"One lives with so many bad deeds on one's conscience and some good intentions in one's heart."

- John Dewey

                                                                                            ***

Sirius' vision washed red and he lunged forward, clawed hand wrapping around the faerie princeling's throat. Purplish blood welled, smelling of ice and moss. A snarl came from Caydryn and he snapped his sharp teeth at Sirius' face. His own fangs punched into his lower lip, filling his mouth with blood as he shoved forward, forcing the faerie back toward the stairs behind them.

They teetered on the edge for a breathless moment before Sirius grabbed the prince's long hair. The silver thorns decorating the indigo strands punctured his hand and burned viciously, making smoke rise from his skin. He tore Caydryn's head back, trying to expose his throat. The faerie's claws raked across Sirius' chest, leaving bleeding, stinging tracks of ripped skin.

Gravity finally decided to work in Sirius' favor and he tilted forward, panic and fury showing briefly on Caydryn's face before they went tumbling down the stone steps. A cry sounded from behind them before they collided with the hard surface. Sirius tightened his grip, keeping a firm hold on the faerie as they went flying down the stairs.

They bounced off the last few steps, landing with a hard thud at the bottom. A deep pain in Sirius' left side announced he had at least cracked a rib or two, and the side of his head was a throbbing mass where it had collided with the edge of a step.

Caydryn hissed and spat, trying to twist away from Sirius' deadly grip. Ignoring the pain throbbing through his head, Sirius dug his claws into the faerie's throat and drew his fist back before smashing it into Caydryn's mouth. The shock on the prince's face was almost comical as blood burst from his lip.

"Bastard son of a bitch," Sirius snarled, hitting him again. "I should have fed you to the Unseelie King a piece at a time. Is this how you repay your debts?" His knuckles barked against Caydryn's teeth again before he was flung backwards by a blast of freezing wind, colliding with the stone steps again.

Wobbling slightly, Caydryn got to his feet. He raised a hand to his throat, then looked down at the blood coating his fingers. The pupils of his eyes turned to vicious, feline slits. "You forget, mongrel. I paid my debt. You owed me."

Sirius pushed himself to his feet and circled the prince. His chest heaved with rage, sending bright sparks of pain through his side. "You've done nothing," he snapped, teeth again puncturing his lip. "You disappeared in Purgatory. You abandoned me and Rhys. You're owed nothing. You're little more than a miserable thief."

Eyes flashing, the prince drew his sword. The thin blade glowed with reflected torchlight, a deadly line in the surrounding gloom. Sirius bared his teeth, the darkness streaming toward him in ribbons. It wrapped around his arms, but before he could draw enough to shift, Hades' voice rang out from high above them.

"Enough!"

Caydryn hissed, his face contorting into something animal. He spat at Sirius but returned the sword to its sheath. Sirius was tempted to go in after the princeling again, but before he could make up his mind a sharp snap sounded. He wobbled as he found himself suddenly at the top of the stairs.

Hades curled his lip in contempt at the both of them. "Children," he sneered. "I expected better, Prince."

The tableau was much the same as it had been before he'd gone flying down the stairs. Galloway was standing uncertainly halfway between where Caleb and Rick were kneeling on the floor, and where Logan and Alex where lying unconscious. The Alex who had been with Sirius was sitting on the ground at Hades feet, her eyes flicking between Caleb and her brother before she turned a hard stare on Sirius, obviously blaming him for the state the other Hunters were in. He turned away, already aware that was his fault too.

Sirius was afraid to look at Galloway. Caydryn's words rang in his head, making bile rise in his throat.

"I was owed something," Caydryn said, sounding sullen. "I am allowed to collect."

"Your silly little deals are unimportant," Hades snarled. "You can collect when I'm free. Until then—" the god flicked a finger at the prince, making him gasp "—don't interfere."

Sirius watched from the corner of his eye as Caydryn lifted a hand to his face. His fingers came away bloody and rage flashed across his features, but he simply inclined his head. Sirius smirked, but the expression drained away as Galloway stepped toward him. He lowered his head, scared to meet her eyes.

"I don't have the time for anymore of your dramatics, Galloway," Hades said. Sirius looked up just in time to watch the god grab her arm. He snarled and tried to spring forward, but a weight like a ton of bricks crashed down on top of him, sending him to the ground once again.

He struggled to roll to his side, claws scrabbling uselessly at the stone beneath him. All he could do was watch as Hades dragged Galloway over to where Logan and Alex lay. 

"Not another word after this," Hades warned. Then he knelt down beside Logan and passed his hand over the witch's face.

