Alain laid there for a moment, his chest heaving, every motion causing his broken ribs to scream at him. A few seconds ticked by before he forced himself to sit up, groaning in pain as he did so.

"Sable…?" he called out. "Heather? You two okay?"

"Fuck me…" he heard Heather mutter across the room. "That son of a bitch nearly got me…"

"I'm alright, thanks to you," Sable said as she ran over to him. "Here, let me help you. Lean on me."

As she pulled him to his feet, Alain noticed her struggle as her vampiric strength now waned to that of a normal mortal. Once he was upright, they made their way over to where Heather was lying, the gash in her stomach still leaking blood across the floor. Alain dropped down to one knee, then began to rifle through his pack, pulling out some bandages.

"Here," he said as he started wrapping them around his mother's torso. "It's not much, but it'll hold for now. We need to get you to a doctor."

Sable offered her a hand, pulling Heather to her feet. Heather gave her an appreciative nod, then looked past Alain, staring at Owen's headless body. She let out a soft exhale.

"...I guess that's it, then," she said quietly.

Alain nodded. "Looks like it."

Footsteps from outside the mess hall caught their attention, and their hands fell to their revolvers as Sable tensed. But thankfully, it was just Jasper, and Az; they came bursting through the doorway, ready for a fight, only to freeze at the sight of Owen's headless body a short ways away.

"...God damn," Jasper muttered. "You three actually did it…"

"It would seem so," Alain replied. "Jasper, I'm so sorry-"

Jasper held up a hand, stopping him, even as his lip quivered. Slowly, he shook his head. "...I'm just glad I got to see her again before all of this. Means more than you might think."

Alain blinked, then silently nodded. Slowly, he looked over to Az. "And you? Everything alright?"

"I've been better," Az confessed. "My arm is fine, at least… though I wish I could have been here to help you all."

"Don't feel bad," Sable told him. "Owen's dead, at least."

"Should we burn the body?" Jasper asked. "Just to be sure."

"I imagine Lawrence and Stone will want to confirm he's dead first," Alain said. His eyes suddenly widened. "Shit, I forgot about the people outside! Come on, we need to check on them!"

Alain took one step forwards, only to nearly collapse; Sable caught him before he could fall, keeping him from face-planting on to the blood-soaked ground. Alain stood there for a moment, gasping for breath. Sable met his gaze, then shook her head.

"You've done enough," she urged. "You and Heather stay here and rest. We'll go check it out."

"I can't just-"

"Stop. I command you, Alain – stay here, let yourself get some rest. You need it." Sable's Eyes glowed dully as they bored down to the man's very soul.

Alain hesitated, but ultimately gave in. He let out a long sigh as he gently lowered himself to the ground next to Heather.

Alain looked back to Sable and gave her a nod. "You three hurry back."

"We will," was all she had to say.

Then the three of them turned and left, leaving Alain and Heather alone with Owen's corpse.

And despite knowing Owen was dead, Alain didn't dare tear his eyes away from his body.

XXX

It was just a short time later that Alain heard more footsteps from down the hall. From his position leaned against a nearby wall, he sat up straight, taking a drag from a cigarette as he did so. Az, Sable, and Jasper entered the room, though this time, they were flanked by Stone and Lawrence as well. Lawrence, for his part, took one look at Owen's body before bounding over to it, as if to confirm for himself that what he was seeing was actually true. After a moment of examining it, he looked up, then gave Alain a slow nod. If the vampire was impressed, he hid it well.

"Well done," was all he had to say.

Stone, meanwhile, stepped forwards, his eyes widening as he took in the room around him.

"Sweet merciful Christ…" he muttered. "It's like an abattoir in here… what was he planning? Does anyone know?"

"I can take a guess," Lawrence said, turning his attention towards the sigil drawn in blood on the floor. "This symbol serves as a door to the Underworld. Either he was trying to open it in order to get through himself, or more likely, he was trying to let something out. I have no idea what he could have been trying to free, but suffice to say, it can't have been anything good." He turned towards Alain. "You stopped him just in time."

"Believe me, I know," Alain replied. "He intended to use me as the final piece needed to complete the ritual – something about needing a righteous and worthy sacrifice, or whatever. Apparently, I was the only one who qualified for whatever the hell that meant."

