A Weekend Affair # 6 - The Red Bacchanalia

All that was left was to talk to his wife, a task that was far easier said than done. As he rounded the corner of the white corridor, he quietly opened the doors to the suite that they shared as husband and wife. Ashley and Ava had been receptive to him, because he had been honest. But being vulnerable in front of so many people, his wife included, was rough for him. He was a prideful man and king. What people thought of him and his family was important. It had been engrained into him at a young age that The Kings were not just a family, they were a legacy. They were bred to protect it at all costs, and Cameron was very good at that. It was why he had been able to be King. His reputation - personally and professionally was renowned. His name had attributes attached to it, ones that deepened the pockets of Hellfire and fostered alliances that might not have been possible without his name being attached. But none of that seemed to matter much to him anymore.

"What has my pride gotten me? THIS?"

His pride and his ego had kept his own daughter from him, and now he was about to lose his wife. He searched the messy quarters, realizing that Haleigh had not stayed here the night before. Once again he battled his ego, fighting the urge to flay Alek alive at the thought of them canoodling, of The Red King taking every opportunity to turn his wife against him. Out of this entire situation, Alek would get off the easiest, and that was what really grinded The White King's gears. All he had to do was watch Cameron, wait for a mistake, and pounce, put in barely any effort for maximized praise. He entered the bedroom. If this were going to be a public display, he was most certainly not going to show up in the clothes he had been seen in last night. He was trying to get over his pride, but he wasn't sure he would ever get over the pride he took in his appearance. While had had an outfit prepared for the event, he didn't want to have such a serious conversation with his wife in a gladiator skirt, so he opted for a more tasteful all white ensemble with a white motorcycle jacket, but black combat boots. He sat on the bed for a moment.

"You can do this...I think..."

Across the room, in the bay window across from their bed, Cameron noticed something on the display shelf. It was a beautiful crystaline rose in a glass display case. It had been a gift from Ava, at Cameron and Haleigh's wedding. He remembered her saying that this rose was like their love. Beautiful, with fine but sharp edges, but something that would never die. He loved the gift, but it had become something over the years that sometimes blended into the scenery of the all white room. Eyeing it curiously, he removed the glass from the top and picked up the rose, the crystal petal slicing his thumb for a moment as he sucked the blood off in his mouth for a moment. It was not their wedding ring, but it was a suitable peace offering.

He had told The White Knight he would enter with her, but he realized in coming back to the mansion that the more by his side she was, the worse things would be for her, so he sent her ahead of himself to The Great Hall to stand by The White Queen as a sign of respect. He walked slowly towards The Red Party, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Soon, the moment of reckoning was upon him.

The White King walked with confidence and ease through the floor. He may have been nervous as hell, scared of what might happen, afraid of what she might say - but he was still The White King. And he was going to hold on to every bit of pride and reputation he had left until it came crashing down around him. He walked with confidence so as to taunt The Black Guard as well as see among the friendly faces who might be the first to jump without question, and as he presented the crystaline rose to his wife and looked her dead in the eyes, with all the vulnerability he could muster.

"Can we please talk...Haleigh?"

He knew the rose might invoke the irr of those surrounding her, but again, he wanted to see just who in The Inner Circle was chomping at the bit to get at him. He needed to know who he can trust.

"I just want to talk to you.."
 
Archer Fairchild may have been down, but he certainly wasn't out. He still had the power of his full staff as well as his pawns, one of whom happened to be a rather convincing shapeshifter. So convincing that Ava did not question his appearance or motive when he told her that her father was down in the catacombs. In the darkness, The European Black King waited, his rage and need for vengeance fueling his every desire. His Queen had proved to have a belly more yellow than he anticipated and his own Inner Circle seemed all to willing to watch him fall at the hands of the Americans. They underestimated however, how Archer thrived in these types of situations. He had raised himself, built an organization the likes of which the world had never seen, and he had done it with his own blood, sweat and tears. He shouldn't have been alive, yet there he was, in a mansion with blue bloods as The Black bloody King and he would make sure that those who doubted him were to be proved wrong.

After a few moments, he began to hear footsteps as The Black Queen exited the elevator, looking particularly pissed off. A smile curled up in his lips, thinking of what her mutilated body would look like crucified against the thick glass walls of the Aqua Ring.

"That's it, love...walk straight to your demise.."

Security would be completely focused on the event that was about to unwravel upstairs. Everybody would be concerned with the safety of Haleigh and her babies, especially after an attempt had been made on her life. Archer had failed with one Queen, he would not fail with another. For a few moments, he stalked her, his body temperature acclimating to the walls of the catacombs, making him particularly hard to track. She stood for a moment, looking around, deciding which trail of tunnels to ascend upon next. He was so close to her, he could smell her hair.

"Surprise...bitch."

He whispered into her ear before GRABBING her by the hair and HURLING her into the stone wall to the side of them, kicking her in the back as she was propelled.

"Sorry, love. Daddy's not here."

Archer's hands illuminated a bright blue as he took a defensive stance. He wasn't just going to murder her, he was going to mutilate her entirely. She was going to FIGHT for her death, so that when he took her life, he would in turn taint her legacy just as she had tainted his.
 
The elevator door opened, revealing the intricate hallways of the the catacombs that run below Hellfire. Of course her father would pick the catacombs and not specify where. It was always some kind of game with him in order to try to 'teach' her something. But Ava was in now mood to learn, especially after she had banished him from ever stepping foot within her club again. She had made a promise that she would kill him if he came back, and she would make good on it. She was DONE with his blatant disrespect of her mother, and she was DONE with his blatant lies, manipulations, and disrespect toward her. Stavros Cassadine would soon be joining his beloved Queen's six feet under.

Walking towards the massive opening that was almost like the 'foyer' to the tunnel system, there were four major entrances in which she could go. Slowing to a stop as she entered the large space, se wasn't about to search for him like a fucking child playing hide and seek. Ava was about to shout for her father to stop his games and come out when she heard a whisper come from behind.

Archer: "Surprise...bitch."

Ava had no chance to react before she felt Archer grab her hair and hurl her toward the stone wall next to them, a massive kick into her back sending her SLAMMING into the wall. The impact caused her ear piece to fall out, the little black devise laying on the dirt ground in the shadows a few feet away, only the smallest red light showing an indication of where it went.

"UGH!"

Her body crumpled to the ground, head throbbing, and mind dizzy without even opening her eyes. She could feel a wet warmth on her face and she knew she was bleeding. Lifting her head slowly as she groaned, Ava pushed her body up from the ground, spotting Archer in a defensive stance near by. Her eyes narrowed murderously, even as her head throbbed. A deep cut spread down her brow bone, blood staining the length of her cheek and neck.

Archer: "Sorry, love. Daddy's not here."

His hands started to glow a brilliant blue, Ava still on all fours trying to gather her bearings.

"How unfortunate for YOU."

She gestured her arm out sending a massive BLAST of wind directly at Archer, sending his body hurling backwards like a rag doll and SLAM into the opposing wall. A little payback for what he just did to her, but it gave Ava enough time to slowly gather to her feet.

"How's it feel, asshole."

Ava pulled the snake crown she had been wearing off her head and unclasped her paneled neck piece, letting it drop to her feet. Taking a defensive stance of her own, her fingers were splayed out as electricity coursed between them at the ready.

"I should have killed you in the barn when I had the chance. It would have been FAR LESS painful than what I plan on doing to you NOW!"

The electricity crackled before Ava threw her hands forward sending a massive lightning bolt - with enough power to knock out the entire city block - surging directly at Archer.
 
The Bacchanalia

Haleigh's arm slipped around him, and she leaned against him as if there was nothing out of the ordinary in it. Ashley was chatting away with Bretta, and as much as he enjoyed spending time with his ex, he had other ideas brewing in his head. So he leaned in to Haleigh and in a low voice asked if she had any nervous energy she wanted to work off.

Haleigh: “Ha, do you mean in the fighting pits...Or somewhere more private?”

She turned towards him, her hand in his beard.

"Whichever turns you on more."

He grinned, his arms slipping around her. But then he saw in her face that something was wrong. She wasn't looking at him any longer. And then his phone buzzed, and so did Ashley's. He knew what it was before he even looked at the screen. Ashley and AJ left to intercept Cameron with Ava, and surprisingly Bretta and her court lent their support. He gave her a grateful thank you, and saw that the Praetorians who had been at various places in the party were converging on the two already with Haleigh, and John was heading towards them as well, body shifting to metal as he reached Haleigh's other side.

Steel: "He won't get through me, I promise."

Haleigh: “Let’s hope he doesn’t try.”

Alek nodded to Steel, reaching for Haleigh's hand and squeezing it. He looked into her face reassuringly.

"Nothing is going to hurt you, okay?"

