No Good Deed

(Inspired by the Musical Wicked)

By Princess Alexandria

Corrine woke up with a bit of a headache, but she knew she was getting off lucky. She stumbled to the bathroom for the aspirin and a glass of water to help heal her hangover.

Fifteen minutes later she was seated at the kitchen table, her head resting in her hands, as she leaned her elbows on it. She took deep breaths, cleansing breaths, she told herself, as she rehashed the night before. “Elisa was wrong, I would have preferred to wake up in Brunette’s bed.” Corrine muttered, as she shifted to stare at the file she had opened in front of her. It detailed Jon’s cover, all she could find about it.

Once she was feeling a little better she started to cook breakfast. Corrine slipped out of the apartment for a second to grab the newspaper while it sizzled and laid it on the kitchen table, across from the open file. She flipped on the radio as she passed it, tired of the silence in the apartment. Music filled the room as she finished cooking.

Corrine ate distractedly while using her other hand to turn pages in the newspaper. She read the articles that caught her attention and ignored the rest.

The business section was about to be bypassed, when she saw the word Nightstone in a headline. Corrine paused as she stared at it, and then her eyes slowly started to take in the article. Part of her felt guilty, knowing Demona didn’t want her to even think of this place, but she did need to know what Robyn was up to.

Nightstone was a new company. Corrine started to pull the paper closer to her to turn to the next page when the phone rang. Corrine grimaced and got up to answer it.

“Hello?” Corrine asked with that one word why she was being called.

“Jason called in sick to work today.” Elisa’s voice was fast. Corrine had just given the woman her phone number for emergencies the night before.

“Not a good sign.” Corrine moved to check her on the bugs in her family’s apartment, before remembering it was still with the clan, she’d forgotten it the night before. Corrine sighed heavily at the delay now. “They’re up to something.” Corrine tossed her half eaten breakfast into the sink and started for the bedroom to find her shoes.

“I can’t get away.” Elisa spoke. “I’ve been put on desk duty and if I leave I won’t hear the end of it.”

“I’ll find out what’s going on.” Corrine answered as she bent down to grab her shoes. “Have you called Demona’s human to see if Robyn is there?”

That got an awkward silence for a moment and Corrine frowned. They knew she knew this much, why cover up now? “I can’t really call her.” Elisa finally answered.

“Tonight we are fixing that.” Corrine’s voice was stony at yet more evidence that even working together, Demona was trying to work alone. Corrine couldn’t let Demona risk herself like this, she just couldn’t. If that mean she’d make Demona mad, well, it was time to just accept the fact that Demona would be mad. All of them, including this mystery woman, needed to be on the same page. Corrine shook her head lightly. “I need to go, I’ll call you.” Corrine had Elisa’s number as well now. That made sense, being allies, and Corrine would make sure Demona understood that.

Corrine had never stood up to Demona like that before, and she wasn’t looking forward to doing it now, but normally Demona wasn’t so very wrong.

In less time than it ever took before, Corrine was out the door and on the city streets in her car. Normally she preferred not to use it in New York, because traffic was horrible, but she had no idea where she’d be going after she figured out what her family was up to. While New York had a good subway system, it didn’t go everywhere.

Corrine marched into Xanatos’ building, her stride long and fast, toward the elevators.

“Miss!” The security guard yelled after her and Corrine took a few more steps before he yelled again. “Miss, stop!” That’s when she turned and realized he really was talking to her. He moved up to her quickly. “You can’t just go up, you need to be on the approved list.”

“I am.” She told him firmly and he didn’t look pleased.

“Only for night.” He told her and Corrine’s fists clenched. Xanatos really was being careful, which was good, but dammit she didn’t have time for this.

“Call him.” Corrine glared at the guard and he didn’t back down. She had to follow him to the desk for him to call.

It felt like she’d been waiting forever, but it was probably only five minutes when the blonde of a man, and the uptight walk, told her she was on the way up. Owen nodded to her and waved toward the elevator.

