67

Word had a way of getting around.

Mark worried at first that Josie had painted a rather large target on her back. But she surprised him. She did not care; neither did she let what happened effect her usual disposition. He guessed it had to do with her parents, her upbringing. Josie owned what she was without a qualm. Her envied her the ability to accept it. Maybe it was her human half's influence.

She had left none to seek retribution anyway. Mark had heard whispers, rumors. But one things was known throughout their kind. Josie was not one to be messed with. Neither was her family.

Penelope had come to Mark and told him of Josie's "realm destroyer" nickname. She found it amusing. So did Mark actually but he tried not to show it.

Vi spent almost eight weeks in the clinic's care. She refused to go to the larger hospital just as she refused to be healed by a demon's power. She would not even discuss it after initially refusing. She wasn't denying their powers – which had been Mark's mistake with Rayne. The elders had been right. Vi cold not pay them back and refused help no matter what.

Jess had gone over Vi's injuries with Mark. "Extensive." She was near tears. It hurt her, not being able to use her abilities as a healer to help her friend. "Besides the bruises and scrapes she's got 119 stitches, four cracked ribs, a fractured wrist, dislocated shoulder, fractured ankle…" She could have gone on but Mark's pale face brought her to a halt. "She got beat up, but that's all. No sexual trauma." She knew that had worried him the most, especially considering what David had told him about Rayne's final moments.

Mark had stayed with Vi around the clock the first few days but Jess had put her foot down eventually.

"You aren't helping by being a pest. Go home. She's in good hands here."

Mark had agreed. Reluctantly. Someone was always there with Vi so she was never actually alone or vulnerable. They had instigated a watch roster over Vi without a second thought. It wasn't necessary but the gesture meant a lot to all of them.

Josie did not want to go back to her house without Vi. After checking the destruction once more, Mark had completely understood why. She could have stayed with Ray but Mark moved her into his guest room. She settled in pretty well. Other than worrying about Vi, Josie's behavior was so normal it was almost eerie. It even confounded Drew who told Mark that he could no longer read Josie as well as he had before. He had better luck with Vivian now that her mental block was no longer in place although her thoughts were often muddled or incomplete. Mark figured it would take some time to really break through all those barriers.

Glen had a lot to take care of before he could settle down again. It started with Amanda. She was still sleeping when they had returned. Glen had waved Mark on to the hospital with Vi and the kids, Steve and Randy. He, Penelope, and Adam were left at the ranch. Mark had not asked for details but he knew some anyway. Amanda could heal herself quickly but Adam was used to tormenting demons with abilities like hers. It was not quick. She suffered for her part in the things that had happened. When it was over Adam had cremated her with Penelope as a witness. Amanda never said why she had done any of the things she did, or how she got involved. None of them cared. She was the last loose end.

Glen was the one who addressed the house and started the rebuilding process. He replaced the doors, the carpet. He painted the walls. Everything got deep cleaned. He and Penelope stayed there for the time being until Vi was able to decide what to do. Adam moved into one of the bunkhouses. He was used to hard work and oddly he fit in with the ragtag group of demons who worked for Ray. Mark and Glen did not fully trust him but Penelope did – Adam would not do anything to risk his own neck unless forced into a corner. It made him loyal to a point but it also made him flexible. Haden had only been a leader of the realm, not a role that made Adam consider revenge. He was just glad to be out. And the human realm seemed to suit him.

Vi did not want to spend Halloween in the clinic but her ribs were slow to knit and she could not do much on her own without excruciating pain. Mark found out from a reluctant Jess that Vi was refusing all but the weakest of pain meds.

"You have got to stop." He finally told her one afternoon.

"Stop what?" Vi asked. She was in bed, carefully breathing. Her ribs were very sore that day.

"Stop refusing help. The meds are for your own good."

"How will I know I'm getting better if I can't feel it getting better?" She had thrown back at him. She was grumpy with Mark. A lot. He didn't blame her. He realized he really could be a pest.

God help him, he liked being a pest when it came to Vivian.

"Then let Jess…"

"No." She didn't let him finish the thought.

"You'd never have to pay it back, Vi. It's what she does."

"And good for her. But no." She looked at the cast on her left wrist. "I can't."

