Chain Of Pleasure

Chapter 10

"Why don't ya scream for me, sweetheart?"

No, no there's nothing unsettling about that at all.

Piper's fingers curled tight around the shotgun, throat struggling to swallow around that lump. She hesitated and looked over at him, possibly visibly pale and shaken but she had every right so she wouldn't try to hide it. Edward wasn't even looking at her, he was staring down the length of his gun, brow furrowed and tongue slowly sliding over his bottom lip as if he were contemplating on doing something.

She didn't want to know.

"Wh-What?"

He didn't look up immediately, slowly and deliberately, trying to drive her nuts possibly. His eyes were such a light green tonight, it was. . .pleasing to be able to see the transition.

"Scream, like ya did when you thought Cas wanted to send ya home," he leaned his rifle against the railing softly, taking a step towards Piper. . .crowding her. "C'mon sweetheart, I wanna hear it again."

"Why," she murmured, aching to shuffle backwards but something said he wouldn't let that slide.

"Professional curiosity," he murmured, leaning forward a little. "How bout ya give me a scream? Just a little one?"

Piper's eyes darted left and right real quick, curving up to his face and seeing a tad bit of excitement in his irises. What did he want from her? Why did he want her to scream like that again? She didn't want to, didn't even know if she could, and she didn't even notice when she did it the first time, what made him think she could control it just like that?

"I don't. . .I don't know if I can," she murmured with a hint of annoyance in her tone, but not directed towards him - no, never towards Edward. "I didn't even mean to last time and I didn't hear it. . .so I don't know if I scream, if it'll happen."

Edward hummed and she prickled when his fingertips ghosted over her shoulder, brushing the hair from her skin. "Oh I know ya can scream," he paused and grinned, almost in a wolfish way. "But that's not the kind of scream I wanna hear right now. . ."

Piper swallowed thickly and then sighed mutely in relief when she saw the flashlight bobbing up the steps towards them. She grabbed her shotgun, pointing it down and watching Edward talk to the man that looked totally bored with what he was doing. Her thumb stroked the edge of the pattern carved along the barrel, looking down so she wasn't caught staring.

She'd been out here for a long time with Edward, hours, and the air had been quite light which surprised her. Piper expected there to be a decent amount of unease, or some of his teasing's because of the black eyes and all. She hadn't been particularly comfortable, but she wasn't as put off as she expected to be. It wasn't helping that manic aide of Piper's brain, the part that was still completely and totally in love with a fictional person - but he was real, he was tangible, just in her reach and -

Her fingers closed around a tuft of fabric, twisting it tight in her fingers as she stared blankly at the ground, eyes brimming with confused tears. Edward stopped talking and looked over at Piper, annoyed at being cut off, but his face smoothed out when he saw that despondent look on her face. She wasn't looking at him, not at his face anyway, but his legs and she didn't look to be completely there.

And he couldn't even find it in him to tease her.

He sighed softly beneath his breath, thrusting his rifle into the new arrival's arms, taking a hold of Piper's wrist and causing her to shake out of her reverie. Her chin arched up towards him, large eyes glassy but there; her fingers curled into a fist past his.

"Your shift now," Edward demanded of the other man; Piper just stared.

His eyes darted between the two of them and he nodded, cradling the rifle properly. "Yes sir," he mumbled with an annoyed tone.

Edward nodded once and started walking, shaking Piper into awareness so she had to keep up with him without her legs catching beneath her. She kept up with him surprisingly well, very much aware of the pinch and pull his tight grip had on her skin. But she didn't say anything, she was just still so shocked to see his skin on hers - he really was there.

"Gotta warn me when you're gonna get clingy in front of others, kid," Edward murmured, shutting the door to the cabin. "Can't have those assholes seein I have favorites."

Piper blinked a few times, looking up at him. "Favorites?"

He hesitated and then narrowed his eyes a little. "Don't think on it too hard," he snapped and pushed her down onto the couch; how many times was she gonna end up on this thing. "Hellooo," Edward snapped his fingers in front of her face, trying to catch her attention that kept floating away. "Down here, baby girl, nowhere near those clouds."

To her credit, Piper chuckled and then blushed, softly and almost silently, but she looked more relaxed now that she was sitting down. She looked over at Edward, smiling a little crookedly, apologetically.

"I didn't mean to space out on ya back there," she murmured, running her fingers around her wrists in a nervous way. "I just. . ."

Edward raised a hand. "Its fine," he promised, taking a slow sip of his drink. "Happens to all of us."

Piper furrowed her brow at him, watching as he set his drink down on the table; his hand was shaking. "You're. . .You're being very non-threatening for a demon."

