Sin Of The Heart: Chp1

Sin walked in, his clothes splattered with drying blood, looking bored and irritated. Without a moment's hesitation, he goes and sits on the sofa, propping his feet up on the table and snatching up the remote, flicking through the channels quickly.

Christine was busy in her kitchen, making a turkey sandwich. It would probably last her for the day. She sighed, closing the fridge door and grabbing her sandwich.

Sin's head snapped up, turning toward the kitchen. He muted the TV, listening carefully, trying to decide how to handle the inevitable situation. He could hide but not for long- he'd get bored. He could leave... but he was too lazy. He supposed he'd just have to stay and see what happened- and for the first time in quite a while, Sin found himself hoping he wouldn't have to kill whoever was unfortunate enough to be home right then.

Christine took a bite of her sandwich, chewing slowly, before turning and walking into the living room and towards her couch. She sat down and, after a few moments, froze. She blinked once, twice, then turned and looked at the odd guy sitting next to her. She swallowed her bite and, after licking her lips nervously, asked, "I'm either insane or... You're actually on my couch." Her blue-gray eyes looked at him, more curious than scared... At least for now.

Sin watched her, his eyes weary, his expression almost grim. "You aren't insane." His voice was low and smooth but also cold. "I suppose the proper thing to do would be to introduce myself.... but, as I'm sure you've guessed by now, I'm not very proper." As he speaks, the corners of his mouth turn up in a crooked grin. It almost makes it look friendly.

"Obviously." She replied dryly, unsure of what to make of him. Christine looked at the sandwich, then sighed. "Do you want a sandwich or something?" As long as he didn't cause her any problems... She really felt no need to freak out about him. Unless... You know, he tried to kill her.

Sin slowly shook his head. "Nah. I don't have much of an appetite right now." His smile faltered, his eyes gleaming with rage. A low growl left his lips as his mind drifted to the blonde bitch currently tied up in one of the room of an old, abandoned hospital. "Heh... You're actually quite pretty... It's a pity I have a blonde bitch to take care of. I'm sure you'd be much more fun to play with."

She shivered. "That's alright, I'm not usually one for... Uh, games." Christine shifted uncomfortably, her stomach weigh down oddly. Okay, this guy was really creepy. And how the hell he had black skin with red hair like that was beyond her. It didn't seem fake, which made it even stranger. "My name's Christine, by the by. What brings you to my couch?"

"The blonde bitch got loose and got a hold of a knife. I locked her in, so she's probably not going anywhere, but I've gotta wait her out somewhere she can't find me, just in case." Sin growled the words, looking a little ashamed of himself. "Christine's a pretty name. I suppose it's only fitting for such a pretty girl to have a pretty name. I'm Sin, by the way." With those words, he extended one hand toward her. He was testing her, trying to see if she would recognize his name. He wasn't well known- but enough cops were after him to have gotten the FBI involved. He supposed he was on the 'most wanted' list as well. They ought to have his name, if nothing else. If she screamed, he would probably have to gag her and restrain her- maybe kill her, if the neighbors heard.

Why would he need to hide from someone? Did he have some psychotic ex girlfriend or something? She couldn't help but blush when he called her pretty. She looked away nervously, unsure if he was picking on her or not. It had been a long, long time since she'd been called pretty... And even then, she hadn't ever believed it. But he couldn't possibly know that, could he? No, of course not. That was silly. She looked back and took a hold of it, shaking it gently. "Sin?" She tilted her head curiously, politely dropping his hand and placing hers onto her lap. "Well, that's an odd name. Any particular sin, or just the name Sin in general?"

He caught her blush and couldn't hold back his own grin. It only grew wider when she failed to recognize his name. Maybe he wouldn't have to kill her or even hurt her. Maybe he could just have a friendly conversation, for once... That thought floored him. His shock flickered in his eyes for a long moment before he shook his head quickly and tried to keep his mind off foreign concepts. "Just Sin in general. My Mistress wasn't very creative." The word, that title, slipped before he could stop it. Thoughts of Twilight's cruelty flashed through his mind and he couldn't keep himself from wincing and flexing his hand, remembering when she'd used a knife to dig each spike out, one by one. Damn, that woman was cruel.

"Mistress? You're into that kinda stuff, then?" She gazed him over, then spoke aloud. "Well, if you like things rough, that's your own thing. Just don't take it too far, some people die that way." She saw the thoughts flash behind his eyes, and she leaned forward a bit, her eyes darting to his hand as it flexed, and she could almost sense that he had stiffened up for some reason. T Hat was odd, what was he thinking about? She always had such a rabid curiosity... She'd joked before about how it'd be the death of her. "Are you alright?" She asked, looking up from his hand. This man was dangerous, that was obvious. And yet... The mystery surrounding him was so alluring, as was her inability to figure out his emotions by his composure. Why couldn't she read him like she could others? Human puzzles: She was addicted to them, addicted to finding them out and learning about them.

"Not really. I was more kind of.... born into it." His voice dipped lower, betraying a kind of grim determination. Something hinting to more of a survival than a life. "Rough is all I've known, really. So whether or not I like it that way is irrelevant. Now, as for 'taking it too far..." Sin trailed off, a deep throaty chuckle coming from him. "To my Mistress, there wasn't such a thing. I should know- she nearly killed me more than a few times." Sin grimaced again, not mentioning the countless number of people that Twilight had killed. He didn't dare mention how each time, he'd watched in wonder- able to think only 'I'm so glad that isn't me'. He didn't want to think about all the things he'd watched Twilight do. Just the barest touch of their fingers, prying at the back of his mind, was enough to made him wince and shudder. It was enough to set his teeth on edge. If he knew such a thing as religion, it would have been enough to make him pray.

"Well.... Fuck. She's one helluva nutcase." Christine said, blinking a few times and shaking her head. "Is she the one you're hiding from, or is it someone else?"

