I want the Truth From You [Theo]

Artemis Bane hadn't been happy since her last visit with Theo. Something had happened when she kissed him, she could tell. The way his eyes went almost blank and then he had almost fallen over. The worst part was, after that night, he didn't want to touch her. What had she done wrong...why wouldn't he tell her what was going on. She frowned as she made her way down from Knockturn alley. She had just gotten off a shift at the bar, that she worked for on a rare occasion, and was going to Diagon Alley. She had changed out of her work attire and was heading there. The thought from that night was bugging her and it had been all night. She couldn't stop thinking about it and she wanted the truth. Why was he hiding it from her? He was after all her best friend and she was pretty sure that she was his as well. Not only that but she was kissing him...she felt like she had done something wrong. But since that night he hadn't even really spoken to her. She had tried several times to get in touch with him but he wasn't returning any of her owls. It now was grating on her nerves and she missed her best friend. Not only that but she was afraid that she had ruined everything. If she couldn't have him romantically she at least wanted him in her life as a friend. As much as she wanted him...and not just in her bed, she would take what she could get.

He high heeled shoes clicked on the bricks in the streets as she made her way there. Luckily it wasn't a long walk or she might have had to take her shoes off. The heels she had been wearing all night were starting to cut into her feet as well as tire out her poor little puppies. She turned the last and final corner before walking up to his door. She tugged down on her shirt and zipped up her jacket slightly before knocking on the door. Her heart was in her throat, she was nervous which was weird, she was never nervous around Theo. She couldn't help it though, there was something nagging at the back of her mind. She really hoped it wasn't another woman. Merlin, there could have been another woman in there with him right now. The fear that grasped her throat made her knock again only harder this time. "Philly steak!!! It's me....Artie! I need to see you..." Her voice sounded strained and she never got that way. What was this man doing to her...?

Weakness....he was making her weak, except this time...she didn't care. She loved Theo and that's all there was too that. If he wasn't with another woman, she might have to tell him how she felt. With each passing day she was risking losing him. He was a handsome man, a sweet man and any woman would sell their soul to get a guy like him. Except Artie...she didn't deserve him...he deserved a woman that was....well better. When he opened the door she threw her arms around him and actually let out a small sob. She quickly recomposed herself before pulling back. "For merlin's sake Theo...where have you been? I've been trying to get ahold of you..." She cleared her throat as if blaming  a 'frog' for the strain in her voice.

Today was his day off. All he wanted to do is hide inside his apartment. Theophilus Dayton has been going through a lot. It was a few weeks since his first incident and thankfully nothing else happened. The man was drowning himself in alcohol every other night and hoping that that would hide any visions he would see. He decided to keep gloves on whenever he had to go out and just kept an eye on whosoever or whatever he touched with his bare skin. The gloves were actually making his hand surprising soft. Since it was his day off he decided it was time to relax. He had his tattoos showing, gauges back in his ears, a beanie was placed upon his head squishing his ruffled hair, and just a simple gray shirt with a pair of basketball shorts resided upon his body. He wanted to be as relaxed as possible. It was nice to be himself without having to worry about touching anything. It was a night of drinking wine and painting. The paintings that he has done lately have been dark. They have not been himself. Normally some Pop-art or comic looking art was his norm, but since his discovery everything has been a little darker and deeper. This painting looked like Artie's face but more tormented and meaner. The woman's eyes burned with fire and hair covered his face. It was the face in his vision. Painting his visions seemed to be a little more nicer and easier to deal with.... it was not nice to have a banging on his door though.

As the door was being knocked on he heard the voice. It was the woman he was painting. He instantly bite his lip and looked at the door. Should he answer it? He was not sure if he should let her in. Theo normally never avoided this woman. He loved to breath in any company that she could provide. Since that vision he could not look at her the same. He still loved and adored her but just something different. There was another side he did not know. A side that scared him. What if she was like that to him? What if she wanted to hurt him? She hurt other people... why not him? Sighing, he covered up the painting with a sheet so that she could not see it when she entered. He wiped his hands upon his grey shirt making bright red and black hand marks upon the shirt. As he opened the door the woman barged in and instantly wrapping her arms around him. He heard her sob softly. Was she actually crying? What just happened? Instincts went in, he did care for her... he was more concerned about her now.

As she cleared her voice, he pulled away from him. "I was working... working a lot." He was trying to think of what would be good excuse but she was not going to think the working was a good excuse. The woman knew when he was lying. He was glad he did not get a vision from physical contact. He closed the door behind her and took his paint covered hands and pointed to his teal couch. "You can sit. You want a drink, Art?" He raised an eyebrow. He was going to need a drink himself.

