Author's Note!!

For those of you that are a little confused and asking questions on the topic of Ashley, I will direct you to Tori's Story! It can be found with the rest of the stories in my profile and will explain just who Ashley is! ^.^ And it's a good read, I have to admit I'm rather in love with the piece and consider it one of my best works! I urge you to check it out!

On with the story!

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"First things first." Tori looked at Ruby rather seriously, and for the first time since the rooftop of Mercy Hospital, she could tell the words to follow would be truth, honest to goodness truth without any of his usual assholeishness. "You need to understand that I am not a nice person. I'm sure you've noticed this enough on your own already, but I need to emphasize this."

"Tori." Ruby breathed, sighing shortly when he put a finger to her lips.

"I'm not a good person. Not a nice person. Until I met you, I could barely be considered anything more than a criminal, a bully and an indecent person. I did things that you will not like to hear that I did, and I will probably end up doing such things again in the future. Keep that in mind, please." Tori continued, Ruby's stomach churning uncomfortably. When he took his finger from her lips, he leaned down closer, the small shake of her head stopping him from whatever it was he had been attempting to do.

"Don't even try it, Tori. Tell me your story so I can get back to being pissed off at you."

"Do you want the long version, or the short version?"

"Which version will make me angrier?"

"The long one that offers much insight into my twisted life."

"Then give me the short version so I can do my best not to hate you."

"Try very hard, Ruby. Very hard." Tori's expression darkened and he put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to sit down on the floor in front of him as he cleared his throat. "I met Ashley along with her boyfriend Max some time ago. We travelled together through the city, but when we reached the hospital, I finally showed them my true face. I told them my story, and Max… Max made the mistake of calling me a monster, Ruby."

Ruby frowned up at him slightly as he spoke, his hands tightening their grip on her shoulders.

"I killed him."

For some reason, the little jerk she gave beneath his hands hurt a lot more than it should have. He had expected this reaction from her, hadn't he? Now there was nowhere to go but forward, he couldn't take it back.

"I killed him. I tore his throat out and left him on the floor of the safe room. I killed him for daring to stand in my-" Tori cut off when he began coughing again, Ruby letting out a soft gasp of anguish. She didn't move to hold him as she usually did during these fits, simply sitting and staring at him with wide eyes.

Killing infected was one thing. Killing people was different.

"I killed him for daring to get in my way." Tori finally choked. "I want peace, Ruby. I want a place of my own. This damn infection has robbed me of everything, but I am NOT a monster."

"I didn't think you were." Ruby whispered, Tori's eyes raising to meet hers. His expression was terrible, too many things to read written on his face, and he let out a soft groan before leaning to rest his head on her shoulder.

"Didn't. You didn't think. And now you do?"

"I…" Ruby took in a shaky breath. "You killed him? You just… God Tori, why?"

"I told you. I want peace. And every person who looks at me with fear and disgust in their faces, hatred even, every person who stands in my way and tells me I can't have peace because I'm sick doesn't deserve to fucking live, Ruby." His amber eyes were darkening, but she didn't reach out to touch his cheek to stop him, as she had been doing in these past days.

Her heart was hammering in terror, and as he continued, her horror only grew.

"After I killed him, I cornered Ashley. Told her… I wanted to give her something to remember me by. We can smell it in you, y'know? The infected can smell the immunes, we know when someone can't become infected and we fight harder to destroy that person. Every immune makes our future a little bleaker." Tori let out a pained hiss and shook his head.

He turned his head to look at the prone form of Ashley on the floor, lifting his hands from her shoulders to drag his claws through his hair.

"Ashley wasn't immune. I cornered her and certainly gave her something to remember me by despite her screaming and her pleading for me to stop. I kissed her, Ruby."

"Knowing she could become infected?" Ruby gasped, Tori shaking his head firmly again without looking at her.

"Knowing she WOULD become infected. I didn't care anymore, Ruby. At that moment, humanity had forsaken me, so the least I could do was invite that pretty, petite little girl to join our ranks. I gave her a kiss she would never forget and left her there, in that safe room alone."

"… and you say you're not a monster?" Ruby whispered, tears now forming in her eyes and her throat becoming thick.

"I'm not." Tori said firmly, looking up at her with a hurt expression. "I am NOT a monster."

"That was a pretty monstrous thing you did!" Ruby wasn't keeping her voice down anymore, her emotions rising to the breaking point as tears began to stream down her cheeks. "And you don't even have the guts to put her out of her misery?! Look at her! LOOK AT HER! Do you think she wanted this, do you think she wanted to be like this?!"

"YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THIS DISEASE!!" Tori roared, his eyes deepening to black as he stared down at Ruby, who shrunk away from him with a small yelp. He slammed one clawed hand into the wall next to her, and she felt fairly faint from fear, sinking down with her back against the wall. "You know nothing of the torment we feel, the conflict… you know nothing of the rage or the animal urges we feel, the pain that tears through us every second of every day!"

