Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

This Moment

 

            She trudged through the dark manor and up a brief flight of stairs. The night outside was dead silent. Shadows were thrown across the luscious wine floors and on the dark wooden maple walls. The darkness made her head full of bright red curls look like blood.

            Maura weaved her way through the manor’s hallways. She knew well where to find her husband’s study. Her thoughts shifted to wonder what he was doing up there. Surely he wasn’t still after that damn girl he called his daughter? Nemesis was his real daughter. At least she showed loyalty to her father, but of course Maura and Severin had raised her on their side. That had helped a lot.

            And poor Nemesis. Her father rarely paid any attention to her these days. Severin was just too absorbed in his business to even think about her. So that left Nemesis to Maura. Maura had no idea how to help Nemesis with her abilities because Severin always spent that portion of time with her. He had trained the girl in all the martial arts he knew and taught her how to use weapons. He taught her how to sneak stealthily and how to use technological gadgets to help her with certain missions.

            Already Nemesis had infiltrated several laboratories to retrieve what her father desperately needed with his work. It made Maura wonder what Severin was really planning. What he was trying to do? What was the point of having all these genetic freaks you have made yourself if you weren’t even going to use them? She knew that they were running wild all over Crescent City, which she didn’t consider very wise. Who knew what they were going to do? And how did Severin even know that they were on his side? Willow Halliwell, his other daughter, certainly wasn’t. Maura knew that she was really the Black Widow. She had seen Willow infiltrate their home, watching from the window of her room. She had observed the girl take out Severin’s best and strongest guards. The girl was strong herself, made even more so by the strange abilities Severin had forced upon her, hoping she would be on his side. But if you were going to kill someone’s mother, that wasn’t necessarily the best way to earn their loyalty and trust.

            Just another damned reason to make them angry.

            “God, doesn’t that man ever learn?” Maura asked herself. “Sometimes he never thinks about the consequences. Nemesis does. At least she thinks. I sometimes wonder why I even married Severin.”

            The manor was silent as she strolled through the pitch-black halls and to her husband’s study. She looked at the gruesome, horrible, violent paintings on the walls. Maura grimaced and planted her eyes in front of her.

            “And why he insists on having these…these morbid paintings up, I have no idea.”

            She shook her head disapprovingly. She finally reached Severin’s study. She stopped at the two elegant doors and knocked softly.

            “Enter,” Severin said coldly from the inside.

            Maura turned a golden-painted doorknob and entered. Her face was grim set as she took in the surroundings. Her eyes landed on Severin, who was seated at his desk, scratching something down onto a piece of paper. A bloodstained knife stuck out of his desk. She looked on the floor. A dried and crusty puddle of blood showed through the wine colored carpet.

            “Severin, this is really getting old,” Maura scolded. “Don’t you ever get tired of killing people? Especially your employees?”

            Without glancing up at her, Severin simply said, “No.”

            Maura frowned and marched over to his side. She snatched the paper that he was scribbling on and looked at it. Severin shot a sour look her way. She ignored it.

            Her frowned deepened as she read what was on the paper.

 

            Dear Markus Fleming,

 

            I am sorry to state that your mentor and commander, Cain, will not be joining you for anymore of your missions. Seeing as his death made you head of my men, you are to take his place and report to me regularly. I have an entirely new project I would like to discuss with you. I hope you do better than your predecessor did. It was most unfortunate for him not to carry out orders properly. I hope you learn from this and be easily taught. I do not except mistakes or slip-ups.

            Report to me tomorrow morning for a conference between just the two of us. We are going to be discussing the new project against Willow Halliwell.

 

Sincerely,

 

Doctor Severin Struthers

 

            Maura gritted her teeth. She shoved the paper at Severin. She crossed her arms across her chest and slumped back on her heels. She gave Severin a bitter look.

            “Severin, what have I told you? That damn girl isn’t worth killing! Just give it up, okay?”

            Severin drew himself up to his full height and leaned in to her. He towered over her. He gave her his intimidating look. He narrowed his eyes and put a threatening warning in them. Maura wasn’t moved at all this time; she simply stood there and stared just as meanly back.

            “I will not give it up, Maura. I want that girl annihilated. She’s in my way, so she has to be exterminated. For good.”

            “Maybe if you left her alone�"”

            “No,” he hissed. “I told you I won’t. If I left her alone, then she’d get stronger, taking full awareness and advantage over her abilities. I need to take her out while she’s weak.”

