( That this fake manor isn't in the middle of a forest thanks to a spell is lost on Matt, but at least they made it this far.
When he was dead, he walked himself to his body. It should be this easy, shouldn't it?
He hobbles the two of them up the front steps, past an unglamoured Impala and another car, but there are no bodies as they haven't entered the spell yet. )
[Her eyes turn to follow the Impala, and there's a small heartbeat of relief. She knew he'd come, truly, but she didn't think he would be there so soon.
But she needs to get back to her body so she doesn't linger, leading the way into the manor and trying to find what she's looking for, but she can't recognize any of it.
Or maybe that's just the blood loss making her a little woozy (1).]
( Matt does he best to try and navigate and search using logic and maybe an otherworldly pull (13). Why wouldn't Elena's body pull her back? And, by proxy, him? )
[Because this spell isn't as simple. It's meant to keep her away, keep her from being a problem for as long as she possibly can. They probably intended for her to exsanguinate while her mind was here, distracted by the things she's lost.
Matt is a wild card, however, and he is able to see through some of the finer mesh in the cage, until Elena starts to blink.]
Wait, I think I recognize this hallway. Maybe we're close.
( She's weakening as she bleeds, but Matt is going to make sure she doesn't just, that she fights back and has everything at her disposal. That she has the fighting chance he never got.
He looks in any door they pass down, not missing a beat. )
[It takes them a moment, but eventually they manage to poke their head in the right door, where they see George Harper leaning over a bowl of what seems to be Elena's blood, while more drains from an IV in her arm.
He frowns, almost as though he doesn't understand what he's seeing, but they can see her body.]
[She's not going to be able to fight until that's resolved, and they're not getting any more of her blood.]
Then grab the scalpel or the IV stand.
[And hopefully buy herself enough time until Dean gets there. She takes a deep breath, before looking at Matt and pulling him into one last hug, because this is probably goodbye for a while.]
( More of Elena's blood brushes against. He doesn't let their hunger linger. She has work to do.
He plants himself on his other side of her, behind George Harper, lowering himself down, bracing himself against the edge. He know he can't do anything but watch, if he still has access to it, after, but he wants to see what happens. She deserves the win. And she's not alone. )
[Elena takes a deep breath, before placing her hand on her own shoulder and her eyes slowly open back in her own body. She still feels a little drugged, but she's with it enough to remember where she is and what she needs to do. She quietly slips her hand out of the cuff, and reaches for the IV in her arm, delicately withdrawing the needle with a wince (10).
George seems oblivious, focusing on the magic problem he's trying to solve (5), and stays focused on the matter at hand. Elena slowly climbs to her feet, before catching sight of something in the corner that she isn't sure should be there.
She tips her head at Matt, careful not to say anything aloud. Maybe it's the spell still lingering? Either way it makes their goodbye seem a little anticlimactic.]
( Matt winces, too, looking away. He watches George's - is he humming? Gross.
But, then he catches sight of her - and him - in the mirror and looks back, equally confused.
He shrugs, like some spirit guide? Would he be in the mirror if he were? He waves an arm, but, they have to be focused and he looks back, then at George.
He holds onto the table to keep crouched, because he suddenly feels a weight in his body he didn't before and points with his chin to the scalpel.
[Right. Priorities. Worry about hallucinating Matt later.
She does look to the scalpel at first, as she takes and wedges a piece of cotton into her elbow to slow the bleeding, but she's also feeling a little woozy, so she goes for the IV stand instead. It has a little more heft and a little more accuracy in her current state. And then, keeping her grip steady, she turns and slams it into the head of the witch bending over his work (14 vs. 7), sending him stumbling to the ground.
Not unconscious, not on the first try, but a pretty solid hit.
George tries to snap himself back into focus, and he does notice Matt crouching there (15). And curious man that he is, he can't help but ask: "Where did you come from?"
Elena doesn't like that question so she tries to hit him again (5 vs. 16). This time he's ready for her though, and ducks before pushing back to his feet.
"Naughty girl, Dr. Gilbert. I thought you had an arrangement."]
Again, I said I'd go quietly. Didn't promise I'd stay quiet.
( Adrenaline takes its' rightful place and overpowers Matt's joints as the first blow hits. He pumps a fist.
"Yeah!" Matt's yell overlaps George's recognition. It all happens at once as Elena attempts another blow and misses.
Matt grabs the scalpel Elena was going to, jumping up. He lands in a defensive stance, scalpel at the ready to stab at him.
"Peace. You?"
