A/n: This took waaaaay too long. I am so sorry. I just could not think of an ending. ; ; I hope it's okay and not too rushed. Please tell me your thoughts.

Disclaimer: I only own what isn't canon.

~*~Day 12~*~

Discomfort and a severe ache in his muscles greeted Chris as he fought his way back to consciousness. His exhausted limbs felt stiff and lethargic. He wanted to go back into the dark and sleep some more. He had not had any real rest since the fight with his mother.

With a groan and a great deal of effort, he shifted onto his side. It took a sluggish moment but his eyes snapped open as realization suddenly hit him. He grabbed the bedding in sore fingers as he looked about the room he was in. He found himself no longer on the rope labyrinth but in a bed in a hospital room.

Panic quickly set in as memories of rescuing Laurel from her watery demise flowed back into his mind. The need to find her, to make sure she was alright took control of his thoughts. He had made a promise to Dwayne that he would save the poor girl.

With forced determination, he threw back his covers and made to get out of bed. He was stopped suddenly by a sturdy hand. He froze and looked to the side as his exhausted brain tried to process through what little Abiku that was still flowing through it. It took him far longer than it should have to realize that he was looking at Loretta.

"Doc Wade?"

"Hello, Christopher." She spoke low and sweet but he could see the worry in her gaze, "How are you feeling?" He blinked rapidly at her and he tried to process what she was saying. A little too slowly, he gave her a small smile.

"Ah'm feelin' much better. Jus' a little tired and sore now." He raise his hands palm up slightly to show his bandaged hands as an example. He gave her an apologetic look as he lifted a hand to scratch his head.

"Miss Loretta, where's Laurel? Is she alright?" The panic starts to seep back into Chris' voice as he looks at her pleadingly. She nods slowly and rubs his arm comfortingly as she sits down beside him.

"She's going to be alright, dear. She has a moderate case of hypothermia but she's being well taken care of. You got to her just in time." Her hand moves across his shoulders so that she can pull him into a slight hug, "Dwayne is doing well also. Merri found him and had him taken care of. He and Laurel are resting in another room. I was just about to go check on them but you need to get some rest." She kissed his hair and he relaxed against her. He turned a relieved look her way and nodded.

"Thank you, Miss Loretta."

"Any time, Chris. Now you get some rest." She gently squeezed his shoulder before moving to get up. He smiled tiredly at her and laid down again, holding back a grimace at his aching muscles. Loretta stood up and lovingly covered him up again before leaving with a small wave.

As she left out the door, Chris quietly threw back the covers. He hissed in discomfort as he climbed out of bed and stealthily stalked over to the go-bag that someone had put on the chair for him. He got dressed as quickly as his lethargic limbs would allow.

He straightened up and took a deep breath. He pulled on his jacket and headed for the door. He slipped out of his room unnoticed and headed for the nurse's desk. He smiled sweetly and informed them that he was just getting a bit a fresh air. Since his chart said his condition was not extreme, they allowed it without an argument.

His tracks covered, he headed down a corridor. He had been to this hospital many times and had taken note of the best escapes. He used all his years of agent stealth experience to slip out of a service entrance unnoticed. He took to the shadows and blended into the crowded streets of his beloved city. He had a witch to catch and he was not coming back to his new family until he had her.

~*~NCIS~*~

Sonja was a nervous wreck. It was late afternoon and pieces of the city were in chaos. She was struggling with all the information running through her brain. She had to push down her fear for her team's safety while she tried to fix what was happening.

"Miss Percy, we were able to corral and stop the attackers that were closin' in on the park. We were also to stop the hoard at the southern port as well." Hinterton reported tiredly as he jogged up to her side. She bit her lip and looked down at her city map. She nodded and marked off two more sections.

"What abou' the Square or the Gardens?" She clenched her pen hard as he shook his head. She swallowed hard and took a calming breath, "See if you can get more men concentrated there. Did we hear back from the Navy?"

"Yes, Miss, there's a ship in port on leave. They're sendin' troops out." Hinterton gritted his teeth, "The streets are a madhouse. They're havin' a bit of an issue gettin' through the panicking crowds." Sonja groaned softly and lowered her head to the table. She took in desperate gasps as she tried to relax. Officer Hinterton gently squeezed her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

The city was going to hell and it had only been about eight hours.

~*~NCIS~*~

Night had fallen over the city as Chris made his way onto the roof of an old church. He tiredly collapsed to his knees as he got to the top. He had been searching Takuka's favorite lookout spots since he had escaped the hospital. This was the last one and it even overlooked a piece of city that was being terrorized by Takuka's homemade ghouls.

