#highoctanegem

It was just over four hundred miles in a car to the place she supposed she ought to call home. 

Rosemary had lived there for the majority of her life. There, just outside of a four mile town, with less than five thousand people who called it home. She’d spent over twenty years trying to feel at home there. But as she drove past the little wooden sign that told her she was now entering Mystic, Connecticut, she’d never felt further from home. Home was a four hundred mile drive in the opposite direction. Home was the body on ice in Maine that was waiting for her to bring back a sacrifice to take his place. Home was the three people who were, even in this seventh straight hour of driving, in the car with her to see the job through.

There had been music playing the whole ride down from Maine- not that Rosemary had heard much of it. She’d been so lost in her own thoughts, that she’d barely registered the noise in the car unless someone was speaking directly to her. And even then, she was mostly focused on the minutes ticking down on the GPS. She was chewing on her lower lip as she glanced at the estimated arrival time. Thirty minutes to go. She gripped the steering wheel tighter, and let out a half a breath she was still mostly holding on to. “Okay,” She said, turning the volume down on the song that was currently pouring out of her speakers. “So the gameplan… He has no idea we’re coming, obviously. My thought was we split into two teams. One person comes with me to the front door, under the guise of getting the remainder of my old things out of my room, while the other two go to the back door, and sneak through to have us covered from the back end.”

The witch swallowed, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. This wasn’t her thing. Planning tactical fucking kidnapping jobs weren’t her thing. And she couldn’t fucking believe the people in the car with her had even agreed to this insanity. But even if they hadn’t, she’d still be in the car on her way to get the man who’d put a bounty as high as access to the family’s necromantic knowledge on her head. “Which sounds easy in theory,” Rosemary continued, “but there are definitely some reanimated husks wandering about that are all very much under his control. The second he realizes what’s going on, things are going to get significantly harder.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek, listening to the steady click click click of her turn signal as she made a left onto a side street. “So, um… Metzli, I think it might be for the best if you go through the back… He’ll be less likely to notice you off the bat. And he’d immediately know something was up if I walked through the front door with someone he’d be able to sense is undead. The man’s paranoid enough that it wouldn’t surprise me if his first move would be to look for whatever leverage he could find in a situation, and… well, I’d rather his leverage be some cutting, disdainful words said at my expense while he looks for a knife to dig into my back, rather than my vampire friend who’s walking in with me. So for you two,” She continued, glancing to Ishan and Jade, “it’s really a matter of where you’d rather be for this shit show… Any preference?”

__

Since their arrival at Rosemary's, the faint aroma of blood laced the air around her. It followed her, the scent growing in strength on her left side, but Metzli knew that look on the witch's face. The one that said she needed to wear her mask a little longer, to keep her composure for the sake of something bigger. 

In that case, saving a friend she felt responsible for getting killed. As much as Metzli disliked Owen, they loved Rosemary more. With that in mind, it was easy to push their concern aside and help her with whatever she needed. 

The moment it was time to go, they hopped into her car, weapons hidden strategically against their person, and waited for instruction. It was hours before that happened. Metzli loved silence between friends, but it happening with Rosemary felt like a horror movie, leaving them tapping quietly on the edge of the passenger door with goosebumps covering their body. So when she spoke, their back straightened and they eagerly faced her to listen. 

“Okay.” Metzli agreed, nodding. Her plan made sense. Rosemary was a rather proficient necromancer, and if it was her father they were after, he would have no problem puppeting them. The lineup for teamups for the ambush seemed obvious, despite how utterly annoying the answer was. “I would prefer Jade to be with me. I know her skills and she knows mine.”

—

The bracelet was a little loose around her wrist. Obviously made for sturdier, girthier wrists. (Wrists that were not able to carry it anymore) (Then again, Owen was more of the keeping it safe in his pocket kinda guy) (Covert sap that he was). It was fine, though. Jade was keeping it safe for him. (Something about tucking it away in her pocket or bag felt… dismissive. Like an out of sight, out of mind kinda thing) (She didn’t want him out of her mind, not when he was the reason for this mission). Plus, it was acting as her own fidget spinner right now, her thumb tracing the beads one by one (she kinda understood why catholics liked wearing those beaded necklaces) (they kinda cooked a little with that), making them click against the ones in her own, matching bracelet.  

There was no extra tangent to entertain herself with at this time. (She had run out of them in the 3-day drive) (And okay, it wasn’t even close to three days, but it sure felt like it) (It was rude to ask for another break to stretch her legs, especially when they were running against time). They were gonna save Owen. That was all Jade could focus on. (She had been across the country when Emilio was killed, but she could be here now) (She could help make it better now). She had zero doubts in her mind that Rosemary was gonna bring him back, and all Jade had to assist with was the takedown of a villain. (Two birds and all that) (It was better if she didn’t concern herself with the details of the switcheroo and the lines she was blurring, only the results).

And sure, Jade knew she was primed for the role of comic relief in a tense and quiet car drive. But she hadn’t done much talking, save for some chatting with Ishan, who was awesome to finally meet in person. He was a balm to soothe her worry, discussing music and the likes when the knot against her throat pressed a little tighter than usual. (She wasn’t gonna cry) (But who was she kidding? She was getting suckerpunched by flashbacks to that time she walked into a dark room to find out her best friend had died) (But this one was only temporary, she reminded herself). 

She smiled at the blurry pic of her kitties that Regan had just texted her (thumb print and all), when Rosemary’s voice demanded attention. Jade tilted her head up, pocketing her device. They were discussing the barebones attack plan. Which, to be fair, was way more of a plan than she usually had for anything, really. So she wasn’t gonna be the one to question it. (The part of her that had actually evolved over the past two years did wonder, if maybe they should have a beefier contingency plan) (But they were all powerful people who could handle themselves just fine) (And well, Ishan, whose looks alone were probably able to blind people) (So it should be totally okay, right?) 

They were gonna team up in duos to flank the house, yup. Perfect. When asked about pairings, Jade did a little bit of math. Rosemary, girlboss extraordinaire, death puppeteer, and many more epithets, was still very much human. She was still vulnerable, she still bled. Her instinct was to protect her. The MVP. They wouldn’t be able to get stuff done without her. And in turn, Ishan (who was human, as far as she knew) would have an equally strong sidekick by his side in Metzli. But then she thought of the reanimated bodies Rosemary had mentioned, and how that might turn out to be chaos if not addressed quickly. (Having a wandering mind didn’t mean she couldn’t pay attention) (Okay, yeah it did, but not with Owen’s life on the line). 

