A Mother's Story
By Risa
Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
It was another troubled and sleepless night for Elizabeth. The feelings she had towards Benjamin were so strange, so unfamiliar and so bloody uncomfortable. Her mind was simply a mad swirl of confusion.
Could it be that what you're feeling is love? a small voice whispered in her mind.
No, another part of her mind objected forcefully. Evil cannot love.
Couldn't it?
She didn't know anymore. It was what she had been told since she could remember. But could it be possible that she could choose to love? She was born to serve evil but was it possible for her to choose a different path?
The doctrine that she had followed since birth gave an adamant no. But wouldn't it be in the best interests of the Source that demons were unaware that they had the freedom to a certain degree to choose which side they want to serve or if they even want to serve any side at all? Could it truly be possible for her to fight her inborn nature?
Having such thoughts was probably equivalent to treason, she thought to herself as she tossed in her bed once more. It was all because of that bloody Benjamin and all his bloody talk about choice. At least, that's what she tried to convince herself. In truth, Benjamin had simply inadvertently showed her another door, another alternative.
Right now, it was just whether she wanted to walk through it.
To walk through it would mean that she would have to start a new life, hideaway from the only life she had known. But then, she'll have Benjamin beside her.
You fool, she scolded herself, you don't even know if he has the same feelings for you. Hell, you aren't even sure if what you're feeling is love.
"Damn it!" she swore out loud as she turned and pulled the pillow over her head. Couldn't all her thoughts just leave her in peace for awhile?
But it wasn't so easy to switch off one's thoughts. The doubts, fears and questions plagued her the whole night until exhaustion took over and allowed her some respite in oblivion.
Elizabeth woke up the following morning to the sound of the doorbell. She heard a shout from downstairs. "Elizabeth! Someone's here to see you! A Mr Turner."
"Damn!" she cursed as she quickly changed into something vaguely presentable. She knew she looked bad but right now she couldn't care less.
She hurried down the stairs to see Benjamin waiting in the living room, sitting on the chair. "Hello," she said, flustered as she sat in the chair opposite his.
"Hello," he said, "I'm sorry for coming by so early like this…"
"It's alright," she interrupted. "You must have had a reason…" she prompted.
He took a deep breath and then said in a rush, "I know this sounds crazy, especially since we barely know each other, but I think I've fallen in love with you."
She just stared at him blankly in shock. It couldn't be.
Her emotions must have shown on her face because he then said, "It's true. I know that we've only known each other for three days and some will say that it's impossible but…" Elizabeth placed her finger on his lips and his words trailed off into silence.
"I know," she said softly. "I feel the same way."
Benjamin's expression turned from one of speechless surprise to one of ecstatic delight. He pulled Elizabeth into his arms and whirled her around the room, laughing. "And here I was, thinking that I was a lunatic when she's one as well!"
"This lunatic is going to kick you if you don't put her down!" Elizabeth said laughingly as she hit Benjamin's chest playfully.
His feet soon stilled but he still held her closely in his arms. His face became serious and he said softly, "Marry me."
Elizabeth starred at him in wonder. Could it be a dream? If it was a dream, she never wanted to wake up. "Hit me," she said suddenly.
"What?" Benjamin looked at her, confused.
"I need to know that I'm not dreaming."
He laughed. "No, you're not. I know it's sudden and we've only known each other for three days but I already know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."
She smiled at him. Her assignment, her demonic life and her demonic nature were all completely forgotten. "In that case, yes, I will marry you."
Benjamin held her even more tightly in his arms and his face broke into a loving smile. Slowly, he bent his head as Elizabeth raised her head and their lips met in a soft lingering kiss.
They spent most of the day with each other basking in their shared happiness. It was only after Benjamin left her that reality came crashing back down on Elizabeth. She was going to get the both of them killed. Painfully. But leaving Benjamin was not an option that Elizabeth wanted to try unless she had no other alternative. And if she did not kill Benjamin, the Source would just send another demon after him.
Perhaps if she could let the Source think that she did kill him…
Fire. A body was unrecognisable when it was burnt.
But each body had a distinctive, unique aura. The Source might be able to tell that the body wasn't Benjamin's. She needed a warlock or a demon that could mask the body with a copy of Benjamin's aura.
And she knew just the warlock to do it.
Elizabeth shimmered to a dark musty room filled with potions, books and other esoteric paraphernalia. A man was bent over a large bowl that was covered in greenish blue smoke.
"Jonus," she called.
The man turned. "Elizabeth!" he called in delighted surprise. "So nice of you to drop by!"
She smiled it him. Jonus was rather strange for a warlock. There were times where he behaved like an innocent child and seemed to be only interested in his experiments. Except that his experiments were meant to inflict pain, death or for other evil purposes and he had no qualms testing them out on innocents.
"So to what do I owe this honour?" Jonus said as he walked over to Elizabeth, wiping his hands on a cloth.
"Actually, I have a favour I need to ask."
"Anything for you, my dear," Jonus said, grinning. "Well, almost anything."
Elizabeth laughed. Jonus owed her after she had saved his life from a witch once. "Actually, I need you to mask a dead body with another human's aura."
"Whatever for?"
"He's the husband of this witch I want to torture a bit. I was thinking of something along the lines of making it seem that he was dead then letting her know that he isn't dead before dumping a body on her doorstep."
Jonus shook his head and laughed. "Still the cruel sadistic demoness."
"I might as well have some fun on the job," she said, shrugging. Inside, she felt a sense of discomfort. If Benjamin was aware of just half the fraction of what she had done in her 500 years he would leave her for sure.
"All right," Jonus said, "Just show me the body and the human and I'll do it for you."
