To Nolan, this feels weird.

He, Kat, Tommy, Victoria, and Mentor are gathered in the living room, sitting across from each other on the wrap-around sofa. Nolan looks over at Tommy, frowning. He's not sure why Sunshine isn't here.

"So..." Kat tries to find some semblance of words. She's probably thinking what Nolan and Tommy are thinking. "What is this? Why can't Sunshine be here?"

Victoria and Mentor exchange a glance, silent for a moment. "It's... imperative that we stay safe," Mentor says slowly.

Kat narrows her eyes. "What does that mean?"

Nolan grows suspicious. Seriously, this is weird. They've never had a meeting like this without Sunshine. "Is she okay?" Nolan asks, worry bleeding into his voice. Sue him. He's concerned.

Victoria frowns. "I... I'm sorry."

Tommy places a hand on Kat's shoulder, who looks like she's about ready to start a fight. "Tell us what's going on!"

Mentor waves his hand. "Victoria. We are wasting time here tiptoeing around the truth. Tell them so we can start to make our plan."

Everyone is silent. Victoria's dark gaze flickers from Mentor to the family, uncertainty clear there. She breathes softly and her shoulders slump. "We did not see the signs before. I'm truly sorry. But Sunshine is being possessed."

"What?!" Kat exclaims.

"I- I'm sorry—" Nolan shakes his head, stupefied. "Did you just say possessed?"

Tommy's mouth hangs open in disbelief. "What... how...?"

Victoria shakes her head slowly, frowning deeply. "I do not know. But I believe that the old woman you have repeatedly seen is the catalyst. She— she is not actually a woman. She is a demon."

Mentor nods. "The form this demon is taking on, it's just a disguise."

Kat narrows her eyes. "Is this demon one of the ghosts you just decided to send over?"

"No." Mentor shakes his head. "I only sent spirits. The demon was here before."

Nolan places his hands out in front of him, trying to understand the situation. "So... so you're saying Sunshine's been possessed by a demon, and we had absolutely no idea?"

Tommy nods along to his words. "I mean, how, how did you not know? You're her protectors!" He glares at Victoria and Mentor. "Don't you know everything about- about the paranormal? You should be protecting her!"

"But we should, too." Kat leans back into Tommy's embrace, shocked.

Nolan wipes his hands down his face. He doesn't know how this could've happened. How had he not seen? Nolan swallows hard. "I...I don't understand, though. Demons can't possess a Luiseach." Kat and Tommy look at him. "Uh. Y'know. I read about it a while back. In one of my....sources."

Victoria purses her lips. "I know. Demons do not have the capability to possess a Luiseach. That is the only thing we do not understand."

"But... Groundlings... can?" Tommy asks hesitantly.

Mentor nods. "Yes. However, only a select few have the ability, and they must be blessed directly by a Markon to do so."

"Blessed?" Kat echoes stupidly.

"Yes."

"Oh." She throws her hands out sarcastically. "Right. Blessed."

Nolan thinks hard for a moment. "What if..." Everyone looks at him. "What if this isn't just a demon?"

Victoria frowns. "What do you mean?"

"What if— you know, this thing that's possessing Sunshine— what if it isn't just a demon? You know, can, could it be some sort of hybrid?"

Kat looks at Nolan. "Hybrid? Seriously?"

"Yes! Think about it." Nolan jumps to his feet and begins to pace. "If- if a Groundling was blessed by a Markon, just think about it. Hypothetically, if this blessed Groundling somehow- somehow made a sort of—" He twists his hand, squinting, "a sort of child with a demon, couldn't that be the thing possessing Sunshine?"

Victoria shakes her head. "It doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't the blessed Groundling just possess Sunshine itself?"

"Maybe it can't. Maybe- maybe she was too strong. Until now, years later." Nolan drops back into the couch, chest hurting for Sunshine. "Until she was broken down."

Kat looks away, tears in her eyes. Tommy rubs her back with a hand.

"Is it possible?" he asks when there's no answer. "Could a Groundling and a demon somehow create offspring?"

Victoria looks at Mentor. He sighs. "I...I don't know for sure. There are strict laws preventing the meddling of Groundlings and demons. It shouldn't have been able to happen."

"But could it have?"

".... yes."

Tommy jumps to his feet, looking angry. "Why does it matter what hybrid baby is possessing her? This all sounds insane! Can't we just fix her? How do we fix her?"

Victoria stands, too. Nolan follows suit. "We must figure out the entity inside of her so we know what ritual to use in order to exorcise the...hybrid."

Kat stands up, brows furrowing. "Ritual? Like— the one you did for me?"

Nolan hadn't been there during Kat's possession, but looking back on the videos, nothing good came out of it. Sunshine easily could've died, and Victoria was injured. But Nolan swears they'll succeed again. He trusts Victoria — and he's learned to stop questioning her. Has she failed them before?

Victoria nods slowly. "It will be similar, but not the same. Sunshine will begin exhibiting symptoms of possession soon. That is when we can perform the exorcism."

Nolan straightens, looking determined. "What symptoms?" He's going to be here for Sunshine. He'll watch out for her.

Mentor rises to his feet, hands clasped in front of him. "She may begin to act unlike herself. Violent behavior is common. The- the demon- the hybrid-" He sighs. "The entity controlling her will begin to try to harm Sunshine."

"Harm her?" Kat's eyes widen. "You mean-"

"She'll try to hurt herself," Nolan confirms, voice shaking.

Mentor nods. "Yes. Once she reaches that point, it will be time."

"And... the ritual..." Tommy breathes in. "What will we do?"

