Sorry about the wait on this guys, I've had a pretty busy week.

Then.

I must have heard her incorrectly, that must have been it. Why would she possibly want me to kill Finn? It's not like she's ever considered him to be a real threat to us. And with the rest of the peace patrol out of the way the odds weren't exactly on his side, but maybe they were more wary of him now than they were before, maybe throwing me in jail had consequences he couldn't predict. Maybe the reason he worked so well as the Midnight Man, the reason he was able to do so much good is because of just how much everyone underestimated him, but they're starting to figure him out, that robbery he stopped, that was pure genius. I still wonder how he makes some of the things he does, he's not a scientist or anything. He always told me that building things came as naturally to him as breathing, and there really didn't seem to be much more of an explanation for it. Maybe he couldn't really figure it out himself. I look at Sue and can tell that she's a bit perplexed as to why I haven't said anything, so I swallow hard and offer the only words I can manage.

"Why?"

"Why?" Sue says as if the question is ridiculous. "You're seriously asking me why I want to destroy the Peace Patrol even though it's been my number one goal since they hit the scene?"

"No, I get your plan, I just don't understand why you want me to kill Fi- Gadget," I say, trying to sound as neutral as possible and not entirely succeeding. I pull myself together then and try to put on an air of confidence that I'm not sure is very convincing. "I mean, you know me, I like a challenge."

"And I offered you one, which you declined, besides I'm sure you're positively aching for a revenge kill right about now."

"The only reason he bested me is because I underestimated him."

"And now you won't have that problem," Sue offers. "Just look out for his dastardly ankle roping device and you should be fine," she adds sarcastically.

I can't do it, I think to myself. It's Finn, as much as I hate him for what he did to me, and who he chooses to associate with, I can't imagine my life without him, I can't imagine him closing his eyes and never opening them again. I shake my head then, so subtly I'm sure she doesn't catch it at first.

"Please don't tell me that you've gone soft since he put you away," Sue says.

"No, I just can't do it… It's beneath me," I lie, still feigning the confidence I don't feel inside.

"But what about your reputation? Surely you don't want to go down in history as the powerful super villainess who got bested by shortbus Batman."

"We don't have to kill him Sue, once his super friends are taken care of he won't stand a chance," Yes he will, because I'll protect him, I think silently.

"You know you're probably right," Sue agrees, and I breath a silent sigh of relief. "Even still if you won't do it I'll send someone else. Caterwaul's been bugging me about a job like this for months now."

"Wait, what," I say, a bit panicked.

"Gadget is a nuisance, we'd all be better off without him in the way, but if you think it's beneath you then fine, I'll send someone else, someone who'll have a little more fun with it."

If anyone else goes after Finn, they'll kill him without a second thought, kill him horribly, and I can't let that happen. If I'm the one responsible for taking him out then I can make it quick, easy, painless. I can kill with my mind. I know I can because I did it to a cow when I was on a school field trip. I didn't mean for it to happen, I was seven, I didn't even know I had the ability, but the girls, the girls in my class were so brutal to me, making fun of my clothes, my hair, my jew nose… my dads. I got so angry, so enraged that I lost control of my power, and the cow had to pay the price. I've been a vegan ever since. I've only used that power once since then, it was another accident, a horrible, horrible accident that made me promise to never ever use it again, and I would never in a million years use it on my Finn. It hurts, that cow was in total agony before he died… and I would never want to do that to someone I loved, not again.

"I'll do it," I say quietly, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'll kill him."

"Excellent," Sue says, clapping me on the back. "But first things first, I need your assistance at the Founder's day ball."

"Why?"

"It's a big event, if anyone tries to take me out I'm going to need protection, the whole gang is going incognito, it should be fun."

"I'll go," I say. "But only if I can sing."

"If you must," she says, annoyed. "And hey, maybe your friend Gadget'll be there, wouldn't that be a kick?"

"Why would he come?"

"Like I said, these events are a great opportunity for these guys to get themselves killed by fruitlessly trying to attack me, remember the Tantrum incident two years back?"

I do remember the year Tantrum tried to defeat Sue at the founder's day ball, luckily I showed up just in time to screw with her mind until she fled the scene. I suppose it would make sense to have me there from the beginning. I nod quietly, agreeing and hoping to god that Finn won't show up. I'll bring my gun just in case, a shot to the head seems about as quick and painless as it gets.

