Trouble

[Christian Ward]

"I am bloody real, Dia-" She silenced him before he could finish. He couldn't let her kill him. Not only would it kill her, or so he still believed, but it would kill their unborn son as well. Alyx would be lost forever. One death would shatter their entire family. Christian pulled on the restraints, hoping that she was too weak from Silas' mind games to tight the bonds properly.

[Diana Ward]

She covered her ears and shook her head. She hovered between the two realities. On one side Christian was with her, encouraging her to be strong, that he was with her and she could do this.

On the other side she stared at an angry giant of a man who had desperation and murder in his eyes. She wasn't sure now that if she did release him that he wouldn't kill her just for spite. But even this spitting angry version of Christian she loved.

"It's not real..." she repeated over and over, holding on to herself.

[Christian Ward]

Christian couldn't remember ever wanting Derek Burke around more than at this very moment. Diana was about to commit suicide by homicide and she needed to be stopped. Christian pulled at the restraints with all his might. His arms felt as though they were on fire, his muscles strained under the force but suddenly Christian felt the tension in the ropes give. There was a long cracking sound as the wood post of the bed's headboard splintered and his right arm was freed. Quickly he slipped the restraints on his left wrist and jumped to his feet.

There was murder in his eye but not for Diana. Christian was going to make Silas pay dearly. He was going to rip the man apart with his bare hands, ensuring Silas was alive until the very end so that he could witness the painstaking effort Christian put forth in exacting vengeance for an attack on his family. Christian's eyes were black with hate but his arms were gentle as he reached Diana and pulled her into his body, locking her arms in place as she held herself in a sort of distraught confusion as he wrapped himself around her. 

[Diana Ward]

"I can't." she said shaking her head clearly distraught. Every second she had spent back with the 'real' Christian had shaken her doubt. While the kind, gentle, understanding Christian confronted her in her mind.

It was enough to distract her from Christian breaking free. She heard the snap and looked toward him startled. The hate in his eyes terrified her. She shook her head no, and screamed in fear when he pulled her into his arms.

She remained tense for a moment until she realized he wasn't going to hurt her, then she clung to him.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" she said gasping through the sobs and shaking of her body. She was weak with fear of what she had been motivated to do, that she could have killed him.

[Christian Ward]

It was better that he was unable to speak, as he had a tendency to yell at her when she so clearly needed to be comforted. It was that aspect of his character that she rejected in the real world, and the absence of it in his counterpart that she sought in her alternative reality. He might have yelled at her now, despite wanting nothing more than to ease her troubled mind. He didn't know how to do that with words.

The strap was still tight around his wrist and hung loosely toward the floor as he lifted her face up to meet his and brought their lips together. He had no words of comfort but if she needed something soft to make her want to stay in this reality he could give her the only thing he knew how.

[Diana Ward]

She didn't completely reject his yelling. They both yelled. It was in their nature to be passionate, if yesterday was any indication. Diana had been swept away by a softer man, one who told her with words how he felt about her, one who made things easier, who promised to take care of her. She didn't have those reassurances with this Christian, except in the way that he kissed her. She had come so close to losing him forever, at her own hand.

She took off his silencing curse, "Order me." she said quickly, "Order me never to hurt you again, please." she still doubted Silas' power over her.

[Christian Ward]

It had been a while since he used the power of compulsion to order her to do anything. When he first discovered it, he abused it. This version of him abused it, not the former Christian who had said the vows that bound them together - that version of himself had not purposefully used her forced obedience against her like this Christian had. But things were changing and he didn't feel justified in using their bond like that. There were still accidents, moments in anger where he demanded something and she was forced to comply. When he realized, he released her but too many times there was no apology.

Her brown eyes looked up at him and begged him to do something he was no longer comfortable with. He shook his head. "Diana..." He was faltering. His feelings for her were making him weak and unsure. Christian didn't like the feeling. 

[Diana Ward]

She only held him tighter, "I don't want to hurt you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry Christian." She didn't have the words to express how sorry she was. She was sorry for so much. For running away because things were hard. For taking his memories. For hurting him.

In the end she realized that she was needed in this reality. In the other reality Alex was safe, happy even with Christian looking over her, but in this reality Alex needed her. Liam needed her. She needed Christian, and Christian needed his children. She had jeopardized that.

[Christian Ward]

Christian didn't want to die. He was stubborn and planned to live forever, just as his mother claimed she would do. But he knew it was a possibility with his line of work. Between the "family business" and the hired assassin role he took on from time to time, not to mention working for Lord Voldemort, Christian's life expectancy was not very long. In fact, he was surprised he had made it this far, but the Wards were stubborn as hell.

More than not wanting to die, Christian didn't want Diana and Liam to die. Hearing Diana claim that she didn't want to hurt Christian, without any regard for what would happen to her own life or the life of their unborn son, made him just angry enough, and determined enough to grant her request. He looked at her and sternly told her, "you will never attempt to kill me ever again." She needed to be able to hurt him, because he knew how much he hurt her. It was only fair.