Metzli drafted her to their team before Jade made up her mind about which combination would be the smartest. She had no rebuttal, there was no time for that. (For all her alleged flaws, nobody could ever say she wasn’t a team player). She nodded, looking out the window (ignoring all the reasons why she was uncomfy joining forces with someone like Metzli, civil as their… whatever might have gotten.) “Sure, yup,” she just had to cross all her fingers so Metzli wouldn’t lose control at some point. Vampires were always liabilities anyway. Plus, the narrative obviously pointed at them getting puppetered against Rosemary at some point during this trip. (She was also crossing her fingers so TPTB didn’t get any funny ideas, but like… she wanted the record to show she called that if it did). 

Her smile turned more genuine when she glanced at Ishan, wiggling her eyebrows. “That means you’ll be meeting the mister. I hope he hates every second of it.” 

—

“Then it’s gonna be you and I, galah,” Ishan reached out to place his hand on Rosemary’s who seemed nothing like her normally chirpy self. Still, he greeted Jade’s comment with a snort, and contorted himself to take a look at Metzli too. Whatever was going on between the two couldn’t be an obstacle to Rosemary’s plan, and he was getting the bad feeling that there was going to be a problem here. “We’re all in this together,” he glanced back at the necromancer, a faded smile on his lips. 

But his eyes were laced with worry for the witch, because there was something vulnerable about entering her childhood home, being face to face with a man who seemed to share a lot more than blood with his daughter, and yet… Ishan doubted there was a single sliver of love to be found there. “Whatever happens in here, you can count on us Rose,” because if her father had failed to give her this much, the three people presently in the car with her, the three people who had agreed to join her in this mission, they all loved her, and they intended to show her this much now. 

After a moment, he let go of the woman’s hand with one final squeeze, looking through the windshield at the road ahead of them. None of them knew what awaited them, not entirely. None of them was certain how this all would go, but at the very least, he had the certainty of doing the right thing here. 

__

The second the witch opened her mouth, she could feel three pairs of eyes lock onto her. The sensation made her want to crawl out of her skin. She almost wished she hadn’t said anything at all, and had driven around the town in circles for another hour. Because then, the unforgiving weight of responsibility she’d been avoiding for the last seven hours wouldn’t have finally come to rest on her shoulders. She felt like she was going to be sick. Rosemary wasn’t a leader. She had no fucking idea what she was doing. This plan was entirely half baked, and these people… This beautiful, wonderful, insane group of fucking idiots who trusted her (for reasons she didn’t, at that moment, entirely understand) hadn’t even batted an eye when she had asked them to take a road trip from Maine to Connecticut, all to kidnap arguably one of the worst men alive who happened to also be her father, all so that she could murder him in order to save her friend. It was an insane plan, that could easily end with every single one of them getting killed, and she wouldn’t do Owen any fucking good if they all wound up dead in her childhood bedroom. But it was too late to back out now. Another mile down.

Rosemary was grateful when they all started talking amongst themselves, the burden of assigning teams removed from her to do list. Now all you have to do is kidnap a powerful necromancer on his home turf! Piece of cake! Ishan’s hand moved to cover hers where it held the steering wheel in a white-knuckle grasp. She let go of the wheel with her right hand to hold onto his a moment longer, taking comfort in the warmth of that small gesture, in the familiar cadence of Metzli’s voice, the ever defiant humor that Jade managed to bring to the darkest of situations. God, she loved these people. “Those teams sound good to me.” She nodded in agreement, mustering up a smile that didn’t even come close to meeting her eyes. “When we get there, I think you two should circle left, to the back. There’s a backdoor that leads into the kitchen. I don’t think this key will work, but it’s worth a go.” She fished into her pocket, reaching to hand the tiny piece of metal off to Jade. “If it doesn’t work, feel free to break and enter. Or look under the door mat for a spare. Once you’re in, try to quietly get rid of any ‘assistants’ that are out. If they have no pulse, and no consciousness, they’re fair game. There shouldn’t be anyone else there anyhow- he values his privacy. Make your way through, and meet us up front. Make your way through, and meet us up front…” She glanced back over to Ishan. “And you, poor unlucky man that you are, get the displeasure of meeting my father. Sorry in advance. He almost definitely won’t be meeting us at the door, so we’ll likely have to go looking.” Humor filtered across her expression for a fragment of a second. ”No one gets hurt more than I can easily fix, and I need him alive. Got it?” She glanced around to all of them, relieved her spiel was finally at an end. “We’ve got this, yeah?” Fucking hell, she hoped that was the truth.

It was another fifteen minutes before they were winding down the unkempt path that served as the driveway. The gentle thwack of branches as they clipped the side of her car was horribly familiar to her. It had barely been maintained over the years- just trimmed back enough that the Kanes could come and go, but the rest of the town wouldn’t dare unless they had a damn good reason to. Rosemary remembered the whispers she’d heard as a little girl. That the old house was haunted. That there was a monster that lived there. And she had to say, her schoolmates had been right on both counts, but not in the way they would have expected. It was haunted by a little girl and the expectations she’d never be able to meet. The monster that lived there didn’t have claws, or fangs, or glowing yellow eyes- he looked like any other man. But it was the way he’d put power and control over every other thing in his life that had made him a monster. The gnarled mess of tree branches and overgrown grass gave way to a sizable home, the grey-blue paint peeling off the eaves of the building. It looked exactly the same as it had when she’d last seen it fifteen years prior. “Okay,” She sighed out again, looking to Metzli and Jade. “You guys ready?”

—

“Alive.” Metzli said curtly, fist balling up as tightly as it would go before releasing the frustration. “Okay.” They didn't have to like Rosemary's request to adhere to it. A man as she had described deserved death, and though that end would come, Metzli didn't think it was soon enough. That was their heart lashing out, and though Eloy was long dead, they supposed some of his training would be of use. They had to separate their head and heart if everything was to go according to plan. 

“Cut through the back, break the lock, eliminate threats, and group in the ambush.” It was more of a mumble to themself, becoming a chant as the group winded down the driveway. 

It was strange. 

The house Rosemary had once called home came into view and nothing shifted in the vampire's core. A threat lay inside, and the surface of the building looked so…ordinary. Even the manor had a sinister air to it. But those panels of morning fog blue sent Rosemary into a tension that Metzli had never seen. Instinct demanded that they wrapped themself protectively around her, but they remained still, offering only a nod to her as the car came to a stop. 

