The demon froze. Utterly and completely froze. His heart stopped beating, he stopped breathing, his eyes did not blink, and his hand ceased its motions. He could not have just heard that. His heart was messing with his head, making him think that she had said what he thought she had just said, but it was impossible. She was a hunter. Her entire purpose in life was to kill his kind. She could not love him. Could she? No! It was ridiculous to think so. Perhaps, as she was still mostly asleep, she did not realize it was he who held her. Perhaps she thought it was Dean. She had certainly been concerned for the hunter. Or Sam, Sam would make sense. Who wouldn't love Sam? Or Dean? Or perhaps another lover she had had in the past. It was foolish to think that she would say such a thing to him. Sadly, the demon looked down at the peacefully sleeping hunter in his arms. It was not to be. His own love for her had clouded his mind and he was projecting. Still, his heart had other plans, and softly, just before settling in to sleep himself, he whispered back, "I love you too."
Alice slept peacefully until just after dawn. She felt the sun seep through the window, warming her skin. Her senses slowly returned to her. Someone was beside her. She was curled up in their arms, her head resting on their chest rather than a pillow, their arms wrapped securely around her. She opened her eyes and, as expected, it was Damian. She remembered the nightmare first, shuddering slightly despite herself. Damian must've heard her scream and came to comfort her. Then, she remembered laying down with him. The peace, the comfort, the security.
She once again relaxed against him, letting her eyes close with a soft sigh. But then, like a slap to the face, she remembered what she'd said. 'I love you.' The words rang clearly in her memory. Shit. She thought to herself. She'd meant it, of course she'd meant it, but... Had he heard it? Had he responded? She couldn't remember, she must've fallen asleep after that. Oh god.. She'd screwed it up... Yes, he was still there, he hadn't outright left but... What if that was simply out of pity? A million doubts rushed through her. Her heartbeat raced in her chest and she breathed deeply, desperately trying to calm it, knowing he'd probably be able to hear it pounding.
Damian dreamed. He lay on a bed of soft clouds, and his love rested peacefully in his arms. It had to be a dream. Then, he felt Alice's heart rate picking up, and he opened his eyes. What on earth?... The hunter really did lay in his arms. What had happened? Suddenly realizing why her heart was likely pumping so fast, the demon flashed out of the bed, reappearing again by the door. "I-I'm so sorry, lass." he choked, ashamed of himself. "I did not mean to take advantage of your helplessness in such a way. I swear it!"
Dropping his eyes in shame and self-aimed anger, he continued. "I should not have entered your room without permission, and I certainly should not have laid a hand upon you without your waking consent. I meant only to offer comfort, and I swear to you I did nothing untoward, but my behavior was still inexcusable. I am so, so sorry." Backing towards the doorway, his posture defensive, he added, "If there is anything I can do to make you more comfortable, please tell me. I will not touch you again, I swear it. You do not need to fear me. I'm so sorry!"
"D-Damian wha-... No, no! It's fine, it's okay. I remember what happened last night. I know you held no ill will." She assured him, slowly getting out of bed. She gently placed her hand on his arm. "Relax, I don't fear you. Why on earth would I be afraid of you? You were comforting me. I'd had a nightmare. It was me who fell asleep in your arms." She let out a light, forgiving laugh. "Unforgivable my ass, if you hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't have fallen asleep at all. What on earth gave you the idea that I was afraid of you?"
He looked down t her hand on his arm with wide eyes, and then looked up to her face. "Y-Your heartbeat, Alice. It was racing. I thought-" he cut himself off, taking a deep breath. Of course, it was foolish to think that she would fear him. He had still been half-asleep at the time though, and if her heart had not been speeding up from fear, was it anger? "You aren't... upset with me?" he asked hesitantly.
"No." She emphasized. "Not at all! Grateful would be more like it." She assured him. "Besides, if anyone overstepped any boundaries last night, it was me." She dropped her hand, breaking eye contact. "I uhm... Last night... " She had hoped that hadn't heard but... She knew the chances were very slim. "What I told you... That wasn't exactly when I'd meant for it to come out. If at all..." She might as well fess up to it and avoid the awkward talk later. "I did mean it though... And I don't expect anything to come of it! If you want, we can just pretend it never happened I just... I don't want it to change anything between us." She said, looking up at him nervously, trying to judge his reactions.