"You have no idea just how right you are." Sin offered her a small smile before grinning wide and trying very hard not to laugh. "Nah. I'm hiding from the woman who killed my Mistress. Annoying screaming blonde. I'd let her go... But my Mistress was really the only thing I have- and the blonde bitch killed her. I'm kind of obligated to exact revenge."

"Not really. If she killed your mistress, doesn't that mean she freed you to make something else of your life than what she did to you? With every death there's a new start. Of course... That is, unless you don't feel like changing, then I guess you could just continue on with killing this chick. But from the sounds of it, your mistress pretty much deserved getting killed." She shrugged, taking another bite of her sandwich.

Sin gawked at her, shock and surprise running rampant on his face for a long while before he managed to pull it back. "I... I never knew there was anything else. It's why I've never changed, I guess." His voice was low, almost hurt, and he shied away from Christine a little as if he was suddenly afraid he'd bite him. Honestly, the idea of change scared him. No matter what he changed to, it would be unfamiliar. He'd have to do it alone. As if that wasn't terrifying enough, he'd have to do it in secret- the police were still after his head, after all, and once Lily got out, they'd probably have his picture to go along with his name.

Christine looked down as surprise covered his face. She felt him move hid body away from her and began fingering with the fabric of her shirt. "Sorry if I said anything that hurt you. It's just... Well, I always defend people, regardless of who they are. Unless, you know, they're psychotic whore's that are trying to kill me, then I don't really give a shit what happens. I'm also too forgiving... And too helpful... And too trusting. I'm also protective of people I care about." She looked up at him and gave a small smile. "I also have a bad habit of keeping promises, no matter what the promise." She tucked her ash-blond hair behind and ear and cleared her throat uncomfortably. At least she knew the basics of how to get information. If you gave up information bout yourself, odds are the other person would give out information bout themselves. Why? She had no idea, but that's how it usually happened.

Sin grinned- a morbid, sardonic grin that had no real humor in it. "You didn't hurt me... You just.. frightened me a little. I've had a very sheltered.... life, I guess. The idea of change, of there being something besides this... this cruelty never occurred to me. I guess it's because murder and torture don't seem particularly cruel to me. Pain and fear are familiar company- I just always assumed it was the same for everyone else. That pain is what made you human. ...The funny thing about pain, miss Christine, is that even pain doesn't hurt if it's all you'd ever felt."

Christine blinked. Alright, so, there was more to his life than met the eye. That wasn't.... Odd? "Well, the thing about being human is the ability to feel more than a few emotions... Such as pain or fear or anger." She wanted to put her hand on his shoulder or his arm, but she was wary of him. Oh yeah, her adrenaline was definitely soaring through her veins in case he decided to hurt her. That's right, she had trust issues. Give a girl a break! I guess all I can say is if you ever felt like changing, I'd attempt to help you. I say attempt because I'm not sure what all I could do." She looked back to the television and began eating her sandwich.

Sin's eyes flicked back toward hers- and in that moment, he looked like a dog that had been kicked one too many times. He looked beaten and grim and more than a little defensive. In a moment, all that was gone- replaced with a facade of calm smugness* I suppose you're right, Doll... But change is a bit impossible for me right now. If I let the blonde bitch go, the least she'll do is castrate me. I suppose I'll either have to kill her or let her kill me. Same way it's always been, really." Slowly, Sin got to his feet. The moment he did, Christine saw what looked to be a deep cut on his lower back. The flesh didn't change color at all, the wound colored only very lightly around the edges with a thick red fluid that seems to have hardened into a crust. "Now, as for the help... I'm not sure what help you could offer. A place to stay? Possible... but it wouldn't take long for the police to come knocking, I'll bet."


She stared at the scar, her eyes wide and round. She gently raised her hand up and touched it, pursing her lips with annoyance. "The cops wont come here, they've never had any reason to. Besides, I'm a pretty non-descript person. People don't usually remember me, I'm easy to forget. Besides, I'm a pretty damn good liar. She stood and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the bathroom. "And you seriously need to think about other things, like your back. Least you can do is clean it, but no. Instead you're going into random peoples houses and having conversations with them." She set him down on the toilet and turned, going through her cabinet for something. "I mean, seriously? You may not be able to feel pain and all that good jazz, but I'm pretty sure you can still get infections and die."

"Oh, yeah. That. Lily gave it to me while chasing me with that damn knife. ...It's actually the main reason I came here." Sin grinned, looking sheepish. "I can die but I'm not sure about infections. I mean, I can drink a bottle of antifreeze and not be completely unhurt. Cyanide, arsenic, even drug overdoses don't do much than make me a little dizzy. I don't think an infection would do much, either." Regardless, Sin let her drag him to the bathroom. He was careful, though. He tilted his arm, making sure she wasn't scratched by his spikes. It was a small gesture but it was enough to show that he wasn't entirely heartless.

Christine rolled her eyes, pulling out a wash cloth, a large, brown bottle, and some cotton balls. "Sure sure. You know, just kill your immune system and destroy whatever is in you that keeps you from being poisoned by man-made chemicals. That's always the smart thing to do." She drawled sarcastically. She unscrewed the lid to the bottle and turned Sin slightly, bending him over and gently tugging up his shirt. She traced her hand lightly down it, then turned and grabbed the bottle and wash cloth. She poured some of the clear liquid onto the wash cloth and set the bottle down, looking back at him. "This is hydrogen peroxide. It might sting a bit, but I'm not sure. Usually it does, but you said you don't feel pain, so...." She gently scrubbed over the gash, grabbing the bottle every few moments to poor more on, cleaning away the dried up and crusted blood.

Sin took the pain easily, keeping his breathing even and his eyes shut. Of course, he knew it wouldn't take long for Christine to discover that the crust around the wound was too light in color to be blood. It almost looked like thick, red honey. It was actually some strange mix of blood and a thick, red poison. "I don't kill my immune system. I don't technically have an immune system. In case you havn't noticed, Doll, I may look a little like a human but that doesn't make me one. As far as anatomy goes, I suppose I take after a demon more than I do a human."

