WARNING! Unless you've read the 12th and final book of Cirque Du Freak, DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER! IT CONTAINS GINORMOUS SPOILERS!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

After the awesome reviews I was getting, I knew I couldn't just leave the story where it was! Plus I've wanted to write this part for a while, so here it is!

Oh and I changed whenever a few of the words Darren said. I OWN NOTHING! Also, I'm sorry if the characters are at all OOC.

-Mr. Crepsley's POV-

There is a lake in Paradise. It is similar to the Lake of Souls, but with less misery. It is called the Lake of the Living. It allows you to watch over someone you love down on Earth, instead of holding unrested souls. Everyone sees someone different. For me, it was my son, Darren. Today however, I was not the only one.

I stood next to Arra, Paris, Mr. Tall, Gavner, Shancus and all the other vampires who had been sent to Paradise and I could not have been more nervous than I already was. I stood there watching the battle take place between the Cirque Du Freak, the vampirites and a few vampires (all lead by Darren) and the vampaneze and vampets (lead by the Vampaneze Lord, Steve.)

Darren had fired off the gun that triggered the Cirque and vampirites to attack. This surprised Steve, since he had assumed they were weak. I chuckled.

The battle raged on and although at times it grew painful to watch, I could not tear my eyes away (especially when Cormac Limbs' head was cut off. I will admit I did not see that coming.) Eventually, Steve and Gannen bolted out of the stadium when they could see they were losing. Darren and Vancha agreed it was "to the death." How I wish I could have been there with them. I looked at my feet.

I then felt a hand on my shoulder. "Larten, look." I heard Arra say. I forced my eyes to look at the lake and what I saw made me smile.

My son was wearing my cape into battle.

Steve and Gannen stopped at a bridge, agreeing they would fight there. Darren and Vancha met there and the battle began after a few words spoken between them.

I still have no idea why my eyes stayed glued to the battle the entire time. Everyone at one point turned away for a few minutes except for me. Tears threatened to enter my eyes every minute. At one point, while Darren and Steve fought like wild dogs, Vancha had finally managed to catch Gannen. I couldn't help but feel sorrow for both of them.

"Must be tough Gannen…" Vancha began, "Trapped between your beliefs and your duty. Allow me to free you from your suffering!" With that said Vancha moved in for the kill… but stopped. It was not hard to figure out why.

But that didn't stop Gannen from stabbing him.

"VANCHA!" My friends and I said in unison with Darren as Vancha fell to the ground. Steve took that moment to plunge a knife through Darren's arm. I screamed.

My eyes were still stuck on the lake but now they were filled with the tears I tried to keep inside. Luckily, Steve decided to wait to go for the kill till after Vancha died. I know there was not much luck in that, but it did grant time; something Darren immensely needed.

Gannen egged Steve on to kill Darren, but of course, being the person Steve is, he ordered Gannen to keep his patience. Gannen exchanged a few words with his brother… before he was killed himself by… R.V!

"Not gonna let you do it man! You're evil!" he shouted to Gannen who slowly was now slowly dying next to his brother. It was only a matter of time before Steve killed R.V, leaving only him and my son (who had thankfully gotten up) standing.

Now was the moment of truth. We were all on our toes, watching the battle in front of us.

"Don't worry, Mr. Crepsley. Godfather's gonna win." Shancus said with the utmost confidence in Darren.

I smiled at the boy, for once looking away from the lake, practically seeing Darren's face instead of his. "I know."

"I had a feeling it would come down to just the two of us in the end." Steve said as the two stared daggers at each other. "In fact, I think I always knew it would wind up this way. It's only natural… you and I are two sides of the same coin. We have always been bound- by friendship as children and by hatred after that."

"Our eighteen year score is settled here!" Darren agreed.

"Yes, the time is at hand." The two charged at each other. They began to flit around so much I began to get a headache as I tried to keep up. At one point, they even fell off of the bridge, only to flit right back on!

The two eventually stopped to catch their breath. "Have I ever told you how much I hate you?" Steve asked. My hands turned into fists.

"Remember the night I did this to my hand?" he revealed a scar in the shape of a cross on his left hand. When had he done that? "That night, I promised vengeance. I swore I'd kill you and Creepy Crepsley."

My fists disappeared as Darren's formed. What was he talking about? The last time I saw him when I was alive; he had acted like he meant us no harm. Unless…

That first night in the graveyard came back to me. I had thought I heard noises when Darren went walking around, but I had dismissed it as my imagination. Was that when he had made the scar? I didn't have much time to wonder though, because soon enough the battle began again.

