A/N - Just something to pass the time before season 2 starts. And for me to finally move away from Harry Potter fanfiction. I hope you enjoy and R&R if you please :)

- "It's quite simple, really. My power... means more to me... than you." [1x12 Skin Deep]

Word count: 501

The first few days were the hardest. He had trouble getting used to empty hallways again. There was no tea waiting for him on the table when he came down in the morning, the kitchen was cold and rid of delicious scents usually wafting from the stove, the air had gotten heavy again with no one to air the rooms every day. He blamed himself for adjusting too much to the subtle changes she had made in the castle. He despised the almost homely feel it now had, as bleak and dreary it already was without her delightful presence, and yet, after the initial destructive rampage, he couldn't bring himself to change anything. He convinced himself it was because he didn't care. The truth was, he missed her too much.

There was a difference between being alone and being lonely. One could be in a middle of a crowd and still be lonely and such was his usual custom – keeping everything as distant and non-personal as possible. He couldn't even remember why he had claimed her as the price for his services in the first place! Was it the way in which she held herself? The expression of annoyance and mild disgust as that fiancé of hers treated her as an incompetent child? He might have been intrigued by her. A thought might have crossed his mind that she might be a sensible, intelligent person he might have a decent conversation with.

And then, before he even had the chance to figure out what was happening, she had nestled herself so comfortably in his life. Almost unwillingly he had let her in, let his loneliness disperse as if it never even existed until suddenly, abruptly as a candle being blown out, she was gone and he was left all alone in the dark once again, crawling on all fours and trying to piece back together the broken pieces of himself. She had destroyed and revived him at the same time and left him yearning for more, even if it meant more heartbreak and more pain. Funny, until now, he wasn't quite sure if he even had a heart anymore…

Yes, he did miss her. He couldn't deny it. And he hated it. He hated that devious little part of himself that would have made him betray the only thing that ever mattered to him in a heartbeat. He took a vow, he pledged he would find Bae again, by using all of his power, all means possible. And he had almost thrown it away for what? A girl with a pretty smile and too meddling for her own good?

Yes, letting her go was definitely the right thing to do, if he ever did one. Not only that he didn't really need her, she was starting to become a threat to him as well. It was an act of simple self-preservation. He would never admit it was, in fact, selfless nobility. She was the one who was better off without him.

I wear this crown of thorns upon my liar's chair

full of broken thoughts I cannot repair

beneath the stains of time the feelings disappear

you are someone else, I am still right here

Johnny Cash – Hurt [Nine Inch Nails Cover]