Tense silence permeated the room as two men stood near one another, with one's back turned to the larger of the two. A light chuckling could be heard from the smaller man, his long body swaying in front of the window in an eerie rhythm and casting an ominous silhouetted shadow across the room. It's dark blanket laid diagonal across the tall man's worried features, hiding one of his eyes in the wavering shadow while the other eye flashed, his glasses reflecting the light of the stars.

"How lang 'ave ye been drinking Enrico?"

A hollow laugh rang around the room. "For many years my dear Alexanderrr~." Enrico's flowing Italian lilt was slurred, his tongue having lost its silver coating as the constant flow of wine corroded it away. The shadow jolted to the side as Enrico buckled to the side, but regained his footing with another chilling chuckle.

"Tha's nae whit Ah meant lad, this es nae time tae be foolin'."

"I answered your question Paladin, I fail to see the foolery in that."

"Stoop tha'." Anderson's voice turned stern as his paternal tendencies kicked in. "Enough o' this play ahn tell meh whit ye ken Ah meant."

"Ch." Loose, unkempt hair tousled as Enrico threw his head back and downed the rest of his glass. "Why? So you can judge me with that look I am sure you're giving me right now even further? Heh." Stumbling sideways he turned away from the window only to pour himself another glass. "You're like everyone else."

"Put tha' doon Enrico, dinnae make meh take et froom ye."

"And why would you do that? " Like a demented ballerina he spun on a single foot to face the only other soul in the room. All of his normal posture and balance was gone, washed away by the alcohol and the spinning nosedive that was his mental health. His head lolled to the side as he continued to sway on his feet, his dull hair having lost long lost it's splendor and pouring down his body in a tangled, tragic mess. His arm hung limp and useless in a way that reminded Anderson of the many times he had seen a man's dislocated arm. So badly did he want to walk across that void of a room, wanting nothing more to take that arm and bring the life back into it

And those eyes, usually so bright and sharp were glossy and listless, were now a swirling storm of green sludge polluting those cat eyes that could pierce into one's soul. Even through the sweaty, stray locks falling over and obscuring his face could Anderson see how far his ward had degraded, how far he had fallen into the never-ending pit of the past and the present that constantly threatened to swallow him up and devour his fragile soul.

"Tae kape ye froom hurtin' yerself any further."

"Keep me from hurting myself?" Enrico threw back his head and laughed, stumbling backwards on unsteady feet as his deprecatory laughter filled the air. Then he stopped abruptly in mid-cackle and flipped his head back to reveal the razor-sharp sneer of malice cutting across his feature. "If anyone knows how to take care of myself it's me."

Anderson involuntarily shivered as the room seemed to drop in temperature when Enrico's voice took a new cruel, condemning tone.

Painfully silent moments followed before a curt giggle broke the air.

"But of course you don't think that! Noooooo." Enrico twisted about again, waving his arms with the theatrics of an actor as he paced towards the looming windows. "It was always me that was wrong wasn't it? Never anyone else. It was all MY fault no matter what happened or the situation to you wasn't it?"

"Tha's not true-"

"Don't lie to my face Anderson!" He spun around, his hair whipping against his face and pointed a thin, accusing digit straight at the heart of his target. "In your mind all I can do is wrongs never rights! All you do is condemn me!"

Heels clicked against the tiled floor as the demented man stalked towards Anderson.

"I'm just wrong to you aren't I?"

Taking a breath through his nose, Anderson continued to stand tall and unflinching, his face remaining a perfect example of cool repose even when the vicious, snarling man shoved his twisted face up into his.

"Nae, nae yer not." Shaking his head he reached up to place a comforting hand on Enrico's shoulder but was slapped away, hard.

"Don't touch me!" Enrico spit out his words like a cobra as he twisted away out of reach.

"Ah joos' want tae help, ye need tae sit down, coom on."

"Help? You want to help? Constant lectures and condemnations are considered as "help" to you? Well then by all means! Help me! Tell me how fucked up you think I am once again!"

"Tha' es not ahn was never meh intention oor feeling ahn ye ken tha'."

"No Anderson I don't know that, because from my experiences that has been EXACTLY how you feel!"

"Enrico whit happened? Why aur ye actin' this way talk tae meh."

"Don't play me for a fool, I don't give information to people who will just throw it back in my face."

"Ah 'ave never doon tha'!"

