Pieces of a puzzle

[Harbinger]

Minerva's Mansion- the enemy REVEALED

:: Harbinger JOLTED back into full form as she pulled away from "Maxim" herself. Not immediately responding to Morgan's urgent query. her head bowed for a moment as she placed her hand to her forehead.. She looked as though she'd seen something AWFUL. In fact, she HAD.::

Spellbinder: what was THAT!?...It almost sounded like you saw...you were trying to tell....

Harbinger: You....

::she says in a low, stone cold tone as she lifts her head up...looking at Maxim with look of cold MURDER in her eyes the likes of which hadnt been seen since the night she had abandoned Haleigh and Cameron to the ANT LIONS in the Citadel.::

Harbinger:You...LIAR....

<< a rushing chiming sound is heard as she narrows her colbalt blue eyes a'la Prue Halliwell and sends "Maxim" FLYING through the air and SLAMMING into the double doors of what WOULD have been his exit.>>

Spellbinder: Alison!

:: Delilah rushes to Maxim's aid as the man hits the doors with such force and slides down to the floor.::

Harbinger: NO! Don't say a word! ANY of you! You don't know what he just DID TO ME. What he cause me to SEE! NOW I KNOW what the ANAMOLY that was moving ACROSS time threads IS....WHO IT IS! It's HIM

and his name isnt MAXIM....its CONNOR ST. JAMES -BISHOP!

:: she points at him from where she stands. Morgan GASPS with disbelief and the others are equally STUNNED, still reeling from the DEPTH and severity of Alison's vision and now to find out what it ultimately means. Bishop is ALIVE and standing right in front of them!::

Harbinger: It's OVER, Bishop! You THOUGHT you could hide in plain sight, that somehow I WOULDNT be able to figure it out! But when i touched you, the pieces of the puzzle, scattered as they were across time threads, CAME TOGETHER. My power as a precog INCLUDES retrocognition as well as psychometry!

NOW I KNOW!

:: the TRAUMA associated with the events involving Bishop including the attack on Sharon, the night Delilah walked out on the team after lashing out at them FOR Bishop, his attempt to assassinate Sharon in Arklay as well as Alycia...and then his final plan of OUTING them, causing them all to lose their jobs, their standing in the community, their freedom, Illustra and even their very lives as the Tri Sentinel nearly destroyed them...the FRACTURED relationship between Delilah and more than a few of them even after the goddesses rescued them and brought them to Aerie, the lingering haunting that plagued them all in various ways and caused Delilah to committ suicide, and even NOW, though t heir lives were much better, they still lived in constant paranoia of being "outed" again, hounded, persecuted...it was all because of HIM.::

I've seen it ALL! ALL the time threads connected to you!

 

[Rampage]

Nicolas nods as Haleigh answers him, and then, as she gets a look on her face, he turns her chin to him quickly and whispers once again.

It is perfectly fine to be proud Hales. Like right now, I am proud that even though I am no longer in your mind, I believe I will always know what you are thinking.

Alison walks up to him and teleports them inside, then delivers a WITHERING verbal attack to Maxim, explaining why he could very well be dead but is not. Then, as she takes hold of him to lead him away, she seizes up, her body wildly experiencing feedback as she i entranced, the time stream opening up and revealing the missing pieces to her. Morgan takes hold of her to cut off this reaction, but Nicolas spoke quickly, and in a more stern manner than he had in some time.

Morgan...DON'T. Just hold her steady. Otherwise she can be lost in the event. She HAS to ride it out.

Other than Alison, Nicolas was the astral expert here...and Morgan listened to his entreaties, supporting her as the events played out, and connected. All leading back to Connor, and to Delilah's crises. Alison tosses him like a rag doll. Delilah rushes to his side...

Then came the bombshell.

Harbinger: NO! Don't say a word! ANY of you! You don't know what he just DID TO ME. What he cause me to SEE! NOW I KNOW what the ANAMOLY that was moving ACROSS time threads IS....WHO IT IS! It's HIM

and his name isnt MAXIM....its CONNOR ST. JAMES -BISHOP!

:: she points at him from where she stands. Morgan GASPS with disbelief and the others are equally STUNNED, still reeling from the DEPTH and severity of Alison's vision and now to find out what it ultimately means. Bishop is ALIVE and standing right in front of them!::

Harbinger: It's OVER, Bishop! You THOUGHT you could hide in plain sight, that somehow I WOULDNT be able to figure it out! But when i touched you, the pieces of the puzzle, scattered as they were across time threads, CAME TOGETHER. My power as a precog INCLUDES retrocognition as well as psychometry!

NOW I KNOW!

:: the TRAUMA associated with the events involving Bishop including the attack on Sharon, the night Delilah walked out on the team after lashing out at them FOR Bishop, his attempt to assassinate Sharon in Arklay as well as Alycia...and then his final plan of OUTING them, causing them all to lose their jobs, their standing in the community, their freedom, Illustra and even their very lives as the Tri Sentinel nearly destroyed them...the FRACTURED relationship between Delilah and more than a few of them even after the goddesses rescued them and brought them to Aerie, the lingering haunting that plagued them all in various ways and caused Delilah to committ suicide, and even NOW, though t heir lives were much better, they still lived in constant paranoia of being "outed" again, hounded, persecuted...it was all because of HIM.::

I've seen it ALL! ALL the time threads connected to you!

At that point, Nicolas acted. Nicolas stepped forward with a grim look on his face, standing beside a clearly shocked and dismayed Morgan.

This guy was going nowhere...save perhaps the morgue.

 

[Spellbinder]

The mansion- an ugly surprise

<< Spellbinder, ALREADY on edge for a variety of reasons, was definately affected by the massive display of Alison's pre/retrocogniton. the more she HEARD, the more the memories became clearly focused again. the anxiety, the pain...all of that returned as well.>>

<< after ALL THIS time...it couldnt POSSIBLY be this...it couldnt be!>>

<< her first instinct was to pull Alison AWAY from this man, but Nicolas quickly admonished her not to do that, but rather just hold Alison steady. She did so, glancing at Delilah >>

by the goddess...it cant be happening AGAIN.

<< the more she heard...the more she saw...it was as if the most OUTRAGEOUS scenario she had ever imagined was now coming true!>>

<< as the mansion itself trembled...>>

we should have LISTENED TO ALISON and LEFT THIS MAN AT SEA!

<< Morgan shouted unapologetically...as her own fear and ANGER over what she was almost RELIVING through Alison's visions rose up in her.>>

<< finally, when the bell TOLLS once more, Alison recovers and pulls away from Maxim. the look on her face...it is TRULY one of savage instinct and the precog LASHES out at the man calling him a liar as she throws him across the room into the doors.>>

Get away from him Delilah! He's NOT worth risking your personal safety!