"Aight, first off: Don't call me Doll. It's annoying. I have a name, and I expect it to be used, alright?" She muttered, the strange ooze on his back not even acting like blood. What the hell was it? "Demon, eh? Does this mean you kidnap children from their beds at night and require maiden sacrifices in order to quench your need for blood?" She asked, almost in a playful way. She tossed the cloth in the sink and began dabbing at the inside of it with peroxide soaked cotton balls.

"No.. I pick out my own sacrifices and I havn't kidnapped a child since I tried to kidnap that little red-headed vampire girl. Didn't want well. She bit me." Sin's voice was a low whine, and it shot up from pain when Christine started dabbing inside the wound. "Sorry- I call people 'doll' out of habit. I don't mean any offense by it."

"It's just annoying. Enough of the assholes back from my childhood called girls 'Doll', and they always cheated on them or used them." She replied. She gently brushed the balls against his skin, tossing them into the sink when they were stained red. "So, what brought you to my house?"

"Your house is far enough away from Lily so she probably won't find me- and I needed somewhere to hide. Besides, from the outside, it looked like this house was empty. I was kind of avoiding people- or trying to." Sin spoke quickly and said more than he'd intended to. His fingers lightly rubbed against the spikes on his other hand, a nervous habit that quickly drew the poison out. It was thicker than what came from his wound and it was much lighter in color, barely tinted red. "Teenagers are stupid assholes- but at least the ones you speak of weren't completely insane. I have a mob of about five teenage lunatic trying to capture me and sacrifice me to their mock god."

"Uhuh..... Well, I doubt this Lily person will find you. Sorry my house isn't what you expected, but I don't entertain many guests, so I don't see the point of making my house look all big and bright. Kind of ruins the whole 'easy to forget' thing I have going on." Her eyes traveled to his hand, watching the spike and poison. What the hell was he? And.... If he hated people so much, why didn't he just kill her now? "Duh, why do you think I don't have many friends?" She laughed. "Obviously those people need to be in a psychiatric ward."

"They were in one. The entire place burned to the ground five minutes after they walked in the door. I timed it." Sin couldn't help growling the words, his voice a low whine of annoyance. "It's alright. Most things aren't quite what I expect them to be. It's a good thing, really." He glanced over his shoulder at her, following her gaze to his hand. He couldn't hold back his grin. "Given your expression, I'd say you're either wondering what I am or what the goo on my hand is." His eyes and tone were playful as he spoke. He was teasing her- or coming as close to teasing as he ever did, anyway.

"The thought might have crossed my mind for a moment or two." She admitted, shrugging and going back to work on his back.

"I'd tell you if I knew. I'm kind of clueless myself. I'm told I was once a whip, but how I got from inanimate object to sentient being is completely beyond me." He spoke slowly and carefully, shaking his head and heaving a sigh right after. "The most I know is that it had something to do with those teenage loons."

"Well, have you tried eating them? I hear cannibalism is the way to get rid of stalkers."

"It's a good method but impractical. Besides, I may employ a lot of methods but I don't actually eat people. It's disgusting."

"Hey. You don't see any cannibals being stalked, do you?" She asked, playfully flicking his ear and grinning.

"No- but you do see them followed by every news reporter on the face of this earth. Quite frankly, miss Christine, I don't need that kind of attention." Sin told her, purring softly. He winked at her over his shoulder, grinning wide.

She blushed, but tried to hide it with an exasperated eye roll. "Uhuh. I don't watch the news, so that doesn't really bother me." She gazed over the gash once more before turning and grabbing some gauze and medical tape from her cabinet, quickly bandaging it up and sticking it to his back. "If I need to know something important, one of my friends will tell me, or I'll find out accidentally. Otherwise, I don't bother with the news."

"So that explains why you didn't scream when you heard my name." Sin straightened up slowly, looking rather relieved. "It's nice to tell someone my name and not have them scream so loud people over in China can hear them."

"Well, I can scream if you want me to."

"Hell no!" Sin spun to face her quickly, looking weary and even a little afraid. "I don't wanna have to hurt you but I can't let the cops know where I am. They'll come with news reporters and then Lily will find out where I am. If she gets out of that building, I'm probably already screwed. If she gets out and finds where I am, one of us is gonna die- and as pissed as she is, I'm willing to bet it's not gonna be her."

She gazed up at him, giving a single moment to think about how unfair it was that everyone was taller than her, especially him, before smiling. "Well then, don't worry. I'm here, I wont let her get you." She took his hand and pulled him into the living room, passing the couch and letting go, her sandwich on the side table forgotten. "You sure you don't want anything? I have a bunch of snacks too." She headed for the kitchen. She had a sudden craving for cheese cake...

Sin followed her, one eyebrow raised. "Yeah... If I can't take her, I'm fairly certain you can't, either." Even as he spoke, he was rummaging in the cabinets, looking for something. He found it under the sink eventually- a small bottle of anti-freeze. Without a moment's hesitation, he unscrewed the cap and drank a mouthful.

"What are you....?"

"I told you I could drink this stuff. It's good. It tastes sweet with an almost metallic tang." Sin told her. He grinned wider and winked at her, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Well... Alright then. So I take it you don't want any cookies?"

"Nah. Sweets make me sick." He stuck his tongue out at her, making a face of mock disgust.

"Ah, then what am I? I assume since you aren't sick yet, I'm not sweet?" She stuck out her own tongue as well.

"Maybe... But, then again, I haven't exactly tried to eat you, now have I?"

"Now, that would be kinky." She laughed. "Alright. So, you're running from the cops and Lily, you aren't exactly human, your Mistress was a psychotic bitch that got what she deserved, some random teenagers are trying to sacrifice you to their God, and you have decided not to randomly kill me for some odd reason. Anything else you want to explain, or does that just about sum up everything?"

