Good Morning

Light in the Darkness

A/N: More DR Administration speculation. Who else is obsessed with the 33 seconds of Jay in a suit?

Her eyes stay focused on the wall in front of her, refusing to look at him. She refuses to give him the satisfaction of seeing her hurt, her eyes glassy and wet with unshed tears.

"Who are you really?" she manages, her voice shaking.

She's afraid, so, so afraid. Afraid of what he's going to do to her, afraid of what he's capable of, afraid of what he might take away.

His chuckle sends chills down her spine. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

Her hands are clenched tightly, fingernails digging into her palms. She feels helpless, powerless, unable to do anything but sit there, trembling and vulnerable. How pathetic. This isn't who she is, she should be the one making him tremble in fear.

He leans in close, his breath hot on her ear. "It was foolish of you to think you could save him, the Jay that you once knew," he whispers. "No one can escape the grasp of the darkness. No one can escape the Realm of Madness."

His words hit her like a slap to the face, her heart aching at the truth of them. She was a fool, a damn fool. She should have known better than to think she could save him, to think she could change him.

But despite her fear, her anger is growing stronger. "I'm not going to let you win," she says, her voice firm and steady. "I'm not going to let you control him."

He laughs again, his grip tightening on her jaw. "It's a little too late for that, my dear. He's mine now, body and soul. He's a slave to the darkness, a slave to the madness."

Her nails are digging deeper into her palms, her blood beginning to trickle down her fingers. She clenches her teeth, refusing to give in to his taunts.

"You're wrong," she spits out. "He's not yours, he's not a slave. He's stronger than that, he's stronger than you. And I'm not going to stop fighting until I save him, until I free him from your mental grasp."

A smirk forms on his face. "Such fire, such determination. But no, you won't win. I can assure you of that."

Her anger is growing more and more, burning white-hot in her chest. How dare he, how dare he!

"I want my Jay back, not the monster you've turned him into."

"Well, too bad. He's long gone, lost in the depths of the darkness."

She grits her teeth, her nails slicing through her flesh. "No. He's not."

A flash of anger passes across his face, his eyes narrowing.

"Enough of this nonsense. You are mine, and you will obey me. There is no other option."

His fingers trail along her throat, resting on her collarbone. She flinches at his touch, her body tensing.

"Let him go," she says, her voice barely above a whisper.

He laughs, the sound harsh and grating. "Never. He's mine, and I will never let him go. You are the one who is foolish, the one who will never have him."

He's lying. He's got to be. There's no way that the man she loves, the man she swore to protect, is gone forever. He's in there somewhere, she just has to get through to him.

"If he is truly gone, then why do you care about me?" She asks, trying to call his bluff.

His expression darkens, his hand curling around her throat. "You are a means to an end. You are nothing more than a pawn in my game."