Archive of Our Own

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“It scares us just thinking about it.”

“You'll probably think we're insane.”

“Try us.”

“Please, from the very beginning.”

“Things started out small. Like a hand or leg would move or the head would turn, we even once found it in a different room!”

“Maybe someone had a key to your apartment and was playing a trick on you.”

“That's what we originally thought. But we never found any hint or evidence that anyone was intruding.” A women on the couch glanced at her wife as she spoke.

“So this led you to believe the doll was possessed?”

“Yeah. Rose even got in touch with a medium who told us that a small girl around 7 named Annabelle Higgins had died in our apartment a few years ago.”

Rose nodded before explaining further. “She was lonely and took a liking to my doll. She said all she wanted was to be friends.”

“When we heard this, we felt really sorry for her. We're nurses, we help people. It really got to us.”

Rose nodded along to her wife's words before taking over. “So…..” She looked at her wife. “We gave her permission to move into my doll.”

“Wait...what?!?!?! You...gave it permission?!?!?”

Ruby quickly jumped to defend themselves. “She said she wanted to live with us! She said that by inhabiting the doll she could live with us! So... we said yes.”

Rose sighed. “But then, it got worse.”

*Flashback*

Rose laughs as she unlocks the door to their home. She opens the door and her laughter stops. Ruby also comes to a pause beside her.The two look down to see a small shred of paper with the words, “Miss me?” In red crayon. They look up and see the rag doll sitting in the hallway against the wall. The two females walk together as they approach the doll.

“When we came home one night, she was sitting in the hallway. But we had left her in our spare room!”

The couple look down to see red crayons by the dolls’ hand. Rose hears a flickering and turns around to see their bedroom in a state of disaster. A lamp flickers on and off from its position knocked over on the floor, casting shadows over the room. Rose even spots a picture of her and her wife with the glass cracked and she lets out a horrified gasp as she takes in wobbly red crayon markings drawn all over the walls and ceiling. Another “Miss me?” Message is written on the ceiling in an erie childish hand.

As the two survey the room, the small sound of a crayon dropping gets their attention and they look down to see a lone red crayon roll across the floor towards their feet. Ruby has had enough as she quickly grabs the doll and storms out of the apartment and all the way outside to where she throws the doll in the dumpster along side the house.

Later that night, as the two slumber in their shared bed, a thundering knocking sounds at the door, effectively waking from them from their dreams. The two share a look before climbing out of bed and journeying to the door. Ruby opens the door and glances around only to find the halls empty.

However, when she looks down she finds a crumpled up piece of paper with red crayon and the same message as before. “Miss me?” She picks it up before looking around again to see if anyone was playing a cruel joke on them. She finds no one. She turns around to look at her wife to explain her findings when suddenly, the door next to Rose rattles with the thunderous knocking again. The two jump as they look at each other.

Rose gathers her courage before she grabs the doorknob and opens the door. She opens the door and lets out a small scream as she finds the doll sitting there.

*Flashback ends*

“We are beyond terrified at this point. We have no idea what is going on or what to do to stop it?” Rose explains.

“So….can you help us?” Ruby asks as she takes her wife's hand in hers and giving a comforting squeeze.

“Yes we can,” a man in royal reds, glittering golds, and pristine whites leans toward the couple on the couch. “But first, you have no know there is no such thing as Annabelle. There never was.” The man's amber eyes flash with seriousness as he talks to the couple.

“Ghost don't possess such power, I believe what we have here is extremely manipulative and inhuman,” another man, dressed in deep purples and blacks with small hints of silver throughout his outfit shifts slightly. “I think you acknowledging this doll was a big mistake. Through that toy, this inhuman spirit was able to trick you.”

“You basically gave it permission to invade your life.”

“What's an inhuman spirit?” Ruby asks as she looks between the two men.

“It's something that was never alive. It's something demonic.”

The wives glance at each other before they ask their next question. “So….the doll was never possessed?”

The darkly dressed man nods. “Right, it was used as a conduit. It was moved around to give the impression of possession. Demons don't possess things. They possess people.”

“It wanted to get inside of you,” the other explained.

The couple looked at each other.

“You can shut it down now, Toby.”

The lights flicker back on as the screen goes dark, the last image having been of the female couple.

The lecture room full of students all shift as two men, one in bright colors like red, white and gold, and the other contrasting with dark purples, blacks and accents of silver turn to address their class again.

“So, we get to the church and send the priest over to perform a blessing on the house and its occupants to ensure that whatever was oppressing them was no longer with them.” The man with amber eyes explained.

“Any questions?” the other asks their audience. He points to one of the people in the back row.

“Where's the doll now?”

The two men share a glance. “It's safe,” the man in mostly red and white answers. He then points to someone in the front row off to the left.

“So, what exactly are you guys? I mean, what do people call you?”

The darker skinned man moves to rest his chin on the man in blacks and purples as the other answers. “Uh..well, we've been called demonologists, that's one name for us. Ghost hunters, paranormal investigators, paranormal researchers…”

“Cucks,” the man in red pipes up. The class lets out a laugh.

“Whackos.”

Another round of giggles before the man in darker colors moves away from the other. “But we prefered to be known as simply Roman and Virgil Warren.”

-----

A car drives up a long dirt road until it stops in front of an old two story farmhouse surrounded by trees with a big tree standing by the lake. Behind the car, a moving truck stops as the family gets out. “Here we are,” a man with slicked back jet black hair says as he looks up at the house they have just bought.

“Wow!” A bubbly man says as he steps out of the passenger seat. He wears a light blue polo with light brown khaki pants and a light grey cardigan wrapped around his shoulders. “You hear that?” He asks his husband.

The other man turns to him. “I do not hear anything,” he responds as he raises an eyebrow at him.

The other man grins, his blue eyes sparkling behind his round glasses. “Exactly!” He exclaims. “No city noises to keep us up at night!”

His husband chuckles as he closes the driver's door. The two get up and walk to the front of the door, and crossing the threshold of their new home.  As they stand on the porch, their children came up out of the car, most of them excited to start their new life.

The twins, Jericho and Apollo ran past yelling, “We call dibs on the big room!”

The youngest, Dante raced through the doorway as he shouted back at the remaining children, “I'll race ya!” His dad's chuckled as they watched their children all excited to pick out their rooms in the big house. Then Kai and Emile walked through the door, one with awe and the other scrolling through their phone.

“Do I get to pick my own room or do I not have a choice about that either?” Elliot asked as they stopped just before entering their new home.

The two parents chuckled as their children walked past before the bubbly one turned to the other who straightened his tie quickly. “Oh they’ll forget about Florida with the first crush they meet,” he said cheerily.

“Oh, I can't wait,” the other said as he pulled his husband into his embrace, wrapping his arms around his waist.

The man in a blue polo smiled wide before wrapping his arms around his husband's neck and pushing himself up on his tiptoes and kissing his love's lips. “I love you Logan.”

The other smiled. “I love you too Patton.”

This was a new start for them. And they were excited to see what came next.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The house bustles with activity as the family moves their things into the various rooms and settles into their new lives. “Pa? Where's my wind chime?” Apollo asks his bubbly dad as while racing into the kitchen.

Patton reaches into a box next to him and pulls out a colorful wind chime before turning around and handing it to his son. “Here you go, Kiddo. You can even hang it up out on the porch.”

“Thanks Pa!” Apollo exclaims and turns to go out the backdoor before being stopped by Patton.

“Please, ask Dante to come in?”

“Okay!” The caramel colored skinned boy calls as he races outside. He walks past the porch swing and quickly hangs the decoration up before turning to find his little brother sitting among the roots of the big tree down by the lake. “Hey Dante! Pa wants you inside!” He calls before turning to go back inside the house.

Dante looks up from where he sits, he turns back to the new toy he found. A music box with a circular mirror set in the lid that spins around while the music plays. He turns the key and a haunting melody drifts through the air as he watches the mirror turn. Suddenly, the music stops and he sees a boy his age appear behind him in the mirror. He quickly turns only to find nothing there. He shrugs his shoulders before getting up and running into the house carrying his new found toy.

----

Logan carries an empty pizza box through the hallway as the children run through the house. “Are you all done with the pizza? I do not want it to go to waste. It is expensive feeding you children,” he calls as he moves to throw the trash away.

The children ignore him as they engage in a game together. “Ready or not! Here I come! First clap!” Kai calls as they stop their spinning and sticks their hand out to keep from running into stuff.

Patton walked up the stairs with a box in his arms. “I really don't think you kids should be playing that game right now. You don't know the house well enough. Someone could get hurt.”

Just as Patton stops talking, Kai runs into a stack of boxes. “I'm okay! I'm okay!” They shout as they continue to move down the hallway. “Second clap!” They shout.

Patton smiles fondly at his kids as they continue their game. He watches as Apollo withholds a clap as their blindfolded sibling walked by. “That's cheating,” he mouths. Apollo only puts a finger to his lips as Kai walks by.

“Clap!” Kai calls as their brother Jericho claps. Kai jumps forward causing Jericho to jump as they shout, “Gotcha!” Jericho accidentally knocks into the wall and a board gives way, tumbling down what sounds like a set of stairs.

The two children back away, as Logan runs up. “What did you break?” He asks as he pushes into the closet and turns the light on.

“It was Jericho's fault!” Kai exclaims as they back away.

Jericho spins to face his sibling, “My fault?!?!” He exclaims as Patton pushes past them to see what was going on.

“Oh goodness!” Patton exclaims as he sees the hole where a board had fallen.

“Kai did it!” Jericho shouted.

“No I didn't!”

“You pushed me!”

“Hey Apollo, can you get me some matches, please?” Logan asked as he fumbled with the other boards.

“What is it, Logan?” Patton asked as he watched his husband move some more boards out of the way, slowly making a space big enough for him to fit through.

Logan frowned as he reached his arm in and stretched only to hit nothing but air straight ahead and a small ledge a little bit down. “I think we have a cellar or something,” he explained as Apollo ran in with a pack of matches.

“Oo! I wanna see!” Kai exclaimed as their older brother, Emile, peaked around the corner.

Logan leaned back and took the matches from Apollo. “Thank you,” he replied as he stepped through the hole in the wall. He placed his right hand on the wall to guide him as he took small, cautious steps down a set of stairs. Each step he took brought him further away from the light spilling through the gap and deeper into the midnight darkness. Soon he felt a difference in the surface he was stepping on and slid his foot out further to confirm his theory. He had hit the bottom. He carefully took out a match and struck it against the box. A small flame lit up the room just enough to make out various different shapes.

On the other side of the hole, Patton moved the children further away while he moved closer. “Logan?” He called. After a few moments of silence, the children having finally stopped talking excitedly, he called again. “What do you see down there?”

In the dark basement, Logan adjusted his black, rectangular framed glasses. “It is a little hard to tell but it appears to be an old piano and a bunch of other junk.” The match burnt down and slightly burnt Logan's fingers. “Son of a-”

“Lo?” Patton called worriedly. He leaned forward as he held his breath, waiting for his husband to give any sign that he was okay.

“I don't want any of you children going down there. There are a multitude of spiders and who knows what down there.” Logan explained as he stepped through the gap.

The children all groaned, bored, and shuffled off to find something else entertaining while Patton helped Logan up.

“It seems we have extra square footage. I shall check it out in the morning.”

Patton nodded as Logan turned the light off and shut the door. “I wonder why it was boarded up?”

Logan nodded as his face twisted into a puzzled expression. “Yes, I was wondering that too. Perhaps there was an issue with something that they had to resolve.”

That didn't make any sense to Patton, but he let his husband theorize as he went to get the children to bed.

-----

Patton stared out the window at their new home as Logan cleaned up. “I am quite exhausted,” Logan complained as he walked over to Patton and wrapped his arms around his husband. Patton smiled softly as he leaned back into his embrace.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for making all this work. I know its a lot to pay off and-”

Logan shushed Patton. “Hey, none of that. This is going to be great. So long as you and the kids are happy, it's worth it,” Logan whispered in Patton's ear as the two looked out over the yard.

Patton giggled. “I didn't know you were so romantic,” he teased. Logan rolled his eyes before leaning in to press a kiss to Patton's cheek. The giggling man smirked and turned to whisper something into his husband's ear. Logan blushed a red as deep as a rose all the way to his ears. He leaned back to stare at his “innocent” husband. “I suppose I'm not that exhausted,” he murmured.

-----

Patton shifted in his bed before getting up and scratching at his leg. He frowned as he noticed a small black and blue bruise on his ankle. He wondered thoughtfully to himself before realizing just how cold it was in the room. Frowning, he got up and pulled on a robe and slipping into a pair of slippers and walking out into the hallway. He glanced around at the walls and noticed just how dark and grey they were. Really dreary. They'd have to get some paint.

“Pa!” Apollo cried as he noticed his dad in the hallway.

Patton smiled softly at his son and saw Jericho sit up in his bed beside his twin as he looked at the two through the open doorway. “How'd you guys sleep?”

“It's cold.” Kai complained from their room, the open bedroom door definitely wasn't helping any.

Patton nodded slightly. “It is a bit chilly, isn't it?” He turned at the sound of the bathroom door opening to the right of the hall and saw Emile lean out in a pair of

Steven Universe

pjs. “Um, Dad?” He asked as he moved his toothbrush away from his mouth. “The toilet isn't really working.”

Patton frowned slightly. “Oh, well I'll let your father know.”

“And there was a funky smell in my room last night. It smelled like someone died.”

Patton's frown deepened. “Is it still there?”

Emile shook his head.

“Well, I guess that means problem solved. But let me know if it comes back, okay?”