Exiting the car, Metzli took stock of their weapons, counting each one methodically. If they were efficient, they'd only have to use three of the twelve, but more would add some fun. “Jade.” They called for her attention, pointing as they spoke. “Front or back?”

—

Despite the wretched vibes and context for this road trip, it hadn’t been all negative. Like, the snacks had been tasty, Ishan’s playlists were filled with bangers. But more importantly, Jade had gotten front row seats to Rose and Ishan’s little flirty thing. And as a certified lovergirl, she really appreciated it that they did this for her, gave her something else to focus on. (Even if it made her miss Regan ten times more). She watched their soft handholding, shooting Metzli a look that said, are you seeing this stuff? (Which, honestly? Kinda smoothed things over super fast) (At least on her end) (Cause nothing brought people together faster than third wheeling) (Or well, fourth wheeling, if she wanted to get all technical)

“Aye, aye!” Jade nodded, reaching for the key Rosemary handed to her, paying attention to the rest of the plan. She internalized all of it swiftly, deciding it sounded totally doable. All she and Metzli had to be mindful of was not taking too long before meeting them up front. (So they had to be super efficient about taking out those reanimated bodies) (Which was a concept she felt so chill and fine about that there was no point in mulling over, yup). She was the first to climb out of the car, with a bounce that was contradictory to the severity of the situation. (Adrenaline, mostly) (But also, she just had that natural pep to her step, you know?). She was ready for action, ready to clear that house of threats, ready to assist Rosemary, ready to get Owen back. She selected a couple of knives to conceal in her person, while her Bowie was holstered in the front of her belt. The rest was left in the bag that she flung over her shoulder. (Having previously put the bracelet inside too, for safekeeping).    

“See you soon,” she smiled at Ishan and Rosemary, giving them a friendly goodbye wave as the gang split. It was the last remnant of Jade, before she flipped the switch and went into slayer mode. She looked at Metzli, barely needing half a beat to answer their question. “Back,” She was way better at having people’s six than spearheading anything. Plus, Metzli’s height probably gave them some leverage. (They could probably spot how many bodies they were gonna deal with, since their line of sight was like, all the way up there).

They took the turn left and surrounded the house as Rosemary had instructed, steps silent until they made it to the infamous back door.  “Something is undead inside, for sure,” she mumbled. And before any doubters came for her, she could tell it was different from what it felt standing next to Metzli. She pulled out the key Rosemary had given her, and predictably struggled to insert it in the lock. But hold up, that had nothing to do with her inserting skills. (Which were lauded around the globe, by the way). The key just wasn’t it, just like Rosemary had assumed. She swept the doormat in search of a spare, but no luck. She glanced up at Metzli, a small flash of understanding passing. She didn’t like that they were gonna announce themselves but, “bring it down”.

—

“See you soon,” Ishan waved back at Jade in what looked a lot like a Mr Rogers impression, he realized, kind hearted smile and everything. He was well aware that this wasn’t something he did for Jade. He barely knew her, although he had decided that with music tastes like hers, he was definitely going to reach back to her at a later date. He still wasn’t sure about Metzli. So far he had been unable to get a good read of them, and though he picked on fast enough on the lack of heartbeat, Rosemary had told him a while ago of who he shouldn’t be eating, and they had made the cut. 

But yes, Rosemary. He was putting on a smile, and a face full of hope for her only. She was the one who needed it the most, despite being the one who instigated all this. She had the most to lose, and whatever happened, she would lose something, no matter what she decided to tell herself. 

He didn’t hold his own parents in high esteem either. And he still hadn’t known her long enough to pretend he knew her through and through but… there was something more sinister about what they were doing here than this place could ever manage to convey. With the pair gone to find the door at the back of the house, he reached out again, to find her hand, pulling her closer to him to hold it against his beating heart. “If things get too much in there, you look at me, because I’ll be looking at you. I’ll be looking out for you. I’ll be here.” He pressed a kiss to her hand then. “Four of us. We’re gonna get that bastard.” 

The siren let go of her hand, to let his palm rest against her cheek for a moment. “We’re gonna get him, yeah? Repeat those words, Rose.” Because he couldn’t say that it was gonna be okay, he couldn’t make any promises here, but he could be warmth and comfort, and he could destroy everything that stood in her way if she asked him to. A tool. An instrument to her success. 

“Now you say when.” 

__

“Alive, and not actively bleeding out.” She specified. Rosemary had watched Metzli rip someone’s head clean off their shoulders. The clarification probably wasn’t needed, but the witch knew her friend well enough to know they were more than ready to pay back the debt they felt they owed to her. Her stomach soured at the thought that she’d never planned on calling those favors in. 

She gave her friends a tight lipped smile and a sharp nod as Jade and Metzli slipped out of her car into the night, even as the organ that pounded behind her sternum screamed in protest. Rosemary was not a gambling woman. So, why bring three people along with her? Three people, that if anything happened to them as well, she’d be devastated. She knew she’d been thinking strategically when she’d patched this little plan together. That four people with a unified plan stood a better chance of successfully completing the job and making it to the ‘win’ condition than she stood by herself. But despite that rationality, she still feared the potential for loss. As willing as she was to run the risk of a spell backfiring and taking her out in a blaze of glory, she was not willing to let her own father keep taking people from her, in his organized attempts to have her killed. The witch knew she had to pack all this away in her mind- save it for when the fighting was over. But watching them disappear in the dark had her heart trying to break free of her chest. 

Ishan was still there, though. He brought her hand to rest on his chest, and she forced herself to focus on the steady thump-thump of his heart, and tried to coerce her own to mimic the rhythm. Rosemary still wasn’t quite sure what she’d done to deserve this- him. She owed the universe an unpayable debt of gratitude, she supposed. He was being so damned gentle with her, she could have cried. Instead, she just let the confidence in his tone bolster her own. Rosemary leaned into the caress of his hand on her face, turning to kiss his palm before leaning back into the touch and focusing on him. “We’re gonna get him.” She echoed. Leaning across the center console, she pulled him into a kiss that was infinitely shorter than she ever would have liked, before turning the car off and putting her hand on the door. “Let’s go.”

Dim light from the inside of the house was all the evidence she needed that her father was home. That, and the sparklingly clean Aston Martin parked closer to the house. The man may not have given a damn about the appearance of his home, but he liked his luxuries. She bristled, even as she grabbed hold of Ishan’s hand as they walked up the stairs to the door. It would probably be locked- which was fine. Even if Rosemary didn’t know all the usual hiding spots for spare keys, she’d grown up there. She knew how to sneak in, and out of this old house better than anyone. If it came down to it, she was willing to bet she could still shimmy open the dining room window.

