Tom watched the flickering shadows on the ceiling, trying his hardest to tune everything out and concentrate. He'd never tried it before, but if there was any way he could tune in on Sam's mood and feelings on demand, now was the perfect time.

"Ouch, Jerry, careful," Kyle said.

Tom focused harder and his eyes went astray. He couldn't tell shit because his own brain was too busy turning over all the insanity he'd faced that day.

In the back of his mind, he could still hear the running paws of the wolves, could smell their singed fur, hear the howling. His legs ached from the running and his knuckles throbbed from being overused. Out of reflex, he tightened his hold on Angie's hand just to make sure she was really there.

"Any luck?" she whispered.

He shook his head and raised on his elbows, taking the room in. They'd managed to clear the lodge and once again left Snitch Gravel's men in the middle of nowhere. Even if Kyle and Jimmy had wanted to charge after Sam and Christine, Jerry had made more sense.

They needed rest. Hell, he needed it as well, especially because he believed they were heading for the final face off. His entire body hurt and his eyelids were drooping. Kay wasn't much better either. She'd passed out in front of the fire, cuddled up in all the spare blankets they could find.

The girls had camped out on the couches while they took mattresses to the floor. Even if they had two bedrooms upstairs, after what had happened, they preferred to stick together.

Billy, Tina and Jessie had drifted off, and Tom had no idea if Jimmy was still awake either because he hadn't said anything in a while.

Kyle and Jerry were the only ones sitting up, Jerry still yanking phone parts out of Kyle's temple with tweezers. It has been lucky how that bullet hadn't hit him in the head.

"I'm almost done," Jerry whispered, discarding the tiny piece of plastic in a glass. "And considered yourself lucky. Something could've taken your eye out."

"Or your brain," Tom said, fairly.

"At least I backed everything up in the cloud this time," Kyle mumbled. "And Mom won't be calling to bust my chops."

"That's going to be an issue when we get home," Jerry said, taking the final piece out and dropping the tweezers. He next proceeded to disinfect the wound.

Kyle sucked air through his teeth, but didn't move or complain.

Tom closed his eyes again and tried to focus on Sam. Jerry was being optimistic because Tom couldn't really see how they'd get out of this one. But then again, he never could and they still did.

A jolt of annoyance came and went and he breathed in relief. "Sam's up and about. And annoyed, but I'd be too."

Angie squeezed his hand and finally seemed to relax into her pillows.

"Thank God," Jerry breathed, securing the bandage around Kyle's head. "Now I can finally rest."

"You're very reliant on this twin bond," Tom observed.

"Because I know how reliable it is," Jerry answered, laying down, too.

"You do?" Kyle asked propping his head in one hand and wincing.

Jerry just shrugged, but Tom was curious, too. His link with Sam had be a tricky thing everyone was aware of, but Jerry and Jimmy has never even hinted that they shared something similar.

"When Jessie fainted," Jerry finally said, "I got such a clear reading into Jimmy's head it was a bit frightening. So I believe you that you can tell what Sam is doing."

"Not what he's doing, but at least I know he's alive and annoyed rather than worried or terrified."

Jerry nodded and closed his eyes. "We should get at least five hours of sleep. We can't go into Snitch Gravel's lair exhausted."

"How far is Chenonceau?" Tom asked.

"We don't know," Kyle said. "But much further than the one's we've been to so far. It isn't cluttered together with the others. We'll figure it out when we wake up."

Tom nodded in agreement and closed his eyes again, trying to focus on Sam. The wolves clouded his mind instead, followed by a fleeting thought of Mizrelle. His stomach tightened. He still hadn't told Angie what he'd done, but this was probably the worst time. It wasn't like he could take it back, it wasn't something she should be worried about, so maybe it would be selfish to actually tell her.

All it would do was cause her pain.

Still, his mind wondered down the catacombs of Paris as wolves chased him into a room filled with Snitch Gravel's men. They wanted the password, but he didn't have it. He was sure he once did, but everytime he tried to remember, Cannon would split his skin open with a whip.

❄

Sam was surrounded by darkness. And even if he'd just become aware he was in this empty place, he was already running. He could hear the snow crunching under his boots, feel it putting up resistance, and once he looked down, he could see it as well.

White, eerily glowing in a blackness that felt like velvet and smoke, heavy and suffocating. And the more he ran, the more he realized he had no idea where he was going.

Tom.

He needed to find his twin. And at the thought, he could see a small bundle in the snow, in the distance, never coming closer until he was suddenly right next to it.

Except something was wrong.

Sam's feet froze in the snow, as if it had turned into cement around him. Tom wasn't wearing his sunglasses. His eyes were empty and glassy and the snow around him stained with red.

Blood.

Bile rose to Sam's mouth, but he couldn't even move to lean over and throw up. His eyes stayed glued to the body if his twin, to the emptiness in his gaze.

Then, Snitch Gravel was there, his hand wrapped around Tom's throat, squeezing as if he couldn't tell it was only a body.