"Yeah- you forgot the reason I would have been killing you. I'm a wanted man. If you watched the news at all, you would know both cops and FBI are after me. Christine- I'm a murderer, kidnapper, thief, and occasional rapist. And I've decided not to kill you because I like you- and because you haven't called the cops on me yet." He spoke calmly, as if none of this was a big deal, but his eyes were weary again and he looked more than a little dangerous. He was expecting her to dart for the phone and was fully prepared to intercept her. He figured he could overpower her if he had to- he was bigger than her and fairly strong but he still found himself hoping it wouldn't come to that.

"Well now... If that isn't scary and probably life threatening, I don't know what is." She sank down to her kitchen chair, staring up at him. She slumped over, sighing and closing her eyes. "I don't really care who you are or what you've done. You haven't hurt me, or hurt any of my friends. Therefore, I see no reason to cause problems with you or turn you in, no matter what you're wanted for. of course, if you hurt me that'll have to change. But hey, we aren't all perfect. Just... Keep the murdering and raping and stealing to a minimum if you want to stay here."

"Don't worry too much. Lily's the only person I want dead right now. Who knows... Without my Mistress around, I might try that 'change' thing you were talking about earlier." Slowly, he went over to her, gently brushing his fingers against her cheek. He felt something strange. Though he had no name for it, what he felt was concern. It gnawed at him from the inside like a monster, demanding to me satiated. "I'm sorry. I regret coming here now. You are sweet and nice. You're the only person that's ever been nice to me, really..."

"Well, you can only change if that's what you truly want." She casually shrugged. She watched him a bit nervously as he walked over to her and pressed his fingers against her face. Her stomach fluttered, but whether it was from fear or excitement, she couldn't tell. "Don't be sorry. What's the worse that can happen? The cops find out and arrest me? Big whoop. With your fame, I doubt they'd believe someone would willingly help you. Lily comes by and kills me? Like I haven't almost lost my life before." She didn't like the look he was giving her, it was making her feel so oddly warm. She looked at her table, as if studying the items on it. "You weren't mean to me, so why should I be mean to you? I see no point in being a random jack ass."

"I wouldn't let her touch you." Sin's voice was an angry, possessive growl. It happened before he could stop it, before he could understand why he's said it- and that shock a moment later was evident on his face. "I... I just... I don't understand. My Mistress is one of the few people I've hung around long enough to get to know- and she was kind of.... warped." He winced at the word. It wasn't the one he wanted. He was looking for 'evil' but without a concept of 'good', evil simply didn't exist to him. "She was mean. I would say that it was how she showed affection, but that would be wrong. It was how she showed possession. I was never a person- I was an object. It's just kind of... strange for someone to be nice to me." Sin took several steps away from her, staring down at his feet. He blushed a faded red, looking both sheepish and embarrassed.

Her head snapped back up to him, confused. Why had he said that? And why had his voice seemed.... So incredibly sexy? "Well... Then it's a good thing I'm not her. And in a way, a good thing that she's dead. Otherwise you wouldn't be here and would probably never know what nice is." She smiled and artfully kept from commenting on his sudden retreat. He'd open up in his own time.

Sin just nodded, unable to think of anything to say. His head was spinning from confusion alone. Desperate to gather his thoughts, Sin retreated back to the counter and drank more of the anti-freeze, his eyes never once leaving Christine.

Christine watched him back away, her heart hammering in her ears. Why was he still looking at her? Why was there such an awkward silence between them, as if there was something unspoken that needed to be said. She quickly shook the thought away. It was just her getting used to having such a dangerous person in her house, that was all. "Am I going to have to go out and buy more of that?" She asked, eying the now almost empty jug.

Sin shook his head. "I'll go and get more eventually. Anti-freeze is never hard to find." He could feel the tension. It was thin and easily broken but still present- an awkward silence if ever there was one. It bred unease and distrust. It gave him reason after reason not to let this girl out of his sight- but there was something else, something stronger, that kept insisting that Sin could trust her. It was a thin, wavering cry that echoed through his being. It was on the words of that cry that Sin offered her a small smile, drained the jug, and disappeared into the living room.

As he exited the room, she took a breath of relief, feeling the strange currant in the room leave behind him. She stood up and walked over to the fridge, opening it and pulling out some apple juice, grabbing a cup and pouring it in. She put the jug back, picked up the glad, and took a greedy gulp. What. The. Hell. She rubbed her shoulder, rolling her next and sighing as it popped amazingly. God, she loved that after feeling... Suddenly, her eyes went wide and she bit her bottom lip. A single thought had crossed her mind. She had a large bed to sleep in, she was such a violent sleeper, and it was comfortable. Problem was... She didn't have any other beds. Where the hell would Sin sleep?

Sin sat on the sofa, his mind skittering a bit. Finally, thoughts of Lily put everything back in perspective. He couldn't let the blonde bitch catch him unaware- and that meant he'd have to stay up a couple of days. That would be fine- he could stand to lose a couple of nights of sleep. If he absolutely had to sleep, he'd sleep on the sofa. It was on the first floor and close enough to the door so that he'd hear if anyone came in. Plus, maybe if she found him so close to the door, she wouldn't go upstairs and find Christine... The thought brought a soft whine of confusion and misery to his lips. For the life of him, Sin couldn't understand why he cared so much about her. The thought of her hurt, scared, backed into a corner or even dead because of him... It made his hands shake with rage and guilt and a number of other emotions he couldn't name.

Christine finished off her juice before turning and heading to the living room, leaning against her door frame and look at him. Well, her curiosity kept pulling her to him, that was obvious. She refused to even think about anything else. He was one of those guys that would only be in her life for a few days then be on his merry little way, leaving her behind. Her heart stung. She was always left behind... "So, are you going to be staying here or what?"

Sin glanced over at her, his eyes meeting hers quickly. "I don't know. I suppose it depends on whether or not you mind me staying. That, and how long it takes Lily to figure out that the hinges are weak on those doors. I figure it'll take her another two hours to get out and then maybe a week to find me, if I'm lucky. After that... Who knows?"