<< and then Alison says it...>>

and his name isnt MAXIM....its CONNOR ST. JAMES -BISHOP!

:: she points at him from where she stands. Morgan GASPS with disbelief and the others are equally STUNNED, still reeling from the DEPTH and severity of Alison's vision and now to find out what it ultimately means. Bishop is ALIVE and standing right in front of them!::

Harbinger: It's OVER, Bishop! You THOUGHT you could hide in plain sight, that somehow I WOULDNT be able to figure it out! But when i touched you, the pieces of the puzzle, scattered as they were across time threads, CAME TOGETHER. My power as a precog INCLUDES retrocognition as well as psychometry!

NOW I KNOW!

By THE GODDESS!

<< chimes sound off>>

BISHOP!?

<< Morgan bellows in utter disbelief as Nicolas steps forward beside her looking positively GRIM REAPER in his countenance.>>

NO! << she places a hand on Nicolas' arm...as she leans on him in a momenet of extreme disbelief and shock.>>

You CAN'T be serious Harbinger!

<< she knew it was the truth even before she said that what Alison had just experienced and broadcast was too in depth, too ON TARGET to be a mistake! SOMEHOW, that scumbag of a man was ALIVE and now in ALISON'S mansion! .>>


THE VERY MAN WHO DESTROYED OUR LIVES!?


<< Morgan's fists CLENCH as she almost SHAKES with ANGER.>>

Delilah...get AWAY from him! He hurt you before...I won't LET IT HAPPEN LIKE THAT AGAIN!

 

[Black Widow]

Alison: Whatever it is that compelled you to come out so far to sea that you nearly DIED because of it is no concern of mine, but understand this...if you EVER come back here again, it will be the LAST PLACE ON EARTH YOU EVER SEE.

Alison grabbed Maxim by the wrist and suddenly gasped, reacting as if she'd just been violently shocked. Morgan flinched from the surprise of it, and made to pull Alison and Maxim apart, but Nicolas warned her not to. Alison was clearly seeing something, which was a vast improvement, since before she saw NOTHING. Still, Haleigh's protective instincts kicked in, and she moved forward to close the distance between her and the little group of Morgan, Alison, Delilah and Maxim. They were all barraged with visions and voices from their collective past. Was there a connection? Or had Alison finally snapped under the stress of it all? Haleigh was willing to bet on the former.

Lights overhead flickered and shattered, raining down glass and other debris, as the mansion pratcially vibrated under the stress of Alison's telekinetic tremor. There was nothing anyone could do to ease the tension or stop this from happening. Alison had a DEATH GRIP on Maxim's wrist until suddenly she snapped back to the present and quickly withdrew from Maxim.

Morgan: what was THAT!?...It almost sounded like you saw...you were trying to tell....

Alison: You... You.... LIAR...

She starts, with a look in her eyes that Haleigh had seen before. Maxim goes flying without further ado. Delilah rushed to his aid. Haleigh watched Alison intently as Morgan admonished her.

Alison: NO! Don't say a word! ANY of you! You don't know what he just DID TO ME. What he cause me to SEE! NOW I KNOW what the ANAMOLY that was moving ACROSS time threads IS....WHO IT IS! It's HIM -- and his name isnt MAXIM....its CONNOR ST. JAMES -BISHOP!

Haleigh processed this all very quickly. Everyone else was stunned into silence and stasis. Haleigh took a few steps toward Bishop and determined he was fine. She looked at Delilah and realized almost instantly that if saving 'Maxim' had been important to her before, it would be PARAMOUNT now. Delilah had the chance to save the very life she took.

Alison: It's OVER, Bishop! You THOUGHT you could hide in plain sight, that somehow I WOULDNT be able to figure it out! But when i touched you, the pieces of the puzzle, scattered as they were across time threads, CAME TOGETHER. My power as a precog INCLUDES retrocognition as well as psychometry! NOW I KNOW! I've seen it ALL! ALL the time threads connected to you!

Morgan: BY THE GODDESS! BISHOP!? NO! You CAN'T be serious Harbinger! THE VERY MAN WHO DESTROYED OUR LIVES!? Delilah... get AWAY from him! He hurt you before... I won't LET IT HAPPEN LIKE THAT AGAIN!

With all this happening, Haleigh just gazed at Delilah, clearly trying to work out something in her head.... something that would stand against their anger, something that would quell their fear. She was standing closest to Delilah and Bishop now, and she inhaled slowly as turned around to face the rest, putting herself deliberately in the 'line of fire' leading to Bishop and Delilah.

"Alison..... Morgan..... believe me, I hate this man as much as you do. What he did to Delilah.... what he did to us, it was AWFUL and UNDESERVED.... BUT... He paid for those mistakes with his life ONCE ALREADY. Killing him now would be senseless. There must be SOME reason he's back. There must be SOME reason he got a second chance. It is now more important than ever to know who he was chasing, why he ended up out here, and who took the sword of anger. He MAY be able to give us those answers. Even if he can't.... we should wipe his memory and drop him in Times Square, just like we SAID we would. It rankles.... but he hasn't tried to do ANYTHING except LEAVE since he got here. He hasn't tried to HURT us. He didn't even try to DEFEND himself when I assaulted him earlier. Maybe he's changed."

 

[Persephone]

After being teleported back into the mansion via Spellbinder, Ava stood back watching as Alison laid into Maxim with such contempt it put a smirk on the brunette's face. However just as she was forcefully about to escort Maxim out of the room to erase him mind, Alison gasped, becoming ridged with a shocked expression on her face. Ava immediately stepped forward, her own face showing signs of concern.

The bell toll...

This wasn't good. Alison was locked onto something within Maxim that was causing her to begin to convulse; sending the whole mansion into a quake. The lights were flickering, the room was filled with booming noise.

"DO SOMETHING!"

Ava screamed over the chaos to Morgan who was holding onto Alison, about to break her from whatever vision she was seeing. But Nicolas quickly told her to stop--to let it play out. Ava's breathing increased as her adrenaline began to pump throughout her body. Alison looked like she was being electrocuted....seconds from taking matters into her own hands, finally the visions stopped. Alison pulled away from Maxim, her face conveying an emotion that could only be categorized as pure, unadulterated hatred.

Alison: NO! Don't say a word! ANY of you! You don't know what he just DID TO ME. What he cause me to SEE! NOW I KNOW what the ANAMOLY that was moving ACROSS time threads IS....WHO IT IS! It's HIM -- and his name isnt MAXIM....its CONNOR ST. JAMES -BISHOP!

Ava's mouth parted in shock, her eyes instantly shifting to Maxim--BISHOP.

