AUTHOR'S NOTE: Short chapter, which I'm sorry for. But it was a good place to end and pick up with the next chapter. Please Review!

DISCLAIMER: Jake Mallard and Ava Blackfeather are © me. J. Gander Hooter is © Disney.

"Your cruel, deep eyes.

Your blood, like ice.

One look could kill.

My pain, your thrill.

I want to love you

but I better not touch.

I want to hold you

but my senses tell me to stop.

I want to kiss you

but I want it too much.

I want to taste you

but your lips are venomous

poison."

CHAPTER 11

"I must say that this greatly upsets me, Jake," J. Gander said as he sifted through the last of the papers in the briefcase I had presented to him. I sat silently in a chair on the opposite side of his desk, barely moving a muscle and my blank, cold stare unwavering. When he finished reading over Ava's history at FOWL, he set all of the papers back in the briefcase and looked up at me with a morbid frown. "I'm not sure that I even want to know what business you had in Agent Blackfeather's apartment and snooping around, Jake. Under normal circumstances, I would have you seriously reprimanded for such behavior."

I didn't even flinch. This was a speech I had been prepared to hear from him. I kept my gaze forward and listened.

"But..." J. Gander continued and sighed with a small heave of his shoulders. He looked up at me and shook his head, closing the briefcase. "I'm sorry, Jake."

After I had left J. Gander's office, I made my way across headquarters to Ava's office. On the outside, I was cool and calm, as usual. On the inside, I was sullen and disappointed for the first time in nearly three years. In my mind, I was going over what I would say to her when we came face-to-face. Ava was a strong and competitive person, just like me. I knew this wasn't going to be easy. For the first time in a long while, I was nervous.

When I came to the closed door with her name scribed in acrylic letters, I wrapped my hand around the doorknob. But I stopped. I began to re-think what I was about to do. Was it really worth it? Would I feel a stabbing guilt for the rest of my life on top of the guilt I was already experiencing? Then I remembered listening to Ava's phone conversation back at her apartment. My eyes narrowed as I began to realize that she had deceived me for the final time.

Finally, I brought myself to push open the door and step inside the office. Ava turned around and faced me with a delighted smile as I closed the door behind me.

"Agent Mallard. What can I do for you?" she asked, playing up to our usual charade in case anyone was listening. When I didn't reply and continued to stare emotionlessly at her, she frowned. "Jake, what is it?"

"Why?" I asked calmly, but my voice and expression were both pained.

Ava stared at me, not understanding. "Why what? Jake, what are you talking about?"

"Why?" I asked again in a more demanding tone as I stepped toward her, stopping only feet away. "Why did you have to lie to me of all people? Did you believe I wouldn't find out?"

"Jake, you're scaring me," Ava said, her voice waivering nervously. "What are you talking about?"

I closed the distance between us so we were only inches apart. My eyes burned right through her and I could see her flinch on the inside. "It was you the whole time. You're the spy from FOWL."

Her eyes widened, dumbfounded. "Jake, that's not funny. How could you say that?"

From my jacket I removed one of the many files I had found in the briefcase and slammed it down on her desk. She calmly stared down at the file and returned her gaze to mine. "What is that?"

"One of the dozens of files I found in the briefcase under your bed," I answered. "That one in particular is your employment status file from FOWL."

Ava's expression swiftly turned into an angry glare. "You were snooping in my apartment?"

"I forgot where I left my keys," I lied blatantly. "I heard you on the phone this morning with your employer, 'Agent Moore.'"

The truth was out. Ava had no way to defend herself against my accusations and proof, and she knew it. She dropped her defenses and scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. "You don't have enough proof. This won't hold up against me when you present it to Director Hooter. And by the time a full investigation can be done, FOWL will have already succeeded in its mission."

"I beg to differ, sweetheart," I retoted. I circled her nin a predatory fashion while she defied being intimidated. "I have enough dirt on you to see that you'll never step foot outside of this building again."

"Then how come you haven't turned me in yet?" Ava spat back impatiently.

"Because I have a proposition for you." I stopped in front of her so we were face-to-face. Her fiery eyes countered my ice-cold glare. "I'm tired of waiting around here and waiting for what's coming to me. I want more than SHUSH has to offer. If I assist you in the downfall of SHUSH, I'm sure I will be rewarded by FOWL."

