Chapter 2

'You have to leave him,' False shot her a look, as the pair received a brief reprieve from Ni's company.

Ever since False had agreed to his father's terms, he'd been forced to report in with Ni every single night with a progress report. Then, if he was unlucky, he was forced to spend the rest of the night in his father's company. It made him feel so dirty. And dirtier still because there was nothing he could do to help the one person in a worse position than him. Although that was probably what kept him coming back; the thought he couldn't just abandon her to her fate, without trying to do something, anything…

'There's no way he'll let me do that,' Helen sighed heavily, breaking his train of thoughts. 'The second I even think about trying to get away from him, he'll know, and then… then…'

'You can't honestly want to mother one of his bastard children.'

'Right now I don't even want him touching me.'

'And what does my father have to say about that?'

'He says I'll come round to his way of thinking eventually. He says he can always spot the ones who will a mile away.'

'I'm sure he's just saying that to try and break you.'

'And if it works it'll just prove he was right, huh?' Helen shook her head. 'He'll prove he was able to spot me a mile off and know I could be broken. He picked me because he knows I'm weak.'

'You're not weak Helen,' False sighed, 'you were just sucked in by his act.'

'You weren't though, were you?'

'That's probably because he antagonised me a little when I first met him. And he probably did that on purpose because he didn't want me sucked in.'

'Because he wanted you to find out you were his son?'

'Exactly, what would he need with trying to sucker me in when he can go, hey look boy, daddy's home,' False made a noise of frustration. 'I wish to all the gods up there he was not my father, but unfortunately there's nothing I can do about that one.'

'But there is something I can do about being his future baby mamma?'

'There is, if you want there to be something you can do about it,' he nodded. 'Come on Helen, this goes against everything you stand for, doesn't it?'

'Balancers are just meant to keep the Balance,' she wearily rubbed her face, 'no one said anything about them having to be good.'

'Well then I'm saying something about it,' he gritted his teeth. 'There is no way you can possibly justify this action under any term of Balance, therefore…'

'Who said it couldn't be justified?' Ni's voice sounded from behind him, cutting False's words off in his throat. 'A child born to a good and an evil parent is a balance after all, wouldn't you agree H H?'

'Hateling are a moral ambiguity,' she tilted her head, 'but that doesn't mean they're justified.'

'Why not?'

'Because…'

'Oh, H H, are you really trying to give an argument against a child being born? I thought that would be against your nature.'

'I'm not saying they shouldn't be born,' she pulled a face, 'I'm just saying they shouldn't be… I mean, they can't always be justified.'

'You don't think a child between us could be justified. Or are you specifically saying no Hateling bastard of mine can be justified?'

'I think she means both,' False met his gaze.

'Oh does she now,' Ni turned on him. 'You do realise that means she's saying your existence is unjustifiable.'

'I wouldn't deny her that,' he maintained his gaze. 'I don't think it's possible for anyone to justify what you did to me and my family. I died because of you.'

'I know,' the devil grinned, 'I think that's one of my top ten moments of the last century.'

'You're sick.'

'Tell me something I don't know.'

Snorting slightly, False turned away from him. It was way too late in the day to be having it out with Ni like this. After all, the devil was inexhaustible and could easily tie a weary person around their own words. It was impossible to win an argument with him unless you knew how to counter everything and anything thrown at you.

'May I leave now,' False folded his arms tensely.

'Only if you promise me you're going to crash on his floor,' Ni smirked.

'You like the thought of him getting ideas, don't you?'

'You said you'd do anything for me in order to save your little friends, what's wrong with this as an anything?'

'Because it's not fair on him. I don't want to…'

'Oh come on my boy, you might find you like it once you've tried it.'

'I don't want to play your sick, twisted little game with him.'

'But you've already started playing it, remember?' Ni laughed. 'And anyway, would you rather I have you play it with her instead?'

For a moment he hesitated, then he lowered his head and turned away.

'I told you I didn't want to hurt her.'

'Then you'll just have to put up with hurting him instead. Now, do you still wish to retire from my company for the night?'

'Yes,' False sighed.

'Then you'll have to make yourself a nice little bed on his floor. Unless you decide somewhere else in his room is a little more comfortable, of course.'

'You're not suggesting that I…'

'Oh, now that's really no business of mine False. Its up to you how closely to him you keep yourself.'

'I can't believe you're asking me to do this. I can't believe I agreed to do this. This isn't fair.'

'Go throw your tantrum somewhere else False,' Ni rolled his eyes in disgust, 'right now your broken record routine bores me.'

'You're only saying that because you know I'm right. You know this isn't fair.'

'Of course it's not fair. But it will be a lot of fun, don't you think?'

'Fun for who?'

'Me, naturally and maybe yourself when you come round to my way of thinking about this.'

'I'll never come round to your way of thinking. Just like I'm never going to let you…'

'See, you're protective already, that just proves how much you already care.'

'You don't even know what I was going to say,' False gritted his teeth. 'How do you know I was going to say anything about…?'

'I know you were going to say that you'll never let me get my hands on…'

'You don't know I was going to say that!'

'Oh I do. I know for sure that's exactly what you were going to say. Because you're my son, remember? I know exactly how and why you think.'

'You don't know anything about me,' he shot him a disgusted look. 'And you can't control what I do,' with that he turned and started walking away.

'That's where you're wrong False,' Ni's voice echoed after him, 'I can control exactly what you do. Have fun sleeping now, won't you?'