The world outside Romdo is completely abysmal, Re-l thought to herself as she peeked outside through the door. Vincent and the two autoraves were out looking for anything useful. Food, other humans, trash that they could salvage. They had been in this grey, stone canyon for almost two weeks. Re-l insisted on leaving this place, but Vincent said they should stay and rest until they could decide where they were even headed. It had been three months since Romdo fell to pieces and Re-l was feeling overwhelmingly lonely. Where else was there to go? They had already finished their journey to discover who or what Ergo Proxy was, although the proxy still intrigued Re-l. She still watched Vincent closely; she still studied him like a lab rat, and always had her gun nearby in case he went into ballistic proxy mode. She had seen Ergo Proxy rip his own arm off. There's no telling how easily he could rip Re-l apart if she wasn't careful.

Despite the fact that Vincent was a god and creator of Romdo and a vicious proxy if need be, he was the only somewhat human companion Re-l had outside in her world. Everyone else she had ever known was gone, including Deadulus. Pino and Kristeva were interesting, and sometimes entertaining, but they had no blood coursing through them, and no warmth in their awakened bodies. Although it was quite a surprise that Kristeva had taken Pino almost as her own daughter. They laughed and played together, she even told Pino stories she made up herself. Re-l was awed by the power of autorave self-awareness. She sometimes wished she herself were an autorave. They never felt pain or cold, and they always seemed to be happy and carefree. Meanwhile, Re-l was plagued by constant nightmares, the freezing cold and hunger that came with the freedom of this world.

She missed Romdo. But that world was a lie.

She stepped out onto the deck of the ship and breathed in the cold air. She saw the shape of a human coming towards the ship. She saw the orange first, the orange of Vincent's ridiculous outfit, as he started sprinting towards her. There were some things that Re-l just still couldn't get. Like why he still wore that stupid outfit, and why he still acted as if he was innocent, little Vincent Law. He was a proxy. He was dangerous and powerful. Why would Vincent want to revert back to being that pathetic silly man that he was before? He was so much more appealing to her as a proxy.

Vincent climbed onto the ship and held his hands out to Re-l. There were mushrooms in his hands. Re-l hated mushrooms, but at this point she wasn't going to complain because the food supply was so low.

"Vincent", Re-l said, as he walked past her to put the mushrooms inside.

"Yes?" He said it hesitantly as if he was frightened of her. She didn't get it.

"Nothing. Go store the mushrooms." Perhaps she just wanted to hear somebody else's voice besides her own for a moment. She really didn't know if she had anything to say. They didn't speak much. There was never anything new to talk about.

Later that night, Re-l was lying on her cot looking up at the ceiling thinking. She wondered what it took to bring the proxy out of Vincent. She wanted to experiment. She thought that he usually transformed when he became angry or when he had to protect someone he cared about. She wanted to know how far she had to push him to change him. She needed to know his boundaries if they were going to continue living together like this. She needed to know that he could control himself. She needed to know if the proxy felt the same way about her as Vincent did. She needed to know the proxy was on her side.

The next morning, Re-l got up as usual and got dressed, did her make up and somehow managed to do her own hair. Although she still could never do it like Iggy could. But she wanted to learn to live without depending on autoraves, especially after what happened with Iggy.

She opened the door and walked outside. Vincent was standing alone on the deck, drinking a cup of hot water. He must have been lost in thought because he didn't turn when she approached him.

"Vincent", Re-l said sternly.

He turned around and smiled and said in his usual silly way, "Oh Hi, Re-l. Did you sleep well?"

Just hearing those simple words annoyed Re-l. This would make what she was about to do much easier.

She grabbed Vincent's cup out of his hand and splashed the hot water into his face and threw the cup behind her back. His expression changed from a smile to a look of confusion.

"Re-l, what was that for? Was I snoring again last night?"

Re-l said nothing. She just gave him a cold stare.

"Re-l, what's wrong?" She grabbed the back of his neck and punched him very hard with the other hand.

He fell backwards and when he looked back up at her he was bleeding from his mouth. He looked so pathetic. She put her foot on his chest and pushed him back down.

"What's the matter, Vincent? You're just going to let me do whatever I want to you? But you're a proxy. You could kill me before I had time to blink." She grabbed the collar of his shirt and made him stand up. He had a look of pain on his face but he didn't stop her.

She ripped his shirt off, and he was wearing nothing underneath. She didn't think that even a proxy would be able to ignore this cold. She was slightly shocked at how built he was, but she didn't let her face falter.

She punched him in the stomach, and as he was leaning over in pain she kneed him in the face. She was wondering how much further she would have to go. He still looked at her like Vincent would. He was harder to break than she thought.