"You sonofabitch...."

Ava growled; her eyes flashing black with anger.

Morgan: BY THE GODDESS! BISHOP!? NO! You CAN'T be serious Harbinger! THE VERY MAN WHO DESTROYED OUR LIVES!? Delilah... get AWAY from him! He hurt you before... I won't LET IT HAPPEN LIKE THAT AGAIN!

Haleigh: "Alison..... Morgan..... believe me, I hate this man as much as you do. What he did to Delilah.... what he did to us, it was AWFUL and UNDESERVED.... BUT... He paid for those mistakes with his life ONCE ALREADY. Killing him now would be senseless. There must be SOME reason he's back. There must be SOME reason he got a second chance. It is now more important than ever to know who he was chasing, why he ended up out here, and who took the sword of anger. He MAY be able to give us those answers. Even if he can't.... we should wipe his memory and drop him in Times Square, just like we SAID we would. It rankles.... but he hasn't tried to do ANYTHING except LEAVE since he got here. He hasn't tried to HURT us. He didn't even try to DEFEND himself when I assaulted him earlier. Maybe he's changed."

"Maybe he CHANGED?! Are you FUCKING kidding me Haleigh? The memory of this psychopath has been haunting this team for over a year and drove Delilah to KILL HERSELF. Why the HELL should we give him ANY chance at a new life?! He shows up off the coast of this island weeks after we've been having anomalies, then he tries to leave the DAY the sword of anger has gone missing?! Use your damn head and stop trying to entertain Delilah with this theory that maybe this is all a huge misunderstanding! She wants us to stop treating her like a child? Then YOU stop coddling her when the biggest fucking pink elephant is finally revealed in the room!"

Yelling at her own sister was usually a sign to others that Ava was truly distressed. The moment Delilah took her life was the moment Ava FINALLY realized how much she loved this team. The thought of loosing Delilah was unbearable....it was like reliving the night her family at the MoE were slaughtered. So to have the very man who literally TOOK Delilah's life away was more than enough to send the goddess on a murdering rampage regardless if she would drive the very person away she was trying to protect.

 

[MorningStar]

Delilah couldn’t believe this was happening. Alison (and everyone else, for that matter) were freaking out, telling Maxim he needed to go. Meanwhile, that was the very thing he’d been asking for all along! Gee whiz.

And then Alison touched Maxim, and everything changed. Delilah moved to go to her, but then Nicolas warned them not to touch her. She didn’t know what to do. Just when she was about to say screw Nicolas and grab Alison, the seer seemed to come out of it and let go of Maxim herself. Delilah breathed a sigh of relief. And then Alison threw Maxim across the room.

“Alison! Are you NUTS?!”

She ran over to check on Maxim.

“This has gotten out of hand.”

He looked alright – a little bruised and worse for wear, but alright. Delilah was about to admonish Alison further when…

…and his name isn’t MAXIM....it’s CONNOR ST. JAMES - BISHOP!

Delilah felt as if all the air went out of her lungs in an instant, as if she’d been kicked in the stomach. She tried to ask, “What?” but she couldn’t make the word come out of her mouth. She just shook her head “no” repeatedly.

He looked up at her sadly, saying nothing.

Delilah’s top lip started to quiver. And finally she spoke, a hoarse kind of whisper.

“Is it- is it true?”

He still didn’t say anything.

She moved backward, stood up, kept moving backwards.

She thought she might pass out. Her stomach was in knots. All she wanted to do was escape. But there was nowhere to go.

 

[Bishop]

This had not been how he had wanted things to go. He hadn't wanted to reveal himself - or contact The Six even - until he had made up for what he had done to Delilah - to all of them. But Fate had other plans for him, as usual.

Once again he found himself in the middle of a major fuck up - bombs going off all around him, and no clear way out of it. He just stood there, he took it. He didn't know what else to do. Things were very, very bad.

After Alison TKed him away, Delilah had run to him. She touched his face, and he thought, probably for the last time...

Because it only took a second it seemed for Alison to shatter everything. He saw it in Delilah's eyes as he looked up into them, saw her spirit break right in front of him, again. It was the same look she had given him when she had ended his life.

She asked him if it was true. He couldn't say it. Couldn't face that hurt in her face. And then she was gone, shrinking away from him. He bowed his head.

The others railed on him, and he just took it. He deserved it, after all. He just watch Delilah back away from him. Finally, he found the courage to speak. He looked at her with sad eyes.

"Did you really try and kill yourself?"

There was such pain in his voice at that. He wished she would kill him again, rather than feel this way.

"Delilah..."

 

[MorningStar]

Haleigh had stepped in front of Maxim, spoken for him, as Delilah might have done. FOR Delilah, she was sure. She shook her head when Haleigh suggested he’d changed. But she spoke just to him.

“You lied. Just like before.”

Ava screamed at Haleigh in turn. Delilah held up a hand. She spoke softly, without malice, to Ava.

“I can fight my own battles.”

The she once again walked forward to where Bishop still was. He slowly stood as she approached. She stopped a foot from him, sizing him up, not speaking. And then she slapped him hard across the face and turned and walked a little ways away from the others.

 

[Bishop]

The way she spoke to him was like a knife in his heart. He had to do something. He couldn’t just stand there and let her walk out of his life. His mouth was dry. He licked his lips.

“Please.”

He looked around at all of them. He held his hands up in a non-threatening gesture.

“Please let me explain. There are things you need to know…now that…now. You need me.”

Delilah turned and looked sharply at him.

Delilah: Why in the hell would we listen to ANYTHING you have to say?

“Just give me five minutes – please, it’s important. I’ll tell you everything. Everything I know. And then you can kill me.”

 

[Spellbinder]

The mansion

<< Morgan puts her hands to her head, shaking her head to the negative as Haleigh speeks. Nicolas can sense her heart bate, respiration and other functions SPIKING. but her protest to Haleigh registers with a surprisingly weak tone as she struggles to keep from passing out from shock and disbelief. >>

no....i dont want to hear about any CHANGE. I don't want to hear ANY of this!

<< Ava screams at Haleigh, mirroring Morgan and Alison's shock and RAGE and rightfully so. Nicolas, reflexively tries to comfort Morgan but he too is at a LOSS and where logic checks out, EMOTION begins. Bishop sewed the seeds of conflict that would in part help to ultimately fracture HIS relationship with Delilah AND Sharon. MIKE, along with Alycia and Karen were nearly killed with the rest of the team because of Bishop>>

He ruined our LIVES! Even when Delilah saved Sharon and Alycia from him assassinating them in Arklay...he ....he had a plan to deliberate OUT US!