Now

I couldn't do it, I couldn't kill him, I had my chance and I couldn't pull that trigger. It was his eyes, his warm amber eyes staring into mine, pleading with me to let him live, telling me that he loves me. How could he? How could he possibly still love me after that? Maybe for the same reason I could still love him after what he did to me. But now what? If I don't kill him someone else will, there's no point in delaying the inevitable, but I simply can't do it. I can tell him to run, run far away where nobody could ever find him, but he'll never do that, his whole life is about protecting this city, the city that ruined him. I know that it's crazy, that I should be ashamed of myself for even considering this, but I need to see him, to talk to him, so as soon as I rip off my clothes and collapse onto my bed, I close my eyes, stinging with hot tears and I look for him, I'm thinking he might be at the peace patrol headquarters, the only place he can go to protect himself from my telepathy, it was Kid Kinetic of all people who realized that I can't think past airtight spaces. Luckily he's not there, he's at his apartment, still in his Phantom costume, and I still hate that I couldn't savor how good he looked at the ball. He's lying on his back, in his bed, still awake, looking conflicted as hell, because why wouldn't he? I hone in on his thoughts then and I realize that he's already trying to contact me.

"HC, please talk to me, please, I just need to hear your voice right now. I just need you to help me understand.

"Finn?" I finally say, projecting the thought into his mind, and he shoots up in bed at the sound of my voice, probably worried that I'm there. "Finn, I'm so sorry."

"HC, just tell me what happened, please, because I'm kind of freaking out right now."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry."

"You tried to kill me," he says, his voice frantic. "And not the way you usually try to kill me it was like… like you meant it."

"I wish I could tell you-

"Then tell me baby," he says so gently, making my heart ache. "Did something happen to you?"

"No, I mean… I don't know."

"Then why did you try to kill me?" he says more firmly this time.

"I have to see you," I say, knowing what to expect, why would he agree to meet with me after what happened?"

"Okay," he says after a long silence. "Meet me on the rooftop."

He's waiting for me, the way he said he would, he's dressed in his uniform, clearly ready for a fight if he needs to be, and I'm dressed in mine, ready to fight back if I have to, but that doesn't happen, instead he walks up to me slowly.

"HC, did Sue tell you to kill me?" he says carefully. And I nod wordlessly.

"And you agreed?" he says a bit angrily.

"I didn't have a choice," I cried. "If it weren't me then she would just send someone else."

"I can't believe this," he says, shaking his head. "I can't believe I thought you would change."

"That's not fair Finn," I say tearfully. "We're enemies, that's the way it's always been. You know what I am. "

"No, that's not who you are," he shoots back. "You're not like them, you keep swearing that you are but you're not, because if you were you would have pulled that trigger."

"Just because I love you doesn't mean I'm a good person," I say miserably. "I'm not."

"Yes you are, deep down you are."

"There is just so much that you don't know about me Finn, and if you knew those things you wouldn't be able to look at me let alone love me."

"I'm here aren't I?" he says angrily. "You've beaten me to a pulp, you've hurt my friends and tonight you tried to kill me but I'm still here, I'm here because whether you know it or not I do love you… no matter what. But I need you to talk to me. I need you to tell me what's going on HC."

The tears leak down my eyes and drip off of my mask, and I really need to stop letting him see me cry. Could I do this? Could I actually betray Sue? The woman who raised me, who took in a monster, who taught me to accept who I was? I couldn't, but I couldn't hurt Finn either, and I would kill anyone who ever tried to do the same.

"You have to run Finn," I say brokenly. "You have to go someplace far away where nobody knows you, where you can be someone else, and I'll find you, I will because I can find you anywh-

"You know I can't do that," he says, cutting me off, and if I didn't love him so much I would despise him.

"God, why do you always have to do the right thing?" I yell, frustrated.

"Just please, tell me what she's planning, why is she so interested in killing me all of a sudden?"

"I can't, don't you see that I can't?"

"You told me that Sue doesn't own you," Finn says, using my words against me. "Prove it."

"Finn-

And he cuts me off again, but this time with a kiss, he takes me into his arms and captures my lips in his, and I can't help but melt against him. I wasn't supposed to be this girl, I couldn't betray my friends, my former guardian, not for a guy, not even this one. And I believe that he loves me, I know he loves me, but like always he's trying to use me, to use my affection for him to get the upper hand, and it's not like I wouldn't do the same thing, hell, I have done the same thing. But I can't let him do this. So I break the kiss, resting my forehead against his.

"Finn, you're going to die if you stay here, and I can't let that happen," I whisper into his lips.

"Baby please just tell me, if your information stops Sue's plan I can convince them to pardon you, you won't have to go back to jail, and I can protect you, I can keep you safe from her, I will."

"But who's going to keep you safe from me?" I whisper again.

He knits his brow in confusion but before he can say anything I hit him with a quick, powerful head butt, knocking him out, sending him to the ground.

"Last time sweetie, I promise," I say and I take my communicator out of it's compartment and press the button that contacts Sue.

"Is it done," Sue says coldly.

"Yeah," I repeat, looking down at my unconscious lover. "It's done."

Stay tuned folks!