Emile nodded and went back to brushing his teeth as Patton walked down the stairs, tying his robe. When he got to the bottom he glanced up at the old grandfather clock and frowned. The hands were stuck at 3:07. “That's weird,” Patton whispered to himself as he adjusted his wire-framed circular glasses. He turned to go to the kitchen and noticed the door to the closet/newfound cellar opened. He wandered over to it and noticed the boards were all gone leaving a doorway and stairs descending down into a lit basement. “Logan?” Patton called as he walked down the stairs to find his husband standing among loads of old furniture and junk with his hands on his hips. “Morning Lo.”

“Morning Pat.”

Patton moved over to stand next to his husband and looked around at the things piled up. “Oh goodness gracious this is a lot of stuff. What are we going to do with all of this?”

Logan shrugged. “We have to go through it. Maybe we could sell the stuff we don't need. Some of these things might be antiques and are worth a lot of money.”

Patton nodded. “But it could also just be sentimental things that the previous owners didn't want.”

Logan nodded as he moved to look through a few of the piles. “Either way it's ours now.”

Patton smiled softly as he watched his husband. “I'm going to go make some more coffee. I'm sure you've already drank a pot already.”

Logan rolled eyes at his husbands teasing. “Yeah yeah. I'll be up in a minute.”

“Oh! And see if you can get the furnace working! It's freezing!” Patton exclaimed as he moved back up the stairs and into the kitchen, preparing another pot of coffee. As he filled the coffee pot with water, he stared out at the slightly deary yard, still not completely awake yet. Once the pot was filled, Patton turned the water off as he eyes shifted over to the small clock right on shelf beside the window. He frowned slightly as he read the numbers 3:07.

“Pa!” Patton turned around at the sound of the pitter patter of child footsteps to find his youngest, Dante running into the kitchen in his green and yellow snake onesie.

“Good morning, Dee!” Patton exclaimed happily as his son ram into his arms. Patton pulled Dante up into his arms and pressed multiple kisses to the giggling little child's face as shrieks of laughter bounced off the wall.

“Daddy! Daddy! Put me down!” Dante screeched happily as he squirmed to try and avoid the assault of kisses. Patton carefully set him down after a little bit and turned to finish setting up the coffee pot. “Can I help make breakfast?” he asked as watched.

“Of course you can! Just go get changed first, we don't want to get your pjs getting dirty.”

“Okay!” Dante exclaimed before he turned and raced up the stairs.

“Don't run up the stairs!” Logan called as he walked past him and into the kitchen. Patton smiled softly at the scene as his heart swelled with love. Then he shook his head before addressing his husband.

“Logan?”

“Yeah?” The other replied as he stepped forward to get his coffee mug.

“This clock, and the one in the hallway both stopped at 3:07.”

Logan frowned as he waited for his coffee to brew. “That is unusual. Perhaps it got knocked around in the move.”

Patton hummed thoughtfully before he remembered something. “Speaking of, what did you do to me last night?” He asked as he rolled up one of his pant legs to reveal a dark blue and black bruise.

Logan frowned as he inspected the mark on his husbands leg. “That does not look pleasant. However, I didn't do that.”

Patton let out a frustrated sigh. “I wish I knew what happened. But it seems I'm a clumsy sleeper as well.”

Logan chuckled lightly as he grabbed the pot of coffee to pour some into his cup. Patton let his pant leg drop as he moved to pull out the ingredients for breakfast. Then, a loud noise sounded from the side of the house causing the two to jump. Logan raised an eyebrow at his husband as he set his mug down and the two rushed outside to see what hit their house.

Once outside, the two saw a pigeon writhing in agony on the ground as it twitched slightly before going limp, its neck laying at an awkward angle as the two came to the conclusion that it must have broken its neck when it hit the house. “Logan….” Patton breathed as he put a hand to his mouth, his eyes shining with tears.

Logan turned to wrap his husband in a hug, pushing Patton's face into his chest to hide the poor animals corpse from his love's eyes. “It's okay Patton. It didn't suffer long,” he whispered into the others fluffy brown hair. Logan rubbed Patton's back as he moved them back inside the house and away from the bird. Logan loved his husband, he really did. And he really wished he had the foresight to tell Patton to stay in the house. His husband had a big heart after all, and even if it was the smallest of frogs, Patton's heart would break to see it in pain.

Logan frowned slightly as he watched Patton pull himself together moments before their son ran into the room. A fake smile holding up his lips. Logan really hoped nothing like this would happen again, and if they did, that Patton didn't have to see it. He dealt with it enough at work. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore. At least, not at home.

----

Talyn walked through the small room filled with shelves and cases as they examined the artifacts everywhere. They turned back to their host, a man with deep caramel colored skin as smooth as velvet and fluffy dark brown hair.

“We keep everything locked up in here,” he explained, pocketing the keys as the two moved around the room. Talyn leaned down slightly to far a closer look at some of the things on a lower shelf. “Feel free to look around, just don't touch anything. Seriously.” Talyn stood up and glanced around as they moved their orange colored hair out of their eyes. “Wow,” they breathed out as they held their pencil and notepad tighter in their hands. “This is….crazy.” They glanced around at the things everywhere. Some things were limited edition type things while others were everyday things you would find in almost any home. “So...Mr. Warren, these were all taken from different cases that you've both investigated?” Talyn asked as they glanced around at all the objects, Joan was going to freak when they heard about this.

Roman nodded as he glanced around. “Please, call me Roman. And yup. That's right. Everything you see in this room has been either cursed, haunted, or used in a ritualistic practice of some kind. Nothing in here is a toy.”

Talyn bent down a little to inspect a small toy. Roman bent down on the opposite side of the shelf as he smiled at the toy Talyn was inspecting. “Not even the toy monkey.”

Talyn nodded as they stood and glanced around, a bit apprehensive at the items, sure that if they even tried to touch one Roman would immediately yell at them. But they knew that he probably had good reason for it. “Isn't it scary to have all they items in your home? Doesn't it worry you?” They asked as they scribbled on their tablet.

“Well that's why we get a priest to come by once every month to bless the room.” Roman watched as Talyn scribbled his answer down. “The way Virgil and I see it, what we're doing here, it's almost like we're keeping guns off the streets. It's safer for these objects to be locked up in here than to he out there. We wouldn't want something like this to fall into some poor souls hands and them being unprepared and getting hurt.”

Talyn frowned slightly. They glanced up at the other. “Well, why can't you just throw them in an incinerator? Destroy it.”

Roman shook his head. “Destroy it? Oh, no. That would only destroy the vessel. Doing that would be like, setting the genie free. And sometimes it's better to keep the evil genie in the bottle.”

Talyn nodded as they quickly jotted that down. Once they were finished, they looked up and worked up the courage to ask their next question. If Roman acted so concerned about these other items, then they could only imagine how he would react to their next question. “Is the-” they cleared their throat. “Is the Annabelle doll here?”

Roman nodded as they walked over to the back of the room to a glass case that held the haunted Raggedy Ann doll inside. It looked exactly how you expected it to. Completely unassuming and almost...cuddly. But for anyone who heard the stories, they knew what it really was, and they knew the darkness that consumed it. “Right this way.”

Talyn took a few moments to study the doll, a sense of dread filling their stomach as they turned away, unable to look at it for too long out of fear. “So, you said she was a conduit?” They asked.

Roman nodded. “Yup.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

Roman crossed his arms as he got comfortable, or as comfortable as one could get in a room filled with haunted objects. “Well, a very, very powerful demon has latched itself on to her. It goes wherever the doll goes.”

Talyn nodded. “So...when you both are investigating these hauntings,” Roman nodded. “How do you stop it from latching on to you?”

“Well, we have to take great precautions.”

Talyn frowned, hoping they weren't overstepping their boundaries by asking this question. “But what about your husband, Virgil?”

Roman shifted on his feet, suddenly feeling very defensive. “What about him?”

Talyn winced slightly but continued. “Um, Father Gordon told me-”

Roman cut them off, knowing exactly what they were going to say. And what they were talking about. “What happened to Virgil, happened during an exorcism. Not all hauntings involve an exorcism.”

Talyn's eyebrows knitted together. “So there's a difference?”

Roman went to respond before a small sound made them both start. Roman frowned as he rubbed his hands on his jeans. “Please, excuse me for a moment.” Then he moved past Talyn and found a small child in an Batman onesie hiding behind one of the shelves. Roman frowned. “Thomas, what are you doing?” Roman bent down to pick up his son. “You know better than to come in here.” Roman moved over to the doorway and called for his mother-in-law. “Mom!” He turned back to Thomas. “You didn't touch anything, right?”

Thomas shook his head, his mop of brown hair falling over his eyes. “No.”

Roman smiled fondly at his son. “Good.” He brushed the hair out of his face as he waited for his mother-in-law to come. “Remember, you're not allowed in this room, no matter what.”

Thomas nodded guilty. “Yes, Papa.”

Roman sighed. Virgil's mother came in and plucked Thomas from Roman's arms. “Hello little one! Let's go make some cookies!” Roman shut the door as the two went off and turned back to the interview with the college student, Talyn.

---

Roman walked into the living room to find his husband and their son sitting in the wooden rocker in corner laughing as Virgil finished up painting a rainbow on Thomas's face. “Hey!” Virgil exclaimed as he noticed his husband behind him.

Roman smiled as he walked up to sit across from the two with a dark purple tea cup and saucer. “What have you two been up to?” He asked as he sat down.

Thomas giggled as Virgil set the paintbrush in his hand down. “Daddy is painting a rainbow on my face!”

Roman laughed as Thomas grinned brightly, his little face losing with pure joy. “I see that! You look so colorful!”

Virgil smiled warmly as Thomas hopped up from his chair. “It's time to get ready for dinner, we're going on a picnic.”

Thomas smiled. “Yay! He exclaimed. “I'm not washing off the paint!” He cried as he raced to get some warmer clothes.

Virgil laughed as he rolled his eyes. He didn't really mind. It wasn't like they were going somewhere fancy, they were just going outside to the backyard and eating some pizza.

Roman leaned forward and handed the tea to Virgil. “Here you go, love.”

Virgil blushed as he took the teacup from his husband. It didn't matter how many times Roman had called him that, he still found himself turning bright red at the completely love filled tone and name. “So, how'd it go?” He asked as he leaned back in his chair.

“I think it may be a positive article.”

Virgil raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “Ooh! A non-skeptic!”

Roman chuckled. “I'd be a pleasant change.”

Virgil nodded as he watched his husband pull at his crimson red dress shirt. Virgil watched as Roman looked anywhere but him, as he played with a small charm on his bracelet. Virgil knew that look. “Stop blaming yourself, Ro. It wasn't your fault.”

Roman didn't look at him, he just looked down at his hands. Virgil let out am inaudible sigh and pulled the cup to his lips and took a sip before wrinkling his nose. Roman glanced up and noticed his husbands face and smiled softly. “Not enough sugar?” He asked softly.

Virgil nodded. “I need my tea to be as sweet. Really sweet.”

Roman grinned as he took the cup from the other. “So almost as sweet as you, got it!” Virgil's laughter rung in his ears as he went to get more sugar. Once out of his loves sight, he let a small frown pull at his lips.

I can't stop blaming myself.

He thought as he moved into the kitchen.

I shouldn't have let you get in harm's way.

As Roman poured more sugar into the cup and stirred, he set his jaw determinedly.

And I will Never let you in harm's way again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Inside the old farmhouse, everyone was asleep as the clocks chimed three. At the bottom of the stairs, the old grandfather clock ticked away ominously, as if something not quite right was coming. It continued to tick until it hit 3:07 and then it stopped. Not a sound coming from the old clock just an unnerving silence that seemed to hint at impending doom.

Upstairs, in the twins’ room, Jericho felt something pull his foot in his sleep, causing him to jerk awake. He yanked his foot underneath the covers as he groaned. “It's not funny, Apollo.”

“What?” Apollo asked sleepily as he shifted in his bed, the house still eerily cold.

“Stop grabbing my foot!”

Apollo frowned as he pulled the covers tighter against himself. “Shut up! I didn't touch your foot!”

“Yeah right,” Jericho mumbled as he turned over. “And stop farting, it stinks.”

Apollo rolled his eyes as he felt sleep pull at his consciousness. “Don't blame it on me,” he yawned. “It's probably you.”

Downstairs, the static of the t.v. bounced off the walls of the living room before a thudding woke Logan who had fallen asleep at his desk. He stood up and glanced around as he turned the t.v. off. Making his way into the hallway, he glanced down the hall and watched as the door at the end of the hall slowly creak open, the sound sending chills down his spine. He walked quickly to the doorway and saw nobody. Nothing out of the ordinary here. However, he did notice that the one window in the kitchen was open, blowing the curtains slightly. The logical man concluded that the wind was the reason as to why the door moved, his sleep-riddled brain not even thinking it weird that the door had opened against the wind.

The thudding sounded again, causing Logan's head to jerk up. The sound thudded throughout the house, the source seeming to come from upstairs. Logan quickly moved to the bottom of the stairs. When he whipped around the railing to go upstairs, he looked up to see Elliot on the stairs and stopped. “Dad?” They whispered groggily.

Logan frowned. “Elliot? What are doing out of bed? And do you know what that sound is?”

Elliot rubbed their eyes as they yawned. “It's Kai, they're in my room. They're sleeping walking again.”

Logan frowned. “Again?” As Elliot nodded, the two made their way up the stairs and into the younger's room to find Kai standing in front if the wardrobe and banging their head against the doors, creating the thumping noise from earlier.

“I've never seen them do this,” Elliot explained as Logan moved over to Kai and placed his hand in front of their forehead to stop them from continuing to bang it on the doors. “I remember you telling us not to wake them if they're like this.”