I kept watching, hoping with all my heart that my son would win. However, that luck seemed to run out when Steve had pinned Darren down after giving him a few bad scars. He started listing things that he planned to do to Darren. I grew angrier and even more scared by the minute. It was very hard but I managed to hear him whisper "I wish you were here Dad."

"Come on Darren." I whispered. I put my hand over my heart. "I am with you, remember? I am in your heart."

Darren seemed to realize the same thing as he ended up giving Steve a literal punch in the heart. Blood poured out from his wound.

My son had won.

We all began to cheer, but that didn't last long. We could hear someone slowly clapping and we all turned back to the lake. I had a bad feeling in my gut.

Desmond Tiny!

He was looking as pleased as could be, which was about as surprising as looking at the sky and noticing it was blue. "What passion! What valor!" he said to Darren. "What a never-say-die spirit! It could have gone either way, but if I were a betting man, I'd have bet big on you." Darren had the same look on his face he always had when he was talking with Mr. Tiny; anger.

"I said as much before-hand didn't I, Evanna?"

The look of pain was all over Evanna's face. "Yes, father."

"Come, Darren. Finish Steve off! We must have your wounds seen to. Much will come in time, my boy! The vampaneze will fall, and so shall humans. This world will be yours, Darren. Rather ours! Your hand at the tiller, my voice in your ear. Together we'll build a world of chaos and twisted beauty!"

I almost laughed. I knew my son well. He would NEVER join Mr. Tiny. However, my friends had looks of fear on their faces. I was about to tell them not to worry, until Darren spoke.

"What makes you think… I'd have anything to do with a monster like you?" Darren steamed.

"You will accept me, Darren. You were born to. Blood is thicker than water my boy."

I still stayed quiet, not sure where he was going with this.

"Like sides with like. Son sides with father."

I gasped. Was he saying…

"Come and give your father a hug, Darren- my son!"

Darren's eyes were the size of dinner plates. "I'm… your… SON?"

Most fathers would shout out that he was wrong, but since Darren was not my biological son, I stood in shock. I managed to move my eyes to look at my friends. Some looked at me, others stared at the lake, all were in shock. I looked at Evanna back in the lake, but she looked just as surprised as the rest of us.

"That's right. Bask in your father's love Darren."

Darren was Des Tiny's son? That couldn't be true! He had a biological father! Dermot Shan!

Darren practically read my mind. "You're insane! I have a biological father! Dermot Shan! I even have an adoptive father, Larten Crepsley! You're neither of them!" Darren clutched his stomach where one of his wounds was. My pride was overshadowed by fear.

Mr. Tiny frowned. "I am not a liar..." His wicked smile quickly came back. "Now finish off Steve for good. You are the Lord of the Shadows."

WHAT?! Darren was what?! Once again, I did not have much time to ponder over the subject.

"What does this mean?" Evanna growled. "You are his father? Have you twisted the strands of fate to achieve this end?!"

"You must be pleased dear daughter. Yes, you have a new brother." Evanna did not look pleased at all. She looked more like she wanted to rip his head off.

I lost track of everything Mr. Tiny was explaining. I was too infuriated to do so. My son's fate was tampered with by that MONSTER?! I looked at my friends once again. Most looked angry, but Arra had her eyes on me. She sympathetically put her hand on my shoulder. I resisted my urge to attack something and focused back on the lake… just in time to figure out that Steve was Darren's brother and also Mr. Tiny's son!

Evanna, who turned into a massive wolf, almost attacked her father, but with that dastardly heart-watch, he unwillingly (as he said) put her through too much pain to do so. To be honest, I would have tried to attack him as well.

"It is forbidden father… this is unjust. The universe will punish you for your unjust meddling! You have ruined their lives!"

"Ruined?! With my help, Darren became a prince of vampires and Steve a lord of vampaneze! Who was whispering into Darren's ear to grab that ticket on that fateful day eighteen years ago?" Mr. Tiny continued to rattle of the things that he had done; making Steve hateful, making ME blood Darren, urging Gannen to let Steve try the coffin of fire. It was all him!

"It's not true! It's not true! It's not true!" Darren screamed, looking about ready to burst.

"Oh but it is!"

"Shut up! It's bull, all of it! You're not my father! You're a monster!" I wanted so badly for what Darren said to be true, but in my heart, I knew it was not.

