Warning ⚠️: This book contains graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Joelee sat on the edge of the top of a large building she had scaled using the fire escape, gazing down at the city below.

Watching other people bustle about in the city soothed her but it also made her jealous of the normal, everyday life they got to live.

Angrily wiping the tears away she calmed her breathing once again to stop the gut wrenching sobs that had been forcing from deep within her chest for what felt like hours now. Every single emotion that raced through her head made it harder and harder to control the animal that rested just under her skin. It was a constant battle just to remain some semblance of what normal was now...

As a child she would've given anything to be a superhero but now she realized the saying was true.

"With great power comes great responsibility." She murmured aloud, tears flowing freely down her rosy cheeks as she began to reminisce about her old life.

As a sob escaped her lips, her nails dug into her bare thigh, nails extending into claws as she struggled to reign in whatever wanted to escape her mind.

He was right. She was a monster.... Maybe they weren't a good match anyway...He had his own demons... He didn't need to deal with hers.

There was indeed a time where she had no doubts about who she wanted to be with... I mean...

She lifted the dog tags from around her neck before gazing down at them, reading the engraving over and over just to force her mind to realize that maybe there was a time where he did genuinely mean it when he said he loved her.

Rings are cliche. This is a better promise.

The words were simple but meant a lot to her even though back then she would've given everything to wear a ring on her finger to show that she was his forever.

She didn't know when that had changed for them... She really didn't.... If it really did change at all. Perhaps he never truly did feel the way she felt for him.

She clenched the simple necklace tightly in her hands before looking back out into the city.

She knew from the moment that they started hanging out again that things were different. Of course they would be. Four years locked in a dungeon, never talking to each other or even knowing if the other was alive definitely wasn't keeping their romance that way.

But she'd been willing to try at least... She didn't think she was asking too much for him to at least return the favor.

An angry growl escaped her lips before she chucked the item away, no ounce of regret filling her as she watched it hit the top of a dumpster before falling in with a clank.

"Nice shot." A male's deep, almost growly, voice, startled Joelee, causing her to stand quickly and whip around the face him.

Oh, lawd have mercy was this man large.

His piercing, sapphire blue, eyes, glowed from beneath his black hood which shielded his face from even her sensitive eyes. He was solid muscle, towering over her 5'4 frame by around... A lot.... He was definitely at least ten feet tall.

Them thighs though. She'd loved to see the dump truck he was probably concealing from behind.

A deep laugh rumbled from his throat which seemed to shock the blonde from her intense staring.

"Huh?" Joelee mentally slapped herself at her weak excuse of a response which only seemed to further amuse the male who chuckled quietly.

"I said, nice shot. If you weren't wondering about my dump truck you probably would've heard me." His taunting caused her cheeks to flare red as she avoided his piercing gaze before it clicked in her mind that he'd heard exactly what she was thinking.

Had she said it out loud?

"You have no idea who I am, do you?" His amusement was clear as he he took a step closer to her, her blue eyes flashing with mild panic as she backed up a bit.

"Not a clue. Stranger danger and all that." A laugh rumbled from his throat again at her words, the male raising his hands in surrender to show he meant her no harm.

"That's understandable. I apologize... Miss...?" His eyes flashed with curiosity as he gazed down at the rather amusing blonde in front of him who arched an eyebrow.

"Listen, man. I just said stranger danger. You tell me who you are first and how you got up here without me hearing you rattling the fire escape. That thing was not quiet enough for someone to sneak up on me. Plus you've got a kidnapper hood on." Joelee crossed her arms over her chest, cocking out her hip as she tilted her head to the side with a look of skepticism.

"Once again, I apologize. I just assumed you would recognize me from the news. The name is Obsidian. I'm the local superhero as people say." The male gave a rather dramatic bow before he straightened his stance to glance up at the woman who looked completely unamused by his answer.

"I assume you don't believe me, miss Joelee." His words seemed to shock her visibly as she arched an eyebrow in confusion.

"So a stalker and a liar. Got it." Joelee smirked as the male seemed to immediately falter as he realized how she had come to that conclusion.

"No, no. I promise I'm not. This is not going the way I thought it would. Listen, I read minds. I swear. I'm not a stalker. I just saw you on the roof out here and I didn't want you to be alone. You looked upset." Obsidian rubbed his neck with a hand he had clad in a pair of fingerless, black, leather, gloves with spikes along the knuckles. The dim light of the lamps around them reflected the black skin of his hand, making them appear almost like glass and catching her attention.

