Death dismissed Jerry with a small movement of his hand and grabbed my bicep. "Inhale."

I did and my equilibrium went bye-bye. We dematerialized in a heartbeat and when my feet were grounded, my reality snapped back into place. I sucked in large gulps of much needed oxygen as the room came into focus.

Floor to ceiling tinted windows, thick grey carpeting, black leather furniture, a huge flat screen television, and a desk the size of my bedroom at home, with lush green plants around it (which didn't make much sense because the room barely had any light to let said plants survive). And then there was the clutter amongst all of it. Fast food and candy wrappers were all over his desk and scattered around the room were piles of colorful files that couldn't fit any of the already overflowing filing cabinets.

This was David Star's office. Death's office, I mean. It felt weird that the man with the brown and blonde hair was not here with me.

My gaze hitched to the corner of the office, where Death had pressed a button on the wall. The wall pulled back, revealing a massive closet. He stepped inside and came out with a Chicago Bears jersey and sweatpants clutched in his gloved hand.

"What did you do to me?" I demanded, still able to taste the awful remains of copper in my mouth. My whole body felt charged, almost as strongly as that time Death had given me his blood to heal from Malphas' claw marks. "I feel... different. Stronger. Like that time you gave me your blood to heal Malphas' claw marks, but.... still different."

The towering beast loomed over me. His closeness and devilish smirk chilled me to the bone. "Just a little blood exchange so I can track you down easier. Or something." Before I could reply, he dismissively handed me the jersey and sweatpants. "Put these clothes on, there's blood on you, and I don't want you to get any of it on my precious furniture. You will stay here while I go visit Ace."

"What? Jerry said that Ace requested us, didn't he?"

"Yes, except that us, isn't in control of our abilities, lamp girl. I am."

"Yeah okay," I said sarcastically. "You are not in control of yourself. Especially your fat ego. I'm a part of this now. I want to come with you. You're not going to leave me in this bombsite of an office."

"First of all, there is not one ounce of fat on this luscious bod." He moved even closer to me so that his muscular chest was invading my vision. "Second, Ace is located at club that he owns where there are demons and vampires and creatures that I don't trust you around. Tres, I am leaving you in this bombsite of an office, and you're going to clean said bombsite. The end."

"What happens if you run into Ahrimad?"

"Doubtful. Don't you watch television? He's likely establishing an evil plan in another realm," he answered nonchalantly. "Bye. Don't do anything Faith while I'm gone."

As I fumed with rage, he started to disappear in that famous black mist. I found myself reaching out and grabbing his hand. "Wait!" The mist absorbed back into him and he became fully solid. My breath caught in my throat a moment. "If you're so in control, then you should have no problem giving me a quick test. A chance for me to prove to you that I can defend myself."

Death's hooded head tilted down at our linked hands and a chill slid up my spine. His fingers flexed away from mine and he sharply pulled from my grasp. His voice was dangerously flat and his shoulders tensed, like a viper about to strike. "I'm going to pretend you weren't just holding my god damn hand, baby girl."

"Just take me with you, I can defend myself." Desperately, I added, "I need to get out of this place. You owe me one."

"I owe you nothing, you quibbling little woman," he purred down at me. "You've already proven to me that you can defend yourself. Believe me, I still feel the repercussions from your last defensive presentation..." I puckered my lip out and he lost his train of thought for a fraction of a second. "You try having a decent meal or taking a relaxing piss, after an eighteen year-old brat and her mystical white lantern hands you your balls on a Catholic platter–what are you doing with your lip? What is that? Stop it."

I kept my lip puckered, silent.

Death tiled his head to the side and leaned back a little, as if contemplating whether to stalk away, throw up, or shred me on a cheese grater. "Anyway...I'm more concerned about any slip-ups you could make that–whoops–accidently flash my dick off, or any slip-ups that interrupts the atmosphere at Ace's club. I'm already in enough shit with Mr. Rainbow Hair for taking over his body. I don't need you zapping his club to ashes. On a scale of one to ten, you have negative five control over your ability. What you had the other day was luck. You'd need more than just a test; you'd need a lesson. And I don't..."

"Pwease." I puckered my lip back out again.

