This is a short chapter.

Catrina sat bolt upright in her shabby little bed. It was night, she had missed a whole day. Her covers were over her as she had supposedly left them, but when she tugged, they didn't budge- they had been tucked in under the mattress. She wasn't sure if Katie had the proper form to do something like that. It took a little more force for what energy she had to untangle herself– so she was drained before she had even got up. When she set her foot on the floor to push herself up, she simply keeled over and off the bed, and probably broke a nail preventing her face hitting the wood. He must have been listening- because seconds later he popped in, leaning heavily on the door. "What are you doing scavenging on the floor?"

"I'm not…" Her arms shook with the effort to push herself up, she gave in and remained there. "I haven't eaten- so I think I'm dying."

"Bullshit, you're just being awkward." He gave her an almighty tug up- to show off his flippant manliness, and propped her into a chair, she sagged into it like a rag doll. He pulled a grimace. "And stop doing that…you're making the room look untidy."

"I don't have the strength to laugh so don't try to be funny." Her head was resting on the back of the chair so she wasn't even looking at him as she said this. It would be too much to watch him pace the room, but when he had gathered himself- she figured it was to deliver a terrible verdict.

"I went down to management, they weren't much good…apparently we've got company-" Catrina jerked "-Not here, not now…but somewhere, not part of management."

Catrina lolled her head to the side to throw a shrewd look at him. "Just say hell…it isn't my management, I don't work there!"

"I thought you were tired?" He chimed, and she managed a huff.

"I will be dead if you don't help me."

"You want my help?" He used his rare bitch voice. "I'm giving you free lodgings…you are beginning to out stay your welcome."

Catrina made a humongous gasp and clutched at her stomach. "Why are you so damn funny lately?" She pulled the cover over her head. "If you don't want me here- send me home."

"Send me home- means something else in my dictionary." He hinted. She took it he meant death and heaven, which she now knew existed- oh how relieved she was! She broke from her trail of thought when something was chucked on her lap, it was wrapped in grease paper- could it be?

"A cheeseburger!" She almost ate it with the wrapper still on, during her merriment and hums of bliss- Jack retrieved a grocery bag, stood by the side of the bed, and emptied a mountain of burgers onto her lap. She whooped loudly, grabbing and devouring what she could in a short amount of time. Over one of the baps she caught him observing her with a finger pressed analytically to his lips. She dropped her meal, rustling the debris. "This isn't what you call a last supper, is it?"

He scoffed. "So morbid…No, death is not a journey I'm going to put you on." The bed dipped as he seated himself next to her. "I'm turning over a new leaf."

The cheeseburgers returned to her mouth, giving her time to think of something to say. So he was going to be nice to her?- Which will make it a lot easier to cosy up to him, then hopefully his mission will be abandoned- therefore he will fail. "We should have dinner." She managed, swallowing a big mouthful. Jack smiled in unison with her as she chose to offer him one burger. She was having a dejavu- certain she had done this before.

"Consider it a date." Jack's current stoop was like an awkward teenager. She just hoped it all wasn't just an act.

"Well you paid for it, so I suppose it kinda is." Silence consumed them, apart from the rustling of grease paper and the sound of munching. Catrina didn't know what to say next, she had exhausted herself being…well, horrible. And being nice with Jack was out of her comfort zone- which she was sure it was for Jack as well. Perhaps this was a test? "My energy is returning." She added, shielded by her food and paper.

"So strenuous activities are back in your books then?" He didn't even look at her when he said that, so she assumed it was entirely innocent. She noted he was on the same burger, where she had consumed 3 since. She hadn't thought he probably didn't need to eat.

"I'm not going to do a few laps of the ship- I think I've lost enough weight."

"Are you vain?"

Jack continued to eat while she pondered on this- staring at him like he had swore. "No." She retorted dubiously, waiting for an explanation. When it didn't come she felt compelled to speak- it sounded like their truce was about to come to an abrupt end. "Why would you think a girl concerned about her weight is vain- especially when she's insinuating she's underweight?"