He began to cough again, tearing his claws from the wall and pushing away from her, managing to stagger to his feet and moving across the safe room from her, the coughing dissolving into growls and sobs as he leaned heavily against the opposite wall.

Ruby remained very still, staring straight ahead, in complete shock from what she had said and what he had done. She didn't try to speak, couldn't bring herself to look at him…

"Or maybe you do. Maybe you suspect." Tori gasped with difficulty, spitting as string of curses that were broken up by more coughing. "After all… you wouldn't look at me with those eyes, those eyes full of pity if you didn't…"

"Don't speak, Tori, you'll sicken yourself." Ruby forced herself to her feet as well, but when she tried to approach him, he swung one hand towards her and caused her to freeze to the spot.

"Stay back." He gasped. "I'm not done yet… I'm not done." He waited for a moment to catch his breath, leaning his head against the wall, then he turned his black eyes to her again.

Ruby remained fixed to the spot, not moving or flinching even as Tori stormed towards her. He stopped within inches of touching her, his dark hair falling in a dark halo around his face as he leaned down towards her.

"I can't… kill her. I put her in this misery, but I can't take her out of it. I don't know if I want to kill anymore. And the reason for that is you."

"Me?" Ruby whispered, shaking her head. Tori caught her chin in his hand firmly, making her grimace.

"Yes. You." He spat the two words, snarling furiously. After gasping for breath a few times, he closed his eyes, leaning his forehead against hers. "You, Ruby, have changed me."

He said nothing more, turning his back to her and pacing away once again.

"Tori?" She finally whispered after too long in silence. He jerked a little, as if she had surprised him, then glanced over his shoulder.

"Just need a moment." He rasped. "… trying to focus."

Ruby remained silent, watching Tori carefully, glancing over her shoulder when she heard the Witch stirring behind her.

"Tori." She said more frantically. "She's-"

"Shut UP! If I don't get control of this, I'm going to… I might just… FUCK." Tori spun around and hurried past Ruby, towards the Witch. Ruby reached out and caught his sleeve, preparing herself for the blow she was sure was coming.

Instead, Tori swung her into the wall behind her, letting out a hiss. "Don't… touch me. Not yet. I don't want to hurt you. And stay here, stare straight ahead, do NOT watch what I'm about to do."

"What happened to change? What happened to not wanting to kill?" Ruby gasped, Tori snarling in her face again before releasing her.

She didn't dare watch, her heart hammering so hard in her chest now she felt as if she were going to be sick, bringing her shaking hands up to cover her face. She heard Ashley's feet peddling on the floor as Tori dragged her outside, the grating of the safe room door opening drowning out her sob.

A scuffle… a squeal…

Silence.

Ruby sank down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, raising her hands to her cover her face slowly, waiting for the sound of his footsteps to return to her.

Those footsteps never came.

Ruby didn't know how long it was before she finally lowered her hands again, forcing herself to her feet and looking towards the door.

Tori wouldn't have left her here all alone. He wouldn't have.

He couldn't have…

Her feet carried her on unsteady legs to the door, her breath coming in short gasps as she peered out into the dim afternoon light, the clouds crowding out the sunlight that had bathed the morning. She could smell blood, she could smell death, the smells far too familiar to her now for her to feel particularly worried about it.

It was what her eyes saw that truly affected her, the sight of Ashley's body laying limply on the ground, blood pooling around her. Tori's axe laying on the ground beside her, head bloodied.

And him, Tori himself, standing over her as still as a statue, utterly silent, his black eyes sucking in what little light was around him. He didn't look over when Ruby approached, hardly even seemed to breathe.

Ruby reached out to touch his arm, fingers pulling away from him at the last second, terrified that if she touched him, he would turn those sharp claws of his on her, or choke her to death with that deadly tongue.

He let out a deep groan, gasping in a breath after it escaped him, making her leap about a foot in the air, a squeak escaping her throat. He turned his head to look at her then, no expression crossing it.

It was as if Tori didn't recognize her.

Ruby's heart almost stopped. She was losing him.

"You did what you had to." She said suddenly, his head tilting to the side. "Tori, I don't think you're a monster."

He shuffled to face her, stepping slowly towards her as a soft growl issued forth from him.

"Come back to me." Ruby pleaded, her voice cracking. "Tori, don't do this. Please come back to me."

Tori opened his mouth slowly, letting out a cry and taking another step forward.

"Itoria!"

The sound of his full name stopped him, a small shudder moving through him. He tilted his head to the side once again, Ruby moving forward to take his arms in her hands. He recoiled, but she persisted.

"Come back to me, Itoria Levon Henry. Don't you dare run away from me." Ruby slid her hands up his arms and to his face, pulling him down towards her as she leaned up on her toes. Tori tensed, once again attempting to pull away, but when her lips met his, a soft gasp escaped his throat.

