Scarlett blushed. "Many times, Sweetie." She teased. "But I think your more handsome. I definitely want our little 'Surprise' to look like you." She said, sticking out her tongue at him before kissing him gently on the neck. She put her hand on her stomach again, just enjoying feeling the slight movements that continuously happened. The blonde laid her head on Gideons chest, listening to his heart beat again. "Talk to the baby." She whispered, looking up at him. It seemed whenever Gideon said something to her the child calmed down and stopped moving.

Andrew shook his head. "I'm not mad.." He said, standing up. "Just I wish you would've told me before.." He said, throwing on his black shirt over his chisled chest. He had been swimming earlier to have therapy for his leg. He picked up his makeshift crutches and made his way over to her. "Okay, then lets go." He said, seeing the strange look in her eyes but not questioning it. As long as she knew a way out, he could care less what troubled looks she gave.

"I don't know," Gideon chuckled, "I don't want to have to beat girls off of him. It's much easier on the conscience to beat off the boys." His brown eyes lingered on Scarlett's hand as she rested it over her stomach again. He saw her lips move, and with the slightest of smiles, he nodded.
"You, little one, are going to love your mother." He placed his hand over Scarlett's. "If you're anything like me, you'll think of her as your angel." There was a slight pause. "Don't turn out like us. You can do better than we have." His expression flickered through a few things before he let his gaze move to Scarlett again. "There will never be a day that passes by without us loving you." Never. Gideon slowly moved to press a kiss to Scarlett's forehead. "We will always be here for you."
-

Alice smiled slightly, wishing she could mention her fears. Once they were out, they couldn't get back in. If Scarlett and Gideon didn't know how to escape, then . . . they would be left here alone. But Alice couldn't tell the others of the exit. If she did, then everything would have been for nothing. Her father wanted Scarlett here, as he wanted Gideon to stay as well. He wasn't going to be happy with Alice for leaving, but it wasn't as important as the others.
Standing, the young woman waited for Andrew before slipping her hand into his. Leading him forward, Alice smiled a bit. "It will be nice to get out of here," she said, relief heavy in her voice. "This has been . . . dangerous." Looking down at the male's leg, she frowned. Hopefully things wouldn't get bad for Scarlett and Gideon once they had gone. . . .

Alice lead Andrew toward the basement. Once they were down there, she moved around the place as though searching for something. Once she found it, the golden-eyed female pulled the lever. It allowed the brick wall slide open, showing a passage that obviously led away from the house.
"We should go first. If it's safe, we can tell the others." Lie. It felt wrong, but Alice knew that they wouldn't escape with Scarlett and Gideon. This was their only chance. Taking up the flashlight that had been dropped near the basement stairs, Alice cleared her throat. "Let's go."

Scarlett had closed her eyes to listen to Gideon speak. She smiled as the baby calmed down while Gideon spoke. "He likes your voice." She said, opening her eyes and blushing a little. "I'm far from an angel, Gideon." She said, kissing him gently. "But we will love you for as long as we live." She said softly, feeling a slight movement. She then looked back up at Gideon. She glanced over at the clock, seeing that it was about six pm. The blonde looked back at Gideon questioningly. "Where's Alice and Andrew? I thought they were going to make dinner and then come back up so we could all watch a movie or something.." The blonde said, looking towards the door.

She slowly got up from the chair that she and Gideon had been resting in. It was a rather comfy chair that they had placed in the corner of the room near the bed so that they could watch tv, or just rest. Now that Scarlett was pretty far along, she didn't go around the house that much. The blonde looked in the mirror, looking at her stomach in the blue dress she was in. "I don't know why you call me an angel. I look so repulsive." She said, putting her hands on her stomach. "And its all for you.." She said, looking down at her stomach with a teasing glare.

Andrew slowly made his way around the house and down the stairs to the basement. It was hard to get around with crutches. "I don't see why we can't just all go together.." He said, but shrugged and walked into the tunnel with her. He bit his lip. "Alice, I don't know if we should go without telling the others first. Scar's expecting us to make dinner and she could really use protein and all that junk for the baby.." He said, the blonde was obviously nervous.

He stared into the darkness until she flashed a ray of light from the flashlight. This calmed a little bit of his nerves.