“Jason called in sick.” Corrine told him as she stepped into the elevator and he followed. “I left my equipment here last night and we need to find out what they are up to.” He pushed the button for the top floor. “I think they plan to move on something today.”

“I found nothing said in their apartment to hint to this. He left for work as normal.” Owen told her and Corrine turned to stare at him, realizing that Owen had been using her equipment. “So did the others.”

“It was too much to hope they’d spilled the whole plan right over one of my bugs wasn’t it?” Corrine grimaced. Her sense of urgency started to calm as she accepted she’d be in for a lot of investigation to get anywhere. “I want to listen to the recording anyhow, maybe I’ll catch something you didn’t.”

“You do know them, so maybe you will.” Owen looked up at the floor readout.

Corrine felt like commenting on her being assigned to him, rather than being allowed to wander on her own, but she held back.

Corrine set up the equipment in the meeting room and started the tapes from this morning first, hoping the clue would be there and not the night before, because she knew that Corrine’s visit would be the center of most talk the night before.

Corrine listened to their morning and it gave her nothing but hints that they were planning something, and a suspicion they knew their apartment was being monitored. Corrine put in the tape from the night before, and her hands shook with anger as she listened to the accusations and her family planning her being committed. Jon argued against it, but Jason was convinced Corrine was mentally unstable. Corrine’s jaw was starting to ache because of how hard she was clenching it. The tape had her family starting to consider getting ready for bed when she was interrupted. A redhead walked into the room as if she owned it and smiled at Corrine. “Hello, I’m Fox.”

“Corrine.” Corrine replied while removing the headphones she’d decided to use for this. The redhead was David Xanatos’ wife, and Corrine knew that, but that didn’t stop her assessing look. Fox just smirked at her when Corrine got to her eyes.

“I wish I was just visiting, but you need to see the news.” Fox moved to the table and hit some button underneath it. The large screen on the wall came to life and Corrine set the headphones down as she watched the police tape and police car filled scene.

“We’re here outside of Nightstone Unlimited, where the CEO, Dominique Destine was kidnapped from. Police are currently questioning the employees, but it appears that her assistant, Robyn Corry,” Corrine’s fists clenched, “may have something to do with it. They are looking for her now.” The screen changed to show a picture of Robyn on the screen. “If you have seen this woman, the police would like a call.”

“Oh my god, what has she done?” Corrine swallowed hard and watched as the screen changed, to show the reporters in the newsroom. They went on to talk about some senator scandal, but Corrine turned to stare at Fox. She’d never met that woman before, but she was the one there now. “Robyn kidnapped this Ms. Destine? Why?”

“Ms. Dominique Destine has a lot of secrets, but now is not the time to keep them.” Fox pulled something out from behind her, which was apparently a magazine she’d tucked into the back of her pants. The magazine slid over the table and stopped somewhat sideways in front of Corrine. Corrine turned it so she could look at the cover. It had the words Nightstone across the top, and the redheaded CEO of the company stared up at her.

“Dominique?” Corrine’s voice was puzzled as she started to recognize the woman. She looked up at Fox, who nodded back down at the picture. Corrine stared longer, her mind on the strangeness of this woman being here, when she’d last seen her in Paris. In Paris. Corrine’s eyes widened. Corrine had been in Paris looking for Demona, and was here because she was looking for Demona. “But magic can’t.” She whispered out, thinking of Demona’s comment that Nightstone was ‘hers’.

“Some magic can.” Fox answered and Corrine stared up at her, Corrine’s skin growing paler by the second.

Corrine’s phone started to ring and Corrine stared down at it. She slowly put it to her ear. “Hello.”

“Corrine.” Elisa sounded a bit frazzled.

“They have Demona.” Corrine spoke slowly, and felt her heart clench in fear at that thought.