But it didn’t come down to that. No sooner had her hand rested atop the door handle, than the door was swinging open from the inside. An austere looking older man in an expensive looking grey suit stood there, his mouth set into a thin line of distaste at the scene before him. Blue eyes nearly identical to Rosemary’s watched the couple, an eyebrow ticking up slightly, as though to say well? “Are you going to come inside, or are you going to waste my time gaping like a fish on my doorstep all evening?” Benedict asked, already turning to walk away. The house was as grim as she remembered. It could have been beautiful, if he’d ever bothered to decorate it. But he’d stripped the house of all its charm after her mother’s passing, leaving it just as severe as its owner. “We just came for some of my things.” She managed, stepping into the entryway. She heard creaking from deeper in the house, presumably a reanimated corpse shuffling over the old parquette floors. She glanced past the old man, toward the hall that led down to the kitchen. No sign of the others yet.

__

Before parting with Jade, Metzli stole a minute-just one, so they could give Rosemary a piece of affection. Ishan would see her through the rest, and they were confident she would be okay, but they needed to quell whatever anxieties they both had as best they could. “Hey,” Metzli said, hand hovering over Rosemary's left shoulder. 

“I know.” They said it with a knowing raise of their brows and an inquisitive lean in. Smoothing their hand over to the back of her hair, Metzli pulled her gently toward them for a kiss to the top of her head and a soft whisper. “He couldn't get you before and he won't know. You're too strong, okay? I love you.” 

They didn't linger afterwards, too pressed for time to offer more. Jade was off and they followed quickly, taking the lead after a few large strides until they found the entrance they were supposed to get through. The key was unsuccessful, and the spare was nowhere to be found because of course it was. Jade suggested a boisterous entrance, but Metzli couldn't think of a worse idea. 

“No.” They shook their head, sure that Rosemary and Ishan were already inside. “Let's try this.” They retrieved one of their knives with a curve to it and jammed it into the rosette and mounting plate. With one powerful pull, they yanked the deadlock from the door and did the same to the doorknob immediately after. The sound was minimal, and the door creaked slowly open to reveal a corpse shambling around the entryway. Metzli didn't hesitate to hook their fingers into its jugular and shove it to the ground behind them for Jade to finish off while they peered around the corner. 

“Seven total.” They notified Jade, scanning a few times more to confirm the tally. “Two in the northeast, four in the west, and…” Metzli took out another knife and sent it careening into the final corpse's head. It slammed it into the adjacent wall, head now attached to the wall and immobilizing it. “The final one is down. Your call for the others.”

—

Jade nodded while Metzli decided to take care of the lock, and in the meantime, she let her eyes wander around the periphery of the house. She knew she wasn’t like, an exact radar, but obviously it didn’t hurt to see if her Spidey sense picked up on external threats. Cause, imagine how bad it would be for them if the guy had reinforcements ready to jump at them stored in, like, the tool shed or something. For now, whatever seemed to be pinging hard and loud for Jade pointed toward the confines of the big ol’ fancy house they were about to enter. (For now might be the keyword here) (She just never knew when the showrunners would test them with a plot twist).

She did notice an interesting number of cars parked around the area, though. But also, she was noticing cars a lot more just… by default, so what was abnormal anyway? (She always had cars in her mind lately, since she was considering buying one and all). But who knew what to count as sus and what to count as just your old, rich guy dick measuring with his neighbors? Not her, this was way beyond her economic status. (It did spark tons of questions about Rose’s childhood) (But for the sake of screentime, she was gonna have to cut them short). 

The metallic sound of Metzli finally prying the deadlock redirected Jade’s focus back to the house. They slipped inside quietly, Metzli getting a hold of the first body who stumbled their way. They left the unfinished kill on the floor, making incoherent noises (echoes of words the person who once owned that body might have said at some point), while they ventured farther for recon. She kneeled, drew her knife, smacked the hand trying to creep near her shoulder, and finished him off.

Jade bounced back to her feet, just in time to be briefed on the total tally of corpses they had yet to face. She blinked up at Metzli, but stopped herself from asking for clarification. “Seven. Gotcha,” did they expect her to understand what northeast was? Wasn’t it shorter to say left and right and ahead and behind? Even the typical clock positioning system worked for her. Like, what was north inside a house, anyway? (The navigational language did make her think fondly of Henri, though, who had attempted with moderate success to wire some of those concepts into her directionally challenged brain).

But it was fine, she and Metzli were not gonna become a well-oiled machine in a day. As long as said machine delivered what Rosemary needed from them, it could withstand a few bumps. “Nice,” Jade nodded as Metzli’s knife travelled in the air and ended up pinning another of the corpses (she did think her accuracy would’ve been better, but alas, they were not doing this for fun competition) (someday, though, down the line). “We do what Rosemary said, clear the way. All of them,” before Mr. Evil Face, the inventor of daddy issues, requested them for the inevitable puppet show.  

The two bodies that were supposed to be in… that direction Metzli said (yup), came swaying and stumbling toward the kitchen island. They appeared as locked in as two bodies with no conscience or feelings could be, ready to become a nuisance for the intruders. Jade stepped forward, finding their erratic gait and slow movements easy to handle without breaking a sweat. (Which was nice, considering her bicep was Gucci now, sure, but she was trying to adhere to her favorite doctor’s orders of moderate strength exercise for as long as possible). It was light work. Another head rolled to the ground, and she turned to the second sluggish opp coming her way. 

They weren’t counting on a third one to come out of nowhere, or not nowhere, but that other direction, walking a bit springier than the rest of its buddies. And while she and Metzli had this under control, they did lack the number of hands and fingers to wrangle all of them at the same time. It resulted in the more agile figure bypassing the trajectory that the rest were taking.  

Going rogue, it marched toward the cabinets, but its poor motor skills were still poor, and one of the bodies on the ground became too much of a challenge for them. The corpse tripped over it, toppled to the ground. And it could’ve ended at that… except it didn’t. The corpse knocked over the fancy steel garbage can, which clattered and spilled all its contents. 

Jade, who had just finished decapitating the body under her grasp, whipped her head toward the source of the sound, holding her breath. She was pretty sure that had been a few more decibels than their “sneaking through the back door” plan allowed. But maybe it wasn’t all lost. Surely, these reanimated corpses bumped into things all the time, right? Not worth coming over to check.

Underneath the kitchen floor, there was rumbling. 