The demon glanced at her in confusion for a moment, before the last words she had said before falling asleep came to the forefront of his mind again. "Ah. No worries there, lass. You certainly aren't the first to mistake who held them. I understand. Really, everything's fine. I am only sorry that I am not he who you were thinking of." he added with a teasing smile. "Why would you think anything would have to change between us? It's not as if you meant me." he added, with a self-deprecating laugh, hiding his pain at needing to speak so, regardless that it was the truth, to assure her that he was not upset that she had mistaken him for one she loved.
Alice stared at him, trying to comprehend his meaning. "Damian..." She said slowly, furrowing her eyebrows together for a moment. "I... I didn't mistake anyone for anything... I knew who I was talking to, and about." She shook her head lightly, unable to hide the small laugh of disbelief. "Damian, that's exactly my point. I did mean you."
Damian stared at her, shocked that she could be so cruel. Then again, he was a demon. Perhaps she did not think he could feel as deeply, or else did not realize his own feelings for her. Why else would she be joking about something so serious to him? Had she somehow found out how he felt about her, and was now mocking him for it? She had been nothing but kind previously, so perhaps she simply did not realize how deeply this jest cut. "Lass" he muttered, looking away, and blinking back the stinging of tears. "Please do not jest about such things. It strikes deeper than you know. Do you want to hear me say it? Fine. I love you. Have for some time now. I can't help it, and I swore to myself I would never tell you, would never try to pressure you into anything in exchange for my help. I know you cannot love me, a demon, but to so mock me regarding my own feelings is needlessly cruel, and I would not have thought it of a noble soul such as yours." Pulling away from her touch, and crossing his arms defensively around his middle, the demon's shoulders shook with a single silent sob, and he tried to regain his composure. Weeping like a child in front of her for no reason other than his feelings being hurt was certain to lower the hunter's estimations of him.
"Damian..." She whispered, sounding hurt, but then her eyes turned a little darker. "How. Dare. You." She said, stepping closer to him again, staring up into his eyes with a deep, passionate sincerity. "If you think for one second that I would stoop so low as to lie and tease about something like that... Me, Damian. Me? The girl who watched her parents die, the girl who, for the past six years, has blocked herself out from caring about anyone for fear of getting hurt again. The girl who lived alone, hunted alone, damn near died alone because she was too damn afraid of opening up. You must be completely blind! I built a wall, Damian. A damn good strong wall with a very strong door that I hadn't opened at all for years. YEARS. And you come along. And I open up just a little. I let myself trust you, I let myself care about you, and now, finally, I let myself love again. And you accuse me of lying about it?"
Tears built in her eyes as she stared him down, she silently cursed herself for being an angry crier. "When I saw how hurt you got distracting Azazel the first time, when we were at that cabin, I spent hours by you side, cleaning away the blood, wishing to ease the pain as much as I could... Then, when I saw you hurt again, despite any sense or logic, I threw myself at Azazel wanting to tear him apart by hand because he'd hurt you. I killed him. In that moment it wasn't for my parents, or The Winchesters, or even myself. It was because I thought he had taken away another person that I'd loved. I'd thought that he killed you. When Azazel lay dead and the Winchesters celebrated, I cried beside what I thought was your dead body. When I found out you were alive, it was the happiest I've been for a very long time. I stayed by you, in a chair, overnight while you healed just so I could make damn sure you woke up. Yes, Damian. I don't give a rat's ass that you're a demon and I'm a hunter. If I did, I'd have walked away a long time ago. Yes... I do love you. And you listen to me and you listen close. If you ever fool yourself into thinking that I would be the kind of sick and twisted person to lie about that? Just remember that I haven't opened up to anyone. I haven't dared to let anyone into my life for fear of losing you and finally, I've let you in. When I tell you I love you, you'd damn well better believe it." She trembled as she spoke, taking a shaking breath as she shook her head before locking eyes with him again. "I would never... EVER... Do that to you."
"I... What... You...?" The demon could do nothing but stare in shock. He was dreaming. He had to be dreaming. Alice, brave, beautiful, fearless, selfless hunter of a woman, loved him? "Y-You love... me?" The demon would never admit it later, but at that moment in time, he was so on edge and shocked, he quite literally lost consciousness where he stood, falling to the floor as if he had been knocked out.
Less than a minute later, he had regained consciousness, and could only stare up at the hunter in utter disbelief from his slumped position on the floor, making no effort to get up, knowing that his legs wouldn't currently support him. "Why?... What?... I don't understand..." he continued to stare at her, searching her eyes with all his experience in deception, looking for any tiny hint of a lie, but the human spoke nothing but truth. "You love me..." he murmured. "You, Alice, actually... love, me?" He shook his head slightly. "I believe you when you say you do not lie, Alice... but... me?" He continued to stare, wishing he could be more coherent, but truthfully had absolutely no idea what to do with this new development. He had never believed he could be so lucky. He had thought that, at best, they could remain friends, but to have his love returned? "How...?"
