Chapter 10

Darcy went to her room wondering if this whole thing was a sick joke. She was sure if it got any more complicated, she could sell the rights to her story and create a movie of the week. She locked the door, then sat down and covered her face with her hands. "I want to go home..." she mumbled to herself. She missed her parents, her friends, and even her little brother Thomas. Hell, she would rather deal with a thousand Thomas's than be here! She pulled on both of her pigtails. "This can't be real!!" She pinched herself, to check if it was a dream. All she got was a bruise. She was still in awful shape, having barely recovered from her brush with death, and she was tired. She fell asleep before she hit the bed.

All day long, her sleep was haunted by dreams. The first was a jumble of images. Ozzie. Evil laughter. Darkness. Red eyes. That awful monster...Lavos. A boy with red-spiked hair... and people she had never seen, all fighting it... and calling her. She woke up, her breath coming in short gasps. "...Just a dream..." Darcy thought to herself. Back again to sleep.

Later, a second dream. Less hectic, but equally frightening. Imprisoned...A man in a cloak came in, and freed her. She ran into his arms...looked into his eyes...red eyes... He removed his hood. Magus. He smiled sweetly at her...kissed her... she felt his hands digging in to her back. She looked up, and saw the kind look replaced by one of pure evil. Pain...pain shot through her body...and she collapsed on the ground. Cold metal on her skin... and a final, evil. mocking laugh.

Darcy awoke with a start and a shreak. "Only a dream...just a dream..." she thought, repeated to herself. But she couldn't sleep for the rest of the night.

Magus's night was just as uneasy. It started with Darcy, just standing in the middle of his room, staring at him. Another dream like this, he thought to himself... He walked over to her, to take her in his arms, but she pulled away, and shook her head. The pendant appeared in her hands. She held it up, and it started to glow... Glow even brighter than he ever thought possible. Her pigtails fluttered, sticking straight out at the sides. An explosion... and in her place was Lavos! He was utterly shocked, but ready. Magus pointed his fingure at it, attempting to cast DarkMatter, but nothing happened! He fell to his knees... he was now himself as a child...as Janus. What good would a 7-year old child be against Lavos? There was a huge blast...

Magus was up like a bolt. His clothes were soaked through with cold sweat. He got up, went to a basin, and splashed some water on his face. He mumbled to himself "...A prophecy...?" Magus knew that he should take things like this seriously. The part with him reverting back to a child was nonesense. But... Darcy summoning Lavos? She was the only one who could handle the pendant... It actually made sense! This couldn't wait. "The sun sets. Darcy should be up." Magus thought to himself. He hastily put on some clean clothes, then found his boots and headed out the door.

Darcy was sitting by her window, watching the sun go down. She was too afraid to try and sleep anymore. Everytime she shut her eyes, she heard that horrible laugh. Then there was a knock at her door. The lock was bolted, and she didn't want to be bothered by anyone right now, so she just ignored whoever was there.

"Darcy open up!" called Magus on the other side.

"...Lord..." moaned Darcy to herself. She didn't have any energy left to deal with Magus right now. Darcy pulled herself up and went to the door. She unlocked the bolt and opened open the door. Magus walked in right past her without saying a word. "...Yeah... Sure, come on in." said Darcy, a little annoyed.

Magus turned to her and said "I need to know what happened last night, and then I have a job for you."

Darcy looked was nervous. "Well.. Basically, I came to your room last night in hopes that you would end my life."

"Yes, I know that." Magus interupted. "I want to know what happened afterwards. After you handed me the pendant."

"We got in a fight. Over you not being able to control your emotions..." her voice trailed off, as she watched Magus sit down on her bed.

Magus nodded. He looked at her as if to say, "Continue."

"It was my fault for the fight. I should have know better than to insult you." She said with an appologetic look on her face. "I really, really regret that 'Piss ice water' remark."

He laughed. Magus laughed at one of the remarks that had nearly gotten Darcy killed the night before. "So, you were making fun of my temper..." He snickered.

"Un-huh." said Darcy, confirming his guess. "Let me just give you the whole story. I gave you the pendant, because I didn't want to be here. I started to cry, and said that you could kill me. You kissed me, then took your best shot at seducing me, but I stopped you. You back away, looking kinda pissed off, and I started to give you a speech about you having little control over your emotions."

