Christian reached Kimber's apartment door, not even bothering to knock. He knew that would be useless. So he used his spent body again as a battering ram, throwing himself at the door in blind fury. As downstairs, the door didn't budge on the first try. Cursing, sweating, Christian lifted his leg and kicked with all his might. The door gave but the chain lock prevented it from swinging open. Sobbing with frustration, he kicked a final time and the door and chain caved, spilling him into the apartment.

The girl in his sights didn't turn to face him, only stood at the ledge, hands raised to the night sky.

"KIMBER!" he howled, rushing to her. She finally turned, but only to ward him off.

"Stay put, Christian," she said quietly. The quiet insensity of her voice stopped him cold. He looked at her, bloody and shaking, but her face was the serene peace of the insane. And of those who know that the end is at hand.

"Kimber, listen to me," Christian panted. He ached--God, how he ached!--but he wouldn't give in to it. Not now, not yet. Not until he could get her off that damn ledge. He stayed where he was, opening his arms to show her that he wouldn't do anything rash, but he kept talking.

"Listen to me, are you listening?" he waited for her nod, then continued. "Kimber, do you remember the night we first met, when I told you you were an 8?" Another pause; another nod. "I was lying to you then. You were a 10 and we both knew it. You were a 10 then, and you're a 10 now. And I love you, I've loved you for so long that I don't even know when it began. All I know is that I can't live without you. Nothing, nothing is so bad, so wrong in our lives that we can't face it together. And it'll be together, I promise you that. Kimber, look at me, please?"

She'd turned away again, gone back to staring at the sky. Who knew the thoughts that were swirling in her head? He continued to plead when she said nothing.

"Kimber, baby, please...you're my girl, my golden girl. Whatever you want, whatever you need, just tell me! I'll give up my practice, give up being a plastic surgeon. I can do work, real work, fixing people who are hurt, helping them recover from accidents, bad surgery, whatever's made them miserable. I can truly help people this time! But I can't do it without you, I can't. Just tell me that you'll come down from there, come down now and come with me. We'll make a life together, just the two of us if that's what you want. We'll make it right this time, true love with no illusions of what perfect should look like. Say you'll come and be with me Kimber."

Don't listen to him. He lies. What more can he offer you that he hasn't already destroyed you with? What more can he give you that I can't make better?

"Kimber, please! We'll have the life you always wanted, a life free from the plastic I deal in every day. We can have a family, a real family, anything you want! Just come to me."

He lies, he lies. Family? He'll saddle you with unwanted brats then leave you both while he goes back to his whoring, picking pretty young girls to inject with more of society's poison. He'll never give up his practice, never change. It's like a drug in his veins. Do you really think you're so special that he'll devote his time to just you when the whole world can be his playground?

Kimber moaned, tearing at her hair, clamping her hands over her ears to block out the flow of voices ripping at her. Christian's heart ached with fear for her but he still didn't move. Come back to me baby, he thought. He opened his mouth to speak again, when Kimber turned, addressing him for the first time.

"Tell me what you don't like about yourself?" Christian started, what was she asking? Kimber's eyes lost their frenzied sparkle and went dull, dead. For some reason that scared Christian more than anything else tonight. His knees threatened to buckle; he held himself together with a supreme effort of will. Kimber didn't seem to appreciate the effort, though.

"Tell me what you don't like about yourself, you selfish fuck!" she roared at him and he cringed. Forty years of memories came back to him then and he couldn't help it, tears ran down his face again. He couldn't trust himself to speak, could only shake his head as he cried for her, for himself, for the chain of events that had brought them both to this tragic point.

"Kimber, please," he moaned, reaching out to her. Kimber just sneered at him and turned back to face the street.

"Don't cry, you bastard," she sneered. "I don't have enough tears for what you did to me, for what you allowed to have done to me. I wish..." her voice trailed off and she tilted her head again, first looking down and regarding the street. Christian could hear the police cars plainly now and a spark of hope flared in his chest. Police meant help; perhaps Sean and Julia were right behind him. He'd have people better equipped than himself to bring Kimber in, to help him get her someplace safe and work on her body, then help him love her back into a better state of mind. His hopes fell though, when she turned to consider the sky again, as if listening to another voice. And she was.

It's time, beloved. The police are on their way. Do you really think they'll let you go now? They'll push and prod until they've made you over into their own image again, until you once more wear the chains of society and all its ills. Only I can give you release, my angel. Come, dance with me.

Kimber nodded, then half-turned to face Christian again. "It's time," she said. "Remember that I loved you. And pray that when judgement day finally comes for you, if there's a God, He sees you with eyes like mine." She turned back to the street.

"KIMBER!" Christian didn't know how he knew, but he knew that this was it. No more talking, no more time. He surged forward with only one thought: to stop her from killing herself. And him, in the process. He knew just as surely though, that he would be too late.

As for Kimber, she no longer heard Christian's voice. He ceased to exist for her. Only He mattered, and she could see him clearly now. Those painted black eyes on that painted white face. Mardi Gras comic/scary. Black gloved hands reaching for her. Black on black in the night sky. The stars above set the stage for them. The sounds below were merely music to announce their final dance. He opened his arms to her and she felt the smile behind the mask.

It's time, my love. Come to me, let me play the angel tonight. Dance with me. Only I can set you free.

"Beauty is a curse on the world," Kimber whispered.

And she stepped into the arms of her Angel.