Who: Reagan and Caius and Anthony When: Monday, Dec 4th, evening Where: the D’Onofrio house Status: Complete
Caius tried not to speed too much on his way away from Seaview, but it was difficult. Now that he was out of its presence, he found himself wanting to put real distance between himself and the Thing. He still wasn’t sure what it was, and that became obvious as he tried to explain what he’d seen and felt to Reagan. He recounted their conversation, what it had looked like when he’d viewed its true self -- or the one it wanted to project, anyway, who could say for sure -- and what he had felt. Caius didn’t leave anything out, including how strong the temptation had been to accept the offer, to say yes and gain the power to help Reagan recover her magic. That part came tumbling out of him in a tone that said he knew how insane that would be, but he had to be honest about it.
Any smidgeon of guilt he’d felt at leaving Aaron Lucas eating his dust faded rapidly. This was not their problem, they didn’t owe the Lucases a damn thing, and Caius was already asking himself why he was heading straight to his father. Maybe it was the power of the thing inside Mila, how ageless it had been ... could they really just let something like that run loose? Was it idiocy to even try to stop it? How many lives had it consumed in Point Pleasant? It said it didn’t usually fuck with witches, but there were people they loved who didn’t have magic -- and one more name on that list, now -- and ... fuck. He just needed Anthony’s advice, so Caius drove straight toward Overlook, his hands tight on the wheel.
Reagan was having difficulty wrapping her mind around what had happened. She had figured they were dealing with a demon, but apparently, this was much, much worse. And it had dangled Reagan's problem in front of Caius in an attempt to what? Possess him too? Reagan was relieved when Caius made it clear he had said no, but it still churned uncomfortably in her stomach, even as they drove to Overlook to see Anthony. Reagan had no plans on going inside. She didn't want to see her father-in-law right now. He would be able to tell she had lost her magic, and no doubt he would tell her mother and then all hell would break loose. Reagan just wanted to get on that damn plane and fly far, far away. Let everyone else deal with the bullshit happening in town right now. She did feel bad for Aaron Lucas, and Mila, but Caius couldn't do anything for them, and that was that. It wasn't their responsibility to save everyone, especially when they couldn't.
After Caius explained everything they drove in silence until Reagan looked over at him in the dark, studying his profile. "You can't go back to that thing, you know that right? I know you said no, but... in case things get hard, or we can't find a way to get my magic back... that cannot be an option, okay?"
Caius took a deep unsteady breath and held it for a few heartbeats. He let it out slow, able to feel Reagan’s eyes on him. “No, I know it can’t be an option,” he murmured finally, glancing over at her briefly. Caius rubbed at his mouth with one hand, then cleared his throat and said it again, more firmly this time. “Not an option. Of course. Even deals with low-level demons usually end up a clusterfuck, it would be madness to try to deal with some ... primordial embodiment of suffering or whateverthefuck.” He made a frustrated noise through his teeth and flexed his hands on the steering wheel hard enough to make the leather creak. He was irritated at himself all of the sudden. He was usually so unflappable, but that thing had rattled his cage for sure. “We’re still leaving in the morning,” he muttered. “Unless you really want to follow through on helping them.”
Reagan studied him for a moment longer before turning her gaze back out her window. She had no idea if he meant his agreement or not, but she could sense a bit of a struggle there. Obviously, it was a very bad idea, but with those kinds of beings, they could be very persuasive. Reagan didn't think Caius was weak, not at all. But that thing was clearly strong, stronger than anything Caius had dealt with before. And power was always... well, it was tempting, especially for a witch. Rarely did Reagan see Caius shaken. She was glad to be rid of the problem. "Leave it to your dad. I don't think there's anything we can do," Reagan murmured. "And honestly, I think it's probably better to get you on a plane as far away from her as possible."
As much as he loathed to admit it, Caius thought that was probably true. All of it -- there was nothing they could do, and he needed to put distance between himself and Point Pleasant. Reagan needed that too. They needed some down time, a chance to enjoy actually being together again as whole people, even if they weren’t both whole witches anymore. Maybe Caius would’ve been better prepared for this kind of encounter if he hadn’t been fresh off of regaining his memories. Maybe not. It didn’t matter. He reached over to find Reagan’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “You’re all I want to focus on now,” he said. “I’ll give my father a rundown and then that’s it. Phones off until we’re on our way back.” The Thing had been right about his priorities, that was for damn sure, and even though Caius suspected he should feel guilty about them, he didn’t.