<< she looks over at Nicolas...her voice trembling.>>

ILLUSTRA, our lives, our careers...our FREEDOM...ALL OF IT was DESTROYED BECAUSE OF HIM!

<< The TRAUMA of it all had never TRULY gone away. The memories lingered among their collective subsconscious as a TEAM as well as as the individuals. DELILAH'S suicide brought those feelings further to the forefront. ALL of them wondered how it could be...would they EVER be truly FREE of Bishop's ghost...apparently NOT.>>

<< Nicolas was reeling as well but He and Haleigh knew...that when Morgan reached THIS level of distress...there was only ONE place for her left to go...the DARKCHILD aspect of her soul! Delilah reacts with in a surprisingly understated but no less clear manner as she SLAPS Bishop and initially rejects him, but THEN he tells her...tells THEM to listen to him...that they NEED him!? >>



I DONT THINK SO!

<< chimes sound off as MORGAN is suddenly in front of Delilah, starring down Bishop, SHOVING him back with force while Alison and Ava flank Delilah defensively, each of them extending an arm in front of Delilah to form an "X" formation barrier in front of her. and Nicolas stands ready...but not sure if he SHOULD restrain MORGAN if necessary OR to break Bishop's neck.>>

You're not going to say ANYTHING to her. She's not GOING ANYWHERE with you! You're NOT going to take her from us and manipulate her AGAIN!

Do you UNDERSTAND!?

<< she shrieks!>>

WE are her family! We LOST HER because of YOU! Even in DEATH you continued to hound and harm US. Not just her...US! She's APART OF US and WE HER! BUT WE COULDNT HELP HER BECAUSE WE DIDNT KNOW WHAT DAMAGE YOU HAD DONE TO HER! SHE WAS TOO GOOD FOR YOU, YOU MURDERING BIGOT!

We SURVIVED in SPITE of what you did to US.

We dont need ANYTHING from you! ANYTHING you THINK you want or deserve from her or US at this point is NILL!

<< her face momentarily flashes the "darkchild" aspect of her soul to HIM directly.>>


PROPHET, DO something with his mind so I can send him OUTof here via stepping disc in the next few SECONDS before I find myself holding his ENTRAILS in my bare hands.

 

[Black Widow]

Ava: Maybe he CHANGED?! Are you FUCKING kidding me Haleigh?

"No, I'm not. Don't you believe that people can change? Haven't I--"

Ava: The memory of this psychopath has been haunting this team for over a year and drove Delilah to KILL HERSELF. Why the HELL should we give him ANY chance at a new life?!

"Someone ELSE has already given him that chance. Don't you want to know who, and why??"

Haleigh seemed to be the only person here not about to explode with emotion. She mentally texted Zach to get in here and de-escalate. Delilah slapped Bishop with a fury, but he barely reacted. He still pleaded with them to be allowed to explain.

Morgan: no.... i don't want to hear about any CHANGE. I don't want to hear ANY of this! He ruined our LIVES! Even when Delilah saved Sharon and Alycia from him assassinating them in Arklay...he ....he had a plan to deliberate OUT US! ILLUSTRA, our lives, our careers...our FREEDOM...ALL OF IT was DESTROYED BECAUSE OF HIM!

"Yeah, I remember. And I also remember that he GOT his comeuppance. Right NOW, he's unarmed and noncombative, and I want some fucking answers."

Bishop: Just give me five minutes – please, it’s important. I’ll tell you everything. Everything I know. And then you can kill me.

"Your five minutes started four and a half minutes ago, so now would be a GREAT time to start talking."

Morgan: I DONT THINK SO! You're not going to say ANYTHING to her. She's not GOING ANYWHERE with you! You're NOT going to take her from us and manipulate her AGAIN! Do you UNDERSTAND!? WE are her family! We LOST HER because of YOU! Even in DEATH you continued to hound and harm US. Not just her...US! She's APART OF US and WE HER! BUT WE COULDNT HELP HER BECAUSE WE DIDNT KNOW WHAT DAMAGE YOU HAD DONE TO HER! SHE WAS TOO GOOD FOR YOU, YOU MURDERING BIGOT!

"Morgan, listen to me! ZACH!!"

Zach burst into the room, took a moment to survey the situation, then rushed to Haleigh, who was primarily trying to deter Morgan from reaching Bishop, since Nicolas wasn't really being very helpful. Zach laid a hand gently on Morgan's shoulder, inhaling deeply and quickly draining her emotions down to a manageable level.

Morgan: We SURVIVED in SPITE of what you did to US. We dont need ANYTHING from you! ANYTHING you THINK you want or deserve from her or US at this point is NILL! << her face momentarily flashes the "darkchild" aspect of her soul to HIM directly.>>

Haleigh saw the darkness surfacing in Morgan, and this was no longer about finding out the truth. Zach was working so hard he was clenching his jaw and starting to sweat. Haleigh put both hands on either side of Morgan's face.

"Morgan Victoria, do NOT lose yourself over THIS FOOL. He's just a man. A defenseless, human man. He's nothing. He has NO power over us. He's not worth it."

Morgan: PROPHET, DO something with his mind so I can send him OUT of here via stepping disc in the next few SECONDS before I find myself holding his ENTRAILS in my bare hands.

 

[Rampage]

It all moved so very fast. Nicolas was still digesting the new information, putting the implications together when everyone reacted.

His focus was on two people: Morgan and Haleigh. There could not be two more different reactions.

Morgan was reeling, leaning on him lest she faint, screaming in horror about what he had done to them all, what it had cost her personally. He vitals were redlining, and he could sense er power coming to the surface. He held her up and supported her as long as she allowed, before she moved towards Bishop, a flash in her eye apparent by now.

Haleigh was willing to listen, almost of a fault, trying anything to connect to Delilah. Ava was yelling at her about it, and she was still standing her ground, even calling in Zach to help calm Morgan. It was not working, and Morgan's darker persona was starting to bubble to the surface.

Morgan: PROPHET, DO something with his mind so I can send him OUT of here via stepping disc in the next few SECONDS before I find myself holding his ENTRAILS in my bare hands.

At this point Nicolas decides to act. There was too much at stake to leave any information undiscovered, and while he was willing to kill Maxim/Bishop, he saw something in Haleigh that stayed his hand...for now.

He stepped forward, gently but firmly dislodging Zach. He looked Morgan directly in the eye.

Morgan. I need you to trust me right now. Not HIM. ME. IF he does anything, he dies. I will relocate him myself, but I want to make sure that if he knows something we need to know, that we know it. Alison, you know that we must exhaust all available sources of information...please give me a moment.

He turned to face Maxim/Bishop.

I need you to very quickly and concisely explain to me, to all of us, what you know that is worth me doing what I am doing right now.

