In Dreams: One Soul

Uneasy Truce

Zeev's POV

Harlee's distance the next morning was distressing.  While she was not capable as I was at shielding her mind from me entirely, she was doing a damn good job of withdrawing anyway.  She even took the breakfast ingredients from my hands and replaced them in the fridge, claiming she'd grab a poptart from the vending machine at work.  I internally shuddered at that.  She allowed me to stay close during most of her morning routine, as per usual, but instead of waiting until the last possible minute, she just sighed and asked me to take her to work when she was prepared to go.  We stepped into the space behind the building and she looked at me wearily.

"You can go."  She mumbled.  I blinked.  We always stuck together as long as possible to postpone the withdrawal symptoms until we had no other choice.

"Harlee..."  I murmured.

"Just..go."  She insisted and turned on her heel, walking off abruptly.  I ventured into her mind, but she rejected the contact and my soul fragment cried out in pain, making me gasp and drop to one knee.  She stumbled a bit, but kept walking with determination.  I had to admire her spirit though.  I waited until she rounded the corner and then vanished, stepping into the customer service area where she worked.  I pulled light around me as I did, distorting it so I would be invisible to the human eye.  Harlee stalked in with a determined look on her face, clutching her shirt front.  I knew the gesture well, I was mirroring it.  She leaned on the counter for a moment and panted.  She was just a few feet from me.  If she wasn't determined to ignore me so hard, she would have easily sensed me and seen through my disguise.  Her friend Kayla came bouncing in and Harlee straightened, trying to put up a normal appearance.

"Harlee!"  Kayla cried, then looked more closely.  "Oh God, what's wrong-did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"  Cute girl that Kayla-even cuter the way she wantonly threw herself at me.

"Something like that."  Harlee replied, leaning an elbow in the counter, chin cradled in her hand.  My eyes zeroed in on her.  What did Kayla see that I had missed without even possessing my unique bond to her?

"Spill it."  Kayla demanded.  I really must get around Harlee's 'no Kayla' rule.

"It's complicated."  Harlee hedged.

"Well un-complicate it."  Kayla shot back swiftly.  I moved forward and sat on the counter.

"Ugh!"  Harlee groaned and dropped her head on the counter.  "I guess it's more Zeev is complicated.."  She said quietly.

"People are complicated, what else is new?"  Kayla responded.  

"People."  Harlee scoffed quietly and lifted her head to look at Kayla.  "It's like Zeev is two different people.  He has the capacity to be infinitely kind and yet unbelievably cruel.  An Angel and a Demon."  She said wryly.

"I always did love a bad boy."  Kayla clapped delightedly.  I was beginning to really like her too.  I bet she'd be tasty.  "Wait-he's not hurting you-is he?"  Kayla demanded.  Harlee laughed.

"He really can't."  She answered derisively.  Kayla didn't look entirely convinced.  Harlee sighed.  "You see any bruises?"  She pulled up her sleeves and pants legs, then slid her shirt up to her bra-band and Kayla laughed.

"Alright, alright-you've proven your point."  Kayla replied.

"But-he did something last night..and..I know he had to..I just can't forgive him.  And he was so cruel about his explanations behind it.  It just proved to me once again that I was dealing with the Demon and not the Angel that I found under the surface.  But Hell, Angels were never all that sweet in religion either so what the Hell am I even talking about?  It's just in his nature to be that way, and if I could get rid of him, I would!"  Harlee slammed a hand down on the counter.  My chest throbbed. 

"Then why don't you?"  Kayla asked softly.  Harlee rubbed her chest.

"Because I can't live without him."  Harlee replied.

"Aww."  Kayla said, thinking it was a sweet sentiment.  I stepped off the counter and into Harlee's living room, letting the light return to normal around me.  I knew, even though it sounded sweet, Harlee meant it quite literally, because it was the same for me.  I rubbed my chest.  Damn soul fragment.  Troublesome girl...

Harlee POV

The day passed quickly, probably because I didn't want to go home.  The ache in my chest built until I could scarcely breathe.

"Are you alright?"  Kayla asked me for the thousandth time.

"Would you stop it!"  I snapped and wheezed.

"It's just, your breathing sounds kind of funny."  She pointed out.

"I know, it's fine, we're headed home in a few minutes."  I tried to draw a deep breath, but it rasped in my lungs.  Damn!  I was going to have to call for Zeev at this rate, and stop ignoring him.  Each breath hurt my chest, and I was hugging my rib cage with one arm.

"My, my.  If it isn't the one who escaped Hell and Heaven alike.  What's the matter little girl?  Is something inside you broken?"  I looked up to see a pair of yellow eyes looking at me.  "Noooo, missing...  How intriguing!  How ever did you survive that?  Now tell me-where's the other half of your soul?  I heard it crying out in desperation, I can offer you a Deal..."  I looked around to see what had happened to Kayla.  She was slumped over the counter as if asleep.

"Oh, don't worry about her-she carries the Mark of another so I can't touch her."  The Demon in front of me purred.  I let my guard down, all the hostility and disappointment I'd been feeling towards Zeev set free, along with my sense of profound betrayal.  I closed my eyes and let the ragged feeling in my chest build, until the spot burned into my half of our soul with Zeev's True Name lit up.  I called to him, feeling the pull like a string, tighten between us.

Zeev's POV

My head jerked up from the senseless TV program I was watching.  It was like someone had called my name.  The hand that had been clutching my chest for the past few hours suddenly spasmed as my True Name rung through my head.

Harlee.  She was calling me.  I let the barrier completely drop, looking through her eyes.  Damnit!  Someone had picked up on her soul's distress call.  Damn, damn, damn!

'Harlee.' I spoke in her mind.  'Don't move.'  I instructed.  I felt her agreement through the link.  How was I going to get her out of there without a huge fight?

'Harlee-I have a drastic idea-will you give me your consent?'  I ran through my plan in her mind.  She grimaced, but sent back a terse answer.

'Yes.  I consent.'  I felt the evil grin spread across my face as I switched to Demonic Form and hurtled through space to get to her.

Harlee POV

I looked back at the man across from me.

"Well, my little crippled soul creature-I can get your whole soul back!  No more Demons or Angels hunting you!  You'd be restored!  Back to normal!"  He crowed.  He looked like a little old man, strange disguise since most Demons chose to be beautiful creatures.

"And in return?"  I asked.

"Oh everything has a price in its time."  He replied with a wicked grin.  I felt Zeev's presence caress the back of my neck and shivered.  I had agreed to this.

"No-what you mean is, once you retrieve my soul and restore it-you will promptly devour it."  I retorted and then felt Zeev's shadow sliding under my skin at the base of my skull.  It was like oil being poured down my back and I tried not to shudder.  You agreed to this!  I screamed at myself.

"But there's only one problem."  I said to the Demon across from me as I felt Zeev taking control of my body.  I panted slightly and my head drooped as I lost control of my muscles while Zeev took over.

"A Demon already possesses the other half of my soul."  Zeev said through my mouth his eyes, sharp teeth and voice suddenly coming through my human form.  He stepped us back and into an empty field where no one would get hurt when the other Demon followed-and he did.