Mark raised an eyebrow at that. And decided she could be mad at him if she wanted. When she wasn't looking he used the first drop of Azrael's potion in her water.

The elder was smart. It didn't work overnight but the process sped up. By the end of the week, Vi's aches and pains had faded. By the end of the second week the only problem she had came from her ribs, which were still sore.

Vi did not trust it, of course. "What did you do?" She asked Mark when he brought the kids to take Vi home, two days before Halloween.

"Nothing." At least he could be honest about that. It hadn't been his magic.

She made a noise of disbelief and stared at him for a long moment. He often forgot that the bond worked both ways. She could read him a little as well.

Instead of going to her house, Mark to her to his. He got Vi settled in his room and had to admit it felt so right it was damn near tangible. She took a long hot shower while he unpacked her things. When she came out he was still moving things in his closet.

"I have so much to do at the house." Vi said, sitting on the bed in a towel and watching him.

"It's not going anywhere." He pointed out, eying her wet hair and bare shoulders.

"Obviously." She finger-combed her hair to get the tangles out. "I know Glen cleaned up but the clinic…and I don't even know if I could drag Josie back in after this. I have to help Ray go over the fall books, pay out the fall bonuses…that's from my expense account…"

"Plan a wedding." Mark added when she paused to breathe.

"Plan a…what?"

"A wedding. Ours."

"Oh. Well. I wasn't aware I'd agreed to actually marry you."

Mark smirked at her tone. "You will though." He shut the closet door and turned to look at her.

"Captain Confidence." Vi remarked.

"Josie said Glen can be your flower girl." Mark said with a grin. Vi actually laughed at that, then groaned and held her ribs. The grin turned to concern.

"Don't. I'm just stiff from lying around the clinic for two months." Vi held up a hand.

"Maybe I can help with that a little bit." He sat beside her and tugged at her towel. It was Vi's turn to grin.

"Finally. The real reason you wanted me here."

"And I thought I was being obvious." The towel fell. Mark looked her over, taking in every bare inch of her. She still had a few marks, a few scars. They would heal with time. He honestly didn't care about the scars though. The sight of her was enough to put everything else out of his head.

At least until he reached for her and tried to kiss her. Vi pushed a hand against his chest to stop him.

"I have one question first."

"Yeah?"

"Did you have anything to do with this?" She moved her hair and exposed the back of her neck. Mark saw nothing but smooth skin. He frowned.

"With what?"

Vi sighed and let go of her hair. "I might have blocked out some of what that asshole did but I clearly remember him biting me. And it should have left a scar worse than these…" She traced one on her shoulder. "But it's gone."

"Then that's a good thing."

"Mark…"

"Vivian. Whether you want it or not, these demons like you. They wanted to help you. If one of them snuck past you to get rid of that thing's handiwork then good! I'll give them a fucking medal. Stop looking for ulterior motives."

"I wasn't."

"You are. You don't own anybody anything. They wanted to help because they care. And it's not because of me. This town has always thought that way about you, way before I came into the picture. Besides that, I don't know any healers that can take away a scar. That's advanced work. They can heal but there would still be a scar especially on a full human. Skin trauma is different for demons. Some of them can zip wounds closed like it never happened. Depends on the kind of injury." He made a mental note to ask Samuel next time he checked in. Maybe the potion had done it. Or someone had gotten to Vi, past her defenses. He was curious to know who as well.

"Believe it or not, I know." Vi said with a sigh. "Now, before I so rudely interrupted…"

"You were agreeing without an argument to marry me." He leaned close and kissed her, feeling her smile against his lips.

"Was I?"

"Sure."

"Why would I do that" She said, her breath catching when his hands lightly touched her.

"For starters, because you are madly in love with me." He brushed his lips over hers again. "And you know I'll never let it rest until you do."

Vi snickered. "Ah yes. That's true."

"As soon as you're feeling up to it we'll go pick out a ring and get things going, get it over with."

"Gosh. Romantic and practical." Vi batted her eyelashes at him. "How lucky can a gal get?"

"Your daughter suggested I kidnap you and run off to Vegas. Be happy I only took her half serious."

