Bat Country

"Calm the fuck down before he starts wondering why you were all panicked when we get there." Brian told Alexis as he shook out his pants and put them on, one leg at a time.

"And I have every right to be panicked because of him!" Alexis hissed, grabbing all her clothes and putting them on as quickly as possible.

Brian watched her for a moment in silence, holding his shirt in his hands.

"Alexis, he won't hurt you again." He finally said quietly.

"That's right he won't!" Alexis said flustered, putting her shoes on.

While she waited for Brian to finish, she began to pace and run her fingers through her wild hair.

"You need to relax." Brian said after putting his shoes on. Walking up to Alexis he put a hand on either side of her head and smoothed down her hair.

"Easy for you to say." Alexis grumbled and crossed her arms.

"No, it really isn't." Brian sighed. "Are you ready?"

"As I will ever be." Alexis said, uncrossing her arms and bolting off with Brian close behind.

They were quite a ways away from the nest so it took them awhile to make it back. Alexis was also in no hurry and refused to get there without Brian so she kept a close pace to him instead of running full speed.

"I hate when he does that shit!" Alexis groaned, tripping up a little and growling as she propelled herself off the ground again.

"Did he just call you?" Brian asked.

"Yes." Alexis looked back slightly. "Did he call you?"

"He tried."

"I'm coming! Stop doing that!" Alexis screamed.

Brian wondered why Matt kept calling Alexis so frequently and finally the third time, Alexis growled and ran full speed back to the nest just to get that tug to go away.

When Brian finally caught up to her at the entrance to the nest, she was shifting nervously.

"You go first." Alexis told him, without looking up, eyeing the hatch as if it would kill her.

Brian watched her and walked to the hatch. Lifting it up, he kept his eyes on Alexis as he climbed down into it.

Alexis took a deep breath and went in after him, going down each step hesitantly until she hit the floor and turned around.

When she saw Matt she gasped sharply. He still looked very sick and very weak. He was sitting on the couch, staring at her intensely while everyone else stood on the sides and behind the couch, watching her just as closely as Matt was.

"Alexis." He said, and by even saying her name his face lightened several shades. "Come here."

Alexis looked up at Brian and they locked eyes for a moment before he nodded.

Slowly, she walked in front of Matt and knelt before him, but did not raise her eyes to meet his.

Matt smiled and reached out to finger one loose wave of Alexis's hair but she moved back and out of reach which made a confused look dance across Matt's tired face.

"What's wrong?" He asked. When Alexis didn't answer he looked at Brian for an answer. "Did you have something to do with this?"

After a long and awkward silence with Brian and Matt's eyes challenging each other, someone finally spoke up.

"Matt, you woke up." Miranda said gently.

Isabel looked over at Miranda then back down at Matt. Her eyes then trailed slowly over to Brian who caught her gaze for only a moment.

"Obviously, Miranda. Otherwise I'd not be confused as to why Alexis won't even let me touch her."

"Uh, dude..." Zacky said carefully.

"Alexis, what have I done?" Matt asked, making Zacky purse his lips and look at Jimmy who sighed and jumped over the couch flopped down onto the seat.

"You woke up." Jimmy said, his and Matt's eyes following Alexis as she got up and stepped back towards Brian.

Matt sighed angrily. "I know I did."

Johnny rubbed his forehead. "Jimmy just tell him."

Matt's eyes went from Johnny back to Alexis then to Jimmy.

"Well..." Rev raised his eyebrows. "Do you remember what happened with the elves? Do you remember what they did to you?"

"Only up until the point I went unconscious." Matt said in a low voice.

"They tore you up pretty bad man." Jimmy said, patting Matt's bare stomach. "They carved all this out. It wasn't there. None of it."

Matt looked down and furrowed his brow before nodding at Jimmy, encouraging him to continue.

"We managed to get you to ground so you could heal. But Alexis refused to leave your side and..." Jimmy trailed off, looking over at her.

"You. Woke. Up." Miranda said again.

Matt stared blankly at Alexis as it sunk in.

"How bad did I..." Matt swallowed.

Jimmy leaned back and examined his fingernails a minute. "If she was still human..." Jimmy bobbed his head from side to side, thinking of how he wanted to phrase it. He went with bluntness. "You'd have killed her for sure."

"What exactly happened?" Matt asked, trying to stand up, while Johnny and Zacky immediately rushed to help him.