His Bishop then was coming towards them as well, with Heidi.

Heidi: I'm sorry, Your Grace. When I found the King in Mexico, he requested I wait and return with him this evening. I did deliver your message, of course."

Haleigh: Of course. And he didn't give a damn to return in a timely fashion. What were you two doing there all day?

Alek smirked. It really was preposterous the way this man treated his wife, when that wife was someone like Haleigh. But he almost started to feel bad for the guy, because he just could not do a single thing right.

Heidi: "Well, Cameron was visiting with his darling little daughter--"

Alek's eyes widened with shock, but he stayed silent.

And the hits just keep on comin'.

Though he had to hand it Cameron, Elena was a hot little number. And it became abundantly clear that Haleigh didn't know about it, either. He could feel her body tense, and could practically see waves of anger radiating from her. Finally, Alek scoffed.

"Hypocrite."

Ashley chose that moment to reappear with AJ at her side and no Ava.

Ashley: "Well, he says he's accepted that his son will have a sister, and that sister is Alek's daughter."

"Bull. Shit."

He shook his head.

"Sister? Maybe. Me? Never. You got played."

And then he saw Cameron enter the room, coming towards them like a lone rider in the desert. Alek took a step forward, putting himself between Cameron and Haleigh. Steel took a few steps ahead of him to meet Cameron, the ring of guards parting for him. Steel held up a hand, his voice even and non-threatening.

Steel: "That's far enough Cameron."

He was holding out something towards them, something he didn't recognize.

Cameron: "Can we please talk...Haleigh?"

Alek's eyes didn't waver from Cameron, but he wished at that moment he could see her reaction.

Cameron: "I just want to talk to you.."

"You can talk just fine from there."
 
Cameron's Study

Cameron left to go talk to Haleigh, fucking finally. But somehow she didn't get the impression he was going to listen to their advice about not making it all about him. And now that Haleigh knew he had a kid? With Elena? Ashley asked Ava if they cared whether the two of them annihilated each other.

Ava: "Yes. Checks and balances, innocent babies, friendships. Yada yada."

"Right."

They moved out together into the hallway, Ashley giving AJ a smile and going over to him. She wondered if they had time to stop back at their room before the show really started at the party. She slipped her arm around his, then looked back at Ava. A Black guardsman was talking to her.

Ava: "I'll meet you back at the party. [deadpan] Wouldn't want to miss this."

Ashley made a little laughed and started walking back towards the party. She knew AJ had heard everything.

"Do you believe him?"

She sighed.

"Somehow I think this would have been easier if he'd come in here lighting the place up."

They walked on, and when they re-entered the party, Ashley looked around: no Cameron. She headed to where a veritable phalanx of people surrounded Haleigh. She approached her, and threw her hands into the air.

"Well, he says he's accepted that his son will have a sister, and that sister is Alek's daughter."

Alek, in his usual charming command of the language, did not take that on faith.

Alek: "Bull. Shit. Sister? Maybe. Me? Never. You got played."

She sighed.

"He seems pretty broken up about Haleigh. Said he was coming to talk to you."

And then everyone was looking behind her, and she turned to see Cameron coming towards them. Steel caught her eye.

Steel: "Where's Ava?"

"She said she'd meet us here. Had to deal with something to do with one of your guards."

Steel looked a bit concerned, but then was all business, stepping forward to meet Cameron, letting him know he shouldn't come closer. Cameron asked Haleigh if they could talk. That was good. Now, it was just whether or not she would agree. Ashley turned and looked at the White Queen, and could see that she was angry. So it was anyone's guess.
 
Hellfire -- The Bacchanalia

Haleigh was filled with a white hot rage, such that Zach had begun trying to calm her, but still she was so furious her hands were shaking. She clenched her fingers into fists, as Heidi tried carefully to say that she was sorry to hear about the poisoning at Brunch, but it couldn’t have been their King, that he’d never even spoke of harming Haleigh, and there was no conspiracy to attack her. Ashley returned, saying Cameron had accepted the situation, and Alek rightly called that bullshit. Ashley insisted he was ‘broken up’, as if he hadn’t been fucking Elena all day and making happy little family time in another country for five fucking years. Then Ash related that he was coming to ‘talk’.

“Of course he’s saying that, he’s come back to find we’ll all stand against him, and he knows he faces insurmountable odds.”

She scowled darkly, trying and failing to calm herself. It was all lies, all of it, and everything he did or said now would be damage control, so he could get away with it, keep his plans secret, survive to sneakily succeed later. He would try to manipulate her, as he had always been so good at doing, when she was stupid enough to think he’d only use that on tactic others, and never against her. What a fool she’d been for that man, but no longer.

He walked in proudly, becuase he was still a King, after all. Haleigh’s gaze locked on him and the noise of the party faded away. He was centered in her tunnel vision as he came over, and she watched his face change from confidence to contrition. He could be very convincing when he wanted to. How else would she have fallen for his con for so long? She grit her teeth at the thought.

Cameron: Can we please talk...Haleigh? I just want to talk to you...

Steele had stopped him from getting too close, and Alek asserted that he could talk just fine from where he was, stepping in between Haleigh and Cameron, trying to shield her with his body. Haleigh shifted, so she could get Cameron back in her sights, so Alek was off center of the line of fire. She could see him holding something out to her, and her gaze flicked down to identify it. If it hadn’t been a gift from Ava, she might’ve smashed it.

“What is there to talk about, Cameron? Should we discuss how you abandoned me when the shit hit the fan, that you went to seek out the ONE person you could hurt me with? Should we revisit how you left your son vulnerable to the attack of a fucking flatscan who would’ve killed him if he’d been able to successfully poison your Queen? Should we explore the revelation that you have a secret love child with Elena, and YOU fucking DARE to question me about Alek?”

She wasn’t yelling, surprisingly. Her voice was cold and steely, but it never wavered, despite the pain of a broken heart, despite feeling like she was choking on her own rage. She threw his wedding ring at him, hard, though not enough to cause permanent injury. It was bent up, crushed and hot from being clenched in her fist.

“You left this behind. And you know what?”

She pulled off her own wedding band, and threw that at him too, followed by her diamond engagement ring.

“You can have these too. Give them to Elena, or throw them in the garbage. Sell them if you’d rather, I don’t care anymore. I want a divorce.”
 
Steel: "That's far enough Cameron."

Cameron smirked.

"For the both of us, John."

His wife he would eat crow for. The others he would not. He continued, asking to speak to his wife, addressing her directly.

Alek: "You can talk just fine from there."

"I'm aware, Alek. But I was addressing my wife."

His eyes returned to her. And after what felt like eons of silence, she spoke.

Haleigh: "What is there to talk about, Cameron? Should we discuss how you abandoned me when the shit hit the fan, that you went to seek out the ONE person you could hurt me with? Should we revisit how you left your son vulnerable to the attack of a fucking flatscan who would've killed him if he'd been able to successfully poison your Queen? Should we explore the revelation that you have a secret love child with Elena, and YOU fucking DARE to question me about Alek!"

"Haleigh, that's not fai--that's.."

Cameron had never seen his wife hurt like this in his life. To everyone else, she appeared calm and collected even, but Cameron knew every her every movement and what it meant. She was genuinely hurt and angry with him, and he felt it. It was at that time he realized that Haleigh had raised her firewall on him and he was no longer allowed in her mind, which was equally crushing. He had missed her energy. She THREW the ring hard at him, having all but completely destroyed it, the heat of the metal singing Cameron's shirt as it hit him.

Haleigh: "You left this behind. And you know what?"

He watched as she threw both her engagement and wedding ring at him with a malice signature of her mother.

Haleigh: "You can have these too. Give them to Elena, or throw them in the garbage. Sell them if you'd rather. I don't care anymore. I want a divorce."

"Over my dead body!"

His mouth shouted before he could even realize what he was saying. After everything they had gone through, this would be the thing that tore them apart? Their child? It was heartbreaking in more than one way.

"Haleigh, we aren't getting divorced. Can you please just listen to me? I know I fucked up, but just hear me out. If you still want to divorce me after that, then please go right ahead. Marriage is an act of business. There is more than one way to prove your love and devotion to somebody, and it goes far deeper than a ring. I'll draw up the papers myself. But please...just hear me okay?"

Cameron meant to press forward but found himself respecting both Alek and John's rules to keep where he was. He may have been cocky, but he DIDN'T want to start a war, though there was something about their partnership that made him feel more than a little threatened. He continued.

"I fucking fucked up. I know that. I'm sorry! I never should have left you. I should have just talked to you and told you what I was feeling about things, and I didn't. To be honest, at first I didn't really realize what I was feeling. And by the time I did, I had gone too far..."

