Darkness Chapter 12: Father

**Nelly**

Wow, that was quite the experience. As I watched her walk away, a sense of pride washed over me. But when he caught up to me, I could see he was still adjusting himself. I couldn't help but grin.

"Proud of yourself?" he smirked.

"Very much so," I replied confidently.

He shook his head and opened the car door for me. I slid into the backseat as he got in the driver's seat and took off. "So where are we going?" I asked, curious.

"You'll see," he replied mysteriously. We pulled up to a white building surrounded by a wire fence.

I recognized the place instantly. "No! Why are we here?" I exclaimed in panic.

Vincent spoke softly, "To speak to your father."

"No, I'm not going in there. This isn't some kind of trap, is it?" I tried to control my fear.

He squeezed my hand and looked into my eyes, reassuringly. "No, if I wanted you tested on, I would have put you in here from day one."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the car, leading me into the lab. We stopped in front of a cell, and there, sitting on the cot looking defeated, was my father. As he realized we were standing there, he slowly got up and rushed towards the cage when he saw me. I jumped back, finding myself oddly in Vincent's arms. The tension in the air was palpable as the truth began to unravel before my eyes.

Dr. Gordon's voice echoed through the room, "Nellie? Is that you?" It had been years since I last saw him, back when my parents left for work and never returned, leaving me and Kade behind. They claimed they had found something, but little did I know it was Vincent's doing. Now, all the pieces were finally falling into place. My parents were not heroes, they were monsters trying to control fate.

"Yes, Dad," I muttered, feeling a mix of anger and sadness.

Dr. Gordon's eyes softened as he looked at me, "My dear, you have grown into a beautiful young woman. You resemble your mother. Has he harmed you?"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Now he was concerned? It was too late for him to play the caring father. "No, Dad," I replied, my voice tinged with bitterness, "He has been kind to me."

Dr. Gordon scoffed, "They are not capable of kindness. He is manipulating you to turn against us."

My frustration boiled over, "Excuse me? You, Mom, and all the other researchers are the reason we are in this mess. If you had just left things alone, we wouldn't be in this situation. I would still have my family. I watched Kade die when I was just 18. Why did you have to play god?" My voice rose, filled with pain and anger.

"You don't understand what they are capable of. They are evil. They are monsters," my father replied.

Monsters? He called the man who is holding me tenderly a monster! Fuck him! "No, you are the monsters. Look at me! LOOK AT ME!" I screamed. "Do you see what I've been reduced to? I'm his! He owns me. He can do with me as he pleases. I can't fight back. You see this!" I pointed to my collar. "This shocks me if I don't do as I'm told. It hurts, Dad. I have been hunted because of what I've had to do to stay alive." I want him to feel it all in my words; the fear, helplessness, and betrayal because I want him to understand and empathize with all I have endured because of his pursuit to be a god. 

I lift my dress to show my dad my wound on my side that extends across my stomach. “Do you see that? That's from a werewolf attack. He bit me. If I hadn't used the skills Kade taught me, I would have died.” I see the tears well up in my father's eyes. I pull up the sleeve of my dress and show him the long cut on my forearm. “This is from when I was captured and tortured for information I didn't have. Humans did fucking that! If my friend Tara and her brother hadn't come to my aid, I would have bled out. Do you see what your research has done? Do you see it?!”

I glare at my father. “Are you proud of yourself? You realize this will be the last time I will see you. Either you will die here or l will die trying to stay alive. I hate you, and if Mom were here, I'd tell her that too. When Kade died, my family died then too. Fuck you!”

My Dad mumbles, “I'm sorry.”

I can't help but roll my eyes at his comment. "A dollar short and a day late," I mutter under my breath. It's not like I hadn't noticed Vincent’s hands on my waist, but I guess he was just trying to prevent me from going after my father. As if I would do that. Well, maybe the thought did cross my mind briefly.

My father, in all his wisdom, decides to chime in with his two cents. "He doesn't care about you and he never will," he says with a smirk. Oh, thank you, Captain Obvious, for that enlightening revelation. I'll be sure to write that down in my diary of things I already knew.

"What do you care anyway? If you truly loved me, you would have considered how your actions would impact your own children. But hey, I won't be around long enough to have any, so I guess you can just revel in your happiness. Enjoy rotting in hell." As tears stream down my face, Vincent pulls me close. "Can we please just go? I... can't handle this."

**Vincent**

When she began revealing her wounds from her harrowing battle for survival due to her father's research, I felt her anguish deeply. She has been fighting since she was a young girl, enduring hardships that no child should ever have to face. Countless childhoods have been shattered by the actions of her parents and other researchers. As I listened to her story, all I wanted to do was shield her from any further harm.

She is right - after today, she will no longer have to see her father. This only solidifies my resolve to seek justice for what he has done to her and me. I am determined to make him pay for the pain he has caused.

As we stepped out to the car, I immediately contacted the lab and instructed them to proceed with Operation Vanquish. The target will be drained of his life force, leading to a slow and agonizing death. His suffering will be prolonged. Meanwhile, she sat in silence, gazing out the window. I reached out and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, asking, "Did I fuck up bringing you here, Nelly? Are you alright?"

"He claims you're the monster, but it's him. He..." she struggled to speak.

"Don't concern yourself with his accusations or anything he's done. He brought this upon himself. I do not harm the innocent. He and his associates were anything but innocent," I reassured her gently.

She wiped away tears from her eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

I can't believe it, but I think I might have feelings for this pain-in-the-human. Just my fucking luck too. As I'm contemplating my unfortunate situation, my phone starts buzzing - it's Alec. He's telling me about some meeting that I have to attend. Great, just what I needed - another formal gathering with the hordes. I never asked for this power, but here I am, stuck dealing with it.