            “But only if you just�"”

            “You don’t understand this, Maura,” Severin snapped at her quietly. It shut her up. “So don’t get into it. Don’t ever mention it again.”

            He turned his back on her and walked over to his desk. He grabbed an envelope.

            “What about Nemesis?”

            He stiffened at the sound of his other daughter’s name.

            Maura continued.

            “You can’t keep this up, Severin. Your own daughter needs you. You know I can’t train her. Only you have the ability to do that. She wants to be closer to you, but you keep pushing her away with this damn Willow business. Don’t you love her?”

            Severin turned his face halfway and stared a little at her.

            “I can’t, and I won’t,” he said. “Nemesis doesn’t need me anymore. I don’t need her anymore. I don’t love her, and I never have.”

            With that, he sat down at his desk. Maura’s eyes watered with angry tears.

            “You’re merciless and cruel,” she snarled. “I don’t know why I even loved you. You just care about yourself and no one else.”

            Then, crying, she stomped out of the study angrily.

            “I don’t need anyone. I’ve never needed anyone,” Severin whispered to nothingness. “I don’t love anyone. I never will.”

            He continued his work in the same silence as before.

 

_____

 

            “Come on, Willow!” said Lily, smiling at her. Willow grabbed her mother’s hand with a big goofy smile. Lily lifted her up into her arms and hugged her. “You goofy, silly girl! I love you.”

            “I love you, too, Mommy,” the six-year-old Willow replied.

            Lily smiled her bright, beautiful smile at Willow. She brushed back Willow’s short hair and kissed her forehead tenderly. Lily then placed Willow back onto the ground and they walked hand in hand down the sidewalk…

 

            “Mommy? Can we have a pretty Thanksgiving like everybody else?” Willow asked.

            She stared up at her mother with longing, innocent eyes. Lily looked down at her daughter solemnly. She saw the bright hope in her daughter’s untainted eyes. She smiled sadly.

            “Willow…ah…I don’t know about that…”

            “Please, Mommy? I’d help to pay!” Willow begged. “I’d give you all my money and we could have fun! Please?”

            Lily smiled at this. She couldn’t help but to life.

            “It would be nice to treat ourselves for once, wouldn’t it?” Lily sighed. She gazed out of the window. She placed the plate she was drying onto the counter. Willow continued to stare up at Lily the most hopeful eyes.

            Lily glanced down at Willow and stroked her hair affectionately.

            “I’ll see what I can do, okay? I’m not promising anything, though.”

            “I understand, Mommy. You just seem so icky suddenly.”

            “Icky?” Lily laughed. “Really?”

            Willow nodded, bobbing her head up and down frantically. Lily leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her daughter’s head.

            “I’ll try not to be so ‘icky,’ okay?”

            “Okay.”

           

            “Willow, we’re not getting that!”

            Willow placed a Barbie into the cart. Lily took it out and shoved it at Willow.

            “But why not?” Willow whined. “I want it!”

            “Go put it back!” Lily ordered, pointing to the toy aisle.

            Willow made a face at her. Lily crossed her arms, tapping her fingers against her skin. When Willow saw that Lily wasn’t budging in her decision, regretfully she stomped bitterly down the linoleum and placed the Barbie onto the lowest shelf. She came pattering back to where her mother stood, patiently waiting for her.

            “Why can’t I have it?”

            “Because…Mommy can’t afford it,” Lily explained. “And you can’t have everything you want. Sometimes you have to be happy with the things you have. But it’s hard.”

            “Okay…”

 

            “I DON’T WANT TO!” Willow shrieked at the top of her lungs.

            “Willow, I am getting sick of your behavior lately,” scolded Lily.

            “NO! I DON’T WANT TO CLEAN MY ROOM!”

            “You can, and you will! Go!” Lily yelled.

            Willow began to cry. Her face changed from light peach to a deep pink in a matter of seconds. She plopped down onto the floor in front of her mother and wailed.

            “NO! I DON’T WANT TO! YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!”

            “Willow, go to your room! NOW.”

            Willow glanced up meekly at her mother. She gulped. Fear lurched in her chest. She frantically shook her head.

            “Go.”

            At the force of Lily’s words, Willow jutted off of the floor and zipped into her room. She swallowed her tears, waiting until she shut her door to cry softly into the floor.