—

As they approached the front door, Ishan had taken a glance at the car parked there not because he particularly was impressed with it, but because it was the exact sort of thing his own parents could have owned. Something to put on a show, something he found absolutely performative because, realistically, how many of these fast car owners knew how to maneuver them at a high speed ? Absolutely none, safe for the occasional race driver. 

Either way, he found it telling of a person’s personality. 

And so the siren gave the woman’s hand a squeeze of encouragement, one that couldn't possibly have prepared her for the man welcoming them at the front door. 

So this was her father ? Who the fuck wore a suit indoors ? If Ishan had known, he’d have picked something a bit more polished than his worn out Solovairs and his relaxed fit. 

Because of course, he had remained characteristically calm the entirety of their road trip, and that barely changed now. 

Getting his free hand out of his pocket (because God it was freezing out there), he looked down at Rosemary to offer that she walked in first, and followed behind, once again taking a moment to look around the place. Ishan found he didn't have a single nice thing to say about the room and stayed quiet a while more. Picking at a non-existent piece of lint on his black jumper, Ishan waited a bit more, letting the silence settle uncomfortably, all while a small smile tugged at his lips as he crossed Rosemary’s gaze. With a small nod of comfort, he finally spoke. “We won't be long. Two pairs of arms and she promised we were not going to add too much clutter to the clutter we already own,” every word was a lie, but dripped with the sort of endearment you’d find in the voice of those who teased their partner to show their affection. 

The floor creaked above them, and at that, the siren’s eyebrow curled in surprise. From what he understood, Rosemary’s father lived here alone, with his court of unfortunate corpses. “If you have company, we definitely don't want to impose for too long,” he added, doing his best to sell the part of a polite gentleman to the dreaded man.

—

Ishan’s easy lies had a sliver of an actual smile inching across her face. The witch rolled her eyes affectionately, squeezing his hand twice in an attempt to thank him. “Baby, I told you, there’s barely a full box of my things left here. This hasn’t been my home for years.” Rosemary didn’t even have to lie. The house she’d grown up in had barely ever felt like home, and when she’d left after college, she’d taken everything she could stuff into her shitty old car at the time. “Some of my mom’s old records and cassettes, and some cook books I bought back in highschool. It’ll all fit in the trunk, I promise.” Benedict was staring, his gaze fixated not on his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in years, but on Ishan. Rosemary could see the quiet calculation running through his eyes. This was a variable. Rosemary knew exactly what her father was trying to parse out. How much of a hindrance would the stranger in his house prove to be to his end goal? Could he simply do away with both of them? Was he a caster, or just some uninteresting human the girl was attached to? Whatever Benedict saw in Ishan, it apparently wasn’t a threat. His expression became as dismissive as it ever had been. 

The creak that came from upstairs had Rosemary pausing. Her free hand slipped into her pocket, and she reached out with her senses, trying to see if there were any threads she could tug on upstairs. On the ground floor there were a few- maybe three? Below it seemed like there were more, but upstairs… the witch came up empty. There was the off chance it was nothing- it was an old house, after all. Old houses creaked and groaned. But something about the situation had her on edge. “If you didn’t want to impose, you wouldn’t have come at all.” She heard her father say, every word dripping in distaste. The witch swallowed down the desire to stab her father for being rude. She’d apologize on his behalf once he was in her trunk. “You’d still consider it imposing even if we’d called.” She said back, her tone a reflection of her father’s cold indifference. Rosemary loathed how well she could replicate it. “Your things are in the basement. Your room was converted to an office years ago.” His gaze flicked momentarily to the top of the stares. The witch followed his gaze but saw… nothing. The sensation that a trap was dangling over them grew stronger. “I’m sure you and your,” he paused, searching for whichever word that would be least distasteful to him. “Friend” he supplied with a smile full of sharks teeth “can find the way.” He said ever so politely as he gestured down the hall. 

Rosemary was reluctant to turn her back to him, but she knew Ishan wouldn’t let him stick a knife into it. She took two steps forward when she heard another creak from the top of the stairs. She whipped her head to the side just in time to see her Uncle Arthur, fingers curled around water and icy blue strands of magic. Her Uncle Arthur. Whose son had been killed in his attempt to murder her only days prior. “Shit-“ she hissed, jumping back as jagged shards of ice whizzed past and embedded themselves in the ground where she was standing seconds before. Rosemary reached out at the same moment as her father, and grabbed onto the first threads she found, and yanked a corpse to her. Time to get this over with. 

—

The contents of the garbage can scattered and Metzli let out an annoyed groan and narrowed their eyes at Jade, snapping off the head of a corpse. They were surprised to find she wasn't the source of the loud announcement of their presence, but also relieved. She deserved more faith than that, and as they reached another body and took care of it, they felt the rumble and inhaled. More corpses. 

“Incoming.” They warned, rushing to Jade's side. “There is no sneaking now, I don't think.” And very few options. The two of them could make a break for it and still ambush Rosemary's father with their strength. Even if he got ahold of Metzli, he couldn't control Jade and she was more than capable of handling the vampire. Clicking their tongue, they took out another knife and said, “I'll stay here and handle them so he has no backup. You go help them.” It was the most logical option. 

___

The siren only had seen a spellcaster at work once, and that had been when he found Rosemary at the cemetery, or when she made a point of stirring her coffee cup from a distance. To see someone else taking control of magic, using it against her? That felt foreign and the siren felt his heart skip a beat as he watched the icy daggers fly across the room, shards of glass sticking out of the wooden floor as they landed on it. 

“You’re so vain,” he spat out. A warning that only Rosemary could recognize. The song he had played weeks ago, when she had teased him at work with private photos of herself, and the only song she had ever heard him sing through the waves. 

This, he regretted. He would never be able to sing to her. But today, he’d sing for her. 

It was not the plan. But she was in immediate danger. Her father’s rictus, if it was anything to go by, revelled in what Ishan would have qualified as an atrocious spectacle. He would have liked to stride across the room and tear his heart out right this instant. Instead, the siren’s song filled the room, and stopped the sorcerer atop the stairway in his frozen frenzy. He walked up those steps, decided to get them rid of that one, and placing his palm against the man's chest, he turned to look at her. “You say the word, galah.” 