Vi smiled at that and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close. "Are we going to talk about what happened?"

"Yes." He didn't hesitate. He knew better now.

"Good. Because I don't remember much."

"I'll fill you in." He half-smiled. "As much as I can anyway. Everybody had a hand in it."

"One piece at a time." Vi said softly. "I know Josie…did something."

"Yeah."

"Is she safe?"

Mark snorted. "Safer than the rest of us. You won't have to worry about her. Especially if she's got people around that she cares about." He pressed his lips against her throat. "Now can I please seduce you before we get into all of that? I'm starting to feel like I've lost my touch."

"If you must." Vi said with a smirk. She slid her hands along his shoulders to tangle her fingers into his hair as he gently sucked on the sensitive skin of her neck. He let his hands roam her smooth skin, lightly touching her sides, back, stomach. For the past eight weeks he'd been unable to convince himself she was here, that they had made it. This was what he needed to make it real.

His whole body ached for her. It was so intense it as almost scary. It wasn't just almost losing her. Mark had realized that for him there could be no real living without her. She was too much a part of him, too far under his skin, and too entrenched in his heart.

"I actually heard that." Vi said softly, her voice hoarse.

"Good. It would be embarrassing to have to say it out loud." He slid a hand up to cup her breast.

"You really are nothing but a giant marshmallow." Vi said with a laugh. "Though to be honest what I do remember from before…it was kind of hot when you went all Incredible Hulk on that guy." Mark pulled back, surprised. "What? Did you think I'd be all shocked and put off by your brute nature? It's not something I'd want to see every day but it's nice to know it's there if I need it, ya know?"

"It wouldn't be the first time somebody was scared off when they saw what I really am." He resumed his slow exploration of her body.

"Welp, I wasn't scared off. In fact, I'm pretty turned on." She linked her fingers behind his neck and pulled him down to kiss him.

Mark didn't treat her as if she'd break. She gave him points for that. But he was careful with her, avoiding her sore spots, letting his hands touch every inch of her before following with his mouth.

~~!~~

"Practice makes perfect." Josie muttered under her breath. She was at the ranch. So was Drew. Giving her Mom and Mark some time together before they crowded her. Drew was helping Glen and Ray clear exhaust fans for the heaters they used in the barns. Josie was supposed to be making a list of repairs for them to start on next week but she had distracted herself.

This late in the fall, the trees were in full color. The sky was a beautiful sharp blue, a color that seemed to be exclusive to clear October days. She walked into the garden that memorialized the old house and sat on the ground near a row of fall flowers. They were fading but there were still spots of orange, red, and yellow here and there.

Josie was making whirlwinds.

Not big ones. Not the tornadoes that had leveled that other realm. Tiny ones. Only big enough to ruffle the flower petals and knock the dead leaves loose.

The way she figured it, it took more skill to control these small wind-devils than it did to conjure up a huge on. That was all emotion. This was about control.

The funny thing was, she could feel the power trying to get away from her. It wanted to be used. She didn't have to ask the others to know that was a bad thing. Lucky for her, she had her mother's self control. As fun as it would be to whip up a storm, she played with the small whirlwinds instead.

She could control water too. Josie had figured that out on accident when she'd taken a bath instead of a shower one night. She'd been lost in thought, soaking, and had finally noticed the water moving. Not just on the surface but under as well. She had ventured outside during lunch at school, away from the others, and had gone to a small stream that marked the rear of the high school's property. A little flex of power and the water actually reversed direction, flowing uphill instead of down.

It was small potatoes as far as Josie was concerned. She had rolled her eyes at the phrase "untapped potential" numerous times but now she finally understood it. She had more power. She just had to figure out how to unlock it. And control it of course. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this sort of thing could grow to become an addiction worse than any drug. And she realized she'd better get a handle on it quickly. She knew that she could affect a lot of innocent people if she wasn't careful.

The mini wind-devils faded out. Josie breathed a soft sigh and a light breeze once more ruffled the flower petals. It made her smile. If only she had figured this out sooner, she could have saved her mother hundreds of dollars in gifts. The wind ability was pretty entertaining all by itself.

"What are you doing?"Glen's voice made her jump. She had been so lost in thought she had not seen him approach.