Logan nodded as he slowly guided the child away from the wardrobe. “Yeah. You just gotta put them back to bed.” Logan moved Kai out of the room as Elliot watched on. “They'll be okay. Good night, Elliot.”

“Night,” Elliot called before shutting their door and climbing back into bed, a little unnerved about the strange encounter.

----

Patton frowned as he filled the bathtub with warm water. “Kai's sleepwalking again? It's been a while.”

Logan nodded as he got ready to go to work. It was still early enough that the sun wasn't up yet, the two having a bit of time to themselves before Logan left and Patton had to get the kids up for school. “Yeah, they ended up in Elliot's room. It kinda freaked them out.”

Patton frowned as he turned off the faucet and felt the water to make sure it was warm enough. “That's not good. What do you think we are going to do?”

Logan went to answer as Patton pulled off his shirt, getting ready to soak in the tub for a little before starting breakfast. “I don't-” he stopped as he noticed a bruise on his husband's arm. “Oh no, hun, you've got another bruise.” He lightly placed his fingertips on the skin as he Patton moved his head to look at the arm with a frown. “Does it hurt?”

Patton shook his head as he examined the discolored skin. “This is weird.”

Logan nodded as he adjusted his glasses. “Yeah. I suggest going to the doctor's and seeing if they have any more knowledge on it.”

Patton sighed but nodded. “Alright. Drive safe.”

Logan pressed a kiss to Patton's lips. “I will. I love you, more than there are stars in the sky.”

“I love you more than their are animals in the world.” And with that, Logan left and Patton got in the tub for a few minutes before he had to start breakfast.

----

“Love you! Bye!” Patton called as most of his children ran to get on the bus, leaving him with only the youngest, Dante. Patton smiled as he turned and walked back inside to go find the little one. He pulled on his cardigan, shivering slightly. He heard Dante's voice ring out from upstairs.

Patton smiled. He had the whole day to be able to spend with his youngest before his work vacation was over.

He climbed up the stairs, following the little voice to his room where he glanced in and saw Dante sitting as his little set of table and chairs. “Yeah, I miss my old friends a lot. But you're my friend, right?” Patton furrowed his eyebrows, watching as his son interacted what must have been an imaginary friend.

“Who are you talking to?” Patton asked as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

“Rory,” Dante answered as he watched Patton walk into the room with a smile.

“Rory?”

“She's my new friend!” Dante explained as he smiled brightly.

“Oh really?” Patton asked as Dante nodded excitedly.

“Yeah! Do you wanna see her!”

“Sure, kiddo! How?” Patton asked, excited that his son wanted to introduce him to his imaginary friend. Dante patted one of his chairs and gestured for Patton to sit down. Patton sat down as his son handed him a small music box with a circular mirror in the lid.

“With this,” Dante explained. “When the music stops you see her standing behind you in the mirror. But you have to twist the key.”

“Okay,” Patton turned the key and the music began to play. It was a slow and slightly creepy tune. Patton watched as the mirror spun around slowly as he waited for the music to stop. It stopped and he inspected the mirror with a frown and not seeing anything. He turned to Dante. “Well, I guess Rory doesn't wanna see me,” he told his son. In all honesty, he's glad he didn't see anything. It would've frightened him. He was already a little unsettled that Dante seemed had found this music box that involved a ritual type thing to see his new friend. Almost like summoning. But the bubbly man pushed down his fears.

“Oh, well,” Dante shrugged before getting excited. “Can we play hide and clap?”

Patton watched as Dante jumped up and down beside him. He giggled. “Of course, honey.” Dante squeals excitedly before grabbing the blindfold and tying it around Patton's eyes after he takes his glasses off.

“Remember, you get to ask me for three claps.”

Patton giggled as Dante tied the blindfold and stepped back. He began spinning as he counted. “One. Two. Three.”

“I'm gonna go hide now!” Dante called as he raced out of the room to hide.

“Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.” Patton stopped spinning as he attempted to catch his bearings. “First clap!” A clap sounded from a distance and Patron carefully moved forward as he put his hands out in front of him. Once out in the hallway, he called out for the second clap. “Second clap.” Patton smiled as he heard one from the room next to him. He carefully made his way inside. “Dante…I know where you're hiding.” Behind Patton, the doors to the wardrobe opened. “Give me the third clap.” A pair of hands pushed out of the clothes and clapped. Patton whirled around with a wide grin. “I'm gonna get you now!” As he slowly made his way to the wardrobe, he caught on to the sound of breathing. “I can hear your breathing.” Patton shoved his hands into the wardrobe in an attempt to touch Dante only to find nothing but limp clothes and wood. He frowned. “Dante?” After searching the whole wardrobe, he ripped off his blindfold and put his glasses on and shoved clothes aside only to find the area empty. “Dante?”

“You took your blindfold off! I win! You weren't even close, Dad! I was in Apollo and Jer-Jericho's room!” Patton jumped and spun around to find Dante bouncing up and down in the doorway to the bedroom. A horrified expression passed across Patton's as he turned back to the wardrobe and searched through it only to find nothing but clothes and the back of the space. It was empty of any living being. Patton closed the doors and turned back to his child.

“...Dante, how would you like to come to the vet with daddy and see the kitty cats?”

Dante smiled as Patton closed the door to the room and turned, picking him up before going down the stairs to the kitchen. “Yeah! Let's go!”

Patton forced a smile on his face as he hurried to get the keys and their coats. He was scared, terrified. He could have sworn he had heard a clap coming from the wardrobe. He wasn't sure, but he was most definitely getting out of the house until Logan came home, or at least the other kids. As Patton and Dante got in the car, the thought came to him that he was overreacting and no one was in the house and it was just all part of his imagination. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Everything is okay. There is nothing in the house. It was just my imagination. I could be having hearing problems. Nothing was there. There was nothing in the closet. It was just my mind playing tricks on me.

He opened his eyes and stared at the house intently. He turned to face Dante in the backseat. "Alright, let's go see those kitties."

"Kitties!" Dante cried out happily. Patton smiled fondly before turning the car on and backing out of the driveway. With one last look at the house he pulled out and onto the road on the way to his place of work to spend some times with the kitty cats. And if he saw a fleeting glimpse of something in the upstairs bedroom window, he said nothing of it.

-------

Patton peered into Logan's study as his husband spoke on the phone. "Of course, sir. I will be sure to do that. Thank you. Have a nice evening." Logan hung up with a weary with as he leaned back in his chair, Patton coming up behind him to wrap his arms loosely around his shoulders as he rested his head next to his.

"When do you have to leave?"

Logan sighed as he rubbed Patton's arms. "Tomorrow. It's a week trip."

Patton closed his eyes and hummed. A week without his husband. It wasn't like this hasn't happened before. But he was still uneasy about the scary event that happened a few weeks ago. And ever since then, he couldn't rid himself of the feeling that someone was watching him as he went about his business. The only reprieve he had of these feelings was when he went to work. And even then, the prospect of returning home to those invisible eyes was hanging over him like a dark cloud. This, he did not say out loud. Instead, "We'll get through it. We always do."

Logan let a small smile grace his lips and he took one of Patton's hands and pressed his lips to it. "We will. Thank you, honey."

Patton smiled softly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

-------

"Stop Apollo," Jericho groaned. "It's not funny anymore. I'm trying to sleep."

"I'm not doing anything." Apollo rolled his eyes as he shifted in bed.

"Stop grabbing my feet."

"I'm not!" Apollo groaned as he rolled over.

Jericho scoffed and pulled the blankets up around his shoulders. Seconds later, the fabric was yanked from his hands. He sat up, ready to tell at his brother when he heard something under his bed. Fear pierced at his heart as he leaned over, looking under the bed only to find it empty. The door creaked. Sitting up, he turned his head towards the open door, light streaming in through the doorway. His eyes fixated on the area behind the door. It was dark. Really dark. And it was black. Blacker than the darkest night sky. It terrified him. "Apollo," he whispered, his lips barely moving as he dared to call for his brother. "Apollo."

Apollo groaned and sat up, covers falling off his shoulder, a cold draft hitting the clothed skin. "What is it Jericho?" He looked at his brother only to find the other frozen in place, his face a mixture of fear and dread. "Jericho?" He followed his brothers line of sight to see him staring at the darkened space behind the door. Frowning, he climbed out of bed and made his way over to the door on bare feet.

"Apollo?" Jericho called. "What are you doing?"

Apollo searched the area as best as he could in the black shadows of the night. Finding nothing, he turned back to his brother. "Are you alright?"

"You don't see it?" He asked, horrified.

A worry line appeared on his forehead as he watched his brother. "See what?" What do you see?"

Jericho gulped. "There's someone behind the door."

Apollo's eyes widened hysterically wide. "What?"

"There is someone, standing behind you."

Something cold pricked at Apollo's neck as he froze. Ever so slowly, he turned around. Cautiously shoving his hand forward, he hit nothing but cold, still air. He let out a sigh of relief, silently scolding himself for becoming so worked up. "There's nothing the-" BAM! The door slammed shut, plunging the room into darkness. The two teens screamed.

Footsteps thundered toward the room, the door flying open to find Apollo and Jericho holding onto each other in the corner of the room farthest from the door, their faces white as milk.

Patton rushed to their sides as Logan flipped the light on and glanced around the room. After making sure the children were okay he spoke. "What's going on in here?" Despite his stern voice, there was an underlying tone of worry in his voice.

Patton rubbed his son's backs as they sobbed. After a few minutes they had gotten a hold of themselves enough to talk.

"There was someone in here!" Apollo cried out.

"Behind the door!"

Logan checked behind the door as Patton felt his heart leap into his throat.

Someone was in here?

It reminded him of his first day in the house alone with Dante. When they were playing hide and go clap.

Logan frowned. "There's nothing in here."

Apollo and Jericho cried out together. "No no no. There was. There was somebody in here!"

"They grabbed my foot and yanked covers and woke me up! I thought it was Apollo but it wasn't!"

Apollo nodded vigorously as His brother talked, tears streaming down their faces.

Patton pressed a kiss to their foreheads. "I'm sure it was just a bad dream, kiddos."

Apollo and Jericho jerked upright. "No! It wasn't! We ran over here when the door slammed shut and it followed!"

"It talked to us!" They choked out. "It says it wants-"

"-our family dead!" They sobbed, finishing each other's sentences. Patton and Logan shared a horrified look as their other children watched from the hallway, a dark cloud of oppression hovered heavily over the family.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Roman smiled as he walked outside with a coat hanging over his arm. His husband and child were playing with the chickens as his mother-in-law fed them. Virgil was smiling as their son, Thomas grabbed a handful of food and tossed it on dry grass for the birds. Virgil looked up and noticed his husband. He smiled and stood, walking over to him, "Where are you going?" He asked.

"Oh, just going to the store to pick up a few things," he answered and hoped his small acting career paid off.

Virgil sighed. "Roman, in all the years we've been married, have you ever been able to lie to me?"

Roman closed his eyes with a resigned sigh, his lips twitched up in an almost fond smile for his husband. "Well, Father Gordon called and said he's got a case that he's like us to check out."

"And you told him you'd check it out yourself, didn't you?"

Roman lowered his head slightly, knowing what was coming. "Yeah."

Virgil shook his head with a sigh. "I'm coming with you."

Roman shook his head firmly. "No, Virgil-"

Virgil stood in front of his husband, staring him down with his icy blue colored eyes, a glint of determination. Roman knew his husband's mind was set. And he knew it would take a miracle to change it. "I know, Roman. Okay? I know you're worried it's gonna happen again."

Roman nodded, trying to stand his ground. "I am! I'm really worried about it! Virgil, please-" Virgil shook his head gently and placed his hands on Roman's shoulders. Roman shook his head. Trying to keep is resolve. "Maybe it's time we take a break. Write that book we were talking about."

Virgil took Roman's face in his hands, forcing his husband to look at him. "Ro? Do you remember what you said to me on our wedding night?"

Roman gave a suave smirk, "Can we do it again?"

Virgil rolled his eyes, fighting the smile working its way onto his face. "No, Roman. After that." Virgil took a deep breath, it always did take a lot for him to say sappy stuff. "You said that God brought us together for a reason, yeah?" Roman nodded. Virgil smiled at him fondly. "I'm pretty sure its not to write a book."

Roman let out a breath, finally surrendering. "Yeah. I guess."

Virgil pressed a quick kiss to Roman's cheek. "I'm gonna go get dressed."

--------

Virgil stood with a young man and women, the two were roommates who were experiencing terrifying disturbing noises throughout their home. "We've isolated the disturbances to the attic." The two people listened and glanced around the dark attic as they waited for something to jump out at them. "If you could just listen for a second,"

A deep groaning noise sounded throughout the room.

"That's it!" Valerie gasped.

Virgil smiled and nodded. "Do it again, Roman." He flashed the flashlight so that it shone on Roman as he leaned forward pressing down on a board, producing the sound again. "Right now it's just my weight. But you take the water coming off the pipe and combine that with the wind coming in through this broken window.." He shrugged and moved back to stand by Virgil. "The boards rubbed together as they expanded. It was heard all throughout the house because or the pipes, which link to the radiator."

"So," Terrance started. "This place isn't haunted."

Virgil shook his head with a gentle smile. "No, it rarely is. There's almost always a rational explanation for these things."

------

Patton took some iron supplements as he inspected another bruise along his collarbone. He sighed and turned to go back to his room and shivered. He frowned and grabbed his fluffy sky blue rope and pulled it on, tying it tightly around his waist. He began folding laundry, the small radio sitting in the corner playing some of his favorite songs as he went through the task calmly. He frowned as he heard running footsteps and small giggles out in the hallway. He turned and shut the radio off before walking to the doorway.