……………………………

Jon was missing as well, and Corrine cursed the time she’d spent trying to find him as she drove a bit recklessly to her apartment. Elisa was going to meet her at her apartment, and they’d go back to Xanatos’. With little to go on, they’d both decided Elisa would be more helpful where she was, helping the investigation into Dominique Destine’s kidnapping, so the detective was finishing her shift.

Elisa hadn’t been amused to find out Corrine’s apartment wasn’t where she thought it was, but both of them were too busy to talk about it.

Fox had told her that Demona was human during the day, but she’d revert to herself once sun set. Demona had no control over that, and there was some concern that Jon was going to record that. It would help in defending Robyn’s actions, because people would see a gargoyle and assume the worst. Corrine felt like she was losing the race with the sun.

“Please be okay.” She prayed to Demona as she slammed her car into park and practically leapt out of it. Images of torture, blood, and death filled her mind as she rushed to the elevator.

Once she was in her apartment Corrine quickly pulled out her spell book, searching for anything that could help. The normal way had failed, and it was time to use magic.

Corrine had not mastered all the spells in her book, in fact she hadn’t deciphered them all either. She had an hour before Elisa arrived and Corrine flipped through pages as fast as she could, deciphering the names of spells to see if they could help at all. She didn’t know what to use, but something had to be in there, something. Corrine felt dangerously close to panicking as she turned another page quickly and got to work again. Her breathing was coming a bit too fast and she blinked tears out of her eyes.

A spell to enchant wood to fly, a spell to share the senses of another creature, a spell to repell unwanted people from a home. Corrine frowned at the last spell, realizing it was the one Una had used on her in the beginning. Corrine had been going through this book in the order Una suggested, learning spells here and there, in the order of difficulty. Now she just went page by page to see what all there was to work with.

After another five minutes, Corrine couldn’t keep the frustration and fear inside anymore, “AHHH,” She yelled out and just picked the next spell she could see any half promise in. She lit her spell candles and spoke almost as soon as the last candle caught fire. “Eleka nahmen nahmen, Ah tum ah tum eleka nahmen”. She almost yelled it out as well, it looked like a protection spell, and Corrine focused all her thoughts on Demona. The flare of her candles told her that it had been cast right, it had done something. Her mind was filled with torture and she begged her magic to make it so her family didn’t do that. The spell was still only half understood, but what Corrine could see, it appeared to be okay.

What the hell was she doing? Corrine thought as her panic started to recede after the spell casting. She blew out her candles. She was casting things she didn’t understand in her desperation, and that could harm as well as help. Corrine worked harder to understand the spell she’d just sent at Demona in more depth. The words bone stood out and as she focused she saw it was a bone protection spell. Corrine growled in frustration, sure her family couldn’t break Demona’s bones now, but there was so much other damage that could be done. She started to try and read the other spells, seeing if there was something she could to make it so that the Canmores couldn’t kill Demona, couldn’t cut her or shoot her. Anything.

She heard the knock on her door and by the pain she felt sitting back from her book she knew she’d been hard at work for a while. Corrine glanced outside to see it was still daylight. She glanced at the clock and swore quietly. Elisa was late by almost an hour and Corrine hadn’t noticed it.

She opened the door and just looked long enough to see it was Elisa. “I have to pack up.” She told the detective and started to put the candles in a bag.

“What you doing?” Elisa asked as Corrine picked up her book.

Corrine looked up. “I’m a witch, and we aren’t going to find my family the normal way.” Corrine started to pack the book into her bag. Her hand moved to the box that still contained that brush and just two hairs from Demona, years old. “Owen said he’d get me a large detailed map, so my spell will do more than pick a neighborhood.” She hoped he managed. It needed to be a paper map for this spell, so the projector on the table for a map wouldn’t work. “I’m going to try and cast the locator spell.”

“Try?” Elisa spoke as Corrine picked the bag up and slung it over her shoulder. “You sound a little doubtful.”

“Last time I cast it, I found two places for her, both moving during the day.” Corrine paused for a moment. Her words slower. “Maybe it could have been one, but not two.”

