Mercy

A request. Not 100% happy with it, but I am so done writing it. ;;;;

Pairing: ClaudiaxHeather, implied ClaudiaxAlessa

Claudia stood completely still as the younger woman's hands gently played at her hips. "I knew you'd come back." That smile was so wicked… almost… possessive? Heather's eyes seemed to shine in the light of her dining room, grip keeping the natural blonde pinned against the side of the dinner table. Their cheeks touched and Claudia trembled at how soft and warm the other's was.

"I was expelled from Silent Hill." She tried to keep her confidence high, not letting her dizzied mind be portrayed…. though her face was flushed. "Where was I to go?" She said as Heather slowly backed her face away from the other, once again staring into her eyes. She seemed to be hiding her emotions as well. …. How odd for her.

"And what exactly were you planning to do when you got here? What did you expect I would say?" Heather gave her a tight smile, hands grasping the hips more firmly as she pressed against her. Claudia gasped quietly, hands now gripping the edge of the table, but made no attempt to get away. "Do you expect me to let you stay here? Welcome you with open arms and take care of you."

The ex-Order Priestess closed her eyes and turned away from Heather, voice calm. "Of course not."

"Ah…" Heather let out an almost-mocking chuckle and shook her head. "I get it. You want to be punished." Her body was flush against the other's now, lips just barely grazing over the woman's ear. "For sinning, right? Sinning for nothing." Claudia tensed, a sharp pain hitting her chest. "Maybe you even want to die…. For me to kill you?"

"Oh, Alessa…" Her breathing was labored, mind completely fogged over by the proximity of the other woman.

"I AM NOT ALESSA!"

Claudia felt Heather push away, but didn't open her eyes. "… Cheryl."

A short exhale of breath from Heather could have been a sigh or a scoff, she wasn't sure. "And I am NOT going to kill you. You can just let the guilt eat you alive, okay? B-because I… I'm not going to be used any more. Dad would have never wanted this for me. He… he wanted me to be happy. And… And killing you… g-getting revenge… h-has never made anyone happy. So whatever sick satisfaction you think you'll get from me punishing you, is just too bad!"

There was a complete silence between them, until Claudia opened her eyes to look at Heather. She tried to blink away the tears, but they simply fell down her pale cheeks and over the small smile that had formed over her lips. "I am… so happy…. for that…." She closed her eyes again and placed a hand over her heart. "I want nothing more than your happiness now, my dearest."

Heather was taken aback by this. "No more of this… this… 'Rebirth of God' or whatever? All that crap is over?! Just like that?!" Her voice was harsh, perhaps a bit of fear laced in with it.

The taller woman only shook her head, still with a small, sad smile. "No more of the Order. It's all been destroyed, torn apart." Heather looked to the wall and nodded. About what, Claudia wasn't sure, but she continued anyway. "And if you want me to live with my sin, I understand. I only want what is best for you now. Despite everything that happened, Ales… Heather… Despite all that I have done, I only wish for you to understand that I was doing it all for you." She stared at Heather's more gentle facial features, as she seemed to be gazing out of the window, deep in thought. "Or rather… for who you used to be. I… I must understand now that you are a new person."

Heather looked back to her now with a stern expression. "Finally."

She received another small smile in response, "And a good person, as well."

Another short silence went between them as Heather looked around the room, seemingly everywhere but at Claudia. "How did you even find me? I've moved twice since then… To another state…" She crossed her arms, but to Claudia it looked more like she was hugging herself. "I did everything to hide my tracks again…"

"You're not very skilled at it."

Heather rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. "Apparently not enough, anyway."

Claudia wiped away her own tears with the back of her hand, suddenly realizing that they were still there. She must have looked like a child. "I'm sorry for the pain I have caused you. I do not expect for you to forgive me, either. I will leave you now…" She stood straight and slowly flattened the wrinkles in her dress. She could still feel Heather's hands on her hips…. though they had long since been removed.

Heather shook her head, looking over the woman. She still seemed to be holding herself, but her body had stopped being as tense as it was when she first arrived. "And where are you going to go, huh? You can't exactly go around looking like that."

"What is wrong with the way I look?" And there was the sassy Claudia she remembered.

Heather sighed and let her arms fall again, "Do you see the way I dress?" Claudia's eye seemed to twitch slightly as she nodded, "You'll stick out like a sore thumb around people like me."

"There is not a single person in the world like you, Heather." Claudia insisted.

"Yes there is." Animated as ever, Heather's hands were at her hips. "I'm a normal person with normal dreams and a normal life! I am not special, okay?"

"You are to me." It was said with the finality of a goodbye and the woman turned to leave, dress moving about her still-bare feet. Heather stood in silence as she walked out of the dining room and through the front door. It closed softly behind her, but the noise still made the nervous girl jump a bit. It wasn't fair! None of this was fair at all!

"Dad…." She said softly to the room, shaking her head slowly, "Dad, what am I supposed to do?"

And she felt it. She felt an emotion from the deepest part of her heart, an ache, sorrow and she knew immediately that her father could never answer her prayers. But there was someone who could. From inside her mind, Alessa called out to her, pressing the inside of her skull, begging for her to act on the emotion. 'It would be okay if you gave in', it told her. 'You cannot get rid of me and I l-'

"UGH." She pulled slightly at the dark roots of her hair. "JUST SHUT UP!"

'Help her.' The dark voice insisted, 'Help my Claudia!'

She wanted to rip her own heart out of her chest and the voice was gone. The pressure in her head had dissipated with it and she was left alone again.

"C-Claudia…. But she…."

She killed my father. But I promised him… I promised I would forgive her… I didn't tell her that!

Heather burst through the front door and down the driveway to where Claudia was still walking. "Wait! Don't go!" She was already panting by the time she was near the other woman, hands trembling, reaching out to her. "Don't leave… Not yet…" She caught her breath and looked to see the blonde staring down at her with a clearly worried expression. "I forgot to tell you something…. I just have… to say this…"

Claudia nodded taking a step closer to the woman, "What is it, dearest?"

They looked into each other's eyes and Heather felt a small flood of relief wash over her soul. "I forgive you." She said with perfect honesty and the calm of her heart was clear to Claudia.

"What?" The woman replied in a near-whisper, eyes wide and shoulders tensed.

"I said… I forgive you."

She approached Claudia then, hands still outreached towards her and a cautious smile on her face. The other woman seemed to shrink at the sight of the oncoming hands, but she didn't back away. Hands were placed on either side of her cheeks as Heather pulled her down into a kiss. She wrapped her arms around Claudia's neck, holding her close as she felt her kiss tenderly returned.

Slowly, so slowly, her she backed away enough to rest her forehead against Claudia's. "Thank you…." She had never thought Claudia could speak so desperately, so full of raw emotion, in two simple words. The woman pulled Heather into a tight embrace, bodies completely pressed against one another. Heather felt hands stroking her hair.

"Stay here then…. With me?" She buried her face into the warmth of the crook Claudia's neck. "You have nowhere else to go…"

"I will, Heather! I will forever be your servant. I will do anything for your love…"

"N-no, that's… I just want you to stay here, not…" She sighed and relaxed in the comfortable arms. "We'll work on that."