They were both still for a moment, Ruby holding her breath, terrified that this wasn`t going to work and that he was going to kill her anyway. Tori let out another dull groan and reached down, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him. Ruby`s eyes widened in surprise when he returned the kiss eagerly, opening her eyes ever so slightly.

Tori had his own eyes open, the deep amber color of them sending waves of relief through her despite the tortured look he was giving her. Eyes fluttering closed again, Tori moved one hand to the back of her head, his tongue tracing her lips before pushing past them as she parted them in invitation.

It was everything Ruby had imagined it to be and more, and she understood very clearly why Tori constantly referred to his kisses as "the kind you never forget, the kind that can never be bested."

At that moment, she understood very clearly what he had meant when he said being infected had its advantages.

Tori was careful at first, but soon threw caution to the wind and gripped her tightly, kissing her as hard and as deep as he dared to without hurting her. The muffled groan that issued forth from her, her clinging hands, the taste and feel of her, all of it combined cast a powerful spell that ate past the rage burning in him and brought him completely back to his senses.

He just hoped he would be able to stop in time before pushing this too far. He wanted this, had wanted this since he first lay eyes on Ruby, but he didn't want it to happen this way. Tori imagined it happening when both of them were safe, and happy.

He broke the kiss slowly, pulled away even while she was resisting him doing so, both of them short of breath and in no hurry to move from where they were standing, pressed together, clinging to one another.

"Why stop?" Ruby gasped, putting a hand on his cheek. "Why now?"

"It can't happen like this, Ruby." Tori replied, closing his eyes. "But thank you… I'm so sorry."

"I should be the one apologizing. Look what I did, Tori, look what I drove you to! It's just awful…" Ruby breathed, Tori silencing her with another very gentle kiss.

"It doesn't matter anymore. C'mon, it's not safe here. We need to go back inside."

…

The night was deep by the time Ruby found the courage to talk to him about what had happened, turning her eyes to him as they sat after eating some semblance of dinner.

Tori had leaned back, putting his hat over his eyes as though he intended to sleep, but he looked up when she said his name.

"Was it… hard?" Tori blinked over at Ruby, raising an eyebrow. "What you did. Was it hard to do it?"

"Not so much. Axe weighs next to nothing, and they're more fragile than they look." Tori growled in reply, Ruby's expression changing a little.

"Did you feel anything? Any remorse, anything at all?" She whispered. Tori took his time in answering, swallowing a few times and letting out a sigh.

"I felt rage, Ruby. That's it. It's a fucking miracle I only hit her once. I denied myself the outlet I needed to get that rage to go away, and that's why I was in the state I was in when you found me." He turned to look at her, taking his hat off. "You provided me… with an outlet."

Her cheeks flushed, and she cleared her throat.

"I thought as quickly as I could. Do you remember what I said, did you hear me?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "Could you hear me?"

"No." Tori shifted, getting up from where he was sitting to move to sit beside her. He reached out and stroked her cheek, turning her face to his. "Tell me again. I never get tired of listening to the sound of your voice."

The pity in Ruby's eyes made a hot stab of frustration shoot through his gut, but he shrugged it off and smiled.

"I told you that I didn't think you were a monster." Ruby whispered, and Tori's eyes widened. His claws dug a little harder than he intended them to, and she winced slightly.

"… Oh…" Tori gasped, his amber eyes locking with her blue ones.

"And I told you to come back to me. Because you had almost lost yourself in that blood lust and you were… you tried to… I'm just glad I reacted the way I did." She finally said, biting her lip.

"So am I." Tori whispered to her, drawing back at last. "I'm sorry, Ruby."

"Why do you keep apologizing to me? You've done-"

"Don't you dare." Tori barked, Ruby blinking at him in shock. "Don't you dare say I have done nothing worth apologizing for. My entire existence has been riddled with things I should be apologizing for. There are dozens of people I should apologize to."

… had shared a rather pleasant… experience before the night was through…

"I'm tired." He whispered after a long silence, Ruby almost regretting it when he moved away from her to sit where he had been before. "You should get some rest. We hit the road again tomorrow."

"Alright." Ruby wanted to ask him to sleep beside her, hold her and keep her warm, but he put his hat back over his eyes and leaned back with tension written in every muscle, every feature… She knew it wasn't the right time.

Something told her his exhaustion stemmed from him being the one to stop what had almost happened between them earlier that day. Something told her it had taken more will than he thought he possessed to say it couldn't happen.

It seemed to both of them that the storm had once again passed them over, but the darkening sky proved that they weren't clear from their bought of bad weather just yet. And when they fell asleep together that night, Tori wrapping his arms protectively around her, Ruby couldn't help but wonder how well they would be able to weather what was to come.