Room 125, Monday Night
After leaving the gym, Callisto let herself into her room and locked the door with trembling hands.
"I don't know why you're fighting me," Xena said. "You know what you have to do, gods, you even want to, some of them at least."
Callisto stared at the dagger in Xena's hand as if it would bite her. "No, I won't."
"You will," Xena said. "You've let yourself become soft and weak here, and it's the only way to make yourself strong again."
"But…"
"But what? They're your friends?" Xena asked with a sneer. "You don't deserve friends, not while I'm still around. Or had you forgotten about your dear, dead family?"
"How dare you?" Callisto lunged for Xena, only to feel her hand around her throat once again.
"Then take the dagger and do it," Xena said. "Remember who and what you really are. Or you'll never be able to beat me."
Shoulders slumped, Callisto reached for the dagger. Strange how her hand stopped trembling as it curled around the hilt.
"It won't be so hard," Xena grinned. "And once you get the first few out of the way, it'll just get easier. After all, it's just like riding one of those, whatchamacallits, bikes."
Callisto slid the dagger into the sheath on her hip, and pushed open the door. "You never forget."
She returned several hours later, movements robotic, spattered with slowly drying blood. She shoved the dagger back at Xena and stumbled towards the bathroom. "You were right, it wasn't so hard." At least it wasn't if she ignored the images of shocked and betrayed faces that flashed behind her eyelids every time she closed them.
Callisto had cleaned most of the blood off when someone pounded on the door. "Ooh, a visitor," Xena chirped. "I wonder who it could be."
She wearily opened the door and was almost bowled over by a very familiar embrace. "Hey Cal."
"Angel?" Callisto blinked in confusion, automatically returning the hug. "What are you…why are you here?"
"Bel called, he seemed worried about you," Angel said. Hopefully he would remember that unlike him Callisto actually needed to breathe soon. "Are you okay?"
"Awww…the gallant hero rushing to his lady's side," Xena said clasping her hand to her heart. "Isn't it so romantic?"
"Uh…come in," Callisto said, pulling back from him and gesturing into the room. "Where's Logan?"
"Back in LA," Angel replied, apparently having had enough functional brain cells not to bring him. "Needed someone to keep an eye on things there. You didn't answer my question."
"He even left the houseboy behind!" Xena gasped. "It must be love. Of course this means to have to kill him too."
"No."
"Cal, Cal, Cal," Xena shook her head. "You have to, otherwise everything else? It's all worthless. Nothing turns you soft faster than love."
"What's wrong?" Then there were hands rubbing her back and she could have just stayed like that forever. "You know you can tell me?"
Callisto curled her fingers around the cool metal square pressed into her palm by Xena. "I'm sorry."
"Do it."
"For what?"
"This." Callisto flicked the lighter on and held it up to his shirt. The flame caught and spread quickly, too quickly for Angel to put it out before he caught fire as well.
Vampires burn much faster than humans, but not so fast that he didn't have time to ask "Why?" before there was nothing left but ashes.
"Wow," Xena whistled. "He sure burnt pretty. Tell me Cal, how'd it compare to Cirra?"
Something deep inside Callisto snapped. "Why can't you just die?" She snarled, tackling Xena to the ground. She wrapped her hands around Xena's throat and squeezed. "Just die and leave me alone."
Xena's laughter quickly turned to wheezing, before eventually stopping altogether. As Xena's eyes glazed over in death, Callisto slowly relaxed her grip, staring blankly ahead. She didn't realise just how quiet it had gotten in the room until someone started slowly clapping. Callisto looked up towards the source of the sound to see Xena standing there, mocking grin back on her face.
"But…how? And who?" She looked back down at Xena's corpse. Which wasn't Xena's anymore. "Mama?"
"This is what I'm talking about Cal," Xena said softly, almost kindly, as Callisto scrabbled backwards from the body. "You're a killer and that's all you'll ever be. You even kill the people you claim to love."
