Harry Dresden felt something was amiss as he stepped out onto the storehouse floor. The air was cold, and buzzing with energy. But the energy was mixed, both parts good and evil were at work here. Could She be fighting it? He rushes up the steps, looking for any sign of Evelyn. He scans the room, feeling the strong thrum of powerful magik and its intoxicating feeling dead ahead. He burst through the doors, finding Evelyn sinking to her knees.

The spell was complete. Evelyn struggles harder, pulling and tugging the chains, no longer strings, to derail The Denarius' casting. It looks inward on her, plainly shoving her away. It growls at her. I am Namshiel and you belong to me now. She falls, landing in the thick tar that was once a bright and beautiful ocean. Slowly, she begins sinking and struggling.

Harry raises his blasting rod and gathers his will, ready to fight for his love, to save her or die trying! "Who the hell are you!?"

The figure stands, a dark smile on her face. The coin gleams in her gloves. "Harry... Its Evelyn. Don't you recognize me?" She sees Molly, her eyes intensifying. "Molly, Tell him!"

Molly looks to Harry with fear and pain in her eyes. Her sensitivity put into over-load. She stumbles back at the gaze of the evil masquerading as Evelyn. Her expression was all Harry needed to see. She whispers softly, her eyes unable to leave the aching sight. "I-It's her Harry... Help her!"

Harry gripped his blasting rod, unsure. "Evelyn... forgive me for what I'm going to do..."

"And what's that Harry? Kill Evelyn?" She grins, curling a fist around the coin. "All to take this?" The air crackles with electricity, green lightning swirling around the hand of Evelyn.

"Hells Bells..." He closes his eyes for a brief moment, then throws out his arm, sending forth a powerful wave of energy. "FORZARE!" Harry needed to get that coin from her or he'd never save her.

Evelyn smirks, the spells cleaving in two around her as she throws up a shield. She flings a bolt of lightning at Molly, breaking out in a dash to Harry. She grabs him by the throat. "Still want that coin, Dresden?"

Molly quickly draws up her veil, dodging the bolt and hiding from plain sight. Harry grins at Evil-Evelyn, grasping out a famous smartass comment between breaths. "So... I'm guessing it's that time... of the month huh? Oh M-Mother Nature... you're a cruel Mistress. He quickly gathers up magic in his hands.

Namshiel stares at him blankly out of the eyes of his thrall. In the Mindscape, Evelyn is sinking in the tar. She struggles and accidentally swallows some of the goo. She begins to choke, sinking faster and floating away from the fight.

"Time is running out to save her, Harry. " Namshiel squeezes his throat, constricting his air further. "Don't worry, I'll make it painful." She reaches up, a fresh and lethal bolt of lightning ready to kill.

Harry smiles and then yells. "Now Grasshopper!"

Molly appears, not alone. Next to her is a hulking mass of fur; 250 lbs of kibbles and bits and 250 more lbs of shits the neighbors don't like cleaning up. Mouse runs up and tackles, Evil-Evelyn, setting Dresden free. Harry recovers and sends his fist into Evil- Evelyn's gut, backing it up with enough force to punch a hole in a sedan/

Namshiel gives a grunt of pain, her vision temporarily going to black. She clutches her stomach, losing her concentration and gasping. Her head snaps up to see what had tackled her. That stupid dog-bear! Evelyn cheers for mouse, trying to keep her head above the dark, viscous liquid.

Molly, hidden in the darkness of the storehouse, was busy concentrating on trying to pull Evelyn free of the tar. Reaching into another's mind was strenuous work, but trying to free another from a mindscape prison was a whole other ballgame. Harry gathers up more power and hits Evil-Evelyn with another blast of energy, this time slamming it into her head.

