love you...you'n Ellis...family..."

"Hey, no, no, no, no, don't close your eyes--"

"--i's okay," she mumbled, even as her eyes shut. Elodie pressed once into her brother's hand before it fell limp, too heavy to lift again. "I'm okay. 'Kay? Can't...get rid of me...that fast...Robin Hood..."

Hope, foolish hope, flitted through her bleeding brain like a parasite. It consumed her, fueling her final, stuttering breaths. The pain was all-consuming and she couldn't even keep her eyes open anymore, but a part of her wondered if this would all be okay. The world was saved. They had fixed things. There was hope. Finally, there was a chance to wake up to a new day, give or take a couple dealings with however the hell bullet wounds were properly fixed. Maybe that time, Diego could take her to a hospital, and she would get to live and laugh about the cheesy shit she said when at Death's Door.

But that was a dream. And as sweet as hope tasted, it didn't fix bullet wounds. 

"Ellie. You...there's a...a box...mom..." she sighed. It hurt so much...would be so easy to stop... "Mom...she's...it'll all be there. You...you find her. Get the truth. Okay?"

"No, you're -- you're gonna be fine, you're--"

"--I'm so sorry, Ellie." Tears streamed. "I'm so, so sorry. I love you."

"Lola, no, come on!"

"Such a good kid," she crooned through tears and pain. "You're going to do so...so much. I'm so...proud of you."

"No, come on! Come on! Don't do this!"

"Baby, keep -- k-keep your eyes open, stay with me..."

"I need you, Elodie! I need you!"

She smiled and squeezed both their hands, with her last drop of strength. "I'm so...proud..."

Just as she smiled once more and began to lose consciousness entirely, she heard Klaus' voice rise high and sweet above all the others. "Uh...guys? You see that big moon rock coming towards us?"

And just before Elodie could even began to wonder what the hell that meant, her hand fell from Ellis' and everything went black.

It is two am finishing this, going from 3.4k to a solid 7.3k+ of gibberish, call backs, mild descriptions of cool power shows, aaannnnndd....pain. A lot of pain.

But, here's the end of the book. Thirty-seven chapters later and a whole lotta angst, fluff, a couple added in makeout scenes, and far too many f-bombs dropped by Miss Elodie Verbeck, here we are. An uncertain fate ahead, and no answers to hand off to you all, until I drop the sequel. 

Let me know your thoughts and theories. I'd love to know what you think, especially if...potentially...there was more to one of the Verbeck's stories. At least one.

Thank you for reading Chaos Theory. I love you all.