"Take my hand," she said as she shimmered the two of them outside Benjamin's home. "This is the human whose aura I want you to use," she said, pointing to Benjamin who was sitting in an armchair by the window.
"As for the body…" she said as she shimmered the two of them to the poor end of town where the homeless loitered. "How about this one?" she let loose an energy ball at a man who looked approximately the same size as Benjamin.
"It will do." Jonus said. He began to chant, moving his hands over the still burning body. He pulled out a few herbs from the bag he had carried with him, throwing it at the body, resulting in several tiny explosions.
"Done," he said.
"So no one would notice that it isn't really the human?"
"No one," Jonus said confidently. "Although I can't guarantee that it will last for a long time."
"Thanks," Elizabeth said, trying not to let the gratitude show in her voice. "I had better move this body now."
She put her hand on the body and shimmered into one of the empty rooms of Benjamin's large home. Then she shimmered into Benjamin's study room right behind him and knocked him unconscious, ignoring the pang of pain in her heart that caused. She rummaged around his study room and bedroom, packing whatever she thought he will need. For some sentimental reason, she packed his photo albums as well, remembering a remark from him once about how much he treasured them. Then, she let loose several energy balls around the house before shimmering herself and Benjamin to a deserted area nearby.
She laid him underneath the tree and looked to the distance where the house was burning. Thick, dense greyish white clouds came out of the windows as the people living nearby came out of their homes to find out what was going on. There was a great deal of activity. Some were running to get water, others to call for more help. After checking the situation, she tried to wake Benjamin. One of her hands held his tightly while the other caressed his face.
"Benjamin…Benjamin, darling, wake up. Benjamin, please…" When he still did not stir Elizabeth began to worry that she might have hit him too hard. After all, before all this, she hit people only to injure or kill. Never had she worried about the other person's welfare.
To her immense relief, he began to stir. Benjamin's eyes slowly opened and his blurred vision slowly cleared, showing Elizabeth with a relieved smile leaning over him. He struggled to sit up and managed to do so with Elizabeth's help.
"W-what happened?" he asked.
"Someone tried to kill you," Elizabeth said, her eyes welling up with tears. The tears, however suspicious they might have seemed, were genuine. They were tears of relief for Elizabeth knew that if she had not done what she did, this would have really happened to Benjamin. Or probably something worse.
"What? Who? Why?" he looked at Elizabeth, stunned at her words.
"I don't know… your servant Billy told me that it was someone you had offended at court. He gave me all of these things and told me to go with you far away from here. He said that it was better if everyone thought you died in the fire," Elizabeth said, making up the story as she went along.
"Fire? What fire?" Benjamin asked, still confused.
Elizabeth pointed to the smoke. "That fire."
Benjamin stood up and saw his house in flames. "Goddammit! I have to go back there!" He began to run over.
Elizabeth ran to him and clung to him from the back. "No! You'll get killed if you go back! Please, I don't want you dead…"
Benjamin stopped and held the arm that held his chest tightly. "I have to. I can't just leave like that."
"Oh, but you can bear to leave me? Possibly forever?" Elizabeth shouted angrily. She couldn't let him go back and get killed by a demon. Then her tone turned pleading, "Couldn't we just leave? Is there anything back there that you absolutely can't do without? As long as we have each other…"
"…we don't need anything else," Benjamin finished as he turned to face Elizabeth. He raised his hand and caressed her cheek as she leaned her face into his palm. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've lived here all my life…it's difficult to give up a life that you've had forever."
"I know," Elizabeth said. You don't know how well I know, she thought to herself.
"I'll just have to get used to it I suppose," he said, smiling slightly. "Where shall we go then?"
"How about San Francisco?" Elizabeth suggested. She had a reason for that. Not only was San Francisco more crowded, there were also many witches there. That would hopefully distract any demons from noticing them.
"Sounds good," Benjamin said before grinning at Elizabeth. "Look at me. Not yet married and I'm already being ordered around."
"Believe me, you'll be the better for it." And you have no idea just how true that is.
That night, while Benjamin was sleeping, Elizabeth shimmered to the Underworld. She found Raynor sitting on a chair in her quarters. "I've been waiting," he said irritably.
"You don't know how sorry I am about that," Elizabeth said sarcastically. "I've finished the assignment."
"Yes, I know," Raynor said. Then he looked at Elizabeth critically. "You did it rather messily. Couldn't you have been more discreet?"
Elizabeth stared at Raynor. "You dragged me out of vacation and you don't want me to have a little fun? Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go off on my vacation where none of you can find me. You'll see me when you see me," she waved before shimmering out.
Then, she went to the house of a witch that she knew had been after Jonus for some time. She knocked on the door.
"Hello," Elizabeth greeted. "I believe that you're looking for a warlock named Jonus?"
The witch glanced around to check if there was anyone around who might overhear before staring at Elizabeth suspiciously. "Who are you?"
"Just someone with information on his whereabouts."
"How do I know that this isn't a trap?"
"You don't," Elizabeth replied conversationally. "But is the chance of vanquishing Jonus worth taking the risk?"
The witched stood there, looking at Elizabeth, thinking. Then she opened the door wider. "Come in."
There was a purpose to all this. Elizabeth could not afford to take the chance that Jonus will keep his mouth shut about what he did for her. If word got out to the Source, he might find out just what she had done. But Elizabeth couldn't kill him herself. It would look to suspicious. But a witch vanquishing a warlock… She ignored the voice at the back of her head reminding her that Jonus was a friend.
The irony was not lost on Elizabeth. She was now helping good to get rid of an evil. But that evil was a friend to Elizabeth. She wondered what these people who served good would think worse – the betrayal of a friend or ridding the world of another warlock?