Namshiel's world is shaken with a thunderous roar, almost losing his grip on Evelyn's mind. He tightens control; if he was going to lose... then Dresden would lose her too. He manages to send a spear into Molly's mind, trying to push her out at the same time. Evelyn struggles to grab after Molly, her fingers just grazing Molly's as the woman is brutally thrown out. Namshiel lifts Evelyn's hand, sparks flying in all directions and blinding Harry. Her hand then turns to Mouse, striking with a forceful spell and sending him flying across the large room with a thud. The animal slumps to the ground, breath shallow.

Harry looks around after his vision returns. It was mess wherever he looked. Molly was in pain lying on the floor, nose bloody, and fighting a battle in her own mind. Evelyn was still in the tar and still under control. And Mouse... Mouse took the heaviest hit. Harry looked to Mouse, his heart pounding in his ears. Mouse didn't even twitch and Harry feared the worst.

"First my Girlfriend... then my Apprentice, and now my dog…This is it! Its over!"

Namshiel smiles evilly. "Haven't you already tried that? Face it Harry. Evelyn belongs to me now." Fire sparks in her gloves, white-hot. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

Evelyn suddenly grabs onto the Denarius' mind, fighting him and trying to force him to falter in the physical world. Even trapped up in the pit of tar, she wouldn't let him kill Harry. She stops fighting sinking in the tar and focuses on destroying herself and Namshiel... even if she had to do it from within.

Harry takes this chance, releasing a surge of fire out of his hand. The flames burned in a long pillar of destruction and anger. "Fuego! Die you bastard! Give me back my Girlfriend!"

Namshiel's eyes widen, barely dodging the flame pilliar. It singes Evelyn's arm, the glove burnt along with the skin underneath. Evelyn begins to fight him harder, throwing assaults where she could and however she could. Molly manages to dig her way in and she flexes her mind claws, raking them across the face of the Denarius. Namshiel throws her back, screeching at her in her mind as well as aloud. He angrily flings a barrage of forces toward Molly's mind, forcing the girl to the ground unconcious.

"Just you and me now, Harry..." Namshiel's coal black eyes eclipse Evelyn's blue ones. Evelyn is battered and beaten now, weakened. She cries out to Harry, her voice actually slipping through Namshiel's defenses and out of her physical lips in a last-ditch effort. "H-Harry... Just Ki-Ki-Kill Me!"

Namshiel silences her, grabbing her by her throat out of the tar and digging his nails into her. He whispers to her, watching the oozing blackness drip from her body, both of them standing in the plans of her mind. If you Die... We both go to Hell. So Be It, Namshiel. He screams at her and Evelyn's nose starts to bleed, the blood dripping physically from her body's nose.

Harry Dresden grits his teeth, that last attack took a lot of his magic. His body was starting to weaken now. He knew he only had one option left… as dangerous as it was. He needed to save her, his dog and apprentice. He relaxes his mind, searching within for that power he held within, the power that could save all their lives! Soul Fire… A gout of white flames, bathed in light surged towards Evil Evelyn. He grinned, molding the flame into a giant hand as he had in the past. "Now I've got you, you son of a bitch!" He squeezes the divine flames around Evil Evelyn.

Namshiel releases Evelyn's throat in the Mind plane with a terrible screech. Evelyn drops, hitting the ground with a thud. Namshiel's screams reach higher and higher as the flames tighten around them both. No. He couldn't be able- he shouldn't be able to. Evelyn cheers weakly. Dresden had done it. Her body crumples, Namshiel suffering in horrible agony.

Harry's eyes were full of anger as he held Evil Evelyn in the flames, this was hurting him and his love, but he had no choice. "Leave her now you bastard! Return to damned coin!" He tightens his control over the flames, trying to hurt Evil Evelyn without destroying her body.

Evelyn looks up at Namshiel, a smile on her face. You've lost, Denarian. No, No... I'll kill you before I leave. She closes her eyes to this. Try then, Bastard. But you still have lost. Namshiel howls, his power and control over Evelyn slipping. He thinks before he withdraws suddenly, pulling himself completely back to the coin and leaving Evelyn abruptly at the mercy of Dresden's Soul Fire. Namshiel's screams become Evelyn's as she is yanked from her mind into the physical world... and into pain.

