5 - Chosen One
Hyde woke up in Jackie's dark room, Jackie sleeping next to him. He was glad she'd fallen asleep before him, because it meant he could sleep next to her instead of on the ground. He really missed their bed at the apartment.
He craned his head to look at the clock. It was 5 AM. Time to enact his plan.
"Can I speak to Valamon?" Hyde whispered. "The Pure One?"
Jackie's eyes opened, showing the blackened eyes of the demon rather than the blue and green eyes Hyde loved so much. "Yes, Steven?"
"Take me instead. Leave Jackie alone and take me."
She grinned, too wide. "Are you sure? You could go insane. She won't be happy about it, either. You could hurt her."
"I couldn't hurt her anymore than you're hurting her now."
"I wouldn't be so sure, Steven."
"I don't care. I'm not going to sit around and watch you tear her apart anymore. Take me instead."
"Your wish is my command."
Jackie's eyes closed, and her mouth opened. Inky blackness seeped out, forming an undefined shape in the air. Hyde sat up and stared at it in horror. Two glowing red eyes appeared in the dark form. "You've chosen this, Steven. There is no going back."
"I know," he said, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper.
"Your compassion is your downfall."
Hyde felt his mouth being forced open, and the dark shape pushed inside of him. He could feel it spreading in his body, taking over. It flowed through his veins, like a disease.
He gasped when it was done. He didn't feel much different. Just a little cold. He sat still in the darkness, suddenly aware of every little noise and movement of the shadows.
Jackie was still asleep. He laid down next to her, feeling somewhat triumphant. "I love you, grasshopper. I'm not gonna let you get hurt again."
Jackie woke up, feeling lighter than she had in a little while. She also felt the absence of demonic presence in her body and mind. But she couldn't be sure of anything just yet.
She shook Steven awake. He groaned. "What?"
"Steven, I think the demon's gone."
His eyes snapped open. "Yeah, I know."
Jackie blinked at him. "What?"
"I know. I got it out of you."
Jackie backed away from him as the cold realization hit her. "No… No, Steven, you didn't- Tell me you didn't. Tell me I'm wrong, please."
"Jackie, it's fine. You don't have to deal with the demon anymore. I can handle it."
"No, you can't!" Jackie shrieked. This was the last thing she wanted. "Why the fuck would you do that? What the fuck is wrong with you?"
He sat up and took her hand in his. "I didn't want to see you get hurt anymore."
Jackie ripped her hand away from him, making him flinch a little and frown. "Steven, you have no idea what you just did. You have no idea."
"I do know. All I wanted was to make you stop suffering. I hate seeing you in pain, I wanted it to stop."
She softened a little at that. He'd taken the demon because he loved her. He didn't want to see her torn apart. She didn't want to see him torn apart either, though. "It's going to tear you apart. I know it is. It told me it would. That's why I wanted you to promise you wouldn't let it take you. I don't want the things it told me to come true."
"They won't. It'll be fine. It took a while for the demon to get more control in your body. We only have a few days until Buddy's uncle gets here and we can get the exorcism approved. I can hold on until then."
Jackie frowned. "Fine. But if something starts to happen, I'm taking it back."
"Sure. Breakfast?"
"Sure."
He kissed her softly. Maybe he was right. Maybe the demon had been lying to her. Maybe things would be okay.
Jackie looked at herself in the mirror. She was in the bathroom, cleaning up. Randy had offered to make breakfast since Steven was now possessed. Steven had protested and said he could still cook. Jackie and Randy had shut him down.
She was a mess. She hadn't worn any makeup in days. Steven had been able to get her to shower when the demon wasn't present, but she still wasn't her normal, beautiful self.
She stepped into the shower and began to rinse herself of the demon. She had small scratches all over, from the demon simply being inside her. Her joints were sore, especially her neck. The warm water felt nice.
She closed her eyes and began to shampoo her hair. With her eyes closed, she could imagine opening them and seeing the demon there, about to kill her or Steven. Or behind her, about to catch her off guard. She quickly opened her eyes to make sure she was wrong. It was just the shower curtain and the steady stream of water. Jackie sighed and rinsed her hair.
She showered quickly, vigilant of the demon. She did her hair, her makeup. Put on her usual perfume, Citrus Dream.
When she went downstairs, Steven was sitting on the couch, one foot propped up on the coffee table. She sat next to him, gently shoving his foot off the table. "You're gonna leave a mark."
"No one lives here anymore, who cares?"
"I care."
He smiled a little. "Jackie-"
Randy walked in. "Breakfast is ready. Glad to see you're feeling better, Jackie."
"Thanks, Randy." She and Steven stood up and followed Randy to the dining room. Randy sat at the head of the table. Jackie sat to his right. Steven sat next to her. They ate quietly.
"So…" Randy started, "W.B. and Angie should be here soon. I have a few errands they can run if you guys want some time to talk. You know, now that Jackie's back to sound mind."
"That'd be great," Jackie said. She looked at Steven. "I want to talk." He nodded.
Jackie sat at the foot of her bed, across from Steven. "Can you hear it?"
"No. Not yet, at least."
She nodded. "You can feel it, right?"
He nodded. "Just a little."
"I mean it when I say I'll take it back if something happens."