"Why are you doing this? Re-l, please stop." He cried out as she stepped onto his hand and held her foot there under all her weight.

"What's the matter, Proxy? You can't defend yourself against a measly human?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and before she knew it, Re-l's head had hit the floor and she was on the ground with his hand on her neck. But it wasn't Vincent's hand. Ergo Proxy's claws were tightening around her slender neck.

She could barely breath and her eyes were watering from the pain in the back of her head. Her hands were grabbing the proxy's wrists but to no avail, he wouldn't let go.

"Is this what you wanted, Re-l? You wanted the proxy in me to come out? Why? Did you want me to kill you? Or was there some other reason?"

Re-l coughed and gasped for air as his hands closed in further on her neck. Then he picked her up and slammed her back into the wall of the ship near the door leading downstairs. The wind was completely knocked out of her, and she couldn't protest.

He held her against the wall by the arms until she caught her breath again.

"I won't kill you, Re-l. Whatever you're trying to prove, it won't work," He said, still in the voice of a proxy.

She was breathing heavily still, but now she wasn't sure if it was because he had slammed her so hard into the wall or if it was because she could feel his hot breath on her neck. She looked up into the proxy's eyes for the first time since he changed and she gasped. She turned away thinking this was a terrible idea. She was terrified of the proxy and she was completely defenseless against him at the moment. Her gun was still inside.

Then, without a word, the proxy ripped off Re-l's shirt in one quick movement. All she had on underneath was a tank top and she instantly was shaking against the cold.

"Are you scared now, Re-l?" He breathed heavily onto her neck again and she quivered as he pushed his body against hers. He was so close she thought she could taste him. His naked chest was against her almost naked skin and he was so warm she almost forgot it was freezing out.

The proxy laughed and said, "Now you have nothing to say. That's a first for you. You always have to say something. Some times I think it's just so you can hear your own voice."

Re-l's blood boiled from this comment. He may be a proxy but she wasn't going to let him insult her without fighting back. She drove her knee into his groin, but he didn't react at all.

The proxy put his lips to her ear and said, "That won't work on me, Re-l."

Finally Re-l had the nerve to speak, "Don't call me by my name! Hearing my name from your lips makes me sick to my stomach." She spat in his face.

"Oh Re-l, the more you fight me the more I want to rip you open." Re-l stopped struggling beneath him immediately and looked into his eyes with fear. She tried to read him to determine if he was serious but she couldn't read anything in those silver eyes.

The proxy smiled, his teeth were daggers and Re-l tried to push herself even further into the wall away from him.

"Why are you trying to run away? You were so brave just a few minutes ago." He licked his lips and Re-l thought, is he going to kill me and eat my flesh?

Then, unexpectedly, he smashed his lips into Re-l's. He grabbed the back of her head and tangled his hand in her hair and forced her lips open to get his tongue inside.

She tried to fight it but he was infinitely stronger than her. He pulled his lips away and Re-l gasped for air.

"What are you doing?" Re-l whispered because that was all she could muster.

"You wanted to know if the proxy felt the same way as Vincent. But you have to understand that we are one. I may fight his battles because I am the stronger one, but his feelings never leave me. If anything, I love you more because I know I can protect you when he cannot."

"How did you know what I was trying to do?" Re-l asked, getting even more nervous for some reason.

"I can read your eyes better than you think, Re-l." That was Vincent's voice, but the proxy's form remained.

Re-l lifted her right hand, it was shaking, but she tried to keep it still. She reached up and touched his face. It felt so warm, like he was made from the sun. She put her hand through his head of crazy white hair. Over all it felt human, but better, more perfect, silkier and softer than any human.

Re-l remembered how cold it was outside and shivered. Goosebumps formed all over her body. The proxy said, "Maybe you should get inside."

Re-l went to her cot and drawers where she kept her clothes, but before she could reach the drawers, the proxy grabbed her wrist, turned her around and kissed her again. This time she was less hesitant and she couldn't fight him anymore. She let him in as he ran his hand down her back and the other held her face to him.

He let her go, and Re-l felt the degrees drop dramatically. He was so warm.

The proxy turned from her and said, "I know you don't feel the same way about me as I do for you. I don't blame you. I'm a monster." He covered his face with one of his hands.

Re-l didn't know what she was thinking but she grabbed his hand and held it in hers. He looked at her. Her blue eyes made his heart ache. He wanted to touch her so badly. He wanted to protect her and make her smile all at once.