"Well... You can stay here if you want. You want the couch or the bed?

"The couch- it's closer to the door." His answer was instant, his voice that low protective growl again.

Christine shivered. "Well... Alright. But something tells me I'm going to have to make a run to the store. I'll need to get you some pillows and blankets."

Sin slowly turned back to the TV, shrugging in complete indifference. "You can if you want, I guess." His words were nervous and unsure. In truth, he wasn't sure how to respond to even her civility. He kept expecting her to freak out and start screaming- he kept expecting Christine to react the same way Lily or Twilight would have reacted- by trying to brain him with a frying pan or something.

"Alright. Is there anything you want while I'm at the store? Like... A book or something?"

"No, thanks. I can entertain myself."

"Well... Alright." She sighed, walking over to the table and grabbing her red wallet. "I'll be back in a bit. Don't answer the door, keep the T.V. down, and for the sake of my sanity, don't go into my room." She smiled, gave a little two-finger salute, then walked out the door.

Sin gave a small nod, watching her leave. He had to admit, watching her walk away was pretty damn amazing. He would obey her rules, if only because that nagging, trembling little voice demanded it of him. If the little fucker wasn't so damn... pleasant it would be really annoying right about then.

Christine came back a half hour later, carrying a large bag several large bags of stuff. e She somehow managed to open the door, even with her full hands, and stumbled in. She slowly made her way forward, then used her foot to close the door. that being said, she managed to loose her balance. With a squeal she fell over backwards all her stuff falling on top of her, causing a large breath of air to exit her lungs. "Fuck." She gasped, breathless.

Sin got up and came over, quickly moving the bags off her, actually looked as concerned as he felt. "Are you alright?" Those words had never before left his mouth in such a sincere way, and they probably sounded as foreign as they felt. Still, the trembling voice was clawing at him with much more urgency, refusing to let him simply ignore it... or ignore her.

"Ya, I'm alright... Would you before me if I said it happened a lot?" She sat up, rubbing her head and wincing.

Sin grinned a little, offering her his hand so he could help her up. "Sure. I mean, I don't really have any reason not to believe you."

"That was hypothetical, you know." Christine replied, smiling and using his hand to pull herself up. "Alright, I got you some blankets and pillows. Also I eyed some clothes and hope they would be your size, you can't sleep in that for the entire time you're here. So..." She shrugged. "You can go through them and see if you like any of them."

Sin nodded, momentarily shocked to silence, before he finally did something even he didn't expect. He took Christine's hand, lightly kissing the back of it like a true old-fashioned gentleman, and offering her a wide, almost gentle smile. "Many thanks, miss Christine. You're very kind."

Christine stared at him, wide-eyed. "Um... N-N-No problem. It's not that big of a deal, I just figured you'd like more than one pair of clothing is all..." Her face began turning bright red.

Sin slowly let go of her hand, looking through the bags for the clothes. "You know... You're really cute when you blush like that." He couldn't help commenting on it. Her reaction was priceless and adorable, and it made that little trembling monster get just a little bigger.

Her mouth gaped open, before she gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. "I am not blushing!"

"Really? You could have fooled me- your face is bright red."

She turned angrily on her heels and headed to the kitchen, mumbling angrily under her breath.

Sin watched her go, quickly realizing he'd done or said something to piss her off. He sighed and shook his head, too proud to follow her and ask why she was to pissed. Instead, he busied himself with pulling the clothes out of the bag and checking the sizes,

She paced the kitchen angrily. She was so not blushing. She didn't blush. She kept her emotions in check and herself unreadable. She. Didn't. Blush. She took her shoes off absentmindedly and continued her pacing, looking at herself in the kitchen window's reflection. She wouldn't blush because of some random, new guy, right? Right. She wasn't one of those annoying girls you read about in books who flung themselves at the guy because they're 'in love' with them, or whatever the hell it is. She wasn't going to start acting like an idiot just because she felt something for him. She whirled and kicked a table leg, forgetting that she had taken off her shoes. Pain exploded up her leg. "God damn it!" She yelled, lifting her foot up and hopping around on one leg, holding the injured toe in her hand. "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Fucking. Hell. Ow."

It was the cussing that got his attention. Sin cautiously ventured into the kitchen, watching Christine and slowly raising an eyebrow. "Wow... I really managed to piss you off, didn't I?" Even as he said it, he braced himself to at least get yelled at... and probably hit.

"I stubbed my toe on the damn table." She lied. She wasn't going to admit that she had kicked it on purpose.

Sin was about to say something else when a familiar sound caught his attention. He turned and darted to the living room window, starting out it and catching sight of a bright red Harley Davidson motorcycle. His heart thudded in his throat. How the fuck could the woman have gotten out so quickly?! She had to have broken the door down as soon as his back was turned. Sin's hands started shaking. His only comfort was that the angry blonde probably had no idea he was there. Hopefully, he hadn't left any kind of evidence in the yard. Hopefully, she was still clueless. But how long before she started knocking on doors? How long before Sin's luck ran out? "Fucking shit, how the hell did she get out of there so fast?"

"Is something wrong?" Christine followed him to the window and peeked out, giving outa low whistle. "I love me a bike." She muttered.

"That's Lily's bike. I'd know it anywhere. I don't think she knows I'm here but it won't take her long to narrow it down to this neighborhood. She has friends, people that would help her look. It's only a matter of time before she comes here." Sin cusses vividly, stepping away from the window quickly.

"She's got one helluva ride...." Christine leaned back and eyed him. "Well... I do have a basement if you wanna chill out there while she's here. I'm known for being really closed off so me turning away people from my house is pretty normal."