__

Her fingers found one of the myriad tangled threads that floated through the old house like cobwebs, and it was only moments before a figure with matted wisps of greying hair, and eyes the color of sour milk was in front of her- a veritable inhuman shield. One that arrived just in time, as another corpse screeched and scuttled up past her father, lunging toward them. Rosemary flicked her wrist, sending the corpse she’d summoned to crash into the other in a frenzy of mindless limbs. “Couldn’t just kill me yourself?” She spat at her father. There was a glint in his eye that said now, he just might. Wide eyes swiveled to the siren beside her. It was a nonsense sentence to everyone in the room but her. She didn’t have time to ask questions. Not when the screech of another corpse came echoing down the hall as one slammed into the wall as it turned a corner, and she could see the glint of metal in the Kane patriarch’s hand. More ice whizzed by, and the witch clapped her hands over her ears tight, blocking out the sound of Ishan’s voice. 

Rosemary had never seen the power of Ishan’s voice at work. She’d read about it- translated passages of the Odyssey that had warriors tying themselves to the mast of ships in order to hold back from flinging themselves into the ocean from the power and beauty of the siren’s song. But watching it work was a different thing altogether. She wished she had the time to be fascinated by it. One moment her father was stepping toward her, and the next he stood there with a vacant expression on his face, his eyes following Ishan as he climbed the stairs to stand beside Benedict’s brother, who watched with the same rapt attention. Arthur’s hands had stilled, the flurry of snow fluttering down as the spell dissipated, water melting back to ice. She had to think fast. Palms still pressed against her ears, she curled her fingers into claws. The corpse she controlled reached out and grabbed the charging one by the ankle, sending the reanimated woman crashing to the ground with another shriek. She looked back at Ishan, standing with his hand pressed to her uncle’s chest just above his heart. She imagined the spell would break once her Uncle’s heart stopped beating. She hurried around behind the necromancer, hoping that in his stupor, it would take a moment for him to realize where she’d run off to.  Sedate Benedict. Deal with the undead. Home. Rosemary nodded. “Do it.”

__

The room had stilled with the woven threads of Rosemary’s magic taking over her uncle’s, but with her father falling under Ishan’s spell, untethered corpses stopped being so obedient. And in this form, Ishan knew he wouldn't be able to do much. Maybe, it would make sense, after all this, to walk around with a knife. A much more sensible reaction, to the human eye, than what he would favor today.

There was a flutter, and feathers began to crawl beneath Ishan’s skin, gradually yet rapidly covering him from his neck, down to his knees. Bones shifted, the man’s own brand of magic allowing for a beak to protrude where his nose stood a mere second ago. The man who faced him did not seem scared by the sudden transformation. Definitely related to Rosemary, he thought, pushing the older man to the floor before he decided to do something about the feathered mythological creature in the room. 

They didn't have time for verbose prose. It was over in a guttural shriek, and shock was permanently etched on the dead man’s face. A heart bathed in brighter, vivid colors. Foreign. Alive. Still. Coating his feathers faster than ichor ever would. The spectacle disturbed him, and he fought the urge to throw the organ away. At first. 

—

Normally, since she was a total team work makes the dream work believer, Jade would’ve stayed behind and fought alongside Metzli to take down the rest of the bodies. But she was urged to leave, reminded that the real objective was in the front. So she slipped past the kitchen, confident that a few bumbling reanimated corpses would be no match for a killing machine like Metzli. The gang would all be reunited soon to tackle the final boss. 

She stepped carefully down the hallway, gaze darting around the three different paths she had. (Rich people and their big houses, ugh). Before deciding if A, B or C was the way to go, another corpse came out of nowhere, so suddenly that her Spidey Sense detected them a beat before she felt their hands on her. But it was a beat long enough to be ready for the incoming. Jade pinned the body to the wall, sliced what there was to slice, and let the now unmoving threat drop to the floor. (Maybe if all undead acted like reanimated corpses, she would be the GOAT) (Maybe that should be her new focus).  

Then came a piercing shriek that traveled unfiltered to Jade’s ears. Not only did her heart jump to her throat in alarm (cause who was that, and what did it mean for her friends?) (And wait, was the plan a bust?), she was also saved from inadvertently taking a wrong turn and getting lost before reaching Papa Kane. She rushed in the direction of the sound, forgetting to conceal her moves at this point, cause if people were shrinking in horror, then all bets were off. Better jump into action. 

Once she finally made it to the room where it was all happening, Jade halted, eyes trained to look where lives were in danger. Except this time, what she zeroed in on was a creature at the top of the stairs, a body underneath it. (Not a reanimated corpse, that she was positive of) (His shriek echoed in her head). Jade blinked at the sight, knowing they were in a time crunch, so she couldn’t exactly look too surprised. But she was. Totally surprised. Cause there was a dead person here. An actual, freshly dead person. And she thought humans would’ve been spared in all of this (save for the one Rosemary needed for the switcheroo).

She had to speedrun this conundrum. Jade signed up for this, she knew things could go sideways, and they had, apparently. Cause there was a body. And a heart. (And a bird, with no Ishan to account for. So…math). And that was… collateral. If it all went according to plan, after this, Owen would be with them. And that mattered more, obviously. Two lives in exchange for one (more important, more valuable, more significant to her) (Right? It was okay in that case) (She would really love it if the loud dissonant chord could stop smashing in her head, thank you). 

Stop it. She was not gonna be the one to gonna bring the mood down with moral questions (nobody cared about her sanctioned quota of disposable humans), Jade was gonna be a big girl and suck it up, repress all that stuff until it was relevant. You know, the adult way. Like, everybody here had done questionable things. (Rosemary played with the dead like they were puppets) (Metzli had killed countless humans) (Her own undead kill count was prolific (by human, not slayer standards)) (Ishan, worst of all obviously, was a bird) (She shuddered). And they weren’t all black and white evil either. (Rosemary could heal through her magic, Metzli protected their own, Ishan…Eggs?) (No, right? But could…he? Was this magical or biological?) 

Jade pumped the brakes on that tangent, tempting as it was to go deeper. She locked eyes with Rosemary, who was surrounding the man of the hour. They had this. She reached for the corpse closest to her, plunging the knife right in between the eyebrows. The thing stopped moving. She proceeded to do the same with the one stumbling toward her. Thinning the herd until they outnumbered him.  

She heard familiar footsteps coming from the hallway behind her. She didn’t turn to look, but she really hoped, maybe for the first time ever, that it was Metzli getting back in the action. 

—

To Metzli’s relief, Jade acquiesced, leaving them to take care of the small swarm. It wasn’t about power at that point. Just numbers that needed herding to prevent anything from going awry. So when the corpses shambled in a haphazard chorus, Metzli met them with bloodshed and finished them off one by one in record time. 

