He never thought that he would embrace the darkness again. He had locked it all away months ago, hoping for some sort of redemption for his sins. Given a second chance when he least expected it was a blessing in disguise.
All the things that he had done up until now had been one more step forward in this strange journey of his. He held back from ever going back into that dark place every again, locking it away in a part of his heart, knowing that he could never be rid of it for good.
He couldn't forget it. The second he did, he would lose everything he worked so hard to rebuild. His new livelihood revolved around him choosing good over evil. He held the people that he worked with at arms length, afraid of letting them get too close, afraid that his past would swallow them up.
She had become a victim to that as well. Despite his best attempts to keep her away, she always managed to come back to him.
People changed. He was a prime example of that.
Looking into the doe brown eyes of the woman across from him, at that very moment, he realized why he was going to do the one thing he never thought he would do.
This woman standing in front of him was his equal. Of the millions of people out there, she was the only one that could affect him the way she had.
He found himself smiling more because of her. He became more protective when she was in danger. He wanted to have something more with her than any other woman he had ever met. He had her as an asset to him. She evolved to becoming someone he was glad to call a friend.
The last few days had been hard on her. His discovery of her activities made him wonder how much stress was on her shoulders.
Touching her cheek at this moment was for him to have something to remember. He wanted her to remember him as the man he had become in her eyes.
He wanted to be remembered by her as the man she respected. He wanted to be remembered by her as a friend she could trust.
He saw the silent plea in her eyes, understanding what he was about to do but refusing to accept it. She wanted him to stay. The words never left her lips but her eyes told him everything.
Her soft skin under his fingertips would be the last good thing he would remember.
The darkness would take all that he ever loved away just as it had before with another woman. It would be painful but he would do it to protect her.
She would never know what it would be like to have blood on her hands. That was his burden to bear.
Even with the choice, he would have no regrets. It would all be to protect her from the dark.