Inhuman Nature
MoshPit
"I'll kill him." Richard Grayson said, a look of cool determination on his face as he reached for his jacket. "I will kill him dead." Virginia stood nearby, holding herself in her arms. She felt disgusted with herself. Now, upon reliving that evening, that horrible nightmare, she wondered how she could have ever thought of taking that monster, that wolf back.
Richard looked up, saw the downcast look on his wife's face, misinterpreted it, and moved to stand by her.
"I don't blame you, you know," he said, cradling her face. "If anything, I blame myself for not seeing what he was earlier. You came to the police station that night for protection; I feel as if I've let you down." Virginia shook her head.
"No," she said, her voice wavering, "it is my fault. I should have known better. He's an animal, more so than you think, and I shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me. I just…" and here her voice began to break, tears threatening to fill her eyes yet again. Richard smiled knowingly.
"You just loved him. I understand. And again, I don't blame you. I can't place the blame on you because you fell in love with him. Warren, he's just…" he hesitated, trying to find the right words. "He's a sick man. There's no way you could have known about that."
'But I did know!' She wanted to cry. 'I knew everything about him! I knew what he was, I knew what he could do, I knew what he was capable of…' all she could do was shiver. Richard held her close.
"I know this is hard for you," he said softly. "And I am so sorry that you had to go through that, that you have to go through this. But I made a promise to protect you, and I will always keep that promise."
~*~*~*~*~
Virginia stood back, and took a running leap at the door. It fell open, unresisting to the force of her body. She stumbled into the dark nursery, fearing what she might see. There were no lights, so she could not see where Wolf was, but the smell, oh god the smell…
She crept through the room, eyes open, searching for some sign of Wolf. On the far side, near the window, the ivory light of the full moon silhouetted the baby crib shared by their two children. Stifling a cry, she tip-toed over to it, trying with all her might to prepare herself for what she might see. She peeked over the edge…
Timothy gurgled at her, waving a tiny, pudgy fist in the air. He lay alone in the crib. Virginia gently picked him up, and held the child close.
"And Andrew?" she asked the darkness, not yet sure if she wanted an answer or not.
"Gone, gone," came the quiet growl from an indeterminate corner of the room.
"Gone where?" she asked quietly, at the same time slowly backing away to the door. A hand appeared on the small of her back, using a gentle force to stop her.
"You're leaving," his voice breathed in her ear. Oh that smell… he really did it…
"Why did you do it?" she said, her voice cracking. "How could you do that to him? To me? How could you kill my baby?" The hand removed itself from her back, and she heard his footsteps walk to her side.
"I was protecting him," the voice said. Virginia tried to glimpse Wolf, but he hid in the shadows cast by the moon. "I have a duty to protect my young."
"They're my young, too! You can't keep a mother from her children!"
"I did it for you," the voice said, a bit hurt. "I did it for you. I'd do anything for you, Virginia." She flinched involuntarily at his use of her name.
"Everything I've ever done," the voice continued, "it was all for you. I left my home for you, Virginia." There was a slight rustling as Wolf began to move. "All that I had ever known was back there, in the nine kingdoms, and I left it all behind, for you. I've risked life and death for you. It was always for you." Wolf stepped into the moonlight, its soft beams haloing him, giving his demonic appearance an ethereal touch.
"Always for you," he said again, and began advancing on Virginia. She backed away, clutching Timothy close to her chest.
"You stay away from me," she warned. Wolf smiled, pointed teeth glinting in the moonlight. He reached out a hand to her.
"Come back, Virginia. I'm the only one who understands. I'm the only one who knows how to care for you." He took a step closer, and Virginia turned and ran.
~*~*~*~*~
"Turn left here." Richard had never been to Virginia's old apartment, and Virginia herself felt too shaky to drive, so she sat in the passenger seat and directed him. They sat in silence for most of the drive, with only her occasional directions for conversation.
"You can't kill him, you know," she said finally, after much deliberation.
"I know," came the stoic response.
"It's wrong," she persisted, looking for a more satisfying answer.
"I know."
"You shouldn't take a human life." There was silence from her other half. And then—
"I'm not going to kill him, because I know that somewhere, deep, deep… deep… inside of him, there's a human soul, and because I know you would never forgive me if I did. So it's for you. I won't kill him, for you."
I left it all, for you… Virginia shivered.
"You can hurt him if you want to," she said. Richard smiled at her.
"I know." She returned his smile, glad to know that he cared for her.
"Stop here," she said. Richard stopped the car. 'All right,' Virginia said to herself, 'time to face the wolf.'