Satisfied with the result, they swiveled on their heel to find their way to their friends and slammed straight into a corpse with a harsh sting. Metzli grumbled and smashed its head into the wall, sprinting down several hallways and not noticing the knife protruding from their stomach. It took more time than they would have liked, but they finally made it to the room Rosemary needed them in. Jade had made it in time too, it seemed.

Not wasting a moment, the vampire growled, “Get him,” before storming forward to prevent Benedict from using his magic. The man reacted as naturally as anyone would. Survival instincts and all. But his could have a particular effect on Metzli, leaving them with little choice than to use the one and only fitting thing that took control of death so vainly that he would take out his own daughter, and their best friend. 

“You do not want to move,” the vampire cooed, eyes locked with Benedict’s. His body relaxed under the hum of the compulsion, jaw slightly agape when the signal fully clicked. “I do not want to move,” he droned. Relieved, Metzli took a step back and felt another sting. They looked down to discover a knife gripped in Benedict’s hand, and since he didn’t want to move, there it remained. Quickly, Metzli snatched it away and hid it so as to not worry Rosemary, who they only just then noticed was with Ishan…in bird form. 

___

“Three hundred years of legacy are not going to be ruined by a fucking brat who couldn’t take no for an answer.” Benedict spat out once he came to his senses. The man curled his hand, the movement not unlike a puppeteer making his marionettes take the stage. Rosemary felt the strain on the threads as they were plucked from her fingers, one by one, from an unseen source. The corpse that had been under her control moments before was now under her fathers. Great. And he still had a knife. Any hopes the witch had previously held onto of this being a simple task had long since gone out the window. The witch stumbled back, tripping over a disembodied hand as it scuttled around, grabbing hold of her ankle. The woman let out a string of frustrated curses as she reached out, tangling her fingers around the magic that buzzed in little strings on one of the other two corpses’, and sent it careening into the body he controlled. Rosemary shook the hand on her ankle loose, and the disembodied limb went soaring across the room, landing on the floor and scuttling away just before Jade skidded into the room. The witch grinned despite herself. “Welcome to the party.” She called over as Jade’s knife met a corpse’s skull with a crunch. 

Benedict was moving toward her again, and she needed to move. The witch snatched the vial and syringe from her pocket. She just needed them to buy her a moment. There was a flurry of movement, and Metzli was standing between them, buying Rosemary the precious seconds she needed. She’d stolen the sedative - haloperi-something-or-other - from the medical supply at work. If it ever came down to it, she hoped she could talk her way out of the missing sedative. But hopefully they’d think the invoice had simply been wrong. She hastily measured out the dosage and moved around Metzli to administer the drug. Metzli’s compulsion worked well, and moments later the sedative was flowing through Benedict Kane’s blood stream. Her eyes shifted to Metzli. “It takes a few to work- can you hold it?” The witch looked around, exhaustion beginning to color her voice as the immediate threats were dealt with. “Everyone alright?” She asked, taking control of one of the last remaining corpses and having it sit peacefully on the ground. 

—

When Rosemary approached, Metzli's eyes remained trained on Benedict's. The compulsion would hold with or without eye contact now, but they needed to look into him. To see if the evil permeated from his eyes as it did Eloy. Whether or not it did was to remain a question, however. The sedative had been administered and Metzli moved around to give Rosemary a once-over. “It will hold,” They replied with a swallow, relieved that the witch appeared unharmed. “Are you okay, Rosita?” Metzli's eyes softened, hand remaining at their side despite how they wanted to pull her close. She wasn't Kabil, and she wasn't ash on a burning floor. 

___

The heart hit the ground with a wet sound, and stepping out of the pool of blood building around him, the siren made a point to look away from it. He knew what happened when a siren saw this much blood. Rather, he knew what he was supposed to feel upon seeing this much blood. He should have been drawn to this, frenzied by the sight but as it happened when he had been just a child, it happened again now. 

The man’s appearance swiftly returned to the one Jade and Metzli had grown accustomed to on their way here, one that he assumed would be questioned on the ride back to Maine, but for now, none of the questions they could ask (and he had a good idea of what they’d be) could concern him more than Rosemary’s well being. His gaze softened at Metzli’s question, and he put a (clean) hand to the small of Rose’s back, if only to reassure her until they made it back to the car. 

His eyes lingered on the other two, because he’d seen Metzli’s strength, and the dexterity with which Jade had landed a knife into a moving corpse’s skull like it was nothing. He wouldn’t ask. Nothing was more valuable than privacy. 

“Well done, team.” He finally commented, his tone even in spite of the mayhem surrounding them. 

—

For a group that was arranged in like, four days and had zero previous team bonding activities, they worked in a decent tandem. (Good enough so that that one Benny Hill song didn’t have to play in the background while they scrambled around trying to sedate big Ben). Like, point in case, Metzli bursting into the scene to compel the old guy with immaculate timing, and giving Rosemary some precious seconds to get her syringe ready to poke. 

Jade tossed the corpse she’d just finished off to the side with the first one, deciding to leave the third body that Rosemary had just sat on the ground untouched. There was no point in it, not when Rosemary’s dad was incapacitated from using them to his will. Instead, her attention drifted to the body bleeding out on top of the stairs. Of course. (Had he been evil, too?) (Probably) (And then there was the sound of his heart) (Wet in all the wrong ways). She glanced at the body a few more times while she shuffled around the room, ears peeled in case they got interrupted by more untethered corpses. 

But Metzli and Rosemary seemed to have it all under control now. Her father was restrained, and Rosemary had already stung him with the sleeping liquid. Which meant that in a matter of minutes, he would be ready to…go gently and get tossed in the trunk of the car. (Wow, they were really kidnapping a guy, huh?).

As for the rest of the house? Jade wasn’t sure what the plan was, but personally? She was ready to skedaddle as soon as possible. She didn’t want a third person showing up to catch them immobilizing a powerful man. Or, even worse, she didn’t wanna stick around to see if this dude had put some safety measures in place just in case someone tried to kill him or take him against his will. (Yup, she was worried about that, for sure) (Not about more human blood being spilled, that was… pft).  

She didn’t look at Ishan directly, only from her peripheral vision as he walked toward them, until he shed his feather suit and returned to his familiar dashing looks. (She had so many questions, but.. Time and place). And aw, even sweeter than the taste of victory, was the lovebirds reuniting in the center of the room (hm, probably a little too on the nose as far as pet names went, in this case). Jade did smile in relief at that, cause well… she loved love. It was powerful enough for her to ignore what there was to ignore and focus on what there was to focus on. A successful (for now) (not jinxing it!) mission. (Everybody knock on wood, now.)The key to bringing Owen back was secured. Owen. 

