Disclaimer: Immortality aka Wisdom of the Crocodiles & it's character's don't belong to me even if I wish they did. So as you very well know, no suing huh?

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Intro: Inner Demons

Grlscz walked around his apartment with newfound energy. He knew she was on her way. She was coming and it would soon be time to do what had to be done.

Everything had to be spick and span before she got there. He needed perfection. This would be the first time she saw the apartment and he didn't want her to notice anything wrong with the place.

He entered the bedroom and stared at the bare bed. The red stains of blood were flashing their redness like a stoplight, as if telling him not to go on with his plan. He came out of his stupor and spread out the plastic sheet over the bed. Even it had an odd quality to it, some sinister detail with the crimson stains from his previous kills.

He took out some sheets and covered the plastic with red satin. Today's plan would be a little different . . . he knew that already.

The gift he made lay wrapped for her by the night table. Her flowers were in the kitchen. She was bringing the food . . . all he needed was her.

He walked back to the living room and stared out the tall windows. The sky was beginning to darken, leaving him to his dark thoughts. He looked to his left and stared at the sketch. The drawing was one he had made of his human self fighting his demon (death-bringing) self over the woman he loved.

The outline didn't really say all that though it was obviously him in his hospital garb fighting death over a woman who was not facing the viewer. You could see that the woman had long dark hair, small breasts, and pale skin; a likeness to the woman who was coming to see him now: his Anne. It reflected the feelings he had regarding the situation with her, how conflicted he was in this situation. He didn't know what he wanted to do, combat death in order for this woman to live or let it take her in order for himself to go on.

"Oh Anne . . . why couldn't you just leave it alone?" he asked, sighing sadly as he stared at the woman in the drawing longingly.

He ran his hands over her body for a minute in thought as he closed his eyes. He shivered as he felt the cold of the glass, instantly thinking of the cold of death and he opened his eyes in fear of what he would see. They were full of something heart-wrenching: sadness, anger, solitude . . . he needed her in every way but he knew what would happen as soon as she entered that apartment. He looked at death and smiled in defeat, as if telling him that he won even though the battle was only beginning.

He walked over to the kitchen as he waited for her arrival. He sat, drinking some wine as the seconds became minutes and an hour passed by. He drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. He was beginning to think she wasn't going to show and was trying to pacify his sadness, his anger and pain . . . when there was a soft knock at the door.

He got up as he looked over at death and composed himself by fixing his clothing. He drank the rest of the wine in his glass, hoping it would give him the strength to do what he had to. He took a few deep breaths while holding the door frame, knowing that she was on the other side, feeling her warmth coming through the door. He opened it with a smile on his face. When he saw her, he lay back on it looking at her for a moment, taking her in. The sight of her almost knocked the breath out of him. He almost had to remind himself to breathe, but no . . . thankfully not in front of her, not this time.

He held his hand to his mouth in thought. His cold eyes were penetrating her to the core.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming" he said seriously.

"Aren't you going to let me in or are you just going to stand there?" she asked arrogantly, impatiently as always. Oh she was like air; she smiled right through him and his insecurities, calming him for just a moment.

He gestured her in with a wave of his hand and closed the door.

- - - - - - - -

They ate quietly, leaving enough time for thinking. Steven Grlscz's mind fought over what he wanted to do as a man possibly in love and what he had to do as a predator. His body was deteriorating; he knew he would have no choice in the matter but he wanted a choice, he needed one.

"Are those for me?" she asked breaking the silence that held onto the air as if for life itself.

"What?" he asked looking up; suddenly startled from his thoughts.

"The flowers silly, are they for me?" she asked again with a smile.

"Oh, yes," he replied, returning her smile. "Yes," he repeated as he got up to retrieve the lilies and presented them to her. "For you" he said kneeling and laughing while his heart broke inside.