"Don't blame him!" Gideon mock glared at the woman, following her to the mirror. "I see nothing but beauty in you, Scar. You are anything but repulsive, loveling." He straightened one of her sleeves, chuckling before wrapping his arms about her. Gently kissing her temple, he finally let her go so he could stretch. "I'm sure the others just got distracted. They're rather good at that, if you haven't noticed."
He shook his head and smiled a bit. Alice and Andrew had grown quite close. It was surprising that they didn't have two pregnant women around the house. "Should we head to the kitchen? Maybe they burnt dinner." His smile grew. "They might need our help."
-

As they entered the tunnel, Alice kept her gaze straight ahead. "I know you're a bit anxious," she said, sounding a bit irritable, "but if my father is watching the exits, we don't want a pregnant woman getting hurt." Alice heard the tone of Andrew's voice, and it almost made her more frustrated. She didn't want to think about abandoning the others, but she was desperate to get out of the house before things started circling the drain again. The spirits really didn't like Scarlett's child . . . and it was only a limited amount of time before they did something about it. Alice didn't want to be anywhere near the place when the world started to come crashing down again.

The beam of light ahead of them showed a smooth tunnel that was man-made. As they continued, it got more damp and chilled. Alice wasn't sure what to expect. What if her father had people watching the exits closely? What would happen if they didn't let them out, or decided to kill them?
Her hand was shaking slightly, and the light bobbed a bit. Trying to steady it out, Alice cleared her throat. "I'm sure they'll be more than happy to hear we found a safe way out," she said, keeping the tremor out of her voice, "and Gideon will make sure Scar's fed. He's good at that."

By the time they reached the end of the tunnel, there was a rather heavy looking metal door. It was latched shut, and it took a lot of maneuvering to get the thing open. Alice had told Andrew to stay back - he didn't need to hurt his leg again. Finally, the thing gave . . . and the large door creaked open.
Alice's gold eyes widened as she saw freedom. It was just outside the estate: the back side of the fence farthest from the front driveway. Waiting for Andrew to come out with her, Alice glanced to the heavy door. It only unlocked from the inside. As she watched it, the door slowly swung in again. The thud of resounding echoes made her flinch. They were officially stuck on the outside of the estate now with Scarlett and Gideon on the inside.

Scarlett smirked. "Sure. Lets head down." She said, taking Gideon's hand and but then looked towards the window when she heard yelling outside. "Andrew?" She thought, heading over to the window. In the distance, just by the gate out front, Scarlett saw her brother and Alice. On the other side. On the free side. "Andrew!" Scarlett cried, looking back at Gideon. "How'd he get out? And why didn't he take us with him!?" She asked, tears coming to her emerald eyes.

When the door slammed behind them the male instantly tried to open it again. "SCARLETT!" He yelled as loud as his lungs would let him. He glared back at Alice. "YOU KNEW THIS WOULD HAPPEN!" The male yelled, trying to bust in the door despite his broken leg. The blonde had tears in his eyes as he realized he had left his sister behind. "I'm going to the police." He spat, starting towards the road on his crutches. "One way or another I'm getting my sister out of there!" He growled.

Gideon didn't hear anything - which wasn't unusual. He was alarmed when Scarlett lunged for the window, and he caught her arm as though he thought she might leap through it. Instead, she said something about Andrew. Gideon didn't catch it all, but instead he moved to look at what the blonde was talking about.

Andrew was outside. Brown eyes filling with confusion, Gideon tossed dark hair from his face. "Alice is with him." He glanced to Scarlett and gently reached out to touch her shoulder "Maybe they will come back to us." When he looked out again, he saw that his words were useless. Andrew looked absolutely pissed.

Unsure of what to do, Gideon suddenly froze. There. Did Scarlett hear it, too? Judging by the tears in her eyes, she didn't notice anything other than Andrew.

This way.

Gideon slowly looked in the direction he'd heard the voice. It was a boy's whisper . . . and he saw the flicker of the youth that had been following them. His name started with an L . . . Laiden? Landon? Something like that. They hadn't really been properly introduced. Still, he was one of the few spirits that didn't seem interested in harming them. The tall teen looked worried - and that was enough to bother Gideon.

"Scar," he gently tugged her arm, staring at the ghost.

The boy impatiently motioned to them, stepping into the hall. "We must go. Now." His voice was full of urgency. "Troy wants the child. He doesn't want her running away."
-

As she heard the anger in Andrew's voice, Alice flinched. "Yes!" she cried back, watching as the blond tried to break the door. "Stop it! You're going to hurt yourself even more!" She reached for his arm, pulling him as far back as she dared without unsettling him. "My father will never let her out! I couldn't just sit there and wait any longer!"