"Well, whatever the case may be, it's done now," Stone interrupted. "At least, I hope it is."

Lawrence stood up, dusting himself off as he did so. "It would certainly seem that way, Colonel," he said.

"How are the others?" Alain asked.

Stone shook his head. "I'm still counting my losses. I don't know exactly how many of my men were cut down by those things, but safe to say, it's not a negligible amount. I'm guessing I lost at least half of my fighting force."

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"I would estimate the same for the forces the Tribunal sent," Lawrence admitted.

Alain felt a pang of sorrow pass through him at that information. He took another long drag from his cigarette, then exhaled. "...I'm sorry," he offered. "They were all good men and women. They didn't deserve to die because of Owen."

"Hell, I'm just glad he was stopped," Stone told him.

A heavy silence fell over the room for a moment before Sable cleared her throat.

"So, what happens now?" she asked. "This is generally the part where you try to cover things up, right?"

Stone shook his head. "Normally, yes, but there's not going to be any covering this up. This was the largest incursion in the last couple hundred years. In the past, we could have maybe kept it relatively quiet, but with how fast news can travel these days? There's not a chance of us keeping this incognito. The whole world is going to know about it within the week."

"And that doesn't worry you?" Heather asked, surprised. "The Veil would have been lifted."

"I know," Stone told her. "But, truth be told… I think it was on its way to disappearing already. All this did was hasten it, really."

Alain let out a breath. "...There's going to be mass panic around the world. You know that, right?"

"I am aware," Stone answered. "But the people will adjust in due time. They're just going to have to get used to the new reality around them." He looked over to Lawrence, and then to Jasper, his expression softening when his gaze landed on the latter. "Of course, it helps that a few of them were here, fighting to defend the city and its people as well. I'll admit I'm no fan of their kind… but, if nothing else, I can recognize when I should be thanking someone for their efforts. If it weren't for you both and the sacrifices your people made, Owen would have succeeded. And for that, you have my gratitude."

Lawrence blinked, taken aback by Stone's words. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "...I could say the same to you, Colonel. Without your men assisting, not to neglect their iron will, this would have ended in disaster." His gaze shifted over to Jasper, Heather, and Alain. "To say nothing of the other humans who more than pulled their weight today. How are you all feeling, by the way?"

"We'll live," Alain grunted. He finished what was left of his cigarette, then flicked the stub away and struggled to his feet, stumbling and nearly falling over as he did so; Sable rushed over to support him, and he gave her a grateful look before turning back to Lawrence. "How's it looking out there? Are the Darklings still around?"

Lawrence shook his head. "They dissipated when the sun rose. Just in time, too – we were all on the verge of being overwhelmed."

Alain breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Good." He turned to Stone. "So, if you don't mind me asking… what happens now?"

"As far as you all are concerned? Nothing," Stone said. "If you're smart, you'll get out of town and find somewhere you can all lay low for a while. There's going to be a lot of cleanup to do, not to mention what comes after in terms of revealing the truth to the rest of the world, and I doubt you all want to be part of any of that right now. So, that's my advice – take some time for yourselves, get your bearings, think about what you're going to do next."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, consider what just happened. You're all experts at fighting the paranormal at this point. That kind of experience is going to be very in-demand once people finally learn the truth. You do the math."

Alain blinked, his eyes widening as Stone's words sank in. Slowly, he nodded. "Makes sense."

"Good. Now then, respectfully, all of you need to get lost. Lawrence and I will handle things here."

"If you're sure-"

Sable put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from speaking. "We'll leave it in your capable hands, Colonel. Come on, Alain – let's get going."

With that, she took him by the hand and began to usher him out of the prison, the others following suit.

XXX

"So, what was that about?" Alain asked as they all stepped outside. The fog had cleared, and the sun was now blazing overhead; for a moment, Alain was worried about Sable's exposure to it, but she merely drew her cloak around herself and raised her hood, which was enough to shield her from the worst of it, thankfully.

"You talk too much," Sable explained. "I could tell you were about to offer to help them. Good intentions and all, but you need a break, so consider this me forcing you to rest up."