 

[Spellbinder]

Minerva's Mansion- main hall

<< Spellbinder was ready to LET GO...and "black out"...not as in lose consciousness, but give into the deep, emotional hatred and thus, give way to the DARKNESS in her soul.>>

<< they had learned, on AERIE how much damage this had all done to her. The extreme betrayal she felt from Delilah for her role in Bishop getting as close to them. the fact that they had nearly lost sharon, alycia, and themselves not only in Arklay but then at Illustra when they were outed by Bishop. then when they all, including mike and karen, made their last stand for their lives and freedom against the Tri-Sentinel and were nearly LOST until "divine" intervention.>>

<< it took them a LONG time to rebuild. Their lives, their interpersonal relationships and more....and finally by a specific twist ofo fate and circumstance, they were able to return to mainstream world and reenter society. but that didnt change what Bishop represented. He represented the ugliness of baseline humans and what they could do to mutants/metahumans. He was another example of why her inherent distrust of MEN would NEVER go away. He not only destroyed their lives, but he all but destroyed one of her LONGEST and most enduring friendships with someone whom she deeply cared about. >>

<< NOW?? the most impossible, IRRATIONAL scenario she could have imagined, had somehow come to PASS and it left her, Harbinger and Persephone understandibly SEETHING.>>

<< But NOW it was different. She could STOP HIM IN HIS TRACKS! She could PROTECT THEM ALL, But she truly was missing something. As hard as it was for her, Harbinger and Persephone to accept...killing him at THIS moment WOULD be unfair, it wouldnt be JUST.>>

<< but when logic and understanding check out, EMOTIONS flood and with Morgan, when she reaches THIS LEVEL of distress, the deep seeded INSTINCT to call on DARK POWER for protection/vengeance begins to rise and if she's NOT calmed...>>

Oracle << zoom AROUND the group standing in the Main Hall of Minerva's mansion, in a complete clockwise circle. then a close up viewe of Morgan's face...which momentarily flashes into the DARKCHILDE countenance. THEN Bishop's face...an entirely NEW face, but no less a source of extreme feeling ...ANGER and reminder of LOSS. Black Widow and Rampage have flanked Morgan, while Harbinger and Persephone take a defensive blockade stance to bar Bishop any further access from a stunned Delilah. The RAPID change in Morgan's biological functions is more than enough to prompt Haleigh and Nicolas [surprisingly] to stop HER first.>>

<< the touch of an empath. outside of Malice, the only OTHER full fledged empath the Six dealt with semi regularly was Haleigh's partner, Zach. His power was a tremendous utility in times like this. His touch...it reaches Morgan JUST in time, her emotions don't spike to her BREAKING point. She remains rational long enough to remember (barely) the original plan...>>

get him out of here....send him AWAY...

<< she bellows for Prophet to wipe his mind so that she can be RID of him. she HAS to be rid of him before she goes BERSERK on him!>>

<< Haleigh grabs her to get her attention to try to appeal to her to get ahold of herself. Morgan looks at her in disbelief. Haleigh can see the RAW emotion in Morgan's violet eyes and how her face is showing signs of transition to a darker countenance and persona. Morgan doesnt yell at Haleigh. She just LOOKS at Haleigh and then...>>


Haleigh! he may have paid ONCE...but does that even BEGIN to balance the scale!? I dont want this! I don't want him here...I don't want him to have the chance to...

<< she askes with pained directness...shaking her head in the negative.>>

HE is out to destroy us.

<<flash>>

he's been STALKING US Delilah and he's USING YOU to get NEXT to us.

<<flash>>

Delilah, Give me a call when you get OVER your messiah complex....if you're still ALIVE when this is all said and done.

<<flash>>

[to Bishiop]and YOU...

<< thunder rumbles in the air.>>

YOU may have HER fooled, but WE see right through you, you bigoted piece of TRASH. YOU STAY AWAY from my friends...from sharon...from ME....or by the soul of hecate..I'll KILL YOU in ways that are BEYOND all known philosophies and NO ONE will be able to stop ME!
<< a crash of thunder and flash of lightning heralds the opening of a stepping disc as Morgan teleports away, leaving the sound of lingering eldritch chimes in the air where she once stood.>>

<< PRESENT moment.>>


<< Rampage, given his deep personal history with Spellbinder and his intimate aquaintence with her psyche, gently but decisively pulls Morgan away from Zach and Haleigh...>>

Morgan. I need you to trust me right now. Not HIM. ME. IF he does anything, he dies. I will relocate him myself, but I want to make sure that if he knows something we need to know, that we know it. Alison, you know that we must exhaust all available sources of information...please give me a moment.

He turned to face Maxim/Bishop.

I need you to very quickly and concisely explain to me, to all of us, what you know that is worth me doing what I am doing right now.

<< Morgan looked at Nicolas much in the same way she did the night they found out SHARON was alive and all that was happening with that. He understood the pain she was in. >>


<< it echoes in her mind. "trust me..." trust a man....a man.....>>
<< As Nicolas held her gaze...in her moment of unexpected clarity, thanks in part to Zach, she REMEMBERED something.>>

Morgan....I need you to trust me right now. NOT HIM!

<<flash>>

Persephone:" This situation was Viper was....very difficult for her. It brought back major issues involving Bishop...it made her question her loyalties to Sharon...it made her turn her back on who we ALL thought was Alycia. She just...cracked. We thought she was okay....we thought she was handling it--that she needed space and time alone to herself. We didn't know how deep it ran....we just...we didn't see it." ”




Spellbinder: FUCKING BISHOP!

<< chimes sound off and thunder rumbles.>>

He RUINED OUR LIVES! He TOUCHED DELILAH! I should RESURRECT HIM.... << her countenance darkens>> SO I CAN KILL HIM AGAIN! only it wont be as clean and efficient as when Delilah did it....I'll MAKE HIM SUFFER just as he made US suffer!

<< but then...>>

<<flash>>

WHAT am I supposed to do!?

<< she asks in anguish in the dark halls of the mansion.>>

How can I help Delilah??

<< Morgan REMEMBERS a voice...a serene presence....DEMETER!

<<Flash>>

"You must make the the difficult decision of doing nothing."

I understand how you feel, Morgan. You are racked with guilt but you're filled with fury and revenge. You want to release what is building within you--but if you truly want to help Delilah now? You must reign in your anger and focus on the future, not the past. Delilah is being healed emotionally and physically right now, however when she returns to you she will need the support of her friends. Focusing all of your efforts and energy on Bishop will not aid in Delilah's recovery. She needs you....her ROCK...when she returns. She mustn't feel even more guilt or remorse due to an action you put into motion."