But what Christian didn't know was that he had not been given the whole truth. His life force was bound to Diana's, that much was true. But a loophole he had not been retold since having his memories wiped was that Diana could kill him and live to tell the tale. Accordingly, Christian could do the same and walk away clear of the burden of being bound to someone else. This would have been important for Christian to know now, as he has already compelled Diana in regards to killing him and his new compulsion now overrode the first one. Diana would have been forced, should the situation arise, to kill Christian and break the bond if it meant it would save her life. Now she would be unable to fulfill that duty and there was no telling what sort of outcome would result.

[Diana Ward]

She relaxed after the order and limply rested in his arms. She was letting go of another reality in which she could have been very happy, for one where every day was almost a chore. She did it for her children. She did it for him. And the choice had pained her.

"We have to stop him...he's still in here..."she said gesturing to her head, while the other Christian had found a place in her heart.

"We have to stop him."

[Christian Ward]

"We will," he assured her. Her body was almost limp against his and he held her for a while longer, hoping to give her some strength. He didn't feel as though he had much to give at the moment, but if Diana could be strong again then maybe Christian could be sure enough of himself once more to find a way to take the lead and make the important decisions that needed to be made.

[Diana Ward]

She could feel the other side pulling her back, but she fought it.

"Now." she said sitting up. "We have to stop him now."

She adopted the no nonsense warrior attitude that had saved her life countless times, and grew stiff in his arms.

[Christian Ward]

Christian felt the change in her posturing and he looked down at her again. She was the same woman as she had always been but he could see a small fire in her eyes. He wanted to fan the flame, something about it was so alluring to him. Hearing the passion in her words did something for him. He smirked at her. "Get your knives."

[Diana Ward]

Impulsively she leaned up and kissed him before sharing that smirk he gave her. This was one thing the other Christian and her didn't have, and it was something that she cherished. Diana wasn't a weak woman who needed someone to take care of her. While she may have yearned for the softness after such a long period of pain and anguish, she would have eventually tired of it. She had passion in her veins now. She had fire. She would never fully extinguish the flame that gave her such passion, even if it burned her from time to time.

Maybe some day they would get it right. They would have passion and fire, but not be consumed and burned. It was worth fighting for.

She did as he said and retrieved her weapons. She changed into something more suitable for 'hunting' and charmed her bump away.

[Christian Ward]

Christian sent an owl to Derek. He knew it hadn't been enough time for Derek to find Silas, they would have heard something from the man if that had been the case. But Christian was tired of feeling left behind and out of the loop. Diana seemed to be feeling better for the moment, so they would take advantage of the opportunity and do something a little more productive than shag all day.

While Christian waited for a response, he changed his clothes and had Diana inspect his head where she had knocked him out.

[Diana Ward]

Which she did dutifully, feeling more and more guilty for attacking him.

But she was grateful that she hadn't actually killed him with the blow. She applied a salve and gave him a potion to heal the crack in his skull.

There was still no word from Derek and Diana was frustrated. She had taken up Christian's pacing. She could still feel a pull from the other side and it was taking everything in her not to respond.

[Christian Ward]

Christian himself paced when he was too angry to stay still or when his impatience created the same urge to move as his rage did. But watching someone else do it was almost maddening. She needed to stay engaged with something, though. Needed was a strong word. She probably should have something to keep her engaged, perhaps it would keep her from becoming susceptible to Silas' episodes. 

Thinking back now, she had had one at breakfast when things were rather calm, and again after a series of exhausting acrobatic feats that left them naked and half asleep on the sofa. The worst was when she was sleeping through the night. Clearly Silas could reach her when she was awake, but maybe keeping her attention focused was the key. "Are you wearing any of that lingerie from the cargo ship underneath that outfit?"

[Diana Ward]

Diana stopped in her tracks and turned a sly expression his way, "You wish." she teased. Unconsciously her mind traveled back to the scene. Christian had been fairly impressed with her skills, and later had ordered a private demonstration in the same outfit. That had been a night to remember. She almost blushed, but she went white a second later.

"How do you know about that?" she asked startled.

[Christian Ward]

Derek had told him of the "cure" the Memory Charm before, and Silas had clearly triggered the recovery of some of his memories. He had been thinking about it more and more often lately, but Diana's recent admission about the alternate reality Christian had secured the decision in his mind. Diana was attracted to a sweet, gentle version of Christian one that wasn't actually him. If that was anything close to what Christian had been like with her over the summer, he didn't think he wanted the cure. That wasn't actually Christian and while he might have been an asshat, he liked himself as he was.

"What did you think Burke and I have been talking about all week?" She didn't need to know about the cure, she'd want him to do it and then he would have to break her heart all over again.

[Diana Ward]

Christian was still an asshat, he didn't have a lobotomy, but they had learned how to be soft with one another. Diana couldn't exactly recall the change, perhaps it was when she was sure he had died on the cruise ship. Maybe it was when she finally confessed that she loved him. Maybe it was when she couldn't kill him like she was supposed to. Christian wasn't wrong, they were softer in love, but Diana was soft for Christian regardless, he was her weak spot.

"Oh..." she gave a small smile, she kicked herself for thinking otherwise, but shook her head all the same, "What else have you and Derek been talking about Hmm?"