Chapter 41: Her Monster

'Flaws are apart of everyone's genetic makeup with some having more than the others and are mostly out of that person's control. Personality, attitude, speech, flaws have a wide range under the spectrum, but how one chooses to tolerate them is entirely their decision, something Mabel faces as she stands by Bill while he is seen as a monster in everyone's eyes but hers.'

She snuggled close to him as he wrapped his arms around her, tightening his embrace. She had to escape with him to the only place she knew she would be safe, the dreamscape. Despite all he had done, there was nothing that would change her mind about him, despite his blood soaked shirt pressed against her right cheek as she leaned into him listening to his heart beat, the heart beat of a maniacal demon. To those who saw him, he was a monster, someone who was relentless in getting what they want, even if they have to kill without remorse to do it. Sure, he was Bill Cipher dream demon extraordinaire, master of the mind, and king of twisted deals and to everyone who noticed him only noticed one thing, a monster in the shape of a dorito or human. The shape never matter, but the mind set and actions of said object is what stood out the most.

Their fear of him was most delightful in ways that he could never explain, but enjoyed each time they laid eyes on him, but there was one person who stood out from the crowd that wasn't like everyone else who feared him or even took cover when he came about. She was interested in finding out more about him and finding out why everyone was so afraid of him. He had tried numerous times to make the girl fear him and even take cover when he came around, something he was so use to by now, but she never reacted how he expected her to, not even when threatening her family in order to get the girl to bend. She remained firm, which intrigued the demon about the human girl. In her own way, something about her intrigued the demon so to find out why she wasn't afraid of him and why fear never struck in her eyes when he arrived. It was like she was immune to evil and couldn't feel the emotion of fear. That was strangely odd to the supernatural being that enjoyed striking fear in the hearts of others. This girl was not like the rest, she was different.

Secretly, the girl met up with the man in the forest to talk to him and find out more about him. It still eluded the demon as to how this girl came to be fond of him despite what she has learned about him.

"I don't want you anywhere near him!"Warned her great uncle.

"Mabel, he's dangerous despite what form he comes in!" Argued her brother. "Stay away from him!"

The warnings from her uncle, twin brother, and even journal '3' spoke of the kinds of things the demon was capable of from twisted deals to shattering another's mind for a simple job of another. This man was painted as a horrific monster from all angles, but yet, she still wasn't fazed by what she was warned against and told about. Her fascination with finding out more about the man turned into something more, something deep and fond. What about him drew her to him and made her want to get close to him? The man often asked himself that and even her with her only answer being,

"I'm not afraid of you."

The humane side of the demon was taken back by this, but the demon side of him became enraged at the girl's pathetic emotions and need for closeness. He would surely get her to crack if it's the last thing he did.

That night when heading to the forest to secretly meet with the demon as she always did, she didn't find him in their usual meeting spot, in the clearing of the forest, something she found off to say the least. He would always be there to await the time when they would convene and go over day old topics of her fascination with him and even his slow to warm up fascination with her. That night, that didn't happen, but yet another event took place in place of that one, one in which she wishes she could forget.

Heading back to the shack, the girl walked through the door to see the demonic human standing over her uncle and brother's bodies in the den while their life deeply stained his brick yellow jacket and part of his pristine white shirt underneath, both organisms looking as if they were hanging on by a thread of life and could slip any moment that thread was cut by the sharp sheers known as life.

A gasp from the girl got the demon's attention as he turned to her to see her broadened vision staring at what remained of her family. Tears were forming, her entire frame was shaking, and surely fear was surging through her from witnessing the scene in front of her. If she weren't afraid him before, at that moment, her opinion of him would surely change and he would finally be free of her clinging emotions that often brought questions to his mind that she could never answer. He was a demon, a monster that was cold hearted, soulless, and something to be feared, but yet, this girl never reacted how the others did. However, the demon side of him wanted to make sure she learned that, but the question is, did she fully understand his capabilities now? Now that her family was at his mercy, defenseless and hanging on by a single shred of life?

The girl turned her terrified vision from her family and to the demon responsible for the scene she witnessed, his remorseless eyes catching with her terrified vision, them practically spelling out Be afraid, be very, very afraid!

The demon noticed the fear in her eyes, but the humane side of him didn't want her to be afraid of him considering how much of a liking that side of him took to her so he did what he thought would make things right, at least for the time.

She couldn't stay there with the bodies of her family and he wouldn't let her as too much would quickly surround that situation that the girl wouldn't be able to sort out on her own. An innocent girl alone in a house with a crime scene that she walked in on, but had nothing to do with. No, he couldn't let her deal with that and had to remove her as fast as possible.

His dreamscape, that was safer as no one would be able to reach them there. It was his fault that she had no one to return to and a home to call her own anymore. The summer home she once shared with her brother and uncle was no longer an option and he made sure of that. The demon side of him wanted to make a point that went too far in trying to prove. She wasn't afraid of him like the rest of the town and after what he did to her family, the humane side didn't want to see the girl suffer, despite what his demon side wanted. The demon wanted her afraid, but the other side couldn't bear the thought and now they were hiding out in his dreamscape, both on the run because of the monster that hid within him. She couldn't go back, the police would never believe that she was innocent, and she would be gone. He couldn't bear the thought. Sure she was annoyingly attached to him at first, but he came to care for her, love her even and he didn't want to be separated from her.

As the girl remained locked in his embrace, he stroked her hair slowly and lovingly as the scene of what took place in the shack played over and over in his mind, including the expression the girl held when she entered the domicile. He was surely a monster for what he did to them because the demon had something to prove and wanted her to know it as well. He never wanted to be close to anyone and the only way for her to see that was to commit the ultimate sin, but the other half couldn't stand to see the fear in her eyes or even fear him. That would devastate him.

A yawn escaped the woman's lips as she continued leaning against the man that held her in his protective embrace. She was there with him, safe from harm, and not afraid of him. Was this a good thing or a bad thing?

"Mabel, can I ask you something?" Bill questioned to the woman, breaking through the dead silence in the void of his mind.

"Anything." Mabel replied.

"How do you define fear?" Bill daringly asked, hoping to get an answer from the woman.

"Dread, terror, the normal, but I never felt that way towards you." Mabel answered.

"Not even a little?" Bill continued as he stroked her hair more.

"No." Mabel simply answered as she lifted herself off of his chest and caught with his vision. "You maybe a monster in everyone else's eyes, but to me, you're flawed and that's normal. Everyone has flaws and that's nothing to be ashamed of."

It wasn't supposed to happen, she wasn't supposed to love him or even like him, but she was different. She didn't fear him or ran away in his presence.

"You are a monster to everyone, but to me, I can never see you like that." Mabel continued as she placed a hand on his right cheek, the man melting into her touch. "And even if I did, I'd see you as my monster, flaws included."

It's true, he was a monster in everyone else's eyes, but to her, he was her monster, one that she came to understand and never feared. He was simply confused as the two sides of him often conflicted with the other, but that's what made him perfect in her eyes. Her perfectly flawed monster.

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