Owen. This was all worth it if she got to see him snark at her again. (She refused to entertain a reality where this didn’t work).

She felt some of the same emotional exhaustion in Rosemary’s voice, but her smile still held. Jade offered a thumbs up, glancing at the other three. “All good on my end,” her eyes stayed on Metzli, who was carrying a knife in their abdomen all nonchalantly. It was fine, they would take care of it in the car. (She’d packed Regan’s first aid kit).

A few minutes later, that somehow dragged but also lapsed so fast at the same time (while everybody reeled from events), the Kane patriarch was fully and well conked out. “Alright, can we go now?” She spun around, intent on marching toward the entrance of the house. 

—

Rosemary hurried to shove a hand into Benedict’s pocket and she fished out his phone. The stupidly vacant expression on his face worked to unlock the device, and she fired off a quick message to his assistant, Angie. It was easy enough to fake it. Familial emergency up in Maine. He’d be back in two week’s time. Clear his schedule, and take messages from anyone attempting to reach him. Two weeks would give the witch enough time to come back and cover her tracks. The town would sweep the mysterious disappearance of Benedict Kane under the rug the same way it did every other inexplicable death or disappearance that occurred there. They’d blame it on an animal attack, or that they’d simply gotten lost in the woods. And by the time they were looking for him, Rosemary would have disposed of him, and come back to burn the nightmare house they currently stood in to the ground. 

Rosemary looked up at the sound of Metzli’s question and blinked. Was she okay? It felt like a trick question.  She hadn’t been okay in several days. In less than a week, she’d been stabbed, found out her own family had hired one of her dearest friends to murder her, and said friend had died in the process of saving her life. She had a cajun alligator man that blamed her for everything, but who was entertaining her delusions that she could bring the man he also cared for back. And on top of it all off, she’d lit a match and burned down the bridge to another friendship by insisting that this was the necessary course of action. And now she would be driving across state lines with her father sedated and duct taped into submission in the trunk of her car. She was the furthest thing from okay. She was exhausted, and angry, and heartbroken, and terrified, and a whole other rats nest of emotions that she simply did not have time to deal with. She felt a hand settle on the small of her back, and Rosemary forced herself to breathe. The woman leaned back against the siren, and managed a small smile. “Just fine.”

She took a moment to actually assess everyone's well being. Ishan seemed fine, aside from the uncharacteristically bright red blood that coated one of his hands. Jade seemed eager to leave, and Metzli seemed fine, despite the knife protruding from their abdomen. Rosemary swallowed down the wave of deja vu that threatened to overtake her at the sight. Her father crumpling to the ground served as a good enough distraction. Her fingers reached for the pendant that dangled around her neck, and she rubbed it between her fingers. “Yeah. We’re good to go. He’s down for four hours on the short end, so we’ll need to make a pit stop at some point to keep him under, and I bought myself a few weeks to come back and clean this mess up… I-” She paused, pulling her lower lip between her teeth as she tried to find the right words. “I really cannot thank you all enough. Genuinely. I-” If she kept talking she was going to cry. The witch closed her mouth and cleared her throat gently. “Okay, I’m going to try and get him into my trunk, but if anyone wants to wash up, or get themselves unstabbed, now’s the time. We’re out of here in ten.”

—

Well, it appeared their jacket didn't hide the knife well enough. No matter. Metzli pulled it out of their stomach and tossed it behind them without much care. Rosemary needed to focus. Her lie made that abundantly clear. The trauma would tear her apart later, after Owen was alive again. Only then would she allow herself that grace, much to Metzli's chagrin. 

“I'll carry him.” They said, plainly. Benedict was already swaying, the drowsiness setting in and defying the compulsion completely. Not that they needed it anymore. “I've got it, cariña.” Metzli spoke softly, finally managing to close the distance between them and Rosemary. 

They ruffled her hair lovingly, half-amused when they moved to grab Benedict by the belt just as he began to fall forward. Thanks to their height, Metzli was able to hold the man far enough above the ground for only the tips of his feet and fingers to drag as they walked to the car. It didn't take long for the sedation to finish running its course after that, but Metzli hoped Benedict would feel a headache from them ‘accidentally’ bumping his head on the tail light as they tossed him into the trunk.  

“I'll drive us home.” 

__

Of course he had caught the way Jade looked, or rather tried not to look at him. He had also noticed that Metzli didn't seem to care at all about the aviary nature of Rosemary's designated lovebird, then they also didn't concern themselves with the knife sticking out of their body, so Ishan was unsure whether that meant anything at all. 

Surviving instinct be damned (he didn't particularly enjoy showing himself to so many), it would all be worth it in the end, because it mattered to Rosemary, and he chose to believe her friends too wanted the best for her. This was all tragic, and absolutely traumatic. It was the best for her. They had to believe that, because she seemed to believe it too. 

Saving Owen, that would be worth it. Ultimately, this would make her safer too, and that was all that mattered to him. He chose to believe that. 

Before they sat in the backseat, he took a moment to rinse off his hand, and folded his coat in his lap to give her something comfortable to lay her head on. It wouldn't be so bad, he figured, to just wake up in Wicked’s Rest in a few hours.

—-

She bit down the instinct to fight to do it herself. She’d done everything by herself for about thirty-one years. Rosemary could just barely remember a time where she hadn’t had to. She could see the ghost of her former self from the corner of her eye, sitting on the steps with her ruffle socks and her braided pigtails, watching as her mother knelt down to teach her how to tie her shoes. This was the last place she’d ever allowed anyone else to look after her. Maybe it was right that coming back to this place forced her to accept help that she hadn’t explicitly asked for. To let people she’d help without a second thought help her in return. She didn’t have to be perfectly self-sufficient. She didn’t have to do everything on her own. 

So when Metzli began dragging the unconscious man to her car, Rosemary didn’t try to stop them to do it herself. When Jade and Metzli took the front seats, she didn’t protest that she should be the one to drive the eight hours home. She didn’t try to insist that Ishan keep his coat in case he got cold as he folded it into a pillow for her. She shifted closer to the siren in the back seat, curling up to rest her head on his lap. 

It was difficult to pull her mind off it’s dark and dizzy merry-go-round. The ice embedded in the floor where she’d been standing, her father unconscious and bound in the trunk, the look of disgust on Eve’s face, Wyatt holding Owen in the snow, the knife in her shoulder, the sound of her own screaming, the light leaving Owen’s eyes-