Author's Note/Disclaimer: Not mine. And in case you were wondering about the two chapter posts in one day, think of it as a little present to compensate for my not writing for a little while.

Chapter Eight: Reminiscing

Berry lay her chin atop her fist and watched the snow tumble lazily past her window. Her desk faced the window during the winter to remind herself how she'd gotten here in the first place. Soldiers' guns fired at random and assassinated designated targets, oftentimes in the shapes of Mr. Herriman and Madame Foster. Her personal favorites were the ones that screamed and bled after being shot. Of course, they also begged for mercy, another thing they'd never get. They could grovel for years and she'd still shoot them coolly in the head.

Fingers on her other hand groped through an open drawer and unbidden, drew out a picture. Old, tattered, and color fading; one would wonder why someone of her stature and position would cling to an obviously sentimental piece. After all, surely she'd dispose of it by now. Yet as the years went by and the loss grew more acute instead of less, she found herself examining it frequently as though silently querying her might give her the answers she sought. Only a smiling, sickly girl gazed back up at her.

She swallowed hard, hating herself again. She remembered crushing her fingers through the girl's long, curly blonde hair and inhaling her sweet scent of magnolia and rose petals. Her stomach flip flopped, remembering more than she'd usually permit herself.

Spring and the flowers blossomed lovely in the garden surrounding Virginia's mansion. A pale thin girl, hair loosely hanging down her back, knelt by a red rose bush. She twirled one idly between her bony fingers, but somehow managed to avoid pricking herself. Her pink skirt (she always did love pink) flowed to her ankles, clad in pink slippers. A lilac blouse hugged her shoulders but otherwise, blew back and forth in the breeze. Despite her appearance, the girl was actually thirteen, not eight as distracted friends of her parents might have guessed.

Berry envied her, but she always had. For as long as she could remember, she longed to twirl those beautiful blonde tresses and recline against her. Okay, so maybe she wasn't jealous anymore. Maybe it'd transcended coveting into an emotion she'd rather not contend with at the moment. Besides, in her heart of hearts, she knew she didn't stand a chance. Why identify it when she was bound to be heartbroken?

Birds chirped, swooping down over Berry's head. She carefully wended her way through the flowers, plants, and ornaments. Virginia's family took no pride in their daughter whatsoever, but when it came to displaying their wealth, it was grotesque. Stone structures of fairies, nymphs, and pixies stood by Virginia's room, another insult to her creator. Virginia hated the fey; she loved dragons and yearned for their power. All she'd ever wanted, she told Berry, was to make her parents sorry they never paid attention to her and then fly far away from here.

"Hey, Vi," she murmured, fretting that she'd broken the silence her creator wanted. She constantly felt like she was interrupting something whenever she was invited to sit with her. Then again, perhaps it was because simply sitting in her presence was like accompanying royalty. Her heart soared and butterflies twittered in her stomach. Whenever she was around her, her mood lifted instantly and she only thought of making her happy. But that was why she'd created her, wasn't it? To make her happy? So these thoughts were nothing more than that, weren't they?

"Berry!" she cried joyously, shifting and indicating she rest on her lap. The color rushed to her imaginary friend's face and she gazed at her creator uncertainly, perplexed. However, Virginia continued to motion towards her and she curiously did as she was bidden. She'd never sat on her lap before…and her face turned another shade of pink. She could practically cook a meal on it.

Her fingers stroked the side of her face and, completely taken aback, she stared blankly. She couldn't deny that the butterflies in her stomach were now bouncing off each other and a surge of joy made her giddy, but what was going on? Why did it seem like Virginia was coming onto her? And why did she like it so much? She craved it and basked in her fingers rolling over the top of her head, her cheek, her chin, and then down her body. She only wished she had a more pleasing form for her.

"I love you," Virginia whispered, lifting her and brushing her lips against hers. Berry was so shocked, she forgot to breathe. The world blurred and her heart leapt rapturously. Everything melted away until it was just the two of them...

And with a loud "pop!", a rush of heat flushed her. Then, feeling like she was entering a scalding tub, bits of her flesh tore and extended into molten legs, arms, hands, a neck, a suitable, human-like head, torso, feet, and even anatomically correct body parts. Surprised, she toppled out of her lap and onto the ground, where the cool grass assailed her. God, her body was on fire. What on earth was going on?

Gradually, she cooled and opened her eyes. Fingers flexed experimentally and she tried to push against the ground with her blob arms only to discover she couldn't. Virginia gently enveloped her in her arms and carted her off to the bench. She grinned eagerly at her as she examined all her new appendages and ran her new fingers over her body. She was at a loss for words.

"Do you like it, Berry-chan?" she murmured, caressing her cheek. Unlike her blob form, every sensation was poignant. Her heart raced in her chest.

"I imagined it just for you."

Overwhelmed, throat constricting, she flung her arms around her and shrieked. Virginia winced, wishing it hadn't been right in her ear. Nonetheless, she smiled good naturedly, ran her fingers through her vibrant pink hair, and kissed her cheek. Berry shivered pleasurably, but her smile faded. She saw the way her hand trembled; Virginia turned away to hide another wracking coughing fit.