Artemis would never hurt Theo, she had dreams about it all the time, hurting him, killing him. Every time she had the dreams she woke up in a cold sweat, and tears where streaming down her face. She loved Theo and she would never hurt him. The dreams tore at her heart and made her sick to her stomach. She always wondered why she was having these dreams. Theo was her best friend and she wanted him to be more...maybe it was the profession she was in and she was afraid of hurting him if he found out what she did. She had always planned on telling him, but she didn't know how. She was so afraid he wouldn't understand, he wouldn't want her anymore. He was a gentle man and she was ruthless, she was hard and horrible. She was mean to those who deserved it, or those was hired to kill. She had to be, she enjoyed it....that used to never scare her but now that she thought about it..if Theo found out how much causing pain to other people turned her on...She shook her head, if he cared about her he couldn't just leave could he? Why not though, people have done it to her before. She wasn't sure she could live her life without Theo in it. She had pushed him away in school and it was the worst mistake of her life. She cared about him, she never stopped caring about him. And she never would.

She pulled back from the hug and looked at him. He looked frazzled, he looked good though. All of his tattoos were showing and she loved his tattoos. She smiled weakly and wiped at her face quickly. She didn't want him to know that she had been crying. Although it may have softened him up, she was the strong one. But she was crying because she missed him so much. She couldn't go a few days without talking to Theo, he was her best friend and she talked to him about almost everything. Without him to talk to she felt lost and she didn't know just how much he really meant to her until he wasn't there.

Working...? Was he serious? He had worked a lot before but never forgotten about Artie. He always made time for her and work had nothing to do with why he had disappeared. "Working...? Theo, what's going on. I know it wasn't because of work. You look a little frazzled and I haven't heard from you in days." She sighed and took a seat on the couch. She had always loved his apartment. "A drink would be great....whiskey if you have it." She shook her head and leaned back into the couch as her eyes followed him to the kitchen and she smiled weakly. "I've missed you Theo....I feel like it's something I've done. I mean, after the bar that night....you left and you haven't really spoken to me since. I just...I want to know why." She ran a hand through her hair and looked at him. She missed her friend, she wanted to tell him everything...but that was hard.

This woman knew him to well. It was freaking how well she knew him. They have been best friends since Hogwarts though. It was not hard to know when they were holding things back. He could tell that she was crying. The woman did not show her feelings on her sleeves but he knew just as much as her when they were upset. He did not answer her when she said that he was frazzled. He couldn't tell if he was frazzled, he just tried to not look in mirrors when he was working with his art. This painting needed as much raw emotion as he could muster. In his mind he wanted to put every emotion that he was hiding from her into that piece of work. As he pulled his paint covered wand out of his pocket he summoned two glasses and a bottle of whiskey for Artie. One glass for him and the other for the woman who was following him into the kitchen. As she spoke, he kept his head down. It was true. He did not speak to her since the bar incident. He really couldn't look her in the face either. He was just so scared of that vision. He never had anything like that happen.

He stared more into the glass as she spoke. He quickly took a swig. "Oh shut up, Artemis." He rarely used her full name. This is the first time he actually said anything so harsh to someone. He was saying it more a mumble. He was not sure if she heard it. He turned around and looked at her. "Can I show you something?"

He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her practically over to the painting. "I've been working on this since the night at the bar." He uncovered it. The eyes were just so intense and angry. He just never really wanted to picture them again, but this painting was his way to get everything out of his mind. He was hoping it would work. Maybe just talking to someone about the visions would be better. Artemis was the woman he trusted with everything. It was odd not letting her in the loop. "I seen a side of you I never could imagine. It was more terrifying feeling what that man was feeling and seeing the anger in your eyes... I painted that anger.... Thats why I was avoiding you." Now she probably would think he was spying on her.... This might just cause her to get more angry at him. "If you want to hurt me for knowing your secret... do it. I'm a broken man. I touch things and see things I don't want to see. Most of the things I cannot do anything about. Everything is something I cannot stop. I cannot even kiss the woman I love because I see a vision that terrifies me of her." Theo was starting to rabble about how everything he was feeling. He wasn't even looking at Artie. He started to pick up a brush and paint. Painting his emotions and speaking them. As he noticed what he was doing, he pulled his brush away from the painting and look at her. Did he just admit his feelings? Wow this woman was getting a handful.