"Pwease?" He grimaced. "I don't think it's a very good idea to taunt the monster who would take great pleasure in draining the life out of those big blue eyes."

I pointed at him. "But since when has a bad idea stopped me from doing stupid things?"

He was silent for a moment, starling at me from beneath the safety of the veil I wanted so badly to tear away. "You have a point," he eventually said. "I mean you are the dumbest individual I know."

"Strike a deal with me," I blurted, unable to stop myself. Death and I stared at each other for a painful amount of time, both of us trying to grasp what I'd just said.

Death threw his head back and started laughing. It was so loud and thunderous that it startled me. He held up a finger to me and then bent over; laughing so hard he started to cough. Once the laughter was gone, he stood up straight and became motionless. Perhaps he was actually contemplating what I'd said. "Wait, you're not serious...?"

"I'm serious," I said softly, embarrassed by the vulnerability in my voice.

"Pooh-bear, you are aware that you signed your soul and everything that you are, to me, correct? I already own all of you." He flashed me his fangs, drawing my attention to the silver loops pierced through his full lips. "You're basically a hamster in a ball and I get to paw at you whenever I please."

"Not much has really changed then, has it?" I crossed my arms over my chest. I would pull the rest of my argument right out of my ass. "The thing is, I know that as evil as you are, you set boundaries for yourself. There are things that you wouldn't take from me unless I agreed to it. If you start teaching me how to control my powers and take me with you today when you visit Ace, then I will give you something in return."

Death opened his mouth, and I prepared for him to say something snarky, but then his mouth shut, and he crossed his arms over his chest. The fabric of leather jacket stretched tightly over his muscles.

"Because you're right," I continued, when he didn't say anything, "I can't control whatever ability I have. What happened a few days ago was just luck. I had a hunch that told me what I needed to do to channel that light, so I did it. I doubt I'll be able to do it again on command. This ability... is just one of many things that is out of my control. I just need to have power over this one thing, Death. That's all I ask. What do you say?"

Death took his sweet time deciding and walked three slow circles around me, his mouth close to my wild pulse whenever he had access to the hallow of me neck. He stopped in front of me and dug into a thin pocket of his leather pants. He unwrapped a chubby piece of gum and popped it into his mouth. Then he rolled his neck and my eyes drew to the muscles and the inky designs peaking out from under his sweatshirt. He cracked his head to the side, a sharp, alarming noise, and grinned down at me like a piranha.

"I'd say you've intrigued me, cupcake."

* * *

"Hm." Death walked to the miniature hole I'd created in the wall, clasped his gloved hands behind his back, and leaned as close as possible to it, as if it were microscopic or he were analyzing a painting at a museum. "Well..." He straightened and turned his hooded head towards me. "If someone were to guess, they'd probably say a kitten jumped up in the air and one of its claws accidently brushed this wall."

At this point of the exercise, I wanted to put a pillow to his mouth and smother that deep sarcastic voice. Once again, I decided to keep my nastiest and dirtiest comments to myself. "Thanks, Death. I feel so much more motivated to do well."

"You're welcome," he said.

I gifted him with the most sarcastic, phoniest smile the world had ever seen, as well as a middle finger.

Death went back to his spot, a few feet to my side to have a good view of the vase on top of his coffee table. My back was to the windows and he's pushed the furniture out of the way. "Try again," he said and moved to stand behind me. "This time, try focusing on the vase as I instructed. And remember, you're commanding the energy to break the vase. Break."

I wiped at the thin layer of sweat on my forehead put my hands in front of myself, concentrating on the power inside of me. I had tried and succeeded in creating a small orb of white light in my hands many times, but I had yet to learn how to control it once I let it go.

"Come on," Death provoked me from behind. "WTTM."

"What does that even mean?" I hissed out.

"Without thinking too much," Death said in an obvious tone.

I wanted to smack his face back and forth with one of those colorful plastic hand clappers, but instead, I focused on the white sparks that were coming out of the fingertips of my hands. The light began to grow, until I heard Death begin to pace behind me. It became even more difficult to keep my eye on the prize as his steps stalked behind me, tauntingly humming things under his breath.