"Yes you have! You always have and I see no reason why that would change now!"

"Enrico. Enrico Ah dinnae understand." Anderson held out his hands pleadingly walking forward and tryting to appear as non-threatening as possible. "Ah joos' want tae help ahn yer not making any sense…"

Enrico scoffed indignantly and walked away to his desk, preferring the feel of a full wineglass in his hand to the feel of Anderson's hands on his shoulders. "Of course you don't understand." He murmured into the glass, staring into the deep, rich liquid. "You never have."

He threw back a swig carelessly, with rivulets of wine dribbling down his jaw to flow down his neck. "You were always too busy understanding and caring about how others felt, but not me."

"Enrico." Anderson walked forward but kept his distance, his heart beating hard in his chest as he could only stand and watch his ward throw himself into despair. "Ah 'ave always cared aboot ye, sae mooch et hurts soomtimes, nay, almost all th' time." He paused to see Enrico's reaction and upon seeing none, continued. "Ah 'ave only criticized ye fer yer own guid, tae kape ye froom making th' same mistakes, tae kape ye froom being hurt. Et was because Ah cared about ye, not anyone else. There es nothang wrong wit ye, yer human, joos' loch everyone else, loch meh."

"You're not human."

Anderson winced at the blow, at that harsh reminder of what he really was. "Ye're right, Ah'm not. Boot mah soul es Enrico, sae dae not discount meh fer meh abilities o' empathy ahn understandin'. Mah physical status has never affected meh en those areas befoor ahn they won't now."

He felt a short burst of hope when Enrico turned his head, but it fizzled out the moment the man turned back to his drink and downed another glass.

"Enrico plaze, coom sit doon ,talk to meh."

"I always wondered why you bristled so much when reminded of what you are. It confused me." Two clacks rang out as Enrico lifted his heels to cross his legs, balancing with a remnant of his usual grace as he stared out the window, swirling his glass. "You are man made holy, the embodiment of divine punishment on earth and most valued achievement of the Vatican. You're the cause of the pride of many and all of Iscariot look up to you like the right hand of God that you are…" Enrico drifted off, the words dying at his lips as he bit at his lip. "You may not be human, but you are great, more pure and perfect than I will ever be."

From his spot behind him Anderson could hear a single faint choked sob, and a renewed rush of worry swept over him. "Dinnae say tha'." Seeing that Enrico had calmed he took a few tentative steps forward, his voice smooth and soothing. "Dinnae say sooch things aboot yerself, nae wan, not even ye, es allowed tae speak o' ye tha' way. Yer perfectly fine."

"LIAR!" Enrico swung around and roared with hair whipping about him wildly, the force of his movements sending him falling back and grasping at the desk, but all the time showing Anderson the frenzied manic sprawled all over his face. "You know what I am! The devil's child, a demon in human skin! An illegitimate bastard soul! Everyone else thinks this way! Do not insult my intelligence by insisting to my face that you do not think the same!"

"Enrico." Anderson's voice and face were stern. "Ah dae not think o' ye tha' way. Ah never did ahn Ah never will. Ye aur not those things."

"Ahhah, hah." Enrico swopped a hand over his hair before stumbling about, looking at the floor in half-hearted searching. "Why am I not surprised you'd say that?"

"Because et's true."

"Si." Disoriented feet stopped in their tracks as their master feel deep in thought, his arms dangling at his sides as he stared at the wall and went silent for what seemed like hours to Anderson. The sound of blood rushing through his veins rushed through his ears as he stood with bated breath. Enrico's demeanor had changed into a fragile composure that Anderson feared that he would shatter if he made even a whisper. He would rather not disturb what could be a turn for the better, and so waited.

"Somewhere, in the back of my mind, something is telling me that what you say is true."

Anderson caught a quick glimpse of the blankness that had overtaken Enrico's face as the man turned and like a lifeless doll made his way to the back of his desk. The screeching noise of a desk drawer being pulled open sliced the air like a rusty blade as Anderson watched, his insides twisting in tension as he strained to see what Enrico had retrieved.

A rush of horror flooded him as he saw the familiar glint of a weapon he knew all too well.

"Whit aur ye doing wit tha'?"

"Holding it of course!"

"Ah ken tha' boot why en all hells dae ye 'ave et'!"