"If she stops here, I may have to take you up on that offer. I should warn you, though... Lily isn't one to be turned away. She'd pretty loud and she can get-" He stopped the same moment the bike's engine cut off. A moment later, a neighbor could be heard yelling for someone to 'either leave or shut that damn engine off'. Sin sighed and shook his head. "-violent." He finished the sentence a second later, when the neighbor got too close to the young woman straddling the bike and reeled backwards. The poor man was now nursing a bloody nose, gawking at the women in shock and disbelief. A moment later, the woman's deep, sharp voice cut through the silence, clearly audible even to Christine and Sin. "You seen a young man with charcoal-black skin around here? Real weird- real hard to miss. I've got a bone to pick with him and I ain't about to let him skip town just yet- and the bastards running, so you'd better talk pretty damn fast."

Christine stared in shock. "Well, her mother never taught her any manners!" She quickly pulled the blinds down and started moving her recliner. As she moved it, the edges of a trap door became visible, and she quickly pulled it up. "Hiding it under the rug is so cliche." Was her only comment. She grabbed the bags of blankets, pillows, and clothes, and hurried down the ladder with them. After a few moments she came back up, brushing her hair behind her ears and looking at him. "There's a bit of a walk to get to the room itself, it winds in on itself and makes one feel like they're going deeper and deeper underground. But in reality, you'll be under my bedroom, it just twists and turns under the entire block before you get there. I have this thing about hiding..." She shook her head, heading to the kitchen and grabbing the last of the anti-freeze, dropping it in. "Alright, go on in. I'll close the door when you get to the bottom, so it'll be dark. If you don't like that, run your hand over the wall on your right, you should find a flash light." She turned, heading for the bathroom. "I need to clean up and hide the stuff I used to clean your back. Call me when you're down there." She entered the bathroom.

Outside, Lily was glaring daggers at the neighbor. She pulled her helmet off and got off her bike, glancing up and down the street. The poor man wasn't saying a damn thing and it was starting to piss Lily off. Without the helmet, her long, straight blonde hair caught the sunlight and looked almost golden. Her dark blue eyes darted everywhere, glancing in every window. Not a single house looked even remotely suspicious... but she had her sourced- and they all said quite plainly that Sin hadn't been spotted anywhere near them. That meant he had to be here, particularly since he wouldn't have fled too far. "Damn it! Why the hell aren't you answering me?! One word! That's all you have to say! Fucking- LOOK THAT THE BASTARD DID TO ME!" She shrieked at the man, losing her temper at last and pulling off her leather jacket to reveal the cuts and bruises on her arms and collarbone. Finally, the man responded. He shook his head, hesitantly. Lily shrieked with rage and started pacing, unsure of what to do now.
Meanwhile, down in the basement, Sin was quickly making his was down the passage. He hadn't said goodbye and he didn't intend to. He wasn't leaving just yet. That monster wouldn't let him leave. He sure as hell wasn't going anywhere until Lily was either dead or far enough away to not pose a threat.

Christine took a deep breath, hearing the woman screaming outside. She grabbed a hair tie and stood up, putting her long hair into a high ponytail and walking to the door, opening it and walking onto her front porch. "Hey, Miss, do you need something? I hate to be a bother, but there are kids on this street and they don't need to hear that kind of language. Maybe you can come inside and talk if you need any help." She smiled warmly, waving the violent woman to her house.

Lily quickly glanced over at Christine. After a moment, she went up to her. Lily was tall with a nearly flat chest but wide hips. "Look, you can't help me unless you know where I can find a black-skinned bastard called Sin. He killed my boyfriend and he tried to kill me- not to mention the two-hundred or so people his little pets killed when he unleashed them in the airport a couple of days ago. Now, I don't know where he's hiding but it's somewhere in this neighborhood and I want him dead- so if you have him hiding in there, you ought to turn him out now. It'll be a hell of a lot easier that way."

Christine went wide-eyed and took a step back, shaking. "He... He did all that?" She gulped. "I saw him earlier and he looked hurt.... So I brought him inside and cleaned up his back for him. Next thing I know he locked me in my room and left. Odd thing was the only thing he stole was my anti-freeze..." Christine shook her head. "If he was running, odds are he'd go that way." She pointed in the direction the bike was already facing. "He came from the other direction, so I doubt he'd head back that way."

Lily stares at Christine suspiciously for a long minute before slowly nodding. "Thanks. If I don't find the bastard by midnight, I probably won't ever find him." Lily's rage wavered, revealing a deep grief that nearly made her start shaking. "Listen, if he sees me he might double back here. If you see him... don't call the cops- he'll just kill you and run. Just kill him yourself. He has such a huge death toll, the police are more likely to give you a medal than haul you to jail." Lily shook her head and went back to her bike, pulling on the jacket, still keeping an eye on the windows just in case. Honestly, the idea that Christine was lying never even occurred to Lily. After all, why would anyone lie to save Sin?

Christine watched the girl go to her bike and slowly drive off, her heart hammering in her ears. She waved after her calling, "I hope you get that bastard!" She turned and walked calmly into her house, locking the door behind her and sliding against it to the ground, knees weak with relief. Lily had believed her. She'd actually believed her.... She held her face in her hands. If Lily ever found out she had lied, she'd probably kill her. But... Sin was safe. That was what mattered, right?

Sin heard the bike drive off. He counted to 60 very slowly before running back to the trap door. He had to see if Christine was okay. If she wasn't, he would spend the rest of his life kicking himself. Finding the ladder intact was a relief, he scrambled up it and shoved at it, not quite able to get it up high enough to scramble out. "Christine? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." She croaked, shaking her head and getting up, walking over and moving the chair off the top. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He scrambled out quickly and hugged her, an act that was so rare it was nearly unheard-of. "I'm glad you're okay."

"You're.... Hugging... Me.... Why?" Her face turned really red this time, climbing all the way to her scalp. She blinked and looked up at him, trying to ignore how close they were and how cute he was, but failing miserably.

Sin blushed almost as brightly as she did, letting her go with a slightly apologetic whine. "I don't really know. Relief, maybe? I didn't think she'd leave so peacefully. I mean, nothing's broken and you're not bleeding..."

"She believed me... By the way, you locked me in my bedroom and ran off with my anti-freeze. Just saying." She took a step back and smiled up at him, beaming happily.