"That's not me."

Sam jumped and turned to his left where Tom stood, his hands clasped behind his back. There was a look of mild disgust on his face, as if the scene before him made him slightly nauseous. And this was really Tom, scar and different eye color included.

But if Tom was there then... Sam turned his gaze back to Snitch Gravel. Blood dripped down his chin, and when he raised his eyes, they were yellow and glistening. He pounced forward and morphed into a giant grey wolf.

Sam whipped around and started running in the opposite direction, his heart pounding as if to prove he was still alive, that he couldn't be that dead thing left behind.

It's only a dream. Only that stupid recurring dream I keep having.

But this one broke the pattern. There was no storm, no background related to the mission... just fear and emptiness and he willed himself to stop and wake up. He closed his eyes, but it didn't help. He could still see the snow and the darkness which was somehow different from the one behind his eyelids. When he pinched himself, nothing happened, even if he felt the pain.

A wild howl filled the air around him, seemed to come from everywhere, from inside his own body. Glowing eyes shone from every direction, and as much as he tried to force his body into remaining still, it twisted and ran at random, completely ignoring all rational thought.

It's just a dream.

It didn't feel like one. It felt like death. It felt like life. It felt like reality.

The fear he'd tried to keep at bay exploded into full grown panic. A sob escaped him as he searched for a direction devoid of glowing eyes.

Then, in the distance, he saw two familiar figures. His parents, holding hands, standing with his back to them.

"Mom! Dad!"

He needed them. He needed them so badly. And he was almost there, just one more step. Sam grabbed his father's shoulder and he turned around.

Except it wasn't Freider. Kyle stared back at him, his head titled in mild curiosity. Kay was next to him, holding his hand, smiling at Sam.

And the cold and darkness were gone. They were in the grounds of Cheverny, and even if it was still night, the stars shone down upon them and Sam finally felt safe. He took in the grounds, the stillness of the night, the breeze. And the more he looked, the more he realized Kyle and Kay made it all possible.

A low golden glow surrounded them, breaking through his nightmare and making everything visible.

"You would've loved it to be this way."

Sam blinked in confusion and Kyle was gone, replaced by Freider who stood alone in the darkness. The cold knocked the breath out of Sam and a slither of panic crawled up his spine.

"Dad?"

Freider didn't answer, just turned his back on him. Sam wanted to follow, but was distracted by someone crying to his right. He turned that way instead, and he felt like throwing up all over again.

"Christine?" he asked, his voice shaking.

She raised her eyes, and even if she looked nothing like Christine, he knew it was her. Her face was filled with scars, her cheeks were hollow and her skin rough and pockmarked. There was a bleeding hole in his chest and she held her hands cupped to collect the flowing content.

"You did this to me," she hissed.

Sam stepped back, shaking his head.

"How could you!"

He turned his head instinctively towards the new voice. It was Tina, on her knees in the snow, holding Christine's body in her lap. She was once again beautiful, but her amber eyes were devoid of life.

"I didn't do this," Sam whimpered. "I didn't..."

His voice cut off, trapping in all potential excuses as Tina kept screeching at him, her accusation growing louder and louder until he was sure his eardrums would pop.

So he did the only thing he could. He turned around and ran, ran until he was out of breath, until he would collapse from exhaustion and end it all.

He could feel the electric sizzle in the air, as if he were running inside a storm cloud. And for once, he was grateful for it. He wanted to be struck by lightning. He wanted this to end.

Instead, he ran out of ground. He stopped on the edge of existence, the sound of water drops dripping into the void ringing in his ears.

"You're not allowed to go there."

Sam whipped around. Freider was back, shaking his head with a disapproving expression.

"Why? What's down there?"

"High school," Freider answered simply.

"He thinks you're that stupid." Snitch Gravel materialized out of thin air next to Freider, a grin on his face. "I would feel offended if I were you."

Sam just stared, finding it hard to process how they could stand next to each other like that, so peaceful, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Why fight when we have you here to do it for us?" Snitch Gravel asked.

"Fight for us," Freider said, his voice neutral. "Die for us."

A wave of anger swept through Sam, and together with it came a warm wind that blew Freider and Snitch Gravel away. He was back in the grounds of Cheverny, except this time Kyle and Kay were joined by Jimmy, Jessie, Jerry and Tom. The anger slipped away, leaving him feeling content. His brothers were his strength and he never wanted to let them go, be alone again.

Except something was missing.

"Where is Angie?" he asked, looking around.

"She's right here," Tom answered nodding to the empty space beside him.

That seemed to make sense even if it didn't, but there was something else wrong. Sam turned to Kyle for answers because he always had them.

"Why isn't Chrisitne here?"

"You're not letting her. You're afraid she would turn out dead or mangled."

Kyle was right. Of course he was. It made perfect sense. He loved them all so much. He opened his mouth to tell them that but the words froze in his throat.

