It was cold and everything in her hands hurt. She had a double layer of gloves wrapped around her hands to keep them from getting cold. Her neck was wrapped with a scarf and her torso was hugged by a jacket. As she approached Chase's place she hummed out rather cheerily to herself. That fancy penthouse those lovebirds have laid out was a change of scenery without a doubt.

Upon arrival of the building, it was up that fancy elevator, and to the penthouse. A few long moments passed at the other side of the door before she knocked at it. Shave and a hair cut!

Chase wasn't up to much. It was early in the evening. Newly dark. The coffee table in front of the fire place was riddled with opened magazines and fake books. Books of notes and songs in full literature. After all, she was a musician. A retired one, but an appreciative one and a slave to its craft nonetheless.

It was why she still worked at a music club. Upon the classic drumming on her door, she perked. The doorman was always off duty when Chase was home. No matter how grandiose Brandon was with her and their living quarters, she couldn't take the simplicities of answering a door personally.

Standing from her cozy spot on the couch, she ambled to the door. She was simply clad in leggings and a pair of jean shorts. Along with that, a simple band t-shirt. One of her thousands of them. Arriving to the door, Chase peeked through the looking eye hole. She brightened at who it was. A visitor!

She never got visitors to her place! Hurriedly, she opened the door. Opening its purchase, she leaned against the doorway with a broad smile. "Howdy doo roo, Squeaks." With a fond wink, she chuckled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

It was hard to tell when Skulls face fell, okay, no it wasn't. Her face fell after she was called Squeaks. She was never going to live that one down. Many thanks to Shane of course.

Both brows rose up in curiosity, she had never seen Chase's Rhy'din digs before. When she looked up over the porch and at the place she let out a low whistle. A moment of admiration passed before she answered Chase.

"I wanted to visit, see how you were doing. And I have something for you."

One second she was asking a question, and the next thing she knew she heard a thunk. Chase had focused a little too long on the photograph, but the thunk snapped her out of it. She looked to toppled over chair where Scully should have been sitting. "Skulls." She called, it not sinking in that she had fallen down but walked off instead. Then, she looked down. "Skulls!" Flying out of her chair, she crawled to her side, and brought her hands to her face. She was losing heat. Fast. "Scully, c'mon.. Come on. Don't do this! Wake up!"

----

It felt like the rain was pouring down on her. Once more the cold of a roofless night was upon her. There was laughter, somehow twisted and contorted from what she had remembered. In the distance a woman spoke out, her body swaying jovially from side to side," Fifty bucks an hour stud."

Scully found herself laying on the floor, almost as if she was glued in that position. She was paralyzed, both eyes opened wide and locked in that position. A sort of stunned look formed upon her face, but she couldn't find herself some ground to stand up upon.

Another man lingered just out of eye sight, right in the shadows. The image tormented her, loomed over her like a bad dream. All she could hear were the voices and each one weighed down on her like a ton of bricks, "Fifty bucks mister, don't go cheap with me."

Do you remember? That figure in the distance remained distorted and just beyond comprehension. The skies were bleak, and dark. Void of hope, but organic with the life of an honest breeze and the muggyness of the city streets. It was very, very lifelike. Sophisticated in design, and very much alive within. The vision commenced, the slow revving of a motor vehicle going slow, humming with automotive life."I remember you."

"Look Mister don't give me any crap. I don't care what the hooker across the street charged you, here it's fifty." The figure above her, the woman.. She became a bit more transparent. Both wide, golden eyes fixed on a much younger image of herself. This one was sleeker, thinner, more depraved of what she needed to survive. A hand was on her Daisy Duke covered hips. The tube top around her torso bobbed with her breathing.

Upon her feet were sandals. This was when she thought no harm would ever come.

When the voice spoke, it sent cool ripples down along her spine. An attempt to speak came, but instead of her mouth moving, it was her mind that did the speaking,' Where am I? Who are you? What is this place..? Chase?" Too many questions, not enough answers. Why was she looking at a past image of her self?

Black velvet threatened to tickle the edges of her mind, even her words. An unknown tar-like venom began to flood the outer edges in a cold storm of exponential growth. Like spiders with eels for appendages, faint tickles of alien movement edged in like a fog with material properties.

