Mantinas: I am sorry this has taken so long. But, I'm getting used to a new work schedule, life has been hectic, and writer's block(as well as doubts about my writing style being any good anymore). Plus Ed's killing scene gave my some trouble, I'm not too happy about it, but I thought-last minute-that a POV change would be weird for this story. Anyway, I wrote this because I already started this, however, I will not update this again until I have finished my other stories. I will not update a story again until I have finished it; and then update that story once a week so that I can (try to) have time to do the same with another story and so on and so forth...

Italics are flash backs, I think they're mostly going to be in this chapter. Also, a friend was supposed to be in here, but she didn't want me to kill her off. XD

Happy reading!

A couple nights in a hotel to 'cope' and 'help' the authorities by granting unlimited access to his house and here he was; sitting in an easy chair, his eyes focused on the spot where Tony Barr was stuck to his wall. He really had to hand it to the crime scene clean-up crew, everything looked immaculate. Just the way he liked it.

Eddward turned his head to the once unoccupied chair to his left. Marie sat there quietly, covered in dirt and grime, her stare boring holes into him. Honestly he was only a little surprised; he never had this happen before, but then again, none of the others were like her.

He cleared his throat, pointedly ignoring a worm that was wiggling its way out of her hair. "I do hope you didn't track any dirt on the carpet."

She remained silent. His mouth twitched followed by his hands as his mind raced with concerned and obscene thoughts as she stared through him. She opened her mouth and a ball of dirt fell onto her lap making him wince.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a beach somewhere?"

And just like that her appearance changed. She sat on the chair in a zebra striped bikini, a daiquiri glass in one hand, a wide-brimmed hat covering her head and sunglasses covering her eyes. She took a sip. Although her gaze never left his, it was more bearable now with the sunglasses.

"Be gone!" He yelled, standing up. "You are only a figment of my guilt and nothing more." Her gaze almost seemed to intensify. "Guilt that I will do away with, in time."

She lowered her sunglasses and gave him a deadpanned glare. Daring him to say more. He thought about Marie on a lounge chair on the beach on a Caribbean island, looking enticing to all the men whom gaze upon her, not knowing that she was like the black widow waiting in her web for her next victim. Eddward chuckled and he noticed that she changed back. He knew he could not keep the lie going in his own mind. Especially one that turned her into something she was not; even if the thought of Marie killing a man turned him on. Her body covered in blood, though unsanitary, was once a favorite fantasy of his. Shame of it was that she had stated her opinion of killing the night of their honeymoon; dashing his hopes of having an actual companion with his hobby instead of just Ed.

Eddward sighed: "Yeah you broke my heart, but I did something worse to you, dear. I broke you. I cannot find the right words to tell you how sorry I am that I let myself get carried away enough to break my own vow. We could have just gotten a divorce if you were so desperate to be rid of me or something…But at the same time, I find myself justified. Eye for an eye, my dear. And congratulations: You are the first person I regret killing and I've killed a lot of people! But what I want to let you know is that I still love you."

I will always love you."

He turned to face her, but she was gone. He buried his face in his hands and wept. If there was another way, if he could have talked her out of leaving him, he would have. But he was caught up in a moment that he felt slipping through his fingers and he fell back on instinct. It made sense to him that he would see her, she was special to him, after all. He would feel guilty for what he did, but he also knew that he would bury that deep in his mind and work through it. At least he hoped he would.

He was roused by a knock on his door a couple minutes later. He was not expecting anyone at the moment. He wiped his face with a handkerchief and opened the door. There stood Ed in his janitorial uniform, khaki pants and white t-shirt with a khaki shirt with the buttons opened. Eddward stepped aside and let the taller man in and they walked towards the living room, Ed sitting where Marie had sat and Eddward briefly wondered if Ed was sitting in any grains of dirt, but he dropped it as ridiculous and sat down in his chair.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, my friend?"

"I wanted to check up on you." Ed said. "would you like to do something?"

Eddward shook his head and silence fell over them. Eddward noticed the bulky man shift and twitch nervously and wring his hands.

"It is getting stronger?"

Ed sat still, body tense, before he relaxed and let out a sigh. "Can't get anything past you, can I?" Eddward shook his head and watched his friend silently, waiting for him to continue.

"No, I can't seem to control it much anymore, Double D." Ed said forlornly, using the nickname he gave to him when they were children, a nickname only he was allowed to use for all others would meet his—subdued—wrath.

"It's quite alright," Eddward said soothingly. "After all, what you are is a monster, and all monsters are, at their core, are nothing but instinct. It is just your mind telling you that soon you will cease the urge of reverting back to your disguise and fully embrace your true self."

"But shouldn't have I felt this way earlier by now?" Ed was confused, after all, he had been like this since he and Eddward were fifteen.

"It happens at different times for different people."

Ed was silent as he let his friend's words sink in. He trusted Eddward with his life, and what's more, his other self did as well. A smirk came across his face.