"You raped her." Brian blurted which made Alexis gasp. "Violently. And we're vampires, so violence to us is different than violence to humans."

"Brian, please." Alexis said, her eyes finally coming up to meet Matt's.

Brian pursed his lips into a tight line. "The only reason you're even awake today is because you had so much of her blood."

"I..." Matt sighed. "Alexis I'm so sorry." He covered his face with both hands for a moment before dropping them to his side. "Johnny, go get her a pair of gloves and meet us in the Chamber."

Everyone's jaw dropped, including Brian's. Alexis looked at them all, confused before looking up at Brian who just looked down and stepped back. He didn't figure Matt would be this remorseful.

"Matt, you're still recovering, are you--" Zacky blurted.

"Zack, I will fucking manage. Johnny, what the hell did I tell you?" Matt said, turning around.

Johnny stepped back and walked slowly off somewhere into the nest.

"Alexis, follow me." Matt said sighing and walking down a hallway.

Alexis hesitated looking up at Brian who seemed drained of color. Turning towards Jimmy she finally asked the question. "What is the Chamber?"

Jimmy looked down for a moment, looking completely sullen which was the opposite of his usual self. "Let Matt show you. It'll be different than if I just told you."

Brian just took Alexis by the shoulders and turned her in the right direction and walked her where Matt was going.

Alexis was nervous and confused, but she put up almost no resistance to where she was being led. They walked down several sets of stairs, went through several hatches. The last hatch led to nothing but a small hallway with a singular door.

Matt walked through the door and Brian pushed her in after him. It was a room about the size of a large living room. The walls were concrete blocks. A decently sized cherry wood hutch was pressed against the left wall and in the center there was what looked like an operating table. It was steel and bare. Two armrests were on either side of the chair and had cuffs of a different metal.

The thing that scared Alexis was that on the inside of the cuffs were long spikes that would have to pierce your body in order to be secured.

"Matt..." Alexis said quietly, her voice shaking with fear.

Johnny finally showed up and walked into the room quietly.

Brian, Jimmy, Isabel, Zacky, and Miranda were standing against the back wall as Johnny entered and handed Alexis a pair of leather gloves. They were just plain and black. Taking them, Alexis ran her thumb over the material.

Johnny took a spot next to everyone else and put his head down as Matt took off his shirt and folded it, putting it on the ground. He proceeded to completely strip until he was naked. He sat on the table and leaned back, putting his arms on the armrests.

"Alexis, there's a button on the underside of the armrest. Push it." Matt said, settling in with a sigh.

"Matt, why?" Alexis asked, stepping forward.

"Just do it. It'll make you feel better." He told her.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Alexis felt for the button under the armrest, and when she felt it, she took a deep breath.

"It'll be okay. Push it." He looked at her, nodding.

Alexis finally looked him dead in the eye and hesitated again. When she went to push it she closed her eyes.

The cuffs over the armrest snapped down and the spikes latched onto Matt's wrist which made him hiss and groan.

Alexis gasped and covered her mouth. "Matt!"

"Put your gloves on." He said through gritted teeth.

"No!" Alexis protested, turning to Brian. "Make this stop!"

"Alexis, I command you to put your gloves on." Matt finally said softly.

Alexis's body shut down. She had no choice now. Turning around she put her gloves on slowly before bringing her eyes to Matt's again.

"What could you possibly want me to do now?" Alexis sighed.

Matt just smiled. "I want you to go over to that cabinet and open it."

Not even turning around, Alexis backed up slowly until she reached the hutch. It took her awhile to get the courage to turn around and open it. But when she did she was almost heartbroken.

Some items looked like surgical tools. Thin, short knives, some long ones that were not so thin. Knives. A metal cilice that was not even close to blunt. It was sharp, like thorns. A metal flogger, with sharp and jagged pieces of metal attached. Thin chains, heavy, thick chains. Different sized hooks.

They were all made of silver.

"What is this?" Alexis asked, steadying herself on the cabinet.

"I hurt you, Alexis. It's only fair you should hurt me just as badly." Matt responded. Alexis could hear and smell his skin sizzling because of the silver.

After a long while of silence, Alexis picked up the flogger and turned to Matt stepping forward.

Everyone's attention finally came back to her as they all took a deep breath.

Brian crossed his arms and watched anxiously.

Alexis hovered over Matt who just waited patiently.