            An hour later Willow played with her Barbie dolls peacefully when she heard a thump from somewhere in the house. Willow curiously got up and tiptoed over to her door. She peeked out. The coast was clear. She tiptoed over to her mother’s bedroom door and huddled near the crack.

            “Mommy?” she whispered.

            She heard the growling of threats and the weak voice of her mother. She saw a man throw her mother against the ground and pin her there with his foot. Then, he took out his gun and aimed it over her heart. He pulled the trigger. He disappeared out the window.

            Meanwhile, tears streamed down Willow’s face in shock as she opened the door and wandered over to her mother’s dead body. She hugged it. During that, the darkness settled in over her, consuming her forever…

 

            Willow sat up quickly in her bed and looked around her room. White streetlight flooded in. She places a hand to her face. It came back wet with tears. She had been crying.

            She remembered the dream. It was so vivid, so real…But that’s because the dream was made up from the fragments of real, true memories. The last one Willow recognized so well. The one she had so oftenly replayed in her mind over and over again everyday of her life.

            “What is this?” she cried silently.

            Tears slid down her cheeks. The vivid memory was so real…so haunting. What was this?

            “I thought I was healing,” Willow wept into her pillow. “I-I…thought…it w-was…done… I thought wrong.”

            She shook her head violently. She thrashed away the thought, not believing it.

            “No…I didn’t. I am healing. This is…I don’t know what it is, but…I-I…I’m not going to give in.” She sat up in her bed. She wiped her wet eyes on her arm and narrowed them. “I’m not gonna be weak. I’m gonna stand strong.”

            She sniffed sadly.

            “It was so real, though… So, so real…”

            She sat up against the wall that her bed leaned against. She hugged her legs to her chest and placed her chin on her knees. Willow was haunted by the past, no matter how much she healed. She couldn’t escape the truth that she lived and breathed darkness; this very darkness had settled upon her that fateful day when she saw her mother killed right in front of her. It thickened even more when Viola was murdered…slaughtered because of her father.

            She shivered slightly at the thought of him. It still sickened her to think that he had caused all this. One bloodthirsty maniac had turned her life upside down. Ruined her chances of ever being normal and happy, of ever having a best friend and a mother. What was next?

            “I can’t let the doubt fill me…I can’t…I won’t allow it!”

            But what she wished was achieved because the hope she had in herself came easier than she had expected it to. Light filled her and she felt…more faithful in her decisions. In everything.

            Get some sleep, her mind urged her. Energy is important.

            She slid back under her covers, shaking. She wished someone were there to hold her, to comfort her. But there was no one except herself. She was all alone until daylight came. Like a scared child, and still very much one at heart, Willow curled under the covers. The horrible, familiar images flicked past in the darkness of her closed eyes. The very moment her mind cleared and she relaxed, sleep found her and graced her with its presence.

           

            She sighed and rolled over on her side. She lazily lifted her eyelids and rolled her eyeballs around. Dim gray light filled the room. She pulled up her achy body up and gently stretched, working out the kinks slowly. She still hurt from plowing through that glass window the day before.

            Willow placed both her feet on the floor and stepped over to her front window. She looked out. Gray clouds filled the sky. It wasn’t storm clouds; just another overcast day. She smiled softly to herself. She needed to rejuvenate today. Willow made her bed. She tucked the sides in neatly. She was still vaguely troubled by the nightmarish dream she had the night before. What did it mean? Was it just a random popping up? Or was her subconscious trying to tell her something?

            She laughed at the last thought. Her laughter surprised her, nearly scaring her. It was a little while seen she had really laughed. It sounded strange to her ears. But she knew that her last thought was just plain ridiculous. It had happened, though, because that’s how she had pieced together her past. That it was her father who had killed her mother, that her father was responsible for her being this way, and that her father was a psycho who would go to any length just to kill her. Well, the last one she had recently figured out. It was kind of obvious with all those gruesome paintings he had in his mansion and the way he threatened to kill Pierce and her.

            Willow wrapped a towel around herself and hopped into the shower in the bathroom that was just down the hallway. She caught sight of her face in the mirror as she turned the faucets to get the water just the right temperature. Her face was paler than it normally was; it usually was a light peach with some pink dotting her cheeks. Her skin was drained of blood and looked like a ghost’s. She didn’t have bags under her eyes, but the skin beneath them was faintly shadowed a light dark gray. She gently placed a hand to her cheek, barely believing what she was seeing.