"Nothing. Taking up some space."

Glen smiled and sat next to her, dropping a hand on her shoulder. "Playing with your power, you mean."

"That too."

"You should. You don't have to hide it, Josie. Everybody around here understands. And you should learn your limitations."

"I guess." But so far it felt limitless to Josie. "I think I should probably keep some of it from Mom."

Glen snorted. "Right. Because she'd let you? Better she knows all of it."

Josie nodded slowly. "I probably could have done it without Drew."

Glen mulled that over thoughtfully for a moment. "Maybe. Probably. But you might not have been able to shoulder all of the responsibility."

Josie frowned. "What do you mean?"

"How many were killed? Ballpark?"

"Six, seven hundred."

"You think a lot of people can kill that many and walk away without a twitch of conscience?"

"I don't know. Does that make me a sociopath or something?"

"No. Your demon side understood what your human side wouldn't normally consider. Us or them. Black and white. Drew took some of that on himself when he helped you."

"Oh. He hasn't said anything."

"He doesn't need to. He's so much like his dad sometimes it's scary. He'll work through it, same as you will. And he'll learn. Same as you."

"Gonna teach me?"

"Me?" Glen scoffed. "I'm not sure I'm teacher material anymore." But there was something in his voice. Josie caught it and smiled again.

"Maybe you'll surprise yourself."

"I'll think about it. You gonna sit up here and mope or are you gonna do some work today?"

"It's Saturday." Josie sighed. "What about the other one? Jason?"

Glen got to his feet and gave her a hand up. "What about him?"

"He's your dad right? When are you going to deal with it?"

"He's not my dad." Glen made a face and looked past the garden, taking in the view. "Never was. Probably never will be."

"If Mom and Mark get married, he'll be my dad. Technically speaking." Josie smiled and looked thoughtful again. "And I'm ok with that. He's pretty cool."

"He'd be happy to hear that." Glen said with a smirk. "You never fail to amaze me, you know it? You and your mom. All this open acceptance."

"It's how she raised me." Josie said with a shrug, giving credit where it was due.

"I'll talk to him. But no promises. There's a lot of water under our particular bridge." Glen finally said, returning to the topic of Jason.

"That's all right. Water keeps on moving."

"I'm not sure that's good or bad."

"I read it in a fortune cookie." Josie admitted with a grin. Glen chuckled.

"Then it must be true either way." He wrapped an arm over her shoulders. "Come on. Let's get finished and grab some lunch. A diner burger would hit the spot today."

Josie's grin widened. Glen was right. There was no sense in moping. And no hiding from what she was either. There had been enough of that in town to last all of them a lifetime.

~~Epilogue~~

"We might have a problem."

Samuel was in his private suite of rooms, meditating. Or trying to. For weeks an odd sort of unrest had been on him. He could not find the inner peace he had taken for granted until recently.

It was Azrael's voice that interrupted him this time.

"Another of your experiments gone wrong?" Samuel asked, opening his eyes. Azrael looked positively flustered. Unusual.

"If only. No. It is the half-demon."

That got Samuel's attention. "He hasn't escaped, has he?"

"Of course not." Azrael looked horrified at the thought.

"Then what is the problem?"

"He knows a descendent of Kristoph."

Samuel snorted. "Impossible. The resurrection line was wiped out centuries ago."

"Yes. So we thought. But residual power…"

"Fades. It's as useless as a parlor trick." But a seed of unease had formed in Samuel's stomach.

"It's worse."

"How?"

"Our half-demon test subject does not have mimicry or the sight, but he knew a demon that did."

"What does that have to do with…"

"Everything!" Azrael shoved his hands through his hair. "She saw the truth. She knew what the half-human was before he did, the one Mark knew as a brother. Even when it was hidden from others she saw it."

"You aren't getting any clearer."

"I know." Azrael groaned in annoyance. "Years ago our experiment was sent to kill a family and take the woman for his master."

"Yes. Mark. Vivian." Samuel was well aware of the circumstances. Mark was one of his descendants after all.

"He failed, only because the woman was not there and his powers were weakened by his handlers." Azrael paced across the room. "He admitted that to me. From the other demon he learned there was a survivor…"

"Yes. The elder family man."

