Author's Note: As always, a big thank you to all my readers! Here's chapter 33, I really hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 33: The Night is Ours

Ava sat on a beautiful hillside, arms hugging her knees, quietly gazing alongside her Keeper at the spectacular view overhead. Two bright moons rested high in the night sky among a dark sea of brilliant, twinkling stars. The sight of it all was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

...

Previously, her overzealous Keeper had excitedly woken her from her slumber, eagerly taking her by the arm and pulling her out of bed. Humming and chuckling in his usual merry, yet slightly unnerving manner, he led Ava out of the Sancutary in the dead of night, while much of the Sanctuary slept soundly. The two of them walked the wilds of Skyrim in the darkness, with Ava hearing many of the jester's ramblings and a few jokes from his limited (and quite overused) collection. Ava didn't mind his banter, however. It never seemed to grate on her nerves the way it did the other's. She'd simply return his efforts with a soft chuckle, noting how his face would beam and his eyes would light up from her reaction. If anything, she wanted nothing more than to be in his company at this time. Eventually, as the two of them caught sight of a beautiful, moon-lit hillside, the jester surprised Ava, sliding a hand around her waist and pulling her close to see the beautiful spectacle. Ava was quite used to Cicero's habit of touching her affectionately during conversations, but the way he touched her now felt somehow...different. Feeling the closeness of his body and the weight of his hand resting on her hip caused her heart to thump a bit harder than before.

"Would Listener mind if we travelled to the top of that hill?" Cicero asked her, his eyes wide and marveling as he pointed to the desired area in the distance.

"No, not at all..." Ava replied, her voice trailing off as her attention turned to his hand, still lingering and holding her close to him...She smiled, as the two had calmly traveled through blankets of lush wildflowers to perch atop the beautiful hillside.

...

A cool night breeze blew gently across Ava's cheek, as she brushed her dark locks away from her pale face. She could smell the essense of the night, with the light aroma of dew on the foliage that surrounded the two of them. Beside her, Cicero's voice hummed softly as he rested on his elbows, laying back in the carpet of wildflowers.

Ava inhaled, taking it all in, "It truly is beautiful tonight, don't you think?" She turned to Cicero, who's distant gaze locked onto her.

"Ah, yes, but the night pales in comparison to you, Listener..." He purred, as Ava took note of how Cicero's eyes seemed to glimmer in the moonlight. Those eyes of his were hypnotic, and there seemed to be subtle, seductive quality to the way Cicero spoke in that moment.

"Heh...You flatter me, Keeper..." She laughed softly, a bit embarrassed from his praise and the tone of his voice. "You're not so bad yourself, you know..." She smiled, seeing his eyes grow wide from hearing her compliment.

"Oh, come now, Listener..." He chuckled, gesturing as if to brush away her words. "You know Cicero is old and broke down compared to YOU!"

"Not that old...Besides, you are handsome, Cicero." She remarked, smiling warmly and keeping her gaze on him. "And you're certainly not broke down! You have many good qualities. I know it seems people dismiss you most of the time. All those things that others say about you being annoying, grating, a nuisance, whatever...I don't see you that way. Not at all. You mean a lot to me, whether you realize it or not. I just want you to know that..."

Cicero grew quiet, his wide eyes matching the bewildered expression painted on his features. "Heh...Why is Listener telling Cicero all these things? Is Listener feeling well?" Cicero asked while scratching his head and averting his eyes, his voice soft and concerned.

"Nothing is wrong, Cicero...I'm fine, actually..." Ava assured him, sensing that her honesty had probably left him feeling unsettled. "I just think you deserve to know the whole truth, Cicero...I've put you through so much, for so long, and not even meaning to...The least I could do is be honest with you now..." She glanced back at the sky, her voice low and full of past regrets.