Dean's arm comes around George's throat and he holds him there. He's going to say something, his girlfriend is there - but, he can't help but - )
Elena, are you -- Matt?!
( He remembers Matt. He should feel guilty about why he remembers Matt, but he was a teenager and Matt was alive. He remembers scanning obits one day and passing Matt's off to Sam. The work of a vampire. Poor kid. )
[There's a breath of relief when Dean arrives, and then her brow furrows in confusion.]
Wait, you see him too?
[Don't judge her, she's still a little out of it.
Unfortunately, George isn't going to give them much time to recover, because although he may look like a tottering old man, he's still an incredibly powerful witch, so his hand comes forward, looking to slam into Dean's forehead (nat 20 vs. 11), and Dean feels waves of pain roll through him, forcing his muscles to rigidly snap into place. Dean fights back just enough to keep control of his mind and not allow himself to be turned into a puppet but for the moment he can't move.
Elena does catch that something is wrong and she grits her teeth before swinging her IV stand at him again (7 vs. 19), and George ducks away again.
( While George is occupied with Dean, Matt goes for the bowl of Elena's blood, tossing it and its' contents away. The bowl breaks under the weight of his throw and blood splatters along the floor. )
That's for coercing and kidnapping my friend. Why don't you just hold blood drives like everyone else.
( Dean can't move. He has felt this before. But, it's more than a demonic pinning. It's like his limbs aren't his own. And, very quickly, his mind isn't either. (3) to fight back. He goes rigid, the soldier his father wanted him to be, bringing his arm down and letting George go, eyes turning -- cruel. )
[Elena feels the moment the tenor shifts in Dean, when he stops being Dean and turns into the witch's puppet. George straightens, cleaning his glasses briefly before glancing over at her.
"There, that's better. Now, would you please relieve Dr. Gilbert of her weapon and put her back into the restraints please?"]
Dean?
[She's done this song and dance before - trying to appeal to someone who just isn't there, but this isn't like a vampire with their switch flipped. Dean just isn't home.
Elena stumbles backwards bringing up the IV stand between them and trying to keep a tight hold of it (8), but as much as she may have trained and tried to improve her physical prowess, it doesn't come anywhere close to Dean, who's had combat training his whole life.
She grits her teeth, waiting for Dean to charge her before shoving back as hard as she can, looking to pin him back against the wall (nat 20), catching him enough by surprise that she can toss back over her shoulder to Matt.]
( Dean, while combat-trained, isn't home as the narration points out. So, George-in-the-driver's-seat doesn't have what Dean would. He does have the bare strength of a forty-something behind him, but no finesse and no heart that Dean fights with.
So Elena catches him at the right angle with the right amount of force and sending him backwards into one of the lab tables. Beakers go flying and break around him as "Dean," tries to wrestle with the IV hook.
Unfortunately, he gets a nat 20 as well and yanks it out of Elena's hands completely, attempting to land a blow to her jaw with the bottom before tossing it aside.
Matt, at the same time, slides across the table like he hasn't been dead for a decade or more and comes down with a striking stab with the scalpel. He's not going in sweet or or timid or with a swipe. It's a full-blown stab. (13) )
[George forgot about the strange human just enough for Matt to get the scalpel into the meat of his shoulder (12). His attention is drawn back to Matt while he tries to keep a hold on Dean (11 vs. 2), and manages to do so, shoving Dean down until George is ready to be done with him.
George grits his teeth, before turning his attention on Matt, eyes narrowing. "You are becoming less of a curiosity and more of a problem." He moves a hovering hand over a few different sharp implements and sending them flying towards Matt (11).
Elena takes the hit, but manages to get her arms up so that they take more of the blow than her face does (17). As the IV stand hits the ground, she scans the room, trying to find another weapon to use. Her arms hurt and her head is fuzzy, but she moves backwards, closer to Matt, trying to stay out of the range of Dean's reach.]
( There are various tools for regular science and witchy science Elena could take a hold of, she could throw a rolling chair, there's the shattered pieces of bowl, doppelganger blood spatter...
Matt just about misses those knives (11, 11), but he can feel the air from them whizz buy.
He brings a foot up to kick into that scalpel hard to push him backward and over the lap table. (15)
The Dean Puppet advances his one directive, except, it's to stick her back to the IV, so Elena has a moment while he retrieves and picks the IV stand back up rolling it hard in her direction. Two birds. But, it's an IV stand (7) )
[Matt manages to get another slice (9), taking the blow and tumbling backwards. His head is rattled, and he can feel his hold on Dean starting to slip, so he scrambles to keep hold, but it slips through his fingers as the wind is knocked out of him (9 vs. 10).
