Very sorry about the delay. There might be some mistakes, sorry about it if there are.

Above is a painting I did for fun, took like three days but it was pretty relaxing (that's not the finished painting in the picture, that was when I'd just started)

Alastor's POV

My shadow and I stared at each other. He looked rather annoyed that I'd interrupted whatever he was about to do to them.

I felt anger pool in my chest as I glanced at the two briefly. They're shaken up, but they don't look to be injured...

"Don't make me repeat myself." I growled at him, stepping closer slowly. He huffed and slunk away from them, to which I quickly placed myself between him and the two girls.

"I thought I made myself clear that they are off limits," I said, scowling as the creature smiled at me and chuckled darkly. I should have performed the spell that attaches him to me, I should have just done it.

If done incorrectly, it kills the host, but I should have just done it for their sake. Then none of this would've happened.

My fist clenched and I pointed to the case full of blood deals, "go, take as many of my souls as you want, but you can't have them," I said firmly.

My heart was pounding, and I was scared. That's not good, I cannot be scared right now he feels what I feel, and he knows...

By the way he's smiling, I know he does...

The shadow shook his head slowly, not even glancing at the vials of blood. He's not interested.

I grit my teeth and hissed as a burning pain spread across my chest, and I looked down to see my shirt was shredded, three long claw scratches across my front. The cuts started to bleed, and I growled and looked up at him.

A smile spread across my lips and I tilted my head, stepping closer to him, "is that really all ya got?"

Suddenly my movements stopped as my heart hit my ribs hard, and I gasped, clutching my heart.

It became difficult to stand as I looked up and saw the shadow smiling down at me wickedly, chuckling.

My breathes were harsh and I shook my head, blinking several times as I steadied myself and kept my balance.

He's not taking me down that easily. Not now. Not when it's them on the line.

"You can't kill them without my direct permission, they are not victims of mine!" I snapped, "so fuck off!"

His head tilted, and I yelled out when it felt like my brain pulsed. This time I did fall to my knees, holding my head as it pounded in my ears, a loud ringing blocking out every other noise until a soft, haunting whisper traveled through my head.

No...

It said,

But you can.

My eyes widened as a chuckle faded out and the ringing was replaced by hundreds of voices, screaming, crying, begging, laughing.

Kill them.

They're telling me to kill them, kill who...who do I need to kill right now to make this stop...

Kill them.

I turned to see two figures sitting on the floor a few feet away, my smile so wide it was hurting as tears fell down my face.

The whispers got louder, clouding my brain and taking over my thoughts.

Kill them.

I stood up, wobbly. If it'll make these dreaded whispers stop, I'd kill anyone. I can't see straight, what was I even doing? Where am I?

Stumbling over to a table, I grabbed a knife that was sitting there and briefly recognized it as my sacrificial knife. My hands were shaking and I turned back to the figures that were now at the door. They were trying to escape, but this won't stop until they die.

Kill them.

I had to breathe through my teeth to quell this pain in my head as my vision blurred and focused and I stumbled over to the figures, grabbing the one banging the door by the shoulder and flipping them around before pinning them to the door harshly.

The knife was raised in my hand, and I stared at the person who was crying, and holding something in their arms.

"Alastor stop!"

Her voice sounds so far away...god, the pain in my head is getting worse. The more she screamed, the louder the voices got to drown her out.

The knife raised again after my hesitation, but then a sound managed to break through the whispers, a sound that made me freeze cold and my eyes widened.

I looked down at the smaller figure wrapped in the woman's arms, and the sound of crying broke through the tortured souls in my head. Loud wailing, terrified sobbing.

That's my baby.

My hand holding the knife started to shake, and I raised my eyes to look at Fawn. It's her, I recognize her now. She was crying too, clutching our baby into her chest and partially blocking her with her body, ready to take the brunt of whatever I was about to do.

Her face was red and splotchy, and those green eyes were bloodshot as she sobbed and shook her head.

Everything felt so slow.

Kill them.

No...

I don't want to kill them.

Kill them.

The pain got even worse, and I felt like my head was about to split open and my teeth grit as I closed my eyes and fought against this. This spirit in my head, this curse on my soul.

I always told myself that I am stronger than this magic, I am stronger than these things that I do. I cannot let it win, and take me and turn me into a mindless murdering machine.

When we first struck our deal, I told him I would bring him tainted souls...but that was never enough.

But this isn't me.

I know I'm crazy...I know I'm evil...I know what I do is wrong, and I enjoy it but I will not hurt them.

Never them...

"I love you..." I managed to choke out through struggling to keep myself sane, and took my hand from her shoulder to twist the doorknob.

Her eyes widened and the knob actually twisted when I touched it, causing her to fall backwards as it opened from her weight against it.

Once she was out, I slammed it shut and locked it again, the whispers having gone silent after I broke the hex, and I turned, seething as I faced the skeleton in my closet.

"My turn." I growled, and then sliced my palm open and dropped the knife.

The shadow isn't allowed to leave this room, and it's not allowed to kill me. I dropped to my knees, drawing a pentagram on the ground in my blood as I chanted in Latin, wincing against the scratches he was covering me with to try and make me stop.

Voices flooded my head again, ten times worse than last time, but I kept chanting, blinking rapidly as my vision began to blur.

I need to finish the spell.

I need to attach the entity to my being, to make sure this never happens again.

If I cant, if I mess this spell up, it'll kill me and destroy us both...

