Sorry for the later than usual upload everyone lol I sort of binge watched all of The Umbrella Academy and the fifth season part 1 of Lucifer on Netflix. I've been a little busy haha Anyways, back to the story! :D

Actor snarled at the demon, "I'm doing what I should have done a long time ago. You're not going to take more people away from me. . . . . I'm fighting back"

The demon looked angry but smiled wide, face twitching at his insolence.

"Then just try and fight me. A̵c̸t̵o̵r̸.̸"̶

Actor was quick and swat 'Anti's' hand away, taking his place in front of Wilford, "With pleasure. Oh but tell me. How's playing puppet master with Anti coming along? It is just as fun as you thought it'd be?"

"What?" the demon actually seemed confused by his 'conversation', "Stop your ̴b̵u̷l̶l̴s̴h̸i̴t̵ and fight me!" 

He swung at him but Actor merely dodged with ease.

"No, really!" the smug bastard grinned, "Does it feel just so good to have a new body to control? Must be so easy. Or perhaps. . .challenging? You had a body that worked just fine and used without any scuffle. Then you threw it all away after the magician took you out."

The demon growled within Anti trying to strike again with no avail, "What are you trying to say here, m̷o̸r̴o̶n̸!̵?̸"̴

"I'm the moron in this? Seems you don't know a good thing when you got it. That is something we have in common, I suppose" Actor glanced over to see Marvin  standing up. He seemed weak from Anti's shocks but held himself strong.

That's when the demon realized Actor was biding time for that exact thing to happen. 'Anti' whipped around to attack Marvin only for Actor to stab him in the neck with the very syringe Henrik was going to use on him!

The doctor smirked. He had managed to slide it over sneakily near them. He had hoped Wilford would grab it but the small plan worked nonetheless.

Actor chuckled in his ear, "Easy there, demon. Turns out your not the only manipulator here"

The demon in Anti's body cringed as he was held from behind but he moved weak, the sedative already working. He struggled and snarled as Marvin came closer, his eyes glowing and ready to exorcise the bastard.

Wilford was able to rush to Dark to help him up and the others slowly made their way on the feet as well, watching what was to happen. Sean and Mark stared hopefully and everyone was just frozen.

This was finally going to end now. Right?

But as Marvin edged closer, Actor whispered in the demon's ear.

His eyes widened and a devilish smirk crawled on his face, gleaming his teeth.

Everyone knew then that something was wrong in that moment.

Marvin was just about touch him and release the demon with a different sort of spell but suddenly . . . . 

Anti's eyes turned back to normal and he went limp, passed out.

Even Marvin stopped and looked back to Actor, "Wh-what did you do?"

Actor just sighed.

Dark leaned on his cane but looked furious, "What did you whisper to him!? What deal did you fucking make, you backstabbing-"

"You're letting the demon take control over you again." Mark interceded, "Aren't you?"

Actor slowly laid Anti down on the floor and knelt beside him, "It won't take long. Just a few more moments. The sedative helped, I think"

"Well bully are you insane now!?" Wilford shouted, "He'll just pop into you and we'll still have ta fight him!"

"For once, Wilford is right" Dark snarled at him, "We're still screwed"

Actor huffed, "Hey you got your glitch back. Are you happy or not? Besides, I made a deal this time with the demon"

"Deal?" Mark looked worried, "What . . . . what deal?"

Actor sighed, "I .. .  well  .. . I said that if it came back to me then I would let it. But it had to take us back to the void to recuperate. That way. . . it'll buy you guys some t-time" he could already feel the demon seeping into him. He could hear the familiar ringing in his ears. The screaming he was so used to before.

Everyone was floored at Actor's words, especially Mark, Dark and Wilford. They knew him the best and never expected him to do something so . . . selfless.

Actor held his head and shivered, "He's coming back." he held on though. He wanted to look at them all one last time the way he was NOW. He smiled.

"I'm g-glad I got to see you all again like this. You especially, Wil. I've m-missed you. Even if you did sleep with my wife. Sh-she deserved better t-than me. You were and always will be my f-friend. Rrrgh. Mmmrrggg" he growled in pain as his head pounded.