"Deal," Reagan said, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. She hoped Anthony could help Aaron and Mila, but sometimes people just couldn't be saved. It wasn't that Reagan was heartless, or that she was unfeeling. She felt terrible for both of them. But she and Caius had gone through hell in the past couple of months and knowing what she knew now about that thing, she was a little relieved he couldn't help. She didn't want him getting hurt, or becoming some new host for an evil entity. It was selfish and she didn't give a fuck. Reagan had only just got Caius back, and she wouldn't lose him again for anything, or anyone. "Thank you though," she murmured, bringing his hand up to her lips so she could kiss it. "For trying, even if we couldn't help."
In a way, Caius wished that he’d refused, that he’d never been exposed to that, never had that carrot dangled in front of his face. Because gods, he was tempted. She released a piece of herself for you, didn't she? was still echoing in his mind. Distance would be good. Distance and dumping the problem off on his father’s doorstep. Caius gave Reagan a faint smile and a finger-squeeze when she kissed his hand. “You’re welcome,” he murmured. “It was good of you to want to try at all. The Lucas brothers are on their own, as far as I’m concerned.” He slowed the car down and pulled into the D’Onofrio driveway and parked. He reached over to cup the side of Reagan’s face to tilt it toward his and leaned in to kiss her softly. “I’ll be quick,” Caius told her. “I love you.”
She nodded, because it made no sense to try and defend the Lucas family at all. She wasn't fond of them, less so after Caden attacked her. Reagan knew she took their money and she did what they asked her to do, she wasn't responsible for whatever happened after the fact. Gavin's daughter going missing, Caden losing his fingers and now this. It might not be connected directly, but Reagan knew about karma. She didn't know Mila very well, but she couldn't help but feel bad that the other woman was going through this, and might not survive it. It was this town, and Reagan and Caius couldn't exactly fight it. Reagan returned Caius's kiss and smiled softly, her eyes closed until she pulled back. "I love you too. Good luck." He knew how to handle his father, but Anthony was Anthony and she didn't really expect Caius to return to the car in a good mood.
Caius gave a humorless little huff. “Thanks,” he murmured. He would probably need it. He left the car running so Reagan could have the heat and stereo and everything, and got out to walk up to the house. He realized belatedly that he probably should have texted Anthony to make sure his father was at home, but it was too late now. Caius let himself in with his key and punched the security code into the panel by the door once he stepped in just by muscle memory. Judging by the time, he was guessing his father was in his office, so that was where Caius headed first, giving a polite knock on the door before he tried the knob to see for himself.
Caius was right to think Anthony was in his office, though he wasn't exactly working. His chair was turned towards the large windows where he could see the ocean. It was nighttime now, but he could still see shimmers from the moon that occasionally peeked out from the dark clouds. He was currently lost in thought, aware that something was coming but unsure as to how to feel about it. He didn't answer at the knock at his door, but when he heard it open, he turned in his chair, somewhat surprised to see Caius there. His son generally only came to the house if Miriam asked him to, or if he needed something.
"Everything all right?" he asked in lieu of a proper greeting. He wasn't exactly in the mood for small talk.
The door was unlocked, which meant Anthony was in there, so Caius stepped inside and shut it behind him. He went straight for the mini bar to pour himself a scotch while his father turned and looked at him, then moved to sit in one of the leather chairs in front of the desk. Caius sighed, not in the mood for small talk either. “No,” he answered and took a sip of his drink. “Well ... yes, no, not everything. So here’s the short of it: I have my memory back, thanks to Reagan. The spell in the grimoire kept failing, so she took another path on her own. Put a pin in that, we’ll come back to it. I just encountered something I ... I’m having difficulty with. It was ... something ancient, powerful. Not a demon, not a human spirit, it seemed to be much more than that. It was dark and made of suffering. It’s possessing this girl in Seaview. Reagan wanted to help her, but as soon as I really looked at what it was, I knew I was out of my depth.” He downed another swallow of scotch.
Anthony cocked a brow, trying to keep up with everything Caius was throwing at him. He wanted to focus on the fact that his son had his memories back and ask just how Reagan had managed that, but then Caius continued on about some ancient being and his interest shifted almost immediately. It took him a moment to digest everything and he settled back in his chair, studying Caius thoughtfully. His son was stubborn and powerful, and so it probably spoke to this being's own power that Caius had come to Anthony about it now. It was pure curiosity that had Anthony wanting to see this thing for himself, to try and figure out if it was who Anthony thought it might be, or Something Else. This place was full of so much darkness that it was possible it was a separate entity from what he feared. "Are you asking for my help? Are they? It could be any number of things, Caius. What did it look like to you?"