"Ohhhhhh Anderson…" A veil of sickly grey surrounded his smoldering eyes as the man brought the blade up lovingly to his chest, holding the hilt like a delicate instrument as the deadly metal hovered near his feather-white throat. "Do you not think after years and years of being around a man who practically oozes such magnificent weaponry that I would not have one? They are my precious keepsakes."

Anderson felt sickened as Enrico closed his eyes and caressed the flat of the blade tenderly, disgusted at how he crooned with pleasure as he cradled the device of slaughter close to his vulnerable form.

"Put tha' doon, put tha' doon right noo Enrico this isnnae acceptable."

Enrico looked up, shocked and hurt. "Why do you say that? Is it because of what these are to you? Weapons? Is that all they are in your eyes?" His eyes softened as he looked down the straight of the blade. "You are so unforgiving to yourself, you see too many flaws in the perfection that you are. This blessed silver is my own little piece of you."

"Thaur weapons Enrico, nothang moor. Noo put them doon."

Bolts of terror shot through Anderson as the blade came dangerously close to his ward's exposed skin. His body twitched with the instinctive to rush over and yank the bayonet away, but he resisted, knowing that sudden movements could make unsteady hands send the blade through their master's own throat. His nostrils flared with heavy breaths as he agonized, feeling wrenched internally at the feeling of being completely stuck and helpless, forced to watch as the love of his life picked the blade of judgment up and held it like a violin, his chin resting on the flat.

"Silly man." Enrico chuckled, the sound clawing into Anderson's gut. "They are magnificent, beautiful, elegant and powerful, flying through foes and hearts alike. My heart, in particular." Enrico opened his eyes slowly to stare at Anderson with half-lidded arousal, cloudy desire turning his green eyes into an opaque, swirling, lusty haze.

And it made Anderson want to vomit.

Those were eyes that he saw while they were both at their most vulnerable, stripped bare of their trappings with their shields thrown away in the trash as they would twist together under crimson silk and satin sheets, the bold pigment a striking contrast against their gasping, moaning bodies.

Those eyes were not welcomed in a situation like this. They did not deserve to be poisoned in such a way.

If he couldn't use force, then he could use reason. "Ye dinnae need et then Enrico, Ah'm right en front o' ye, Ah'm right 'ere ahn Ah want sae desperately tae joos' hold ye right noo." He held out his arms beseechingly, his eyes begging his beloved to move his feet towards him for once, not away. "Plaze, plaze, plaze put tha' horrid substitute doon, ahn coom tae th' real thang tha's right 'ere!"

"So expertly crafted, so brilliant."

Anderson's shoulders sagged in dejection.

Blatantly ignoring him, Enrico began pretending to play it like the violin he fancied it to be with his body swaying in a hypnotizing rhythm to the music stitching itself together within his clouded mind.

"Tuned perfectly like the holy instrument of God you are, a being so perfect and clear of sound that the angels herald you in your wake. But there are no songs for me, so I must bask in yours, for you are glorious while I am nothing.

"Stoop, plaze, joos' stoop talkin'."

"The sharpest most exquisite blade in the world, and you wonder why I keep it close."

Something about the air seemed to rise in ominous energy tingles of electricity raising the hairs on the back of Anderson's neck. His heart pounded, his brow sweated, the rush of blood in his ears was deafening, roaring like the mighty flood of God as his wide eyes watched on.

Enrico was playing on, his fingers moving at a frantic pace as the song began to reach its unknown climax, and never had Anderson been so afraid of a song in his life. Each frenzied movement brought the blade dancing closer and closer to his neck, threatening to consume his flesh like the flickering flames of a growing fire.

"Coom back tae meh Enrico snap oot o' whitever 'as ensnared ye ahn coom back tae meh."

The blade began to move up and down in a slow sawing motion, cutting through the air near the flesh of his throat, taunting Anderson into a rising panic with it's deadly malice. Never had he looked at his own prided tools with such glowering anger, feeling as if they were staring right back at him, mocking him with the power they had to slice away the one person he adored above all others right out of this world.

"Let et gae! Et has naethang fer ye boot pain sae put it doon! They onlae ken 'ow tae hurt!"

"I know." Enrico's eyes snapped open to pierce Anderson like an arrow as he finished the last stroke of his song, sliding the blade high up along the edge of his throat with the elegant finality of a concertos close. Sharp eyes became cloudy as the darkness descended upon them yet again and he gazed at Anderson as if in a beautiful dream. "Isn't it wonderful?"