Freider was back, holding a knife. Sam wanted to scream, but no sound left his mouth as his father plunged the dagger into Kyle and Kay who were suddenly the same person.

The warmth disappeared and he was once again facing Freider and Snitch Gravel on the edge of all that was. In the distance, he could see his brothers running in the opposite direction, chases by menacing yellow eyes.

Sam made to step after them, but Jimmy's voice rang inside his head. Don't worry. We're not going to get killed by animals.

He faltered. Snitch Gravel grinned again, while Freider watched him with an uninterested air.

"You're not allowed to go there," he said, reaching out his hand.

Snitch Gravel's smile dared him to disagree.

Sam looked from one to the other, calculating his position. Did disobeying his father mean he was taking the wrong side? But he couldn't blindly believe. Not with no emotion, no proper explanation. He had no idea what was down there, but it couldn't be worse than what he was facing here.

"Sam!"

Christine also appeared to be down there.

"Do you dare do it?" Snitch Gravel asked, only he wasn't Snitch Gravel anymore. It was someone familiar, someone he trusted even if he couldn't recognize him.

"Who are you?" Sam asked.

Not-Snitch-Gravel nodded towards the edge.

"You're not allowed to go there," Freider said, like the broken record he was.

Never an answer, never an explanation.

"You are too young to understand," Freider supplied.

"Oh, bite me," Sam mumbled and let himself fall backward into the void.

Like he suspected, he was quickly surrounded by thunder and rain, the sizzling in the air making the hairs on his body stand. Any second now he'd be struck by lightning, and in that one second, he would have the answers to all his questions.

His body hit the ground and all air was knocked out of him for a fraction of a second before the heat of lightning fired his synapses and terror consumed him.

Sam sat up screaming, his fingers curled around the cover on his bed. His head throbbed and his heart pounded as he tried to shake off the nightmare.

Someone pushed him back on the bed gently. Sam let them, panting his lungs out, glad for the cold cloth wiping the sweat off his forehead. It had been more horrible than usual for some reason.

He focused on the dark blue canopy above him, trying to steady his breathing as the person next to him continued wiping his forehead. Yes, he was back in the room Snitch Gravel had locked him in. Except he'd fallen asleep alone.

His head snapped to the side. Angie was there, sitting on a chair, a cloth in her hand.

"Angie, what are you doing here?"

She smiled and it calmed him down. "Just lay down. You've had a nightmare."

Yes, he had. A nasty one. But something still didn't add up.

He turned his body to face her, propping his himself up on one elbow and put his hand on her cheek. Her skin was warm and soft.

"You should go. If someone finds you here..."

Her smile just widened and she put her hand over his as if to stop him from pulling away. "It's okay. I feel safe with you here. You've saved me before."

Her voice was so beautiful. She was, everything about her. He couldn't get enough of looking at her. Unless...

He moved his hand to the back of her head, pulled her towards him and kissed her, long and hard and with more passion than he thought he had in him.

Sam woke up, screaming. Except this time it wasn't in fear, but in anger.

Weak light flitted through the curtains, making the room feel colder than it was. He was on the bed with the blue canopy, the one he'd fallen asleep in, and he was alone.

Sam sunk his face in his hands and tugged at the few strands of his hair he could reach.

"What the fuck?" he breathed.

Why did he have to dream that last bit? What did it have to do with anything? His trippy dream before that meant something. There were clues hidden in everything he'd seen and heard. But everything he tried to remember, to figure out, everything important faded in the light of that stupid, stupid ending.

He didn't secretly love Angie. Sure, they'd spent a lot of time together lately and he really liked being around her, but she was a friend, a teammate. Tom's girlfriend.

A sister. She was a sister. He loved her, but he wasn't in love with her.

Yet, inside the dream, he'd kissed her with more passion than he ever had Christine. It had felt so real.

"I love Christine," he mumbled into his hands.

The stress. This was all about the stress and being exhausted. The wolves, finding Christine again, Snitch Gravel... everything was weighing him down, pushing hard on his subconscious. This was just a manifestation of his guilt that he couldn't actually see Angie inside his other dream.

Or maybe that's why you couldn't.

No! He really wasn't in love with Angie. And even if he was, he'd never act on it, never betray Tom in a million years. The look on his face when the guys in the fraternity has suggested it was enough to put anyone off.

He was just too tired to think. So he lay back down and closed his eyes, willing himself to fall back to sleep. And in mere moments, he was back in Paris, in the catacombs, where Mizrelle announced her engagement to Snitch Gravel and Freider gave them his blessing while wolves cheered from the crowd.

❄❄❄

I am on an official roll. Roll with me! *does rolling dance.

Didn't I say trippy AF? Well... it was. Of course there are secret meaning here and I'm curious to hear hour theories. Let me have them. Shoot them up! I wanna know your every thought.

Next chapter is the start of the climax so hold on to your hats. It's gonna get messy.

Hit the star! And share the love. If all goes well we're about 4 chapters away from the end.