"Wow. You really are a good liar." Sin purred, one corner of his mouth hitched up into a crooked grin. "Not too far of a stretch considering that I've actually done that before."

"Well, I had to say something that she would believe. And considering you drink anti-freeze like it's water, and you're known as a thief, then odds are that would happen since I hadn't called the cops." She shrugged, feeling her heart swell as he complimented her.

"I just have one question. Why? Why did you lie to her? You saw how violent she is. Why would you lie to someone like that, someone who's clearly dangerous, for a guy you just met- a monster, no less?" Sin's tone was both cautious and curious. He wanted to touch her again but fear held him back. That annoying, trembling thing in his chest was much bigger now. It made him jittery with nerves and long for answers to questions he wasn't sure he wanted the answers to.

"Because I care about you, duh. You're my friend, and I protect my friends, remember?" She smiled and walked to the hole, bringing her hand up slightly to brush against his as she passed him. "Come on."S he said, climbing down the ladder. "We gotta get your stuff outa there. Unless you think it's safer to stay down there in case she comes back." She dropped the last few feet tot he bottom of the hole.

Sin followed her quickly, smiling wide. "You consider me a friend?" The idea of actually having a friend shocked him a little, though he found the idea almost.. comforting. "Actually, I'd like to stay by the door. If she comes back, she's gonna be pissed. If I'm close to the door, I'll at least be able to keep her away from you." The words slipped out again. He was doing that more and more around her. Sin wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing just yet.

"Oh please, I'm a big girl now. I think I can handle a little psychotic blond." Christine said, picking up one of the bags.

"Yeah- but Lily can be a bitch... and I'm just... a bit of a protective jackass." Sin grabbed the other bags, blushing a little and looking almost sheepish.

"You're protective?" She asked, looking up at him curiously before putting the bags' handles in her mouth and, holding it with her teeth, quickly scaling up the ladder.

Sin gawked at her, his eyes wide. It wasn't exactly the response he'd been expecting but the mental image was somehow.... intoxicating. "Would you be willing?" Sin's voice was a seductive purr. He couldn't keep from teasing her a little or from grinning a rather perverted grin.

"I..... Uh.... It really all just depends." She stuttered, blushing and leaning against the door.

"Like... a ring on your finger? A certain quality in the man?" Sin's eyebrow rose, his grin spread. Watching her squirm like that was entertaining. He found himself hoping he could make her blush. She really was cute when she blushed.

"Perhaps knowing them longer than twenty-four hours. That would be a good start." She breathed, feeling her face flush.

"I'm just teasing you a little. I respect you too much to try anything this soon." Sin chuckled a little, offering her a playful wink. "Really, I just wanted to see if I could get you to blush again."

"I don't blush!" She replied, crossing her arms and glaring up at him angrily.

"Awww... But you're so cute when you blush." Sin couldn't help but whine a little and grin wider. She was cute when she was angry, too.

"I. Don't. Blush." She replied, edging herself away and making her way back towards the trap door.

Sin sighed, turning slightly to watch her go. He tried to hold his tongue but... it slipped. "Well, if you say so, I guess it has to be true." His wide grin and playful tone took the bite out of his words, making them seem more lighthearted than insulting.

"Of course it's true. I'm a woman. I'm always right. And even when I'm wrong, I'm right." She commented, grabbing the chair and pulling it back over the door.

Sin just shook his head, finally running out of witty comebacks, going over and sitting on the sofa.

"See? Got you trained already." She teased, sitting down beside him.

"So I'm told. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. But they aren't particularly difficult things to do so..." Sin trailed off into a shrug, putting his feet up and leaning back again.

"I clean this place, alright? I also use that bathroom. I don't want to have to clean anti-freeze from the carpet, considering it would stain, and I don't wanna fall into the toilet every time I go to use it."

"Alright, point taken." Sin glanced over at her, watching her for a minute. "I can help clean up while I'm staying here, if you want."

"That purely depends on if you feel like it. I only ask that you clean up any mess you make is all." She smiled.

"Fair enough, particularly considering that I don't make many messes anyway. Well... Not unless there's blood involved." He trailed off a little, looking a little nervous, his fingers playing with one of his spikes again.

"Blood?"

"I'll keep that sort of thing out of your house. If my reasoning's right, there should only ever me two reasons there would be blood in your house. The first, is that Lily got in. The second, if is I track it in or something. Skitz is rather fond of blood and he can get a little rough sometimes. The other day he ripped one of my spikes off."

"Well... I prefer the latter to the former." She yawns, slouching into the couch. She was getting kinda tired....

"I do, too. Less painful- plus the mess would be smaller and nothing would get broken." Sin wanted to put an arm around her shoulders, to hold her, when she yawned but he was too nervous to make such a move towards her just yet.

She yawned again and closed her eyes, resting her neck on the back of the sofa, her head tilted to him. "Mhm... It's hate to replace the T.V.... It's worth a lot." She mumbled.

"I could replace it, if it came down to it." Sin assured her quickly. "Christina, you look tired. You should go to bed, alright?"

"But I don't wanna." She grumbled. "And I'm Christine, not Christina."

Sin blushed bright, shaking his head quickly. "Yeah... Sorry. I guess I'm a little tired, too."

"Mhm... Tired... You had a rough-" She yawned, "Day." Her body leaned towards him as she began drowsing.

Sin slowly reached over, very gently pulling her so she was leaning against him. "Yeah, I guess."

"You're warm." She murmured, cuddling into him and sighing happily. He smelled nice... And he wasn't too bad looking. On the bright side, his lap was comfy!

Sin blushed a little, smiling gently. He couldn't think of anything to say so he just sat back a little and let her cuddle to him. It was nice, this feeling of warmth. Comfort. Of being wanted. It made him feel safe for the first time in his memory.