            She pursed her lips and turned around. She stepped into the warm shower. Allowing the warm water to caress her skin, Willow squirted some shampoo into her hand. She slapped it into her hair and scrubbed. The shampoo foamed in a thick mass of white bubbles. She scrubbed and scrubbed, making sure to get the dirt and grime worn away. She washed the shampoo away. The shampoo foam left a swirling and winding trail of white as it flowing down on top of the water and down the holes of the drain. She bent her head and fingered the ends of her hair with conditioner. She washed that out as well.

            She ran the rose scented soap across her bare pale skin. Willow cleansed herself of all the blood and dirt she had picked up the day before. The warm water relaxed the aching muscles in her right leg. They still were sore, but not overly annoying that she would have to limp. It was simply a minor nuisance she could easily ignore. She rinsed the scented soap from her flesh and applied a fresh layer of body wash to her legs. She yanked her razor from a shelf in the shower and ran it slowly over the perfectly lathered body wash. Her skin came out as smooth and soft. She continued this on both her lower and upper legs and under her arms. Soon she was as smooth and bare as the very day she was born.

            She turned the faucets off and allowed the water to drip from her hair and skin. She wrung out the excess water in her soaked hair. After that, Willow wrapped the red towel around her lean body and headed into her room to let herself dry off. She changed into fresh, clean clothing. Inhaling the lovely smell of fabric softener mixed with rose soap, she closed her eyes and sighed. Being clean and smooth made her feel happier already.

            Willow’s wet hair curled at the ends as she pulled her comb through it. She knew it would frizz some, but its natural straightness always outdid the horrible frizz. That’s what she loved about her hair; it was so perfect to her.

            Willow looked at herself in her closet mirror and smirked happily. She wore plain dark blue jeans and a simple black sweater that was warm enough to protect her from the harsh cold that had recently struck Crescent City. She knew winter was now among them. She wore her beat up sneakers with white socks. She didn’t feel like going with the dark look today. Willow wanted a little change of habit for once.

            Willow walked over to her door and flipped the lock in the doorknob so that it was unlocked. She then strolled out of her room and trudged down the stairs. She entered the kitchen and was shocked to find nowhere there.

            “Where�"? Oh yeah…Aggie said that she was gonna go Christmas shopping,” Willow realized. “I guess Mike went with her.”

            She shrugged. Turning to the cabinet, she opened the wooden door and extracted a clean white bowl and a silvery metal spoon from a drawer below the counter. She removed a box of Cheerios from another cabinet near the microwave and opened it. She poured a reasonable amount into her bowl. The Cheerios clinked against the glass as they fell into the bowl. Willow replaced the box where it had been before. She opened the fridge and got out a gallon of cold fat-free milk and poured that over the top of the Cheerios. They popped and crackled in the milk quietly.

            She sat down at the table and lifted the spoon up to her mouth. She ate and ate until the bowl was empty of both Cheerios and the refreshing milk. Willow smiled a little and shoved her bowl into the sink. She went into the living room and plopped down into one of the cushioned chairs.

            Peacefully, Willow flipped on the TV, remote in her hand, and surfed through the channels. She settled on a repeat of the Ellen DeGeneres Show, grinning ear to ear every time Ellen made a crack. Willow never watched TV, but she watched enough to know what was on and what wasn’t. She wasn’t that deprived.

            The entire hour that Willow watched the show slipped by fast. In the beginning, she merely wished to be entertained just to pass the time more quickly. Now she was watching the show with much enthusiasm as any other person probably would. When it ended, she regretfully surfed through the menial channels again, sorry that the Stravinsky home didn’t have cable or satellite TV. If they had those, then maybe she’d be able to find something interesting to watch.

            Willow settled on the local news. She glanced at the clock. 9:00 AM. She had gotten up about an hour before and had eaten breakfast at 7:55 AM. Time did sure pass fast.

            The anchorwoman reported a series of accidents along the main roads in Wayview and Crescent City. Her face remained emotionless as she read the words from her report. She turned to more events. Most of them revolved around the high crime in Crescent City. This one thing opened Willow’s eyes to what she was doing.

            Before she had simply only become the Black Widow to bestow justice upon those who deserved it. The main reasons for this were because her own mother and best friend hadn’t received the same gift. But now…Willow had more than just a petty personal reason for doing what she did. She had the reason for knowing that everytime she saved someone, that was one more life to be spared.