She took a step towards him, skepticism forgotten as she examined the smooth, glasslike appearance of his hand.

So he wasn't lying about being a superhero at least... Unless it was a prosthetic.

"It's obsidian. That's how I got my name. My skin is made of it." His voice was soft as he held out his hand for her to examine closer, her eyes now full of curiosity as she hesitated a few inches away from the taller male.

"Prove it." Joelee said as she glanced back up at him, all curiosity gone as she forced an emotionless face instead so he couldn't tell what she was thinking.

"You want me to take my shirt off or something? Bit forward, aren't you? At least take me to dinner first. Jesus." Joelee didn't look amused by his response which caused him to heave a heavy sigh before he kicked off the ground, levitating a few inches above her for a moment.

"That proof enough without me having to do a strip tease?" This time Joelee laughed quietly, seeming to shock the male that she didn't react at all to the fact he was literally flying.

"So that's how you snuck up on me. I feel like that's cheating. I took the long way up." She grinned as he landed in front of her once again, seeming surprised that she was joking with him still.

"I mean it saves me from the gas prices around town so I guess I am cheating in some ways. More convenient for the environment too." Obsidian's response made her laugh again, causing him to smile as well, though of course she couldn't see it from beneath his dark hood.

"So you going to tell me why you chucked that necklace? You didn't seem too happy earlier and I was almost worried I'd have to dive off the roof to catch you." Joelee seemed confused by his words for a moment before it finally clicked what he meant.

"Oh, you thought I was going to jump." She guessed to which he gave a single nod in reply but she simply shook her head.

"No. Not this time. But now I have to worry about a flying rock saving me if I do decide to." Joelee teased but he didn't laugh this time as he instead sat on the ledge, looking up at her now instead as he awaited a response to his question.

Joelee heaved a sigh before sitting next to him, facing the city instead as she gazed across at the beautiful glittering lights of the bustling world around them.

"Just been a long life I guess." Her reply was soft as she clenched her fists to hold back the tears that threatened to spill.

She wouldn't cry again. Not in front of this rocky stranger. That would be embarrassing at best.

"They hurt you pretty bad, huh?" His guess was spot on but then again he proved he could read minds already so she would have to be careful what she thought about around this guy.

"Yeah. He did. Thought I'd spend the rest of my life with him but I guess he didn't feel the same." Her voice cracked for a moment but she brushed it off as she took a deep breath.

"Nasty thing.... Love... I don't really know why we allow ourselves to do it. But we do... I know I'll do it again in the future and it'll probably have the same outcome. But nevertheless I will." Joelee muttered rather bitterly, flinching a bit as he put a hand on her arm before he quickly retracted his hand as he realized his reassuring gesture didn't have the desired effect.

"It won't be perfect every time. I mean... Nothing ever is. You have to work to achieve what you want out of things. Even love. And I can tell you love him... Maybe you should find him and talk again. It may help." Joelee snorted which startled Obsidian a bit at the sudden change in demeanor.

"He loves someone else." Her words seemed to make the male visibly flinch as he turned around to face the city as well.

"Do you love him?" Obsidian questioned after a moment, his question causing the heavy feeling to return to her chest.

"I do. But not enough to feel that pain again. There was a time.... Maybe. Not again." Joelee's response seemed to hit close to home to Obsidian as his fists clenched for a moment before he took a breath, slowly uncurling his fingers as he turned to look at her instead.

"But you still want him to be your friend?" He deduced which turned Joelee's gaze to him as she seemed to think over her answer.

"Yes, I do. He's my friend first and foremost. We made that deal before we started dating in the first place.... You're right. I need to go. Thank you." Joelee stood rather quickly before she hurried over to the fire escape, beginning the long climb back down as Obsidian just sat there with a confused look.

Man, this woman was bipolar.

"Bye?" He called after her but he guessed that she was already too far down the fire escape to hear.

Joelee wasn't sure if it was entirely safe to be running this quickly around normal people but she didn't care.

Who was she to stop her friend from finding happiness? She knew the girl... Obviously. She was her best friend at one point. But, she also knew well enough that Mikala had been friends with Nathan much longer than she had.