She slitted her eye open gently, gazing up at him from her peripheral and between her lashes. It was hard to think of him as a mass murderer, rapist, thief person who was nothing but evil. The way Lily had acted, he was the spawn of Satan. And... Well, so what if he was? he obviously wasn't all evil. Just... naive in his own was. She smiled at the thought of him being naive, bringing her hands up and placing one between her head and his lap, the other resting gently on his knee. "I hope you can stay for a while." She said quietly.

Sin smiled a little wider, one of his hands lightly resting on her side. "I don't see why I can't stay for a while." It was true enough. Lily probably wouldn't be back for a few days and by then he'd be familiar enough with the house to make a decent defense. It would be possibly to stay here for a while... Or, at least, to stay for as long as he was welcome.

"Awesome." She said, yawning and grinning. "Are you going to sleep too?"

Sin stifled his own yawn, trying hard not to show just how tired he really was. "Probably, even though I don't really want to."

"Well.... The couch is uncomfortable... And... you're very comfy and warm. I get cold easily.... But my bed is really big... So..." Was she seriously going to ask him to share her bed? Her face flushed gently as she thought it over. Clothes. Clothes would definitely need to be involved.

Sin's eyebrows rose quickly. "Are you asking me to sleep with you tonight? ...And I mean that in the most literal sense of the phrase possible."

"I... Guess."

"Sure." Sin's surprise was evident on his face, but it was a pleasant surprise. "I'd love to."

"I'm also lazy." She said, turning onto her back and looking up at him, smiling.

Sin grinned wide. "Want me to carry you?"

"If you want to." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on. If I try to stay up much longer, I'll probably end up falling asleep halfway to the bed." Sin groaned a little at the admission, his pride making him whine a little.

"Big baby." She said, grinning and sitting up.

"You aren't the one that ran twelve miles this morning trying to get away from a blonde knife-wielding psycho. I need sleeeep.... even if it is evil and will probably get me killed someday." Sin slowly stood up, offering Christine a hand.

She stood up with him. "Fine fine. You whine a lot." She teased, bumping her hip against his playfully and knocking him slightly to the side.

"I do not!" Sin protested quickly, whining again but not catching it. He didn't mean to whine- he just couldn't help it. He stumbled a little when she bumped up against him, giving her a playful shove in retaliation.

"Meep!" She stumbled forward, laughing. "Can't catch me!" She sang, racing towards her bedroom.

Sin raced after her, too tired to run all-out. "We'll see about that! I bet I could catch you, if I wanted to!" He called after her. trying to ignore the fact that she had a good lead on him.

"That's what you think!" She called back, dashing around the corner and pressing herself against it, waiting for him to come. She'd already planned on grabbing him and tackling him as he passed.

Sin rounded the corner quickly, pausing a moment when he didn't immediately see her. "Damn, she is fast."

Christine lunged forward, grabbing Sin by the waist and tackling him to the ground, sitting on his chest with her knees pinning his arms to the groun, grinning playfully. "Gotcha!"

Sin grinned and shook his head. "Damn it! You hid!" His voice was a sharp whine bordered a laugh. He tried to buck her off but was simply too tired- so he stayed there and faked a pout.

"Yup yup, I hid. And you didn't know it." She yawned. "See? I told you I'm a big girl."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I believed you the first time- you didn't have to pin me."

"Maybe I just felt like it."

"I'm starting to wonder if all women are nuts or if I just attract all the crazy ones." He grinned as he said it, clearly joking with her.

"Maybe your amazingly good looks make them go crazy." She scoffed.

"Maybe.... But it's more likely that my looks make all the sane ones run away screaming."

"I thought it was the cops chasing you?"

"...Maybe it's both."

"Or... Maybe it's something else."

"Yeah... Now let me up before you get scratched or something."

"What's the problem with getting scratched?"

"I really an a venomous bastard. I don't think a scratch would kill you but it would probably make you really sick."

"So? Being sick doesn't bother me."

"It would bother me." Sin whined again, blushing just a little.

"How come?"

"I don't know... It just would."

She smiled and got off him. "Well, you still can't get me." She opened a door and raced inside, slamming it closed behind her and rushing to hr bed, leaping onto it and hiding under the covers.

Sin got up and raced after her, shutting the door back behind him before going and laying down on the bed. After a moment, he poked the big lump that was under the covers. "Christine... I know that's you. Are you hiding from me?"

"I'm not Christine, I'm Garflox, ruler of the dust bunnies." She replied in a low voice, chuckling.

"Noooo! What have you done with Christine?!" Sin grinned wide, trying very hard not to laugh as he played along.

"I ate her."

"You monster! How could you?!"

"Easy! I started at the toes first and worked my way up"

"Then I'll eat you!" Sin tackled the lump, biting the covers gently, being careful not to damaged them- or Christine.

"Hey hey hey! No eating me!" She squealed.

"Awww, but you taste so sweet..."

"I do not>"

"Oh, fine." Sin let go of her and rolled onto his back, snickering a little. "You win. I won't eat you, no matter how sweet you are."

She poked her head out, her hair ruffled even though it was in a ponytail. She stuck her tongue out at him and lay down, snuggled under her blanket, and pressed her back against his side. "I win."

Sin chuckled. "Yeah, you win a lot, don't you?" He purred softly, turning his head to the side to watch her, grinning wide.

"Yup, I'm just good like that."

Sin yawned, relaxing a little and nearly falling asleep. "Mmmhmm..." His grunt turned into a soft, unintelligible mumbling that sounded suspiciously like Latin.

"You say something? She snuggled closer to him, breathing in his scent.

"Angelus quisnam redomo everto." Sin spoke softly, purring the words, her scent intoxicating him.

"What's that about angels?"

"It means 'The angel who tamed the demon'."

"I ain't no angel. I'm just good at keeping secrets, that's all."

"You're an angel to me."

"If you say so." She yawned.

Sin nodded, rolling onto his side and putting an arm loosely around Christine's waist, falling asleep a few moments later.

She smiled, turning her head and looking at his sleeping face for several long moments before going to sleep as well.