            And it was all because of her.

            Then, without realizing it, a news report popped up on the TV screen. And this one really caught her attention. She frantically fumbled for the remote and turned the volume up until it was loud enough to be heard.

            “…reports of a mysterious girl flying over the rooftops in the Downtown area of Crescent City. Authorities wonder whether or not this girl is the famed Black Widow that roams the city at night.

            “And now we turn to a witness who actually saw this girl.”

            The camera switched from the anchorwoman’s face in the studio to the face of a teenage boy the age of seventeen. His brown hair was slicked back from his eyes with gel and his hazel eyes sparkled nervously under the attention. Willow leaned forward into her seat to hear what the boy had to say.

            “Young man, what’s your name?”

            “Uh…Dick…”

            “Dick, where did you see this mysterious girl?”

            “Well…she was up on a rooftop, just standing there. Then, alarms went off and she began to run across the buildings. She ran…kinda like a cat, really confident-like and brave. She seemed…I don’t know…scared of something. Like she was gonna be caught. And then…oh God, don’t know if I can say this, but…that spider string stuff spiders have? It shot out of her wrists and clung to a nearby building like…a web.”

            Willow was taken aback. She didn’t do anything of the sort. Was someone framing her? Impersonating her?

            “Tell us, what did she look like? Was she the Black Widow?”

            The boy frowned a little and blinked.

            “No, it wasn’t the Black Widow. The Black Widow does good, though…I hate what people say about her. It’s so unfair. No, this girl…it was weird. She had…um…snow-white hair down to her waist and the palest skin. She wore black leather, a coat and pants. She didn’t look anything like the Black Widow…her features were the same as hers, though. Like they might be twins…or sisters.”

            Willow’s eyes widened. Her? Have a sister? Or a twin? Impossible! And someone who shared the same abilities as her…maybe not so impossible. Her thoughts quickly darted to the guy who had saved her two days before. His red snake eyes, his pale skin, his glossy black hair. She remembered he moved differently than normal people would. He had a grace about him, almost predator.

            The camera switched back to the anchorwoman.

            “There you have it. Could our legendary Black Widow have a twin? And, from those alarms, it seems her ‘twin’ isn’t on the side the Black Widow’s on. Is this a new opponent for the Black Widow? Or just another thief? There will be more on this later.”

            Willow pressed her thumb down dazedly on the Power button. What was this? Was there possibly more of her kind out there? And why were they appearing now?

            Willow leaned back into the chair, puzzling over everything. It seemed so confusing she couldn’t think clearly.

 

_____

 

            To clear her head, Willow thought it was best just to take a walk. That way the cold, sharp, winter air could clear her head.

            She grabbed her coat from one of the coat holder’s hooks and swung her arms through it. She wrote out a quick note to Mike and Aggie saying she had gone out for a walk and that she didn’t know she was going to be back.

            Willow knew the house key was under the doormat, so she could easily get into the house when she got home. She opened the door and locked it. She slammed it behind her as she left her dwelling. The cold air refreshed her, putting a new, lovely chill through her. She needed it so much. She breathed in deeply and exhaled, allowing the cold air to purify her lungs. She began her trek down the sidewalk. She knew not where she was going for she let herself wander free.

            Soon she found herself wandering from the end of Wayview into Crescent City. The streets were filthy and trash was scattered by strong winds. Willow’s hair whipped around her face and head, getting into her eyes. She brushed it away and walked with her hands stuffed into both of her pant pockets. She gazed up at the tall buildings she passed. She blinked and looked down. She kept walking and walking. Strangely, Willow found that her feet failed to hurt.

            As she walked, her mind wandered to the odd report of a girl. That guy said she had looked like her, waist length hair and all. Except for the raven black hair, he had said, she had hair the color of pure white snow. Was this something her father invented? A poor mutant girl who had no choice? Or was it simply a rebel girl who was a petty thief? But that didn’t explain why she was wearing black leather. A petty thief couldn’t steal enough to afford real leather, much less an imitation. It was so impossible. And then there was the possibly she had to consider about having a sister. Was this strange girl her long-lost sister? Or was she somehow a clone?