The vision?s chilling clarity abruptly fogged with a blur, but became sharp again with flawless realism. It was a process. It had begun long ago, and was simply cementing its hold. Like final gears turning into place to secure the trade. Life for death. But for now, it was simply a game. And the pawns were alive with a rogue vengeance. It was a treacherous game among phantasms. Those vague cries of help were not given adequate answers. They were left to infect with the off-putting silence to preserve the pretty picture that had swallowed her whole. ?You didn?t do what I asked.? This time, it was more of a unisex like hiss. A whisper that could belong to anything that knew the language of English.

?Think hard.?

Somewhere on the outside of her she was cold as ice practically. Her mind however was beginning to boil over with questions. The younger Scully was glaring at the man now before her, almost as if she was in an ever present loop of over and over bickering, "I said fifty mister. Don't get cheap with me." Once more but perhaps not the same. It still troubled her.

It suddenly felt like dozens of daggers were digging into her, or as if the snake's fangs were buring into her flesh to administer their venom. A sharp hiss of ice rushed through her, but even the cold pain didn't force her body to lurch under the weight of the air around her. A long sob started to fall from the air around her, but she couldn't place it. It could have been years ago, but something said it was a bit more present.

Eventually she managed to let her mind once again speak for her between the echoed cries,' I don't know what you're talking about?!' Think, think, think. For the life of her, none of this was helping her think.
?Yes you do.? The deep freeze was only beginning. Jolts of infected lightning seemed to surge through her insides. Like impulses of a putrid sickness seeping its way.

The panic served as a proper catalyst to speed things along. The confusion let guards down. The trigger was working perfectly. This was a simple finale to the first Act. There would be more to come.

And depending on the gravity of the riposte, it could even serve as an accelerator. The colors of the very sky went from black to a deadened grey. The vision was suddenly becoming much like a negative of a photograph. Frozen lightning bolts resounded with silent bites of wretched heaviness.

The very image was beginning to sink slowly and distort. ?Remember my face. Think. THINK. Think..? The word itself began to gain multitudes and differences in volume. As if several broken records with the same tune on them decided to skip and stutter at the same time. This was the seizure. The final arrangements.

"Hey you're---" The sobs turned into screams, blood chilling screams that scorched within her mind. Her body suddenly lurched as the face of the man turned into the Aussie she remembered all to well. A loud horrified scream came again, "TRAVIS! Oh god! No! This can't be happening!!"

She'd come to adore that gift Shane had given her. It seemed like she wore it every time she was seen by the gift givers. Along with that eclectic jacket with the ornate dragon was a fiery red and yellow scarf. Vibrant dreadlocks were in a highly peaked ponytail. Tall zippered boots were in proud view, as black corduroy pants were tucked under them. A naked fist came to knock on the doorknob, three times. She hoped they were home. She hadn't called in advance. Was it rude? Chase didn't know the meaning of the word.

Brandon wondered, out loud, "Where's the MC jacket I got you? You'd think you were dating boyfriend 2 more than boyfriend 1." he grinned at her, teasingly. Waiting behind her, Brandon didn't think it rude in the least. There was a kinship between himself and Shane that extended beyond the formalities into a brother-like relationship. Brandon was in his usual jeans, parka and boots, a sweater peeking out from the zippered parka. When Chase knocked, Brandon took her other hand in his, and grinned.

When their feet sound on the porch that is more than enough to get the hound dogs worked up. Sometimes Shane wondered just how much his neighbors hated him. He sometimes wondered if duct tape constituted cruelty. Probably. Maybe not. Common item, everyone uses. Not skin or fur friendly. Er, anyway. The door jumps with knocking after the dogs are baying and he rocks out of his warm indention on the couch. He was working on a submission for the enabler, going over his latest interview so that tomorrow in the shop he could run it through more quickly and catch the Sunday paper's heels with it. He opened the door, immediately slapped by the cold and seeming to wince a little, just up until he grinned at the sight of them. One arm looping immediately over Brandon’s shoulder in a manly half hug and then kissing Chase shortly on the cheek, "Hey guys. What's up? Get in here, it's wicked cold." he stepped back to make way for them.

Scully sat up a bit on the couch, moving her legs so that he could rise up. A small frown formed on her lips while she wriggles and nestled under the blanket she had been using. At the sound of Shane greeting Chase and Brandon she looked up. By now dark puffy bags formed under her eyes from lack of sleep. Reluctantly she wriggled under the blankets, determined to do her best at hiding. Shane only saw her at her worst and there was no time to clean up, they were already at the house.