“Okay.” Elisa followed Corrine out to the hall. “Sorry I’m late, but with Ms. Destine missing, it was hard to leave on time.”

“Learn anything good?” Corrine asked as they made their way to the elevator.

“Robyn had a man helping her load something into a van. We knew she had an accomplice, but the precinct didn’t.” Elisa answered and Corrine nodded, but her stomach was starting to churn.

“If they hurt her.” Corrine left her threat unspoken, just then realizing Elisa was a cop and telling her this would be a bad idea.

“A witch huh?” Elisa finally spoke and it felt like it was to distract Corrine from her dark thoughts.

Corrine nodded. “Just out of my apprenticeship. I’m still working with Una, but I can choose my own spells now.” She wished she had Una and her library here with her now, but then she couldn’t imagine Una in danger like this. It was at that moment that Corrine realized she felt more for Una than as her teacher, Una was practically her mother now. That thought startled Corrine a moment and she gripped the strap of her bag tighter. Her life revolved around gargoyles, all the most important people in it were gargoyles. It was more than she’d hoped for, and all she wanted. She wasn’t about to lose it now.

Elisa’s car was close. “Why didn’t you do that spell earlier?”

“I need a paper map, and Owen said it would be ready after you were off work.” Corrine took a deep breath. “It needs to be big, really big. This is too important to have them see us searching the area. We need to know where they are.”

“Okay. This magic stuff makes me a little leery, but I think I could bet my entire paycheck that you’re on the level.” Elisa stepped out of the elevator as the door opened. “I still can’t believe anyone is risking it all for Demona.” Elisa’s words were more a self muttering, and Corrine just sighed and followed the detective outside.

They talked about meaningless things on the way to Xanatos’, more to keep Corrine sane than anything else. Corrine didn’t miss that Elisa looked a bit concerned about her. That, more than anything told Corrine she was panicking too much. She did her best to calm down. What she couldn’t control she’d just have to deal with later, but worrying would make her sloppy.

Owen had them go to a different room and Corrine was impressed when she stared at the floor. The entire large room had been turned into a map. The streets drawn out held enough detail to show the shape of each building. There was a table right inside the door, and the strip of four feet along that wall were all that didn’t have map. Corrine looked at the table and saw stacks of papers, which looked like floor plans. Owen had really done an amazing job preparing for her spell. It was almost like he understood why this was important. “Thank you.” Corrine spoke slowly and stared him in the eye. “So much.”

“Do what you can Miss Canmore. I believe we can get floor plans for even more buildings once we determine where they are.” He told her and Corrine nodded, not wasting any time pulling out her book and candles.

Corrine had set out her candles on the outsides of the huge map and looked over at Owen and Elisa. “Keep your eye on the hair when it starts to move, or we’ll be wasting time looking for it.” She told them, thinking three sets of eyes couldn’t hurt. Corrine removed her coat and sat down on the floor, considering how much magic she’d have to put into such a large map for this to work. She sighed heavily, imagining the difficulty of the task.

“Why do you have one of Demona’s hairs?” Elisa asked and Corrine blushed, interrupting her attempt to center herself and her magic.

“Don’t talk when I start this. I’m not experienced enough to ignore distractions.” Corrine replied, rather than answer the question. Elisa just nodded, accepting that.

Corrine held the red single hair out and hoped it would work better this time. She set it down and started to focus, before pulling the book to her and reading the incantation. The large piece of hair split again and Corrine grimaced as she watched three pieces start to spin and move apart. She stood up and quickly glanced at the others, before slowly stepping onto the map to follow one. She let out a disgusted breath, wondering if she’d get anything of use from this spell.

Elisa was slowly trailing another piece and Corrine saw the black of Owen’s suit in the corner of her eye as she followed her piece to the side of central park and then watched it stop on the square representing Xanatos Enterprises. Corrine frowned as she studied it’s slow spinning. Demona wasn’t here.