Her golden eyes were full of angry tears. "He will stop at nothing to have that child. I don't want to be the next one to bear one of those . . . those things!" It seemed that Alice had a bit more information than she was letting on. . . .

Stricken with grief, Scarlett wept for her brother. She paid no mind to the sound behind them until Gideon turned her around and showed her a tall youth staring at them. He was a ghost, of course. "How are we going to leave? Andrew and Alice are gone and didn't tell us where they left from!" The blonde cried, anxiously putting a hand on her stomach. "Yeah well Troy's never getting my baby. So let's go." She said, biting her lip and taking Gideon's hand. She silently followed after the ghost.

Andrew felt her pull him back and he pulled her arms off of him. "That 'thing' is my nephew or niece!" He glared, knowing she knew much more than anyone else in this home. "Tell me everything you know Alice or I will find someway to get back in there. Even if I have to climb the fence!" He growled, stepping closer to her. His crutches weren't working well since they were in the grass just outside the fence.

Gideon heard nothing natural, but . . . Laidon's voice was a beacon.

Here.

Brown eyes locked on the ghostly figure ahead of him. Gideon gave Scarlett's hand a squeeze, glancing back at her every so often to make sure she wasn't talking to him. That, and he was worried for her. She was rather pregnant, and with all this happening . . . it just couldn't be good.

"Where are we going?"

The ghost didn't bother looking back. "To the garden." He didn't elaborate. The black-haired youth seemed more solid than ever at that moment. It was many moments later when his voice filled their minds once more, giving the impression of being heard verbally. "It is the one place that even Troy will not defile."

Gideon was skeptical, but he didn't say as much. Instead, he walked with Scarlett until they reached the garden. It was still tended to nicely, which surprised him. Who on earth had done the trimming and plant care? His question was answered when Landon's fingers reached out to brush the nearest of the leaves.

"This is sanctuary."

From Troy. But . . . not anything else. Gideon was about to mention as much when the clicking of claws distracted him. The sound of something skittering over stone didn't reach his deaf ears, but the sight of a hunched, pale child-sized creature loping toward them made him frown. He had Scarlett pulled behind him and his gun in hand within seconds. Child or not, Gideon looked ready to shoot. And he did.

The sound echoed and rebounded off the house, but he didn't so much as flinch. Gideon's aim had been steady, striking the child-like beast right in the head. There was, strangely, no blood. "This is no sanctuary."

"From Troy, it is." With a frown, the spirit moved toward the child. It had been a little girl at one point. Troy had twisted it beyond life, though. "From everything else . . . it isn't." Landon narrowed blue eyes and watched Gideon for a few moments before wrinkling his nose. Something about the look in Gideon's eyes when he fired struck him as odd; it was far too pleased.
-

Alice didn't step back when Andrew advanced. Instead, her gold eyes filled with something akin to disgust. "That thing will not be human. She can't raise it!" Her features were tight with fear and anger. "Don't you start making demands! I will not be treated like some child being forced to admit to wrongdoing!"

The female scoffed, shaking her head. "You couldn't climb that fence if your life depended on it, Andrew!" Then, to make sure he hadn't seen it as a challenge, the dark-haired woman tossed her hands into the air. "My father sought out the people he knew would fit well with Troy. People who would disappear and no one would really notice." She bit her lip, and then glared back at the house. "He wanted me to provoke Troy into doing something. It wasn't all too hard when Gideon and Scarlett were about to have their honeymoon anyway."

Alice looked ready to blow with frustration. "This was planned. It was supposed to happen. My father wants the child so he can experiment on it." Her blunt words sounded like a fiction novel. "The child will have abilities from both the living and the dead." Her gold eyes filled with disgust once more. "And my father wants to harness that."

The sound of a gunshot made her jump. Alice took another step back, keeping herself away from her "friend." The spirits were being more aggressive now, but . . . Alice had done this before. She'd been here before. The only reason she wasn't bearing the child was because she was part of the family line. The Black family had long ago been cousins to Troy's bloodline. Hence why they'd brought Scarlett.