He smiled sadly. "You won't be able to. The demon said there was no going back."
Jackie frowned. "I really hope you're right about the demon not being able to get control before the exorcism. I don't… I don't know what I'll do if you get hurt. Or if the things the demon said come true."
He cradled the side of her face in his hand. "It's going to be okay. I promise. We're gonna make it through this."
She nodded. She raised her hand and put it over his, not removing it from her face. "You know what I need? A break from all this."
He smiled. "You got it. I can say for certain that I do not feel controlled by any hellish beings right now. I don't see that changing soon."
She smiled too. She leaned in and kissed him deeply. His hand threaded into her hair. She ran her hand up his arm, over his shoulder. She pushed him back on the bed, climbing on top of him. She trailed kisses over his jaw, then down his neck, teasing his most sensitive spots and making him squirm.
She tugged at the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head. She kissed down his chest. He grabbed her hips and sat up, keeping her on his lap. He took her top off, then unclasped her bra. He kissed down her neck to her breasts. She dragged her fingers over his back lightly. "Oh, Steven…"
His breath was warm against her skin as he whispered, "Jackie."
He pulled away from her with a playful smile. He flipped them over so that he was on top of her on the bed. She giggled and trailed her hands down to the waistband of his pants. She pulled his belt off and undid his fly. He pushed her skirt up and tugged off her panties. She kissed his neck as his hand worked between her legs.
He grabbed a condom and quickly put it on, and she guided him inside her. She moved her hips with his as he began to thrust.
"God, Steven…"
"Mm, Jackie, darling…"
She froze, but Steven kept moving. "Steven, stop. Stop!"
He kept going. She slapped him, hard, and wriggled out from under him while he was disoriented. She slapped him again. He seemed to snap out of a trance. "Stop hitting me," he said forcefully.
"I told you to stop and you didn't," she said.
His face paled. "I… Fuck." He sat up on the bed. "Fuck." He looked up at her. "I'm so sorry. You know that I would never, ever- I'm so sorry, Jackie."
She relented a little. "I know. It wasn't you. Which is what makes it really scary."
He nodded. "I don't have as much control as I thought."
Jackie sighed. "No."
"I really am sorry."
"It's okay. Really." She kissed him softly. "But I do think we should put a hold on sex until we get the demon out of you."
He nodded. "Me too." He pursed his lips for a second. "And please stop hitting me."
"I'm sorry." She kissed the side of his face where she'd slapped him. Then she stepped away. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom. There's another bathroom down the hall. Or you can finish up in here." She flashed him a teasing smile and grabbed her clothes before closing the bathroom door behind her.
She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment. She was scared that Steven was wrong. But she was glad to be free of the demon. She resolved to take it one thing at a time. And right now, the thing that needed her attention was the soft ache between her thighs.
Fuck, Hyde thought once he'd gotten dressed again. He'd lost control without even realizing it. He'd practically assaulted Jackie because of it.
"You hurt her," a whispery voice said. "You're just like Michael."
"Shut up," he murmured.
The voice almost giggled. "I will. For now. You are going to be so much fun to destroy. Because you'll do it all yourself."
The voice went silent, leaving Hyde alone with his thoughts. He nearly jumped when Jackie put her hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine." He looked up at her. "Wanna go downstairs?"
"Sure." She took his hand, lacing her fingers through his. They went downstairs, to the living room. W.B. and Angie sat on one couch, Randy on the other. Randy was perusing a Bible.
Hyde sat next to Randy. Jackie sat next to him and tried to cuddle against him, but he gently pushed her away. "Please don't. Not right now."
She frowned a bit, but kept her distance.
"What's up with you?" Angie asked. "You two are usually all over each other."
"It's complicated," Hyde said.
Randy glanced between Hyde and W.B. He turned to Jackie. "Jackie, can we talk in the other room?"
"Sure." Jackie got up and followed Randy into the dining room.
"What happened, Steven?" W.B. asked.
"Well… I'm the one that's possessed now, I'm sure Randy told you that. And I thought I had control, but it turns out I don't."
"Did you do something to Jackie?" Angie asked.
"I don't want to get into specifics, but I hurt her. I didn't want to, I'd never, ever do what I just did to her." He chewed his lip. "I can't let it happen again."
W.B. frowned. "Whatever happened, you can't push her away. It's very clear how much you love her, and it's clear how much she loves you. This demon is temporary. She's not. Don't do something now that will hurt you later."
"But I don't want to hurt her now."
"It's not your fault if you hurt her now," Angie said. "Whatever you do is because of the demon. She knows that, better than anyone."
"I'm not so sure she does," Hyde said. "Yesterday, I told her whatever she did wasn't her fault, and she said it would be her fault because she wasn't strong enough to fight back."
Angie frowned. "Well, we know it's not your fault. You should talk about it with Jackie."
W.B. nodded. "Pastor Morgan will be here very soon. We are going to get you out of this, I promise you that."
"No exorcist has ever vanquished me before. Even if this exorcist manages to expel me from your body, I will not leave you the same way I came to you. Whether you are dead or alive, you will not be the same man you are now."
Hyde took a deep breath, trying to quell the fear rising in his throat like bile. "I hope you're right, dad."