Harry hears her screams, and instantly lets go of her, the soul fire dispersing. "You bastard..." He falls to his knees as he looks at the woman he loves. He'd hurt her, and the worst part? She'd still been holding on to the coin. "Evelyn drop the coin now!" he gathered what little magic he had left, hoping she'd drop the coin and that it was all over.

The coin falls from Evelyn's grip, hitting the floor just seconds before she did. She was weak from battling Namshiel and now she was wounded from his switch around game. Namshiel's voice is distant, gloating about killing her... or something. She wasn't sure. It all seemed far away now.

He releases what little energy he'd gathered. "Forzare!" The wave of energy couldn't topple a building but he managed to send the damned coin flying off into the distance. He'd look for it later, right now he needed it away from her. Harry runs to her, stumbling in his weakened state. "Evelyn?! Evelyn say something!"

Evelyn smiles weakly, her voice soft. They did it. They won. It was over. She could sleep now. "I... love you."

He smiles back, laying down next to her. He takes her non-wounded hand, grasping it as tight as he could muster to let her know he was there. "I love you too..."

A barrage of lights soon pierce the hazy darkness and fuzzy mental state of Harry drifting in and out of consciousness. Murphy hovers over Dresden as the paramedics heave the tall man onto a stretcher. "What the hell? Dresden did you d-"

"Yeah I did, but that's not important." Harry tries to sit up, the strong hand of Karrin holding him back. He sighs, frustrated with being so weak. "Please, get her to a hospital, and Molly too, oh, and Mouse."

Murphy nods, already trying to piece together a suitable cover story.

Once again he found himself in a bed that wasn't his, his eyes hadn't yet opened but he knew he wasn't at home. Harry mumbles to himself. "Am... I dead?" He hears the cursing of a young woman and the loud loathsome beeping of a bedside monitor. Great… a hospital.

Lt. Karrin Murphy ignores the Nurse, knowing she was just being a basket case because she was over-worked, under-paid, and has had several bed-pans thrown at her on her last shift. Murphy comes over to Dresden's bedside, concerned. "How you feeling, Pyro?" She checks his pulse with her watch and a hand on his wrist, noting it was normal. "Gave us a quite a scare then a headache."

Harry Dresden smirks. "Oh, hey Karrin. I feel like a log, stiff. How long was I out?" He looks around, yup, he was in a hospital again.

She checks the clock. "Exactly 2 days in 30 mins." She lowers her voice, switching to detective mode. Harry hated how effortlessly she did that. "What happened? Molly gave an official statement and I did some damage control but she wouldn't tell me. She said that I needed to hear it from you for the real story." Murphy pulls up a chair, clearly expecting the full story.

He exhales slowly. "First, I need to know. How is she...? Is she ok?" He looks away, recalling everything that had happened.

Murphy exhales and stares towards the machine, watching the lines move and peak every other second, erratically. She's stable; some trauma in her abdomen and a minor burn on her left wrist. The nurse noted some tachycardia when I last checked on her, but the doctors are worried because she hasn't woken up yet. But she's stable for now." Murphy's eyes turn back to Dresden and she speaks quietly. "...She was evil, wasn't she?"

Harry sighs with relief, at least she was stable. He shakes his head. "No, not evil, but she was in possession of one of the silver coins of the Denarius. It was controlling her, Murphy. It was changing her and influencing her. She wasn't evil, not even from the start. I Saw her, and I Soul Gazed her before the fight started. I saw the truth."

Murphy nods, taking this in strides. Her cop mentality breaks in once more. " Did you secure the coin?"

He frowns, kicking himself mentally. "Uhh... actually no. I kinda sent it off into the city somewhere. It was the only way to get the coin and its influence away from her. I was going to go look for it right after I found out Evelyn was alright. But here I am... in a hospital bed. Can't do much wizard-stuff here. People would get hurt."