"Kiddos?" He called as he stepped out into the dark hallway. "What are you doing? It's way past your bedtime." Patton pushed his glasses up his nose and he inspected that hall and noticed no one. With a frown, he checked each room only to find that every kid was in bed. He let out a sigh. "My mind must be playing tricks on me."

A loud crash reverberated throughout the house and Patton raced to the railing to find all the pictures hung up along the stairs had fallen from their spots and lay at the bottom of the stairs with shards of glass littering the wood stairs and floor. Patton's eyes widened as he heard more running footsteps and giggles. He carefully moved his way down the stairs, careful to keep the glass away from his slippers. The clock ticked anxiously as he stepped into the living room and clicked on a lamp. Moving through the hall and past the basement door to check the kitchen, a creaking sound caused Patton to freeze. The door to the basement creaked open slowly behind him.

Patton turned his head slowly as he was drenched in an ice cold fear. He crept over to the door and quickly flipped the light switch. He glanced down the stairs and felt his heart race as he saw no shadow indication any physical being. He stepped back and held the door and prepared to slam it shut. "Whoever's down there, I’m locking you in no-" Patton felt someone shove him forward. He hit the wall and tumbled down the stairs as the door slammed shut. He landed on the hard floor with a grunt. He peered around the lit basement through cracked lenses with fear. No one was there. What was going on? Was he going crazy?

A small ball shot out from a pile of furniture and bounced towards Patton. He wasted no time in scrambling up the stairs as the light bulb burst. He pressed his back against the wall but remembered Logan leaving a box of matches somewhere on the top stair. He felt around and found them, he lifted the small cardboard box with shaking hands and pulled out a match and struck it on the side. A small light flared up in the darkness, leaving most of Patton's line of sight in pitch black shadows.

"Hey," a small breathy voice called. Patton froze, the flame flickered as his fingers whole violently. Giggles sounded."Wanna play hide and clap?" Out of the corner of Patton's eye, he noticed a pair of arms reach out beside him and clap twice. Patton screamed and dropped the match as it flared out and turned to pound on the door with tears streaming down his face. "HELP! HELP ME! PLEASE!"

-----

Elliot awoke to the sound of thumping from across the room. They sat up and looked up to see Kai, banging their head against the door. Elliot sighed and climbed out of bed. They walked over and bent down and waited until their siblings head was away from the doors to the wardrobe. They slid their hand over and caught Kai's forehead and prevented it from hitting the doors again. "Okay, Kai," they whispered as they began to gently lead their sibling over to the bed slowly. "Okay, come on. You can sleep here tonight." Elliot began tucking Kai into the bed only to freeze as the doors to the wardrobe thumped again. Elliot turned around slowly and watched as the doors opened slightly, then shut again. They bit their lip, wondering if they were seeing things. They cautiously made their way forward, inching closer to the big wooden closet slowly.

Behind them, Kai slowly sat up. Elliot yanked the doors to the wardrobe open and searched through their clothes hanging inside. There was no one inside. They frowned and tried to convince themselves that it was just their imagination. They whirled around as they heard a gasp and noticed Kai sitting up and staring up toward the ceiling. "Kai? What is it?" They whispered. Kai raised their arm and pointed at something above the wardrobe. Elliot's face twisted into apprehension as they turned slowly and fought against their instants telling them to run or not look. They looked up and saw this woman in a dirty white gown and ragged dark hair. Their eyes widened as the face of the women split with a malevolent grin. Elliot and Kai screamed and the woman screeched and leapt off the top of the wardrobe.

-----

Logan climbed out of his car after a long week of work. He stopped as he heard a loud, shrill scream as it echoed across the yard. He dropped his things as he looked up at his house and raced inside. The first thing he noticed was the door to the basement rattling and the frantic sounds of his husband muffled by the wood. He hurriedly opened the door and Patton tumbled forward. The two parents wasted no time in flying up the stairs towards the frightened shrieks of their children. They barged into Elliot's room to find them thrashing violently on the floor as if something was attacking them. Logan and Patton raced to their child's side and tried to calm them as Kai and the other children raced into the room.

"What is going on here?" Logan called frantically, trying to find out what could have possibly caused his husband and two of his children to be scared out of their wits.

------

It had been a few weeks since Logan had come home to find his husband locked in the basement and two of his children being attacked by an unseen force. Since then, the family has all moved into the living room. The doors across the living room that led to the parlor have been tied shut. After countless sleepless nights caused by the doors banging all night in threes, they had to find a way to prevent them from continuing. The house has grown colder. No matter what Logan does, nothing keeps it warm. Patton and Logan were reaching the point of breaking.

Now, the two sat on the couch watching over their children as they slept and scouring the internet for anything that could help them. Soon, a link stood out to them. They clicked it and were taken to a nearby university's website. Logan quickly skimmed the page and found that it was advertising a lecture for a couple of professors who taught about the supernatural. Logan glanced at Patton. "Well, we know they most certainly are not homophobic," he whispered as he held his husband close to him. Patton nodded. "Yeah, that would definitely be good."

Logan pressed a kiss to Patton's temple before looking back at the page. "It says here they help with hauntings and such."

Patton hummed. "Maybe we can ask them for help?"

"Their next lecture is tomorrow. I can take off work so we can go, if you'd like."

"What about the kids?"

Logan frowned. "I see what you're saying. I don't want to leave them here alone either. Maybe, maybe we can take them to a friend's?"

Patton leaned his head against Logan's shoulder. "Yeah, I think that'll work. Gosh, I hope this will help."

Logan blinked tears out of his eyes, trying to keep himself together for Patton. "I know honey, I know."

-----

"Fear is defined as a feeling of agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or eminence of danger," Roman spoke as he handed Toby a CD to put into the computer.  "It doesn't matter if its a ghost, a spirit, or entity, they all feed on it." Toby turned on the projector and a video appeared on screen showing an exorcism. "Take Maurice here. He was a French-Canadian farmer who had nothing but a third-grade education. After he was possessed, he spoke some of the best Latin I have ever heard. He even sometimes spoke it backwards." Roman bit his lip and cast a glance at Virgil who glanced at their students and shrugged.

"He had been molested and tortured repeatedly by his father. It made it easier for a dark spirit to make its home in this man and possess him."

On screen, the man's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he shook violently and sweat drenched his hair. "If you look into his eyes, you'll see him tearing blood," Virgil told the students. Onscreen, an image of Virgil patting the sweat off the man's face appeared as the camera panned over to catch sight of Virgil and Roman assisting in the exorcism. The man onscreen pulled his shirt up and upside down crosses seemed to push out from the inside. "And, like that," Virgil pointed to the man's stomach. "An upside down cross began to appear from within his body."

The video ended. "Toby, can you hit the lights?" Roman asked. The lights turned on and Virgil and Roman turned back to their students. "Any questions?"

A student in the front raised their hand. "Do you perform the exorcism personally?"

Roman shook his head. "I'm not authorized, so no. But I've assisted on many. You see,"

Virgil glanced as Roman continued. "An exorcism can be extremely dangerous, not just for the victim, but for everyone else in the room."

Another student raised their hand. "Yes?" Virgil asked, trying to hide the fact that he was feeling a little off.

"What happened to Maurice?"

Virgil's eyebrows drew together. "He tried to kill his wife but shot her in the arm instead. Then he turned the gun on himself."

"Maurice had a horribly troubled life," Roman picked up after his husband. "Not even an exorcism could bring him back."

"And that brings us to the three stages of demonic activity," Virgil started as he lifted the pull down screen to reveal three words written down on the board. "Infestation, oppression, and possession," he announced as he pointed to each.

"The infestation, that's the whisperings and footsteps. The feeling of another presence which will grow into oppression," Roman explained. "The second stage. This is where the victim, who is usually the most psychologically vulnerable, is targeted by an external force. It'll break the victims down and crush their will. Once they're in a weakened state, it leads into the final stage, possession."

In the back of the class, two men shared a glance as fear settled into their guts.

------

"Hey, Roman! Virgil!" Toby called as he jogged up with two men beside him.

Roman turned around and stopped packing their things into their car. "Yeah?"

"These two men here want to talk to you."

Virgil watched the two carefully as Toby left. "How can we help you?" He asked gently. The two men shared a glance and Virgil noticed how tightly they held each other's hands.

"There's something terrible in our house. Could you two come take a look?"

Roman froze. A case. He didn't know if it was real or not but the fear that something might happen to Virgil again seeped into his bones. "You know, its, uh, getting kind of late and we really need to be getting home."

The taller one, who wore glasses and tie shook his head. "No, Sir, I don't think you understand."

Roman sighed. "We do, there's normally a rational explanation-"

Virgil noticed the shorter one looked like he was on the verge of tears. "We have six children who are petrified. We're so afraid that it wants to hurt us."

"You have a child, wouldn't you do anything you could possible to protect them?"

"Please, at least take a look?"

Virgil nodded. "Of course we will.

Roman shot a glance at Virgil.

What? Virgil no.

But Roman knew that there was no stopping Virgil once he heard there were children involved. "Of course we will," he conceded.

The two men's faces lit up with hope. "Oh, thank you. Thank you so much."