Anderson's eyes were glued on the scene, his body screaming at him to get over there, to stop the blade's descent and whatever it brought with it, but he couldn't, and it was tearing him at the seams.

"Enrico, Enrico stoop this, put et doon, thrown et away, dae anything except fer this madness!" His voice was panicked and shaky, his eyes flicking back and forth between the blade and eyes, searching for any tiny sign that this madness would cease all together, that Enrico would hug HIM against his chest instead of that sickening substitute.

"You just don't understand do you? Even after all I've said? Anderson, every part of you is wonderful, it is pure rapture to feel your perfection cut me like a blade."

Enrico's eyes fluttered shut and the blade slid down and sliced into his skin. "Ahhhh, ahhhyesssss, Andersssssoooonn. Ohhhhhhhhhh."

Those sounds, those sounds that were being crooned were those of intense pleasure, and getting louder by the second as the blade continued it's slow destruction, cruelly bringing Enrico to a twisted, trembling orgasm.

"Andersooonn! Ahh! AHH! ALEX!"

He bucked and shook, hitting the desk with his hips as his head was thrown back in ecstasy, screaming his transcendence to the world.

Stomach twisting, muscles tensing, those horrid sounds filling his ears Anderson rushed forward, forgetting his caution and grabbing the blade, holding it tightly despite the way it bit into his flesh. He didn't say a word, but he stared down at his lover stuck in the midst of frenzy with deathly seriousness.

Enrico's eyes jerked open to see the dangerous face glowering down at him and was cut-off mid-climax with a gasp of fear, and he cowered, frozen by the much larger man' threatening stare down.

Anderson loomed over Enrico, his own ominous tint of darkness clouding his face as he began to slowly, carefully pry the blade his ward's unmoving fingers.

The blood from his hand mixed with the blood of his dearest one's throat as he managed to finally pull it away, and tossed it far away without as much as a glance, never taking his eyes off of the wayward man.

His eyes wide and trembling, Enrico backed away swiftly, retreating to the other side of the large desk for protection.

Anderson didn't chase after him, suddenly feeling nauseous and weak as his adrenaline faded, and as the sight and smell of blood, Enrico's blood, on his fingers made him retch. He could hear the loud rush of air as he drew it into his nostrils, his chest filling and deflating as he composed himself.

Not daring to look at his hand as he wiped it off on his cassock, he instead stared at Enrico's neck intensely. The red-stained throat was not spilling forth gushes of blood, so no artery had been cut, and his lover's breathing, panicked as it was, was still normal. The cuts had been shallow, and Enrico was relatively unharmed, at least physically. In his head Anderson praised the Lord over and over again in his mind.

"W-Why, why did you look at me that way?"

Anderson's attention was snapped back to the quivering man standing across from him, and his gaze softened, brought back to his previous desperate, pained state as he saw his prince so scared and flighty.

"Ah wis scared fer ye Enrico, Ah wis terrified."

"You're just like all of them! Looking at me, scathing me with their eyes!" Clutching his head Enrico staggered about wildly before hitting the side of the desk with a yell of pain. He fell upon the desk, digging his nails into the wood as he gasped for air and struggled to stay on his feet. "I am the same thing to you as everyone else do not deny it! Even now you scorn me!"

"Enrico whit th' hell aur ye talkin' aboot Ah'm not doin' tha' ahnAh never will! Enrico Ah luv ye!"

"Love me?" Enrico's eyes widened in thought for a split second, and then faded into a cool calm. "Why the hell would you or anyone else love me? The Devil's child?"

"Ah wish ye wuid stop saying tha'."

A hollow laugh filled the air with self-deriding humor. "Stop saying that? What? The truth?" The laughs faded to mad giggles as the man bucked and bent with amusement.

An empty wine bottle was laying on the floor, bleeding out it's last few drops onto the hardwood floor as it rolled about, shaken by the foot stamping the ground with little pools of blood-red liquid trialing behind it and reflecting the moonlight pouring though the massive windows with a demon-like sheen. Another empty bottle rolled and wobbled about slightly on the desk as the man responsible for it's half-full state hit and knocked his desk around with his spastic laughter.