Logan lurched upright with a gasp, dark eyes wild as he looked around. When his gaze settled on Galloway, he went still. Her chest heaved once, twice and she threw herself forward into his arms. Behind them, Hades had also revived Alex and was staring down at her, a furious look brewing like a storm in his eyes. The Hunter rolled away from him and sprang to her feet, her gaze shooting immediately to her brother.

Sirius watched the god nervously for a moment, but a low sob drew his attention back to Galloway. He tried to struggle to his feet again, but Hades hissed, "Stay down, Sirius. I'm not playing anymore." 

A heavier weight crushed down on him, making breathing difficult and dimming his vision. All he could do was watch as Galloway buried her face against the witch's chest, her shoulders shaking. Logan held her tightly, his cheek pressed against her blonde hair. 

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, sniffling. "You weren't supposed to be down here. He wasn't supposed to bring you. He told me he wouldn't hurt you."

The words shredded his heart. Sirius closed his eyes and stopped fighting against Hades, slumping to the ground. His eyes popped back open when a low laugh came from the witch.

"Babydoll, I know you think he's God's gift to you, but my being here has absolutely nothing to do with the mutt."

"Gift?" Galloway muttered, shaking her hair out of her face. A few strands stuck to her wet cheeks, making Sirius' fingers twitch with a longing to brush them away. The weight pressing down on him lessened, and he managed to struggle up to his knees. He froze when she glanced over at him. "Gift is a stretch."

His lips pressed into a thin line, but he didn't turn away. Her anger, her contempt—he deserved all of those things and more. The only thing he feared was her hatred.

Logan let out a strained laugh and pushed up to his feet, pulling Galloway with him. She remained glued to his side, her head against his shoulder. Sirius bit hard at the inside of his cheek, trying to ignore the jealousy roaring in his chest. This was more or less why Logan had come—they'd all known he would be the one to put her back together.

That didn't mean Sirius had to like it, though.

He opened his mouth, unsure of what he was going to say. Before he could, a blur of black smeared across his vision. A hand locked around his throat as the back of his head slammed against one of the stone columns. Dazed, Sirius pawed weakly at the hand, waiting for the sparks of white light to clear from his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Galloway pushing away from Logan, her face pale and scared as she ran toward him. A hand swept through the air, freezing her only a few feet away. Sirius blinked hard against the spots obscuring his vision.

"I said," Hades snapped, "not another word. Now"—his fingers dug into Sirius' throat, blurring his vision more—"which one?"

All Sirius could manage was a pitiful cough. His claws scrambled over Hades' hand, the air filling with the golden smell of ichor. Hades slammed him up against the column again, one of the jewels embedded in the stone opening a gash on the back of his head.

"I told you, Sirius." Hades loosened his grip slightly. "I'm through with games. Now, tell me which one, or I start taking off bits and pieces."

Sirius could feel the collective weight of everyone's gaze resting on him. He looked at Galloway, who was watching Hades with fear and not a little fury. Then his eyes went to Rick, who was staring at the two Alexes, confusion evident on his face.

If Rhys' spell was strong enough to confuse her brother—

Sirius clamped down hard on the thought, throwing his mind toward anything but that. He met Hades' eyes, relief flooding through him when he found nothing more than poorly suppressed rage. He tried to swallow against his dry throat, but it didn't help. "Dunno," he managed to rasp.

He saw Rick's eyes snap to his moments before agony exploded through his head, his vision washing black. Sirius screamed and bucked as Hades destroyed first one eye, then the other. The hand pinning him to the pillar released him and he slid to the floor. Ragged breaths tore at his throat as he struggled through the pain and panic. He'd been blinded before, but it was always the injury he feared the most. What if the tissue didn't regenerate? What if he was lost in the dark forever? What if he never got to see Galloway's face again?

A boot connected with his ribs, making him yelp in surprise. 

"How about now?" Hades asked, his voice calm. "Do you remember which one is real now?"

Sirius could feel the blood running down his face like tears. He shook his head, dredging up the most sarcastic voice he could manage. "Well, they're both real."

There was a rustle of movement nearby. Galloway's screamed, "No!" split the air seconds before something came down on his hand. Bone cracked and nausea rolled through him at the combined pain. He rolled onto his side, cradling his crushed hand and taking in tight breaths through his teeth.

Fingers knotted in his hair, lifting him from the ground. "Is it worth it, Sirius?" Hades asked.

Worth it? Before he could consider what he was doing, a laugh bubbled up his throat, his dry lips cracking as he smiled. No. No, he didn't think this particular beating was worth it. Galloway had made a deal with the god. She would spill Alex's blood, and everyone would walk out of Hell.

Even Alex, if Hades was to be believed.

But that, he supposed, was the problem. Hades had screwed him over so many times it was impossible to take the god at his word. Even if he did, didn't that mean he was breaking his promise to Rick?