"Hey Shaney." As he came to kiss her cheek, she kissed his simultaneously. Upon invitation, she walked inside, tugging Brandon inside after herself. She stomped at her boots, and sighed at the sudden burst of warmth. She almost preferred the cold to the heat, only because she had a nearly uncomfortable amount of heat generated naturally by her body. Smiling warmly to Shane, she parted hands with Brandon and shed her jacket. Beneath, was a corset-looking top. It had the tie style at the sides, and had silver shining grommets along the neckline. As usual, her clothes were tight and fashionable. Well, actually, the thing that lacked was her usual halter. So she was actually dressed irregularly. "How is she?" She said it gently, but casually. "An' most of all, how're you?" To Shane. By now, she was sure that he'd noticed something amiss.

Brandon was in a goofy mood. When Shane bestowed upon him that half of a hug, he released Chase's hand and embraced his friend, a loud, sloppy kiss deposited upon Shane's cheek before he got dragged into the house. "Ah, warm!" he declared with a smile. Brandon was accustomed to being out of doors, so he didn't think to be bothered by the cold until he was inside of a nice, warm house. Once his parka was off, he took Chase's coat, as well. His smile vanished when he saw Pinky on the couch and Chase took to whispering. "What's happened?" Hair stood up on the back of his neck. His head swivelled to take the other three occupants of the room in. He had a bad feeling about this.

"She's tired but you know... she's fine," he said as though Chase were being the odd one for the inquiry. As soon as he could he made sure the door was shut behind them. By now he was somewhat immune to Brandon's kisses. He might have to take it to the next level to get a worthwhile reaction out of him. But he did crinkle his ose and raise a shoulder to wipe his cheek off. When Brandon asked what had happened, again, Shane found himself in a crowded room with everyone seeming to know something that he didn't. He hadn't felt like that since Darcy had been running around and everyone was just too polite to say it. Awkwardly, he pressed and smile and jerked his thumb towards the kitchen, "Either of you thirsty?"

A side glance was given to Brandon before she looked over to Chase. Golden eyes seemed to be the only visable thing out there. Once more she was wriggling, drooping back onto the couch while rubbing secretly at her eyes. She liked the being silent part, but when Shane spoke of a drink she shifted to get up. The desire to be a good hostess over-ruling how she was feeling.

"I could murder a glass of ice water." Chase?! Ask for water?! Well, she did. When Scully rose, she instantly began to walk toward Scully. "Heya, Squeakums!" She added cheer to make it seem more excited and less for concern that she went straight for her. She followed her into the kitchen.

Brandon stood holding the coats with a blank expression on his face. Pinky was sick, that was obvious. Chase was asking for water, and got a confused look from Brandon for it. His gaze landed on Shane, looking for answers. Placing the coats onto the back of the couch, he walked over to Shane as the girls disappeared into the kitchen. "Pinky looks pretty bad. What's wrong with her?" He wondered idly if the joke that they'd shared at the inn; an extension of the one they pulled on Shane in the Star's End, was true. Chase, drinking water?

"Up is down and left is right," Shane said to Brandon and then combed a hand through his hair. When Brandon made the inquiry about Skulls he shrugged his shoulders, "I know. I thought she was sick but you know.. she won't tell me what's up," and then with lower tones, least the women overhear, "I'm sure, whatever it is, Chase knows. I kinda saw them going back and forth about it and then gettin' quiet whenever I got close enough to hear. I'm trying, you know," he straightened his posture and rubbed his hands together, "to not let my mind think about all the bad possibilities."

Chase's voice caused her to give a small smile to him. Eventually she glanced to Brandon and Shane, a look of guilt forming on her face at the overheard chatter. A frown formed on her lips. She still wasn't sure how to tell Shane that she, his girlfriend, had been possessed by Travis. It was something she knew she had to do, but she was horrified all together. A small gulp formed before she glanced to Chase once again," Ice water? And I thought I was sick?" She was going to be verbal about it," What's wrong with you?"

Chase's eyes widened. She was doing her best to be kind, helpful, supportive. But that sudden burst of hostility? After her last episode of snapping at her, she couldn't sit and take it. Not twice. Once was fine, but twice?! It was then that Chase's slitted pupils seemed to sharpen. And the red began to ripen in her eyes. "Excuse me?" Brows furrowed. "Look.. I'm tryin' ta be all I can for you. I'm tryin'.. And with this GUILT I'm feelin' for what happened, it's hard. I didn't wantta get ya in all this mess, but I can't change what's happened. Neither can you." She turned away sharply, truly angry. A hand came to practically stab into her scalp, digging through the colors to somehow quell her unsettledness. "Nothin's bloody wrong with me, an' y'gotta stop kidding yourself. Something's wrong with *you*. It ain't right for ya to keep it from 'im. Won't do no good." She couldn't take that kind of abuse with little to no time between blows.