"You're the only one I have. I don't think I have a choice anymore. You've proven to me that even as a proxy, you're feelings for me are strong. I've been fighting you for as long as I've known you, but I don't want to fight anymore." She touched his cheek and pulled his face towards hers. Her lips tasted just as he remembered the first time they kissed, back when she was still trying to kill him.

He wanted more of her, he was feeling ravenous and just kissing wasn't enough for him. He pushed her against the wall again and she touched his chest. Wherever she touched the skin tingled. He wanted to remain a proxy for the time being because it was the only time he felt strong enough to be with her. But at the same time he didn't want to scare her and push her too far. Then she slowly pulled her nails down his back and he threw all his sense out the window.

He ripped off her pants and threw her on the cot. She looked surprised but before she could say anything his mouth was on hers. He pulled off his pants and got on top of her. She struggled beneath him but he didn't care anymore. He knew deep down she wanted this.

He touched her body and everywhere he touched she was beautiful. He put his hand up her shirt and touched her back and drove his claws lightly down her back. She whimpered and he couldn't tell if he was hurting her or not but he was beyond caring at this point.

Re-l lying beneath him thought, he isn't going to stop. She was scared because she had never been with someone but she never imagined it to be like this. Not with a proxy. Her mind said no but her body was screaming for his touch and she let herself go for once. She dropped all the guard she had left and let him take her.

He ripped off her shirt next and she thought about all the clothes she would have to throw away after today. Her bare chest against him made her feel warm and he started kissing her neck and made his way down to her breasts. She wanted to kiss him more so she pulled him back up to her. But while they did that he managed to pull his underwear off. She could feel him hard against her and she was almost embarrassed at how much he wanted her.

She took off her own underwear so he didn't have to rip it off and now he was lying on top of her, his naked, grey, warm body against her pale, cold body. He looked down at her body and it only made him more aroused. Just her lying there completely at his will made him crazy. He could do whatever he wanted to her and all she could do is struggle against him. He grabbed both of her wrists and held them above her, and with his other hand he touched the inside of her thigh. She whispered no over and over again, but it only made it more fun for him. Eventually he touched her and she was so wet she couldn't deny that she wanted this. He was afraid to touch her with his claws but he rubbed her gently as she arched against him and made a soft noise in his ear.

"The more you fight it the more I want to rip you open" He said again, and he looked into her eyes and she appeared scared. She made more soft sounds as he rubbed himself against her. He whispered into her ear, "You can scream as loud as you want. No one will hear you." And with that he finally shoved himself inside her. She cried out in pain. He pulled himself in and out faster and faster the louder she cried. He couldn't believe he finally had her; he didn't want this to end. He not only wanted her body beneath him, he loved her. Even when she was a bitch, even if she said she hated him, he loved her and that wasn't going to change.

He kissed her neck as she buried her screams into his hair. She thought that he was probably much bigger than most humans and for her first time she was literally being ripped open. But for some reason she didn't want him to stop, not that she believed he would if she asked him to. She felt his sweat as he continued going in and out of her and it made her want him more. She held him tighter and tighter as she felt like she was drifting away to heaven in his arms. Finally she felt her release and his flow into her. He pulled himself out and put his face between her legs and began to lick her. He wanted to taste every part of her. She managed to lose herself again and after she said she couldn't take anymore. He lied down beside her as she breathed heavily in and out. He watched her chest rise and fall and couldn't wait until he could have her again.

She got up and went into the shower. She felt horribly filthy after what had just happened. She was still shocked that she let it happen. She let the shower run a few minutes more than she should have with their water shortage.

When she got out with a towel wrapped around her she saw Vincent laying in her cot with a blanket around him. He wasn't a proxy anymore. He was same old Vincent. He looked up when she came in and sat up.

"I'm sorry Re-l. I couldn't control myself. The proxy took over and..."

Re-l put her finger to his mouth to make him shut up. She pulled his chin to her mouth and softly kissed him. He touched her waist and pulled her in closer. She let the towel around her fall to her feet and she crawled into bed with him under the blanket.

He still felt warm and she found a comfortable position and started drifting to sleep in his arms. He pulled his fingers through her hair and whispered "I love you" thinking she was asleep.

She replied, "I love you" in a sleepy whisper and he smiled to himself, hoping that it would still be true when she woke up.

They didn't know where they were headed but he didn't care. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He had forsaken his duty and Monad for this woman and he didn't regret it. Because finally having broken Re-l's harsh exterior was more rewarding than anything else.

He felt a sudden shift while he lay in bed with Re-l. He smiled mischievously and said in a deeper voice, "You are mine now, Re-l. You belong to Ergo Proxy. Forever."