Edward chuckled. "I'm trying to be," he sighed. "Its really hard to try and handle but I have a lot of self control I never knew about."

Piper chuckled. "Edward Winchester? Self control?"

"Yeah, yeah don't be a smart ass," the look in his eyes was playful but he looked stern.

Piper smiled a little and then tried to reel it in, taking a slow, steadying breath and raking her hair back from her face. She wanted the hair off, she was so hot beneath it; was there some way she could cut it around here?

"Would help if ya. . .I don't know, talked?"

Piper jumped, cheeks flushed. "Sorry! Sorry I just -"

"Got lost," he arched an eyebrow. "What're ya thinking so hard about? Hell, its giving me a headache."

Piper sighed. "I was thinking about you," she started. "You, Sam, Cas. . ." She hesitated; mostly you. "About how you were all real. . .that it wasn't a dream, another delusion. . ."

"Delusion," was that honest curiosity in his voice or was he teasing her?

She took the semi-cautious leap. "I'd have delusions and. . .at first I thought they were just dreams but they were called Maladaptive Daydreaming so at least I knew how crazy I was."

"Its from trauma," Piper looked up at Edward, saw the anger in his eyes. "That's what Maladaptive Daydreaming is, it comes from abuse," he paused, brow deeply furrowed. "That bad?"

Her smile was bitter, her head softly shaking as she looked down. "She described how big of a piece of s**t I was in front of my eight year old cousin and then started trying to hit me," she shook her head again. "Threatened me countless times to kick me out, tried to punch me, cuss at me because I didn't do the smallest thing right. . .she was a f*****g psycho," the last few words were spat out bitterly, her fists clenching on her knees. "Your world was just. . .so much better than my reality," she looked up at him. "You and Sam, Castiel, made me so incredibly happy when I watched you. And I always wanted this, to be able to talk to you, to be here even for a day. And I didn't think it could happen, not unless I was asleep or maybe if I was dead, if Heaven really panned out like it did on television and in movies."

She was waiting for him to say something, to be snarky, sarcastic, to pick on her or something but Edward was silent, staring over her shoulder to the window or whatever else was back there to entertain him. Piper picked at her nails to occupy herself while she waited impatiently for him to either say something or do something.

"Would love to know if this is a parallel universe to yours," he murmured. "Or something different all together. . .it would make more sense being parallel," Piper gave him a curious glance. "What? A guy can't be curious?"

"You mean demon?"

He grinned. "Smart girl," he paused. "I think you could be a lot spunkier if I forced ya out of that tight ass shell you got going on."

Her cheeks heated a little. "I-I don't know -"

"Don't give me that s**t darling, with those smartass little comebacks you keep giving me every once in awhile, I know you can be a whole lot more fun than this."

Piper pursed her lips slightly. "I'd rather stay in my shell," she murmured.

"Doesn't really seem to be workin for ya."

"Why are you being so nice?"

"Would ya rather me be mean," he questioned.

Piper hesitated, brow furrowed to the point where her muscles jumped. "I would just like to know what you're trying to get out of me," she spoke slowly, trying to word her sentences right. "I don't trust you completely, Edward, you are a demon after all. I can't just take it as you being a kind person, as genuinely caring about me because I just don't trust you that much."

Edward chuckled and ran a hand down his face, rubbing the back of his neck and giving her this weird look. It was warm and disarming, enough to kill her breath and send her reeling - thankfully not visibly.

"Smart too," he finally murmured. "Maybe you won't be a liability after all."

Her skin itches.

Piper huffed as she stared into the mirror, examining those bruises at the corner of her mouth, feeling at the sore spot on the back of her head. It was from the shot, she knew that, so did she really die or what? What exactly was going on with her?

Basking in the glow of Edward Winchester.

She sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror, the ragged stained wife beater she wore hanging off of her shoulders. She was so small, even in her own eyes, and it was driving her crazy; she had always been a small, frail child but it was starting to become too much. But her skin was vibrant, glowing, warm, and yet so f*****g itchy.

"What's happening," she murmured, flexing her fingers at her sides and turning away from the mirror. "Maybe I'm losing my mind," she said in a surprisingly light tone.

Piper fell into her bed and sighed, inhaling the musk of stale sheets; she didn't mind it, not at all, considering how tired she was. Looked like her schedule would be converted to the night time pretty soon. Edward had walked her to her little cabin thirty minutes ago and her stomach still flipped at the thought; curse this crush of hers.

"Maybe he'll finally do something that scares me too much to even like the old Edward," she murmured into the blanket.

She really doubted it, this soothing, kind Edward was a bit shocking if she was being honest. And it made the butterflies worse, which almost pissed her off.

"I hate him," she sighed.

No she didn't.