She threw her head back and laughed. "You want to betray SHUSH for FOWL? And you expect me to believe you?"

I remained cool, calm, and convincing. "Or I can personally escort you down to the containment units right now. Your choice."

Ava grunted, clearly frustrated. She ran her fingers through her long, black hair and exhaled stressfully as she battled the conflict in her head. She had an ego big enough to match mine, which made the decision harder for her than it had to be. Finally, she looked at me with that devious smile.

"This could be the start of another beautiful partnership, Agent Mallard," she suggested slyly. Ava glided over to me and lifted her arms to drape them over my shoulders and around my neck. I tried to avert from her deceitful smile but I found my eyes locked with her. I was unable to pull away from her passionate stare that was masking her lies. "Imagine how FOWL will commemorate us for our triumph. Imagine the power they will give us," she whispered seductively into my ear.

I didn't stop her as she tilted her head back and lifted her bill to mine. My eyes closed as we shared a passionate embrace. Her hands slid up my neck and to the back of my head to pull me closer to her. I pressed against her and lifted my hands to gently stroke the top of her own. And then, I made my move.

I was too quick for her to react. My hands suddenly clamped over her right wrist and I spun her around to face away from me. Ava yelped, startled as I yanked her arms behind her back and held them in a death grip.

"What are you doing!" she shrieked.

"Oh, you're good," I complimented in a resentful growl. "But I'm not going to play your games anymore. I'm tired of playing and being played."

Ava jerked and struggled to pull free. I jammed my knee into her lower back, which temporarily ceased her attempt to pull free. She gasped in pain and slumped from the sudden loss of energy. Freeing one hand, I pulled a small radio from my jacket. "I've got her." Next I removed a pair of handcuffs and securely clamped them around her wrists.

"Jake, why are you doing this?" Ava groaned as she lifted her head to stare at me in utter shock. "I thought we were in this together!"

"You thought wrong," I snapped back, avoiding eye contact with her. I could hear the rushing stampede of footsteps approaching from down the hallway.

"But Jake..." The painful tone in her voice forced me to look into her eyes. They were full of pain, but I saw a faint sparkle of something else. Regret. "I love you..."

The door behind us suddenly burst open. Several agents and guards swarmed inside. Two guards stepped between Ava and I to take her by the arms and escort her out of the office. As they ushered her towards the door, she looked over her shoulder at me with a desperate, pleading expression. I ignored her and watched as she was led out the door and disappeared around the corner.

I was too busy questioning the sincerity of Ava's confession to notice J. Gander step up beside me. "Did you get it, Agent Mallard?"

Without looking at him, I reached into the pocket of my jacket and removed the small, hidden audio recorder. I handed it to him while still looking towards the door. "She actually thought she'd never be caught."

"Ah, yes. But this is the final element of proof we needed to uncover her full intentions," J. Gander concluded while other agents were busily investigating Ava's office. Then he said something I had been waiting to hear for nearly three years.

"Congratulations, Chief Agent Mallard."

I just wish I had heard it in a different scenario.

Regardless of the ecstatic news, I remained calm and dignified. "I'd like to see her, sir."

Ten minutes later, I was descending the stairs to the containment units. I was ready to face Ava one last time. Only now, my head was held high with my promotion. My new title gave me a new confidence to confront the woman who ruthlessly betrayed me. Two guards were flanking one of the half-dozen cells in the dim corridor when I stepped through the door. Their heads turned and they both nodded respectfully. If it weren't for the grim situation, I would have been grinning with pride.

Ava had been sitting on the old, rickety cot bolted into the cement wall with her face buried in her hands when I walked up. She must have heard the footsteps because her head perked up as I stopped in front of the small cell. Her eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet. "Jake!"

I looked to the two guards. "Give us a few minutes." It was my first order as Chief Agent. The two guards nodded and obediently retreated.

"Jake, I knew you'd change your mind," Ava said in a gentle and hopeful voice. "I knew your conscience and your feelings wouldn't let you keep me down here."

"What conscience?" I answered coldly. "What feelings? SHUSH stripped my conscience away years ago when they nearly tortured me to death! And you took my 'feelings,' chewed them up, and spat them out with contempt!"

She was shocked by the deliverance of my words and stepped back. Her eyes were wide with shock. "Jake, I--!"