Artemis blinked when he told her to shut up, he had never been so harsh with her before. She took in a deep breath, but didn't say anything. She bit down on her lip before taking a drink from the glass of booze that he had poured her. Her eyes were glued to him, she could tell something was on his mind, but what. What had been so horrible and awful that he hadn't spoken to her in weeks. They almost never went this long without talking...she didn't understand and she was starting to worry about her friend, no...not just friend. He was the man she loved, the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with...She shook the thought out of her head. Maybe he didn't want any of that....Maybe there was someone else he had given his heart to and she was just his friend, his best mate....His...Merlin she wanted to be his. She nodded when he asked if he could show her something. "Of course you can Theo..." Her voice was quiet and a little rattled. Something was going on and she was actually scared....she was afraid that she was losing Theo.

When he grabbed her hand she felt sparks travel through her body, but then he yanked on her arm and she was barely able to keep up as he dragged her over to a painting. She was well aware of his paintings, she was aware of how much time and emotion went into each painting as well. The bar...Her heart sank and she turned from Theo to look at the painting. Her jaw dropped and her heart felt like it was going to shrivel up and wither away. It was a painting of her, but not a good one...Her eyes looked sort of evil....intense, angry....She bit her lip and let out a small sob as she turned to Theo. He had been working on this....but what did that mean? Is this how he saw her....? What he felt about her. She felt a small pain in her chest, her hand went to her chest and she gripped at her shirt. Then he spoke again....He's seen this...but how...How could he see this face, she would never ever look at him like this. She loved Theo, she loved Theo more than anyone she had ever loved anyone in her life. And he had seen this face from her....Oh god....Had he followed her one night....? Without her knowledge? But that seemed almost impossible...she was well aware of her surroundings when she was on a hunt. She looked at Theo, tears were building up in her eyes and she struggled to keep them in, she failed. They started to stream down her cheeks as she looked at her best friend.

Artemis stood there for a moment and stared at him. There were a lot of words that he had just thrown at her. Love, terrify, secret, broken....She frowned and another small sob escaped her lips and she covered her mouth. She didn't know what to say...He was a seer....And he had seen a vision of her killing a man. It was all clear now, that when he had kissed her in the bar, he had seen her killing him. He knew now what she did, she wasn't just a bartender anymore. "I....Theo...." She struggled to breathe as she looked at her best friend. "I don't want to hurt...I never wanted to hurt you....I...it's why I didn't tell you..." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry Theo...I should have told you....I just, I was afraid you'd never talk to me again. I was afraid of losing you...." Did she go on to say that she enjoyed her work....that she got off on it?

She slowly took a small step towards him and looked at his face. "Theo....I love you...I always have...I would never do anything to hurt you. What I do..it's not about, hurting you. I just...It's what I'm good at. It's what people want me to do and it's how I have to live my life. I can't paint, or write, or even draw...I'm not like you." She sighed and tried to reach for his hands. "I....I want no one but you Theo..." She sobbed again but she let the tears fall down her face. He was the only person that could make her feel ashamed for what she did. Not only did she kill and torture people for a living, but she loved it. She loved what she did....she got off on it and if Theo knew that, what would he really think of her then?

The woman was crying. He did not mean to make her cry. He had not clue what to even say. Normally when she was upset the first thing he would do was crack a joke to make her laugh. During this moment it would not be best to do that. He was just too upset himself. She was afraid of losing him. She was never going to lose him. Theo would always be hers. Even if she  was killing people. She was not the one who tried to kill his mother. He could tell that from the vision. She did care about him. Artie was always protective to him as much as he was to her. He kept quiet as she moved closer. He was just staring at his paint covered hands. His fingernails had bright red underneath and appeared to him like blood soaked. That appearance was making his stomach turn to knots and made him want to puke. He couldn't get the imagines out of his head even though he tried to paint them away. They were forever glued into her mind. She kept apologizing. He couldn't have her being upset.

He went over to her and pulled her close. He did not care if he got paint on her from his paint covered hands. "I could never not talk to you. You are my best friend and I love you too." He put his hand on her head and hoped that she could stop crying. He hated when she cried. He lifted his head and used part of his shirt to wipe her tears. "If we are going to be friends we need to seriously tell each other everything. Both of us not hold back anything." That would be the best thing for their relationship. Their secrets were going to ruin them. Both of their secrets. "I love you, you are my best friend and like family. I cannot ever have you part from my life even if its from a vision. I'll work through it... you need to work on killing though. Its dangerous. I don't want you hurt." He stared her down. "If you were ever hurt by someone I don't know what I would do and I really do not EVER want to see that face again." Theo was talking to her more like a father. He was not meaning too. He was just so protective of her. He never wanted to have her hurt or even killed from someone because she was doing something stupid with her life... "And if I ever get a vision like this I will talk to you about it and not hide it away." He smiled at her, hoping that would make her stop crying.