The White King looked The Red King in the eye for a few smuldering moments. If Cameron was going to keep his family together and his children safe, he knew it meant that Alek would need one over on him, despite the fact that Cameron seemed to be giving him those left and right. He needed something bigger this time. And it was time he made his feelings very clear to his wife.

"I was incredibly jealous of Alek. On some level I have. Your connection...it unsettles me. It makes me insecure. It causes me to go down a line of thought I don't go down. One where I start to think I got very lucky that I got to marry you, because if Alek had found you a few years before me, we might be sitting on very different spots in the courts. I've never said anything because he makes you very happy. I like how you are after you've been with him. He releases something inside of you that's important. See, don't get me wrong, I don't always put myself first. I care about your happiness Haleigh. I always have..."

[pausing]

"And your openness has allowed me to explore. Enter situations and affairs that have made me a better person, that have satisfied a part of me that you might not have fully understood. The problem is that I learned through all of this, that I am, for the most part, a monogamous person. Sex is sex...but a relationship is different to me. You know me, and you know that I know you are so much more than a body, you are a force of nature. They can have your body, but me? I am the one you said you gave your heart to. Your soul to. Your essence. The important things."

His eyes stayed to the ground for a few moments, embarrassed that he had said so much publically. But he wanted Haleigh to know that he loved her as deeply as he did. That he was willing to sacrifice every shred of dignity he had to be with her. To stay together as a family. To raise their child.

"Sorry to ramble, but uh yes, circling back around. I was jealous of Alek. I thought you giving birth had changed things. It was my fault for assuming, but I don't know. Wanting to have a baby with a man, to me that means something very deep...especially because it had never been possible before. I don't know, maybe I am a dick for this, but I did expect a little bit more....posterity. I thought it meant you were turning your focus back more towards me."

[sighing]

"Again, I know...it should have been a conversation. But it wasn't and by the time I found out you were carrying Alek's child as well, it hit me at once. It made me feel like no matter what I did, I could not shake the stink of that man. The thought that this man [Alek] had every intention of coming in and taking you from me, and then in my anger, I helped him start the process. I fucked up, Haleigh. I was jealous and I fucked things up royally. It was childish, it was stupid, it was dangerous, and more importantly it was wrong and not indicative of my feelings for you...of my love."

His mind was racing, nervous that they might not ever speak again. He felt it better to try and get it all out now, give one shot his all and see what happened. He was out of options. Haleigh wanted a divorce.

"When I got to Mexico? I was hungover and not sure exactly how I got there, but I followed a feeling. And I found Elena. Haleigh, as I breathe, I have not seen that women since I broke up with her on the night our engagement party. I promise. And then I found out that she had actually been pregnant at the time, and that I now have a 7 year old daughter of which I knew absolutely nothing about because I was facing a telepath who TRAINED with me for years."

[shaking his head]

"So now I look to my left, and I see a family I destroyed, and I look to my right and I see a family I'm trying to destroy before it even begins, and I'm not even really sure why. And I know that's not an appealing offer. I know that means work and communication and pain and uncomfortable conversations and feelings. But Hales...there's nobody that I want to do that with more than you. You are the only one for me..you're my fucking religion..."

[somberly]

"You're my wife. You know what? Forget what I said before, about marriage being a business decision. It's not the most important thing, but neither of us I don't think WOULD have actually done it except with each other. It's why you stopped me from marrying her so many years ago. Because you never saw yourself married to anybody else. I don't see myself either. I meant what I said when I took these vows, and I never should have treated them as if they weren't delicate and deserving of my respect."

He gripped the rings in his fist as he extended his fist and opened his palm toward her.

"There's more to talk about, but can you please put these on and let's talk? I love you Haleigh, and if I have to lose you, it can't be like this."
 
Hellfire - The Catacombs

He watched with great amusement as she rose from the ground. Archer always had always loved killing things that could fight back.

Ava: "How unfortunate for YOU."

She cast out her arm sending a massive blast of WIND directly at him as Archer was catapulted off his feet, SLAMMING into the wall with a thud. Archer struggled to rise to his feet in order to catch Ava before she made her next move.

Ava: "How's it feel, asshole."

"Oh it feels quite good, Ava. I love a little naughty play."

The Black King moved in towards a defensive stance, his arms at attention. Archer was scrappy, but he was a battle worn fighter. And Ava was about to find out just that. Electricity crackled around The Black Queen's fingers as she spoke.

Ava: "I should have killed you in the barn when I had the chance. It would have been FAR LESS painful than what I plan on doing to you NOW."

Archer laughed as she cast out her hands sending a massive lightning bolt his way. Instinctively he shifted into his ICE FORM as he began to bring the room around around him to freezing temperatures, watching as frost and icicles began to form on the room around him. The blast JOLTED him back with tremendous force as he was catapulted across the room once again. But being that ice was a very poor conductor of electricity, he was able to sustain the blow and live, nearly rendering her attack to a third but still hurt like a fucking bitch as he trembled, attempting to increase his ice like structure to dull the impact and conductiivity.

Pulling the ice towards him, he shifted back into his human form as he cast his hand out, freezing the floor below Ava causing her to slip thanks to poorly chosen shoes for such an event and he was on her in an instant, lifting her head up and SMASHING it against the ice as he watched her eyes close for a moment, and after that moment, she would feel a click and the tight grasp of the power suppressing collar he had placed around her neck. He slapped her face to snap her back into attention as he straddled her his knees pinning her arms down.

"You're going to do nothing but die, you miserable cunt."

He spit on her.

"You think this is some kind of game for me? You think I am going to sit back and let you take what is MINE?! I know I'm a bit cheeky, but I thought I've made it abundantly clears over the years...nobody fucks with my business and lives."

He cracked his knuckes in his hands as he made a choking like gesture, slowly moving towards Ava's neck.

"I failed at killing one Queen this morning. I'm NOT failing this evening!"

The Black King began to choke The Black Queen.
 
Ava watched as Archer struggled to get up as she wiped the blood that began trickle from her brow bone and into her eye. He was a cocky bastard who didn't realize who the FUCK he was fucking with.

Archer: "Oh it feels quite good, Ava. I love a little naughty play."

"Explains why you're such a little bitch."

Lightning crackled between her fingers before Ava hurled a massive bolt of lightning directly into Archer. He shifted into his ice form, the temperature around the room dropping dramatically as ice crystals began to form along the walls and glimmering flakes sparkled in the frigid cold air. Ava used her own powers to create a tunnel of hot air around her, keeping the cold temperatures from touching her as Archer soared across the room from her attack. The ground beneath them both began to shake, a crack forming and fracturing the room in half. She was going to quite literally DROP Archer Fairchild straight into hell before feeding him to her demons. But before she had a chance, Ava felt her feet come out from under her, slipping from the now icy ground and onto her hip and shoulder with a thud. Grimacing in pain, immediately Ava felt Archer on top of her, grabbing at her head. She swung her closed fist defensively, back handing him across his face with a loud crack. But he still managed to lift her head up, SLAMMING the back of it into the icy ground. Crying out, Ava's eyes shut, her head rolling to the side completely dazed by the attack. Her ears were ringing and head was pounding, but even in her stunned state, she felt something hard around her neck, followed by a click. Ava's eyes were still shut as she groaned, a wave of nausea coming over her. She felt even dizzier, and her body felt weaker than it had ever felt in her entire life. It was then Archer slapped her across her face, making her cough out a cry as her face whipped to the side. Even his hit felt different, like her body couldn't take the abuse as it once did. Ava weakly lifted her hand to her neck, feeling the power suppression collar before Archer managed to grab her hands and pin them down with his knees.

Ava rolled her head to look up at him.

"You fucking coward..."

Ava growled weakly through gritted teeth, looking up at him with the same fire she had before despite her weakened state.

Archer: "You're going to do nothing but die, you miserable cunt."

Ava turned her face as he spit at her, grimacing as she felt it hit her cheek. It was then, she saw it. The red light from the ear piece. Her heart stopped for a moment as she quickly looked away, not wanting to draw Archers attention to it. Ava looked back up at him as he began to whine about his business and how she took it. Ava grinned, laughing in his face.

Archer: "You think this is some kind of game for me? You think I am going to sit back and let you take what is MINE?!"

"Let means the act hasn't been done yet, Archie. I already TOOK IT."

Archer: "I know I'm a bit cheeky, but I thought I've made it abundantly clears over the years...nobody fucks with my business and lives."

For the first time, Ava felt a pit in her stomach she had never experienced before. She was actually scared. She knew she couldn't fight someone as powerful as Archer without any powers. Her body was already as weak as a mortals, anything he did to her would kill her. Her only hope was to getting to that com and getting help.

Archer: "I failed at killing one Queen this morning. I'm NOT failing this evening!"

