Can anyone guess the title's reference? :D I couldn't resist doing it lol

Anti still wasn't completely sure whether he believed Dark or not but he was willing to try for Mira.

"Alright then . . . what's the plan?"

Dark crossed his arms, "I thought YOU had a plan?"

"Why would you think that? I'm the one that goes in guns blazing. You're the one that'd have a plan, not me"

"Oh really?"

"Obviously"

"Hey uh. . . guys?" Illinois interrupted them, "Your little bantering is cute and all but can we focus up? We can have Google go off back home to get everyone else."

Dark blinked, "Oh . . well done then, Illinois. Google-"

Anti didn't like it, "You sure that's a good idea?"

"Hm? Why not? More reinforcements the better, right?"

"RIGHT-O! LET'S BAND TOGETHER THE CALVARY!!" Wilford shouted, pulled out a harmonica to blow on it harshly and then proceeded to SLAM his hand on Actor's back making him cringe, stifling a pained groan.

"I would have no trouble gathering everyone for a beating. It'll surely be 88% effective" Google noted.

Anti looked around at them all. Surely just this would be enough, right? 

"It's just . . Mira knows the others hate her . . . or are afraid of her. Can you really trust them all to band together to SAVE her?"

Dark gave him a long cold look. As if he were contemplating strangling him but he sighed calmly, "Anti . . .  the Iplier family may be a huge chaotic clump of psychos and sociopaths . . . but we're all still family"

Mark hummed, "Maybe we should go WITH Google, Dark? You ARE better with talking to them all. And Illy and Wil can come back with us, too. And Actor. We should prepare ourselves for the worst.

"The worst being that the demon comes here to get her back" Jackie spat, "Not the best idea, there, Mark"

"But it's the best we got" Sean stopped him, "You go, Mark. And . . you guys. I think us Septics should take Anti and Mira with us to our place. The demon can't know where WE live yet. It'd have to come looking which will buy us time."

"And by then" Mark continued, "We'll have all the other Ipliers at our side here willing to brawl"

Dark wanted to argue. He REALLY wanted to. He couldn't help himself, "And why can't  . . . . I'll just say it. Why can't us Ipliers take Mira with US? With more egos around her, she'll be better protected"

"Because the freak already knows where you guys live" Anti told him, "Plus too many of you and he could easily transform himself again to look like any of your brood and snatch her away again in the crowd"

Dark looked away from him, thinking closely on it, " . . . .. . Fine. . . . I suppose you're right"

"Don't have a heart attack, now, Dark." Mark chuckled, "I know that was hard for you to admit"

"Shut up. Take good care of her, Anti. We'll be back in the morning. I'm trusting you with this. Don't let me down . .  or rather . . . . don't let HER down"

The glitch just snorted, "No worries, there." he wanted to say so much more to him but kept his mouth shut. 

'You've let her down far more times than I have so I wouldn't be talking, asshole'

Everyone left Anti's house and they split up into groups. Dark teleported with Mark and Actor while Illinois and Google trusted Wilford to come outside with them and teleport home.

And then the Septics did a game of their own. Marvin conjured a hat and Chase placed it on Anti's head.

"You're gonna have to trust one of us again, Anti" Sean stated, "If the demon is waiting outside, you're the first person he'll expect to have her and go after you first. . .as long as he can figure out who the real YOU is since we're making you look like Chase"

Anti nodded, "One of your better plans . . . .  I'll give her to Marvin again. I trust him to handle his own better if encountered by the bastard" he handed Mira to him a bit more easier this time.

Marvin smiled softly, "Don't worry. I'll keep her safe until we all get home later. Then you can have her back and we'll figure all this out"

Anti just nodded.

"Right" Jackie crossed his arms, "Chase will exit first with Jameson, Henrik and Sean and drive off. Marvin, me and Anti will stay in here for a while longer with the lights off just in case and then Marvin will leave the house and teleport. Make it look like a glitch if you can and look extra suspicious."

"Extra? All about it."

Jackie continued, "Then when Marvin leaves, Anti will glitch the both of us to multiple points. Probably four or five until we finally get to the Septic house by which point we should all be there by then. Everyone got it?"

Anti rolled his eyes, exasperated with his constant intent to be the leader.

But they all did as planned.

Chase, Henrik, Jameson and Sean got in the car and left. Marvin, Jackie and Anti stayed quiet and still, having shut off all the lights.

Then Marvin nodded to Anti after a while, "Don't worry. She'll be waiting for you at home."

Anti watched Marvin place the ball in one of his many robe pockets and walk out of the house. Luckily, he teleported successfully.

Leaving Jackie and Anti alone in his house.

"So" Jackie started with a small whisper, "I wanna just say something-"

"We don't have time for your pestering or jokes, hero." Anti stopped him, "I could care less about what you think of me"

"Will you just relax for a moment? I'm not out to get you anymore, Anti" Jackie chuckled, "I actually . . . . I wanna apologize"

Anti raised a brow and slowly looked over to him, "Huh?"

Jackie nodded, "Yeah, it's weird for me, too. But I do. I'm sorry, Anti. I uh . . . honestly, I argued from the beginning once Mira disappeared that maybe you just finally up and killed her or something. Stupid, I know. And very wrong. As far from the truth as anyone can get, I guess" he cracked a smile.

Anti said nothing but listening carefully, contemplating on an answer.

"When I first saw you two together . . . . you know after the  . . . flying bus incident?  . . . I think I was just so  . . . caught up in how you USED to be. I never saw or took the time to see. . . . you changed the day you met her but not just then. I think right after that incident after she defended you . . . well . . . you never caused trouble since. I should have known that was because of her. You didn't want to disappoint her, did you?"