"Love is a complicated thing. It can give someone great strength and fulfillment.....or it can completely destroy them. A piece of Delilah's heart was taken by Bishop....a choice that is not always ours to choose. However if given time, anyone can survive a heartbreak. You did with Nicolas; Haleigh did with Cameron. However Delilah wasn't given that luxury to fully heal. It WILL take time.....but you are a strong, compassionate, and loving woman who I know will be there to aid her every step of the way. You must remember THAT....not the bitter guilt. Not the resentment. And certainly not the revenge. The biggest dishonor you can inflict on Bishop's memory now would be to get BEYOND this crisis...now dwell on it."

<< do nothing...do nothing...for delilah's sake...her wellbeing>>

<< Morgan slowly exhales. the benefit of Zach's empathic touch taking off the edge...she looks at Nicolas and Haleigh, no longer on the verge, but HARDLY warm and pleasant. She looks rather cold....>>

I...

<< she wanted to LEAVE. But that wouldnt help either. What would that say to Delilah? Morgan raced in her mind for another option.>>

Nicolas, Haleigh- please handle the further questioning of Bishop. The rest of us will go to the Great Room.

<< spoken in a low but steady tone, Morgan was doing her best to go in another direction.>>

Harbinger: They can question him, but I will be present for this interrogation. This is MY domain. Haleigh...Nicolas...ESCORT this..."gentleman" and follow me.


<< Spellbinder and Persephone would go to the Great Room with Delilah.>>

 

[Persephone]

Taking a defensive stance in front of Delilah--who looked about as shell shocked as they came--watched with an unforgivable glare as Bishop tried to talk his way out of being caught. Ava resisted the urge to scoff as he pleaded for them to hear him out. That nearly sent Morgan over the edge. Her anger began to escalate, sending Haleigh, Zach, and Nicolas in to buffer the situation. Zach quickly acted and brought Morgan's anger level down to a point where she wouldn't go Darkchilde on Bishop's ass while Nicolas insisted they speak with him to answer a lot of the unknown questions that were floating around. Franky Ava didn't need to know the answers--she didn't care. She wanted him dead for what he did to Delilah. She wanted to watch as Morgan stab the soul sword into him making him disappear FOREVER. But Morgan relented.

"Come on..."

Taking Morgan gently by the forearm, she tugged the blond to follow her into the great room. Placing her hand on Delilah's back to usher her in as well, the three woman disappeared as Haleigh, Nicolas, and Alison interrogated Bishop. As they passed Zach, Ava gave him a look indicating she wanted him to keep up monitoring Morgan's stress levels. Haleigh was right in one aspect--Bishop was not worth Morgan completely going of the edge. He DESERVED to die, but Morgan didn't deserve to go down with him.

Entering the great room, Ava closed the large double doors isolating the three woman from the others. Closing her eyes, her head hung forward as she held onto the brass knobs for support.

"I can't believe this."

She said softly--the situation really started to hit her hard now. But Morgan was teetering on the edge of darkness [literally] and Delilah was just teetering on the edge. Ava needed to become the rock, despite her own desire to rip out Bishops throat with her bare hands.

"Sit down, both of you. We all need to cool off."

It wasn't a request, it was a demand. They ALL needed to take a few seconds to just breathe. Walking over to the mini bar, Ava poured herself and Delilah a strong alcoholic drink while getting Morgan some hemlock. With two glass tumblers in one hand and one in the other, she walked over and handed both Morgan and Delilah their drinks. Taking a sip of her own drink, Ava shifted her eyes to Delilah.

"What's going through your head right now?"

A lame round about way of asking "are you okay" without actually asking it. How can anyone ask if someone's "okay" when they clearly know they're not. But Ava needed Delilah to talk...she needed to hear atleast SOME sort of emotion from her to know that she didn't completely shut down like before.

 

[Spellbinder]

Minerva's Mansion- the great room

<< they couldnt get to the Great Room fast enough. Once inside, Ava must have read her mind, as she offered a glass of Hemlock.>>

<< Morgan GULPS it down, and then waves for another one. This one she sips on.>>

What's going through your head right now?

I find myself wondering if I'm having a very elaborate, or astral nightmare.

<< she said coldly as she sat, holding her drink in her hand. She looks at Ava and admits something very candidly.>>

You know...for months...a YEAR now...in some of my most quiet moments when my mind wandered, I found myself thinking things completely ABSURD like....

"what if BISHOP should come back?!"

I mean...OTHER people including some of US have come back from the dead...but then I would think..."No. Not him! He was the WORST. He didnt deserve a 2nd chance!"

I'd tell myself I was being irrational and that he was gone forever.

But then in someways, he WASN'T, was he, Delilah?

<< she looked over at Delilah. Not in anger or an accusatory fashion.>>

When Alison called me...told me that there was an emergency and I needed to get here right away...I didnt know what I'd find out when I got here. But NEVER in my wildest nightmares did I think I'd find out that...that you had died...killed yourself!

I blamed myself. I couldnt understand how I missed this. How I wasnt there to help you in someway.

And then at some point when Alison, Ava, Haleigh and I were finally able to stop grieving long enough to try to make sense of it all...BISHOP'S name came up.

It suddenly brought back ALL the memories and trauma that I THOUGHT i had JUST begun to move away from.

I'm not JUST talking about what he did to the team, what he cost us all as a team or as individuals...I'm ALSO talking about US. how WE nearly lost our friendship! The TERRIBLE things I said to you on Aerie!

<< drinking some more.>>

We managed to recover from that. But YOU didnt recover from any of it...not completely and I...WE didnt realize that.

I heard about the mental abuse you took from Malice, Isis & Enchantra during the Viper caper. That should have been ME standing in the gap for the team against them, not YOU.

And then...after defeating Viper...you came here...and the pain of it all, the pain and burden of guilty you were STILL carrying over BISHOP...it was too much for you and in your last moments of life...you were...

<< Morgan bows her head as tears fall from her eyes..>>

ALONE.

I wasnt there!

<< she looks up.>>

When BISHOP'S name came up and it was revealed THAT was the cause of it...it ANGERED me! Not at YOU...but at HIM! even in DEATH he still haunts and HURTS.

I could understand someone like BARBAS or any of our OTHER foes lingering in our collective consciousness or haunting us with the trauma they caused...but BISHOP! I wanted his memory to be as DEAD as he was. I didnt want you to struggle or HURT over him anymore.


I wanted to somehow MAKE you understand you did the RIGHT THING! But I couldnt. I wanted to PROTECT YOU and I couldnt.

I didnt know WHAT to do and it was making me even MORE upset. I wanted to perform a necromancy spell...bring Bishop back JUST to torture and kill him AGAIN but of course that would be beyond foolish of me and Alison and the others told me as much.