Ava's eyes went wide at his admission. HE was the one who had tried to kill Haleigh!

"You son of a bitch!"

Ava began to fight against him, growling in anger. This asshole had tried to kill her friend and go as far as to frame her for it. He was going to die tonight, even if it wasn't by her own hand. Archer began to crack his knuckles, his hands going to Ava's neck. That was when Ava pulled her leg in enough to KNEE him in the nuts HARD. He toppled over to the side enough for Ava to roll away from his grasp. Looking back, Ava slammed her heeled foot into Archer's face for good measure before she began to army crawl away, scrambling across the dirt floor as quickly a she could toward the ear com. Her heart was racing, breathing was panicked. It was so close yet felt like a thousand miles away.

Ava didn't want to look back - she didn't want to see if Archer was there ready to grab her before she could reach her only form of help. Instead she kept her eye on the prize until finally reaching the com and grabbing it. Ava stumbled with it in her trembling hands, trying to find the little button on the dirt covered ear piece that would link her with her court. With John. Tears were in her eyes at the thought of never seeing him again, never telling him she loved him again. Never holding him. No....she couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.....And that was when she found the button, lifting it to her ear.
 
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He was just about to squeeze the life from Ava's eyes as he felt until he felt a sharp pain in his testicles causing him to seize his grip and double over in pain. As he grabbed his manhood, rolling onto the floor on his back he felt a ROUGH jab in the face, as Ava's heel pierced his cheek, digging in and drawing blood as he heard her scamper away.

"You aren't getting out of here alive, Ava!"

Rising to his feet, he began to seal all entrances and exits to the general area with a thick layer of ice. They weren't getting out of this room until one of them was dead, and Archer was not planning on dying tonight. Despite her Grecian background, Ava was no different than the Americans. Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, self righteous, entitled and ever so sure of herself. She was used to taking what she wanted without question, and overall The Black King was tired of the disgusting behavior he had seen on display. The Americans had invited them to divide them like assets, to use them to their liking and to TAKE what the European had fought hard to create. And even though Archer could sense the death glow on him, he wasn't going down unless he took ONE of those bastards down with him. The rage sent a surge of adrenaline that caused him to spring to his feet as he watched Ava whimper and scurry across the floor.

"I kind of like seeing you like this, Ava. It's refreshing."

He moved towards her with a quickness.

"So weak. So helpless. This is who you ARE. Without the help of your parents, you would have been NOTHING, Dr. Doolittle."

[laughing]

"I mean really. Your company? Your father's making. Your powers? Diana's doing. You've done NOTHING for yourself except benefit off the hard work of those around you. It's disgusting. YOU'RE disgusting."

Archer reached down and grabbed her legs, FLIPPING her over onto her back with a thud as he froze her feet in place, before grabbing her hands and doing the same to those as well as he straddled her once again.

"Stop struggling, Ava. I could have frozen you solid and shattered your body by now. But that's not how I want to do it. I want to watch you die, I want you to watch a man you feel soooo much better than end your life!"

He reached for her neck QUICKLY this time as he began to press HARD on her throat, his hands gripping with a great and cold force. She throttled under his body and strength.

"Say Goodnight, Persephone."

Archer watched as her eyes began to flicker, her breathing became stagnant and she began to succumb to him, submit to her death. It was exhilirating. First Ava would die and then he would tear a path through The Great Hall so bloody that they would talk about it for centuries to come.
 
Hellfire -- The Bacchanalia

He tried to say he wanted to talk, so she suggested a few topics they could discuss. He claimed that wasn’t fair and she nodded bitterly.

“You’re absolutely right, it’s NOT fair. NONE of what you did was fair to your wife.”

She shot back, then she threw his ring at him, and hers too, telling him to do with it as he pleased, because she wanted a divorce.

Cameron: Over my dead body!

“Well we DID say ‘til death do we part’, is that really what you’re asking for?”

She replied coldly, though she knew it was just a figure of speech. He insisted they were not going to divorce, if she would just hear him out, as if he could just talk his way out of this. She scoffed when he called marriage an ‘act of business’. Of course he would call it that. How had she been so blind?

He launched into apology, and he seemed to really mean it, but she knew better now, and was shaking her head. Then he started to talk about how he was jealous of Alek, and the connection she had with him, the way he made her feel.

Cameron: See, don't get me wrong, I don't always put myself first. I care about your happiness Haleigh. I always have...

“Stop...”

She said, but he wouldn’t. He kept on, saying that he had learned, become a better person, that he was mostly monogamous, which made her scoff a laugh. Then he tried to talk about her, saying nice things, mostly the right things, but she couldn’t believe him anymore. He had always talked like that, and even though she’d shut him out of her mind, he still knew what to say to try reach her.

“Stop it, Cameron...”

She interjected, but she might as well have not said anything because he continued on. She threw her hands up in frustration, as he acknowledged that her wanting to have his child meant something. And of course it had, but of what use was it now? He should have said these things last night, when she still believed his game, and now it was too late. She had to give him credit, though, he was selling this very well, so well that she wanted to believe him. But to be fooled twice, would put the shame on her.

He started to talk about going to Elena, swearing that he hadn’t seen her since they broke up, that he hadn’t known about his daughter, that she was seven. Had she known all this time that she had basically stolen him from Elena? Yes, though she would argue that he was a grown man and had made his own decision. But for the first time, she felt sick to her stomach.

Elena may have been, and may still be, an insufferable bitch, but to have been left with a child to raise on her own.... that was at least partly Haleigh’s fault. If she had just kept her mouth shut, and let Cameron marry that bitch... a little girl would have her father, and Haleigh wouldn’t be IN this fight right now, because she never would have married Cameron. And he was right on one point he’d made earlier. If not for her marriage, Haleigh might’ve wound up with Alek a lot sooner.

Cameron pushed harder, saying he knew it would take work and communication, but she was the only one for him, as if Elena meant absolutely nothing to him, which couldn’t have been true given that he had just instinctively tracked her down after seven years of separation. And he tried to tell Haleigh she was his religion, as if he hadn’t just totally forsaken her without a word of warning, as if he even believed religion was worth the paper it was written on.

He called her his wife, as if that meant anything more than some business transaction, and then he tried to walk back his earlier statement, probably because he could tell that had pissed her off even more. He claimed they would not have married anyone else, though he was fully engaged to someone else before her, and she would not have sneered at a proposal from Zach, way back when, nor would she dismiss Alek if it ever came to that. Cameron may not have thought marriage was the most important thing, but Haleigh had grown to like it, when she believed it was real.

Cameron: There's more to talk about, but can you please put these on and let's talk? I love you Haleigh, and if I have to lose you, it can't be like this.

No, of course, not like this, everything must be on YOUR terms...

She stared at the rings in his hand, and then her gaze shifted up to lock with his. She breathed, steadily, but heavily. She would NOT cry, she had done enough of that.

"No, Cameron..... no. I can't trust what you say anymore. You have said so many things, over the years, that I have believed. Yet your actions are what demonstrate the truth. You say you care about my happiness, you say you're sorry, you say you love me, yet what you DID.... says otherwise. It says you care more about yourself than anyone else that you left here to clean up your mess. It says you feel trapped in this business arrangement of a sham fucking marriage, that it's better to just take off that ring and say 'fuck it, I'm done' at the first sign of trouble. It says you love Elena, that SHE is the one you seek when you need support."

She looked at him, her anger fading as she came to terms with the totality of their situation. There was a flash of sadness in her eyes, but then it was gone, and she was the White Queen again, cold and calculated.

"Well, I have done as you asked. I have heard you. Now you will hear me. I will not stay with a man who let me believe, for even a second, that he would harm me or one of my children. I don't know where we go from here, or how we continue to work with each other, to run our Court, or raise our son. But I do know this: you knew that I loved you, that I chose to have a child with you, and you walked away, you threw away the trust I placed in you, and it will take more than easy words to restore it."
 
Ava managed to knock Archer's balls into his stomach, rolling out of his grasp as he fell over in pain. She then gave him a hard kick in the face to keep him down before she began to quickly crawl toward the ear com a few feet away.

Archer: "You aren't getting out of here alive, Ava!"

Ava reached the com, grabbing it as Archer began to erect ice walls sealing off each entrance in the circular space. Ava watched as the last ice wall formed a barrier between her and her escape, panic in her eyes. There was literally no escape, and there was no way she could break her way through the thick ice, not with the power suppression collar giving her mortal strength. Ava looked back down at the com, hands trembling as the temperature in the room became freezing.

Archer: "I kind of like seeing you like this, Ava. It's refreshing."

"FUCK YOU you SPINELESS piece of shit! You couldn't fight me on fair terms?! And you call yourself a KING?!"

Ava screamed in fury as she turned her head to look behind her, seeing Archer rise to his feet.