Murphy sighs, rubbing her eyes. "Okay Dresden... But when you get out, we need that coin destroyed." The Doctor comes in and Murphy stands. "If you need anything, Dresden... Don't hesitate to give me a call... please." She leaves with that.

The Doctor washes his hands, putting his stethoscope on. "Hello, . I'm . I've been taking care of you since you came in. I'm here to get you checked out and see if we can't send you home today."

Harry waves to Murphy as she leaves, then turns to the doctor. He was eager to get the hell out of there. "I'm feeling a heck of a lot better that's for sure."

The Doctor checks his pulse, turning off the heart monitor. He listens to Harry's chest, telling him to breathe a few simple times. " Good, Good." He checks Harry's eyes with a bright light, and checks his tongue. "Any Pain? Other than feeling like you were hit by a bus? Any trouble breathing?"

Dresden shakes his head, deciding not to mention how sore his body was. "Nope, I think I'm in better shape than I've been in 10 years!"

The Doctor eyes him. "Riiighhht. Then I'll have Nurse Brandy take you down to the pool and you can do a few laps to demonstrate." laughs at the expression on his patient's face before signing off on his chart. He un-sticks the monitor's sensors from Harry and begins to take out his I-V. "You're welcome to go home, . Just no strenuous activity for the next week, drink plenty of fluids, and get lots of rest." He hands Harry his discharge papers and a business card. "If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to give us a call. You'll find your clothes over there on the counter"

Harry Dresden nods, then smirks knowing he won't be abiding any of this advice. "Sure thing Doc." He dresses himself then heads out to the lobby. Molly was waiting for him, and a hell of a lot better shape than he was. "Hey Grasshopper, I'm Free I'm Free! How do you feel?"

Molly smiles a little then looks up at him with concern. "Me? Oh I'm fine Harry. What will you do now...? With her I mean?"

He smiles, patting her head. " Don't worry young Skywalker, I'll be fine. She'll be fine too. I'm going to stay here a bit and keep an eye on her. How's mouse by the way?"

Molly smiles. "He's fine, turns out he was just knocked unconscious. Took a LONG puppy nap." Molly hugs her friend before heading home.

Dresden limps to Evelyn's room, his mind wandering. He used Soul Fire on the woman he loved, yeah it was to save her, but was there another option he hadn't seen?

Evelyn's room was quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of her heart monitor. Her I-V dripped continuously down the long line to her arm, replenishing her fluids. The nurse moves around her, setting a new tray of food down onto the counter for if she woke up. The nurse stops, checking vitals and tucking the resting woman in. "Such a shame... She's so beautiful. And looks so peaceful."

The nurse walks out leaving Evelyn there. A man passes her on the way out, his narrow blue eyes making contact for a second. He was quite large and took up the entire door frame. He was carrying a vase of roses. He simply sets them down, placing the beautifully decorated card by them then heads out, nobody paying any attention to him.

Harry finally comes to a stop, sighing heavily. He pokes his head in the door, whispering. "Hey, can I come in?"

Evelyn doesn't answer, nor does she stir. She sleeps deeply, her mind healing itself with daydreams and memories of Dresden. Her heart beats steadily, her body healing also.

Harry smiles, happy to see her, even if she was asleep. At least in her sleep, her magik wouldn't affect any of the monitors. He enters the room and grabs a chair. He continues to look upon her beautiful face as he sits down at her side. "Oh Evelyn... I'm sorry to have put you in this state..." He leans over and kisses her forehead softly, then places his hand over her none burnt one.

Something tugged at Evelyn's mind, consciousness looming above her. She fought it, wanting to stay in the warm sunshine and glow of her happy daydreams. Something reached for her, grabbing her arm softly but swiftly and pulling her up. She wrenches free and tries to sink deeper, claiming she needed more time to heal. She swims to the bottom, sitting there at some kind of threshold. The sunshine was warmest here. Just let me stay a little while longer... Forever maybe? She basked in it, feeling light and airy. Just her and her fantasies. She wrapped herself completely in her thoughts of her love, Dresden.