She rose her voice. Making sure Shane and Brandon can hear her. "Something's wrong with you, an' y'shouldn't keep it a secret. Because it's a serious danger. Y'puttin' lives in jeopardy!" Chase turned around, quickly. What Scully might not have noticed was that her heel took that deadly twist. It wasn't a simple turn. Her arm had been drawn, and her hand tensed. With her turn, the back of her hand came to strike Scully's face. Hard.


Brandon shook his head slowly as he listened to Shane explain the situation as best he could. ."I've heard nothing of it." His voice was soft, to keep from being overheard by the ladies in the kitchen. "But if I do hear, you'll be.." he was cut off by a very upset Chase voice and the resounding echo of a slap. With a glance to Shane of apology, he bolted into the kitchen. "Hey, hey!" He put his hands up, knowing better than to get between two hissing cats. Glancing from one woman to the next, Brandon instinctively put his arm around Chase's waist. Partly to hold her back, partly to keep her shielded from any retaliatory blow that Pinky may attempt. "Let's calm down. What's this about putting people in danger?" The part about keeping secrets, he'd leave to Shane to handle.

It wasn't long after Brandon that Shane was there, behind him. Having heard the thunder of Chase's voice, his eyebrows were lowered in concern and perhaps... some irritation. No one enjoyed that confused feeling which welled up deep now. He hadn't seen Chase get so short with Skulls before. Or with anyone really. As Brandon handled Chase, Shane moved in for Skulls. His back to Chase and Brandon and hands just at the outside of her arms, "Skulls? You okay?" He could only guess by the tone and posturing that Skulls had been the victim. *

The outburst hadn't been expected, even by Scully. She went wide eyed with the yelling. All of it wasn't boding well with the outcome. The reality of the situation came the moment she turned. The burning sensation of the smack didn't form in her cheeks, but in her hand. The fire rose to a boil and as Shane went to check on her both eyes jerked opened wide. She felt her voice faltering until she was able to manage an alert," CHASE! SHANE!" The only warning that seemed to come before every expression on Scully's face went cold as ice and the fog came again. The shell with pink hair suddenly stood tall, a coy little demented grin forming upon the pawn's face.

She was held back, when she didn't need to be. After the strike, she instantly felt better. When a strong arm came to encircle around her waist, her hands came to that arm. Chase had a cold look on her face, but a calm one. It felt good, as cruel as it might seem to everyone else involved. But then Scully yelled out. Panic came to Chase's face, and then a soft almost resigned look of dread. "No... No..." She knew what was coming. Or, even worse, what may have already arrived. "Guys. Guys.. Back up." She warned, "Stay away from her.. Get away!"


Brandon looked into Chase's turmoil filled eyes and knew that expression she wore. Nothing like smacking the hell out of a friend who needed it. Serious as it was, he knew the singular pleasure. His lips twitched, about to smile, when Pinky started to scream. "Wh.." again, cut off. He looked down at Chase who seemed to moan as she began giving orders. "The hell is going on around here?" Peering around Shane's shoulder, he frowned darkly to that demented smile. "Uh, Shane, bro?" He reached a hand for Shane's shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Shane twisted to look at Chase but, of course, could not overcome the instinct to be beside Skulls and comfort her in this oddly conflicted time. Distracted as he was, the sign that might have been the saving red flag went unseen. The hand on his shoulder and he was looking at Brandon, fingertips still along the outer limits of Skull's upper arms.


Both boys were taken into observation by cold golds. One finger lifted, pointing to Shane for a moment," She thinks about you a lot, and that is very good to know..." Her voice was not the usual smooth melody of chimes, it was dark, bitter, and filled with an air of cockiness. Chase's voice brought a laugh from Not-Scully's lips. Idly a finger gently stroked over the abused cheek," Don't you know better than to treat my pawn like this, Rose?" Eventually both eyes would come to narrow," You could have done real damage. And then where would we be?"