Angela was though, Corrine’s eyes widened at that realization. “Was Angela in Paris?” She asked quietly.

“Yes, at the end of January.” Elisa answered and Corrine looked up to see her staring down at the other hair. “You think that’s what happened? People related to Demona cause the hair to split?” Elisa stared down at the map.

“I would think so Detective.” Owen answered, looking up from the hair he had near him. “This looks to be the Labryinth, perhaps this represents Delilah.”

“Delilah?” Corrine asked a little sharply. She hadn’t heard about another daughter.

“A clone of Demona.” Elisa spoke quickly, studying the hair she had. “So this ones Demona.” Elisa spoke and that was all it took to bring Corrine back to the job at hand, even though she really wanted to know more about this clone. She started to move toward Elisa and Owen moved with her. He glanced at the building and nodded.

“I’ll get the floor plans.” He said as Corrine squatted down to stare at the hair that spun more quickly than the one Corrine had followed. Corrine still had her book in her hands and she glanced at it, before reaching a hand up and pulling a hair from her head. The spell was spoken again and Corrine watched her hair break into four pieces, one moving off the way Corrine had come from and the other three converging on the Demona hair.

“I have it.” Owen answered as Corrine just stared at the hairs, not liking how close one of them was to Demona’s, or the way another moved rapidly back and forth as if showing someone pacing.

It took nearly an hour to be outside the building, floor plans in hand. Corrine had to hold them, and maintain her magic, so Elisa made sure the area was secure while Corrine waited. Corrine had her last Demona hair working its way through a cleverly rigged floor plan, which had each sheet attached to a bit of poster board and had bits of cardboard glued to the backs to keep air between each layer of the map. The hairs, because Corrine had added her own again, were able to flow from one level to another. Owen had designed and created this.

“I wish we could have waited for the guys.” Elisa spoke, so Corrine knew they were alone in the alley. Corrine lowered the map and glanced at the living building next to them, before focusing on it again.

“It’s almost sundown. We needed to stop Jon from recording her change too.” Corrine replied distractedly. She found two of her hairs and Demona’s on one floor, and worked quickly to find the other.

“Shit, someone is moving for this door.” Corrine spoke quickly and quietly while grabbing the map with both hands and turning, her eyes catching Elisa’s before glancing around for a spot to hide. The dumpster gave them dubious cover and Corrine had to choose being prepared to fight or the map. The map found itself in the dumpster quickly, and she hoped she wouldn’t regret that choice.

“Sure, send me to the store; I’m only the wanted woman.” Robyn’s voice was quiet right before the sound of the door closing. Corrine shared a look with Elisa. Elisa was closer to the front of the dumpster and she carefully inched forward and looked around the corner of it. Corrine noted the hand that came back from Elisa’s body to hold out a signal to stay still.

“She’s in a car.” Elisa spoke quietly right as a car door slammed. It had been in the alley, and had looked like it had been there a long time, but it started up. Corrine waited until Elisa stood up and took a step out into the alley again before moving, wondering if she should have tried to capture her sister when they had the chance, or if they really were better off right now not risking being discovered. Hopefully the store wasn’t too close by.

“I’ll cut the lights right before sunset.” Elisa spoke slowly lifting the map layers out of the trash to find the layer that held the mechanical room. “No one wants to deal with this city if they think anyone could be a gargoyle.” The magic in it had dissipated when Corrine stopped touching it.

“Yeah, that would be a problem.” Corrine admitted as she moved to the five story building’s side door. She would bet that there was a helicopter on the top of it as well, so Corrine really didn’t want her family to know she was here until they couldn’t run with Demona again. Corrine picked the old lock on the door, not surprised that Robyn had locked it after herself and opened it slowly.

“The map?” Elisa spoke and held it out to Corrine pulled her own gun from her jacket and looked at the detective.

“The spell is broken. From here, we do it the old fashioned way.” Corrine turned back and walked into the building. “Thanks for backing me up.” Corrine spoke, just as they separated and Corrine started up the stairs, listening intently for any door opening that would cause her untold amounts of grief.