Scarlett slowly made her way to the garden with the help of Gideon and sat down on the edge of a once beautiful fountain. Se leaned back to relax when suddenly a distorted child started to come towards them. She was about to tell Gideon not to shoot when she heard the gun shot. The woman burst into tears and covered her eyes with her slender hands. "Sanctuary!?"She cried, putting one hand over her stomach and letting the other sit on the fountain.

She quickly stood up and looked at Gideon. "If I go into labor here I want you to shoot me, Okay?"She asked, frowning. "I don't want our child born here.. or else it will be taken.." She said, more tears coming to her eyes.

"I can't kill you." Gideon looked horrified, and when he finally holstered his gun again he looked ready to lose what little food he'd had that morning. He knelt, taking one of her hands from her face as Scarlett reached up to wipe away her tears. "I can't kill you and the child. Not one. Not both." His brown eyes filled with fear. This fear wasn't that they were in danger . . . but that he would be the one to kill both the baby and this girl.

"She is right."

Gideon closed his fingers about one of Scarlett's hand. "I promise I will do whatever I can." But I can't kill you.

Scarlett frowned and hugged Gideon close to her. "But you have to Gideon. If you don't then we will be killed a much more horrible way.." She said, sighing. "But fine.." She whispered, giving him a small kiss. She sat back down at the fountain edge. She then looked at Laiden. "Is there a garden shed or some place we can call home for a few days until we figure out how to get out of here?" She asked, biting her bottom lip.

Andrew glared. "You don't need to be treated like a child because you are a child!" He yelled, grabbing her shoulders. "No mature adult would leave a pregnant woman and an innocent man to die just to save their own ass!" He said, releasing her. "So heaven forbid I talk to you the way your Father should have." He spat, straightening his crutches and starting down the road. He would walk miles if he had to just to find a vehicle and come back.

Flashes of the possibility of death flew through his mind. Gideon had seen death. He'd seen more than just dying . . . but more torturous ways of it happening. He shuddered as chaotic scenes flickered through his head. No. Not them. His brown eyes caught on Scarlett's lips as she spoke again, and Gideon met her lips with his gently.

"This way." Laiden nodded once, his ghostly features full of some unnamed emotion. The spirit drifted a bit, and then stepped toward the ivy-coated wall a few feet away from the fountain. He parted the vines, revealing that the "wall" was indeed a shed. "Troy will not enter the gardens."

But anything else could. Gideon set a protective and on Scarlett's shoulder as he reached for the door. For some reason, ever since he'd gotten near the fountain, he wasn't feeling the greatest. Brown eyes flickered over the dark interior of the shed, and then back to Scarlett. Just as he was about to lead her inside, a surge of sickness fought its way through his core.

Laiden stared at Gideon for a few moments before his frown finally appeared. "He is tainted." Troy had used him once. There must have been a piece of him left behind. "He cannot enter."
-

Alice looked shaken when Andrew pulled away. "If we'd stayed, we'd all have died." Her voice was weak and unsteady as she stumbled after the blond numbly. "I . . . I won't allow you to go back just to die, Andrew." That meant there was another way in. Or, so she implied.

Her golden eyes were moist with tears as Alice swallowed thickly and continued on beside the male. It was a few moments later when she was finally able to look into his face. "I am not a child." Her voice, though, was shaky enough to make it sound as though she was lying. Perhaps to herself.

Scarlett looked over at Laiden with shocked eyes. "I can't go in without him." She said, taking Gideon's hand. "I can't leave him alone. Especially not out here in the cold.." She said, frowning. "Is there anyway you can un-taint him?" She asked, tears coming to her emerald eyes once again. Suddenly a familiar figure appeared that looked so much like Scarlett. She blinked multiple times when the figure said hello. "Hello, Heaven Leigh." She said, giving a nod. The figure went on to say that if Gideon swam in the fountain it would purify him. The fountain was filled with holy water, thus why only some creatures could go near it.

Heaven Leigh suddenly appeared, smiling at Gideon and Scarlett. "Hello you two." She said, giving a nod of the head. "There is one way to purify him. He needs to go swimming in the fountain." She said, looking over at it. "It's water is holy water. When Troy and I were alive I had a priest come and pray over the water to make it holy. Thus why Troy cannot enter." She said, looking to Gideon.

Andrew continued to walk. "I'm getting back in there somehow Alice, whether you like it or not." He growled, hobbling down the road. "So you might as well tell me if theres a way back in or not." He said, looking back at her.