"Why did you give this to me, Vi?" she whispered, watching horror struck as she gasped for breath. This had been happening more often of late and she'd lost a great deal of weight very quickly. Not to mention she rarely slept well and scarcely ate. However, Berry had always assumed it was a temporary thing and she'd recover. She had to. She was Virginia and she was her creator. Humans held all the answers. After all, they were mighty enough to create them. If she was sick, they could fix her like that. She'd never leave her.

"Imaginary friends won't be protected by humans forever and you…you need to be able to look out for yourself. I'm not always going to be around to support you," she murmured, clearing her throat and coughing up mucus. She shut her eyes, withdrew a tissue from her purse, and cleaned her hand (being certain to put use sanitized napkins first).

"Sure you are, Vi. Why wouldn't you be? You're not that sick. I'm sure we'll be together forever," Berry said, grinning. "And when I rule the world, you'll be at my side. We can tell people we're sisters."

Shaking her head, she kissed her gently on the lips. Berry attempted to kiss her back, but she withdrew. The saddest smile crossed her face, like one who is certain of their death but unsure how to break the news to a loved one. She kissed her cheek, rose ungainly to her feet, and the two reentered the house. She never did respond to her comments about the future, no matter how much Berry pressed her.

Machines whirled and beeped, but Berry hardly took any notice. Heart pounding in her ears, she gritted her teeth and released a low hiss. In the oversize hospital bed, her creator resembled a porcelain figure, chalky white and on display. Only the equipment informed her she lived at all. Otherwise, she might have been merely a rich person's plaything. Then again, her whole life, that was all she'd been. Her parents hadn't wanted her; the only creature in the world that loved her unconditionally and yearned for her company was her imaginary friend.

Unfortunately, the same held true for Berry. Virginia's parents tolerated Vi because she was their offspring and Berry because she came from her imagination. If she weren't physically a part of their daughter, they would have kicked her to the curb long ago. Already, they discussed in loud voices how they would dispose Berry like rubbish and let whoever the hell wanted her lay claim to her. They seemed to be of the impression she was a plastic novelty toy that held no worth. Then again, they'd never considered Virginia terribly important, but without her, Berry had no one and nowhere else to turn.

But this wasn't what really irritated her. She'd promised them eternity, even if she'd never said it. They were supposed to rule together, damn it! She was supposed to be her beloved, forever and ever. When Virginia breathed her last breath, it was supposed to be because Berry was dying too. Not this. Never like this.

"This wasn't supposed to happen, damn it!" she screamed, whirling on her creator. "You're not supposed to leave me! We were supposed to be together forever!"

Virginia smiled weakly, turning her head. She indicated Berry join her on the bed, but, furious, she refused to step another foot closer. The door remained open so that everyone was privy to this. Virginia sighed- Berry always did enjoy making a scene when she thought the situation merited it. That was one of the things she was going to miss about her.

"You knew about this! You knew you were going to leave me and you did it anyway! You gave me a human form and let me fall in love with you so you could destroy me! I HATE YOU!"

Very softly, as though it pained her to speak, she whispered, "You're right, Ber. I knew I was going to leave you. I knew I was sick and didn't tell you. Can you begrudge me? I wanted you to be happy and not suffer. I wanted you to be strong and healthy because I could never enjoy a full life."

"Liar! You're human! You can heal yourself! You just want to hurt me!" she screamed. "Humans can do everything- imagine yourself better!"

Smiling softly, energy leaving her, "You always were one to twist words, weren't you? I love you, Berry. Can you twist that? Can you tell me that I wouldn't have died to make you happy?

"And now, I have to ask you to do one thing for me. If you love me, please leave the room."

"Fuck you. I don't want to see you again anyway," she snapped, whirling on her heel and exiting.

"You won't."

Ten minutes later, Berry felt her die. It was like her still beating heart was being ripped out of her chest, trampled on, and then, she was used a test dummy to explosives. She'd never wanted death more in her life.

"And now look at me," she crooned, spreading her arms wide. "I rule an empire."

Yet how was she going to combat death if the only creatures she knew died and the only one she'd ever given her heart, soul, and mind to had abandoned her? At least she knew she wasn't going to die of natural causes- imaginary friends had to be immortal. Nonetheless, it wouldn't hurt to have an heir. Once more, Bloo flitted across her mind. Surely she could procure a child from him? It didn't seem like it'd be too hard.

She'd beat him down and then, DIE would never die. Even if she never killed Herriman, her children would. Then they'd rue the day they tangled with her. Her…and Bloo. She grinned evilly. With him by her side, after she separated him from Mac, there'd be no stopping them.

Ah, yes, Mac, the fly in her ointment. How to disentangle Bloo from his inferior half, she wondered. Would Bloo protest if she killed him? Well, she supposed she'd discover when the creature was actually within her clutches. For now, she had to figure out how to approach this. After all, Bloo wasn't a typical Imaginary...