I only look up from the Grimoire when I feel Max awaken.

Max has been asleep for a day or two due to Por-ce's spell. Of course, the stubborn bastard survived but not without consequence. I have to break it to him that his son is—well I'm not entirely sure what he is.

He's a hybrid without a soul.

Max tries to sit up in bed and winces when he feels the cut on his abdomen. I close the book and stare at him.

"I'm not into guys, least not my son's...husband?"

"Wow, you really are his father." I say with amusement. I grow solemn as I realize he doesn't know everything. I take a deep breath.

"Is it the baby? It is a baby, right?"

"No...well, yes...it is but it's not."

Max eyes me skeptically.

"Max, there's something about David...I need to know what happened to Portia. Help me understand."

"Fine. It's a long story."

"I've got time."

                                                                                                     -

Porter stands in Byars, waiting on his order for the family.

To say that Porter's worried about Perry is an understatement. Porter is still in shock. It's hard to see Perry going through this and even harder seeing David committing these atrocious acts.

It's a feeling of helplessness.

Porter's only course of action is to get the family food. It's quickest way to everyone's heart. It is also Porter's intention to get everyone together to have a conversation. As Porter stands in the middle of Byars, he looks around trying to find out exactly what's changed and all he thinks about is how nothing has changed, not here.

"The more things change..."

Porter freezes. He never thought he'd hear that voice again. He turns to see Astrid standing in front of him. Porter's memory of Astrid is spotty. He remembers that he was once in love with her. He is also aware that she died.

He is also aware that she didn't stay that way.

Many of his friends didn't realize it. They thought she was insignificant. But she isn't. She guided the vampires for a short time. No one seems to remember that. She was the buffer between Perry and Porter after Porter died.

She'd known him better than anyone else for a while.

"Hello, lover."

                                                                                                       -  

As I descend the stairs of my house, I hear talking in the kitchen.

As I enter the kitchen, I'm greeted by the sight of Charlotte, Eva, Micah, Penny and Peyton. Peyton and Micah are sitting at the table eating waffles, while the other three hover behind them. At the sight of me, they all pause.

Peyton jumps off her chair and runs over, throwing her hands around my leg as she shouts my name. I bend down and pick her up, snuggling her close. As I put her down, she smiles up at me.

"Mommy says you're sad." Peyton says innocently. I look to Penny, who reddens. Peyton calls my attention back to her and continues, "She says David is sick. Is he sick?"

I stare at her, unable to put together words.

Is David sick?

My silence causes a stutter in the room. I smile back down to her, "Yeah, he is. But don't worry, he's going to be alright and he'll be back in time for you two to play with the babies. And we're going to have cake."

"Good! I get to see them first, right?"

"Yeah." I nod, "You should finish your waffles. I have to use the bathroom."

I turn and head towards the bathroom. I feel this nauseous feeling burning through my stomach. It's like a disease inching its way through my body. With every second that goes by, every day where I can't find a way, I feel more and more discouraged.

I'm trying not to go to a dark place but I feel like the world's closing in around me.

I stop when Eva, Charlotte and Penny appear behind me. I turn to them, silent. The three of them move towards me, engulfing me into a group hug. I can feel them against my body, the warmth and it's disturbing how cold I've become. I never wanted to be this disconnected again.

We break apart and they stare at me.

"We're going to get him back." Eva says softly.

"And if we don't? If he comes for one of you?"

"You can cry or shout or anything you feel like doing. We're not going to judge you. You need to emote. You need to let us in." Charlotte says carefully, "You didn't get all the way to this point to not end up with the love of your life."

"We're all here for you, even if you try to push us away." Penny says with a smile.

"I'm running out of ideas. Resurrection isn't an option because he isn't dead, not altogether. We have no idea how to restore humanity. His soul."

"No, we don't, but we can still win this." Eva says thoughtfully.

"I need to throw up."

I leave them in the hallway and retreat to the bathroom. I empty what little food I have in my stomach into the toilet and stand. I flush the toilet and move to wash my hands but stop at the sight of a silhouette in the mirror.

I don't start, only pause.

The Nowhere man is prevalent these days. It's no surprise that he's here. The question is not if he's here, but what he wants. He seems to read my mind as a low, almost silky voice speaks through the mirror.

"I know what you seek."

"Let me guess, you'll help me if I help you." I ask.

"His soul is not gone. Fractions of his soul reside in the shell. The larger whole has been taken, banished."

I think about the phone call. I wondered why he would warn me. I wondered why he would call me to warn me, to talk to me. There's a piece of him inside. Of course there is. It's David we're talking about.

"You are not only the gatekeeper but now you're the gateway yourself. You can move through dimensions."

I think about this. With everything going on, we've glossed over one serious issue. I absorbed the gateway. Before the mystical pregnancy, before the threat of Circe, I've been the gateway.

"I can help you find him if you agree to let me out of my purgatory. I've been here so long that I've forgotten what the world feels like." The Nowhere Man says angrily, "I'm not the devil. I'm just a man now. Trapped in this place."

"I don't believe you."

"Do you know how many dimensions there are? Infinity."

"What are you planning?"

"Do you really want to know?" He asks, "I'm giving you a chance. I'm giving you what you want above all else."

"You think I'd unleash you upon the world, even for him?"

"I think if you took even a few minutes to think about it, you will always do it." The Nowhere Man says with a smug satisfaction.

"Thanks for the information but you'll rot and dies a million times over before I let you out of your cage." I say with a sneer, "I'll find him. I always do."