Archer: "So weak. So helpless. This is who you ARE. Without the help of your parents, you would have been NOTHING, Dr. Doolittle. I mean really. Your company? Your father's making. Your powers? Diana's doing. You've done NOTHING for yourself except benefit off the hard work of those around you. It's disgusting. YOU'RE disgusting."

Her body was starting to shake from the cold, but despite the lack of dexterity in her fingers, finally she found the dirt covered button, raising the com to her ear.

"JOHN! He suppressed my powe--AHH!"

That was when she felt Archer grab her leg making her scream out, kicking her legs as she tried to push herself away from him.

"GET OFF ME!"

Archer: "Stop struggling, Ava."

Ava gritted her teeth, thrashing against Archer until he finally froze her feet to the ground causing her to cry out in pain. But she kept fighting, scratching and clawing his arms and hands, trying to push him away.

Archer: "I could have frozen you solid and shattered your body by now. But that's not how I want to do it. I want to watch you die, I want you to watch a man you feel soooo much better than end your life!"

He then froze her hands above her head, Ava's face contorting in pain as she inhaled a groan like cry. He straddled her again, his hands going to her throat as he pressed down hard onto her neck, Ava's air supply immediately being cut off. Ava began to choke, gasping and fight to try and get some kind of air to no avail.

Archer: "Say Goodnight, Persephone."

Ava continued to fight for air, gagging and choking under Archer's strength. Everything around her started to slow, a deafening silence taking over. She couldn't feel his hands crushing her throat anymore as the room began to blur and blacken, until Ava's eyes slowly fell shut.
 
The Bacchanalia

Haleigh wasn't buying in to Cameron's bullshit, thankfully. He wouldn't have to try and convince her to call a spade a spade. Ashley was trying to say Cameron was all twisted up over Haleigh's feelings.

Haleigh: “Of course he’s saying that, he’s come back to find we’ll all stand against him, and he knows he faces insurmountable odds.”

She was going to a place of unwavering hostility for her husband, which was more than even Alek would have expected. She was clearly hurt by all of this, but she wasn't looking for an excuse to forgive Cameron, that much was certain. She had stopped hoping all of this was a misunderstanding. And if Alek was honest, good for her. Cameron didn't value her even remotely commensurate to what she was worth, and now karma was biting him in the ass.

Cameron entered the party, wanting to talk. Alek was a little bit surprised that John stepped up to keep Cameron from walking right up to Haleigh, and Alek echoed his sentiment that Cameron could speak just as well from where he was.

Cameron: "I'm aware, Alek. But I was addressing my wife."

"Maybe you've lost that privilege."

Even now, Alek could tell, Cameron thought she would just forgive him. It was all about him, never about her.

Haleigh: “What is there to talk about, Cameron? Should we discuss how you abandoned me when the shit hit the fan, that you went to seek out the ONE person you could hurt me with? Should we revisit how you left your son vulnerable to the attack of a fucking flatscan who would’ve killed him if he’d been able to successfully poison your Queen? Should we explore the revelation that you have a secret love child with Elena, and YOU fucking DARE to question me about Alek?”

The side of Alek's mouth turned up ever so slightly, enjoying Haleigh calling Cameron out on his bullshit.

Haleigh: “You left this behind. And you know what? You can have these too. Give them to Elena, or throw them in the garbage. Sell them if you’d rather, I don’t care anymore. I want a divorce.”

It could only have been Cameron's wedding ring that Haleigh threw at him, because shortly after she removed her own rings and threw those as well. Alek's heart was in his throat: she'd just said she wanted a divorce. Did she really mean that? His mind soared. Cameron, as out of the picture as Ashley was, and Haleigh free to be with Alek...their daughter growing up with two parents who were together, not as some bastard child always feeling like less than her brother.

Cameron: "Over my dead body!"

Alek couldn't help but smirk then. Happy to oblige.

Cameron: "Haleigh, we aren't getting divorced. Can you please just listen to me? I know I fucked up, but just hear me out. If you still want to divorce me after that, then please go right ahead. Marriage is an act of business. There is more than one way to prove your love and devotion to somebody, and it goes far deeper than a ring. I'll draw up the papers myself. But please...just hear me okay?"

Alek rolled his eyes at the ceiling, feeling almost giddy. An act of business, really? And then he went into all the things he should have done.

Cameron: "I fucking fucked up. I know that. I'm sorry! I never should have left you. I should have just talked to you and told you what I was feeling about things, and I didn't. To be honest, at first I didn't really realize what I was feeling. And by the time I did, I had gone too far..."

Cameron looked Alek in the eye then, and Alek returned his gaze, first raising an eyebrow at him, then giving him a sneering smile.

Cameron: "I was incredibly jealous of Alek. On some level I have. Your connection...it unsettles me. It makes me insecure. It causes me to go down a line of thought I don't go down. One where I start to think I got very lucky that I got to marry you, because if Alek had found you a few years before me, we might be sitting on very different spots in the courts."

Damn right.

Cameron: "I've never said anything because he makes you very happy. I like how you are after you've been with him. He releases something inside of you that's important. See, don't get me wrong, I don't always put myself first. I care about your happiness Haleigh. I always have..."

Alek scoffed at that.

"My ass you have."

Haleigh told Cameron to stop, but he didn't. He went on to say a bunch of stuff about him being monogamous - Alek had known the guy a lot of years, he was not monogamous - and some more about how Haleigh gave her heart and soul to Cameron. He was good: looking down, acting embarrassed. Like he was putting himself on the cross for her. Alek watched this farce, from this man who wanted him dead, who would have killed his daughter if he could have gotten away with it. How had they ever been friends? How had Haleigh put up with this for so long?

But then Cameron lost his grip on it, the way he always did, and brought it back to how he had been hurt. And how Alek was trying to steal Haleigh away from Cameron.

You don't own her, asshole.

He was seething with annoyance and anger on the inside, having to listen to this, trying to keep from interrupting Haleigh but desperately hoping she wasn't buying any of this.

Cameron: "There's more to talk about, but can you please put these on and let's talk? I love you Haleigh, and if I have to lose you, it can't be like this."

Say no. Tell him to fuck off.

Haleigh: "No, Cameron..... no. I can't trust what you say anymore. You have said so many things, over the years, that I have believed. Yet your actions are what demonstrate the truth. You say you care about my happiness, you say you're sorry, you say you love me, yet what you DID.... says otherwise. It says you care more about yourself than anyone else that you left here to clean up your mess. It says you feel trapped in this business arrangement of a sham fucking marriage, that it's better to just take off that ring and say 'fuck it, I'm done' at the first sign of trouble. It says you love Elena, that SHE is the one you seek when you need support."

Alek stood up a little straighter, relieved. Proud. He would never do this to her, if she were his. He'd never leave her. Not for anything.

Haleigh:"Well, I have done as you asked. I have heard you. Now you will hear me. I will not stay with a man who let me believe, for even a second, that he would harm me or one of my children. I don't know where we go from here, or how we continue to work with each other, to run our Court, or raise our son. But I do know this: you knew that I loved you, that I chose to have a child with you, and you walked away, you threw away the trust I placed in you, and it will take more than easy words to restore it."

Alek gave Cameron one final long, cold stare as he stepped back in line with Haleigh. He offered her his arm.

"May I escort you back to the party, White Queen."

 
Hellfire Club – The Bacchanalia



As Gia slid in next to Cass, she took a moment to admire the new European Red Princess’ outfit and she noted that Cass was admiring hers as well. Under the table, she gave Cass’ hand a friendly squeeze before letting go. She had the distinct feeling that the Bacchanalia was over...at least for her Court, that is.

Haleigh: “Thank you, Bretta, you don’t have to do that.”

Gia furrowed her brows at her words, puzzled, but it became clear when the faerie replied back.

Bretta: “Nonsense. There are two innocent lives in the balance here. I would hate to think about what might happen to all three of you.”

That was pretty decent of her, actually.

Gia awaited her instructions/directions from her Queen when Heidi and Jack sauntered up...and then The White Knight dropped a [possible] weapon of mass destruction: Cameron had fathered a daughter with Elena Estrada and that daughter was apparently five years old.

Shit. Fuck. Damn. Bitch. Cazzo [Fuck]. Porca miseria [Dammit]. Minchia [Shit]. Figlio de puttana [Son of a bitch].

Gia thought of every curse word that she could think of, even in Italian. This was BAD. Gia exchanged a stony look with Zach, who had arrived by then, before looking back at Haleigh and keeping her focus on The White Queen. She may have been pondering the idea of getting the hell out of Dodge earlier, but she wasn’t even thinking of abandoning ship now. Her main focus was on Haleigh. Ashley came back and may have said something but Gia froze at the person coming towards them all behind her: Cameron.