Wilford just stared at him and it looked seemingly as if he didn't fully understand what was happening like usual.

Mark grit his teeth, "Actor just hold on, alright! I'll think of something! I promise!" tears flooded down his cheeks. He didn't want this to happen all over again. His mistakes repeating themselves "I swear it! I'm not giving up on you again!"

Actor just chuckled, "D-don't worry yourself. When he comes back from the void, though. Promise me you'll give it all you got and d-destroy us. Once and for all. Even if you have to erase me, Mark. . .. ."

Mark looked like he'd argue but Actor looked to Sean, "M-make sure he does it, McLoughlin. Good-bye"

With that, Actor gripped his head, still kneeling on the floor, roaring in pain as the demon forcibly overtook him. Usually it would be a slow process and less painful but being as the demon needed out of there NOW, quick was the only option.

Actor's eyes glinted red and he snarled, staring them all down as he forced his way on his feet. 

This was the demon again.

He shivered and huffed but suddenly smirked, unphased by everything that was happening anymore.

"I'll come back for you all. Sooner than you think. Have fun healing, mortals."

With that he was gone. Just gone.

Dark was shocked but was the first to rush to Anti who was still unconscious on the floor. He crawled over to him and shook him, worried for his brother, "Anti! Anti, wake up! Everything's fine now! You're safe! Wake up!"

Dr. Iplier was helping Henrik up and the doctor grunted to him, "It was a pretty strong sedative, Dark. Might take a few hours for him to vake up."

Dark calmed down but was still upset. He wanted him awake NOW. He needed to tell him everything. How all his fears were just nonsense. How he was so loved and cared for. How Sean's creation of him didn't define him. Everything!

The Ipliers managed to help each other help, also helping the Septic egos in turn. Dark, Sean and the Septics stayed with Anti as the others went outside to explain everything that happened.

Meanwhile Anti was dreaming.

Oh, he knew what happened. He saw it all. 

He let it happen.

He could hear the others call for him. Hear them pleading for him to come back.

But he just watched and  . . . . .

On the inside, Anti knew what he let happen was wrong. What he said to them. Part of it was the demon and part of it was really him. After the demon left, he could fell that. He could finally differentiate between its words and his feelings.

But it was too little too late.

Everyone knew now just how much of a monster he really was. 

He really never did change.

Sean was right to disown him.

'I'm just a . . . . I should have never forced myself out of his head. Should have let him forget me'

"Then none of this would have ever happened"

Anti blinked open his eyes, hearing those words. They weren't his words, though.

He could feel something soft under him. The smell of cleaner all around and someone holding his hand. He could feel others all around, tension in the air.

"If I had just. . .  stayed there. Then the demon wouldn't have. . . gotten to Chase and-"

Chase interrupted, wanting to take the blame himself, "If I had just told someone I was hearing voices. . . "

"None of us knew anything like this was going to happen" that was Mark's voice.

"It's all my fault" That was Sean's, "If I had just actually listened to him . . . treated him better."

"You're right" Chase agreed, "But we just left him. We all just treated him like shit and we all paid for it. Mainly him. He was in pain his whole life and we just watched."

"He's told us the entire time." Jackie sighed.

There was a brief void of silence and Henrik trailed on the conversation, "You are right, Jameson. We were all deaf to him. Listening to only what we vanted to hear"

"We were just dumbasses" Marvin was just blunt about it as always.

"G-glad you all . . . . realize that, finally" 

Everyone looked down.

Anti scoffed, "Morons"

Dark was the first, being the one holding his hand, to lean down and hug him. Anti could feel wetness on his own face and realized it was Dark's tears rubbing off on him.

Anti teared up as well and weakly wrapped his own arms around him, "M-missed you"

Dark was muffled but chuckled, "Missed you, too, brat"

But Anti wasn't exactly. . . . . happy being around everyone. They all crammed inside the Dr. Iplier's office, sanitary conditions be damned.