The round shape of light I was creating began to flicker. I tried to put more force into it, sweat dripping down my spine and my teeth clenching.

Death stopped right next to me, leaned in, and hovered his head over my shoulder. His breath was hot on my neck. "Remember, WTTM." Then blew a bubble and popped it right at my ear. The light from my fingers burned out. I ground my teeth.

"Cupcake," Death began in a tone, as if he wasn't the cause of my burn out. "I'm going to be old and grey with a man-diaper under my leather pants, before you can get that damn vase to do something interesting." He burst another bubble and then cracked it with his fangs. I flinched with every pop. "And I don't even age."

I couldn't take the popping anymore. "If it's so easy, why don't you do it?" I exploded and turned to slap his chest for emphasis. It felt like I'd hit steel and I shook my hand out. "Wow, that's a lot of... muscle."

Death looked down to where I had hit him and then raised his head at me. He stayed dreadfully quiet. For a second, I thought he would reach for my neck and wring it out like a towel. Instead, he raised his hand and made a small motion with his gloved fingers. The vase cracked. When I turned to look at Death, I realized his hooded gaze had been trained on me the entire time.

"Whoopdy-doo, you can crack a vase. Can do you do card tricks, too?"

His smile was vicious. "I can make your panties disappear."

Simultaneously, the vase exploded into a million pieces and the coffee table splintered in half and burst into raging flames. I let out a shriek and jumped back. As if the room rewound, the vase came back together, the fire went out, and the coffee table lifted back into it's normal position, seamless, and if I didn't know any better, freshly polished.

"Impressed yet?" Death asked smugly. "If not, look down at yourself."

My head tilted down. I was now wearing his Chicago Bears jersey and the sweatpants he'd given me.

"Feeling a little breeze by your little cha cha, cupcake?" My gaze shifted upwards to find Death dangling the underwear I'd been wearing by one gloved finger. Of course, the only pair I'd had available in my temporary was borderline granny panties. I let out an inhuman noise and went to snatch them but he extended his arm, dangling them over my head. He teased me a few times before tossing them in the air, where they vanished in a puff of smoke. "Oh, darn. Where did they go?"

"Oh, you son of a..." I balled my fist up and held it in front of my face. "I wish I could fry your stupid hooded face off with my–my–!"

"Aw, how adorable. She doesn't have a name for it." He snickered. "Those are some real fighting words from a virginal lantern. Now about get you're sparky-sparky on and make something happen. Because right now, you are in no shape for me to take to Ace's club, and I am B-O-R-E-D."

This time, I lifted my hands towards the restored vase on the coffee table.

But once again, my focus was interrupted by Death's voice. "WTTM," he rasped at my ear.

"I'm going to strangle you!" I shot Death a harsh glare and it was then I felt something electric begin to build within me, coursing through my veins with small vibrations. The hair rose on my arms as spurs of warm energy pirouetted to a concealed rhythm deep inside of me. "Whoa! This is how I felt.... when I froze you!"

"I knew you'd be driven by your emotions," Death said, sounding distracted. "I used to be, too."

l honed my attention onto the vase as white sparks flew out from fingertips again like twinkling firecrackers. Death stepped into my peripheral vision and walked forward, analyzing the elegant orb that was forming in my cupped hands. I let go of the energy as a command echoed in my mind.

Break.

The vase shattered and felt a gust of air surge from my body, knocking papers off of Death's desk, and sliding furniture back against the walls. When I felt depleted, I dropped my hands and peeked through the strands of midnight hair that had escaped from my braid. My mouth gapped with a gigantic smile. I punched two fists in the air and performed a little dance.

Eventually, I stopped celebrating and looked over at Death. I repressed my laughter with my hands, which lead to a noise sounded like a balloon had quickly inflated. He had a huge web of pink bubblegum stuck to his lower face as well as the edges of his hood.

"Screw it. I'm just going to take you with me to Ace's club," he growled.

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That HAND TOUCH, though. *Cue fangirl screams*

COMMENT YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF GUM IF YOU WANT MORE, REAPERS!!! (My fav is spearmint, but chubby watermelon gum is the best for bubbles. LOL.)

Hugs & Knives,

Gossip D

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