If she really loved him then why make him stay with someone who didn't make him happy anymore?

It didn't take her very long to burst through the door to Oscar's rather spacious hideout.

"Hey!" Her expression dropped as she looked to each person in the room, noticing the looks on their faces.

"What?" Joelee faltered as Oscar released a loud sigh before he stood from his chair, walking towards the woman who wasn't even breathing heavily despite how far she had ran in such a short amount of time.

"He's gone, Joe." Oscar's words caused Joelee to furrow her eyebrows in confusion as she tilted her head to the side a bit.

"Who?" Oscar put a hand on her arm, not noticing how she tensed beneath his grip as he gazed into her blue eyes.

"He packed a bag as soon as he got back. Said we couldn't stop him. He's going to the army." Oscar's words made her heart drop as she realized exactly who they were talking about.

"Nathan... He... Just left? Just like that? Are you serious?" Her voice raised a bit at the realization that they would never get to talk now.

"We tried to talk to him... We really did. But he said there was no way to talk him out of it." Alyssa's voice was barely loud enough for Joelee to hear as the tears began to flow down her cheeks once again.

"He didn't even say goodbye." Joelee cried quietly as Alyssa stood to approach her friend, wrapping her arms around her friend who flinched but didn't pull away this time.

_-*-_

The dark room was lit only by the dim light of a computer, illuminating Magdalene's face as she gazed at the screen in front of her.

Her long, blood red, hair pooled around her shoulders and hips, one hand folded delicately against her cheek while the other held the mouse which she used to gently scroll through file she read.

"How long have you been awake?" A male's deep voice didn't seem to startle her in the slightest as she had noticed him stirring on the couch about ten minutes before he woke.

He was always restless just before he awoke.

"An hour." Her reply was simple but then again she didn't need to waste time with minor details to expand her sentence anyway.

Axle's large form came to rest behind her as he leaned down over her much smaller form to read over her shoulder, taking a moment to brush her hip length hair over her shoulder so that he could see better.

"Always working." He teased but she didn't seem amused by his joking attitude as she continued to review the financial information over renovations within the cells of the facility.

"I would not be where I am today without the work I've put in." Magdalene's reply caused Axle to sigh quietly as he resisted the urge to tangle his fingers through her hair.

"Well that and the gold digging." A different voice caused both to look up rather quickly into the darkness as a male much taller than Axle emerged from the darkness.

"Leave us." Magdalene's simple order caused Axle to quickly back away and straighten his stance, eyes hardening as he glared at the male who smirked in response as Axle gathered his clothes from the couch. Quickly slipping on his slacks before he began to pull on his shirt as he exited the room, knowing better than to argue with the woman who could end his career and very existence.

"Is he dead?" Magdalene questioned without emotion, eyes focusing on Alaric who smirked as he began to make his way closer to her large desk.

"Put a bullet in his head. Should solve your friends little aging problem for the time being... or at least slow it down." Alaric's reply seemed to satisfy her enough for the moment as she began to button her blouse, eyes falling back to the screen of her computer.

"And the others? Have you found them?" Magdalene questioned as she began to work the buttons of the top of her blouse.

"Don't get dressed on my account, ma'am." Alaric smirked as he leaned on her desk as if to get a better look but he quickly backed up as Magdalene's gaze snapped up.

"I asked you a question. I expect an answer." Alaric gave an amused chuckle as he shook his head no to further enrage her.

"Did you at least find the second one of those pests?" Magdalene's tone was hard with annoyance now as she began to pull her long hair into a bun.

"Working on it. Give me some slack here. I found the first one without any help from your trained dogs. I've proven I'll get the job done if you fulfill your end of the bargain." Alaric's words grew hard as he stepped forward once again, golden eyes seeming to darken as he focused his hard glare on the woman in front of him.

"How's that going, Evie? Your end of the deal?" His voice seemed to grow even deeper as he growled his question, Magdalene seeming to stiffen at his sudden change but her moment of weakness was gone as quickly as it came.

"As well as to be expected with such short notice. Yours is dirty work. Ours is science. There is a very vast difference... Obsidian." Magdalene seemed to sneer at his little superhero name but the way his eyes darkened to an almost black made her waver as a low growl echoed through his throat.