" . . . . .  no. . . . . . It wasn't just that." Anti sighed, "I was too  . ..  caught up in our friendship at the time. Mira and me . . . before that I wasn't sure what we were but after the . .  bus incident. . . . I had never felt that feeling before." he smiled just softly, "I wondered to myself if this was what acceptance and love felt like and I wanted more. I was consumed by it and . . . happy. And I still won't let it go"

"I don't blame you" Jackie smirked, "She's one hell of a friend. . . one hell of a girl. Don't you EVER let her go. You understand?"

Anti and Jackie shared a brief silent moment together until Anti finally nodded, "Of course. I think I KNEW she was the one for me when she knocked you on your ass" he smirked.

Jackie snorted but still smile, "Yeah, I bet. You guys are two peas in a  pod. Alright, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go already"

"I'm sure you remember where we live, right?"

"Never forgot. I've been keeping tabs on you guys"

" . . . . okay"

When Marvin appeared at the house, he sighed heavily, relieved that he wasn't followed. He hadn't met the demon yet but he was sure he didn't want to. If he was able to break out of Celine's magic, then he must be formidable. 

'I wonder HOW he got out, though? And why now?' he hadn't heard but he'd be sure to ask later here.

'Now to sit and wait for the others. Jackie and Anti should get here before the others  . . . unless they get to fighting then I might as well not even be concerned of when they'll get here'

He took the ball out of his pocket and stared at it. The light was starting to really fade and it was worrying him, "Now how come your power is depleting so much when the demon was probably able to GAIN power to get out? . . . it doesn't make a lot of sense, does it?"

He knew he wouldn't get an answer but it was nice to know somewhat that he wasn't talking to himself, at least.

"Hm . . . . how about we just sit back and wait for the others? I'm sure you can't wait for Anti to get back, huh? You two were inseparable, I hear. Hard to imagine him as a romantic, though. He couldn't be, right? Too weird"

Marvin just waltzed over to the couch and sat down, holding the blue crystal ball in one of his hands as he turned the TV on.

About a half an hour passed on by and Marvin was starting to get worried until there was a knock on the front door. He jolted up, absentmindedly putting the ball in his pocket again and went to answer the door.

"Geez, I was wondering when you'd guys would get here!"

"Sorry, dude!" Chase groaned, "Henrik practically demanded we listen to one of his medical podcasts on the way over and Jameson had to go to the bathroom on the way so we had to stop for a moment at a gas station"

"Where's Mira?" Sean asked, "And where's Anti and Jackie for that matter? Thought I'd hear them arguing by now"

Marvin chuckled, "Not here yet. I imagine they got in a fight of their own on the way over. I'm sure they're fine, though. We can wait a little bit longer and if it gets to be too MUCH longer, I'll go back and try and find 'em"

"Good" Sean nodded, "How's Mira looking?"

"Good. Still flickering on" Marvin pat his pocket, "Hopefully the morning comes quick. With Dark and the other Ipliers at our sides, I'm sure the demon will just have to back off, you know?"

"For sure, bro" Chase chuckled, "I'm gonna go make a sandwich. You want anything?"

"Nah"

Henrik fixed his glasses, "Honestly we really should have thought of passwords or a code of some kind but I am happy at least that everything turned out for now. Where is she again? In your pocket?"

Jameson just walked on over to the couch and sat to watch whatever Marvin had been watching before they got there.

Marvin thought Henrik's question odd but thought nothing much of it, "Yeah . . . just like when we left, remember? Or were you too busy tending to Anti still that you didn't listen?"

Before Henrik could answer, Marvin shrugged it off, "I'm gonna go upstairs real quick before they get here. maybe I could find something in one of those books in my room"

Sean nodded, "Sure thing. We'll let you know when Anti and Jackie get here"

"I'm sure I'LL hear them before you tell me" Marvin just laughed, heading on upstairs.

When he got up to his room, the first thing he did, was sift through his books. Curses, containment spells, charms. Anything that could help figure this out. He flipped to an odd page on releasement spells, however, when he saw something peculiar.

'Hm . . . well isn't this sort of interesting'

"WHERE IS HE?!"

Marvin snorted to himself, 'And there's Anti and Jackie. I should get back down there before he tears this whole building apart.'

As he wandered to the stairs to go down, however, everyone halted.

The doorbell rang.

Chase stuffed a bite of a sandwich in his mouth, "Well that's fooking weird. Everyone's HERE, right?"

Marvin looked down at them all but didn't come the rest of the way down just in case it was the demon that was at the door. He made eye contact with Anti who nodded back at him, knowing what he was thinking.

"Jackie" Anti bumped him with his elbow, "Get the door. Something's wrong"

Feeling the tension in the air, Jackie didn't argue. Anti was right. 

Had the demon somehow followed them? But how?!

They were careful, right? 

They took all the precautions.  . . . 

Jackie went up to the door and quickly whipped it open, ready to attack.

A thick silence filled the room.

Sean stared back at him like a deer in headlights.

"Uh . . Jackie? It's just us. Everything okay?"

Jackie blinked.

This wasn't right.

But he could feel it now. 

They all could.

The Chase outside saw himself INSIDE the house, "Fook . . . ."

The other Chase, Henrik, Sean and Jameson on the inside of the house collectively smiled so sinisterly.

"No fucking way" Jackie cursed, "H-how?"

Marvin clutched at his robe protectively, 'Dammit. I had a feeling something wasn't right! And I told it everything!'

Suddenly the Septic ego imposters phased in together and the demon that stole Anti's face grinned back at them all.

"Well . . . . You all really ARE dumb, aren't you?"