Roman nodded with a smile. He just hoped nothing happened to his husband. He couldn't let him get hurt again.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Virgil periodically looked up from his map to check their surroundings as Roman drove down the road. He bit his lip as he noticed the start of a driveway up ahead. "I think this next turn is it," he said as he glanced at the map again. "Okay," Roman said as he turned off the road and onto the long gravel driveway leading to an old farmhouse. Virgil looked up and gasped. The driveway was lined with tall trees, their colorful fall leaves blanketed the road and more leaves fell through the air as they came to a stop in front of the big house. "It's so big and old," Virgil commented as he took in the dark wood siding of the house and big shutters.Roman nodded. "Yeah." The two got out of the car and walked up to the house and rang the bell. There were some voices and shuffling inside then one of the men they had met came and opened the door. "Hello," Roman said kindly. "Hi," Virgil greeted with a small smile. "Thank you for coming. I'm Logan and this is my husband Patton." He gestured to Patton as he walked out of the living room, a tired smile on his face. A frown pulled at Virgil's face slightly, seeing right through the other’s facade. "Virgil." "It's nice to meet you, Logan, Patton. Roman Warren." Patton gave a hopeful smile. "Thank you so much for coming. Please come in." Virgil smiled softly and stepped across the threshold, Roman following right behind him. "Thank you," he tried to keep his eyes from lingering on a spot behind Patton. He turned his head and caught sight of six kids lined up watching them as they came in. His anxiety spiked but it provided the perfect opportunity to keep his eyes off of what he saw. "Oh my! Look at all of you! Who are these beautiful children?" Patton grinned and went to introduce them. "This is Emile," he started, pointing to the tallest, who wore a pair of reading glasses. He had a friendly smile but his eyes held hints of fear and sorrow. "Pronouns are he/him. The twins, Jericho and Apollo, they/them and he/him respectively. Kai, they/them. Elliot, they/them and our youngest, Dante, he/him." Both Roman and Virgil felt a burst of warmth in their hearts as they saw Patton check pronouns with each child before moving on to the next. "Children," Logan started. "This is Mr. Warren and Mr. Warren. They're here to help." Virgil nodded, a soft smile on his face before his eyes landed on something behind Emile and the smile dimmed. Roman frowned as he noticed the mattresses and blankets piled in the living room. "We're all sleeping down here now. It's warmer. And the kids feel safer." Patton rubbed his arms as he watched the two demonologists inspect their home. "We are constantly turning the heat but I have checked the furnace and have found no issues with it," Logan commented. "At least none that I can find." Patton watched as Virgil moved closer to the fireplace and noticed Roman moving towards the staircase. He followed, hoping to gauge what he was thinking. "It's gotten worse the last few nights," he added. Logan watched from the doorway as Roman inspected the closed double doors beside the stairs. Patton continued. "There is this, awful awful smell," he stopped as his face twisted in concentration. "Something like rotting meat. It even moves around the house..." Patton shivered and Logan frowned, grabbing a small shawl to put over Patton. He froze however when noticed Roman's weary, concerned glance at his husband. Virgil came to stand by his husband again and bit his lip. "Rancid smells could be an indication of demonic activities," he told the couple, his voice as soft and serious as he could make it. Patton's eyes blew wide and he gripped Logan's arm tightly to ground himself. Logan rubbed soothing circles into his husband’s back as he tried to comprehend what he was hearing. Virgil and Roman turned towards the doors held shut by a rope wrapped around the handles. Roman reached his hand forward to push on them. "T-That's to keep them from banging at night." The Warrens turned to face Logan and Patton. The former being the one who had spoken. If one hadn't heard the slight stutter in his voice only moments earlier, they would assume he was fine. And rightly so. The man was very good at containing his emotions. "If we don't tie them closed they'd bang together all night long."Roman sucked in a breath. "Does it come in 3's?" Patton nodded. "Stop at dawn?" Another nod. Roman took a moment to breathe before he spoke again. "Sometimes it's meant as an insult to the Holy Trinity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." Virgil began to fiddle with the fidget cube in his pocket silently as concern and anxiety-riddled his mind. "We also get..um..." Logan glanced at Patton wearily. Concern shining through his otherwise stone-cold expression. "We get these birds that just fly into the side of the house. And they break their necks." Patton felt sick. Roman and Virgil shared a glance, horrified. "What else?" Virgil asked, trying to move on from the subject. "All the clocks stop at 3:07 A.M.," Patton forced out. "All of them?" Roman asked, unsure if he was hearing things right. Logan nodded. "Yes. I assumed they had gotten bumped around in the move and proceeded to fix them, however they still all stop at 3:07 A.M. and I am forced to believe it can not be a coincidence."Roman was silent for a moment before speaking again. He motioned up the stairs. "Shall we?" He asked politely. The more he heard, the more concerned he grew, not only for his husband but for the family dwelling in the home as well. Patton nodded and he and Logan lead the experts up the rickety stairs. The stairwell wall, bare. The group walked past a small chair sitting in the hallway and Virgil paused as he glanced at the stack of frames on its seat. Inside the top frame was a picture of the family, wide smiles and happy eyes. Patton noticed. "Oh, we had those hanging along the stairs. But something kept knocking them down so we had to stop hanging them." Virgil felt his gut twist uneasily. Patton and Logan stopped at a room towards the front of the house. They stepped back as Virgil and Roman took their places to look inside. "That's what we were talking about," Logan said as he gestured to an old widened wardrobe standing against the wall opposite the bed. "It was here when we moved in." "There's a lot of stuff in the cellar too," Patton added. Virgil turned his head to face the couple. "Show me the cellar." ---Virgil stood nearly frozen as he took in the cellar through his senses. The cold damp air around him sat eerily still as he closed his eyes, allowing his other senses to take over. Through his mind's eye, he saw glimpses and flashes of the past. Too fast for his brain to comprehend or process. His ears rang with whispers and screams and cries as he fought against the instinct to plug his ears shut he squeezed his eyes shut and allowed a single tear to slip past his defense. Footsteps came down the stairs, stead, sure gait. Virgil recognized them as his husbands and turned as Roman came to the bottom and glanced around the cellar. "Are you picking up anything in here, Hon?" Roman asked, moving towards his husband. His mind was already made up and he was sure his husband was on his side. Virgil let out a sigh. "Oh, something awful happened here, Ro."Roman froze, his fears and decision confirmed in just a few words. -----Roman sat down at the kitchen table with Patton and Logan, his coat draped around a chair as he took a sip of water and set a phone up for a recording. He frowned as he noticed bruises on Patton's arm. "Those bruises," he started. "Are they from something that happened here?" Patton blinked and glanced down before rubbing them wearily. "It's some kind of iron deficiency I have." Roman nodded. "With all that's been going on, why haven't you guys moved out?" Logan sighed. "While that would be the best choice, we can't. We have nowhere to go. All our savings went into this place and with the number of repairs and the cost of living, we can't just pick up and move right away. And I don't know who's going to take in a family of 8 for an undetermined amount of time." "It's why we tracked you down," Patton added. Roman let out a small sigh of relief. "Well, I'm glad you found us." He moved to start the recording. "All right now let's get started." He hit record. "My name is Roman Warren. It's November 1st, 2017. I'm sitting here with Logan and Patton Sanders, who, with their children, have been experiencing a supernatural phenomenon." He took a breath. "Okay, go ahead." "Where should we start?" Patton asked. "From the first occurrence." Patton sighed. "I guess it must have been the clocks…"-----Virgil gave a kind smile to the small child sitting across from him, cradling a small toy in his hands. "Dad and Pa tell me you have a friend," Virgil stated, giving the kid in front of him the chance to speak.Dante nodded. "Yeah. Her name is Rory. She lives here too." "Really?" Virgil asked. Another nod. "But she's always sad." Virgil frowned empathically. "Oh no. Do you know why that is?"Dante shook his head. "No. She won't tell me." He leaned forward a little bit as if sharing a secret. "But I think something bad happened to her." Virgil bit his lip and tried to lighten the mood. "Do you mind if I try to see Rory?" Dante smiled and hopped down off his chair and came over to Virgil and handed him the toy he was holding. "Here, you turn the key. And when the music stops, you'll see him behind you in the mirror." Virgil smiled softly at Dante and carefully took the toy from him and turned the key. Creepy music cranked out of the music box. Virgil focused his attention on the mirror, watching as it spun slowly, the spirals scratched into the mirror nearly hypnotizing. Virgil moved the mirror around to try to see if he could catch whoever Rory was before zeroing in on a spot behind him. His eyes were drawn to the area and suddenly, as the mirror turned, he saw the small figure of a girl standing in the mirror. She wore a dirty, tattered white dress and her skin was a sickly white. Virgil gasped silently as he watched the mirror turn again and when it came back around the girl was gone. He glanced behind him. He frowned with concern as he turned back to the toy. He shut the lid and handed it back to Dante with a concealing smile. After that, he excused himself and stepped out the back door to get a breath of fresh air. Despite Virgil's jacket, he felt the chill of the autumn air biting at his skin. He looked around, his eyes surveying the backyard. He felt a tugging sensation in his gut and let out a breath before allowing himself to open up to the tugging and following it down towards the dock by the lake. He looked out over the murky water and pulled his arms in to hug his body as chills ran up and down his arms. Back on the porch, Roman stepped outside. He glanced down the yard and found his husband standing beneath a tall creepy tree. He sighed and went down to join him. "Hey," he called as he got close. He watched as Virgil tensed up and frowned. "What is it?" Virgil vaguely heard Roman. He would have answered him had he not been preoccupied with a feeling. An ominous feeling that crawled over his skin like vines and rooted him to the spot. Slowly, ever so slowly, Virgil turned his back towards the tree, his gaze turning up to look into the twisted limbs hanging over him. His body froze as he saw something he knew only he could see. A woman, with tangled hair and an off-white dress. Her feet dangled in the air, the skin a grey corpse color as she hung limply from a rope wrapped around her neck. The neck, he noticed, seemed to be permanently stuck at a 90° angle as if it had snapped immediately after the women dropped towards the earth only to be stopped as the rope yanked her body up. Virgil felt sick. This woman, whoever she was, had hanged herself, on the very branch upon his husband's head. His eyes fluttered as he felt a shock of icy chill run through his body from his head to his toes. He shivered violently and his knees gave out. Roman gave a short shout as he pushed himself forward to catch Virgil. He held his husband close and his eyes widened as he felt just how cold the man was. He whispered reassurances as he rubbed warmth back into his beloved waiting for him to calm down before he asked what Virgil saw. Slowly, Virgil was able to calm and stand on his own. "What happened? What did you see?" Roman asked carefully. He wasn't expecting Virgil to turn his gaze to him, eyes as wide as dinner plates, face impossibly paler than normal. "Something awful."