"Then you will not question me about how long I am taking on my part of the deal. I've proven I can help. Where's my proof?" His voice was so low that every word seemed to echo in her very bones.

"Your proof will come. You do your job and I will do mine." A harsh laugh echoed from his chest, causing Magdalene to quickly lower her hands from where she had since finished putting up her hair, resting her hand on the gun beneath her desk as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You better." Was all he said before disappearing in a puff of blood red smoke, causing Magdalene to release the breath she was holding.

Glancing at the time, she took a moment to debate what she would say before she pressed a button on the phone atop her desk.

"Bellefree." She did not need to say anything else. She did not need to ask if he was awake or if he was busy. He would make time if necessary.

"Ma'am?" His reply took more time than she deemed absolutely necessary but she did not have time to lecture him about wasting more time than she was willing to give.

"I need updates on the project. Now." Her voice was low in warning, red manicured fingernails digging into her desk as she impatiently awaited his answer.

"Would you like to meet me in my laboratory or would you simply like a report right now?" An angry sigh escaped her pale lips before she pressed the button to respond, her impatience intensifying as the door to her office opened.

"Now." She barked out before glancing up to see who dared disturb her, immediately faltering at the familiar sight of the older woman in front of her.

"I successfully bonded the strands of two DNA signatures but the fetus was not viable. I'll have to work with the DNA of some guards before I starting testing with Metas." Magdalene listened to David closely, eyeing the woman who had entered closely as she began to stalk towards Magdalene's desk. The woman's pale green eyes glowed in the dim light of the computer as she moved to flick on the lamp on Magdalene's desk, illuminating an exact but aging copy of Magdalene who glanced down at her younger self with distasteful glint in her eyes.

"Work faster. We have a deal that we need to carry through. If you can't provide me with what I need then I will give your experiments to Doyle. Are we clear?" Magdalene sneered as she knew that her words would make David extremely mad. She knew fully how much David hated Doyle for all that he had done to not only David himself but many others as well.

After all... It's hard to forgive the very person who killed your wife and children.

Magdalene knew all too well how David felt but she used this to her advantage, knowing he wouldn't want Doyle to take credit for work that he did.

"Yes, ma'am." Came David's gritted reply, his tone signaling what she already knew. She'd struck a nerve.

Good.

"It reeks of Axle in here." The older Magdalene sneered to her younger self who scoffed as she turned his darker green gaze to the older woman.

"You just missed him. Are you jealous? Would you like a turn?" The young Magdalene hardened her expression as she knew exactly what conversation her older self was about to start.

"I think you like that boy a little too much, Eve. Remember the plan. No distractions." Older Magdalene leaned closer to Eve who rolled her eyes, pointing her gaze instead on the computer screen as she instead focused on work rather than being scolded like a child.

"I am you, remember? Do you see yourself getting distracted by an attractive man? We've used our body for years to get what we want... What's wrong with having a little fun?" Eve's tone was passive as she clicked through her paperwork, not caring as Magdalene began to walk towards her.

Older Magdalene's eyes studied her younger self, her sight starting to fade a bit over the mere week that she had been here but she refused to acknowledge that she had to strain slightly to read over Eve's shoulder or that a very faint lighter shade had begun to form over her normally incredibly dark green eyes from the cataracts that were ever slowly beginning to form.

She placed a hand over Eve's shoulder, taking note of how the younger woman didn't even flinch as she leaned down close to her ear.

"That's exactly the thought process we had when we fooled ourselves into thinking we could make a life with Jonathan." Magdalene's words caused Eve to tense beneath her grip and Magdalene knew she had gotten the point across.

"I will not make that mistake again." Eve gritted out as she fought back tears, refusing to show weakness around the cunning older woman. She knew herself too well... She would feed on any weakness that she could.

"And need I remind you... It was a wolf that took away that dose of happiness as well." Magdalene continued which caused Eve to clench her fists as memories swirled through her mind of just why she had put herself through so much. It all came back to the same conclusion...

"And a wolf is what I'll kill to get my revenge. I assure you." Eve hissed out much to Magdalene's satisfaction, the woman lowering her hand from the shoulder of her younger self.

"Good. Now let's get back to work, shall we?" Eve gave no reply as Magdalene took a seat on the office chair beside her but she didn't spare her a glance as she instead flicked to the security cameras to take note of the events of her facility.