He'd promised the Hunter that his sister wouldn't be hurt. Sworn it right before he'd taken them all to Hell.

The hilarity of it all sudden reached up and strangled him. All his good intentions and well-meaning promises had landed them all in Hell. Everything he'd tried had burned to ashes in front of him. He began to laugh, the sound raw against the back of his throat. One small snicker led to another until his knees grew weak as he roared with laughter. Hades let out a sound of disgust and let him drop back to the floor. Sirius lifted his good hand to cover his ruined eyes, the other cradled against his chest, laughing hard enough that his ribs ached.

It had never bothered him before, the fact that everything he touched fell apart. It hadn't mattered, because he hadn't cared. It mattered now, and that was suddenly the funniest thing Sirius had ever seen. The entire goddamned universe was laughing at him. He might as well laugh along with it.

He was vaguely aware of Hades saying something, but he was sure it didn't matter. Everything was too funny to matter.

Galloway's scent hit him moments before her hand touched his cheek, slipping through the blood there. It startled him into silence when he felt the way her fingers shook against his skin. Was she still afraid of him?

For a moment, the only sound was his ragged breath. Then Galloway's other hand came down on his shoulder. She tugged lightly on his shirt and he sat up obediently, turning in the direction of her body heat. Her fingers raked the strands of filthy hair out of his face, and he could practically feel the burn of her gaze as it scanned over his destroyed eyes.

Calm washed through him at her touch, sweeping away the psychotic hilarity that had gripped him. He lifted a hand until his fingers met her shoulder. Following the line of her neck, he lightly touched her face, brushing away the hair still stuck to her cheeks. A shaky breath moved across his knuckles, lifting goosebumps over his body. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I'm so sorry I don't know how to do this."

Her silence turned his heart to ice and he dropped his hand. Everything he'd tried to do right had gone wrong. Maybe he should stop trying.

Sirius wobbled to his feet, using the pillar behind him as a guide. He was able to locate the others in the room by smell, but the picture he conjured in his mind was fuzzy at best. Turning in the direction of the scent of ichor and death, he said, "The one who was with Logan is the one you want."

There was a sharp snap and a rushing sensation. The air was suddenly saturated with warmth and the sulfur stink of hellfire. Hades had brought them to one of the gates.

Sounds of outrage echoed around him, one layering over the other in a symphony that echoed in his overly sensitive ears. His hearing—which was working to compensate for his missing vision—rebelled at the cacophony, and he fell heavily to a knee as his equilibrium abandoned him for a moment. Sirius sighed, letting his forehead rest against his knee. A tingling, itching sensation was beginning to buzz around his eyes, letting him know the healing process had started.

"I'm so tired," he muttered. He let his head loll to the side, his temple throbbing as it pressed against his knee. Another sigh seeped from his lungs. He was tired of trying to do the right thing and fucking it up. Someone was still shouting at him, but he wasn't listening anymore.

All he'd wanted was to get Galloway back. He wanted to be worthy of the love she'd given him. But maybe he just wasn't.

"I'm done." The mumbled confession sent a shiver of relief through him. 

"Done?" Galloway's voice from beside him made him jump. The rotten-egg stench saturating the air had obliterated his scent map. He hadn't realized she was still near him.

He didn't see why she would be.

When he didn't elaborate, she grabbed his face. Sirius stood timidly, basking in her touch but afraid of what she might say—or not say—next. "What do you mean done?" she whispered, her breath brushing against his jaw.

Sirius was fairly sure he didn't have anything else left to lose, so he leaned forward, pressing his mouth to hers. The taste of her exploded through him, lighting his blood on fire. It shocked him into near-stillness when she kissed him back. When she pulled away, he almost fell forward, but she caught him. Her body was warm and solid against his, smoothing away the jagged edges inside of him.

"Done with what?" she asked, a note of uncertainty in her voice.

Sirius stared down at her, wishing that he could see her face. Her fingers lightly traced around the edges of the wound across his eyes.

"Done...done with...me?" she asked tentatively.

A startled breath rushed out of him and he pulled her into his chest, arms wrapped tightly around her. She shuddered but didn't pull away, instead resting her hands lightly on his back.

"We'll do it you're way," he said against her hair. "If you say the deal's good, it's good. I'll follow whatever you tell me to do."

There was a brief silence, then Galloway pulled back slightly and he could once again feel the weight of her stare. "That wasn't my question, Sirius."

He shrugged. "I'm done fighting. I'm done playing. I'm done trying to decide what the right thing is. I don't care if Hades gets out, just as long as he stays the fuck away from you and me."

"Fine by me," Hades whispered, his words soft as silk against Sirius' ear.

There was a gasp of rage from Galloway, moments before she was snatched away from him once again.