For a split second, Gia wished that she had some popcorn with her. Who needed to go to the movies when you could get your daily dose of drama right here at Hellfire?

Cameron wanted to talk. As if ‘talking’ would make everything better.

Cass: *softly*: “Ow!”

Gia hadn't realized that she had been holding Cass' hand again a little too hard. The Bishop threw an apologetic glance her way and let go of Cass’ hand before focusing back on Haleigh.

Haleigh: “What is there to talk about, Cameron? Should we discuss how you abandoned me when the shit hit the fan, that you went to seek out the ONE person you could hurt me with? Should we revisit how you left your son vulnerable to the attack of a fucking flatscan who would’ve killed him if he’d been able to successfully poison your Queen? Should we explore the revelation that you have a secret love child with Elena, and YOU fucking DARE to question me about Alek?”

Gia could hear Bretta gasp in shock and outrage. Haleigh threw his wedding ring at him and told him that he had left it behind. Then she pulled off her own rings and threw those at him as well.

Haleigh: “You can have these too. Give them to Elena, or throw them in the garbage. Sell them if you’d rather, I don’t care anymore. I want a divorce.”

It was Gia’s turn to gasp out loud and she felt as if she could pass out any second. She gripped onto Zach’s arm in an effort to keep herself from passing out. Nothing would ever be the same again, of that she could be certain. Cameron tried to apologize, and it was a sweet speech, but Gia of all people knew that words meant nothing without action behind them. Haleigh rebuffed Cameron, and for the very first time, Gia felt something that she had never, ever, felt before towards Cameron King: pity.

Gia felt herself rise from the table, and she gripped Zach’s hand as she stood up in front of the entire group. She didn’t plan it; she didn’t even mean to stand, but she felt that she needed to speak up. She looked her King in the eyes.

*nervously*: “Your Majesty? I know that in the past I haven’t been the kind of Bishop that either you or Haleigh could be proud of. I made mistakes by holding onto the past instead of living in the present. Today, though, I have realized that words mean nothing without action behind them. Listen, what you just said was really sweet and nice of you to say. I know that you love your wife; I can see it in your eyes, and in your heartfelt words. I know that. Here’s the thing though. As soon as you found out that there was another baby, fathered by a different father, you just upped and left.” [raising her hand] “I’m not saying that you weren’t without your reasons. Haleigh is your wife – it was undoubtedly devastating to have found out that she is also carrying another man’s baby. However, she had absolutely no idea where you were. She had absolutely no idea what you were thinking. You can say all the sweetest things that you are feeling in your heart, and in the most flowery way too, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned very recently, it’s this.”

Gia threw a warm look in Haleigh’s direction, even though she felt nervous and she could feel her legs shaking.

“All the eloquent words in the world mean absolute shit unless there’s action behind it. If you care about Haleigh and your son, and I know that you do, you have to show her that you care, no, not right now, and that you've changed, just like I’m trying to show you and Haleigh that I’ve changed and that I’m more than ready to be the kind of Bishop that you both deserve." *ruefully*: "I do realize that it will take more than 24 hours to show you both that I have changed. After all, [gesturing with her hands at the area around them] Rome wasn't built in a day."

With that, Gia sat back down and had a look of surprise on her own face by what she had just said. She had never been that compassionate and caring – which in itself was her acting on what she had just said. She was actually showing that she was changing.
 
The Bacchanalia

Things were happening he couldn't have made up. Cameron having a kid, him admitting he was jealous of Alek, Haleigh throwing rings and asking for a divorce. He started to wonder if it was inevitable: stay in this life long enough, and no relationship could survive. It saddened him. He didn't think Cameron was there to hurt Haleigh. And there were too many witnesses for him to try and kill Alek, though a fight wasn't out of the question. But John hadn't protected Ava for all these years for nothing, and he still went through the motions, keeping Cameron at a distance. Because regardless of whether Cameron intended to hurt anyone, Haleigh needed to feel safe. And that, he could give her. He was wondering what was taking Ava so long. She had to know shit was going down back here.

Alek was making a few comments here and there, but John could tell he was trying to restrain himself. Cameron was focusing mostly on Haleigh, though he had a couple comments for him and Alek as well. Even though John wasn't happy with the way Cameron had treated Ava, he felt for the man, coming back to all this, to his wife being so very angry with him. He didn't know what he could say, really, to a woman like Haleigh, who was mistrustful by nature. But he knew Cameron needed to make this right. Haleigh was telling Cameron it was going to take more than words when he felt his earpiece come on. And then his blood ran cold.

Ava: "JOHN! He suppressed my powe--AHH!"

[via com] "Ava!"

He heard her scream, and it was like someone had shoved a sword through his abdomen.

"Something's wrong. Black guards, to me!"

[via com] "Ava! Where are you babe! What's happening?"

He didn't even think about it. Cameron wasn't attacking Haleigh. And someone was attacking his Queen. He was already headed for the door, the guards around him following behind. He already had his phone out, calling Security.

[into the phone] "You have 30 seconds to find the Black Queen, or I will make you watch while I murder your entire family. Ping her phone. Look at the cameras. Go."

He ripped the com link out of the nearest guard's ear, and spoke into it.

[via com, to all Black Guard and Inner Circle]: "The Black Queen is in trouble. I want her found, NOW."

It came out as a growl. Ava let out another scream, and then he could hear her.

Ava: "GET OFF ME!"

His blood boiled.

[into the phone]: "Ten seconds."

And then he heard another voice. One he recognized.

Archer: "Stop struggling, Ava."

Security: "The Black Queen took an elevator down to the catacomb level."

He was already running for the stairs before the person on the other end of the phone finished the sentence.

[into com]: "She's in the catacombs."

[via com]: "Hold on, Ava, I'm coming. I'm coming, babe. Keep fighting!"

He ran faster, hearing her cries of pain, feeling the blood pounding in his ears as his world came crashing down around him. He's suppressed my powe- Powers. There was only one reason Ava wouldn't have used her winds if she was in trouble. And that was if, she couldn't. He reached the catacomb level, but there were a million places she could be. He told the guards to fan out, and then he just started running, checking every room, yelling her name.
 
Hellfire - The Bacchanalia

Brienne: Haleigh’s lucky to have you.

“Yeah, well, believe me when I say she earned it.”

He said, his mind going back to the time she’d sacrificed herself to keep him alive. He owed her his life, and it was way more than just loyalty to his Queen, because this went back to way before they were in power. He sighed and shook it from his thoughts, offering his hand to Brienne to escort her back out to the party, where his presence would soon be required.

Brienne: Be careful. Cameron's a King...he's powerful. And so is his sister.

He stopped to look at her, realizing that she was speaking from a place of concern, that she cared what happened to him. He smiled gently.

“So are the rest of us.”

He assured her, his hand grazing her jawline before he leaned in for another kiss. But he had to stop, when he sensed the explosion of rage coming from his Queen. He found hat Heidi had returned from her day trip seeking Cameron, and whatever she said had lit the fire of fury in Haleigh’s heart. Zach immediately tried to assist, but right away he could tell it was a futile effort. She was as angry as he’d ever seen.

“Haleigh, now remember, cooler heads prevail...”

He said, but she didn’t really acknowledge him. Ashley and AJ came over, and the Red Queen was talking about Cameron, though neither Alek nor Haleigh seemed convinced by what Ash said. Then Cameron came in, and insisted he wanted to talk, but after all day preparing for him to attack, nobody really gave him much slack.

Haleigh wasn’t very receptive to the idea of conversation, and she didn’t mince words. She even threw her rings at him, and asked for a divorce. Cameron apologized from a very genuine place, but even though Zach managed to drain away most of her anger, she still didn’t forgive her husband. Alek triumphantly offered to lead Haleigh away, while Gia, who’d been grasping at Zach’s free arm and squeezing his hand, stood up and spoke.

And just when the tension was thick enough to drown in, John became suddenly very alarmed. He said something was wrong, and called the Black Guard, and raced off. There was a flurry of movement as a third of the security presence bled out of the room, along with everyone else wearing black. Zach glanced at Haleigh, as John’s voice informed all of the Inner Circle that their Black Queen was in trouble.

Haleigh: She was last seen headed down to the Catacombs.
 
"Blood on the Moon."

The White Princess eyed the moon from one of the large multi-story windows that decorated The Great Hall as she tucked a few wild strands of her light brown hair behind her ear. Suddenly the festivity and debauchery of the party seemed to fade away around her as her eyes shifted from their signature cobalt blue to a wild silver. This was not an omen that mortals would see.

"Cameron..."

