Anti-Venom

14

Screaming; a third night of extreme and intense screaming. The first two nights were spent inside a car travelling back to the house in Chicago. Patrick had sat in the back seat, cradling Gwen in his arms; while Brendon sat next to him. While William and Ryan had just focussed on getting home as quick as possible.

Now, on this third night they are back in the house. Gwen's screaming is awful. All Patrick can do is hold her in his arms as she struggles with the failing transition. Every so often she opens her eyes and looks up at him, but it never lasts for long. After four solid hours of screaming, Gwen finally falls asleep; and Patrick can leave her for a little while.

"How is she?" Brendon asks from where he stands leant against the wall at the foot of the stairs as Patrick comes down the stairs into the main reception area of the house.

"Still a long way to go." Patrick tells him. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Brendon replies. The two of them walk together now, through to the living room, and take a couch each.

The living room is somewhat different as to how Patrick remembers it. It seems more bright now, less dark and gloomy. The space itself is quite open, with a circle of brown leather couches in the centre. The once dark wood panelled floor is now relatively medium shaded wood panelling and contains extremely intimate carvings, all of which Patrick recognises as Ryan's artwork. The drapes coverin the window are still black in colour, but of course that's to be expected; however it goes well with the royal red walls. In the four corners of the room stand very elaborate and tall candle holders designed to be representations of Ryan's father. One wall hosts a grand looking fire place, open of course; and framed by a medium toned mantle. On top of the fire place, stand miniature figures of Ryan's father, in various forms; but in the very centre is one of a woman who is supposedly his mother. Mounted on the wall above the fireplace is a rather large flat screen tv. The place is Ryan's there is no doubt about it, but rather than feel grand and victorious like it used to; it now feels sorrowful and too bright.

"She's not going to make it through transition is she?" Brendon asks as he gets comfortable on his couch. Patrick doesn't reply as he lies down. He doesn't need to. He just grabs a red scatter pillow and holds it close to his chest. For a few moments, there is silence.

"My entire world is crumbling down around me." Patrick finally speaks up. I promised Andy that no harm would come to her and I did a really, really good job. The one time I couldn't protect her was because I was paralysed. But now, I can't protect her again, and it's her brother's fault. He made me protect her just so he could destroy her And get a baby out of it."

"If the gate was still open then she'd be fine." Brendon replies. "Ryan could fix her, he'd be the only one who could but now he's just a normal kid that just happens to be the son of the devil. I'm so sorry Patrick I really am. I should've seen what he was going to do. I would have warned you."

"Hey." A new voice greets, and William comes to join them, sitting on one of the other couches. "You get her to sleep?"

"Yeah." Patrick nods. "How's Ryan?"

"He's not coping." William answers. "He's like Gwen, sleeping peacefully for the first time in days. All he's wanted all his life is to please his father."

"And now he can't even speak to him." Patrick nods.

"He can't even die and be sent to be with him, closure of the gate meant he became trapped here forever, without any of the abilities and props he's used to." William replies.

"There has to be a way to open it again." Patrick sighs frustratedly. "I can't lose her. She won't make it through transition, I can't, I..."

With not another word the tormented vampire gets up and leaves the living room. He heads out into the kitchen and straight out of the back door, before a realisation hits him, and he turns. He slams the back door shut behind him now, and practically tears back through the house, up the stairs, and returns moments later holding a book.

"That's Spencer's mom's." Brendon shrugs as Patrick throws the book into the middle of the floor space. William looks down upon it, and then kneels next to it. His desire to open it is unexplainable, so he does just that. Flicking through the pages, he doesn't stop until he gets to the right one. Time seems to stop for them all as he reads the page silently. At the same time, Brendon slips away into a dream like state; the strongest vision he has had in a while. It's a vision he's had plenty of times before. It has never known it's meaning, now he knows.

"We're all in deep shit." Brendon speaks.

"Ryan is the child of darkness, Gwen is the child of light, they need each other in order to survive." William joins in as he too realises.

"Oh my god, Andy's using the baby to kill both of them, he's ending everything supernatural, he's using the baby as a way to weaken and trap creatures of the supernatural. When he dies in 4 years there won't be any left." Brendon carries on. "The baby is a child of both dark and light, it's a balance between the two that's what makes it the key."

"He knows Gwen is dying and when she's gone he'll come for Ryan." Patrick adds in.

"But he can't be-"

"Yes he can!" William cuts Brendon off. "With the gate shut Andy can kill off every single supernatural being, even Joe."

"Jareth isn't just the key to hell he's the key to heaven. With him here no one goes anywhere after death, there is no guidance, there is nothing."

"Andy has gone beyond being a hunter." Patrick nods, "Hes playing god. But there is one more key he doesn't know about because he's never read that book."

"Spencer." Brendon smiles. "He's an innocent, sacrifice him and the worlds open again. Ryan becomes as strong as he ever was and represents darkness on earth. He can save Gwen, and she recovers and represents all that is light on earth. They're both needed here. Andy isn't needed, the hunters have never been which is why he wanted the child born, because neither Ryan or Gwen were ever supposed to have children so if one did the gates would close. But if A powerful innocent is willingly sacrificed, the balance is restored. Ryan goes back to his normal life, Gwen is given the life she deserves, and the world works."

"How do we get Spencer?" Patrick asks. "And quickly, because Gwen hasn't got long."

"You aren't going to like it." William tells him.

"Just tell me." Patrick demands, beyond fed up of all of this now. All he wants is the woman he loves back.

"You're a vampire Patrick, you are the only one of us who didn't weaken when the gate shut, because you've had so much of Spencer's blood." William yelled him. Patrick shakes his head now.

"No, no I can't I'm not going back to that!" Patrick protests, but William is insistent. "No William please, please I can't I won't be able to stop myself, you know what I was like before, please."

"Go on little boy." William toys.

"No please." The vampire shudders, and visibly cowers.

"Just think about it, think about the smell, the taste, the kick it gives you. You rule this planet now. They're all yours." William whispers in a toying way to tease the other man.

"Remember how it felt when you used to leave them to finish bleeding out in the gutter." William continues. Patrick's demeanour changes now, as the words enter his mind in a hypnotic way. He inhales deeply, and turns his attention to the front door, with his hand on the door knob, all he can think of is his lust, his need to satisfy it, and his need to drink.

"Promise me you'll rein me in once we've got Spencer?" He asks William.

"You have my word." William tells him, "And we can't break our word."

With that, Patrick leaves the house, and within seconds William knows he has made his first kill.