She stopped at that point, bracing herself for a slap in the face. Magus just sat there, his face devoid of emotion. "Then you tried to kill me. You almost did, but I defended myself with some kind of magic. Anyways, I nearly died as a direct result of that, and you must have felt guilty, because you took care of me for the next few hours. After that, I woke up, and wanted to leave, but you wouldn't let me. Then I collapsed, and you brought me back to where I was sleeping on the floor. Then we agreed we could consider each other friends, and I went back to sleep. Then you forgot everything, and kicked me out." Darcy took a deep breath. "I thought... I thought that I had broken through your armor...Your shell. That I found the nice person inside..." She suddenly realized what she had said. "Uh...I mean..."

Magus still did mothing. He just sat there, a blank expression on his face, looking out the window. He was like that for a few minutes. Darcy was tense, waiting for the moment where he would blow up. It never came. All he said was "I believe you."

You could have knocked Darcy over with a feather. What he said was the absolute last thing she expected to hear. "Wha...?" she mumbled.

"I said I believe you. It makes sense. It fits with all the time that I lost." He paused for a moment, and looked at Darcy. "We were getting along well. It would be a shame to let that progress go to waste." Magus stood up, and walked over to where she was sitting. He looked into her eyes. "...I can tell." he said. "You love me."

Darcy's heart ceased to beat for a few moments. "Yes...I, I mean no... oh, I...I...I don't don't know WHAT the hell I mean!" She stopped to untie her tongue, and stood up. "Ah, no use lying. I do...but, I know you don't. You said it yourself. You don't love me. It's just lust...And I don't bother with people who only want the outside..."

Magus looked as if she had dealt him a blow. "But I do! Really...I can lie too, can't I?" He put his arms around Darcy. "I was in denial. I thought that I was simply weak. But I was wrong. We both know now. And it's not lust...at lwast not all of it. I do want you...but I love you, more than you could understand...And you do love me. You said so yourself... Shouldn't we... make the most of it?" he said with a suggestive smile.

Darcy's mind was swimming. She was about to agree, but the nightmare came back to her. A prophecy... or it could be symbolic. A cold chill ran through her. She needed a way out, or at least an excuse. "Oh no, I'm not fallling for that again!" Darcy said, voice shaking. She tried to free herself from his grip, but couldn't. She continued. "Why the hell should I 'make the the most of it' with a guy who's tried to kill me several time? And besides, this is the third time like this. I bet right before anything happens,it'll stop." She finally tore herself away from him, and said "No. You don't...I...I...I know. You really don't love me... Just go away. You're either having some kind of hormone rush, or you've been drinking again..."

He looked even more hurt. "Darcy, really..." he said as he tried to hold her again. Darcy just pulled herself away. "I do. Why don't you believe me?" he pleaded.

She sighed, and said "I've already covered all the reasons. And besides...you have good taste. You wouldn't pick a dog like me to fall in love with." Pausing, she sniffed, and said. "I look like a living stick figure! I mean...you were acting before.. and you're probably acting now. There's a plot behind this. There has to be."

All thoughts of summoning Lavos departed his mind. Now, all he wanted to do was prove to Darcy that he really cared. "Love...I mean Darcy...I am not acting. The book proves it. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Me... I don't enderstand what you see in me, but I don't question it."

Darcy's only answer was "You could fertilize a desert with that speech, Magus."

He was growing angry. "Look, if I wanted you for something, I could have simply forced you." He took Darcy by the chin, forcing her to look at him. "I LOVE YOU! ACCEPT THAT!! There's is nothing at all wrong with you! You are walking perfection in my eyes!!!! I've been a jackass through this whole thing!!! WHAT ELSE CAN I SAY?!?!"

"I... I... still don't know..." mumbled Darcy, very confused. "I just... just... I'm scared of you! You've made two attempts on my life, and...even though I hardly trust you... I love you..." A tear crept out of her eye.

Magus wiped it away. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... I never meant it to be like that. I over-react." he said softly. And with that, he kissed Darcy. But this time, it was meant to be a comfort for her rather than him. He moved his hands from her face, and wrapped his arms around her thin form another time. Darcy didn't pull away. "Accept that..." he murmured.

She wasn't scared, or unsure anymore. So they both felt the same now...this was all Darcy could ask for. She kissed him back, and said against his lips "I will..."

At the same time, they both sat down on Darcy's bed, and continued to kiss. Supporting her back, Magus slowly laid her down and resumed. The sun finally set...and covered the room in soft darkness.

(A/N: I managed to post it a few days early. ENJOY!!)