It's a big room in a place that is clearly the underworld of Earth. It's sparsely-furnished as a lair. There are passages leading out of it.

::Paz appears.::

::A warlock quickly hurries over to Paz with a goblet of port on a silver tray.::

"Welcome back, sire."

"What?"

::Paz instantly recoils a little from the man with with the tray. What's going on?::

(The Underworld?)

::He looks around himself, recognising the type of scenery as that of the demonic area of the world.::

"Port? We brought out the finest in celebration."

::The warlock smiles slowly.::

"We have succeeded in doing as you asked. The girl is here and ready for you."

"I don't want any port."

::Paz waves a hand, his expression worried slightly.::

"...What girl?"

::He's clicked on, and preys that he's wrong in his guess...::

::The warlock respectfully lowers the tray.::

"She got a little scratched up when we grabbed her. My apologies, sire. But she was a wriggling little thing..."

::He smiles and looks towards one of the tunnels.::

"Bring her out."

::Two warlocks walk out, holding between them Veronica who does indeed have various scratches over her face and is giving them a hard time trying to hold her.::

::If Veronica was struggling before, now she's really going for it. Just the sight of Paz has set her off tearing at the warlocks, trying to lash out with her feet and pull them backwards.::

"No! Get him away! Stay away from me!"

::She keeps pulling.::

(Oh god...)

::He doesn't like the effect he has on Veronica and looks down for a moment, guilty.::

"Let her go."

::The warlocks look relieved at the command and let go of Veronica, swiftly moving to block the exit.::

"Veronica, it's okay."

::Paz looks at her, his expression saddened. It's horrible to see the effect he has on the girl, not that he can blame her.::

"I'm not going to hurt you. I know you don't believe me, but I'm not."

"Whatever."

::Veronica holds her hands up, but nothing is happening. She looks really worried. She turns and stares at the warlocks, but doesn't say anything.::

::The warlocks smile sweetly. One of them holds up a glowing orb.::

::Veronica turns back to Paz so she can keep an eye on him.::

"Stay away from me, you freak."

(I don't know what I'm meant to be doing...)

::Paz's eyes move from Veronica to the warlocks at the door. The orb must be her powers, which is why she's so defenseless.::

"I.."

(What? I what?)

"Have a lot to do."

::One of the warlocks chuckles.::

"We'll leave you to her, sire."

::They all three blink out.::

::Veronica looks around for something she can use as a weapon.::

"Veronica! I'm not going to hurt you. I swear."

(I could try a spell to set her free. Send her up to her home or whatever...)

"Right."

::Veronica finds a convenient athame and points it at Paz.::

"You're never going to atone for what you did to me. And what you did to so many others. You killed people, didn't you?"

::Paz steadies his breathing, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest.::

"I killed a woman, yes."

::He doesn't lie. Perhaps now is time to face everything. He'd feel a lot better with Aidan here to back him up though.::

"And I am sorry, but that wasn't all me. I was under the influence of evil, and I can't express just how sorry I am. I never would have hurt you, Veronica. You have to believe how sorry I am. Really. Truly."

"That doesn't reverse what you did. You have to repent."

::It's definitely Veronica in front of him, but she's become a lot less frightened of him.::

"I have repented. You don't think I'm sorry? It doesn't change what I did, nothing does, but I am not that same person any more."

::He shakes his head, looking at Veronica.::

"Nothing I ever do will change that I did those things, but it's in the past. I am sorry."

"There's no such thing as forgiveness for taking the life of another."

::Veronica shakes her head slowly, her dark eyes staring into his.::

"What gives you the right?"

"Nothing. It's just the way it is. I'm sorry, and there's nothing else I can do."

::He believes it, doesn't he?::

"It's not me you should be apologising to."

::Veronica shakes her head in disgust.::

"But if you think you're totally free of what you did, be my guest. What's somebody's life as long as you feel your conscience is clear? You can walk through that passage there and go back to your friends. But you know what you did. I know. She knows."

[Paz is suddenly jilted from this world and returned to his Earthly body.]

"Mother f-"

::Everything goes black.::