*x*o*x*o*
I think I'm drowning
Asphyxiated
I wanna break this spell
That you've created
You're something beautiful
A contradiction
I wanna play the game
I want the friction
You will be the death of me
~Muse~
*x*o*x*o*

The swirl of noise and fluorescent lights is nauseating. A cacophony of never ending sound, chatting mindlessly to the tune of a cellphone or iPod or netbook or laptop… Ceaseless and senseless technology. It's giving him a headache.

People mingle and loiter about. Rushing in and rushing out. Always rushing. Their lives in constant motion, but no one is getting anywhere. The rich get richer and the fat get fatter and the lazy get lazier and the dumb get dumber… An endless cycle. Tommy throws his head back and groans loudly remembering why exactly he hates the mall so much. It's so pedestrian and mind-numbingly dull. Consumerism at its finest.

Selina shifts her weight from left to right, pondering the choices before her. In one hand, a silver tie with black stripes and in the other, dark red.

"What do you think? Which one do you like better?" She asks the man in front of her as she holds each tie up to his neck, squinting her eyes as if deep in thought.

Why does she do this? Drag him along as if he were her pet. As if he is nothing more than just another accessory. He had told her that he didn't want to go. Why doesn't she ever listen? Tommy's blood pressure begins to rise as he glares at her soft face, her delicate features and dangerous curves. Worse question yet, why does he let her do this to him?

"For the hundredth time, Selina… I. Don't. Care." Tommy groans while impatiently rolling his eyes. "Just pick one and let's go already."
"Why are you being so difficult?" Selina huffs as she crosses her arms, her eyes narrowing on her unruly husband.
"Why do you care so much about a stupid tie? I have plenty of ties at home. Why don't I just wear one of those?"
"Because I want you to look good. Tonight's really important to me."
"And the ties I already have at home look like shit? Or is it just me that doesn't look good to you? Does my appearance not appease you? Because if that's the case then no GODDAMN tie on this planet is gonna fix that. Perhaps I shall begin work on my face again. Right here and now. I'm sure I have a scalpel here somewhere… Why don't I carve myself up to look like Bruce again, huh, Selina? You'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Tommy!"

Soft Jazz wafts through the store's PA system as Tommy and Selina silently glare daggers at one another, waiting for the other to make the next move.

Their fights would always begin like this. Senseless bickering that would result in much more harmful and hurtful words filled with spite and resentment, mostly on his side. This would then lead Selina to lash out or hit him and Tommy to storm off before he could act on the impulses running through his head.

Their fights had been becoming more and more frequent lately ever since marrying and moving in together. Tommy had secretly hated her for allowing him to give up his family mansion, even though it was his idea. He had wanted to start fresh. A new life without his old demons dragging him down. A second chance. But nothing's that easy. They are two alphas in a constant power struggle for dominance over their relationship and household.

He wanted to keep their relationship a secret and she wanted to go public. He wanted to go to a lecture on the latest developments in neurology and she wanted to spend the day on the yacht. He wanted to shoot down the bank security guard and she merely wanted to subdue him. The list goes on and on. The constant give and take, and yet neither getting what they want. There is no compromise. Sometimes he wonders if this was a good idea.

Smartly dressed in a shimmering black halter and blatant white nametag, a bubbly twenty-something approaches their territory. An unsuspecting innocent bystander soon to be caught in the crossfire. Her hideously bleached blond hair bounces as she tilts her head and smiles sweetly at them from behind lifeless eyes. Saccharine sweet. Nauseatingly sweet. Phony. Fake.

"Hi! I'm Mandi. Do you need any help finding anything?" The girl asks in her singsong voice. Her spiel sounds like a tape recording, something she's said over and over again, hundreds if not thousands of times a day. So impersonal and dull.

"No. We're fine." Selina assures the girl, silently begging her to back away while she still can. The blonde bimbo smiles and nods before quickly turning away. Not quick enough. A grin forms on Tommy's face, widening to Cheshire proportions as he looks into Selina's glaring eyes. They seem to be screaming "don't you dare," which only eggs him on further.

"Uh… Mandi, was it?" Tommy calls out after the clerk. The girl turns around, the same bubblegum sweet smile still plastered to her face. Glancing at her nametag, Tommy reads it aloud. "Ah, yes. Mandi with an "I." Perhaps there is something you can help me with. You see, I just can't decide…" Forcefully yanking the two ties out from Selina's hands, he holds them up to the young girl's neck and smiles that same sweet, fake smile back at her. "Which do you think would look best while strangling someone?"

The girl giggles nervously, unsure whether or not he is joking, as Tommy steps inside her personal space. Placing his hands around her throat, he starts tying the silver tie around her neck, looping end over end as he creates a knot.

"You see, the red one would hide any bloodstains nicely should you find the urge to slash your victim's throat, but the silver and black is just so… What did you call it again, Selina? Sexy?"

Tears begin to stream down the girl's face as he pushes the knot up against her throat, tightening the noose. He can hear Selina yelling at him, but it does not seem to matter. Not until he has gotten his point across, anyway. Her lips begin to quiver and she chokes back a sob. No longer smiling. No longer fake. This is real. This is real emotion. Perhaps the first real thing she's ever felt in her entire god forsaken miserable life. Tommy laughs in sadistic delight as he releases his hands, watching as she runs away with mascara running down her makeup caked face.

Turning back towards Selina with the red tie in hand, he thoughtfully looks down at the object and nods coolly, acting as if nothing even happened.

"Red tie it is then. "

Looking up at his wife's glowering face, Tommy throws his arms at his side like an impatient child and sighs loudly.

"What now? You told me to pick out a tie and I picked out a tie. What more do you want from me? Don't tell me you forgot you're married to a PSYCHO."
"No. I just happened to forget that I'm married to a giant ASSHOLE." Selina replies sharply as she turns and leaves the store, leaving him behind to sulk alone.

Watching as she becomes further and further from sight, Tommy can't help but feel bad about what he's done. What was that emotion? Regret? No. Can't possibly be that. He regrets nothing. So why does he feel so horrible. Running his fingers through his sleek, red hair, Tommy growls as he begins searching for the registers.

They say the first year of marriage is always the hardest… Which must make it even MORE difficult when you're a psycho killer and a crazy cat lady!
Poor Mandi… She should have known better. Never get caught between a lover's quarrel when said lovers are Rogues!
AND NOW… On to PART TWO of this delirious little dream sequence / memory, SHALL WE!