"Listener..." He purred, as she felt his velvety glove slide under her chin, turning her gaze back to him. She could see him smile such a warm, hopeful smile. It was the strangest thing in all of Nirn, really. She was in love with a man who seemed to be a crazed, maniacal killer, but who had the ability to reach into her very heart with the slightest of expressions. "Do not be sad...Cicero knows you didn't mean those things...Cicero is simply happy to be here with you..."

"I was selfish, Cicero!" Ava blurted out, wanting desperately to release her bitter feelings toward herself. "And I'm truly sorry...I was so afraid to let you in...I don't know what it was...Maybe I just didn't want to be vunerable to you...or anyone...I missed out on a lot of things because of that..." She admitted, rubbing her forehead in frustration.

"Well Cicero isn't so INNOCENT, himself!" The jester retorted, a scowl forming on his face.

"What do you mean?" Ava asked curiously, caught off-guard by the jester's remark.

"Cicero LIED to you about the mage, Listener...He said it in anger! Cicero said it to SPITE you, because he thought ill of you! Cicero didn't DO those things, it was a trap to lure her in...Make sure she wasn't planning on harming you...The mage LIED, and then Cicero lied too...Your Keeper is no better than the Strumpet..." The jester informed her, his voice thick with disgust for his actions.

"I...never knew that..." Ava thought aloud, surprised with the information. She'd decidedly dismissed the incident a while ago, but now realized that it never really existed in the first place. Cicero was even more faithful and loyal than she realized. "...So you never slept with her?"

"NEVER! Cicero would rather romp with a RABID TROLL!" The jester spat. "Would probably carry less diseases..." He muttered to himself.

"I'm truly sorry I made such a scene about it in the first place. I only reacted that way because - -"

"Because you wanted your Keeper all for yourself, hmmm? Such a greedy, greedy Listener..." Cicero interrupted her, not missing out on a chance to tease her about her past emotional outburst and the real reason behind it. Ava blushed, watching a sly look creep over the jester's features. "Well, Listener? Are you ready to profess your love for Cicero yet? You have me all to yourself now..."

Ava smiled sheepishly, "Well, now that you mentioned it...I did mean to speak with you...about us..."

"What...is Listener saying?" Cicero's devilish expression quickly switched to one of pure awe. Apparently, he merely meant to tease her and wait for her bout of amusing embarrassment to follow. He must not have expected her to actually acknowledge what he'd said. The jester moved closer to her, his hand gently clasping her own. His eyes were wide, pleading, and hopeful.

"There is something I need to tell you, Cicero..." She began softly.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Cicero growled wildly. Ava could feel his hand pull away sharply, as the jester bounced up on his feet, his ebony dagger drawn at the sound of a man's voice from behind.

What in the Void was happening?! Ava jumped up, grabbing her own Blade of Woe instinctively as three men rushed out from the other side of the hill. They were bandits. Ava cursed under her breath. Now, of all times?! She was so close to telling him! DAMN IT ALL TO OBLIVION!

"Look what we have here," A large, filthy Nord grinned maliciously, revealing slimy, busted teeth as he twirled a mace in his hand.

"Looks like two little lovebirds flyin' about at night. Didn't your mama's tell you it was dangerous to go out after dark?" A grungy Imperial mocked, laughing haughtily while pulling out a dagger.

"Oh, but some birds have sharp, SHARP little talons...Don't believe Cicero? Oh, do COME SEE! HAHAHA!" The jester cackled, apparently overjoyed from the encounter.

"I say we slit 'em in twain and take everything they got, eh?" A greasy Breton chimed in, unsheathing his sword.

"Oh, if that's your wish, then I'll oblige..." Cicero growled darkly. He cast a mischievous wink Ava's way, while she could only feel numb and enraged from what was happening. She simply stood, silent, her mind desperately torn and confused.

No, she couldn't do it again. Even if they chopped these men into a thousand blood-soaked pieces and resumed their quiet night. No, she wouldn't wait until the right moment. Not this time. There was no right moment. There was only now.

