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Derek:
He reached out closing his hands on hers in an
attempt to release himself of her grip. "Julia....no....I'm all right,"
and for the moment he was. He looked around the pyramid at the scene
before him. "Kat! Come here!"
Kat turned and looked over at Derek.
"No! I don't have to do what you say!" She was angry, why was he
just sitting there and letting these other people hurt a little
kid?
"KATHERINE, Come here right now," Derek
roared.
For the first time she saw the aura around him and
felt something from it, as it's glow affected her. She felt her
stomach turn over and she swallowed hard. She knew she should do what he
said, but she didn't want to do it. She wanted to stay with Miranda and
help her, but a small shred of the fear she always felt when she did things she
knew she wasn't supposed to do came back to her. She didn't know what to
do. She felt slightly torn. "No," she said, but her voice was softer and
weaker.
Horton
I felt a great surge of energy somewhere on the astral plain, ahhh, my cue. I had watched enough, now it was time to cement my allegiances. I slipped into the plane, feeling my power flooding through me as I finally felt one with my surroundings. I called out, "Miranda Rhodes, I have come," I announced. Julia:
While they were keeping Miranda busy, Julia was
Looking for the source of what was keeping Kat and Derek under Miranda's
influence.
She looked back at Derek as he tried to remove her hands,
knowing it was because of the energy she was pouring into him and she bent close
to his ear.
She held his face, her voice low but firm "Listen
to me Derek.. concentrate on this. Miranda's doing something to you that
makes you want to let Kat stay.. it's hurting you to think about getting Kat out
of here... "
She remembered the short period of time the pain
had left him and Miranda's expression at the time... and that Derek had been
accomodating her.
"What she's doing to you.. to make you feel good
for letting Kat stay... it's not real, Derek. This," she emphasised the
word, locking onto his gaze, concern and all her feelings evident
"This is real. Fight her Derek. Don't
let her take Kat away or hurt us anymore."
Ingrid:
On the physical realm Ingrid was mirroring some of
the same sentiment except she was getting ready to wake him up to keep whatever
was hurting him on the astral plain to continue "You must fight what is trying
to hurt you and Julia, Derek.. but I have to wake you up. You can't take
much more of this."
She even started to reach toward Julia, only to
gasp when Julia caught her hand and spoke in both the physical plain and
astral.
Julia:
"No." Julia said, looking up sharply at the new
voice, recognizing evil before looking back at Derek, voice low "You know what's
real Derek. Just feel it."
Ingrid:
Ingrid drew her hand back and Julia lowered hers,
body automatically going back into the praying position. But Ingrid's hand
was still on Derek's, ready to shake him if necessary.
Julia:
Time had just run out. No longer were they dealing with
a girl and her witch craft, now they were dealing with something more dark, more
powerful. Something in Julia recognized Horton as the creature he was and
she had just picked up on the sense of where Miranda was hiding the
essences.
She looked at Derek, a myraid of emotions in her eyes as she
regarded him and then leaned toward him, her voice still low.
"Stay here." she whispered, kissing him softly before she
stood and started toward the area she had finally discovered: The hiding
place where the joined essences were, where Horton was now.
She flicked her wrist once and in her right hand
appeared a sword, almost mirroring the one Derek owned but a weapon she very
rarely used and forged by something more powerful than the steel of
Earth.
She tested it's weight in her hand, remembering the
times she had had to use it against other things of darkness.
Her form faded and then solidified as it reached
her destination.
"Hi." she said before striking out at the hidden place to at
least set Derek free before she had to face Horton "I remember you. We're
busy, go away."
Patrick:
Patrick turned to Kat, trying to make her see
Miranda for what she really was "Don't listen to her! Miranda has
done nothing but show you how to lie, run away and ignore those that you love
when they're hurting. Kat I KNOW you know right from wrong. This
girl made you lie to us about your first trip into the other realm. She
stayed hidden while you took the blame. To go and see her you've broken
your promise to me, your mother, Derek, Julia...... you promised you wouldn't
sneak off again. You promised you wouldn't take the necklace off.
And now they're in pain because they're trying to get you home and safe!
Kat, listen to your heart honey, not what Miranda's telling you."
Then he heard Horton as well and called over his shoulder,
"Michael..."
Michael:
"I know." the Archangel growled, his hands starting to glow as
he looked Miranada in the eyes "Addictions can be broken, kid. Destroy the
substance, addiction gone."
The message was clear: Either let them go or Michael would use
a fire to burn out the 'substance'.
"Patrick, take Kat to Derek. NOW."
Patrick turned to his daughter, scooped her up, and took her
to Derek, kneeling over them both and ready to be a bodily shield if
necessary.
"Talking rational has now ended." Michael said. He knew
Julia was weak and would need help. He could also feel the attack she was
giving and the source she had found.