Alain's brow furrowed, but he nodded nonetheless. "So, about what Stone said…"

"Thanks, but I'm out," Jasper replied. "No offense to any of you, but I've had enough of this to last a lifetime. Besides… I have to go bury my sister."

Alain nodded in understanding, his expression softening. "Makes sense. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry she's gone. She didn't deserve to die."

Jasper said nothing, instead giving him a small nod. Alain let out a small exhale, then looked towards Heather.

"Mom?" he asked.

She hesitated, then shook her head. "...Sorry, Alain. I know this sounds rough, but I've still got a life of my own I need to keep up with for now. I know we've been apart for a long time, but-"

"Mom," he said, interrupting her. "I get it, okay? Just, for the love of God, whatever you do, please keep in touch with me, even if it's just a letter every once in a while."

She blinked in surprise, but nodded. Alain shared a glance with her before looking over to Sable and Az.

"And what about-"

"Do you even need to ask?" Sable said with a huff. "Of course we're in."

Alain stared at her. "That was fast."

"Oh, save it. We've watched each other's backs a lot these past few weeks. I figure, if I'm going to go into business with anyone, it might as well be someone I can trust. And currently, you're at the top of my list."

"Oddly altruistic of you. Whatever happened to becoming queen of everything?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong – it's in a vampire's nature to establish their own dynasty. I haven't given up on that… but, perhaps, there is a better way to achieve it than simply taking things by force. And until I figure that out, I suppose there's no harm in tagging along with you. Perhaps, in due time, I might even take you on as my dedicated apprentice. But we'll see – being a vampire's apprentice is a difficult path for a human, though I suspect that if anyone could handle it, it's you."

Alain blinked, surprised at Sable's sudden generous streak, but ultimately, he decided to refrain from arguing about it. Instead, he looked to Az, who seemed nonplussed.

"Wherever she goes, I go," Az replied evenly.

"I guess that's it, then," Heather surmised.

"I suppose so," Jasper quietly agreed. "Good luck out there, to all of you."

A round of affirmations went up through the entire group. After a moment, they all started to walk once more, looking for a way out of the city. All around them, bodies littered the streets, the scent of decay already setting in across all of New Orleans.

And yet, somehow, despite them managing to stop Owen, Alain could tell that things had only just begun for them.

Alain tried to walk once more, only to stumble, his ribs crying out to him in agony. A low groan of pain escaped him as he doubled over; Sable and Az were at his side in an instant.

"Alain!" Sable called. "What's wrong?!"

Alain gazed at her, and in that moment, recalled with horror that the sun was out. The hood of her cloak was still up, covering her head, but he could tell that it wouldn't be enough; already, her face was beginning to redden.

And so, with no small amount of effort, Alain reached up, took off his hat, and placed it on her head.

Sable blinked, surprised, before giving a small, irritated huff and looking away, crossing her arms as she did so. "Idiot…" she muttered. "Spare some care for yourself once in a while, would you? You'll get hurt less that way."

Despite the pain, Alain couldn't help but grin.

Footsteps suddenly began to ring out around them, and Az and Sable drew closer to him, all while Alain's hand again drifted to one of the revolvers on his belt. To his relief, however, it was only a small group of Colonel Stone's men.

"Smith," one of them said. "The Colonel sent us to check up on you all. Are you wounded?"

"I'll live…" Alain managed to gasp out.

Again, Sable rolled her eyes. "He's wounded," she surmised. "Broken ribs would be my guess, not to mention the blood loss from when he let me feed off him. I suppose the adrenaline finally wore off."

The lead soldier nodded. "Hang on, I'll get a wagon for all of you. We'll have a doctor take a look at him while we get you three out of town."

Alain blinked, surprised at the sudden development, but no less grateful for it. He watched as the soldiers doubled back, no doubt to find a doctor and a wagon; Sable, meanwhile, gently helped him down to the ground. Alain, for his part, gave her a grateful nod.

As he sat on the blood-soaked ground, Alain glanced over at Sable and Az. And despite the grisly scene around them all, he couldn't help but feel reassured with them at his side.

Whatever the future had in store for them, uncertain as it all was, he knew that with the three of them together, everything would be just fine.