The stairwell of the old building had some debris from the walls on a few steps, and lights that flickered so much Corrine was almost positive she’d end up feeling her way up the stairs even without Elisa turning the lights off. Elisa was heading down while Corrine was heading up. She knew that Jon, Jason and Demona had been upstairs the last time she’d checked the map, on the top floor.

……………………..

Corrine moved as quickly as she could, but she didn’t fully trust the stairs she was standing on, so she didn’t race up as fast as she’d like. The sound came just as darkness hit her and Corrine froze, not moving an inch as she tried to regain her bearings. She pulled her watch up and hit the button to illuminate it. Sunset was maybe two minutes away. The lights out had to be Elisa’s doing. Corrine had really hoped to be further along by now, she thought with some irritation and started going up again, this time her hand touching the wall to feel the turns and hopefully the door.

The creak and then the sound of footsteps above her made Corrine’s heart hammer and she moved faster until she felt the metal of a door, gripping the doorknob and opening it as quietly as possible. She saw the reflection of a light coming down the stairs and she dodge inside the door and closed it as quietly as she could, her breath coming a bit faster as she rested against the wall in the dark, unable to see anything, as she listened hard for footsteps that were likely on their way down to Elisa and the mechanical floor to fix the lights.

“God dammit, she’s about to change.” Jon’s voice was angry and he sounded like he was moving fast, but Corrine waited longer, not wanting her footsteps to echo with him in the stairwell.

As she waited she felt a spasm start in her back. Corrine barely managed to not make a noise as the aching grew more painful and moved to her legs and her hands, making her hands shake. It was a bone deep ache, like she imagine arthritis would be. Corrine had no idea what happened, she hadn’t hurt herself recently. When the pain receded as fast as it had arrived Corrine took a moment to take a few deep breaths, and decided she just didn’t have time to worry about it now, she seemed okay, so she opened the door slowly and listened for Jon.

She slipped back out and spent more time focusing on silent footsteps than speed as she trailed her hand along the wall for another floor, which had to be the top one. The odds were better now, with just Jason there, but he was going to be arms, had a hostage, and Corrine took a moment to prepare mentally for this, before opening the door and slipping out into another hall. Some hints of grey light cutting small patches in the darkness from opened doors, letting Corrine know that while the sun had set, there was still some light left in the sky streaming in windows. She noticed the shifting of that light that told her someone was moving about and causing shadows. She started to move toward that doorway.

She had passed a door when she heard a scrapping sound behind her. Corrine’s eyes widened and she felt her heart hammer in her chest as she turned to see if Jason was standing behind her. She didn’t see anything, but the sound repeated and Corrine found her eyes focused on the doorway she’d passed. She carefully backtracked and looked in, to see red eyes staring at her in silence. She’d found Demona. Corrine struggled to see more and noticed the way Demona’s arms were spread out, indicating the gargoyle was in chains attached to the wall.

Corrine glanced down the hall toward where she knew Jason was, checking nervously for him stepping out of that room, before she stepped into Demona.

“He has the keys.” Demona whispered so quietly even without any other sounds it was hard to hear. Corrine nodded, knowing even though she couldn’t see much in the dark, Demona would see her. “Careful.” Demona spoke a little louder as Corrine moved to step further into the room. “There are wires all over the floor. They have television equipment in here.”

“To film your change.” Corrine spoke quietly and could feel the tension in the air coming from Demona. Maybe she just noticed the way the gargoyle tensed her body. Corrine moved carefully toward Demona, while reaching into a pocket for a lock pick. She wanted Demona free before Jason realized what was happening.

“You heard.” Demona spoke quietly, her head now right next to Corrine’s as Corrine started to reach up for the manacle she knew was there on Demona’s arm.