Cicero snarled as he eyed his victims from head to toe, ready to pounce at any moment. Ava sighed, giving in and turning to the distracted jester. "Cicero, I know now's not the best time, but I love you." She admitted, still braced with her dagger out.

The jester stopped everything, fumbling about and nearly dropping his blade on the ground. "Er...eh...W-What, Listener?" He whimpered, stammering and caught completely off-guard.

Ava faced him, lowering her arms and temporarily dropping her defensive posture, "I said I love you, Cicero. If I could go back, I would have said it the first time you asked. I loved you then and I still love you now. I want to be with you if you'll have me..."

His face fell slack, with a total loss of words. He stared at her blankly, as if in a daze. "Y-you...do?"

"My, my, how sweet." The big Nord mocked, causing Ava to growl at him. Something inside of her began to well up...A dark, familiar feeling...

"SHUT UP!" Ava hissed, feeling the overwhelming sensation flow through her body, overtaking her.

The world fell dark, and she stood before the three men with her blood boiling and her skin on fire with rage. She could see the purple haze swirling about her, as she plunged the Blade of Woe directly into the Nord's heart, causing him to sputter blood and stagger back.

She could hear Cicero fighting alongside her, but the only thing she could see was her current victim. The Nord fell to the ground, as she pounced on him, twisting and pulling the jagged blade out and hearing his pitiful cries. She stabbed the man repeatedly, feeling his warm blood splash up on her cold, icy body and feeling invigorated by every minute of it.

She turned to see Cicero through the darkness, perching atop the Breton while strangling him to death, cackling like the madman he was. Behind him, the Imperial man crouched, attempting to sneak attack her beloved companion.

"AAAHHHHHHGGGGG!" Ava screeched, feeling like a rabid beast inside. She lunged at the man with all the force she could muster. She grabbed the Imperial, throwing him to the ground, flinging the weapon from his hand. He tumbled down the hillside, screaming violently when he crashed at the bottom. She chased after him, lunging and landing on his writhing body.

"YOU WILL PAY!" She hissed in the Imperial's face, loving and enjoying the tormented look on his features. She pinned his body to the ground with ease, feeling an overpowering strength flood through her.

"Please! No!" He begged, as she took her blade and slowly slit his throat, watching his eyes shoot open in terror as bright crimson spilled out warm over her hand and painted it red.

Ava moaned, seeing the blood on her pale hand as the man gurgled and coughed, until he lay limp and lifeless beneath her body. She brought the Blade of Woe up to her line of sight, gazing at her menacing face in its red-tinted reflection. She breathed in deep, closing her eyes and smelling the lovely scent of blood in the heavy night air.

Ava stood on wobbly legs, now sheathing her twisted blade. She felt the darkness quickly drain from her body as reality came crashing into her. She stood, trembling and eyeing her bloody hands with a sudden feeling of disgust and terror. This was the first time she'd killed in a long while, bringing back the old wounds of her past and her never-ending trouble with accepting that side of herself all over again. Why now, of all times?

"Listener..." She heard Cicero's low, seductive purr beside her. She turned to see his face - - twisted, merciless, and painted in crimson. It was just like her own. Reality had fully set in. They were two sadistic murderers, committing vile acts, somehow in a demented state of love. Ava froze, beginning to feel terrified, sick, and terribly wrong.

"No..." She gasped, backing away from the jester, from the dead victim she'd claimed - - from herself. Seeing Cicero's head cock curiously to the side, she staggered about aimlessly, turning toward that beautiful, peaceful hill. This moment...It wasn't supposed to be this way...None of this was supposed to be this way! It was all wrong! She needed to go - - to flee from the veil of wickedness and death that followed her like a shadow.

"WAIT!" She could hear her Keeper scream out as she bolted away.

Ava reached the top of the hill in the light of the twin moons, quaking with fear and disgust. Everything felt like a sickening blur. Ava could feel her psyche begin to crumble, when a forceful hand gripped her arm, preventing her from fleeing further.