"Et's nay th' truth Enrico! How can Ah git ye tae see tha'?" Anderson stood a few feet away, face creased in frantic concern for his unstable ward. "Please stoop this, yeh're not en yer right mind noo. Ye need tae rest-"

"How dare you act like you care!" Enrico's face contorted with a powerful burst of rage, his eyes twitching and filled with fury as he raised his fist as high as it could go and slammed it upon the desk with reckless abandon.

Even the explosion of glass breaking into countless shards could not mask the sickening sound of bone cracking as the fist slammed down upon the desk with tremendous force, shattering the bones. The seething face glaring poisoned daggers did not show any pain from his now broken hand, the pure adrenaline mixed with the alcohol and hysteria making Enrico near immune to pain.

Anderson felt as if his own bones had been crushed when he heard his ward's aristocratic hand snap.

"Enrico! Stoop et! Ye've hurt yeself!" Now panicked Anderson leapt forward and ran around the desk, restraining the man with a tight grip on his shoulders. "Plaze, plaze joos' calm doon ye need help noo."

Enrico screamed at the restraint and thrashed about, kicking like a mad horse at Anderson's unwavering legs. "Get your hands off of me you lying bastard! You have no right to touch me!" Eyes flashed with bright insanity, shining with a deadly glint under the moonlight casting a sickly shadow across Enrico's twisted, contorted face. "Don't touch me! Get off! GET OFF!" Screeching in an unearthly voice he swung that long neck around to smash his head into Anderson's face with a force so great that a loud crack resounded throughout the room.

Anderson hissed sharply through tensely clamped teeth as he felt the bone of his nose break from the blow, the sudden stab of blinding pain causing his grip to tighten immensely without thinking. All the power of his indomitable tendons clasped Enrico's narrow shoulders like the talons of a hawk, squeezing and crushing a frame not meant for such treatment unbearably hard. His disoriented senses now overloaded with bone-crushing agony his eyes grew wide, the terror reflecting in them as clearly as if one was looking into a mirror. Writhing under the agonizing grip he wailed pitifully, futilely struggling against Anderson's deadly grip.

A distressed wail alerted Anderson to the harm he had unintentionally caused and let the man go as his stomach dropped in absolute horror at what he had accidentally done. The metallic tang of his own blood stung his tongue as it ran into his agape mouth, looking at his hands, and then to the man shaking and stumbling around, his constant cries cutting his heartstrings.

"Ah'm sae saerry…" Anderson slowly started forward, hands outstretched to show he meant no harm as he whispered his pained apologies. "Ah'm sae saerry, Ah'm sae saerry Ah dinnae mean tae…"

"STAY THE HELL AWAY! GET OUT!"

"Enrico plaze, dinnae dae this Ah'm saerry!"

"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!" Anger and terror flashed across Enrico's eyes as he grabbed an empty bottle and chucked it at his protector, but then crying out from the pain in his shoulder.

Anderson ducked away but didn't retreat, moving forward, trying to calm his prince, to hold him-

He stopped, suddenly feeling the sickening sensation of muscles and bones crushing under his palms, even though his hands were empty.

"Aye, Ah'll gae." He slowly straightened up and walked off, feeling as if the world were spinning about him, that it wasn't reality and it was all just a horrid dream. The door seemed miles away and he felt as if hours had passed as his hand felt the cool metal of the knob in its grasp.

Anderson froze at the door, his heart wrenching as he continued to hear the agonized pants and whimpers coming form across the room. He didn't want to go, he wished to God that Enrico would come to his sense and let Anderson scoop him up in his arms and care for him, like he always did.

"Ah dinnae want tae leave ye loch this Enrico. Ah really dinnae."

"I don't care! Just leave!"

"Ah will though, because Ah seem tae beh doin' moor 'arm than guid tae ye, ahn Ah dinnae want tha'. Boot mah doors aur open, ef ye need meh." He took a deep shaky breath as he blinked back the tears spilling from his eyes and onto the doorknob. "Ah joos' want ye tae beh alricht."

Only angry huffing resounded across the gap between them as Anderson waited for a response.

"Aye, Ah see."

The door felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds as he pushed it open, turning back to look at his ward one more time. "Ef ye need meh, plaze coom tae meh. Ah luv ye Enrico."

The doors shut with a hollow ring as he exited, walking briskly back to his room as he fought the spiraling pit of despair twisting inside him.