Caius was aware that he was just dumping jumbled information on Anthony’s desk, more or less, but he was still kind of shaken and pressed for time, so that was just how it was coming out. The warm burn of scotch helped steady him a little and he attempted to slow his thoughts down. “It looked like ... darkness, just hungry darkness with teeth everywhere. It felt huge and horrible, like every bad emotion you could have, amplified and concentrated ... but lucid. It was cocky, talking to me. It tried to tempt me into ... letting it inside, I suppose. It said it missed the woods, and the girl was almost gone. You know I don’t use the word ‘evil’ lightly ...” he trailed off and gave his father a meaningful look. If anything was evil, it was that. Caius shook his head with a bit of amazement that Mila’s body was even able to contain it. It was a wonder she wasn’t dead yet. “They’re desperate for help, this girl and her boyfriend. I told them I would talk to you. That’s all I can do.”
Evil was just as intriguing to Anthony as anything else with power, but he had no idea what could be gained from dealing with something of that nature. It wasn't surprising that it had tried to tempt Caius. Using a witch as a conduit had to be more appealing than some nobody in a trailer park. But beings that old were stronger than most and Anthony was not foolish enough to believe he could somehow outwit them. Allowing any kind of unnatural force into one's body was suicidal, no matter what the bribe. "How did the Obscurities react to it?" Anthony asked, not willing to commit to helping these people just yet. He had no idea if he could do anything either, and he didn't want to waste his time on them if he couldn't, morbid curiosity or no.
Caius considered that before he answered again. “I would say curious but intimidated. It said something about blood and they started to get kind of excited, agitated. It was looking at me just as much as I was looking at it, it seemed to be able to read my mind like a book,” he said, sounding a bit grim about it. It had known all of his weaknesses, the tender buttons to push as if they were tattooed across his forehead. “It knew about the Obscurities before I even woke them up, plain as day.” The more he thought and described it to his father, the more he thought the Thing was right and Mila was fucked. But he had plenty of his own curiosity. “Is that like anything you’ve ever heard of?”
If there was one thing Anthony did not want to deal with, it was a telepathic being. Especially a dark one. And it was a bit startling that it had known about Caius's Obscurities just by looking at him. "I've heard of something similar," Anthony admitted after a moment. "It lives in darkness, where death has occurred, or blood was spilled. The only place I've ever felt that kind of evil in this town is in the woods behind Seaview, near the tunnel. You've lived here long enough to know what's happened there over the years. There's a reason why your mother and I always told you stay away from that place." Anthony knew it was a preferred hang out for teenagers to smoke and get drunk. "I suppose if this girl lives in Seaview, it could be the same entity, though I couldn't begin to tell you what it would want from her besides her blood. Beings like that feed off of suffering, like you said. You were right to leave. If you had tried to cast it out, you probably would have been seriously hurt. I don't know that there's anything I could do beyond trying to bargain with it."
Caius nodded vaguely at the bit about the tunnel. He knew about that place. He’d been close to it once or twice as a teenager, but even then he’d been able to feel how fucked up it was. Reagan too. Their magic made them sensitive, and therefore more in tune with where they needed to be cautious. “From what Reagan told me, this woman has a history with that tunnel,” he murmured. “And suffering. So ...” So it seemed that Mila Moretti would end up a snack for a timeless being whose entire existence revolved around pain. It had certainly picked the right place to settle ... or had it had a hand in making Point Pleasant what it was? Was there even a distinction? How many people had it consumed and destroyed? “Best not to go near it,” he concluded quietly, his eyes settling on his father again. “It was very interested in me, I can’t imagine what it would try to tempt you with.”
Anthony smiled, though the gesture held no warmth. "I fear it would find itself quite bored with me, as I have everything I could ever want, or need." Of course, everyone had their price, but Anthony knew bargains with dark beings were never equal and what he would gain would never come close to what he would probably lose. No, Anthony preferred to be the one offering the deal, rather than accepting one. He eyed Caius though, his interest piqued again. "You said it was interested in you. What was it offering? Did you feel tempted?" Caius was there and still in one piece, both physically and magically as far as Anthony could tell, so Caius had clearly walked away. Still, Anthony couldn't help but wonder what something of that magnitude would try to bribe Caius with in the first place.
Caius couldn’t help but be a bit skeptical at the idea that there was nothing more Anthony wanted. His father had always been an ambitious man, and passed that down to his son. There was always more. More power, more magic, more realms in life to conquer. He did think Anthony was probably too smart to give in to something like that, but who knew. The question should have been one he was expecting, but he found he didn’t have a good lie ready. Caius knew Reagan didn’t want Anthony to know about their new problem, but it all felt so daunting and huge, and he had no idea if he could actually fix it on his own. He needed his father’s help, but he was so ready to put this fucking town behind them for a while at the same time. “I did feel tempted, yes,” he murmured. Caius was also aware that Anthony would probably see his temptation as a sign of how weak being in love made him. How vulnerable. “It was offering an easy way out. Don’t ask me out of what, I’ll have to tell you later. It’s a long story and Reagan’s waiting in the car. We’re going out of town for the week, we need the break.”