"Then can we hunt, Master?"

Eddward walked through the woods that surrounded his house, Ed stalking behind him hidden in the trees. He thought back to that fateful day when Ed stated that he wished to be a monster like the ones in his comic books. The absolute joy in his friend's eyes when, after he thought about it, said he could make him a suit if he liked. It had taken time sewing and welding(a skill he does not use a lot of anymore) to make it.

And then the day when he first had Ed don it.

Once Eddward placed the head on top of Ed's, Ed started to growl, the lips curling into a snarl as he slowly stalked towards the young killer. Eddward was taken aback, but did not let it show, though a little of his curiosity did slip through when he noticed that through the eye holes when the human eyes could peek out, were the same cold stare he saw in a mirror mixed with pure, animal instinct. And Eddward would be damned if an animal could outsmart him.

"Is this any way to treat your creator?" He snapped, causing the monster before him to still. "I mean, I get it, most monsters are shunned from their masters, but I am not one of them. And why would I when you have gone above and beyond all expectations?"

You are magnificent." He let out in an airy rasp.

Ed stopped growling and Eddward slowly stepped towards his friend. Ed let out a low snarl, but Eddward raised a nonthreatening hand to placate him as he moved closer to take off the head, which earned him another growl of which he shushed out.

And once the head was removed, Ed was his normal self once more. That was the pivotal moment when their friendship became stronger.

Eddward stopped when he noticed a fire a few yards away in what he knew was a clearing frequented by campers. And to his immense joy, there was a family of four; mother, father, and their two sons.

Ed slithered up next to him. His new body was grey from the material used to make the wide, reptilian-like body that went to a slender neck that lead to the wide head. It had sharp teeth for rending flesh from bone. Jutting out from his temples were two yellow horns that curved back and jutted out by the mouth. His eyes were red saucers, though just below those were his human eyes.

Eddward lifted his hand, index finger poised and without saying a word, Ed ran off.

Ed silently crept through the brush, animal instinct always took over when he was in this form.

He ran free.

Eddward watched from behind the trees as Ed knocked out the woman, letting out another roar before charging the startled husband. Ed pounced and slit his throat with his teeth, he could almost see them sinking into the flesh, the tendons, veins and arteries ripping open. The petrified scream of their two sons seemed to remind Ed that there were more prey.

Ed parked his car in his garage. He pushed the button for the garage door and got out. Eddward got out and walked towards the trunk as the door began to close. He grabbed a couple of the bags while Ed got the remaining two. They carried them towards a wooden work bench, placing them on the floor, Eddward put a pair of gloves on and opened one of the smaller bags and took out the youngest son. Skull crushed by heavy jaws and stomach clawed and some of his innards missing pieces from a monstrous eating frenzy.

Eddward picked up his butcher knife and began slicing off salvageable portions of the remaining meat for those times when he got the craving of meat that does not walk on four legs or cluck. Eddward had warned Ed about the risks of cannibalism; Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy, like Kuru, is no joke. But both Ed and his inner monster agreed on one thing: Human meat was too good to pass up.

Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathyare no joke, but both Ed and his inner monster agreed, it was too delicious to pass up.

He hacked up both boys, the woman and man, wrapped them up in saranwrap, and stuffed them in the freezer. He washed his hands then searched for his friend; finding him in his living room with a beer in his hand. Horrible habit from a horrible father.

"Thank you, Double D." Ed said, waving towards a wingback chair for him to sit.

"Think nothing of it, Ed."

They sat in companionable silence for a couple minutes before Ed pipped up: "Sarah has a new boyfriend."

Eddward's quirked an eyebrow with a slight 'Oh', hoping his relief was not picked up. Sarah, Ed's spoiled little sister had an 'on-again-off-again' crush on him which he found annoying. Especially when he wanted to kill her when they were younger and she would belittle and physically abuse his best friend.

Seven year old Eddward saw the bruise before the seven year old Ed could vocally—or physically—greet him, asking where he obtained such a thing. Ed's excitable demeanor calmed and he began to stall.

"I've had enough of her. I will take care of her. No one does that to my best friend!"

"No, no, Double D, she is my little sister! She's only five, she does not mean it!"

It was Ed's tears and devotion to Sarah that saved her from a satisfyingly gruesome death. Ed was not treated like that anymore by her, but it could be because they did not live under the same roof to thank for that.

"Yeah," Ed said. "Scrawny little guy. Really pale. Thought he was kinda girly, but he seems to be a gentleman to her and he makes her happy so I am happy." He smiled. "His name is Jimmy and he works at some café in town."

"Well, I am glad, too."

Eddward felt the urge to meet Jimmy. Normally he would not want to incase he bumped into Sarah and she gets any ideas, but Ed said he made her happy, which, in his opinion, is weird. He also had a hunch as to why she was with him.

Thirty minutes later Ed and Eddward got into Ed's car; Ed drove Eddward back to his empty home.