"No.. Scully..." Chase almost wilted right there, frowning. She had succumb. And judging by the timing, it wasn't by choice. She felt sick. Chase looked to Shane with a frantic expression. The Gypsy reached out to him, trying to get him to distance from Scully. Well, Scully's body. "Shaney, y'gotta get away from her.. She's not.. " She couldn't bring herself to say it. But she hoped he would understand. Held by Brandon's arm, she tried to squirm out of his grip. They were all way too close! She had to get away! "Keep 'er outta this.. Come on, leave her alone!" She begged, but still pretty stunned that this was all even happening. She seemed almost weak.


Heeding Chase's plea to Shane, the hand that touched Shane's shoulder closed into a fist, bunching the material of Shane's shirt. With his grasp firm on the material, he gave a healthy pull. "Shane, that's not Pinky," his voice was calm, quiet, hiding the rock in the pit of his stomach and the quaking of his knees. With Chase in one arm, and a grip on Shane with the other, he began to back away, towards the kitchen door. Even in his limited knowledge of such things, he put two and two together; very quickly.

"What the Hell?" he was already taking a step back and suddenly felt like a puppetmaster, with cumbersome strings, drew him up from behind. Chest flattened by the pull of his shirt and his feet almost lost out from under him. When he regained himself it was within a moment. Shane had been there through what had happened with Chase and so it was, meeting that voice and that conceding air, that he recognized it. That perpetual, gah, what to call it? What to label it? That spirit which stayed so overly focused on the circle, "How is this possible?" And he could stand, dumbfound. *

"Rose..." Scully's arms opened up a bit," When have you known me to play fair?" That was when both eyes fixed on Brandon," We both know you don't like playing by the rules." Teeth gritted, but for the sake of saving face the force within went back to the care-free way," Yes pretty little boys, back away... back away... Or I’ll show you the extent of what I'm doing to my new precious toy."

One finger pointed towards Brandon as he started to back away from Scully with Chase in his arm," Hey now, that's not yours... Let her go or the Pink one goes through another restless night."

Shane’s voice and the question had Not-Scully grinning in a Cheshire way,” Shouldn’t you be praying?” He did “help” Scully on their last encounter.

"Since I've known you.." She answered flatly, but with that weak tone that showed how out of breath she still was. "But you're not you. You're not Travis at all. You're some sick thing that wants what I have.. Don't think I'll buy the same gag twice." Chase snorted coldly. "You're sick.. Bloody sick." This was all a whole new game now that it wasn't her that's involved. "Stop this. Just stop.. You won't win." She was saying it weakly, but with a certain strength that was a sacred vow against his agenda. "Give her back."

There was something in Chase's tone that caused him to bite his tongue at the first response that came to his mind. But when she was done pleading, he strengthened his grip on her for support. A brief glance downwards, then to the possessed Pinky. "Screw you, asshole. Big tough guy, picking on little girls. Why not come out of that tiny shell and pick on somebody your own size. It's not like that tiny body could do much damage to anybody. But then, you're probably used to small things, small prick." He was having a hard time, discerning where Pinky left off and the demon inisde her began. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath. "You can't have Chase and you can't have Pinky. Go back to the small corner of hell that you call home."

Shane often reeled in these moments. It made his childhood in Ireland seem more than far away. It made his past surreal, mundane. What went on now he had trouble, sometimes... convincing his mind that what he saw was what was real. That this was no show with actors and actresses and that this was happening. That Magic and Evil were happening. His lips parted, wordlessly as he listened and Brandon envoked the spirit he felt and could not articulate. Then, quite suddenly he turned to Chase, "What do we do?" Somehow, he thought, somehow she knew.

The dribble that came out of his mouth was given a sharpened smirk. That's just what he expected to hear. Almost to the very letter. "Four words for you." With a pause, he took a single loose step toward them. "I saw her first." And abruptly, as if one moment did not connect to the other, the vertebrae within Scully's neck executed a transition. She turned to Shane. Empty yellow irises seemed to twinkle in mockery of the person robbed, and trapped within. "An excellent question." She came to lean upon the kitchen counter, arms crossed.. It was purely in the posture of a male. But in a woman's body, it was a misfit of posture. "Let's just call it determination, on my part. Hm? All it took was for her to see my face, and the rest was up to me. It was easy. A little too easy, but this girl's.. this Scully's spirit is not a very solid one. She gave me a lot to work with. All I had to do was turn each Sin against the Sinner."

And at Shane's measly question, he chuckled. "There's nothing you can do. But give me what I want. And what I want, is her." That weak, pale arm rose and pointed to Chase. "I want my wife."