"You LIED to me, Ava!" I shouted and angrily jabbed my finger through the bars at her. "I put my trust in you, I cared for you, and I maybe even loved you! And what do you do? You betray that trust and crush it in your cold hands!"

"DON'T you play 'innocent' with me, Jake!" Ava fiercly accused and stormed back towards me. The only things separating us by only inches were the bars of the cell door. "You haven't exactly been 'Mr. Truthful' yourself!"

I glared at her defiantly. "I don't know what you're talking about. I never lied to you!"

But she remained unconvinced. "You told me your wife and son were murdered."

"They were murdered!"

"But you failed to mention that you were the one who murdered them!"

My bill opened to retaliate but no words came out. I folded my arms across my chest and huffed. "I see you did your homework rather thoroughly on me."

"Oh please, Jake. Don't flatter yourself," Ava sighed. She turned her back to me and sauntered away several feet. "I didn't give you any 'special attention.'"

"Bullshit. You zeroed in on me because you knew that I was the only one who would be clever enough to figure out who you really were. Your 'feelings' toward me were only to keep me distracted from uncovering you!" I accused in confidence.

Ava turned her head and smirked coyly over her shoulder. "And 'uncover' me you did. Several times."

I watched as she once again approached the cell door, but with a sultry swagger to her step. She brought her face as close to mine as she could and gave an exotic smile that had lured me in many nights before. I was lost in her hazel eyes and savored her touch when her hand rose to stroke my chin. My intense glower slowly faded and I closed my eyes wistfully.

"It doesn't have to be this way," Ava said in a soothing, gentle manner. "Neither of us have to live this way. We could start over. Both of us, Together. I'd give up FOWL in a heartbeat to be with you. Join me, Jake..."

But she was too late. Ava had already misused my trust and thrown it out without a second thought. I had been taught at SHUSH to never trust anyone. My judgment became clouded by Ava's seductive demeanor and I had learned that lesson the hard way. Learning that lesson had left another gaping hole in my heart that still exists to this day.

My eyes shot open, my dark eyebrows shadowing my icy green glower. "It's Chief Agent Mallard now."

Ava withdrew her hand from my face with a surprised expression. "What?"

"You'll address me as 'Chief Agent Mallard' from now on," I repeated and took a step back with my arms folded professionally behind my back. Suddenly, it was as if mine and Ava's relationship outside of SHUSH was non-existent. "I was promoted for capturing the notorious FOWL agent. From now on, all major decisions go through me, including what happens to you."

She shook her head in denial. I couldn't decipher whether her shocked expression was from my news or my sudden ill-manner towards her."Jake, you can't be serious! You can't leave me in here! What about us? What about what we shared? I know I abused your trust but I promise you that I had no intention of turning you over to FOWL with the rest of SHUSH's agents! You have to believe me!"

"Give me one good reason why I should?"

"Because I love you, Jake!" Ava admitted in a shaky voice. "I didn't intend on it turning out this way but I changed over the time we've been together. You can't fight your feelings. You can't choose who you fall in love with. I've learned that."

I didn't flinch. Her words didn't affect me. I just kept my frosty stare locked on her despaired look.

"Jake, please..." she begged, clutching the bars tightly in her hands.

There was a long pause. For a moment, it looked as if I were reconsidering. Finally, I gave her my answer.

"I don't want to see you ever again."

Ava's bill fell open but she was at a loss for words.

I adjusted the lapels of my suit and lifted my head proudly. "You'll be moved to a distant SHUSH penitentiary next week. Make sure you get a good look at the sun on the journey. It will be the last time you ever see it."

With that, I turned and signaled to the guards to reacquire their positions. As they approach, I strolled away from the cell towards the door without another word or look at Ava.

"Jake? Jake! Come back here!" she shouted desperately after me. When I didn't respond, she continued her pleas. "Please! Jake, you can't leave me in here! JAKE!"

Her cries were still audible as I heard the metal door slam shut behind me. But I felt not an ounce of remorse in my blood. My eyes were fixed in a spiteful glare which would remain on my face for the rest of my life. Ava was a poison that would have killed me in a matter of time.

The continuing shrieks gradually faded while I ascended the stairs from the confinement units. That was the last time I ever saw Ava. And it was the last time I exposed my heart to anyone.

"Poison" song and lyrics are © Alice Cooper.