Point of No Return (Gwen)

[JAMES HUGHES]

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND

It had been a while since he had come here. To the heart of it all. James mused that if he truly had reverence for anything it would be this city. It was this city that gave him the gift of love-of lust. The whole theatre was just as it had always been, lavish with beauty and still warm with life. A production of Phantom of the Opera had just been performed hours ago, before night had swallowed up the loud and noisy city. He sharpened his blade, sitting on the edge of the stage. It had started here and would end here.

The music still poured into his mind and he had to contain his thoughts, to focus on the task at hand so that he wouldn't be whisked away into thoughts of what could have been or what would have been. He would have been dead. James sneered at his reflection in the blade, throwing it out into the endless velvet seats and feeling something akin to smugness when it disappeared from view. James knew he had chosen the right path- if hadn't made that pact with the crossroads demon and hadn't toughened up the way he did then death would have welcomed him early. This way he could take care of everyone along the way before he was dragged down to hell.

The smell of her perfume entered his senses and James sighed- brimming with satisfaction. So she had decided to come. It was ironic, considering. This would be the deciding event on which one of them would win. James smirked, letting his eyes travel over to the entrance, eyes glinting. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. This was where we first met after all." He let his words pour out like honey, sweet and full of promises. If she submitted to him...he would be content. The time of cat and mouse was over- they were both past the point of no return.

[GWEN MORGAN]

The musky smell of old wood still permeated through the whole place as distinct as it did the first day Gwen had walked through the old oaken doors. She held her gun at the ready, eyes squinting slightly at the sudden darkness and found her way through the old theatre based on her memory of the layout. A couple of times she had to stop herself from running into a new wall or addition to the building but surprisingly it was relatively the same.

Gwen held her breath for a moment, hearing something a few feet away and recognized the intricate patterns of the backstage door. She eased through silently, and through the open currents spotted her target.

James sat there as if he had been waiting all day, languid and disinterested. Despite her initial observations Gwen held her pistol tighter, ready to shoot at will as she crept closer. He seemed to pause, inhaling as if in the presence of some unique and delectable spice. Gwen had to force down the urge to shiver, shaking her head to get the images out of her head. Sometimes it was a struggle to remember that he wasn't the same golden-hearted lover... he had changed for the worse and she wanted nothing to do with the evil that he had affiliated himself with.

His eyes met hers and Gwen couldn't help but freeze. That look was one of a predator. She saw James' smirk and narrowed her gaze. She made sure to not show any weakness, eager to get this over with. "I'm here to settle the score. I'm not running anymore." Gwen made sure there was at least a few feet of distance between them as she circled James. "I'm sick of your games, so I'm ready to put an end to this."

[JAMES HUGHES]

James couldn’t hide the pleasure he was feeling. He had cornered her. Gwen might think she was free but she was bound to him until the day he died- which wouldn’t be for years. Until that day she was connected to him as much as she thought that disgusted her.

“You need to lighten up, Gwen,” His voice was silky smooth as he stood up in a fluid motion. “You know that you aren’t getting rid of me that easily.” James laughed, crossing his arms and regarding her new body. It was different from their years together before. She had been taller, with short cut brown hair and eyes with more innocence to the ways of man. In a way it irritated James that she had switched. It was still his Gwen but now she was smaller, and full of thoughts of getting rid of him. There was a time Gwen would have run into his open arms and swear to never let go.

“I know you still feel what is between us,” James let his words spill out in a sultry drawl. “You will want me.” He asserted, looking at her long and hard before attempting to get closer to her. “You know that it’s only a matter of time…” He paused when he was right in front of her, eyes narrowed. “...that smell on you. It’s not yours.” James felt his blood boil. Jealousy surged forth and it took all his will to keep from shaking Gwen and getting violent. He would not win her over that way. Only honeyed words and promises would work after he slowly pushed through her defenses.

[GWEN MORGAN]

“Lighten up?” Gwen couldn’t help but let out a snort, completely disgusted. “You don’t even talk like yourself anymore.” His use of honeyed words was almost sickening. James had been a sweet-talker but it was always innocent and charming… now his words were twisted with different meanings and meant to be manipulative. But she wouldn’t let him reel her in. James might have had his fun taking out hits on other girl hunters but Gwen was smarter than that.

