Gore: Winterwidow

Chapter 17: Curtain

James couldn't remember how he had gotten a cigar in his hand or why he was alone with Davis now. Where had all of the shadows gone? He was slumped in a chair, still in shock and disbelief about Natasha. He had really come to trust her- the first time in his life he had trusted anyone. And she had just used him for who knows why. Was it because of his looks? Or for the hell of it? Was this all some sort of game to her?

"Karma hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" Davis puffed out a ring of smoke out and watched the smaller vampire take this all in. "Hey, no hard feelings about all this. I thought you two were really banging it off together, but I guess you've been just as clueless as the next guy."

All James could do was give a small, numb nod and stare off into the nothingness that filled his mind now. He focused his eyes for a moment on Davis, but then just went back to placing the cigar in his mouth and inhaled deeply, letting the chemicals soothe his brain and nerves. Not that it did anything much more than that. He wished it could kill him now, just to save himself the grief and shame of not knowing he was being played as well as the next nameless bastard that wanted Romanoff for stupid reasons.

Davis kept on watching him and leaned back in his chair to light yet another cigar and sighed as he trapped it between two massive fingers. "I can tell you're different to her, though. She doesn't seem as unapproachable when you two are together. Must have been hella more fun for her to torture you like she did. It's good riddance to Romanoff. I'll have someone tail her by tomorrow. No one plays Charles Davis and gets to go on living."

James came a little more to life when those things were said, and if she was anyone else, he would have agreed whole-heartedly. But seeing as it was Natasha, and Davis planned on killing her out of vengeful spite, he had to intervene. Even if that meant triggering the giant again. James knew that Natasha wasn't worth dying for now that he knew the truth, but he would've wanted it that way if he had to go. It had all seemed so real... Guess nothing was ever meant for him.

"And what the hell will that change?" he growled as he bit down slightly on the cigar. His heart was broken, yes, but he wasn't going to cry about it. He was just too far in to pull himself out and see the whole picture. "She's a slutty snake, yes, but why kill her? To save another guy the trouble? She's not worth it..."

James then leaned forward in his chair slightly and snuffed out the butt end of his cigar on the arm. He was ready to receive his punishment for every monstrous thing he'd done in his life. Murder, of course, even though it was for his own survival. It was cowardly. And then he'd used and lied to Lanna, and he had fallen in love with Romanoff. Even if he loved Lanna as well, it was nothing compared to his rose. Well, not his rose anymore...

"I need you to finish the job, Davis," he said in a low voice and flicked his smoke away. "Just make it quick. I don't want to have to wait any longer for this."

Davis sighed and crushed out his butt as well, letting it simmer for a moment. He didn't seem like he wasn't okay to still end up killing James, since he had consent and he probably thought he had lived long enough and suffered too much.

"One last thing, Barnes," he said as he gazed into the smaller vampire's eyes once more. "You've gotta tell me something. Tell me something that will confirm what we know about the snake."

"Fine."

"Tell me... Did she ever say she loved you?"

James thought about it for a moment, but it didn't take long to come up with the answer. The painful truth. It made him want to just end it all before it rolled off his tongue. Because he knew that she hadn't, and that he was the only one to have told her those three terrible words.