He held her a little closer. It was one of her signature bear hugs. "Stop crying, Artie Tartie." He kissed her on the forehead and smiled at her... he was a little more himself since he talked to her about it. Maybe that is what he needed to do all along. If he just kept it away it was just fester and boiling over. He could not do that to this woman or do that to himself. "So know you know why I freaked out at the bar..." He chuckled gently. "You weren't a bad kisser, I told you." He let her go. It was probably awkward for her that he was holding her  for so long. He really liked doing it though. Theo went back over the whiskey and drank some straight from the bottle. The man then looked back at the woman. He was hoping she was more composed. It was odd, but he understood that some people have those jobs. He was more considered about losing her or her being hurt. He was scared of her face but he never seen that side. The side of Artie he seen was soft and beautiful. She had a grace to her that most women did not have. This woman was herself and did not let anybody bulge her from that. Artie was perfection in her mind. Even with tears in her eyes she was still beautiful. "Sooo --- you love me hmmm?" He was hoping that would make her laugh.

Artemis felt so awful.....it was horrible that he had to find out by seeing it in a vision. She was sure it was scary as hell to see her actually killing a man. She knew that Theo wasn't as ruthless as she was. In fact he was the exact opposite of her. He was a kind gentle man who wanted nothing more than to protect her and care for her. Granted she wanted to take care of Theo as well, she loved him. And the more she thought about it the more she knew that she really, truly did love this man. She couldn't live without him and she didn't want to try. She couldn't imagine him with anyone else either, the thought of that made her skin crawl. She took in a deep breath and looked up at her best friend. "You shouldn't have found out that way...I should have told you. I should have been honest with you....but I was scared..." It wasn't often that Artemis Bane admitted something like and usually when she did, it was with Theo. He was her everything, her best friend, the man she could count on and confide in. She let out a sigh and ran a hand through her long black hair. She had never felt guilt like this before, it was gripping hold of her and not letting go. She put Theo through pain and confusion...And that wasn't something she could take back. Just looking a the painting he was working on made her feel like she was the devil.

The tears still covered her face, but when she felt his arms around her she let out a sigh and fell into him. "Oh, Theo....." She sobbed and wrapped her own arms around her best friend. She didn't even care that he was probably ruining her clothes. She smiled slightly and pulled back to look at him. "Oh...I just...I thought if you knew that you would think less of me. That would you leave me because I was a terrifying monster that....I don't know, you couldn't tame." She took in a deep breath and pressed her face into his shoulder and neck. The tears stopped and she let out another sigh. "Everything....?" She pressed her lips together and looked at him. Everything...that mean that she should tell him that she actually enjoyed her job..."Well, there is something else then...I don't know what you saw or what you felt in your vision..." She hesitated and bit down on her lip. If this didn't make him leave her...nothing would. "I think I might be sick...I mean...because I enjoy my job. And I don't mean like...sort of enjoy it...or just guilt free of it. I mean, I really enjoy my job. It makes feel alive, and well....sort of turns me on too." She shook her head and covered her face with her hands. When she said it outloud it sounded horrible, awful and she wanted to go crawl into a corner and hide for a few days. "I get off on others pain...oh merlin, Theo what's wrong with me?" She sighed and shook her head. Then his words cut into her thoughts.

Work on this killing....? It's dangerous...She perked a brow and looked up at him. "You want me to stop? Theo, it's how I make a living. And It's not like I can just give it up. I have clients and...." She tucked a lose piece of hair behind her ear. "You want me to stop.....I'll try to stop...Or just cut back....or maybe just kill the really bad men?" He went on to say that he didn't want to see her hurt, or see her war face ever again. Could she just quit cold turkey like that...? Was he really asking her to give it all up. That was something that would have to be discussed. She wasn't sure could just walk away and never do it again. She couldn't make that promise because she was almost certain she would break it.

She nodded slowly and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, at least I know it wasn't me then...." She laughed and ran her hands up the back of his neck. Her eyes met his and she smiled. He then let her go, and to her surprise she was a bit disappointed that he had. "Good, I would hate to be a bad kisser." She walked over to the bottle of whiskey with Theo and after he took a drink she grabbed the bottle from him and took a swig of it. "Good whiskey." She laughed and awkward switched the weight of her body from one foot to the other. It had been a while since the two of them had a real heart to heart converstion, so it was slightly awkward for Artie. Then he asked about the love part...she blushed, which was extremely rare for Artemis. "I uh.....well....." She cleared her throat and nodded slowly. She forced a nervous laugh out of her mouth before she looked up at Theo. "More than I love anyone else in the world Theo Dayton." She stepped closer to him and set the bottle down. Her eyes met his and she leaned in and kissed his lips gently. The secret was out....she loved her best friend, and not just as a friend. She loved him more than she had ever loved anyone else.