----"We bought it at an auction from the bank. We have no information on who lived here before us," Logan answered the Warrens as the four sat at the table in the kitchen.  Roman sighed heavily as Virgil closed his eyes wearily. "Well," Roman started. "Virgil and I feel that what this house needs is a cleansing.""An exorcism," Virgil added. "An exorcism? What?" Patton asked, worry licking at his words. "I think that was something only done to people?" Logan asked, a little excited to be learning something new. Virgil shook his head. "Not necessarily."Patton felt horror twist his gut and he turned to Logan in a panic. "We have to get out of here!" Roman winced. If only it were that easy. "I'm afraid," the couple opposite them turned towards them quickly. "That's not going to help." Roman glanced at his husband. "Virgil saw something." He turned to Virgil to let him explain. Virgil sighed heavily. "I have seen the dark entity that is haunting your house and land. At first, I saw it when I came in the door." He nodded towards Patton. "It was latched to your back." He closed his eyes and tools a breath. "And I saw it again with your children after we walked into the living room." Virgil tightened his grip on his fidget cube as he prepared himself to give the grave news to the family before him. "It doesn't matter where you go, or how fast you go, this entity has latched itself to on to your family and it is feeding off of you." Horrified expressions passed over Logan and Patton's faces as the words sunk in. "Even if we leave?" Logan asked, voice wavering.  Roman nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so. Sometimes, when you get haunted, its kinda like stepping on him, you end up taking it with you everywhere you go." Virgil nodded quickly. "I have to tell you that there are a lot of spirits here but this one is the one that I worry about the most because it is so so hateful." Logan and Patton were quiet for a minute. "W-what do we do?" Patton asked weakly. "Performing an exorcism is an archaic procedure. It requires years and years of training and…" Roman paused and looked towards his husband. "Even then I have seen it go so horribly wrong." "Before we can get there, we have to have the Church authorize it. Which means we have to investigate further and gather evidence and provide proof. That's the hardest part." Roman nodded with his husband's words. "Feelings can't be documented. We have to capture some kind of visual and auditory proof of what you are experiencing. But don't worry, we're going to help." ----Roman and Virgil stepped outside, preparing for the drive home and then a long night of researching. "Have your children been baptized?" Logan and Patton shared a glance. "No, we haven't gotten around to it. Patton's religious but I'm not so he's the only one who goes to church." Virgil bit his lip, not wanting to intrude but also terrified for what could happen to the family. "Our presence could make things worse so you might want to rethink that. You don't have to but since this entity is going to see us as a threat, it might be a good idea to do so. Or at least try to keep an eye on each other as often as you can." Roman nodded. "We're going to do some research and then we'll be back. I promise we're going to get to the bottom of this." Patton and Logan gave a hopeful smile and waved as the Warrens left. They were going to get help. ----Virgil pushed open the door to his son’s room with a small smile. "Hey, Thomas, what are you up to?" Thomas's head turned around, his face lighting up once he saw Virgil. "Dad!" He jumped up and grabbed something from his bedside table. "I got you a present." Virgil smiled as he sat beside Thomas. "Me and Nana got this at the Church's yard sale." Virgil looked down at the locket dangling from Thomas's hand and gasped. "Oh! Honey!" He carefully took the locket from his son to open it up and smiled fondly when he saw a picture of Thomas inside. "One for you," Thomas said as he pulled a locket out from under his PJ top. "And one for me." Virgil looked over as Thomas opened the locket and his smile grew. Inside, Thomas had placed a picture of Virgil and a picture of Roman on either side of the locket's lids. "I put a picture of you and Dad in mine." Virgil leaned over and gave Thomas a quick hug. "This way we will always be together. You'll be with me and I'll be with you." Virgil gave Thomas a quick kiss to his forehead as he stood up and began to tuck his son in. "I miss you and Dad," Thomas whispered. Virgil felt his heart twist painfully. "I know darling. I miss you too. We both do. Very much so." Virgil brushed Thomas's bangs back and gave him a goodnight kiss before leaving the room as Thomas fell asleep. ----Virgil sat at a table sifting through old records, deeds, death certificates, and maps related to the property on which Logan and Patton and their family lived. To say what he found was disturbing would be something of an understatement. "Hey, love!" Virgil turned as Roman walked out of his study, carrying his phone and a pair of headphones. "Hmm?""You are absolutely not gonna believe this!" Roman exclaimed as he pulled out a chair beside Virgil and sat down. "Patton's voice didn't record."Virgil felt goosebumps on his neck. "What? What do you mean?" He asked, fear prickling at his skin.Roman shook his head. "Just listen." He unplugged the headphones and hit play on the recording from his interview with Logan and Patton. Sound filtered through the air from the phone and Virgil closed his eyes. "My name is Roman Warren. It's November 1st, 2017. I'm sitting here with Logan and Patton Sanders, who, with their children, have been experiencing a supernatural phenomenon. Okay, go ahead………from the first occurrence."  Virgil frowned as silence echoed from the phone. What should have been Patton's voice speaking about their experiences was simply only nothing. Ear deafening silence. It terrified him. Something that could manipulate their equipment to this degree was petrifying. Utterly petrifying. Virgil shivered as Roman stopped the playback. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing! The whole entire time. You can hear Logan and I just fine but Patton..." Virgil bit his lips as his husband fisted his hands in his hair in a moment of frustration. Roman took a deep breath and let his hands fall to his lap. "I don't know what's going on here. Did you find anything?" He asked as he turned to Virgil who took a deep breath and nodded, turning to the table covered in papers and books. "Oh yeah. Lots. It's no wonder they're going through all their going through." Virgil reached forward and picked up an old sketch, the edges of the page curling with old age. "This is the original farmhouse. It was built in 1863 by a man with the  name of Jedson Sherman." Virgil let out a sigh as he let the page fall gently back to the table. "He was married to a woman by the name of Bathsheba." Virgil chuckled humorlessly. "She's related to Mary Towne Eastey. You know who she is?" At Roman's denial, Virgil continued. "She was one of the women accused of witchcraft. She was executed by hanging in 1692." Roman frowned. "What does that mean?" Virgil rubbed a hand over his face, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "After Bathsheba married Jedson, they had a child. When the baby was seven days old-" Virgil stopped and swallowed thickly, preparing himself to continue. "Jedson caught her sacrificing the child in front of the fireplace." Virgil dug his nails into his palm as he tried to keep his composure. "She ran out to the tree by the dock, climbed up, then she proclaimed her love to Satan and cursed anyone who would try to take her land, and hung herself. She was pronounced dead at 3:07." Roman squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to pull his breathing under control. "Well...I guess that explains a few things." Virgil nodded, forcing himself to distance himself from everything that he found out. "This does as well. He lifted up an old black and white photograph of a woman and a young girl who must have been her daughter. "Last name Walker, they lived here in the ‘30s with her daughter Rory." Virgil picked up a news report and handed it to Roman. "Rory ended up mysteriously disappearing in the woods and then the mother killed herself in the cellar." Roman frowned. "Weird…""That's not all," Virgil said with a grimace. "See, what was originally the 200-acre farm, has since been subdivided and sold off." Virgil pulled a map over and pointed out different areas on the map. "Over here was a place where another boy drowned in a pond." Virgil moved his finger to another spot. "He lived in a house here. Then a woman who worked as a maid in a neighboring home committed suicide as well." Virgil went silent as he waited for Roman to make the connection. "People who took her land…" Roman breathed. The two startled as the recording on Roman's phone started playing again. "I'm sitting here with Logan and Patton Sanders, who, with their children, have been experiencing a supernatural phenomenon. Okay, go ahead"  Instead of silence, a warped screaming twisted its way from the phone. The sound creating dread in the Warrens’ guts. The clock sitting in front of Roman and Virgil suddenly flipped to 3:07. The couple shared a glance. This was getting dangerous. Very dangerous. ------Virgil and Roman pulled up in front of the home of the Picanis as Toby, their assistant, pulled up in a Volkswagen van behind them. Virgil got out of the car and smiled as he saw a dark green Mustang pull up behind the orange and green van. "Oh, there's Remy." Roman grinned as a man in a black leather jacket and aviator sunglasses climbed out of the car. "Did you find the place okay?" Remy nodded as he moved over to the two demonologists. "Yeah…" he answered as he stared at a man whose style was Halloween™. He pulled his sunglasses down a little and gave a pointed look at the Warrens. Virgil snorted. "Toby, this is Officer Remy." "Officer Remy Hamilton, Harris Ville, Rhode Island PD. Is your name just Toby or….?" Toby smiled and shook Remy's outstretched hand. "Toby's short for October. October Cromwell. Nice to meet you, Officer Remy." Remy smirked. "Oh Honey, call me Remy.""You know you can't shoot ghosts, right?" Toby asked as he unloaded equipment from the back of the van. "Take it easy on him, Toby. He's too gay to function around guys he thinks are cute." Remy flushed and shot Roman the middle finger as the married couple snickered and moved to announce to the Picanis’ that they were there. Once everything was unloaded, Virgil, Roman, Remy, and Toby set up all of their equipment. At the bottom of the stairs, they set up a trigger camera that would go off when there was a dramatic change in temperature along with an infrared camera beside it and sitting at the top of the stairs. Then, they wrapped bells on the handles of every door and put REM pods down in the most active areas. Inside the bedroom with the wardrobe, they set up a camera shooting the wardrobe along with more REM pods on either side of it. They put a camera in the cellar and then out in the years shooting up into the tree where the witch committed suicide. Roman was working on setting up a game camera aimed at the tree when Logan walked out to see what he was doing. Roman glanced at him and tried to start a conversation. "What's wrong with the Chevy?" Logan raised an eyebrow and glanced back at the wooden shed that housed the aforementioned car. He shrugged. "A better question would be to ask what's not wrong with it." Roman laughed. "Oh?" Logan nodded. "Yeah. I put fixing it up on hold until things get settled. I can't really afford to put time into it right now."Roman nodded. "I know what you mean." "What are you doing?" Logan asked curiously as he peered at the camera Roman was fidgeting with. "I'm setting up a game camera that'll go off any time something moves." "Why out here?" Logan asked. Roman grimaced. "This is where the witch is said to have committed suicide. Right on that branch above your head." Logan glanced up and quickly moved, suddenly feeling a slight chill. "What kind of stuff have you caught on camera?" He asked, trying to distract his mind as quickly as possible. Roman hummed as he finished setting up the camera. "Mostly voices, strange mists, and shadows. Sometimes we get orbs and stuff moving, but nothing too clear." "Oh." Logan wasn't sure what he was expecting and simply opted to help Roman finish setting up. ------"How could a mother kill their own child?!?!" Patton asked horrified as he and Virgil set up pictures on the mantel in his room. Virgil sighed wearily. "It was never a child to her. She didn't see the child the way you and I would. She saw it as a way to use God's gift against him. The wicked witches believe it elevates their status in the eyes of Satan." Patton frowned and moved to put a picture of his family up only for Virgil to stop him and place his hands on the frame. Flashes of the children running around on the beach and laughing appeared in Virgil's mind and he smiled warmly. "That was a nice stay at the beach, huh?"Patton blinked. "How did you know?" Virgil chuckled lightly. "It's called insight. Almost like a peek through a curtain in another person's life. It allows me to see things associated with an object or a picture.""Woah, that sounds cool." Patton breathed. Virgil shrugged. "Sometimes it is. Other times, not so much." Patton nodded and looked down at the picture again. "They mean everything to me. We were just driving along the coast and Emile pointed out just how pretty the view was. We got out and took a picture. It felt like the perfect opportunity. We were gonna start fresh. New house, new beginnings, new surroundings." Virgil smiled softly as they set the frame up alongside the others. "You should have seen them. They were all so happy. I want that for them again."Virgil gave a comforting smile. "They will be. You will be. You all will be happy again." A hopeful smile stretched across Patton's lips. "Thank you." Both knew he wasn't just thanking Virgil for the kind words. The two left Patton's room to go downstairs only to freeze as a door down the hall opened, the bell ringing lightly. Roman, Logan, and Toby quickly stood at attention as they slowly moved towards the door. Within a second, Remy took a step backward out of the door as he tossed a tissue in the garbage. He froze as he noticed everyone staring at him with varying expressions that all summed up into a force asking, "are you kidding me?" He flushed and left the area to go get more coffee. Everyone relaxed and went about their business, still making sure to keep an eye out for paranormal activity. -----Virgil, Patton, Toby, Roman, Logan, and Remy all waited downstairs for any sign of paranormal activity while the children slept in the living room. Virgil sat next to Toby in front of the tv on which the live video feed from each camera was coming in. "Seems like all the cameras are coming in good."Toby nodded. "All the audio coming in clear as well." "Good."Virgil shot Roman an "I love you blink" as he walked past to get something out of his bag in the kitchen. He pulled out a case and took out a crucifix along with a small, cloudy, white, plastic bottle with a silver cross on the front. "What's in the bottle?" Logan asked as he caught sight of Roman setting the crucifix on a shelf."Holy water," Roman answered as he began to sprinkle it around the lower floor. "Anything unholy will react to the presence of religious icons." Roman set the bottle in his pocket in the event they would need it and stopped to actually look at Logan. "It basically pisses them off." Logan raised an eyebrow. And Roman gave a grin. "Yeah, I cussed." He shook his head. "Anyway, I set them up around the house to see if I could stir things up a bit. Get some activity going that way we can get the proof we need for the approval of an exorcism.""Like holding a cross to a vampire?" Patton asked as he came in from the kitchen, handing a cup of coffee to Logan who took it gratefully. Roman grinned. "Yeah, except I only believe in one vampire." "Was that a joke at my paleness or my emo-ness?" Virgil spoke up from behind them and Roman turned to him with an impish grin. Virgil rolled his eyes, a fond smirk on his face as he went back to his notepad, trying to see if anything would come in through automatic writing. A small twinkle of a bell sounded and everyone froze. Slowly, the adults turned to face Remy who shrugged. "Wasn't me this time as you can clearly see." Virgil sucked in a breath and they all moved to watch the door to the cellar creak open carefully. Roman spoke up, his voice low as he kept his eyes on the door. "Remy, get the camera."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Roman held a digital reordering in his hands as he got ready to go down into the basement. Virgil stood steady beside him as he prepared himself to open his senses to the spirits. "Okay, it's 9 PM," Roman started as he looked into the night vision camera Remy was holding. "The door to the cellar just opened on its own. I have Virgil and Officer Remy Hamilton with me." Roman turned and began making his way down the stairs with Virgil and Remy following as he filmed. "Let's keep the light off," Roman said. "It might be more inclined to come out with the light off." They reached the cellar and stepped out into the open, dark space. "Can you give us a sign that you want to communicate with us."

Virgil glanced around the room. Flashes of blood and screams ringing in his ears. He fought to sort through the memories of the past and searched for whatever was with them in the here and now. Virgil's heart began racing as he focused in on this dark mass lingering on the fringes of the room they were in, lurking in the shadows, able to strike at any time. He began to breathe heavier.

"Everything alright?" Roman asked, concerned for his husband.

Virgil sighed. "Something is definitely here."

Remy watched from the sidelines uneasily. Roman turned back to the room. "I'm going to turn the digital recorder on." Virgil tried to draw out the dark mass and get it to show itself. If they knew what it was they could vanquish it, but it had yet to do so. Other than the dark mass and the spirit of the young boy, Virgil would have said the house wasn't haunted. But he could sense it. He could feel the energy lingering on the fringes. "Alright move something, close a door!"

Virgil felt a stab of fear and suddenly he couldn't breathe. "R-Ro," he croaked.

Roman immediately stopped and turned to his husband. "Virgil?" He asked, concern quickly spilling into his tone.

Virgil leaned over and put his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breathing. "I-I need to get out of here."

"Okay, let’s go." Roman pocketed his digital recorder and helped Virgil up. He guided the psychic up the stairs with Remy following. The three froze as below them, the piano played a single note. Remy found his heart rate picking up as he spanned the camera to look down the stairs before back up at Roman and Virgil. Both stared down at the basement before sighing and walking the rest of the way up the stairs and into the hallway. "Well, like I said before," Roman started. "Things don't always happen when you want them to-"

A loud bang as the door to the cellar slammed shut in front of their eyes. Remy's eyes widened comically large as he watched the event through the camera. Patton, Logan, Virgil, and Roman all stared in shock at the door, fear passing quickly over their faces. "Well, that was something," Virgil breathed.

----

Remy sat next to Toby as they watched the monitor in front of them. "For someone who doesn't believe," Toby started. "You looked a little freaked out when that door slammed shut."

Remy pouted. "It must have been a draft," he replied as he picked up his cup of coffee and took a sip.

Toby snorted. "That's funny. A draft has never put that look on my face before."

Remy huffed. "Yeah well, I believe the clock." He pointed at the clock in front of them. "It’s 3:08. No mysterious stopping of the clock."

Roman and Virgil shared a look. They weren't stupid. They knew there was something here. Something dark. They knew it was here. So why was it hiding? The only explanation, it knew who they were. It knew what they were there to do. And it was smart. The thought caused a shiver to run along the couple's spines.

----

Virgil sat at the kitchen table smiling as around him, the Sanders chatting happily as they are breakfast. "I think I might take the kids for ice cream later on, how does that sound?" Logan asked as he stood in the corner of the room sipping on his coffee as Patton cooked pancakes beside him. A chorus of "yes" sounded throughout the room and Virgil looked back at his husband as Dante handed him a plate of pancakes. Roman grinned and thanked him as he began to eat as he stood behind Virgil's spot. "Do you want to come honey bee?" Logan asked Patton.

Patton shook his head. "Oh no, I'm exhausted. I'm just gonna take a nap. These late nights are getting to me."

"That's probably best," Virgil piped up as he took a sip of tea.

"Yeah," Roman agreed. "You should get some rest. Virgil and I can watch over things for a bit. No problem."

"Really?" Patton asked hopefully.

"Yeah, no problem at all."

"Thank you."

Remy looked down at their watch. "I gotta take off. My shift starts in an hour," he stood and shot Toby a wink before rushing off.

Virgil smirked as the other flushed a deep scarlet.

"The house hasn't felt like this in so long," Patton commented. "I think the kiddos feel a lot safer with you guys around."

Roman smiled softly. "Glad to make them feel better."

Virgil frowned slightly. He knew it wasn't over yet. And he was nervous. What good was it for them to feel safe at this moment only to feel terror tonight? Or tomorrow? He really wished they could get rid of this thing without any trouble but he could tell it wasn't going to be that easy.

----

Virgil stood outside in the yard, a basket of laundry sitting on the ground beside him as he pulled clothes off the clothing line strung up in front of him. "I could get used to this," Roman sighed as he wrapped his arms around Virgil's waist, hugging him from behind.

"What? Me doing laundry?" Virgil asked with a roll of his eyes.

Roman nodded. "Yeah. A nice place, fresh country air."

Virgil smirked. "Uh-huh." He paused for a moment, letting himself rest in Roman's arms. "This place is so beautiful, isn't it?" Virgil asked as he took in everything as the sun shone brightly. "And they have such a beautiful family."

Roman hummed in agreement. "Yeah, you see how Dante brought me pancakes?"

Virgil let out a light laugh. "Yeah." He pressed a light kiss to Roman's lips before pulling back. "We've got to help them."

Roman nodded. "I know." He pulled away from their embrace with a smirk. "I'll start with the Chevy."

Virgil let out a loud laugh. "Okay, you go do that!" He called out as Roman began walking away. Virgil turned back to the laundry with a soft smile on his face as he worked. It really was a beautiful day. The sun was shining with a radiance that promised good things and Virgil found that comforting despite the night they had. Maybe they had scared off the spirit. It was a pointless hope, Virgil knew that, but he couldn't help but wish it were true. And in this warm sunshine, he felt like it was possible.

Soon, the wind picked up, blowing leaves everywhere as heavy clouds moved over the sun, drenching the area in a cloudy realm. Virgil paused as he glanced around and looked up at the sky. He felt like something was going to happen. This underlying feeling in his gut scared him but he ignored it and turned to pull a sheet off the line. He folded it up and put it in the basket before turning to take another sheet off the line only for a large gust of wind to blow the sheet off the line. Virgil jumped as it hit a figure that he knew wasn't there before. The sheet formed around the invisible figure before the sheet blew up to the house and covered one of the windows before it slid off the house.

Virgil narrowed his eyes as he noticed a figure with dark, long, knotted hair standing with a white dress on in the window. It's head hanging at a broken angle. Virgil stepped forward as he watched the figure staring at him. Then the figure turned and walked out of the window frame. Virgil walked forward, knowing that whatever the spirit was doing, it was bad. Then he remembered that the window led to the parent’s room. "Patton!" He exclaimed as he remembered that he was taking a nap in that room. He quickly ran to the house.