Gideon stared at the newest figure for a few moments. She was . . . familiar. It wasn't until after he recalled what Laiden said that he realized it must have been the small piece of Troy who was recognizing Heaven.

Laiden looked at their visitor with recognition - and he bowed at the waist slightly. It was clear that the boy had served Heaven Leigh first and foremost.

Brown eyes slowly strayed to the fountain. He'd felt rather sick while standing near it. But if it would help, Gideon thought it was worth the risk. He looked at Scarlett, and then to the others. Gideon left no room for doubt in his mind. He would believe because this had to work.

Without another word, Gideon stepped away from Scarlett. He stripped off his coat and shirt, leaning against the fountain to rid himself of his shoes. A pile of his belongings soon rested on the ground beside the fountain. It wasn't long before the black-haired male was looking into the clear water, hesitating as he sat on the stoney rim.

Laiden, as though sensing trouble, stepped closer to Heaven protectively. The boy's expression didn't change (it seemed that it never did) as he watched Gideon.

Just do it. His breath came short as the sickness seemed to strengthen. It felt like Troy knew what was happening. Gideon wasn't about to let himself be stopped. His gaze locked on Scarlett's, and then he swung his legs over to the inside of the rim. The reaction was swift. It burned. Like hell.

Gideon grit his teeth, tensing and fighting the urge to pull himself back out. With a surge of stubbornness, he pushed himself away from the edge of the fountain. Now, he needed to submerge. The pain was enough to make him cringe, and as Gideon fell to his knees he could have sworn he saw something dark tainting the water. Blood . . .?

He didn't give it any more thought. Gideon ducked under the water's surface, trying not to let all of his breath escape the moment he lost track of the real world. It was . . . strange. Under the water, Gideon could see Troy. The man writhed, and pulled away from Gideon as quickly as he could. As he did, the pain left Gideon. This separation hurt more than any wound could have. There was a moment during which Gideon wished he would just die. Then, it was over.

Laiden stepped forward, looking ready to finish everything should Gideon emerge from the fountain still tainted. After a few moments of stillness, the boy seemed to solidify . . . and reach in to grasp Gideon's arm. "He will be fine." Laiden helped Gideon out of the fountain, watching as Gideon coughed up some of the water. He looked half drowned, but . . . better.
-

Alice frowned, looking after Andrew as he continued on. "You really don't get it, do you?" Her question was accusing, but . . . soft. "Troy has gotten Scarlett pregnant. The child will have to die. Scarlett will have to die once the child is born. Gideon will be killed, or used again." Her gold eyes filled with fear. "You will be just like them. I don't want to lose you, too." She bit her lip, and then looked frustrated. "I saved you. Why would you throw that away?"

Still, the black-haired girl stopped walking. "You . . . really would go back, wouldn't you?"

Heaven frowned as he went through the ungodly pain, but it meant it was working. She took Laiden's hand and patted it gently. "It'll be fine. I'll be fine." She said, releasing his hand. When Troy had started to go..insane.. Heaven had spent most of her time with Laiden while Troy had been in his secret room in the basement, working on some sort of experiment. So she and Laiden had grown rather close. That was part of the reason Troy had killed him. He had somehow found out that she had kissed Laiden and well.. Laiden was the first person he sicked his 'experiment' on. To this day Heaven still didn't know what had killed her at the party. And in all truth, she didn't know if she really wanted to know.

Scarlett frowned as Gideon writhed in pain in the water. When Laiden pulled him out she instantly clung to him despite him being soaked. "I'm so glad your okay!" She said, holding him close. But just as it seemed all was okay, a shadow figure lunged from the water and darted towards the house. It began to storm. She looked at Laiden. "Can we get in the shed now?"She asked, hoping Gideon wouldn't get sick from the cold wind. She eyed Laiden and Heaven when their hands were linked. She suddenly guessed how Laiden died and frowned.

Andrew turned around for a moment as she caught up to him. "Yes. That's my little sister. I'm all she's got. I don't care if they killed me in the most painful way possible, I would always go back for her." He said, his eyes weak. "I would've gone back if it had been you." He said, turning away from her. "Since your an only child, I know you had no idea how attached you can get to a sibling.. but you feel the need to protect them no matter how they treat you. No matter who you have to fight, they're your family. And when it comes down to it bloods thicker than water. Family is more important than any friend you'll ever make.." He said, sighing.