Meanwhile, her heart monitor beeped... slowing.

Dresden squeezes her hand softly, he whispers to her. :Evelyn...? Baby?" He watches the monitor, worried his magik was upsetting it. He calls for the nurse. "Excuse me, what is all this beeping for? Her beep is slowing down, I take it that's bad?"

The Nurse, Melinda, comes in and checks the monitor. "Only below a certain level... Her slowing down is actually good for a bit, She's been a little fast."

Melinda waits a whole min. The blood pressure begins to drop, setting off the office-wide alert. The Nurse hurriedly jumps to Evelyn's bedside, pushing Dresden out of the way. She checks the actual pulse of her flesh, determining the machine was right. Two other Nurses arrive, one with a defibrillator. They set to work on prepping her for stabilizing, eyes close on the monitor for drastic changes.

This time, whatever tugged on her earlier, began to push. Pushing her deeper, she frowned. Hey, what was the big idea? First it's up, and then it's down? She pushes back against the force, annoyed and tired of things trying to tell her what to do. She lurches a half a step over the threshold, the warm sunshine being sucked from her body. No. She doesn't want to go there. She struggles, feeling tired here too. Maybe... just let it push you... it might know what's best. Evelyn shakes her head, missing that balmy sunshine and Harry's touch.

Harry gets up from where he'd fallen when he was pushed aside. He goes over to Evelyn and whispers into her ear. "I love you, Evelyn. It's ok to wake up... I sent Molly to go fetch your little fuzz ball." He fights back tears, just talking to her, hoping it would help. "Remember when you brought him over and he challenged Mouse?" He went on and on, just telling her moments they shared.

Evelyn swims for... well her life, feeling that force swimming after her like a shark in the water. Her arms are tired, and her legs burn but she won't give up. The more the swims, the further the force gets. She's made it back to the sunshine, smiling at the feeling. She stops, going back to enjoying the healing powers of its memories... Memories of the time Wolfshade ate the whole bowl of pasta with Mouse and they had to order take out instead for their romantic dinner. And the time Harry played fetch with Mouse... and Bob's skull. She laughed at that, remembering's Bob's screams and pleas to be put down. She could almost hear Dresden chuckling and talking to her as he threw his boobie-obsessed lab partner... She could hear... Hear Dresden? He was above her, but he was quiet. She swims upward, his voice getting stronger. Was it him? It had to be! Who else could know I bought matching 'darkside' underwear to model just for him!? She swam faster, consciousness hovering just inches. Her fingers breach the surface.

"Clear!"

The jolt of the electricity made Evelyn's body seize up, but her heart kick itself back into gear. Her eyes open, fluttering as her heart shuddered back to life, forgetting the whole 30 seconds it quit. The nurses were relieved; the patient having been resuscitated. They stabilized her and left. She peers up at her love, Harry Dresden, a smile coming to her face

"It was you."

Harry smiles at her, there were tears on his face, but he was smiling. "Hey beautiful." He just simply smiled at her, for once in the past several days, everything was good. They'd beaten the bad guys, and were both alive. He leans down and kisses her forehead softly, then her lips. "I love you."

Evelyn kisses him deeply. "I love you too." She leans back in her bed, smiling up at him. She wipes away a few tears on his cheeks. "Why do you cry love? Don't cry. I'm alright."

He smiles happily. "I know. We both are." He kisses her forehead softly. Harry was truly happy right now. He kept his promise to her, and proved to his apprentice and Karrin that Evelyn wasn't evil. Karrin will have her doubts. Molly will still be jealous I spend so much time with Evelyn, but they'll get over it. In the end, everyone survived; my dog, my apprentice, myself and most importantly my Girlfriend, Evelyn.