Offering an easy way out. Which told Anthony that Caius had another problem because he had already said they got his memories of Reagan back. Which he was still curious about. But he wasn't sure if Caius would stay long enough to explain it to him. He already knew his son had scheduled time off, and while Anthony wasn't pleased about it being in the middle of the holiday season, he wasn't going to protest. He would make sure things ran smoothly until Caius returned. Rather than press Caius at the moment, Anthony studied him instead. "You said you got your memories back. How are you feeling? Are you going to tell me how it happened?"
Caius had no doubt that Anthony disapproved of his timing, but it couldn’t be helped. Especially now, he couldn’t stand to stay in Point Pleasant for much longer. He needed some time away to reset, and they were lucky enough to be able to do it on a beach somewhere warm. He gave a little sigh and looked down into his glass for a moment before meeting Anthony’s eyes again. “It was overwhelming at first, like it all came back in a flood, with no ... sense of timing, I guess. But things are shifting back into place. I feel much better than I did,” he said. “I’m whole again. As for how it happened ... Reagan did it on her own, and it cost her a lot. That’s all I can really say right now. I might be needing your help later, when we get back.”
Admittedly it was surprising to hear Reagan did it on her own, but he filed the bit of information away, wondering if it was worth it to give Veronica a head's up. Caius looked healthy enough, and Anthony couldn't help but feel maybe a smidgen of pride that he and Reagan had figured this all out on their own. Unless they had help elsewhere, but if they had, it didn't seem as though Caius was going to tell him. "Well, I'll be here," Anthony said after a moment. "Are you sure it's wise to take off so soon after retrieving your memories? Is Reagan all right? Will you both be safe?"
Caius wasn’t terribly sure if his father was expressing real concern, or just subtly probing for more information, but he didn’t have the energy to try and figure it out. “Reagan’s all right,” he confirmed, even though that wasn’t strictly true. She was healthy and her mind was her own, that covered the basics. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn’t want him spilling it all to Anthony yet, and he didn’t want her to be worrying about her mother finding out the whole time they were on vacation. “We’ll be perfectly fine. There’s no immediate danger. But yes, believe me, this is what needs to happen. She and I need some time.” Especially after tonight, it was even more prudent to take a break. Caius finished his scotch and stood again to put the glass back on the mini-bar. “I’ll let you know when I’m back in town,” he said as he looked at his father again. Caius paused, then added, “Thanks for your time, I just ... wasn’t sure who else to ask.”
"I'm your father, that's what I'm here for," Anthony reminded him. He wasn't going to get any information out of Caius tonight, but that was okay. It would come in time. It might do Caius well to take a break from this town, especially if he had felt tempted by whatever was possessing that girl in Seaview. "Let me know when you're back in town," he said, moving to stand from his chair. "I'm sure things will run as smooth as possible with you gone. Do you need anything from us? Your mother and me?" Even if he did, Anthony wasn't sure Caius would actually ask for it. But he would always offer, just in case.
Caius almost told him that he’d already made arrangements for most everything, but it seemed unnecessary. He kept Anthony briefed on everything business-related, and anything he didn’t know, his father could find out. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any fires, literal or figurative, to be put out while he was gone. “No, but thank you,” he answered. Nothing came to mind, at least, and if something came up while they were away, he was pretty sure they could handle it. Caius didn’t plan on doing much but relaxing on the beach and enjoying his wife. And trying to make sure she enjoyed herself too, considering the circumstances. Caius had that brief moment of weirdness he often had when he felt like a normal father and son would hug -- did he shake Anthony’s hand? Just walk away? Who knew? -- and ended up giving him a nod. “Talk to you soon,” he said, and turned toward the door.
Anthony let Caius go and realized he wasn't even sure where he and Reagan were going. He could find out if he really needed to, so he didn't bother stopping his son to ask. Anthony would let Miriam know, at least, so she wouldn't worry. After Caius left, Anthony sat back down and turned his chair back toward the windows. His mind drifted to Seaview and what was hovering there, but he decided to leave it be. Not everyone had a happy ending, and with what was coming, Anthony couldn't afford to try and take on too much at once. This town thrived on blood and sacrifice, and it was in Anthony's best interest to let it feed.