Corrine blushed and hoped in the dark even Demona wouldn’t be able to see it, as Corrine had to run her hand along Demona’s arm to feel where the manacle was. “Yeah, I did.” Corrine whispered as she found the feel of metal and shifted closer to it, as her fingers searched for the keyhole. Once she found that her other hand came up, to join the first, putting a lock pick into the hole. “Never did this blind before.” She muttered, focusing on the sound and feel she got from moving the small pick in the hole.

Demona knew enough to not distract Corrine with speaking, but the slight shifting of the gargoyles body on her hand, the feel of her skin as Corrine slipped occasionally on her grip of the manacle, were all distracting enough. Corrine could smell the scent of the gargoyle, standing this close. Demona always smelled so good to Corrine, so different from the women Corrine spent time with. Corrine caught herself inhaling more and just gritted her teeth and forced herself to focus on the lock.

A soft click came with the feel of the manacle opening. Corrine carefully removed it and slowly lowered it so that the chains wouldn’t jingle. In the dark it was a bit startling to have Demona rest her hand on Corrine’s shoulder, and squeeze it gently in thanks. “Are your legs chained up too?” Corrine asked as she carefully moved to try and find the other manacle on Demona’s other arm. The feel of Demona’s firm, muscled, arm under her hands made Corrine wish this was a different situation altogether, but she found the manacle and brought her lock pick back up to work.

“Yes, they really were cautious.” Demona answered and her breath brushed through Corrine’s hair. The sound of an angry smash from the other room made Corrine tense up and refocus, working as fast as she could. Still, blind lock picking took time, too much, and the sudden sound and bright lights disoriented her as Corrine struggled to see. She heard the click of the second manacle opening and she lowered it carefully, but the light was just too much and she’d need to turn it down to work on Demona’s legs and the chains she could now see were attached there. She turned just a little and saw that the wired and cameras Jon had brought in to film Demona’s change came with industrial lights, which made her eyes ache even more. Demona must be in real pain, if Corrine couldn’t stand this, Corrine thought and moved to the plug in to unplug them quickly. The overhead light would be enough.

After the room darkened a little, from her turning off those lights, Corrine turned to study Demona, who was rubbing her wrists with a grimace. Corrine heard the click and her entire body tensed again as she slowly turned to see Jason staring at her, his face growing red and a vein in his forehead seeming to throbe. “You would betray us like this, for that thing?!” He pointed to Demona, but Corrine felt her blood leave her face as she noticed he pointed with a gun, as if it were just his finger. Even when that gun fell to his side again, Corrine felt the danger in the situation keenly.

“I told you to leave her alone.” Corrine stood taller, fully facing him and shifted toward Demona so that the monster lamp wasn’t in between her and Jason. “I meant it Jason.” Her hands were by her side, but her mind was on her gun, which was just inside her coat, while his was hanging from his hand near his thigh.

His face changed and a sense of conviction came just before he lifted his arm and the gun. Corrine shifted to the side and reached her hand into her jacket, grasping the handle of her gun even as he had his aimed. Corrine was pulling hers free of her coat as his gun went off. Corrine felt her heart in her throat as she saw Demona already in motion, throwing herself to the ground to avoid the bullet and Corrine took aim just as her brother was aiming at the ground and Demona.

The flash from her gun went off three times, but Corrine couldn’t hear anything but the roar of her own blood as she pulled the trigger over and over. She watched Jason stare at her in shock, watched him drop his gun, and then watched him fall, but all she heard was a rush of blood in her ears like the ocean.

She took a shaky breath and it was like the world was suddenly in motion again. She could hear the thump of Jason hitting the floor, she could hear the clank of the chains on Demona’s legs, and she heard the sudden breaking of glass behind her. Corrine spun around to see Goliath’s glowing eyes, which quickly faded as he stared down at Jason. Owen had said he’d send the clan, Corrine thought distractedly, before returning her eyes to Jason. Blood was pooling around him. She dropped her gun on the floor, not even thinking of it as it clunked there.

