Chapter 6

Wednesday's heart leaped into her throat as she felt the cold steel against her midriff. It burned like cold fire but she was unharmed.

She gasped in surprise, and glanced at Jay's face. It was a face as stunned as she was.

Jay stared at the hand holding the knife like it was alien. He watched stunned as it refused to do his bidding.

Then Wednesday became angry. He was taunting her and with the sting of betrayal she lashed out. "Do it then! Do it!" she tried to disguise the huskiness of tears in her voice

"I can't "he whispered the still stunned look on his face.

"What', Wednesday said, passed the point of no return."What can't you do? Why can't you kill me J? I was a friend! I trusted you! With my family? I let you into my home? Into my family! I trusted you-Hell I even began to love you".

Her voice was becoming quite hoarse, as it wasn't used to being used in such high volume. She felt like her heart was being ripped out of her body as she stared down misted eyes at his still shocked looking face.

She was searching his face as she felt his dark, overwhelming aura begin to recede. Being so absorbed with that she didn't notice J had stopped looking at the knife and instead was examining her body.

Again he plunged it into her belly and this time it penetrated her flesh and found home deep in her body.

She gasped as the pain tore through her insides like liquid fire. She held her hand to the knife buried to the hilt in her stomach and made as if to hold it. At the last moment she collapsed, blood seeping through her magnificent dress and pooling into a red deadly river where she lay.

Frozen, J watched as her lashes gently began to close. Immediately as her eyes were closed and skin began to turn pale he was spurred into action as he felt, a million fire ants dancing on his skin.

He couldn't let her die.

He couldn't let her die. It was at that moment that he realised that he was totally in love with her, with a member of the dreaded Addams family. If he had time he would have been horrified and crippled with self-loathing but the love of his miserable life, the only ray of dark sunshine in his hundred years of lonely existence.

He acted as quickly as he could, so quick that he was visible to the naked eye. He lifted her gently into his arms and laid her down on the bed, making sure it was comfortable enough for his princess.

He looked at her coral rosebud mouth, a mouth he had seen spew dangerous words, haughty words, clever words; a mouth he adored and had desired to kiss even though he wouldn't admit it under torture. He bent down to it and gave it the kiss of life. He watched as the blood returned to her face and her joints relaxed.

She moaned softly and opened her eyes. He liked the soft look in her eyes when she saw him but it quickly changed to mistrust and hurt .She scooted away from him but was too weak to do more.

It began to dawn on him what he had done. He had betrayed his people and had broken the centuries ago vow he had made to his father as he lay on his deathbed ravaged by the curse of the Addams. The disgust crept over him, filling him up to the brim, overflowing and creating the urge to gag.

He thrust himself away from her –unable to look into her perfect face that was clenching in pain and anger. He allowed himself one last look and gazed deep into her eyes. When he saw nothing but hurt and pain and sorrow as she bravely looked in the yes he was ready to give up his hopes-run away to his grove and lock himself up for centuries until something killed him or he grew mad. He turned his back on her and began heading towards the door.

"Why"

A single question. It stopped him in his tracks. As much as he wanted to keep on going, to dwell in his empty sanctuary but he owed her an explanation.

"You killed my family" he said quietly surprised not to feel the familiar rush of anger that usually accompanied the statement. He stilled turned his back to her, not bearing to face her

"Who?' Wednesday asked, sounding closer than she had before.

"They came at night. Stormed into our castles on horse and on foot Cruel and savage, cursing everything in sight with their magic and their potions. They said we were evil, that we were animals, that we didn't deserved to live. They waited and waited until everything had died, every man, woman, children. I was ill and so kept in a healing room, away from the demands of palace lives." He had closed his eyes, remembered the sight of his dead people littering the streets,

"I'm sorry", Wednesday said coming to sit next to him on the floor. He hadn't even noticed when he sank unto the floor.

"SO am I! I woke up from a fever and was met with death and destruction. The entire kingdom wiped out of existence. I rushed to my father's room." his voice cracked up at that bit. He had never told this story to anyone else. "On his last breath he made me promise to hunt down the traitor and take revenge. Revenge on the traitor Gustav Addams."

Wednesday gasped. She recalled her great ancestor Gustav Addams; his portrait was displayed in the portraits room. Thinking back she remembered how J had tensed when he came into the portraits room and was particularly attracted to Gustav

"What happened?" she asked, laying a hand on his shoulder and rubbing the tenseness she found there. She had done this times before when she noticed he was tense.

"I rode off, urged on by the fire of vengeance in my body and I rode three kingdoms until I was exhausted and nursed make to health by an elderly wizard".

"But I can't do it", he sounded tortured and she understood exactly what he was feeling because she was feeling the exact same thing.

"Why?" and because she couldn't stand him in pain she got up and got the knife that lay innocently on the floor. And for the second time in the same evening she said, "Do it! Do it now!"

Jay looked up at her, pain stricken face