Witch Hunt || Stucky ✔

XVII - Barnes Comes Clean

"Talk." Is the first thing that Steve says, as he and James get back into the house and sit down at the table.

James is quiet for awhile, not sure on how to say it. Steve knows he's a witch now, and James himself has discovered that the witch who had killed Steve's wife, was his aunt, Nadia, and that Steve is out to kill her just as he is himself.

Though, the fact that Steve is wanting to kill Nadia just as much as he is, might just make this whole thing a little easier. But who's to say that once Nadia is dead, that Steve won't try and kill him straight after? He did say he's killed witches before, and he's got one sitting in his house right now. One that's been living with him for awhile now...

"James, please talk." Steve urges him.

"Where do you want me to start?" James ask, not meeting eye contact with Steve.

"From the start would be nice." Steve says.

Sighing, James shakes his head. Steve has the right to know, but James was never expecting it to be revealed like this.

"Nadia had betrayed her own sister. My mother." He starts. "She had purposefully let it slip to the town that my mother was a witch, and she was executed for it." He says. "I was only thirteen at the time, and I've been on my own ever since."

He risks looking over at Steve to find him listening intently to what he's saying. James takes that as a good thing, and that Steve seems to be willing to listen to what he's saying.

"I had followed in my mother's footsteps after that, and had became a witch myself. Though, it's always been in my blood to be a witch. But after Nadia had gotten my mother killed, I had sworn that the next time I see her, I'd kill her." He says. "The problem is, she's quite powerful. Much more powerful than I am, and she only seems to be getting stronger."

James looks down at the table at that, not really sure on what else to say. He hadn't prepared himself for telling Steve at all that he's a witch, and that's the thing that he has to do right now. But at least Steve seems to be interested in hearing it all, and not just killing him straight away.

Actually, James doesn't even know if Steve is planning on killing him or not. He wouldn't be surprised if he does, and he wouldn't be angry if he is to kill him.

"Why did you become a witch?" Steve asks.

James looks up at him. "Like I said, it's always been in my blood to become a witch." He says. "I didn't want it at first, but after Nadia got my mother killed, I decided to follow my destiny, and become what I'm always supposed to be." He sighs, shaking his head. "And, even though I love it, it's also torture. I can't stay in one town for long periods of time, in case the townsfolk find out about what I am."

Steve nods, sighing a little. "You think I'm going to kill you now, don't you?" He asks. "Well, I can't deny that I don't like what you are, but what we've got between each other..." He trails off.

"I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see me after this." James says. "If it's for the better, once we've killed Nadia, I can leave this town for good, and leave you and the girls alone. If it's what you want, then you don't have to see me ever again."

Steve doesn't directly reply to that. He's not even sure what he wants to happen after they've killed Nadia. He doesn't know for sure whether or not he wants James to stay here still afterwards, or have him leave and not return.

But in killing Nadia, where are they supposed to even start? James says she's much more powerful than he is, so that's going to make it a hell of a lot more difficult to kill her.

"Can I ask how exactly you know Nadia?" James asks. "I understand that she killed your wife, but how did you come to meet her?"

Even though he doesn't want to talk about it, Steve knows that James has every right to know how he knows Nadia. Well, he supposes he does anyway, seeing as the woman is his aunt, and had gotten his mother killed.