My voice got louder, and I was emboldened by determination. The pentagram started to glow as I neared the end of the spell, and all the voices started screaming at once, I couldn't even hear my own voice anymore.

Finally, I yelled out the last line, and everything went quiet. There was a ringing in my ears, but I could tell it wasn't from the shadow. My breaths quivered, and I looked around.

The candles had blown out, and I was alone. All alone.

Did I...die? Why is it so quiet...

Suddenly I felt something strange, like my hands were tingling...I looked at them, and they began to glow red, making my eyes widen.

"What...?" I whispered.

Movement next to me made me jump and my head snapped towards it. Oh...it was just my own shadow.

Wait...my own shadow that seems to be...

Moving.

"Show yourself!" I snapped at it, and the shadow stopped flickering, going oddly still...until two bright blue eyes snapped open and looked at me, a smile breaking out across its face.

I tensed...fuck, it didn't work!

Then why am I still alive...?

Unlike with the other shadow, I didn't really feel any ill intent coming off of this one. It came to sit in front of me, a mirror image of myself.

I lifted my hand, he lifted his.

"Hello..." I said softly, "you're...you're part of me, aren't you?"

He nodded, and looked down to where he was connected to me where my shadow meets my body.

I smiled, laughing slightly as relief flooded through me. I did it!

"Son of a bitch..." I chuckled out, putting my hands over my eyes and laughing in complete, utter relief.

After a moment, I collected myself and the relief faded into worry as I realized I just nearly stabbed Fawn...killed her...killed my baby...

Dear god, what will she think of me now.

Well...there's only one way to find out.

Picking myself up off the floor, I walked out of the spell room, any dark magic that had been inside, now following me out. All of it was attached to me now.

Finally, I was in complete control of myself.

The house was eerily quiet. The halls were dark, and silent. I walked slowly, looking into each room as I did.

A bit of anxiety rose in my chest as the possibility that Fawn just packed, took Julie and ran passed through my mind...would I blame her? No.

Would it break me? Definitely.

The last room I checked was Julie's...her door was slightly cracked, and there was a soft light on inside. Gently, I pushed the door open to reveal the children's style bedroom to me, and Fawn was sitting on the edge of her bed with a baseball bat clutched in her hands.

When she saw me, she didn't put it down, and she was shaking slightly as she looked at me with a tear stained face.

"A-Alastor...?" She asked, her voice hushed.

It was then I saw Julie on the bed behind her, sleeping...or at least, pretending to be.

Quietly I entered the room, and nodded.

"Yes, my love...it's me...it's—"

My eyes widened when she hopped off the bed and rushed at me, and I prepared to get beaten to death with a baseball bat, but instead I heard the bat hit the carpet and then arms wrapped around my neck as she jumped into me.

I stumbled back and caught her, my arms wrapping around her as my eyes widened and I stared at the opposite wall in shock.

She began to cry heavily into my chest, hugging me tightly.

"I thought I'd lost you..." was what she managed to get out through her sobs.

My shock wore off and I began to comfort her, running my hands through her hair and shushing her softly. I rocked her back and forth and placed kisses against her head.

"I'm right here...I'm so sorry...I should've never put you two in danger like that, or left you alone...I don't want forgiveness, I just want you to know that—"

I was cut off abruptly by a kiss. Again I was filled with shock, but I couldn't resist melting against her as I kissed her back. My eyes fell shut and I held her close to me, enjoying this while it lasts because she might still change her mind...

"I love you..." she whispered when we parted.

Using my thumbs, I started wiping her tears, and pushed her bangs back so I could kiss her forehead and then hugged her again.

"I love you, too...so much...how is Julie?"

Fawn stepped back and sniffled before glancing over to the bed. The small lump hadn't moved, and the only motion was the soft rise and fall of the blanket as she breathed.

"Shes...not really talking, right now...but, I'm sure by the morning she'll have just thought it was all a bad dream..." Fawn tried to reassure me, but my brows furrowed.

I never woke up thinking the horrors in my childhood home were a dream...and I never wanted to traumatize her like this.

Looking at Fawn, I sighed, "do you have her present...? Those dolls...?"

Fawns eyes widened and she sniffled again before nodding, and she told me to wait before hustling out of the room. She was back no more than 30 seconds later with the small voodoo dolls in her hands, and she gave them to me.

This won't make up for it...but it's worth a shot.

Walking over, I sat on the edge of her bed and looked at my lap for a second. After a deep breath, I began to talk.

"Hey, sweetheart...it's daddy..."

She shifted slightly, so I knew she was awake...but I think she's still pretending to be asleep. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she tensed up.

My heart clenched in my chest as I got a flashback to when Fawn first started staying here...this was her old room that we turned into Julie's. Fawn used to do that exact same thing when she was scared of me.

I had to forcefully swallow a sudden lump in my throat, and then took the dolls and reach around to lay them by her hands. Her face still wasn't visible, so I couldn't see if she looked.

"W-we got you a present...these dolls look like me and mama...and when you touch them, or squeeze them, we'll be able to feel it no matter where you are..."

She didn't move a muscle. There was no noise, and the silence was perfectly clear to me that I was not wanted here.

Me...her daddy...the one she cries to when she has bad dreams, and asks to cut her fruit into little shapes...

I bit back the tears and cleared my throat slightly before getting up and heading towards the door where Fawn was standing with a sad expression on her face.

Shaking my head, I just led her gently out of the room, and shut the door behind us.