"That's right!" Mr. Tiny agreed. "And so are you!"

"NO!" I heard someone scream in intense anger and deep denial. I looked at all of my friends and by who they were looking at, I knew then the scream had come from my own mouth.

"You've done enough… you've fought and suffered your share." Des said to Darren. "Now accept your destiny. You are the Lord of the Shadows… Give in. Don't resist. Monsters have all the fun, my boy."

Tears of intense anger were streaming down my face and Darren's. I knew in my heart that he was thinking the same thing. Everything he had done was not for his friends and loved ones, but for the sake of Mr. Tiny?!

My thoughts were interrupted once again. "F- Fa… Father… Help… me. I never… had a… dad… I… want… to know… you… I'll… serve… you… and… love… you…" Steve managed to get out.

"What on Earth would I want with love!? Servitude, gratitude, hatred, anger- these I like. You can take your love to the Lake of Souls when you die!"

"But… I'm… your… son…" I could see the pain in Steve's eyes.

"You were. Now you're just a loser. This is a winner's world. Darren's my only son now. I'll toss your carcass to my little people to eat!"

I felt something at that moment that I had never felt before; sorrow for Steve. Yes he had been an evil twisted person, but his own "father" was now saying he did not care about him! I now understood his pain. I had a father when I was young and I had Seba, who had been like a father to me. Darren had Dermot Shan and I, but Steve had never had anyone.

Des began to celebrate at his own son's pain. Darren, on the other hand, had the same look Steve had on his face.

"Why… did it all… have to turn out… this way? We've… both… been victims… pawns of Des Tiny…" Steve said to Darren. I let more tears fall, but they were of sadness.

Darren suddenly got a wicked look on his face. "Why did it turn out this way? Why the late regrets?" he began.

"D... Darren…"

"You were right Steve… I did plot with Da- Mr. Crepsley to take your place as his assistant… We made a fool of you and I'm glad."

Everyone next to me gasped. I was the only one who did not. I had realized after the first sentence what my son was doing.

"Larten? You did what?" Gavner gasped.

"I did not." Was all I could say.

"Then what is Darren doing?"

I sighed. "…The only thing he can do." Everyone was deathly silent and I knew they understood.

Mr. Tiny, however, did not. "That's my boy! One last dig at a dying man!"

Darren continued to make Steve angrier. "If DAD were alive… he'd be laughing at you now…" Everyone covered their eyes. I could not look away. "…Just like the rest of us are!"

The look of hatred quickly came back into Steve's eyes and with one swift movement… he stabbed my son… over and over. I could not look away no matter how much I wanted too.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mr. Tiny screamed. He tried to get to the boys but Evanna held him back, telling him he could not interfere. He begged her to let him pass.

"Too… late… Destiny… rejected… If the one who survives must be the Lord of the Shadows… then what if we both die? I will decide… my own future… Your destiny… comes to an end here…"

With that, Darren yanked Steve and himself off of the bridge and they both plummeted into the waters below. I dropped to my knees and cried as hard as I could. I could not keep myself composed like I had for Arra. I wept in front of everyone. With his own death… my son had triumphed over fate.

As the others gathered around me for comfort, I then knew it was only a matter of time before I would see my son again.

()()()()()()()()()()()

It had been thousands of years and Darren had still not come. I had sat waiting for him every day, hoping and dreaming of the second he would arrive and I would be there with open arms. Many others came to Paradise; Vancha, Seba, Vanez, Evra, Merla, Harkat, Debbie, older versions of Urcha and Lilia, the entire Cirque Du Freak, even Sam Grest had come about a day before! All my friends had tried so hard to get me out of my funk, but I could not help it. My son was in the Lake of Souls and it was my fault. They all tried to assure me it was not, but there was always a small nagging feeling inside of me that it was.

I could hear footsteps coming up behind me. I sighed. "Gavner, it is not going to work."

"Do I really sound like a bear to you? Vain old geezer!" the person said in a clearly teasing voice.

I froze. That voice definitely did not belong to Gavner. I would recognize the voice anywhere though. I slowly turned around.

There, with joyful tears streaming down his face and a huge smile as well was Darren. My body immediately acted on its own by jumping up and throwing my arms around my son.

"I missed you, Dad." Darren choked out. I knew he was crying.

So was I. "I missed you too, son."

I smiled as I held my son in my arms. Paradise now truly lived up to its name.