Elena catches the IV pole in hand (13), holding onto it firmly. The problem with having a human boyfriend instead of a vampire one, you can't wail on them until they stop moving and have them be okay. She doesn't want to hit Dean in the head with an IV pole, but she sees his face flicker and she hesitates.]
( One second, he's George's and the next - yeah, he's not. He turns to George, who's still just a human with a lot of magic on his side, and goes to grab him from the back and slam him down onto the lab table, broken glass and all hard: (15)
Try breathing while being pressed against it, buddy. )
Dean doesn't answer him, Matt doesn't know who little David is. But he does turn to not watch as Dean takes the dragging cord of the IV bag and wraps it around George's neck, pulling tight and taut. )
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( That this fake manor isn't in the middle of a forest thanks to a spell is lost on Matt, but at least they made it this far.
When he was dead, he walked himself to his body. It should be this easy, shouldn't it?
He hobbles the two of them up the front steps, past an unglamoured Impala and another car, but there are no bodies as they haven't entered the spell yet. )
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But she needs to get back to her body so she doesn't linger, leading the way into the manor and trying to find what she's looking for, but she can't recognize any of it.
Or maybe that's just the blood loss making her a little woozy (1).]
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Matt is a wild card, however, and he is able to see through some of the finer mesh in the cage, until Elena starts to blink.]
Wait, I think I recognize this hallway. Maybe we're close.
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( She's weakening as she bleeds, but Matt is going to make sure she doesn't just, that she fights back and has everything at her disposal. That she has the fighting chance he never got.
He looks in any door they pass down, not missing a beat. )
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He frowns, almost as though he doesn't understand what he's seeing, but they can see her body.]
What do I do, do I just jump back into it?
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Yeah, I had to climb back into my body. Technically. Do you want to make a plan? Quickly? Say you remember this.
( Matt scans the scene. )
I'd go for the scalpel still by your wrist. ( He crouches. ) One of your wrists is loose.
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[She's not going to be able to fight until that's resolved, and they're not getting any more of her blood.]
Then grab the scalpel or the IV stand.
[And hopefully buy herself enough time until Dean gets there. She takes a deep breath, before looking at Matt and pulling him into one last hug, because this is probably goodbye for a while.]
It was really good to see you, Matt.
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( More of Elena's blood brushes against. He doesn't let their hunger linger. She has work to do.
He plants himself on his other side of her, behind George Harper, lowering himself down, bracing himself against the edge. He know he can't do anything but watch, if he still has access to it, after, but he wants to see what happens. She deserves the win. And she's not alone. )
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George seems oblivious, focusing on the magic problem he's trying to solve (5), and stays focused on the matter at hand. Elena slowly climbs to her feet, before catching sight of something in the corner that she isn't sure should be there.
She tips her head at Matt, careful not to say anything aloud. Maybe it's the spell still lingering? Either way it makes their goodbye seem a little anticlimactic.]
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But, then he catches sight of her - and him - in the mirror and looks back, equally confused.
He shrugs, like some spirit guide? Would he be in the mirror if he were? He waves an arm, but, they have to be focused and he looks back, then at George.
He holds onto the table to keep crouched, because he suddenly feels a weight in his body he didn't before and points with his chin to the scalpel.
All the while thinking... )
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She does look to the scalpel at first, as she takes and wedges a piece of cotton into her elbow to slow the bleeding, but she's also feeling a little woozy, so she goes for the IV stand instead. It has a little more heft and a little more accuracy in her current state. And then, keeping her grip steady, she turns and slams it into the head of the witch bending over his work (14 vs. 7), sending him stumbling to the ground.
Not unconscious, not on the first try, but a pretty solid hit.
George tries to snap himself back into focus, and he does notice Matt crouching there (15). And curious man that he is, he can't help but ask: "Where did you come from?"
Elena doesn't like that question so she tries to hit him again (5 vs. 16). This time he's ready for her though, and ducks before pushing back to his feet.
"Naughty girl, Dr. Gilbert. I thought you had an arrangement."]
Again, I said I'd go quietly. Didn't promise I'd stay quiet.
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"Yeah!" Matt's yell overlaps George's recognition. It all happens at once as Elena attempts another blow and misses.
Matt grabs the scalpel Elena was going to, jumping up. He lands in a defensive stance, scalpel at the ready to stab at him.
"Peace. You?"
Dean's arm comes around George's throat and he holds him there. He's going to say something, his girlfriend is there - but, he can't help but - )
Elena, are you -- Matt?!