"...Why, Listener? Why do you run?" Cicero asked, his voice low and hushed. His eyes seemed so piercing, Ava felt as if his gaze would burn a whole though her.

Ava panted heavily, attempting to catch her breath. "T-this...w-wasn't supposed to happen...I didn't want you to see me like this..." She trembled, hanging her head low and averting her eyes from his own.

"But, Listener..." She watched him draw close, his low voice purring. His blood-covered features were dangerous and menacing as he touched her crimson-painted cheek. "Cicero likes what he sees..." His amber eyes sparkled with devilish allure, as the moonlight danced across them.

"Y-you...do?" Ava whimpered, looking into his eyes as he moved in, his face now inches from her own.

"Oh yes...Never has he seen a creature so dangerous - - so beautiful in all its glory. You...Listener...are perfect..." He growled, his expression appearing both malevolent and full of desire. He began to caress her long, black tendrils, pulling her into him. Ava inhaled deeply, feeling somehow brought back from the pits of despair her conscience had previously thrown her into. Perhaps her own feelings of shame had clouded her from another reality - - Cicero was a killer, just as she was. He would never see her as terrible or abhorrent. Once again, his unfaltering acceptance of her somehow shattered her walls completely. Once again, he'd saved her from herself. Cicero, too, was perfect in her eyes. He was what she needed in this life. What once seemed horribly wicked and wrong before, somehow fell into place and began to feel incredibly right again. Cicero made it all feel right.

Before Ava could realize what was happening, he quickly leaned in, his lips crashing into her own. She instantly relaxed, falling into his dark embrace, feeling his desire for her through each passionate, forceful kiss that fell on her lips. Their lips parted but a brief moment. His eyes stared right through her being, his madness both penetrating and wrecking her world.

They came together again, as she felt his hands glide over her, taking in everything he felt. She heard his heavy growls, as Ava allowed herself to fall back with him into the soft carpet of flowers beneath.

She gazed up into his eyes, as he wore an expression of deep yearning and desire, with Ava eagerly letting go and feeling the emotions she so desperately wanted to free. His eyes were the eyes of a crazed killer - - the killer she loved more than anything in all of the planes of existence.

Ava had never felt so in love in all her life, and in such an amazingly twisted way. Feeling overcome by her feelings for him, she grabbed Cicero by the back of his head, longing to meet with his lips from the small time apart from them. The night felt so alive with the vibrant smell of death, life, blood, and desire spilling over her. If death waited for her in the distance, then she would surely live for this moment, and this moment alone. She would give him her heart, her soul, and herself.

She could feel his soft crimson locks in her hands, as she felt his hand crawl seductively to unlace the back of her dress. She smiled, seeing him pull away and smirk devilishly as she realized what he was doing. By Sithis, it had been so long since she'd been with a man, and never one so alluring, deep, and destructive as the dark, devilish beast of a man before her. Oh, how truly perfect he was.

Quickly losing her clothing by the meticulous hands of her jester, she felt the soft breath of the cool night air caressing her bare body. She lay before him in the night, breathless and full of adrenaline. Cicero laughed mischeviously, tossing her undergarments to the side and tracing his greedy eyes over her, taking her in.

Cicero leaned over her, purring in her ear. "You...are...perfect..."

"Really...?" Ava whispered, feeling her wild heart flutter. Never had a man talked to her that way before. Never had a man made her feel so desirable and special.

The jester nodded slowly, as she instinctively pulled him back in, feeling the flood of her emotions as she kissed him furiously. She knocked his pointed hat off, pulling the shirt of his motley over him to see his lean, toned abdomen underneath.

He was trim and muscular, and simply lovely, with flecks of crimson hair tracing his masculine form. Ava grinned, thinking of all the red that covered his body. Red - - certainly his favorite color. Red like love. Red like blood.