"I'll tell you when the night comes." Victoria begins to walk to the front door, Mentor following. "We have estimated that time to be in three days at midnight. You must be ready."

And without another word, they walk out the door.

⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀
"Horrible decision."

Tommy turns his head to glare at Nolan. Kat crosses her legs as she sits in a nearby chair, eyes narrowing. They're in the living room and boxes are pushed up against the wall.

They're moving, Kat decided. With all of the madness that had gone on in the house for a year and a half, it was best that they left once and for all. She was willing to sacrifice her own health, but Sunshine's? No. Kat would not ever allow her daughter to be possessed again. And even if it meant leaving Victoria and Anna... well, sometimes life isn't fair. And if it was Victoria's mistake, why should Sunshine have to be the one to fix it?

Still. Nolan isn't happy. And Kat knows Sunshine won't be either after the ritual.

"No, it's not," Tommy defends. Both he and Nolan are leaning against the wall, looking at each other. "Kat's making a really smart decision."

"Look," Nolan sighs, arms crossed, "right now, we don't need to abandon Victoria and Anna. That's not how it should work."

"Okay, well what about our safety?" Tommy fully faces Nolan now, growing more frustrated.

Nolan shrugs.

"Were you not here the other night, Nolan? Because I seem to remember you getting pulled across the floor and me bleeding from the face and levitating."

"Yeah, okay, all right." Nolan tilts his head from side to side. "So there's some danger involved, I get that, but running away with our tails between our legs right now is not the answer."

Tommy rolls his eyes.

"Yeah, no," Kat says. "We're moving."

Tommy nods along. "She's making a good choice. They can't get out of here fast enough, okay?"

Nolan looks away and shakes his head.

"Look." Tommy's voice raises. "I'm really sorry about Victoria and everything, but it is what it is. And as far as Nolan's opinion," he looks over at Kat, tone harsh, "let's not forget we really don't know anything about him."

"Hey," Nolan calls loudly, narrowing his eyes, pushing himself from the wall.

"What?"

"What're you trying to say?"

"Okay, I'm sorry, I actually do like you—"

"Uh huh."

"—but we really don't know anything about you." Tommy's hands drop sassily. "Okay?"

"What's to know? I live nearby, I sell hotdogs for a living, I look really great in this jacket?"

Kat rolls her eyes. The black leather jacket he always wears? Yeah, right.

"Nothing else is important," Nolan finishes.

"Okay," Tommy says slowly, brows furrowing, "how about the fact that you disappeared for a month, Nolan?"

His face crumples, but he quickly recovers from the blow. "Okay—"

Tommy gets closer. "That we found you in an abandoned warehouse where Victoria just happened to be?"

Nolan shakes his head, swallowing, more nervous. "That wasn't my fault."

"Okay, how about you bringing a loaded gun into Sunshine's house?"

"I was trying to protect her!"

"Were you?" Tommy yells. "Because I seem to remember you saying something about having a lot of voices in your head!"

Nolan's jaw clenches and he wraps his arms around his body, trembling slightly. There's no answer.

"Okay, from somebody who's on the outside," Tommy growls, "that could really look like you trying to manipulate the situation."

"What are you accusing me of?" Nolan finally snaps back.

"How about your grandma's house, Nolan?"

"Stop." He shakes his head.

"That you couldn't remember how old you are?"

"Stop!"

"That you just showed up outside their door?!"

"You need to stop!" Nolan yells.

"Why?!" Tommy screams, "because you don't have any answers?!"

"Nolan has answers," Kat says, crossing her arms, "he just doesn't like to talk about it on camera, okay? He's embarrassed."

"Why?" Tommy says in a low voice, scoffing. "Because he's crazy?"

"You know," Nolan growls, "for someone who says he likes me an awful lot, you certainly don't seem to like me very much."

"Can we stop?" Kat sighs.

"I could say some of the same things about you." Nolan looks Tommy up and down and extends his hands, mimicking air quotes, "Tommy."

"Oh, don't even start with me, I'm the closest thing to family these girls have!" Tommy snarls. "Okay? I would do anything to protect them!"

"While you're not busy levitating and bleeding from the corner."

"Stop!" Kat yells, fed up with their arguing. They both look at her. "Nolan, you should go."

Nolan looks shocked. "Me?"

"Yeah, just..." Kat shakes her head. "Just for now."

"Wh— Fine!" Nolan glares at Tommy. Tommy glares back. "But remember that I was just here to help Sunshine, okay? I've always just been here to help her. All right?" He shakes his head and begins to walk towards the front door. "They sent me to help her."

"What'd you say?" Kat asks, exchanging a cautious glance with Tommy.

"What?" Nolan says.

"Who's they?" Tommy demands.

"What are you talking about?" Nolan turns to look at both of them.

"You said 'they'," Kat says.

Nolan looks around, like he's trying to remember if he did — or pretending that he didn't. "No I didn't."

"Yeah you did."

"No I didn't."

"Yeah you did."

Nolan scoffs and turns. "It— it doesn't matter, okay? All that matters is that Sunshine stays safe." He runs his hands through his hair and turns to glare at Tommy, then his gaze slides to Kat. "I'm gonna go check on Sunshine. And then I'll leave."

"Fine by me," Tommy mutters.

Well. That didn't go as expected.

so i'm pretty sure this is the only chapter i've ever written that wasn't from sunshine's point of view lol. we'll return to her next chapter (which is when the ritual goes down), so look forward to that!

this was mostly filler and me changing some canon details, soooo yeah this will definitely change some stuff but have a similar-ish ending to original s5.

next chapter the exorcism yayaa