"Forgive me, I have been surrounded by women all by life who scrutinise themselves with other women. It got kinda tiresome." Another bite was taken out of his morsel.

Quick- he was getting into his personal life, find out more. "Women like your mother?"

He continued to eat more fiercely, at least he wasn't taking it out on her. Jack paused mid chew, and Catrina's ears perked up. "She wasn't vain- she was too close to her god to be vain."

"She was a religious woman?" Interesting. "And she bore the spawn of satan."

Jack looked at her sharply, dropping a ball of grease paper. "She was good, she didn't judge people, she had so much damn faith in humanity…then it all changed." His voice was angry and hurt, his fist became white and he shoved it against his mouth to silence himself. Catrina wanted to rip the hand away to make him pour his heart out.

Catrina empathy kicked in. "And so she should, humanity was god's greatest creation." She very tentatively reached for his back, laying a hand on him- but Jack suddenly jumped into a standing position, she retreated slightly on her bed- about to kick out in case he attacked her.

"You sound like her." He said so deathly quiet, it irked her- he hadn't yelled. "And I hated her because of it…." Catrina felt herself shaking. "I hated her because she was so good, and I knew I was nothing like her."

She swallowed down a lot of fear with remnants of her burgers. "So Sundays must have been like flu-shot day."

"-Like you wouldn't believe!" The bed cushioned his buttocks once more, he turned to engage her. "Mothers want the best for their children right?" Catrina nodded to this- she would have nodded to anything he had said though. "What if the best thing was to leave them to their own devices, stop trying to 'save' them."

"So you were aware your mother was trying to save you from damnation?- Well that's a start." She chimed, allowing the strain to leave her voice, the fear went with it. "What did she do wrong, other than love you?" Catrina detected she was approaching rough territory which could result in violence- on her.

Jack went still beside her, staring at her rather sedulously, as if she was about to answer her own question. "Perhaps her arrogance over her ability to change me?" Well that trumped her.

"-Wait, are you talking about your mother or me?"

Jack huffed at her sudden bout of stupidity.

"Arrogance that isn't even present- who says I want to change you?!" Catrina was on the verge of a rant, not something you would want to be an audience of, she could go on for hours defending herself, long after everyone had left the room. "You are a cold case my friend, something that could be left on the shelf for years- and believe me, no one is capable of changing your sorry ass but yourself." Jack remained nonplus. "I'm not here as an intervention for your demonic ways, you have to want to change, in order to change, that was probably your mother's mistake…"

There was clapping ringing in her ear hole, she stalled long enough to see Jack applauding her with a deadpan face. Didn't he know mocking her would just egg her on some more? "Does your mother see you when you turn into a diva?" He said with such dark humour, that didn't exactly anger her- so she laughed, into his face, in short bursts enough to ruffle his hair.

Her face was pink by the time she had finished."I would never speak to my mother like this… my dad would kill me."

"-Is that how a normal family works?" He asked shrewdly.

"-I answer one question and then receive another." He was turning the conversation onto her. "Healthy families have parents who try to defend each other, sometimes either parent wants to look like the good guy- but this can lead to an argument later when they're on their own…" She shrugged off going into more detail. "I suppose single parent families don't have that, am I right?"

Jack perked up. "They have underachieved kids, with no fear of authority." This was turning into a political debate.

"There's no proof of that, some single parent families are closer than two parent ones."

"Someone's been watching too much Gilmore girls." Jack droned, slinking off the bed.

She thought for a moment. "How the hell do you know what the Gilmore girls' is about?" This should be interesting.

He snuck a glance at her, it was impossible for him to appear sheepish. "I've been around long enough to hear about such atrocities. "

"And there was me thinking you watched something hearty in between your doses of porn." She fell back onto her pillow, all the air left it and expelled dust into the atmosphere. The demon observed her from his position by the door- poised to leave. "How did she die?"

His face betrayed him before he left.