Her mind raced to her brother. Had something happened to him? Was something going to happen to him? Erika's eyes searched the floor for any signs of Brienne Shaw, the only other among them who would have been able to see this, but she was nowhere to be found. Erika King was not a particularly supersticious woman. In fact, she often liked to walk head first into danger, but as she saw the shimmering and ominous bright red splatter across the circle of the moon, descrating it with it's boldness, Erika's entire body shuddered.

Simon: "Erika...are you okay? What's up with your eyes?"

She was jolted back into reality, gripping his forearm to catch herself as she regained her composure, shooting a concerned look at him.

"No..I'm not okay. I'm sorry, Simon. Can you excuse me for a few moments?"

Simon: "But we just got here?!"

She didn't answer him as she moved through the crowd of the Great Hall with a swift speed, phasing through the patrons as she went, her anxiety bubbling up like a boiling pot inside of her until she reached a decorative antique style vanity at the heart of the foyer, taking a moment to look at herself in the mirror. Something very bad was about to happen.

Every member of The King Family had been given the gift of sight. Her mother could see whatever she wanted in the present, her sister could look across time and space, and Cameron could see visions of the future. Erika however, had never managed to see much outside of the items she was getting for Christmas and that was mostly because she always had a very well organized list. But she had come to Hellfire a new woman - more powerful than before, thanks in large part to the moonstone she had bonded with. The stone was a physical manifestation of the power of the Moon Goddess Selene, and it had catalyzed her in many ways. It had made her stronger, strengthened her magick in a way she hadn't before thought possible, so strong she felt she could have taken on her mother and sister in a fire fight and live to tell the tale. But it was not without it's side effects.

"UGGH!!"

A POUNDING headache soared through Erika's mind as she found herself lost in her own reflection, until the scenery around her faded to black before shifting altogether entirely. She was pulled into a powerful vision.

<< FLASH! >>

Seer said:
<< Beautiful Elysian fields. A young girl picking flowers with a beautiful woman with raven hair and a crescent moon crown on her forehead. The skies a beautiful purple, pink and yellow. A gentle and calming breeze. >>

<< The little girls wanders off several yards by herself, until her deep brown eyes catch the sight of a beautiful flower, the most beautiful she had ever seen. A narcissus. She smiles and reaches down to pick it and take in it's scent as the ground erupts around her. From the spot of the very flower she picked, the earth itself OPENS to black flames and screaming cries. >>

<< A tall and dark figured man on a black horse, who's head is enshrouded in flames LUNGES at the girl, GRABBING her with all of his might as she screams for help. The raven haired woman's eyes widen in horror as the girl and the man are SWALLOWED back into the Earth in seconds. The girl is gone. The raven hair beauty cries out as the sky darkens and the moon rises in the sky. >>
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Erika immediately found herself back in the foyer of the Hellfire Mansion, her hands gripped against either side of the vanity, nail marks on the wood the only indication of the horror she had just seen. Her chest heaved up and down as the headache within her subsided and she tried to make sense of things. It wasn't a vision of the future, or anything of the present. It was something that happened long ago. Erika's mind raced to find a connection until her blood ran cold.

"AVA!"

She began to barrel down the hall. She knew Ava and Ashley had left the party in haste, and her mystical alarms had alerted her to Cameron's presence. She hadn't followed them because she didn't want to add on to what she felt was about to occur. Her brother needed an ally, and if she made a scene, they would have discredited her, or simply think she was being as crazy as they were now accusing her brother of being. A chill went down her spine again as she made her way towards The Black Corridor.

"Please don't have let him do something he can't take back..."

Had he hurt Ava? Or would she make it in time to stop him from doing so? She had no time to waste. In her scurry down the hall she heard members of The Black Guard on their com devices.

Black Guard: "The Black Queen is in the catacombs. She is not to be disturbed."

Erika stopped herself from running in a dead heat, nearly taking out a display table and a vase that THANKFULLY didn't house the new Black Lotus Blossoms she could sense in the mansion. Closing her eyes she shifted her body down, phasing through the various levels of the mansion until she reached the catacombs, running in a dead heat until she ran dead smack into a giant block of ice.

"Ugh!"

She fell back on the floor, hitting it with a thud as she heard voices on the other side and a very violent physical scuffle occurring.

Ava: "FUCK YOU you SPINELESS piece of shit! You couldn't fight me on fair terms?! And you call yourself a KING?!"

Archer: "So weak. So helpless. This is who you ARE. Without the help of your parents, you would have been NOTHING, Dr. Doolittle. I mean really. Your company? Your father's making. Your powers? Diana's doing. You've done NOTHING for yourself except benefit off the hard work of those around you. It's disgusting. YOU'RE disgusting."

Erika seethed with rage. She had been a part of the ritual that had bonded Ava with Persephone many years ago as part of her training in magick, and she knew one thing to be true - Everything that Ava had garnered for herself over her years at Hellfire had been WELL EARNED, and her vision was beginning to make sense. Persephone was kidnapped, taken from Earth and dragged to Hell. Her innocence taken from her, and even when she got out, she never really could. The same thing had happened to Ava. Selene had watched Persephone be taken and didn't have time to stop it. Suddenly, Erika's destiny seemed far greater than she realized. Selene WANTED Erika to save Persephone - As an act of contrition. And despite her unrivaled jealousy over the years - Erika did care about Ava. After everything she had gone through, she stood strong, whereas Erika had broken. And more than that, The Black Queen was now her stepsister. The others may not have taken family seriously, but The Kings did. She gave a deep sigh of relief to know that her brother had not snapped and decided to kill one of his closest friends as Erika phased through the ice to see a horrifying sight.

Archer: "I could have frozen you solid and shattered your body by now, but that's not how I want to do it. I want to watch you die, I want you to watch a man you feel soooo much better than end your life! Say Goodnight, Persephone."

He straddled her, CHOKING the life out of of her and for a moment Erika panicked. She needed to act quickly. There was no time for a spell or some kind of show or power, so she did none of those things. Instead, she took a deep breath, walked over to Archer Fairchild who was lost in his bloodlust, reached her hand into his back and phased his heart from his body, pulling it out with her hand, watching it beat as he slumped over and onto the ground. With great ease, Erika pushed him over to the side as she knelt down next to Ava who was unconscious.

"Fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck...."

Closing her eyes, she drawed upon her power, placing her free hand over Ava's body as a heavenly silver light came coursing out of her, swirling over Ava's body, attempting to heal her. Erika hoped that she had not been to late, that her moment of hesitation had not been the difference between life and death. She looked at Ava's neck and saw the power collar and YANKED it off with one swift movement.

[coughing noises]

"Oh thank the GODDESS! Ava...AVA. You're okay! It's Erika. Relax...relax. Please, for the love of god breathe in and out. In and out...."

"AVA!!!!!"

She heard The Black King calling his Queen's name off in the distance.

"JOHN! She's HERE! Head towards the ICE!"

Erika looked around her in either direction as she snapped her fingers, igniting an anullment spell as her silver sparkling energy signature began to flow around the room, melting the ice quickly, allowing John and his men to be able to find them. Ava was slowly beginning to stir. The White Princess' magick may have healed her wounds, but she wasn't out of the woods. She was still very dizzy and disorienting. Thinking quickly, Erika TORE bits of her dress off, bundling it together and making a makeshift pillow for Ava's head to rest comfortably on. She could see the confusion in her eyes.

"He's dead, Ava. He's dead and John is on his way to you right now. All you need to do is relax...just for a few more seconds and he'll be here."

"JOHN!?"

Her eyes widened, realizing what she had just done.

"I just killed The Black King..."
 
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Gia spoke and his blood boiled. Her words were kind, but this was absolutely innappropriate.

"Gia, this may be a public forum, and I DO appreciate your words, but this conversation has ALL the voices it needs, THANK YOU."

Haleigh: "No, Cameron....no. I can't trust what you say anymore. You have said so many things, over the years, that I have believed."

"I have NEVER once lied you to you, Haleigh. Never."

Haleigh: "Yet your actions are what demonstrate the truth. You say you care about my happiness, you say you're sorry, you say you love me, yet what you DID...says otherwise. It says you care more about yourself than anyone else that you left here to clean up your mess. It says you feel trapped in this business arrangement of a sham of a fucking marriage, that it's better to just take off that ring and say 'fuck it, I'm done' at the first sign of trouble. It says you love Elena, that SHE is the one you seek when you need support."

He shook his head, finding it hard to control his anger at the situation.

"That is really not fair, Haleigh. And you know it."

Haleigh: "Well, I have done as you asked. I have heard you. Now you will hear me. I will not stay with a man who let me believe, even for a second, that he would harm me or one of my children."