"No. Yes." Azrael looked frustrated. "He thought so. But one of them wasn't just a regular humanized demon."

"The father?"

"No! The husband!"

"But…"

"That's the trouble. He is a transmutation demon. A body snatcher." Azrael went to a small table in the corner and poured himself a stiff drink from the supply that Samuel kept on hand. "He let himself be killed to do it. And his father was the only demon within range."

"So he jumped into his father's body, took it over…"

"The force he used caused the old man's stroke. But it also produced a convenient side effect. He couldn't speak. It made taking him over that much easier."

"So this whole time her husband was alive in another body." Samuel said, not without a hint of wonder in his voice. It was unheard of.

"You miss the point. The girl."

"The daughter." Samuel lifted an eyebrow. "Descended of Broden."

"Maybe partially. But it had been so long it never occurred to me. Water. She can control water."

Now both of Samuel's eyebrows went up. "You believe she's a resurrection demon." He paused. "A true resurrectionist?"

Azrael nodded. "The darkest of the dark arts. If she figured out that she has the power to bring back the dead…"

"Then we'd better hope she doesn't figure it out." Samuel said softly.

"But with her other powers…" Azrael looked sick. "It's her. It has to be. She already controls air and water."

"You believe she'll embody them all?"

"Yes. A hybrid. You know what that means."

Of course Samuel know. All of the elders knew. It was the reason that hybrids were forbidden. They were powerful, yes. Their demonic force was compounded by human emotion. But they had foreseen the emergence of a hybrid that embodied all of the true powers. Elemental powers. And the power of life over death.

"Do we warn them?"

Samuel was horrified at the thought. "No. Absolutely not. With luck no one but us will know. The other demon, the one with the sight, she's dead yes?"

"Yes."

"And the body snatcher? The father?"

"Apparently he's only there to observe and protect. Although he can't do much without exposing the truth of what he is."

"He's a problem."

"No. He understands he's dead. But they still needed him."

"He called to Mark, didn't he?" Samuel asked, knowing it was true even as he spoke it.

"I believe so. He knew Mark would protect her with his life." Azrael thought it over. "Both of them."

"Good." Samuel sighed. "Now we have to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Azrael knew. He just needed to hear it spoken aloud.

"For war." Samuel closed his eyes. "The one that will wipe all of us out if we allow it to happen. If she uncovers her powers of resurrection then none of us are safe no matter what realm we inhabit."

Azrael said nothing more to that. He could not. They could only hope that the girl never discovered what she truly was, that she would be happy controlling the wind and water. But he knew from his experiments that humans were curious by nature. And since she was half demon she would be driven to understand and know about the powers she possessed.

"A resurrection demon." Azrael muttered. In the darkest part of his mind a part of him was interested in spite of the potential danger. Wiping out the resurrectionists had been no small feat. The only point in their favor was that there were few of them. While some demons had a spark of resurrection power – the ability to bring back the freshly dead, and then only if they were intimate acquaintances – a true resurrection demon could raise the dead and command entire armies of them. The thought of unleashing that sort of power on the human realm…

Azrael suppressed a shudder and gulped the whiskey he'd poured, mindless to the taste or the burning sting in his throat. He could think of nothing else to do to stop the rising panic in his mind.

~~The End~~

A/N

So…67 Chapters, almost 300,000 words. And something like 3 years? Yikes. I know I'm evil for ending it here, but I did it because I can. Or because technically it could go on forever. But this is where Dissonance ends. I am in the process of outlining the next part of this saga just because I kind of like Mark's magical world of demons. It'll be a while before I start posting that one but probably not 10 years like in between SixSix and Dissonance.

A big thank you to everyone who has stuck with me throughout this process, and for reading and giving me motivation to keep going even when I was ready to just scrap it all. Thanks especially for all the kind words and taking the time to review/comment/PM me. It means a lot that people think enough of my writing to let me know they're enjoying it. Now I am going to take a break for a few days, enjoy having no papers to write for the next 2 weeks, and probably play GTA V and The Last of Us until my fingers fall off as a way to reset my brain. I'll pick up posting Burn plus another ~completed~ story in a few days!