You Better Not Be Her Prey 3

Chapter 5: Need to Feel Human

One month later... 

There hadn't been a string of murders for a while. Bucky had heard some stuff about a few terrorist cells being destroyed overseas, and then a few murders here and there, but nothing as large as what happened when the murders first popped up. He walked up the steps to his house, noticing that when he touched the doorknob, the door was unlocked. Funny, he thought. The door was locked when I left the house. He opened the door and stepped inside, seeing the darkened living room. Suddenly a light switched on to his right, and he stumbled backwards, half in shock and fright, beholding the person in the chair. It was her. She was staring at him, inky black abysses swirling within her eyes. 

'Angel,' he said. 'It's been a while.'

'It has,' the Angel replied, not unkindly, but the voice was cold and detached, nonetheless. 'It has indeed.' He walked to the kitchen, keeping a wary eye on the Angel just in case she decided to attack him again. Can't have that happening, not like the last time, he thought to himself. He poured himself a drink, still warily watching her. She was quiet, and it seemed for a moment, her eyes were searching his, but he could never tell, not with those inky black pits that used to be the eyes of the woman he once loved and knew as his Adelaide. 

'Is Adelaide coming back?' he asked her. The Angel looked at him, vamp speeding to meet him at the kitchen counter. 

'No. Not for a while. She's locked herself in this body, and while she is here, I will exact my vengeance upon Heaven's delight.' 

'So, you're the one responsible for the deaths.'

'I only did what was necessary.' 

'Give me my wife, now.' 

'I can't. No, actually, I can't. Once she locked herself in this body, only she can choose to come out of it.'

'You drove her to this. You are a vile, soulless monster. Why do this?'

'Before all of this, I was Heaven's Angel of Death, their sole weapon for extracting Heaven's will through death. The firstborn of Egypt... that was me. And every damn death since has been mine to take, because Heaven decreed it. But because Heaven cast me out of Azrael all those years ago, now I will take what is mine without their permission. Your wife has had my darkness in her all these years, and now, because she became something that she feared, she let me in. Heaven always gave so much for humanity, always treasured them... even more than the angels themselves sometimes. Now, I will destroy what Heaven has always guarded - humanity. And I'll use her to do it. She's strong enough, she could destroy the very foundations of the Earth itself if she wished it.'

'You're insane.' 

'Insanity is often a mark of greatness, James,' she said. 

'Let her go. She is innocent in all this. Look, if there's a chance you can let her through for a moment, then please.' The Angel smiled softly, then reached out, touching his cheek. 

'Close your eyes,' she said softly. He did so, and when he opened them, he was met with the eyes of his Adelaide. 

'Hi,' she said softly. He kissed her, tentatively, and she reciprocated. The kiss got deeper and deeper, and her sweet moan reached his ears. He cracked a smile against the kiss, pushing her slightly backwards against the kitchen counter. She groaned and he got her to jump, continuing to kiss her as she sat on the kitchen counter. She shed her jacket, and he followed suit, picking her up in his arms and bringing her over to the couch, practically dumping her on top of it and crawling on top of her, claiming her mouth with his again as she responded with a soft chuckle. 

The two laid on the floor, haphazardly covered in more than a few blankets. She was laying on his chest, the two breathing softly, her tracing patterns on his bare chest absentmindedly. 

'I missed you,' he said softly. She kissed his chest and continued to trace patterns. 

'I did too. I'm sorry I wasn't able to come back sooner.'

'It's okay. You needed time. But what the Angel did -'

'I locked myself in that body. I couldn't - I just couldn't keep bearing the pain of losing her. My mother. It was too much. The Angel seemed like an escape.' 

'Do you know what the Angel is making you do?' 

'I'm aware, but every time I feel remorse, or guilt, the Angel pushes it back down again. It's like - I'm taking a backseat in my own mind. Somehow, it's even worse than when I was the Winter Phoenix.'

'You're not the Winter Phoenix, though. This is so much different. And I can tell it's different. The murders that happened... far more violent than both your doppelganger and the Winter Phoenix combined.'

'The Angel wants revenge on Heaven for casting her out.'

'So, she told me.' There was momentary silence between the two. Adelaide withdrew herself from Bucky, pulling the blankets up around her chest and moved to the couch, sitting up with her back against it as Bucky laid on the rest of the blankets, staring at the ceiling. 'Why you, though? She couldn't have chosen someone else?'

'I always had that darker side within me, James,' Adelaide replied pointedly. 'You knew that.' 

'I did. I just didn't think it was going to come out in this manner.' 

'I'm leaving the States soon,' Adelaide said, turning her attention to some dirt under her fingernails. 'Thought I'd convince the Angel to let me see you again as myself before I left.' He sat up, looking at her. 

'Why?'

'The Angel knows - she knows that there's people coming after her. Not humans, as you know. Other angels. She's gone rogue within my body, and God knows I'll be held complicit for her actions.'

'So, you're aware of what's happening, and yet you can't stop it?'

'Essentially, yeah. I've tried to stop her, do anything, kick her out of my mind, but she's just too powerful. When I realised what a huge mistake I'd made, locking myself in that body, even if it was temporary, I tried to stop her from fully taking over. But it was too late. She'd already made herself comfortable in my body. Every time she kills, I - I feel weaker. I feel weak, exhausted, even now. I think she's draining my life force to keep herself strong.' He crawled towards her, casting the blankets aside. He'd put on a pair of shorts after they'd finished with their moment together. He sat, cross-legged in front of her, watching her. She looked up at him and offered her hand. He took it. 

'Your hand's cold as ice,' he said softly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. 

'Like I said, I feel weaker. Much weaker than before. My only hope is that I can either kick her out myself, or that I can put her in the backseat for a bit so I can learn how to control her. Right now... she's running rampant, and I can't stop her.'

'Then stay, and I can help you control her.' 

'They'll come for me.'

'I would protect you.'

'Even after what I did to you? To the kids?'

'Yes.'