He tiredly sucked desperate breaths through gritted teeth as he looked about in the darkness. He glared into the night as he saw light shimmer off something at the edge of the roof. He could see a dark figure crouched in the shadows. He really wished this part of the city had better lighting this high up.

"Mataka, show yerself!" He called tiredly in to the bleakness. He shivered uneasily as he heard the sound of wooden bells jingling. He had her attention now and he found he actually did not really want it.

With a grunt, he forced his aching body to stand once more. He just wanted to sleep but he could not let her get away. He watched her dark figure slowly stretch to its full height. She shifted in the dark and turned towards him. Chris winced as light bounced off the glass shards on her mask and shimmered in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and stood tall to face her. She cocked her head to the side and rested her hands on her hips. Chris swallowed thickly as they stared each other down. Chris felt his normally abundant confidence begin to crumble as he locked gazes with her.

He squared his shoulders to give himself courage as he flexed his stiff fingers. His hands ached from the cuts on his palms. He used his pain to keep his tired senses heightened. He struggled to control his calm as she began to walk over to him.

"Mah sweet little Death Sentence. Ah knew you'd fly back to me one day." Nausea boiled in Chris' stomach at the sound of his old nickname. A screw up years ago had costed lives and Mama had taken great pleasure in it.

"Call off yer ghouls, Mataka. Ah'm here now, no more need fer games." He glared at her hatefully but she only bared her pointed teeth in a cruel grin. She reached up and cupped his jaw with her hand, tenderly trailing her claws down his cheek.

"Ah think not, Love." He winced as she dug her claws in, "We watch this city burn together."

"No!" He slapped her hand away, ignoring the pain as her sharp nails sliced across his skin, "Yu're not bein' allowed to hurt more people!" She gasped in pain at the slap and drew her hand back, staring at him in shock.

"You hit me!" She snarled in angry confusion, "You would never hit a woman."

"Yu're a not a woman, Mataka. Yu're a demon dressed as a witch!" He growled out the words and she screeched in response. Before he was able to think, she was tackling him to the rooftop.

The hit to the nose with her palm took him by surprise but he was able to wrestle around her clawing nails in order to grab her wrists. He used his muscle to forcefully shove her to the side but she kneed him in the stomach as she went. He gasped in pain as he tried to move away from her.

With an angry cry, she reached out and dug her claws into his leg through his jeans. He yelped in pain as she dragged him down again. He kicked out and was able to unhinge her from his body but she seemed unphased by the pain.

He scrambled to his feet and she quickly followed. She lashed out and he barely caught her wrist in time to stop her from cutting him again. She kicked him again and giggled giddily. He felt sick just knowing that she was getting pleasure from this little scuffle.

Her attacks became more vicious and aimed for more painful places. His tired body was slowing down. He was starting to lose his advantage, he had to end this soon.

"Give it up, little angel, demon's always eat the entrails of the innocent!" She hit him hard in the nose again with a force that made him see stars. She slammed her knee into his gut as her hands suddenly closed around his throat. He gagged and gasped as he tried to get her off.

It was in the moment that clarity came to Chris. He suddenly knew what she was trying to do. She was trying to get him to lash out violently enough to kill her in self-defense. She was dying and she wanted it to be by his hand.

The anger that swelled within him gave him strength. He released her and moved his hand to slam a fist into the side of her face. Pain laced through his hand as the sharp pieces of her mask sliced into his knuckles. Her own pain caused her to release him as she clutched her face.

Chris stood there a moment and gasped for air as he held his hand to his chest. He was seeing spots but he knew he had to move. He took one last gulp of air before tackling her and taking her by surprise. She angrily kicked out before bringing her knee up to slam into his ribs. He swore he felt something snap but ignored it as he wrestled the squirming nightmare under him.

"No, yu don' get to get off tha' easily!" He snarled at her as he held her down while pulling out the handcuffs he had lifted off a guard at the hospital.

"What are you going to do, little angel? Give me the death sentence for all those lovely murders I committed." She snarled at him playfully, an evil grin on her lips as she felt she had won. Though, it started to fade as he gave his own grin to her.

"Far from it, Mama." He stared into her eyes, his gaze showing her that he had finally won, "Ah'm gonna make sure yu go inta a nice quiet isolation cell where there will be no victims to feast your cruel hunger upon, my demon queen." The look of horror at the sound of not being able to cause agony was the greatest thing Chris had ever seen when it came to this woman. He had finally gotten the upper hand. There may still be battles going on down in the streets but he had finally won the war after over a decade.

~*~End~*~