            Many possibilities ran through her head and disappeared into an empty oblivion. None of them seemed to make any sense. The main question here was the girl’s identity. Willow wondered how the girl was brought up. Did she too lose a parent? Was she dark in her own way? Or was she spoiled and self-centered? And what did she know of Severin and his project involving her and other genetic freaks? Was she someone who worked with the same guy who had saved her two days ago? She wondered if she knew him. She wondered if there were more than just her and that strange girl and boy. Wondered if there were more of them like her.

            It gave her a bright hope. More of them like her.

            A secret place in her heart had always remained lonely for someone who was like, or at least similar, to her. Someone who had abilities like her and knew what it felt like to be an outcast, a dark person. Someone who could comfort her and let her know that she wasn’t alone, no matter how sad or angry she felt. She wanted someone to be by her side forevermore. But that hope had long since submerged itself when she failed to find proof of any others’ existence. It was now back, and it was strong as hell.

           

            Willow found herself in front of the Academy. It was closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. She shrugged and was about to when somebody called her name from the other side of the street.

            “Willow! Wait!” said the voice.

            She turned around and saw Pierce struggling through the crowd to get to her. She smiled brightly when he approached her. He smiled back.

            “Hey, how are you, Pierce?” she asked.

            “Ah…Great,” he replied, looking at her. “It’s a pity the Academy’s closed, isn’t it?”

            “Not really. Not for me, at least. I think I needed a break from…that.”

            “You mean kicking my butt all the time?”

            Willow smirked and glanced at him, the wind whipping her hair across her face.

            “Not exactly what I meant, Pierce. But I guess so.”

            Willow raised a hand to brush her hair away from her face, but Pierce did it for her. He brushed her hair gently away from her violet-red eyes. His fingertips gently touched her cheeks, sending jolts of electricity from her scalp to her toes.

            “I don’t mind,” he said. “As long it’s you and only you that’s kicking my butt.”

            Her breath caught on the smile he gave her.

            “Glad I have that honor,” Willow murmured.

            They walked side by side for a few minutes in just silence. The crowd around them on the city streets hummed and buzzed with fresh life. People rushed form here and there, cars, buses, trucks, and taxis honked loudly in their ears. The air was thick with the smells of dirt and exhaust fumes from the engines of the multiple vehicles on the streets of Crescent City.

            Pierce smiled gently at Willow. Willow glanced at him, smiling shyly back. He took her hand in his own tightly. Willow flushed with pleasure at this gesture. Her smile grew just a little bigger.

            They walked peacefully together towards Moonridge Park where Pierce had first seen Willow as the Black Widow. Willow bravely leaned her head against Pierce’s shoulder. Pierce wrapped his arm around Willow’s waist hesitantly, wondering if this would make her unsure. Willow allowed him to do it. He drew her to his side, noting that she fit perfectly next to him.

            They entered the park. Few people were roaming around there for it was Black Friday and the start of the Christmas shopping around the United States. It came as no surprise that Willow and Pierce were basically all alone.

            The sounds of the city faded away into nothingness. The tranquil rush of water and the lovely chirping of the birds drowned it out. Willow closed her eyes, listening to the tranquil environment play out, and leaning against Pierce’s chest. He hugged her even closer. Willow felt Pierce’s heart pound rhymically like a drum deep in his chest. It was a comforting sound, made even more comforting by the fact she knew that he cared for her. Pierce stroked Willow’s hair gently.

            “I’m glad you’re here with me,” Willow murmured. She lifted her eyes to his.

            “I’m glad I am too.”

            Willow smiled tenderly and pressed her head once again against Pierce’s warm chest. She felt so safe. Everything right then felt so right. It was like nothing could ever go wrong again.

            “Thank you for forgiving me for what happened the day before,” Willow said.

            The two sat down on a bench that was nearing the stream that flowed through Moonridge Park.

            “Willow, I know it wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t help it for your father being the way he is. It’s never your fault for what he does, so don’t blame yourself. Never blame yourself. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

            Pierce hugged Willow tightly to reassure her. He wrapped his arms tenderly around her. She leaned in to him and he placed his head atop hers. They fit each other perfectly. He kissed her hair, delving in her rose scented presence. She was so warm and comforting against him. He hoped it would be like this forever. He wanted to make her feel the happiest she had ever felt. He didn’t want her to cry, but to see her laugh. This moment was perfect. They both held on to it and didn’t let it pass them by.

            “I care so much for you, Willow,” he said softly.