Miranda:
Miranda strengthened her hold on Kat through the essences, "that right Kat they're all mean and they don't want you to have any friends at all, they want to take you away from your REAL family and keep you locked up in that house alone..don't let them do it." Kat:
Kat stiffened again stopping herself from going to Derek. She was almost ready to do, but Miranda was right. She didn't want to be put in jail like that. They were all just being hateful. She bet her mother would be really mad about all this if she knew what they were doing. "You leave her alone," she said again to Michael. "Or...or I'll do something." She didn't know what though, but something. Derek: Derek stared into Julia's blue eyes. He listened to what she was saying. He closed his eyes for a moment doing all that he could to drive Miranda out of his head. The pain returned, but this time he used it, instead of letting it use him. He nodded trying to compose himself enough to do something useful. Kat: Kat screamed when Patrick lifted her. "LET ME GO! I DON'T WANT YOU! PUT ME DOWN!" She pummeled the spirit with her small fists and feet, trying in vain to escape him. Derek: Derek reached out and took Kat into his arms holding her firmly as she began to direct her anger at him. However, her feeble blows were nothing compared to the pain he was already experiencing, so he barely noticed as he held her tightly. Miranda:
"Let her go!" she bellowed at Derek sending a heated sensation to his essence that would burn through his brain. "Take your hands off her..she belongs to me!" She readied herself to destroy him if he didn't put her down. Julia:
She reached the first bowl and took it out, pointing the edge
of her sword at Horton, blue gaze steely "Don't move."
She could tell it was Derek's, having just shared her aura
with his and, unknowing of what Miranda was trying to do to him Julia sent
a dose of her aura into the container and burned what was inside, ending her
hold on him. Then she tossed the bowl down and faced Horton "Now, where
were we?"
Derek:
Derek flinched as a seering pain shot through his head. He struggled to maintain his grip on Kat, but the pain was so severe he lost control of his limbs for a moment and she slipped away. Kat was so stunned she didn't move at first, but then began to run. The pain that had been gripping for what seemed like years suddenly and completely vanished in a puff of white light. Derek shook his head to clear it and saw Kat headed straight for the battle. He was on his feet in a second and his long stride easily caught up with the child's. He grabbed her again holding her tightly as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Kat: "I HATE YOU! LET ME GO!" Derek: "No," he said firmly not allowing her words to get to him. She didn't know what she was doing or saying and he knew that. Miranda:
Miranda calmly walked over to the far wall. "I can see you don't believe me, that Kat belongs to me, so you can read the writing on the wall." She stood next to her own image and looked at Derek.."she is my sister, as much a part of me as her *father* or her *mother* keep that in mind if you take her back, and know, nothing can separate us now..I'm with her when she is alone, and I'm with her when she is with you. And there isn't ANYTHING you can do about it." Miranda:
Miranda laughed knowing Kat's essence was sealed and even if Julia could detect it, she couldn't get to it, and if she did and tried what she just did with Derek's, Kat would die and be forever with Miranda anyway...it almost made her want to give it to Julia to incinerate..."I don't need him...I'm through with him anyway..he's useless to me." she hissed in an unearthly tone.."Its Kat that belongs to me, and even if you take her from here tonight, you'll NEVER take ME out of HER..." Horton/Ingrid/Julia: <at j's house for this part so posting
from here>
"Right here." he said with a twist of his lips, eyes flaring
before he extended his hand sharply and Julia was caught by an invisible force
and thrown back hard against the stone wall, the sword clattering to the floor
and near his foot. He smiled humorlessly and kicked it back as he advanced
on her, reaching down to pull her up by her hair. "And I must say I can see what
he sees in you. Feisty one, aren't you? You must be some
treat."
Ingrid gasped as Julia's body suddenly jerked and instead of
shaking Derek she gripped his shoulder "Julia's in trouble! Derek...oh God what
do I do?"
Julia wasn't sure there wasn't a part of her body that didn't
hurt at this moment but she sure as hell wasn't going to give Horton the
satisfaction in knowing it as she doubled up her fists and struck out at him
with her elbow, catching him in his stomach and making him double
over.
But instead of doubling over in pain he was doubled over and
choking on a laugh before yankingher back to him, his hot breath hitting her
face as he hissed "I'm going to take great pleasure in killing you. First
to hurt Derek and then because you're such a pain in my -"
"You ain't seen nothing yet!" Julia growled before bringing
her knee up into his crotch and bringing up an elbow up into his jaw and sending
him falling back into the wall that held the hidden compartment. There was
one good thing about fighting a demon in physical form...
Horton roared with anger, the sound loud enough to carry out
to the others, as he lashed out with demon fire, catching her about the neck and
lifting her a good three feet off of the ground. The flame itself made it
impossible for her to simply disappear - he was fighting on the spiritual level
now.
"I was so hoping to have Derek see this." he said in
disappointment "But you're beginning to be more than just an annoyance to
me...."
Derek: It wasn't until he heard the man's furious scream that Derek realized someone other than Miranda was involved here. He looked around frantcally for a safe place to leave Kat and his gaze landed on Patrick. He carried the girl to her father passing her to him. This was not an easy task as the girl was squirming desparately trying to break free from them. "Get her out of here," he ordered. "Take her back home, NOW." It didn't matter much to him that he was addressing a spirit and not a normal member of his house. Derek turned and headed for the connecting
chamber. He was...surprised to find a familiar face inside with
Julia. "Horton," he murmured viciously to himself. He should have
known. He was the type that would endanger a child with no thought at all
and Derek had no problems believing he was behind this. He spotted the
sword and moving quickly grabbed it. He was at Horton's side immediately
holding the blade to his throat. "Let her go," Derek ordered his voice
dangerously
low. |