Inside, Patton was lying peacefully in bed when a new bruise burned into his forearm in the form of a hand. He woke up with a jolt and screamed as if waking up from a nightmare. He felt fear course through him as he tried to close his mouth but found that he couldn't. He tried to scream only to feel as something tightened around his vocal cords, choking his voice, snuffing it out as dark does to light. A dark figure slowly floated over him and he felt his panic rise and tried to move only to find that that too had been restricted. The evil spirit glared down at him with such wickedness he felt his skin crawl. It roared and spewed black gunk into his open mouth. Patton jolted up as he gagged and choked.

Downstairs, Virgil raced inside and up the stairs. "Patton!" He screamed as he ran to his room and opened the door. The bed was empty and he heard vomiting from the bathroom. "Patton!" He yelled again as he raced forward and banged on the door. "Open the door, Patton!" His panicked mind supplying fear as the other didn't answer. Fearing the worst, he raced back out into the hallway to open the other door only for Patton to beat him to it. Virgil frantically looked Patton over, looking for obvious signs of injury. "Are you okay?" He asked cautiously. There was a chance he was just being paranoid but his gut seemed to disagree.

"I'm fine," Patton answered as he moved past the other.

"Are you sick?"

Patton shook his head. "No, I just woke up feeling a bit nauseous, that's all," he replied.

"I thought I saw.." Virgil started only for Patton to cut him off.

"I think I hear Logan and the kiddos!" He exclaimed brightly, doing a complete 180° as he flipped from suppressed to bright and bubbly. Virgil watched with confusion. He found it odd that Patton was acting almost like he was getting used to something. Like something new had been introduced to his mind and body. But he shook it off despite his gut feeling. He couldn't do anything without solid proof. So he followed the other downstairs.

-----

Logan stepped out of the car and noticed Roman in the garage with the Chevy. "I thought that was you," he spoke up as he came close to the other, watching as he worked under the hood.

"Hey!" Roman greeted. "I hope you don't mind, I liked to fix up cars when I was younger, figured I take a look."

Logan nodded. "It appears you know what you're doing," he commented as he inspected the progress Roman had made on the vehicle.

Roman laughed. "Yeah, we'll see if I actually made any difference." Roman sighed and paused. "You got a pretty nice place here, Logan. You know, Virgil and I always wanted a spot in the country."

"Well, I'll sell you this one," Logan commented.

Roman chuckled. "Oh yeah, I really don't want this one."

Logan laughed lightly before going quiet. "I just wanted to say," he started. "It means a lot to us to have you here helping us."

Roman grimaced slightly. "I-I have to end It...I was a bit skeptical about starting this."

Logan nodded in acknowledgment. "Okay. I still want to say thank you."

Roman sighed. "I really can't take the credit. This was all Virgil's idea. Honestly, I didn't want to."

Logan paused for a moment. "Oh? How come?"

Roman looked down and stayed silent for a moment. "Whatever Virgil sees, feels, touches...while it helps people, it also takes its toll on him. Every time a little piece." Roman paused. "A few months ago," he began slowly as if pulling off a bandaid slowly despite ripping it off is always easier. "We were working in a case. He saw something. Something that took a real big piece. We got home and he went into our room and locked himself inside. He didn't talk, didn't eat, didn't come out for 8 days."

Logan felt the small bit of resentment he felt towards Roman upon the reveal that he hadn't wanted to help them melt. "What did he see?"

Roman shook his head. "I don't know. And I'm not gonna ask. He'll tell me when he's ready."

-----

The adults sat around the first floor, the kids sleeping in the living room. The house was quiet. Too quiet. It was unsettling and put everyone on edge. Remy groaned and looked into his coffee cup. "I'm gonna get some more coffee, you want any?" He asked Toby as he stood up.

Toby shook his head as he watched the monitors for any paranormal phenomenon. "No thanks."

"Okay, suit yourself," Remy replied before standing up and walking into the kitchen. He poured some coffee into his cup before getting some milk and sugar. He took a sip as he stared out the window into the black night. "Ah." He stood still for a moment as he relished the taste of coffee before going to move only to be stopped by a freaking coming from the porch. Frowning, he set his cup down and walked into the hallway and opened the backdoor. "Hello?" He called, instantly summoning the authority voice that he used in dangerous situations in his job. "Who's there?" He opened the door and stepped out onto the porch. Looking around he found himself getting confused as he found no one.

Letting out a sigh, Remy stepped back inside and closed the door blaming it on the wind. He turned to get his coffee from the kitchen when he was stopped once again by the soft sound of a woman's voice.

"Look what she made me do."

Remy spun around and peered into the dark laundry room and saw a woman with grey skin and blue lips, her clothes dirtied and reminiscent of an old-timey maid's uniform. Remy's eyes widened as he rubbed his eyes. She was still there when he moved his hands away from his eyes. "Who.."

"Look what she made me do."

The figure raised her arms and turned them so her forearms faced him and he noticed deep long gauges running down.

"Miss," Remy started as he stepped forward carefully. She turned and walked behind a hanging sheet and Remy cursed. "Fuck." He stepped into the room. "Miss,"

The woman ran at him once he was inside and screamed.

"LOOK WHAT SHE MADE ME DO!"

Remy screamed. "Hey! Roman! Virgil!"

In the middle room, Roman and Virgil shot up and raced back towards the laundry room, Toby, Patton, and Logan close behind. They found Remy on the ground, frozen with wide eyes.

"Are you okay??" Roman asked as he stepped in and helped the man up.

"Hold on, please," Remy replied as he tried to get his breath back.

"What happened, man?" Virgil asked, his panic rising. Already this was different from last night.

"There was a woman. She was dressed like a maid-" Remy was cut off by the sound of a camera going off at the foot of the stairs. Virgil turned and walked towards it. "Roman, we're getting something over here."

Logan frowned as he noticed his child Kai sleeping walking as they passed in front of the camera as it went off in rapid succession. "It's just Kai.." He commented as he went to stop the child from walking up the stairs.

"No," Virgil said and held him back. "We need this."

"Why do we need pictures of Kai?" Patton asked.

"Because they must be a trigger," Roman answered as they all watched them go up the stairs and walk down the hall.

"What?" Logan asked.

"Somebody's with them."

Logan felt fear and panic grip his heart. "Who?!?!?"

Then Kai walked into Elliott's bedroom and the door slammed shut.

"Kai!" Logan yelled and ran up the stairs two.at a time, Roman and Remy following close behind.

Virgil turned and raced into the middle room where the nerve center was set up and pulled on the headphones sitting on the table and he listened to the room's audio while Toby watched the video feed. He watched as Kai was guided inside the wardrobe, the doors closing behind them.

Virgil listened as a soft child's voice spoke to Kai. "Follow me, this is where I hide. Come on. This way."

Upstairs Roman and Logan broke into the room. "Kai? Kai?" Logan called out as he searched the room for his child.

"The windows are locked," Roman commented.

Logan felt his panic rising. "Where'd they go, Roman?"

Roman was about to reply only to be cut off by Virgil racing up the stairs and into the room. "He led them into the wardrobe."

Logan ran over and found the doors open again and moved aside clothes and hangers. "I don't see them!" He exclaimed, his voice raising an octave. Roman rushed forward, Here, let me."

Logan shakily stepped away as Dante came up the stairs to stand beside Virgil, the shooting having woken the younger. Roman tapped the back panel of the wardrobe and found that he could move it. He pushed it aside and found a smallish hole in the wall. From there he climbed in a found himself in a small space in between the walls. He grabbed his flashlight from his pocket and clicked it on. He swung the beam of light around until it hit a back corner. "Found them!" He shouted and reached forward and eased them out of the space and into the waiting arms of Logan. "Here we go."

Logan let out a sigh of relief and held them close and led them downstairs as Virgil and Dante watched from the doorway. "That's where Rory hides when he's afraid" Virgil frowned and looked down at the child. Virgil stepped forward and moved to climb into the space, taking Roman's flashlight from his hand.

"Wait, Virgil,"

Virgil paused once inside and noticed a horizontal beam with small toys on it. He peered at a spot that seemed relatively dust-free. "Ro? Could you give me Dante's music box, please?" Roman handed it to Virgil who set it down in the spot with less dust. It fit perfectly.

How many families have had to go through this?

He thought in horror. He looked down and noticed a piece of rope covered in cobwebs. He reached forward and dragged it up and found a noose. "I-" he opened his mouth to speaking only for the floor to give way beneath him, whether it was just weak wood or some spiritual intervention, none could tell. Virgil screamed as he fell down through the floors of the house, landing in the cellar.

"Virgil!" Roman screamed as he watched Virgil fall through the hole. "Virgil!" He raced down the stairs in a panic, the children in the living room all huddled in a pile as Logan and Patton tried to comfort them. "Virgil!" Roman screamed over and over trying to see if he was in between the walls on the first floor.

Down below, Virgil groaned as he sat up. He glanced around and noticed he was in the cellar. He picked up the flashlight he had thankfully kept during his fall and waved its beam around the room. A twinkling sound started and he looked down. He reached down, his heart racing, and picked up the music box that fell with him. He looked into the mirror and aimed the flashlight behind him and tried to see what it would show him. Soon, a woman's cries sounded and echoed around him, growing louder slowly. In the not to, Virgil's light had landed on a woman holding the body of their child in her arms as she cried over them. Her dress was a washed out and dirtied white as she sobbed.

"She made me do it!"

The figure cried. Virgil watched with an increased heart rate as the spirit slowly turned her head around to face him. He took a deep breath before turning his head around to face her only to find she had disappeared. He searched for a few moments before turning back to the mirror. A gut feeling had him lowering the music box only to come face to face with the spirit he just saw. He gasped.

"She made me do it,"

the spirit told him. Then the spirit turned its head as their voice choked up. Virgil feared turning to look at whatever they were looking at but he knew he had to. The sound of a rope creaking spiked his anxiety as he turned his head to look out on the cellar from under the table he sat. Seeing nothing he turned back to the spirit only to find her gone. He looked back out apprehensively and started to crawl forward. Feet and the ends of a dress appeared as if jumping down and he jerked back with a barely contained gasp of fear. The part of the body he saw was swinging back and forth violently before stopping suddenly. Virgil panted fearfully. He did not want to see it. He did not want to see. Slowly, the body's legs and feet turned to face him. Virgil began screaming as the body swung back and he began crawling backward and out from under the chair. The malevolent spirit roared as he screamed and tried to get up the stairs only to be stopped as an invisible force yanked on the necklace hanging around his neck. "Roman!" Virgil screamed and upstairs his husband turned to the door to the cellar. The necklace was ripped off Virgil's neck and he raced up the stairs. "Roman!"

Roman opened the door and Virgil raced through. "I know what she did!" He exclaimed.

"What?" Logan asked as he came up to them followed by Patton, the kids too scared to move from the living room.

"Virgil?"

"I know what she did! She possessed the parent to kill the child!" Everyone froze and Virgil spoke. "She visits Patton every night. She's feeding off of him! That's what the bruise marks are!"

In the living room the kids stood frozen. "Uh, Apollo.."

Apollo froze and everyone watched as pieces of his long hair rose in the air by an invisible hand. He let out a fearful sob and suddenly he was slammed into a wall by his hair before being yanked along the floor. The children screamed as they tried to help him. Virgil raced forward and cut off the end of the hair being pulled, only then was the chaos stopped. Everyone looked at each other, frozen in fear. Patton and Logan helped Apollo up as they tried to comfort him. Roman turned to Toby as he lowered the camera in his hands. "Did you get that?"

Toby nodded weakly. "Yes."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Roman and Toby quickly packed up their gear as Logan and Patton got their kids into the car to go stay at a motel until the problem was fixed. "I'll get the evidence over to Father Gordon as quickly as possible. I imagine we'll get a rapid response."

"Okay," Logan said as he tried to process that this was really happening.

"And, uh, Logan?" Roman asked apprehensively.

"Yes?"

"I'll get the exorcist and be back but Virgil.." Roman trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

Logan nodded. "Don't worry. I understand."

"We'll have Toby keep an eye on you all until then, okay?"

Logan nodded. "Yes, thank you. So much." Roman nodded swiftly as he continued packing up the van.

-------

Inside the house, Virgil stepped out onto the back porch and glanced around. "Daddy?" Virgil snapped to attention as he heard a child's voice ring out from somewhere near the dock. It sounded startlingly familiar. He walked down to the dock as the voice called out again. "Daddy?" Virgil looked down into the murky green water and let out a gasp of horror. "Thomas! Oh, God!" He exclaimed as he saw a vision of his child floating through the water. "Thomas!" He dropped to his knees and tried to grab his son only to splash the image away. With panicked movements, he rushed up to the house and raced inside past Roman who had just come out to get him.

"Virgil?" He shouted as he followed his husband into the house. "Wait!" Virgil rushed to his phone sitting with the last of their things and quickly picked it up and fumbled to dial his mother's number. "Virgil?" Roman questioned as he noticed the tears flowing down the other’s face. Virgil glanced at him. Just as he was about to answer, his mom picked up. "Mom! Is Thomas okay?!?!"

"What?!?!" Roman exclaimed at the mention of his son.

"Can you go check, please?" Virgil sobbed. "Damn it, Mom! Just check!"

Roman felt his heart rate pick up at the prospect of his son not being okay. "Virgil, please tell me what's going on."

Virgil turned to Roman again. "It's Thomas."

"What do you mean? Please help me understand!"

"Oh! Thank God!" Virgil let out a breath of relief. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to scare you. I'll explain it all later. Thank you." Virgil hung up as Roman waited, with bated breath. Virgil sighed wearily as he slipped his phone into his pocket. "I had a vision of Thomas, in the water." Roman froze. "I just know it was some kind of warning. I-" Virgil stopped to breathe as his heart raced.