            “I know. I’ve known. I…It’s wonderful. I care for you too.”

           

            They sat like that for at least an hour. They soaked in each other’s presence, barely ever talking. They simply listened to their surroundings and allowed the moment to last as long as it could.

            Pierce at last pulled away from Willow and looked into her strange, beautiful eyes.

            “I wanna ask you something, Willow,” Pierce said bravely.

            “Yes?”

            “Will you…go out with me next Friday?”

            Willow’s eyes brightened at his words and her heart grew light. She smiled at him,

            “Sure, I’d love to!” she answered breathlessly.

            Pierce smiled in relief. He stroked Willow’s cheek affectionately. Her cheeks were a pleasant pink from the cold and so pretty contrasted against her fair peach skin. He removed his hand and leaned in. He kissed her cheek softly. Willow’s faint smile grew. He pulled away, cheered by the fact Willow was happy.

            “That’s excellent,” Pierce said.

            After that, they reluctantly said good-bye. But the both of them knew that they would be seeing each other real soon.

 

_____

 

            He heard a knock on his study’s door.

            “Enter,” Severin said.

            Markus Fleming opened the door and walked into the room. He appeared to be somewhat nervous, as he was biting his lower lip.

            Severin shoved the paperwork he was concentrating on before aside. He smiled politely at Fleming.

            “Sir, you sent me a note requesting my assistance?” Fleming asked.

            “Yes. As I wrote in the note, I’d like to discuss a new project surrounding Willow Halliwell. Why don’t you sit down?”

            Fleming immediately sat down, staring right into Severin’s eyes. He was waiting for something.

            “Now, Markus, you do know that you’re replacing your former commander, don’t you?” Severin asked.

            “Yes, sir. I was his right-hand man and apprentice.”

            “Did he tell you about the project being worked on concerning Willow Halliwell’s annihilation?”

            “Some, sir. He didn’t tell me everything. But I understand the borders of what he and you were doing.”

            Severin nodded, pleased at this tiny notion.

            “Now, because he didn’t tell you everything, I’ll fill you in on the important details.”

            Fleming listened carefully to him, his eyes on Severin fully.

            “I will start on something else, but this will slowly turn to Willow.

            “In my work, I’ve tested and changed the children of the scientists whom were loyal to me. These children were at first kept in our laboratories. They were of different ages; some babies, others toddlers, but all had stable DNA that wouldn’t resist if we inserted the serum into their bloodstream. And that’s what we did. But, somehow, these children disappeared into thin air. No one knows what happened to them; they were all under constant supervision. It was impossible for them to be kidnapped. I soon figured out it had been one of my own scientists that betrayed me by taking the children.

            “But I didn’t care about the scientist who stole them, just the children themselves. I wanted them to be on my side, to fight for me. I wanted to persuade the government to bring back my project, to see how helpful it would’ve been to them. But without those children on my side, it was useless. And so, I began a search for them. Frantically, my mean searched Crescent City from its sewers to the highest buildings. Nothing turned up. The children, and the scientist who had stole them, completely disappeared.

            “So, worried about the children, I knew that if they didn’t have me, they would probably bond together. The scientist, Dr. Isiah Chung, who had betrayed me was against my project and I and possibly raise them to have the idea that I was a bad guy. But because I had no hope of locating them, I turned my attentions to my daughter Willow Halliwell and Nemesis. Nemesis, of course, is Willow’s half-sister, and my true daughter whom I raised myself. I trained Nemesis and raised her to be on my side. Now she works for me. But Willow on the other hand…I knew I had to get rid of her. She isn’t on my side, but wants to kill me.

            “But I vow to kill the brat first.”

            Fleming nodded, taking all the information Severin had just given him all at once and patiently turning it over and over within his young mind.

            “Do you understand now what I plan to do, Markus?”

            “Yes, sir, I do. We must get rid of the girl so she won’t interfere in your plans.”

            “Excellent,” Severin praised, smiling widely at Fleming. “You do understand. But do you also understand that you can’t make mistakes whatsoever? You know what would happen to you if you messed up?”

            Fleming shook his head.

            “You’d end up like your dear old commander,” Severin said chillingly.

            Fleming gulped fearfully at this.

            “I understand, sir,” Fleming whispered. “I won’t mess up.”

            “Let’s hope you don’t.”

Author's Note

The end draws near, my readers.