"But you will gladly stay with those who let you believe it as well? God, Haleigh, what does it say about us that your VERY first feeling you had, after you have known me my entire life, shared my bed for the last six years, known the deepest parts of my mind and soul, was that I would KILL you and our CHILD?! I can't believe that I am sitting here trying to convince you, convince EVERYONE that I wouldn't murder my WIFE. I changed my whole LIFE for you Haleigh. I called off a wedding, I gave up The Black Throne, I have done any and everything you have EVER asked of me, without hesitation. How can you not see that I love you? Are you so hurt that you are willing, in front of all these people to denounce me like everything I've said to you is a lie? That everything i've BEEN to you is a lie. You know it's not a lie, Haleigh. You may have blocked your HEAD, but you can't block your HEART from me. "

Haleigh: "I don't know where we go from here, or how we continue to work with each other, to run our Court, or raise our son. But I do know this: you knew that I loved you, that I chose to have a child with you, and you walked away, you threw away the trust I placed in you, and it will take more than easy words to restore it."

[Cameron scoffed somberly]

"That's just not fair, Haleigh. You are saying that I have to react to every situation in whatever way you want me to or need me to in order for me to be a good husband. To be a good partner. And that's just not real life. It's not. I should have left word with someone Haleigh, but I am ALLOWED my feelings. UGLY as they may be. I am ALLOWED a reaction, one that is honest. Can't you see?! I was acting out of HURT. I was HURT. And I know you were hurt too, but this isn't just some one sided thing. This isn't some fucking fairytale. Sometimes the person you love fucking hurts you, because they're going through their own shit. And they're ALLOWED to go through their own shit. I left because I didn't want to do something I regretted. I left because the one thing, that was supposed to be OURS...*angrily* OURS and NOBODY else's was TAKEN. HIJACKED - by some cavalier animal in a man bun."

[looking towards Alek]

"I'd apologize, but I think I made my feelings pretty damn clear and Rome wasn't built in a fucking day."

Tears began to well up in his eyes as he maintained a strong and pursed lip, fighting for his strength and finding himself breaking. She wasn't getting it. This was the most vulnerable he had ever been in his entire life, and he was doing it for her. And it wasn't enough. Maybe it wasn't enough for her, but this was Cameron's mea culpa. This was him giving his all. He didn't want to wrap this up happily or quickly. He knew that wasn't realistic, but she was playing with him. She was punishing him and she was willing to do it in front of the entire Inner Circle and members of Hellfire, and that said something to Cameron, that maybe he was right. That she really did love Alek more. It seemed like everybody around him wanted him to wash her feet, to walk across glass barefoot, to biblically chastise himself before he could even deign to think about getting his wife back. Her coldness spoke volumes to him, and while he could still feel her love for him deep inside, she had chosen her pride instead of her love and stood firm, even when he sacrificed hers in front of him. That was a bigger problem.

"I've said all I say Haleigh, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life apologizing because you're too prideful to admit that the real reason you are upset is not just because I hurt you...It's because you loved somebody so much that it LET you get hurt by them. But that's real life. That's where the rubber meets the road. THAT'S love. It's not whatever SICK shit our parents had, and it's not some kind of storybook. It's ugly, it's dark, it's light, it's good, it's bad, but it's ALL in. And when you're all IN, you get HURT. So, AGAIN...I am deeply sorry that I helped to get us into this mess, that THIS is where we are, but I won't be your whipping boy. I'm not going to become endentured to you forever because I made one mistake, especially when you won't admit your own. So until you are willing to come at me like I'm not the supervillain you crafted in your head and got everybody around you to believe, you'll get no divorce from me."

Alek: "May I escort you back to the party, White Queen."

"By all means Alek, go ahead."

[looking at his wife with great pain]

"Just don't let him to do you what he did to Ashley."

He watched as John exited the room with fury, mentioning that something had happened to Ava, but he could not be the first to turn from this conversation. John could take care of his family. Cameron began to question his ability to take care of his own.
 
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Everything was cold, and then it was dark. Ava's body went limp and her skin was an eerie blue as Archer continued to throttle her neck with his enhanced strength. She felt nothing, slipping into unconsciousness.

Silence.

And then, as if a jolt of adrenaline came coursing through her body, Ava GASPED in before violently beginning to cough.

Erika: "Oh thank the GODDESS! Ava...AVA. You're okay! It's Erika. Relax...relax."

She was still disoriented and dizzy, her body rolling onto it's side as she coughed and heaved in choppy breaths of air. It still felt like something was constricting her throat as she wheezed and struggled to breath. She heard a familiar voice telling her to relax, but she was still so out of it, trying to open her eyes to see the person, but barely able to before they fell shut again.

Erika: "Please, for the love of god breathe in and out. In and out...."

Ava's body was trembling from the cold, her lips blue and face stained with dry blood despite Erika healing her wounds. She could hear her name being called as she rolled her head toward the direction of the voice. As she began to become more lucid, she realized it was John, and that Erika was with her.

John: "AVA!!!!!"

Erika: JOHN! She's HERE! Head towards the ICE!"

"Joh-"

It barely came out as words before Ava began to cough, her throat feeling like she swallowed a blow torch. Slowly opening her eyes, the room was still blurry making her wince. She felt Erika lift her head and put something soft under it. All she felt at this point was the pain and the disorientation of everything, but what had happened slowly started to come back to her. She had been attacked by Archer, and he had suppressed her powers.

"Ar-cher..."

Ava whispered, her voice horse and breathing still ragged and uneven.

Erika: "He's dead, Ava. He's dead and John is on his way to you right now. All you need to do is relax...just for a few more seconds and he'll be here."

Erika began to shout for John as Ava shut her eyes weakly, her body still readjusting to the power suppression collar being off. She could feel herself getting stronger as her systems returned to normal, but Archer had beat her down hard and took away her resilience to handle it, making it a bit longer for her to bounce back. At this point, Ava just wanted John. To feel his strength envelope her so she could rely on him where hers had faltered. To feel the warmth of his arms around her as she shivered. Ava wanted to feel his overwhelming safety, the feeling being ripped away - suppressed - by Archer. It was a sickening feeling knowing she had no defense against him and that he had almost won...he had almost killed her because of slumdog tactics.

That was when Ava heard Erika whisper that she had killed the Black King. None of that mattered. Ava would protect Erika if Brienne or the other Europeans retaliated. The White Princess had saved her life, and though she was too weak now to speak, she would forever be thankful to her.
 
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The Bacchanalia

In the end, Ashley had concluded that she couldn't take her Knight back to their room to see what was under that skirt just yet. She might miss something important and Cameron could still have been lying to her. And if so, she was going to pound his face in for being an idiot. But somehow they beat Cameron back, and so she took the opportunity to tell Haleigh he was coming, that he was broken up by what had happened. Haleigh, however, was not so believing, and not at all sympathetic. Her husband had a tough road ahead of him.

When he arrived saying he wanted to talk, Haleigh pretty much shut him down, bringing up Elena, throwing their wedding rings at him and asking for a divorce. Ashley looked at AJ with raised eyebrows. She couldn't decide whether it was better if Haleigh was with Alek or Cameron, though she supposed if it kept him from killing anyone then Cameron was it. Plus, she didn't really want to see Alek win at anything. He was already getting a daughter out of this. And Alek kept interjecting snide comments. Ashley gave him a look, and hissed at him.

"Shut up, will you?"

Cameron said some of the same things he'd said to them, that he was jealous of Alek - Ashley groaned internally, he was never going to let anyone forget that - that he loved Haleigh, that he didn't want a divorce. That was all good. They would have this wrapped up and back to drinking, feasting and fighting in no time.

But Haleigh was not in a forgiving mood, apparently, and didn't believe what Cameron was saying. She was still hung up on Elena, and she didn't even know the woman would be in New York the next day yet. She understood Haleigh's trust issues - things really did not look good for Cameron - but if he just kept at it, she'd come around. And then, he fucked up. He started telling Haleigh about all the things she'd done wrong, all the things he'd done for her. Ashley put her hand to her forehead.

At this point, Ashley started to get bored. Cameron was talking, Haleigh was talking, other people were talking...it didn't seem like anyone was going to fight. Elena wasn't here yet for Haleigh to scratch out her eyes. Ashley shuffled her feet a bit and looked up at AJ for a moment, before leaning in.

"Let's go get some wine."

As she starting sneaking away, she heard Alek offer to escort Haleigh back to the party, the message as clear as if he'd given Cameron the finger. And then, Cameron.

Cameron: "Just don't let him to do you what he did to Ashley."

She stopped, her body stiffening, and turned back to look at Cameron. She nodded, and then turned and walked away.

Inside she was a roil of emotion. Gratitude, that Cameron had acknowledged it. Embarrassment, that everyone seemed to view her as a victim. Anger, that no one gave a shit about Alek's treatment of her until he got too close to Haleigh. She gripped AJ's hand tightly.

"You know, I think maybe I need something stronger than wine."
 
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