Alison said BISHOP somehow was more a factor in this than even SHE could see at that time. That bothered ALL of us.

I swore...we ALL did that when Ororo brought you back to us, we'd BE THERE for you no matter WHAT!


That first night you were gone...taken by Ororo...I wandered the halls of this mansion, I cried out in confusion and exasperation for an ANSWER on what to do! how i could HELP you.

I received counsel and comfort from a truly trusted and beautiful source [ glancing at Persephone as she referred to her mother, Demeter] and I felt THEN I could do the right thing. I FELT that.

You came back to us! It was not what we expected...your manner of return...but you were back, ALIVE and we were so relieved! Still, we all felt that something was DIFFERENT about you.

Then all the weird things happened around the mansion...it started stressing Alison out and again I found myself at a loss because none of MY power could help her figure it out.

THEN the storm came. THEN the "stranger" , whom Alison allowed into the mansion at YOUR urging.

Then all this MESS started happening. I stayed out of it because I wanted to SEE and I wanted to be sure WHEN I got involved, it was at the right time. But just like BEFORE...with Bishop...it seemed like there was a growing divide between you and team.

<< she pauses and takes a drink.>>

you know...we can't afford to take hardly anyone at face value anymore. all that we've been through, all that we've endured at the hands of our enemies both known and not so easily known...we just can't. we've only JUST been able to return to mainstream society and become apart of a world we helped SAVE so many times but in one moment of cruelty was only TOO QUICK to reject us thanks to BISHOP.

So ...most of us...we're paranoid. And with having nearly lost you...then the weirdness around here and then the arrival of this man...and the divide growing between you and some members of the team...I felt like something was TERRIBLY wrong.

Alison and I were preparing to intervene ANYWAY to let you know we'd heard/seen enough and we should just send him on his way and be done with it but THEN we found out that the VAULT had been breached, the sword of ANGER had been stolen!

We all know its supposed to be IMPOSSIBLE for the VAULT to be breached like that and yet it was and the sword of ANGER of all things...well you know what happened to me at the hands of that sword.

Alison was beyond pissed and I?...well I was SICK with worry and fear. So when we DID appear before you about Bishop, that's why it happened the way it did, THEN at that moment of all times, he tries to ESCAPE!?

NOT a good move on his part even under normal circumstances. I know Alison and I BOTH thought he may have had something to do with the disappearence of that sword. enough OTHER strange and unlikely things had already happened. why not add one more to them?

<< holding her drink with both hands, she looks down at it, not taking another drink yet...>>

I'll tell you this much... up to THAT moment...I wasnt going to just stand by and let Alison MURDER him as soon as she laid eyes on him. I would have done everything I could to stop her from doing it like THAT. I just wanted him OUT OF HERE! His behavior, his attitude, the way he was driving a wedge between you and the others. I wanted all of that stopped.

I was HAPPY to teleport him away and be done with it.

But then Alison had that ...MASSIVE astral projection episode of retrocognition. I had NEVER seen it happen like that for her before. I wanted to pull her AWAY but Nicolas said not to...I held on to her...and i HEARD the voices, OUR voices, Alycia, Michael...Sharon...their voices too and everything we HEARD, everything Alison SAW started to point in a direction at someone...

and it was then, Alison saw who the stranger REALLY WAS!

<< she gulps down the rest of her hemlock.>>

There it was...there HE was. the most ridiculous "what if" i had ever imagined was now a REALITY!


<< she still holds on to the glass with both hands tightly.>>

I can't tell you the way i felt....It just....all at once logic and reason LEFT me.

All I knew was that I had vowed that I would never let something...someONE like Bishop EVER happen to this team again. I promised I'd PROTECT YOU AND MY FAMILY...hell mutants EVERYWHERE from this MONSTER and by the goddess...that is what I intend to do...

He GOT US last time...he NAILED us! BUT THIS TIME I was ready to do WHATEVER i needed to DO!

THIS TIME he wasnt going to get the chance to do ANYTHING!

<< she looks up with a look of agitation on her face>>

but...Zach....he drained enough of the RAGE in my soul that was CHANGING ME at that moment to allow me a MOMENT of clarity and i realized... I don't want to HURT YOU anymore than you've already been.

NONE of us do, Delilah. << gesturing to Ava and referring to the others.>>

I just feel as though you dont understand OUR side of this...why WE feel as we do, not only about strangers in our midst but about THIS.

I don't know what else to say at this moment..except...that I'm GLAD Nicolas and Haleigh stepped in to STOP me for MY sake...and YOURS. NOT his.

I think about something that was said to me a month ago while we were here...I and realize in order for me to be there FOR YOU, I MUST NOT lose myself in darkness and kill him. BUT I'm NOT going to sit here and tell you that I'm OKAY with this...HIM being ALIVE...having access to US...to YOU.

<< shaking her head to the negative.>>

I'm NOT okay with any of that and I WON'T let him take you from US. We FAILED you before because we didnt know how deep this was. We're NOT going to stand by and let him carry you away again.

I'm not MAD at you by any means...and i hope you can understand me...i really do because when you turned away from me...from US that night in Illustra...that HURT and I dont want that again. I don't want you to feel like you need to turn away from US.

The reason why I INSISTED that you come here with Ava and I rather than the others is because...just like Ava and I, YOU have a deep emotional nerve that is raw from this as well. THEY are better able to ....DEAL with him at this moment than Ava and I could ever hope to be and YOU don't need to be in his presence right now. WE NEED THIS TIME to be OKAY ...with each OTHER and to be ready to deal with this TOGETHER.

You've got to LET US help you Delilah...and you've got to LET US PROTECT OURSELVES from HIM if that is what it comes down to...AGAIN.

<< she looked at Ava as she shuddered...feeling VERY awkward as she sat here and allowed herself to display honest and true feeling about this issue right now. She was trying to adhere to Demeter's advice. NOT doing what she wanted or giving in to IMPULSE but rather thinking about Delilah and the bigger picture, which they would not know until Haleigh and Nicolas thoroughly questioned Bishop.>>

 

[Black Widow]

FINALLY someone to back her play, and it couldn't come at a better time. Nicolas relieved Zach and took over for Haleigh with Morgan, talking her down, convincing her to trust him. Haleigh reaches for Zach, a concerned expression silently asking if he was okay, and he reassures her with a nod and a weak smile.

Morgan: Nicolas, Haleigh- please handle the further questioning of Bishop. The rest of us will go to the Great Room.

Alison: They can question him, but I will be present for this interrogation. This is MY domain. Haleigh.... Nicolas.... ESCORT this.... 'gentleman' and follow me.

"With pleasure."