Corrine turned to find Demona staring at her, still crouched on the ground. The look in Demona’s eyes, the sympathy, Corrine couldn’t look anymore, so she focused on the chains attached to the gargoyle. “I’ll get you free.” She spoke and her voice sounded strange to her, but she moved to kneel on the floor in front of Demona, even as some gargoyle nearly pushed her out of the way to rush to Jason’s side. Corrine could hear the thump of Jason’s body being moved as she bent down and worked the lock pick into the key whole.

“Goliath, I think he’s dead.” Broadway spoke as Corrine wiggled the lock pick, and being able to see, it gave much quicker. Demona was standing above her as Corrine tossed that chain away and focused on the other. The second was a little harder, because Corrine’s arms were starting to shake a bit and Corrine swore she felt a gentle touch in her hair, for just a moment, right before she pulled back as the last lock gave way and Corrine freed Demona.

“Corrine?” Angela’s voice was hesitant. “Mother?”

Corrine turned to see the males of the clan staring down at the body, and looking at the equipment Jon left. Angela was standing by the gun and Corrine noticed a motion out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw a red faced Jon, glaring at Angela and the flash of metal was all the warning Corrine had.

Corrine managed to leap up from her knees, moving her arms out to grab Angela around the waist and the pop rang out in the room. The crash to the floor was partly softened by Angela’s body. A loud male growl filled the air, but Corrine felt strangely disconnected. A wet feel made her think she’d landed in her brothers blood, but as she looked down she saw the puddle he had created was several feet away, but a slowly growing puddle was growing underneath her. “You okay Angela?” Corrine managed to get the words out.

“Yes.” Angela shift and Corrine didn’t have the strength to hold herself up, she flopped onto her back as the young female got up.

A roar filled the air and Corrine looked down her own body, her hand touching her shirt and pulling her hand away to see the blood. Corrine took a shaky breath and wondered at how it didn’t hurt, there was so much blood and it didn’t hurt. Demona was by her side in an instant and Corrine had tears running down her cheeks. “And then there were two.” She whispered and Demona shook her head in denial.

“No, you won’t die from this. It’s just a scratch.” Demona spoke and Corrine could see the lie in the female’s eyes, the desperate, kind, lie.

“She took that bullet for me.” Angela sounded stunned.

“Big Guy, what’s going,” Elisa’s voice was there and it trailed off. “on.” The last word was whispered. Corrine would have been amused in another situation at Elisa being so thrown.

“No,” Demona’s word was a command and Corrine felt a tug on her arm, before she felt a jerk up. She found herself in Demona’s arms. Angela moved to the side as Demona strode to the window and Corrine wondered if Demona was about to just toss her out for a strange moment, because Demona sounded and felt so tense and angry, but Demona leapt out the window Goliath had broken, holding Corrine tightly to her body.

Corrine had seen where on her shirt the blood was thickest, and she could still see it from the angle Demona held her in. It wasn’t a good spot to be shot. “Canmore money has safeguards, so I couldn’t will any to Una or the clan. My money will go to Jon and Robyn.” Corrine whispered. “Please watch out for them.”

“That bastard isn’t getting anything from you, you won’t die.” Demona growled out and her eyes were constantly red.

It took all of Corrine’s strength to reach up, and the wind in the air battered her arm around a bit before she gently touched Demona’s face, just once. Corrine’s heart was breaking. She had so much she’d wanted to do with her life. She’d never see Katara’s egg hatch now. “You love her, no regrets.” She would never get another chance, so even as Demona gave her a shocked look, even as her vision was growing dark, Corrine fought her death off long enough to finally say it. “I love you, always have. I don’t mind dying for you.”

Corrine’s arm sagged down and Demona’s eyes widened. “No, not yet.” Demona muttered and dove, but Corrine wasn’t feeling any of it. Corrine was placed on a gurney outside the hospital.

Corrine saw nothing but darkness, but she thought she heard a sound, “Gunshot wound…. Blood type…” She wasn’t sure what to think, but darkness took hold again.

…………………………….