( He remembers Matt. He should feel guilty about why he remembers Matt, but he was a teenager and Matt was alive. He remembers scanning obits one day and passing Matt's off to Sam. The work of a vampire. Poor kid. )
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Wait, you see him too?
[Don't judge her, she's still a little out of it.
Unfortunately, George isn't going to give them much time to recover, because although he may look like a tottering old man, he's still an incredibly powerful witch, so his hand comes forward, looking to slam into Dean's forehead (nat 20 vs. 11), and Dean feels waves of pain roll through him, forcing his muscles to rigidly snap into place. Dean fights back just enough to keep control of his mind and not allow himself to be turned into a puppet but for the moment he can't move.
Elena does catch that something is wrong and she grits her teeth before swinging her IV stand at him again (7 vs. 19), and George ducks away again.
He is deceptively spry.]
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That's for coercing and kidnapping my friend. Why don't you just hold blood drives like everyone else.
( Dean can't move. He has felt this before. But, it's more than a demonic pinning. It's like his limbs aren't his own. And, very quickly, his mind isn't either. (3) to fight back. He goes rigid, the soldier his father wanted him to be, bringing his arm down and letting George go, eyes turning -- cruel. )
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"There, that's better. Now, would you please relieve Dr. Gilbert of her weapon and put her back into the restraints please?"]
Dean?
[She's done this song and dance before - trying to appeal to someone who just isn't there, but this isn't like a vampire with their switch flipped. Dean just isn't home.
Elena stumbles backwards bringing up the IV stand between them and trying to keep a tight hold of it (8), but as much as she may have trained and tried to improve her physical prowess, it doesn't come anywhere close to Dean, who's had combat training his whole life.
She grits her teeth, waiting for Dean to charge her before shoving back as hard as she can, looking to pin him back against the wall (nat 20), catching him enough by surprise that she can toss back over her shoulder to Matt.]
You have to break his concentration.
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So Elena catches him at the right angle with the right amount of force and sending him backwards into one of the lab tables. Beakers go flying and break around him as "Dean," tries to wrestle with the IV hook.
Unfortunately, he gets a nat 20 as well and yanks it out of Elena's hands completely, attempting to land a blow to her jaw with the bottom before tossing it aside.
Matt, at the same time, slides across the table like he hasn't been dead for a decade or more and comes down with a striking stab with the scalpel. He's not going in sweet or or timid or with a swipe. It's a full-blown stab. (13) )
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George grits his teeth, before turning his attention on Matt, eyes narrowing. "You are becoming less of a curiosity and more of a problem." He moves a hovering hand over a few different sharp implements and sending them flying towards Matt (11).
Elena takes the hit, but manages to get her arms up so that they take more of the blow than her face does (17). As the IV stand hits the ground, she scans the room, trying to find another weapon to use. Her arms hurt and her head is fuzzy, but she moves backwards, closer to Matt, trying to stay out of the range of Dean's reach.]
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Matt just about misses those knives (11, 11), but he can feel the air from them whizz buy.
He brings a foot up to kick into that scalpel hard to push him backward and over the lap table. (15)
The Dean Puppet advances his one directive, except, it's to stick her back to the IV, so Elena has a moment while he retrieves and picks the IV stand back up rolling it hard in her direction. Two birds. But, it's an IV stand (7) )
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Elena catches the IV pole in hand (13), holding onto it firmly. The problem with having a human boyfriend instead of a vampire one, you can't wail on them until they stop moving and have them be okay. She doesn't want to hit Dean in the head with an IV pole, but she sees his face flicker and she hesitates.]
Dean?
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Try breathing while being pressed against it, buddy. )
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But he doesn't do well. Specifically because before he can, Elena comes at him from the side and rings his bell again with her IV stand (18 vs. 14).
Elena may be becoming a bow staff girl.]
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Righting himself and shaking it off, Dean runs up, trying to knee George in the head to bring him down to the ground. (18)
Matt pulls himself and the chair up, rolling it forward if they want to - maybe - tie up a witch. )
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Elena sees Matt rolling forward and shakes her head.]
He's one of them. This isn't really a hostage situation.
[Maybe if they take one of them out it'll make things easier for the heirs downstairs.
George Harper blinks as he looks up at them, and raises an eyebrow. "Little David been including you in his plotting, has he?"]
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Dean doesn't answer him, Matt doesn't know who little David is. But he does turn to not watch as Dean takes the dragging cord of the IV bag and wraps it around George's neck, pulling tight and taut. )
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