I would pace around, if I could. Thietian has me locked away inside my own body and not letting me know what is going on or let me see Elena and my son. He's just been telling me everything is fine and that they are safe. I rage at his mental block that keeps me from surfacing, trying to break free.
"THIS IS MY BODY! ASSHOLE! ARE YOU LISTENING?! LET ME OUT YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! LIAR! BASTARD! LET ME OUT!"
A crack in Thietian's defense appears, so I scrabble at it like a rabbit trapped in it's den, working my self mentally with all my will.
"You will .... let... ME.... OUT!"
I grit out through my clenched teeth, even as I feel him push back against me. I see through my own eyes for just a second.
I see John, who looks like a skeleton, he's so thin, but who's furiously trying to get at me, screaming.
"We trusted you!"
Anguish hits me like a knife to the heart, and I fall back from the crack.
'he thinks I helped betray them?'
'How could I ever help betray them? They're my family.'
Rage, unlike I have ever felt builds up in me as I attack the mental wall again. Screaming, crying out my fury at Thietian, who I know can hear me.
"YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU MYSELF! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM! HE HELPED SAVE OUR LIVES!"
I pound on the mental wall with all my might, "YOU COWARD! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FUCKING COWARD!" I continue willing everything I have, when suddenly I feel myself on my knees, gasping for air, with a warmth flowing down my face, accompanied by a metallic taste and smell.
I look down and see red. Still breathing hard, I lift my hand to my face and touch just under my nose. It's blood, my blood, I'm in control of my body again. I glance around me and find myself in a home, but not one I have been in that I can recall.
"Who..Who...who's there?!" A familiar female voice calls out, terrified but not cowering in fright.
"Identify yourself, or I will shoot you!" I hear the slide of a pistol moving, loading a bullet into the chamber.
"Elena..." Her name is like ambrosia on my lips, the sound of her voice a soothing balm on my heart.
"Cass?" Elena's trembling voice calls out to me, as I look around me. She darts out, hand still holding a gun, pointed at me.
"Cass..." She sounds relieved and runs to me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. She holds me tightly, sobbing with relief to feel me. I turn more in her arms and hold her close to me.
"Cass?! IS this blood?!" She pulls her hands away, and looks upon my face, "You're bleeding! Come on, let's try to stop the flow."
She helps to pick me up off the floor, taking me inside and setting me down on a chair.
"Pinch your nose and lean forward." She instructs and runs down a hall, she comes back seconds later, holding a first aid box. She takes some gauze and cleans my lips and chin, gently, and thoroughly. When I stop pinching my nose, she places more gauze under my nostrils to soak up the blood that still runs out, but is thickening.
"What happened? Where have you two been?" Elena asks, gathering up the used gauze.
"I've been trapped, Thietian has kept me locked within myself. I've been beating down at the walls and was able to break free."
Elena pauses, "What?" Her brows are pinched in confusion, as she shakes her head, not believing what she's hearing.
"Thietian has had me trapped with in myself." I repeat for her.
She continues to shake her head, "No... Thietian wouldn't do that to you, to us..."
I grip her arms and tell her firmly, "He betrayed all of us. He sold all of humanity to the Erlking, just to have John returned. We are all fucked now. HE betrayed us."
I can see her confusion fade as the information sinks in as she reads my face, and I can see her heart begin to break.
"But you two are one in the same, aren't you? You share this body. Doesn't that mean that you betrayed us too? No... No... No, non può essere. (No, that can not be.) Why didn't you stop him? You could have stopped him?!" Elena suddenly stops herself, rushes out of the room and down the hall.
I give chase, finding her in a room, clutching our fussing son.
"Hush, Johnathan. Don't cry, non piangere. Mamma è qui, amore mio. (Momma is here, my love.)" She bounces him, trying to soothe and distract him as he starts to howl louder.
She looks up to me, and quickly says, "Papà is here. Want to see your papà?"
I hold my arms out and take our son, who starts to calm down when he hears my voice.
"Johnny, hey mister. Did you miss Daddy? Daddy missed you." I rock him and hold him close to my chest, as my voice tightens in my throat. My eyes go blurry as my son calms down but still makes gasping whines as he calms down.
"That's right baby, Daddy has you." I say soothingly, as he coos and does baby babel in return.
"If he betrayed us all, why is he letting you take over your body right now?" Elena asks, stepping forward with a fresh nappy and warm, wet cloth to change our son. "Seems rather illogical to betray us, and then give you control of your body to warn us?"
She lifts our cleaned up son, holding him close to her, protectively, "Something is not making sense, right now." She takes a step back from me, as I take a step forward.
"Elena..." I start taking another step forward.
"Stop." She puts a hand up and takes another step back. "Why do you call John your Hero?" She asks shakily.
I shake my head confused, "What? You know this already. Why are you asking me this?" I take another step forward, causing her to step back too.
"I said STOP! Just answer the question." She pulls her gun out from behind her and points it at me, harsh tears forming in her eyes as she asks, shakily but determined, "Answer the question, or I will protect myself and my son."
I hold my hands up, "Because he's always been there, like a cool older brother. Whenever my dad was too busy with work, he made sure to attend my competitions at school, hell, he helped me out with some bully's too. He's helped me try to get a girlfriend, kept me from doing anything stupid growing up, and he trusted me to keep some of his secrets."
Elena doesn't look completely convinced yet as she lowers the gun slightly, "What's the biggest but most ridiculous secret he's made you keep till this day from Sin?"
I laugh, "That he hates her routine when she drives her car and secret agent man comes on. He hates that song and can hardly keep himself from rolling his eyes every time it comes on."
She drops the gun, clicks the safety back in place and places it back in it's holster. "Alright, you're not an imposter." She still keeps her distance from me though and asks again, "Why would Thietian let you control your body if you know he betrayed us, only for you to come and warn someone?"
I shrug, lost and just as confused as she is. "I don't know, Elena. All I do know is, I have no idea how long this will last and I want to hold you and our son, I need you both." I take another short step towards her, and when she doesn't move, I move closer, until I'm wrapping them both in my arms and holding them close.
Elena cry silently into my shoulder as our son coo's between us in our combined warmth. We stand there, in silence until Johnny starts fussing, making piggy noises as he tries to get into Elena's shirt.
"Someone's hungry." I say quietly.
Elena chuckles, before bursting into laughter from looking down at our son who now sounds and resembles a rooting pig with his snout and face trying to make their way into her shirt. She steps back and takes a seat, opening up her shirt for him start fussing when he couldn't find her nipple.
"Come on, darling..." She positions him correctly and he catches it, instantly replacing his fussy cries with suckling sounds. We take a seat on the rooms small loveseat, me holding them in my arms, enjoying this little moment of peace with my family, while I can.