Dark finally lifted himself off of Anti to prevent choking him but still held his hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked him. Dark knew something was wrong.

Anti huffed, "Just . . . . don't know why you all are so damn happy. I fucked up."

"No!" Wilford argued, "No. . . was the demon, boy-o. Not you"

"But it was." Anti grimaced, "He knew I was a monster and brought it out and I just-"

Sean went over and suddenly slapped him upside the head.

"Ow! What the fook!?"

"You are NOT a monster!" Sean screamed at him, "If I've learned anything from being around you again it's that! You are a good person, Anti! Don't let ANYONE tell you different, especially me! I should have never disowned you, Anti! I should have listened to you! Given you a chance! Opened my fooking eyes! But I didn't! And that makes ME the bad guy, Anti! NOT YOU!"

Everyone was stunned by Sean's words. 

Anti was having a hard time processing them.

No one knew quite what to say.

But Dark spoke up, "I could . . . see you from the void, Anti." he brought his attention back to him, "I saw how you stood up with Mark and Sean. Saw how much pain you were in. Honestly, Anti it doesn't matter if you are the good or the bad guy. To us you are family. And that is all that matters"

Finally Anti slowly smiled, "And . . . .  you're m-my family."

Everyone took their chance to either hug or talk to Anti and Dark but one thing really still burned at the back of their minds.

The demon was still there.

Waiting and watching.

None of them knew when it'd return but they had to be ready. And that meant, making the two rest as much as they could.

The doctors made them eat, gave them medicine and supplements to help them heal and gain their strength faster and Mark and Sean stayed by their sides. Hopefully being around their creators might have a good effect on them in healing. They weren't quite for sure but Marvin thought they should give it a try along with everyone else leaving them the fuck alone so they could sleep. Meanwhile, Marvin wasn't taking any chances this time and surrounded the whole house with a magical barricade that would alert them if any evil presence came.

Would have helped a lot sooner, really, but then again, the last time, they didn't quite know what they were up against.

It was two days later when they were both finally on their feet and everyone else was feeling up to par again and ready. But there was still no sign of the demon or Actor.

In their time resting, Anti thought about what Actor had done. He had made himself a sacrifice to give them all another shot. The good news was they knew what to expect from Actor's abilities with  the demon. The bad news was they didn't know when they'd return. They had the element of surprise. That and. . .  the demon seemed. . .stronger. They had to be careful just in case it tried breaking into Anti again. They couldn't handle his power like that again. No way.

Anti yawned as he walked into the kitchen late on the third night. He was craving ice cream but he hoped there was still some in the freezer. With Marvin's spell up, no one could leave or else it'd break down. And with several egos stuck there with no way to get more groceries . . . . things weren't looking too good. Amy, having chosen to stay at her and Mark's house, would leave some food at the door but it was difficult to get them through without tripping up the spell.

Marvin promised to tweak it next time.

As Anti sauntered to the kitchen, though, he heard someone talking.

Being as sneaky as he was, Anti peered in to eavesdrop.

Only to see Wilford at the counter. Talking to himself.

"I know, I know. It's stupid but I have to try! What other choice is there?. . . .. Oh bully! You've always hated my ideas! . . .. . ..  I know but this could be it!"

Anti remembered the last time Chase had caught Wilford talking to himself. He really didn't need Wilford killing himself again. He had to make himself seen so that didn't happen.

"Hey Wil! What you doing?" Anti walked in loudly.

Wilford grinned at him, "Hey there, scout! I was just telling Celine here. . . . Oh. . .. she's gone again. . . . Hm."

Anti remembered though what news Celine had to give to them before through Wil. He couldn't let him forget again!.

"What were you two talking about? What did Celine have to say, Wil?"

Wilford scratched his head, "Oh well it was rather what she was trying to talk me out of!"

Anti didn't understand, "Talk you out of? Wil . ..  what do you mean?"

Wilford smiled solemnly as if remembering a dear friend, " . . . . . Oh just . . . . Don't tell anyone but . . .I'm going to go get my friend back!"

"What friend?"

"Why, Actor of course!"