She watched, panting heavily as he fumbled about clumsily with the buckle of his trousers.

"Heh..." He laughed nervously, uncomfortable and anxious from his rustiness. "It's been a long time for Cicero..."

"Yeah...Me, too..." She whispered assuringly, watching his nervous face ease with the comfort of her words.

He breathed a sigh of relief, freeing himself from the constricting garments as he steadied himself. He looked back into her eyes, his face seeming unsure.

"Is Listener...alright with this?" He asked permissively, his eyes hopeful and his breath shaky.

Ava nodded eagerly, "Of course..." She smiled, watching his uncertain expression turn to a wicked grin once more.

Cicero lowered himself over her, his warm breath tickling her face in the cool night air. Ava couldn't tear her gaze away from his intense eyes, feeling him enter her physically, mentally, and bonding with her in the deepest way possible.

A rush of euphoria washed warm over her, feeling his soft kisses and his warm touch trailing over every inch of her. She panted, whimpering in a blissful state and hearing his voice as he moaned, the two brought together as one. Returning his kisses, his touch, and his affections came so easy to Ava, finding herself wanting nothing more than to make him feel as wonderful as he was making her feel in that moment. Loving him came so effortlessly at that point that she began to wonder why it was ever a problem at all.

Much like the ebb and flow of the crashing tides at sea, she and her Keeper were rising and falling as one. As fantastic as that moment felt, Ava knew it was much more than lust or passion alone. What they had transcended the physical realm to go so much deeper. Their love didn't come with a cozy little farmhouse, a bundle of happy children, or a picturesque life wrapped neatly in a pretty white bow. Their love blossomed from two broken, lonely souls who finally found each other in the darkness of their own lives. The love between she and her Keeper was real, hopeless, twisted, devoted, troubled, imperfect, accepting love.

Ava felt a climactic rush of fantastic measure sweep over her body, her whimpers growing to exhilarated moans, closing her eyes with the force of the tide crashing over her.

She could feel Cicero tense at once atop her, the tide falling over him as well, as she opened her eyes once more to meet with his own. Ava swore he could reach into her with his intense stare - - that he could sense her every racing thought and fleeting emotion, and damn near see into her soul. Already she missed the touch of his lips, leaning forward and forcefully making contact with them again, causing him to moan with the euphoric haze of it all.

It was too much - - far, far too much for her to take. Ava breathed deep, as the two fell limp and vulnerable into each other's arms. Cicero simply smiled, kissing her sweetly on the forehead before resting himself quietly beside her. Ava sighed quietly, nestling her head on his bare chest.

"I love you," Ava whispered in his ear, feeling both completely vulnerable and at peace.

"Cicero loves you, too..." He trailed off, sighing and gazing at the stars above. He grew silent, causing a twinge of concern to fall over Ava's heart.

"Is...everything okay?" She asked, her voice still hushed and soft.

Cicero turned to meet eyes with her, his face full of questions. "Is Listener always going to be this way? Will Cicero be more than her Keeper from now on?" Cicero asked, his features full of worry.

"You will never be just my Keeper again. I promise." She caressed his cheek, watching a content smile spread across his lips. Just seeing him smile made her feel so...happy...

He put his arm around her, pulling her in close. She could hear his voice whisper in her ear. "Please never leave me..."

Ava's heart plummeted, realizing what would soon happen. She couldn't lie to him, but she couldn't crush him with the truth, either. Her poor Keeper had witnessed a lifetime of suffering and heartbreak as it was. She simply couldn't bring herself to add to his pain. She only wanted his happiness. Ava took her hand, which had been resting on his bare abdomen, and trailed it up to rest on his chest, feeling his heart beat steadily underneath. "No matter where I am, Cicero...I'll always be with you..." She whispered to him, hoping he'd find comfort in her words. Ava would always be with him, even when she was gone. She only hoped he'd be able to hold on until they could meet again.