Alice stared in shock for a moment as he hit the ground. But when he awoke a moment later, she was less concerned, more just shocked that he'd actually fainted. "Why?" She asked, raising a brow. "Because, Damian. You have been nothing but kind and good to me. You've saved my life now more than I ever could have asked for, you gave me a contract for next to nothing, and gone beyond what I'd ask any friend to do. You've held me when I cried, you come at the slightest threat of danger, you... You put me at ease, I feel so safe and warm and... Dare I say, happy whenever I'm with you. You... " She sighed, throwing her hands into the air and shaking her head. "I don' know you just..." She choked on her own tears, clearing her throat. "You've made me feel something that I haven't felt for years. You make me feel home." She knelt down beside him, taking his hands in her own. "Damian, I know that you're a demon, and that I'm a human. Not only a human but a hunter. I've tried to tell myself why it would never work, I tried to ignore it for awhile, and I tried to convince myself to just let it go but I can't... And I don't want to."
The demon, still in shock, looked down at their intertwined hands, and then back up at Alice, tears in his eyes. "You love me..." He felt foolish, but it was so difficult to wrap his mind around. "I-I..." he took a deep breath, regaining some of his composure, and then looking back into the hunter's eyes, his own flicking midnight black in his intensity. "I love you Alice. With all that is left of my soul, heart, and mind. You have my love." It sounded like a promise and a declaration in one. He gazed into her eyes for a long moment, still barely daring to believe it, and then he glanced down again, heaving a sigh of relief and exhilaration at once. Looking back up at her, he smiled a bit sheepishly. "Sorry for losing it a bit there lass. I just didn't expect... couldn't imagine that in a thousand years... Well..." He flicked his eyes back to blue again before continuing. "I must apologize for my words earlier. I did not mean to accuse you as a liar or to demean your own feelings. I simply did not think it possible for you to love me... As I do you." He grinned ecstatically, still unsure of himself, but exhilarated nonetheless.
Alice wrapped her arms around him, holding him close with a light laugh. "It's okay, It was a bit of a shock for both of us I think... Though, you a little more than me...I never expected it either, to be honest. Kind of hit me like a truck one day." She smiled widely. "But I do. I love you Damian, and I don't care what anyone says, hell or high water, that isn't going to change. Once again, her heart pounded in her chest. She'd actually done it. She'd actually told him... And he loved her too?
He hugged her tightly, feeling euphoric, as if he could conquer the world, so long as she stood by his side. He couldn't help a laugh of his own, his joy overflowing. Alice loved him. He had been given all that he had never dared dream of. "I will never cease to love you, lass. Should that day come, I would tear out my own heart before I allowed it to betray you so." he stopped for a moment, unable to repress his inherent sense of humor, and then added, "I'd offer to die for you, but that's so last week."
Alice let out a bubbly laugh, feeling like an elephant's worth of weight was lifted off her shoulders. "Yeah, so outdated." She agreed, giggling softly, trying to keep her voice down. After all, people in the house were still sleeping. She let herself relax into him for a moment before pulling back to look at him. "Look at me." She said softly, a bright smile on her face, a light blush on her cheeks, and a glow in her eye. "Remember this. Don't you ever forget this. Don't you ever forget that I love you. Don't you ever try to tell yourself that it isn't possible."
"I-I will try, lass." He smiled. "The reverse is true as well, Alice. Despite my own nature, I love you, and that will not change." Rising to his feet, the demon was surprised that he was able to get up without stumbling or staggering, and when he looked down at his legs, he realized that they had healed entirely. "I swear I've healed almost twice as fast every time I've slept near you as when I'm away." he muttered, more to himself than anything else, but still surprised and happy. Removing the now-unnecessary sling from his newly healed (again) shoulder, he reached down and offered Alice a hand up.
Alice smiled warmly, looking up at him. "I guess I just have that effect on people." She said with a grin. She let out a light laugh, gladly taking his hand. "Always the perfect gentleman." She noted as she let him help her up.
He laughed at her first comment, and then shrugged at the second. "What can I say? I grew up in a time where you said 'yes sir' and 'yes ma'am', and you held the door for elders and ladies and such. Most of my manners were lost when I died and went through the Pit's lovely hospitality, but it seems some things just stuck." he grinned. "Well lass, up for breakfast?"