She replied, latching onto Bishop's elbow with an iron grip and steering him away from the group. She waited until they were out of earshot of the rest to speak again.

"I understand why you didn't want to say anything earlier, you pathological fucking liar, but now that this colossal clusterfuck has presented itself, it would behoove you to be extremely forthcoming. ESPECIALLY since Delilah doesn't seem to give a damn about what I do to you now."

 

[Bishop]

Bishop shook out of Haleigh’s grasp. His trademark cockiness was gone now – he spoke in serious tones as he turned to her.

“You don’t need to force me – the reason for me to leave is gone now. I’ll go wherever you want me to and tell you whatever you want to know. Now that you all know who I am, I don’t have any reason to lie to you – and you need to know what’s going on. It affects you all. Plus, I can’t protect her now – you’re going to have to.”

He followed along a few steps then stopped, adding:

“And I never lied.”

They took him to a room in the mansion – one like many others there. He sat down in a chair sitting at a table at the far side, and waited for the others to be seated as well if they wished. When they had settled, he began his story.

“Before you ask, I don’t have any idea how I got here – alive I mean – in this body. I was just in here one day a couple months ago. I know who Maxim is – I see his entire life in my head – but it’s like watching from outside my body. They aren’t my memories. I still remember everything that happened in my old life…”

He stared off into the distance for a moment, lost in a thought.

“So anyway, I was somehow alive again. Dying changes you I guess. I know now that I was wrong about you all, about everything. And I knew I had to try and make up for who I had been and what I had done. For Delilah especially. If we could ever have a chance to start again…

Something that none of you ever knew was that the dossiers I had on all of you and your pasts did not come from me – they were sent to me by an anonymous employer who hired me to neutralize all of you – except Delilah wasn’t among the names. I’ve spent my time since I’ve been back tracking down the person that hired me. And that’s what led me here.”

 

[MorningStar]

Morgan was Delilah’s friend, her best friend. But as she listened to Morgan talk about having nightmares about Bishop, and her memories of Bishop, and how much she worried about Bishop and thought he might come back – she wanted to punch her in the face. She went on and on about it, as if it wasn’t Delilah that it had happened to, as if she didn’t have the RIGHT to be the one hurt. She continued to “recap” what they had all just experienced. Delilah just stared at Morgan.

You've got to LET US help you Delilah...and you've got to LET US PROTECT OURSELVES from HIM if that is what it comes down to...AGAIN.

Delilah’s mouth nearly fell open.

“Do you honestly think now, after everything, that I would protect him still after everything, that I would shield him from you should be bring harm to any one of us? Seriously?”

Delilah turned away, slightly annoyed, and walked to the door. They had banished her from Bishop’s presence like a child. She had a few things to say to HIM, that was for sure, and she would say them at some point. Delilah was just plain angry, angry at everyone, for no and every reason.

She needed to hear what he was telling Haleigh and the others, though. Luckily Delilah had perfect hearing and if she strained could easily make out the voices from elsewhere in the mansion.

I don’t have any idea how I got here – alive I mean – in this body. I was just in here one day a couple months ago.

Something clicked inside Delilah’s brain, and she shook her head in disbelief. Her hand went to her forehead.

“Hecate.”

She let her hand fall to her side as she turned back around.

“Damnit. Goddesses are nothing but fucking trouble.”

 

[Harbinger]

another floor in the mansion

:: inside the dimly lit conference room, Alison preferred to stand, as Haleigh and Nicolas sat VERY close to Maxim and leaned in for questioning him. He knew he wasnt going anywhere. whether he'd even be ALIVE in the next 10 minutes was a matter of grave doubt.::

:: Alison herself had no room to be the tactician she was known for. Right now, she was gathering herself together. NOT for his sake, but for THEIR'S...DELILAH'S.::

::suddenly it occurred to her as Maxim spoke about the HOW and WHY he was alive again, as far as HE knew it.::

HECATE!

THAT'S what she did! Delilah ASKED her to "TAKE AWAY HER GUILT ABOUT BISHOP BEING DEAD" about HER killing him! and Hecate obliged her in a most LITERAL way!

:: Harbinger exhales with utter exasperation. This WHOLE THING had been festering below the surface of their collective consciousness for so long now. it had strained friendships, broken bonds, caused paranoia and even SUICIDE and now THIS! ::

:: standing with her arms folded, she glared at Bishop coldly::

Didn't it ever occurr to you that your..."employer" as you call her MIGHT HAVE BEEN OFF BASE given the fact that ALYCIA BARNETT had hired you to RESCUE THE KELLY FAMILY from the HELL known as Arklay Mansion BEFORE that? A MOTHER a FATHER and a LITTLE BOY whose lives had been perverted by MYSTECH!?

:: Harbinger asked in a scathing, incredulous tone, still not at all convinced of the man's credibility. He may have returned by a truly miraculous twist of unnatural circumstance, but what did that matter to HER?::

Alycia and Sharon were among your targets when you came after US. Given your interaction with THEM PRIOR to this "mission" that you claimed to have been duped into carrying out, I find it hard to believe that you would have COMPLETELY forgotten that in whatever time gap between then and the time this alleged woman "hired" you to come after US.

:: she couldnt wait to see how'd he answer THIS.::

 

[Spellbinder]

The Great Room

Delilah’s mouth nearly fell open.

“Do you honestly think now, after everything, that I would protect him still after everything, that I would shield him from you should be bring harm to any one of us? Seriously?”

<< Morgan looked at HER in disbelief>>

"Seriously" INDEED << she replies bitterly>> I can't ASSUME anything can I? Not when it comes to HIM!

You shielded him from us the LAST TIME when he was a CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER. You turned your back on us...on ME when all i wanted to do was make you understand what was at stake, try to keep you SAFE just like I would with BLAZE or ANY of the Six!

you shielded him HERE even when he was being a TOTAL DICK to everybody and creating friction between yourself and people who love and care about you. The people who only want to make sure they DONT SCREW UP AGAIN LIKE WE DID LAST TIME WHEN YOU WOUND UP DYING IN THE OCEAN!

Delilah turned away, slightly annoyed, and walked to the door. They had banished her from Bishop’s presence like a child. She had a few things to say to HIM, that was for sure, and she would say them at some point. Delilah was just plain angry, angry at everyone, for no and every reason.

She needed to hear what he was telling Haleigh and the others, though. Luckily Delilah had perfect hearing and if she strained could easily make out the voices from elsewhere in the mansion.



Something clicked inside Delilah’s brain, and she shook her head in disbelief. Her hand went to her forehead.

“Hecate.”

She let her hand fall to her side as she turned back around.

“Damnit. Goddesses are nothing but fucking trouble.”

...Hecate?

What about her?