Roman stepped closer to his husband and wrapped his arms around him. "Okay, let's get going. Okay? Let's go." The Warrens rushed out of the house as quickly as they could.

-----

Roman and Virgil watched the footage they had captured while also keeping an eye on Father Gordon's reaction. Soon the video ended and the room went silent. Father Gordon removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So?" Virgil asked.

"Well...you weren't kidding." Father Gordon put his glasses back on as he chose his next words. "You know….it's complicated. The kids aren't baptized and the family, they're not members of the Church-"

"Oh, come on!" Roman and Virgil exclaimed.

"The approval has to come directly from the Vatican."

"But Father, we have never seen anything like this."

Father Gordon sighed and picked up the images taken of Kai as they walked up the stairs in their sleep. In the first one, there was a mist like a hand that laid on top of Kai's shoulder while the second one contained a full-body apparition standing behind them as they walked up the stairs. "Neither have I."

"Father, they don't have a lot of time." Virgil pushed.

"I will push it through myself."

"Thank you so much," Roman sighed.

"We'll wait for your call."

-----

Thunder roared as the sky poured.  On the table beside Thomas's bed, the locket containing the pictures of his parents began swinging wildly as if moved by the howling wind outside. Thomas jolted awake as a flash of lightning lit up the room with the accompaniment of thunder. He blinked. "Daddy? Papa?" He called out. He stepped out into the hallway and flicked the hall light on. He walked down the stairs and looked around the living room. "Daddy? Papa?" He called out again. He turned toward the stairs leading down into the basement as he heard a noise in that direction. Thomas walked down the stairs and moved past the artifact room to go into the office when the door clicked open. He turned around. "Papa?" He pushed the door open slightly but saw no light inside the room.

I guess they're not here.

He turned to go back up the stairs when the light from the second floor flipped off, drenching the living room in complete darkness.

Thomas froze. Fear flooded his senses as he stepped back as seemingly darker darkness crept forward and engulfed the stairwell. Thomas screamed and turned to run into a room on the other side of the stairs. He slammed the door shut and placed his hands over his ears as something pounded heavily on the door. But no matter how hard he pressed against his eardrums, he still heard the loud bangs. He screamed with each one. The sound suddenly stopped. Thomas gingerly took his hands away from his ears and peaked at the door.

Thomas whirled around at the sound of rocking only to freeze as he saw someone sitting in the rocking chair, facing away from him. He slowly backed away as he noticed the doll in the person's lap.

Annabelle.

His eyes widened as he saw the doll’s head turn slowly to look at him. He screamed and turned around and tried to leave only for the door to not move. "Nanny!" He screamed. "Nanny!" Thomas began beating on the door petrified as he screamed. "Nanny! Help!"

Upstairs, Nanny woke up to the sound of her grandpa's screams. "Thomas?" She climbed out of bed and raced down the stairs. "Thomas!"

"Nanny!"

Nanny let out a gasp and began yanking on the doorknob. "Thomas! Open the door!"

"Dad!" Thomas cried out as his fear began to overwhelm him.

-----

"Roman!" Virgil shouted as they pulled into their driveway. The sound of Thomas crying out for him rang in his ears. "Something's wrong!"

"What?!" Roman exclaimed as he haphazardly parked the car and raced into their house.

"Thomas!"

"Nanny!"

"Open the door!"

"What's going on here?!" Roman asked panicked as he raced into the basement with his husband.

"Thomas! Get back, honey!" Roman shouted through the door as he began ramming his shoulder against the wood. "Get back!"

"Help!" Thomas screamed as he looked back and saw the chair swirl around to face him.

"Thomas!" Roman shouted as he busted the door open and yanked him out of the way as the rocking chair from the corner of the room flew over and smashed against the wall where his son stood not moments before.

Virgil scooped Thomas up in his arms as he panicked. "Are you okay?" He asked, frantically checking over Thomas for any injuries.

"Someone was rocking in the chair with Annabelle!" Thomas sobbed.

Roman eyes blew wide and he raced to the door and unlocked it, racing in and immediately going to the back of the room where Annabelle sat in her case. He sighed and left the room, locking it. "She's still in the case." Virgil's face fell as he realized the witch from their current case was going after their son now too. Trying to stop them from helping this family. He hugged Thomas closer as he worked on slowing his breathing.

-------

Logan pulled up to the hotel room in the van with Toby.  He frowned as he noticed Emile standing outside. "Dad! Dad!" Emile shouted, worry evident in his voice. "Pa just left with Jericho and Dante."

"What?!?!" Logan exclaimed.

"He didn't say where he was going."

------

Jericho held his brother tightly as they sat in the backseat of the family car. "Where are we.going?" Dante asked softly.

No answer.

"Pa?"

Still no answer. Jericho pulled his brother tighter into his embrace. Dante curled in and hid his face. Something felt off about his Papa. But he didn't know what. And that scared him.

---------

Roman answered his phone as it rang and looked down at Virgil and Thomas as he talked. "Hello?"

"Mr. Warren, it's Logan. Something’s wrong with Patton. Emile said that he just left with Jericho and Dante. And the kids say he smelled like rotting meat."

Virgil was suddenly up onto his feet, handing Thomas off to his mother. "She possesses a parent to kill the child. That's what she does. She's taken them back to the house."

Roman gasp. "Logan, get back to the house now! Meet you there!" He hung his phone up and raced to grab his things. Virgil followed. "Virgil.." Roman started.

"No, I'm coming with you."

"No! Stay here with Thomas!"

"The only way to protect Thomas is to stop this, otherwise she's just going to latch on to us again!"

"That's why I'm going!"

"You're stupid if you think I'm going to let you do this alone."

Roman sighed as he marched to the door. "I don't want to lose you."

"You're not going to," Virgil responded. He marched out the door and placed himself firmly in the car before Roman could stop him. "Let's do this together."

-------

Roman pulled up to the house to find Logan and Toby outside pounding on the door. "It's locked!" Toby called out to them. "Patton!" Virgil shouted as he ran up to one of the windows and peered inside. Remy's patrol car quickly pulled up and he leaped out of the car. "Logan! Move!" He exclaimed as he raced up the stairs. Then he pointed his gun at the lock and shot the lock off. He quickly kicked the door in. The five adults pushed into the house and found Patton in the living room holding a sharp knife as he got ready to stab Jericho. "Patton!" Logan screamed. He rushed forward and pulled Patton off their son as Virgil pulled Jericho into his arms.

Roman grabbed one of Patton's arms and instructed Logan to do the same. "Come on! We'll take him to the priest for the exorcism!" Virgil let Toby take Jericho as he moved to go with the others.

"Wait! Where's Dante?" Toby called. His voice was drowned out by Patton's screams as he fought against Roman and Logan's holds. He kicked his feet and tried to yank himself out of their grasps.

Toby ran out the back door with Jericho to go around to the front and put him in the car and keep him away from the possessed Patton.

Just as Roman and Logan were about to bring Patton over the threshold and out of the house, a force stopped them and Patton screamed as a welt burned onto his neck Virgil whirled around and gasped. "Shit! She's not going to let him leave the house!"

"What?" Remy shouted.

"If we take him out the witch is going to kill him!"

Patton was suddenly yanked backward. "Logan!" He screamed as he was dragged by his feet down the hall and down into the cellar.

"Patton!" Logan screamed! Roman, Virgil, and Logan raced forward as the door to the basement slammed shut. Remy followed and quickly kicked the door down.

Outside, Toby calmly spoke to Jericho. "Alright, you have to stay in here, I'm going to find Dante. Just stay down." Jericho cried as Toby left but he had to find his brother and get him to safety too. He couldn't just let him stay in there where he could get hurt.

Downstairs, Remy tackled Patton and fought to keep him under control and Roman and Virgil tried to figure out what to do. Virgil let Roman think it out as he took charge. "Get something to tie him up! We don't want him hurting anyone or himself!" Logan nodded and quickly found some rope among the things left behind by the previous family.

"We have to get Father Gordon out here," Roman said.

Virgil shook his head. "No! He's too far away! He's not going to make it if we have to wait!"

Roman watched as Logan and Remy fought to tie Patton up. "You have to leave," he said, turning to Virgil.

His husband was already shaking his head. "No, God brought us together for a reason. And this is one of them. I'm going to get the book." And before Roman could stop him, Virgil was running up the stairs and outside to grab Roman's bible. Roman sighed and looked for a chair they could get Patton to sit in. As Virgil came back down the stairs, Patton was able to break free and take a chunk out of Remy's arm.

"ARGHH!"

Virgil quickly thrust the bible into Roman's hands and yanked a sheet off of a nearby table and covered Patton with it. Together, he helped Logan tie Patton into a chair.

Roman took a deep breath and pulled out his crucifix. Virgil and Remy stepped back beside the other two. Roman crossed himself and Virgil followed suit. "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Vade retra, Satan! Sante Michele Arcangelo, defende nos eo proelio."

Patton began screeching. "Don't give in Patton! Virgil called out. "Don't give in! Don't let her take you!" Logan watched with fearful eyes. He was terrified for his husband.

"In the name of Jesus Christ the saints and all the angels, I command you to reveal yourself!" Suddenly, blood splattered the inside of the sheet. "Stop!" Logan screamed. "You're killing him!"

"We are fighting for his soul!" Virgil shouted. "We can't stop!"

"...omnes inimici, et invisibilium, et liberabitur! Omnes fantasma, omnis legio, in nomine Domini nostri lesu…" Roman paused as Patton stopped screeching. Everything stood still. Then, the chair Patton was in slowly floated up into the air before their very eyes. Logan felt faint. The chair spun upside down and began to repeatedly but the ceiling with the legs.  "Put him down!" Roman shouted. "Put him down!" The chair smashed into the floor and Virgil rushed forward to hold Patton in place with Logan following.

"Hold him still. Don't lose him, Logan!"

Anger got the best of Logan and he tore the sheet off of his possessed husband's face. "Dammit! You leave my husband alone! Let him go! Just fucking let him go!" Patton stopped thrashing against his hold and slowly turned to look at him. Logan nearly recoiled. That wasn't his husband. It wasn't his face, it wasn't his eyes.

A voice came from his husband's throat. It wasn't Patton's voice. "He's already gone. Now, you're all going to die." Then he laughed wickedly. Logan's grip loosened.

"I found Dante! He's under the floor in the kitchen!" Toby shouted, barely even thinking.

Patton scrambled out of Logan and Virgil's hold and crawled into the walls as he grabbed a pair of long scissors.  "Patton!" Logan screamed. Everyone raced after him.

Virgil gasped and threw himself up the stairs and into the kitchen. But he was too late, Dante saw possessed Patton coming and he screamed and quickly began trying to crawl away. Logan and Roman tried to follow but found they couldn't fit through the spaces Dante and Patton had fit through. "No!! Patton!" Logan screamed as he watched Dante get yanked into the other's arms, he raised his arm high and prepared to stab the scissors into Dante.

"PATTON NO!!!" Virgil screamed.

"BETHSHEBA!" Roman thundered. Patton jerked his head to look at Roman but it wasn't his body.  For a moment, the image of the witch shone through. "By the power of God, I condemn you back to Hell!"

Virgil reached down and placed his hand on Patton's forehead, his rosary wrapped around his hand and wrist. "This is your son! You can not give in!"

"Logan, you have to get him to fight from the inside!" Roman shouted.

"Don't let her do this to you, honey, fight her you can do this, please fight her!"

"Remember what you showed me!" Virgil shouted down to Patton as he laid against the kitchen floor, his arm scraping against the edges of the hole. Patton cried out again and Dante ripped himself from his grip and scrambled over to Roman who handed him off to Logan. "You said that your children meant the world to you, this is what you'll be leaving behind."

"Daddy?" Dante called out as he stared at him through the gaps in the wood separating them. Patton looked over and then went over and began throwing up a dark sludge. Once he stopped, he looked over and cried.

"I'm so sorry! I love you so much! I'm sorry baby!" Virgil, Logan, and Roman let out a collective sigh of relief. He had done it.

-------

As Logan helped Patton outside, the rays of the sun shone down on him and his bruises faded away and he began to look healthier than he had in weeks. "Dad!" The rest of the children raced up to hug their parents.  Roman and Virgil smiled as he dropped down to sit on the edge of the porch. Remy sat beside them, pressing a rag to his arm.

"Did a draft do that?" Toby asked.

Remy groaned. "Yeah, whatever. "

Virgil snickered. Then he turned as Dante walked over to them with a smile. He carefully handed him the locket that had been yanked from his neck nearly 24 hours ago. "Thank you," he said and Dante smiled brightly before returning to his family.

--------

"I'll call Father Gordon and let him know what went down," Virgil said as he returned home with his husband.

"Alright," Roman responded before breaking away from his husband and going down into the artifact room.  He pulled a ragout of his bag and went to a nearby shelf. He then carefully pushed away some other artifacts to make room for their new one. Taking the music box from their most recent case out of the bag, he then gently set it down in its new place among the other haunted and cursed items.

"The Vatican approved the exorcism," Virgil said as Roman left the artifact room.

Roman snorted."Nice timing."

"He also wanted to discuss a new case with us."

"Well.." Roman started. "Let’s go discuss it."

-------

The Warrens remained friends with Patton, Logan, and their family. They even recommended a good therapist for them that would help them move on and move past this dark chapter of their lives. And when Dante began showing signs of being able to see through the veil and into the spirit world, they helped with that too. In the end, they had come to see each other as family. And Thomas suddenly had a few new cousins to make trouble with.

The end.