"You will fail and I will rise."

"And I will send you straight back to Hell." I say angrily, "Thanks for that. I needed to know why I fight. And now I do."

"They've all underestimated you or had some sort of affection or connection. I don't." He says with a low, dangerous voice, "You're just as dark and twisted as I am and I look forward to meeting you and crushing you."

His smug tone should make it uneasy. It should terrify me.

But it doesn't.

He's right, everything that's been thrown at me has disappeared, fallen away like so much ash. And I can't be stopped this time. I'm older and wiser and I'm not alone, in more ways than one.

It's time to do this.

I raise my hand to the mirror and it shatters and falls to the floor. I turn and the door flies open on its own. I march out of the door and the girls are waiting. I move to them quickly.

"What's going on? Were you talking to someone?" Penny asks.

"Take Micah and Peyton and get as far away from here as possible."

"What—what are you doing?" Penny asks, "We're not leaving."

"Do you trust me?" I ask. She nods to me. I smile and latch onto her, moving my mouth to her ear, "They're all going to burn and it will be bloody. I want Peyton and Micah far away from it."

"If they leave, they'll be—they'll be as vulnerable as they are here." Eva interjects, "And we can't start a warzone here."

"I'm a witch. I'm going to perform magic."

"Perry..."

"I'm not leaving." Micah says appearing at the doorway. I stare at him, trying to remember myself at his age. I see myself and I wouldn't leave, either. I could argue with him, say things that will make him want to leave but he won't. He's got a stake in this. He clears his throat, "You can't make me."

"I can but I won't." I say looking to the girls, "We need another witch and he's like me...he's not going anywhere."

"Where is this coming from?" Charlotte asks, "Why this total turn-around."

"The devil is coming up and he wants to swallow us. And he may. But will choke on us. On me." I say angrily, "I'm going into the Purgatory. I'm bringing him home."

"We'll go with you." Eva says.

I shake my head, "No, I need you to do something for me. I need you to get something for me, while the others are busy with the spell." I say soft, "But first, I need to do something. Get Fred and Porter, I need all the magic I can muster. Also call Troy and Jason in, we're going to need fighters. Mom, get Peyton and Carolyn out of Endor."

"The vampires?" Charlotte asks.

"Them too, and Parker." I say walking away. I turn to them. I walk back over and embrace my Mother. I need her now. I need her to be strong. I kiss her cheek, "I'm sorry for everything I've done or said to you."

"You're scaring me."

"I know." 

                                                                                                         -    

Astrid and Porter stare at each across the table.

Porter's stare is one of disbelief. Astrid's is one of nervousness. They've been doing this for close to thirty minutes. Neither said much, except to the clueless waiter, of Parker's friends. Porter knows it's time to speak and just as he does, Astrid does as well.

"Sorry, go ahead." Astrid smiles.

"How are you here? How did you get involved with the vampires? And where in the Hell have you been?" Porter asks.

"I've been floating around, dead. I ascended. I was able to come to them, to warn them just as I did to Perry. I'm not just Astrid anymore. I'm 'the one who watches'." Astrid says with a gentle smile, "Not the catchiest title but it's a thing. I speak for a larger, for lack of better word, deity. We see the future. We see everything."

"Why are you here? Why now?" Porter asks.

"I need you to stop it."

"Stop what?"

"What comes next."

"What comes next?"

Just as Porter asks, the whole restaurant goes silent. Astrid and Porter look around to see that the whole place has stopped. Just stopped. They all stand in unison and leave without a word. Porter's eyes wander to Astrid, who stares down at the table. She's clutch the table so hard, her knuckles are white.

She raises her head and her eyes are white.

"Astrid? What's going on?"

"Your brother," She laughs, "Always with the surprises. He causes us a lot of grief, you know."

"I know."

"This has never happened. I cannot see what lies beyond. And I cannot stay." Astrid says standing, "I'm sorry that I cannot be more help. But I can give you one warning."

"What? What warning? What's happening?"

"The cure for David lies within them. Within their magic." Astrid says turning away from him, "You've already done it."

Porter watches as she disappears.

A chill goes up Porter's spine as he realizes that she's not Astrid anymore.

No one is who they used to be.

                                                                                                         -    

The power it takes to make the whole town leave is significant but doesn't nearly drain me.

Frederick and Micah become lightheaded and need to sit. The spell extends to the outskirts of town, not unlike Thunderdome. I guess watching television does pay off. Penny is already gone with Peyton and Carolyn, who is just as worried as Penny.

As all of them.

"Isi machis raod sasi al siiso." I say, drawing upon their power. I can feel the force and it knocks me back.

"Perry!" Eva and Charlotte say as they move towards me.

The two stop and their eyes widen, as do Frederick and Micah's. I look down and see that there is a noticeable bump in my stomach. The spell worked. Eva and Charlotte pull me to my feet, still looking at my stomach. They realize what I've done.

"This is the big spell?" Eva asks, "One helluva spell, but..."

"It's how I reach him. The tether is strong but these guys are stronger." I look to them, "They will lead me to him. That leads me to the favor."

"What is it?" Charlotte asks.

"Find me a crib." I say moving to an open space. I pull my hand into the air, "When I go, Hell will rain down on you. Don't die."

We all chuckle as I turn my attention back to the air. I feel my energy siphon through the air as a vortex opens. I can feel the energy spiking, the magic running through my body, through my soul.

I also feel a baby kick.

I pull my other hand to my stomach and the vortex turns pink.

I throw myself in.

They know.