She crossed her arms, trying to not let his closeness perturb her. He was just one person-a person who, while unable to die just yet, wasn’t immortal nor did he have super powers. “You honestly think you can beat me?” Gwen scoffed. “I’m not as weak as those mortals you’ve dealt with. I’m stronger than that.” Gwen made sure to slowly create more distance between them so he wouldn’t be able to tell that she was even doing it at first. “I don’t want you and I never will again.”

Gwen felt a sense of satisfaction seeing James’s tightly controlled face and hearing him sneer in jealousy. “That smell? It’s what the man I love now smells like,” She taunted, knowing she wouldn’t get anywhere with him trying to charm her. Once James got angry enough they would be able to settle the score once and for all.

[JAMES HUGHES]

"What do you know of that?" James words were momentarily cutting before he shrugged as if it didn't matter. "That was years ago in the past. Everything changes, Gwen...I thought even you knew that." The words were meant to hurt. He wanted to see sadness and pain in her eyes.

"There are other weak points than just on the body...and more angles to work from than just violence," His smile grew lewd, pronouncing those last words very carefully. Gwen wasn't as gentle and niave as she had been when she first came on Earth. She could pick up on what he really meant. The pleasure he was getting dissipated in the next few moments, as she continued to speak.

Fury zapped through his body like an eletrical shock. His face grew dark, eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a fine line. James would not stand for this. It was an outrage and something that should have never happened. If Gwen had had any faith in him and stayed on Earth instead of running back to Heaven with her tail between her legs none of this would have ever happened. "You belong to me! DO YOU HEAR ME?" He roared at the top of his lungs, stalking closer now and showing his true colors.

[GWEN MORGAN]

Gwen had to use all her self-control to keep from flushing at James' words. They were enemies now, true, but he was once her lover and she had to keep herself from remembering the times they had. He knew her weak spots and knew the way to twist her emotions up in a bundle of stress.

She frowned, steeling herself for when James' mood changed. "You think you know everything about me. That's why you're so confident. But I've changed as well." Not only in body but in spirit and personality. Her love for her friends and for... for him made her stronger.

Gwen didn't flinch at James' words, merely watched him with cold eyes. "You lost that right when you decided to consort with demons and kill hunters. You grew afraid and weak when you realized you would die. You lost whatever I once loved you for." She moved out of the way, pointing her pistol directly at him. "You might not die right now but I can stop you from killing some hunters at least for a little while longer."

[JAMES HUGHES]

James rushed at Gwen and managed to slap her-hard. He forced her to crumbling on the ground. "You might think you are stronger than me but every day you spend away from Heaven you grow weaker. You may have two of your powers left and maybe you'll keep them...but that doesn't change the fact that you are weak." His voice was low and controlled. He was the ring-leader of this encounter and he wouldn't let Gwen get the better of him by riling him up.

"You still belong to me no matter what you claim." He crouched down by her side, unimpressed. His eyes narrowed to slits. "Is it that Winchester boy I keep hearing things about? The one that travels with an angel for a babysitter?" James hummed deep in the back of his throat, contemplating. "Sometimes I wonder what I saw in you." He made a sort of dark laugh, a chuckle deep in the back of his throat. "So weak. So pathetic."

[GWEN MORGAN]

Anger. It was the only thing she felt and Gwen had to rein herself back in to keep from doing something very stupid and rash. "Belong to you?" Like she was some sort of object. Or a pet. It was degrading and frustration threatening to rip it's way out of her as she clenched her fists. "I never belonged to you. I willingly was with you but I always belonged to myself and the Lord only. Never you." Her words were laced with disgust as she narrowed her gaze. She had to hold the anger back so it wouldn't consume her. Gwen refused to stoop to James' level.

"Dean is more of a man than you will ever be." She almost laughed. He could be infuriating and a womanizer but Dean was noble, he had heart behind all that wild craziness and he took care of people. He didn't betray what he believed in. "You are just a husk of what you used to be. A sham." Gwen backed away more, cocking her pistol and readying it to shoot when the time was right. "And if I'm weak. Then you are even weaker than me, sweetie."