"No…" Callisto whimpered, unable to take her eyes of the corpse. "Not true."
"Well, there was someone who believed that, believed in you." Xena forced Callisto's hand open and dropped a handful of dust onto her palm, "But you killed him."
Callisto's fingers reflexively closed over the dust as she clenched her eyes closed and curled in on herself. "Nononono…"
"Yes." Xena gently ran a hand down Callisto's cheek. "I'll see you around, Callisto."
And like that, she was gone.
[ooc: Just to clear up any confusion, everything under the cut only happened in Cal's head. Not that she knows that. Much lint to notstakedyet for letting me "kill" Angel.]
"I don't know why you're fighting me," Xena said. "You know what you have to do, gods, you even want to, some of them at least."
Callisto stared at the dagger in Xena's hand as if it would bite her. "No, I won't."
"You will," Xena said. "You've let yourself become soft and weak here, and it's the only way to make yourself strong again."
"But…"
"But what? They're your friends?" Xena asked with a sneer. "You don't deserve friends, not while I'm still around. Or had you forgotten about your dear, dead family?"
"How dare you?" Callisto lunged for Xena, only to feel her hand around her throat once again.
"Then take the dagger and do it," Xena said. "Remember who and what you really are. Or you'll never be able to beat me."
Shoulders slumped, Callisto reached for the dagger. Strange how her hand stopped trembling as it curled around the hilt.
"It won't be so hard," Xena grinned. "And once you get the first few out of the way, it'll just get easier. After all, it's just like riding one of those, whatchamacallits, bikes."
Callisto slid the dagger into the sheath on her hip, and pushed open the door. "You never forget."
She returned several hours later, movements robotic, spattered with slowly drying blood. She shoved the dagger back at Xena and stumbled towards the bathroom. "You were right, it wasn't so hard." At least it wasn't if she ignored the images of shocked and betrayed faces that flashed behind her eyelids every time she closed them.
Callisto had cleaned most of the blood off when someone pounded on the door. "Ooh, a visitor," Xena chirped. "I wonder who it could be."
She wearily opened the door and was almost bowled over by a very familiar embrace. "Hey Cal."
"Angel?" Callisto blinked in confusion, automatically returning the hug. "What are you…why are you here?"
"Bel called, he seemed worried about you," Angel said. Hopefully he would remember that unlike him Callisto actually needed to breathe soon. "Are you okay?"
"Awww…the gallant hero rushing to his lady's side," Xena said clasping her hand to her heart. "Isn't it so romantic?"
"Uh…come in," Callisto said, pulling back from him and gesturing into the room. "Where's Logan?"
"Back in LA," Angel replied, apparently having had enough functional brain cells not to bring him. "Needed someone to keep an eye on things there. You didn't answer my question."
"He even left the houseboy behind!" Xena gasped. "It must be love. Of course this means to have to kill him too."
"No."
"Cal, Cal, Cal," Xena shook her head. "You have to, otherwise everything else? It's all worthless. Nothing turns you soft faster than love."
"What's wrong?" Then there were hands rubbing her back and she could have just stayed like that forever. "You know you can tell me?"
Callisto curled her fingers around the cool metal square pressed into her palm by Xena. "I'm sorry."
"Do it."
"For what?"
"This." Callisto flicked the lighter on and held it up to his shirt. The flame caught and spread quickly, too quickly for Angel to put it out before he caught fire as well.
Vampires burn much faster than humans, but not so fast that he didn't have time to ask "Why?" before there was nothing left but ashes.
"Wow," Xena whistled. "He sure burnt pretty. Tell me Cal, how'd it compare to Cirra?"
Something deep inside Callisto snapped. "Why can't you just die?" She snarled, tackling Xena to the ground. She wrapped her hands around Xena's throat and squeezed. "Just die and leave me alone."
Xena's laughter quickly turned to wheezing, before eventually stopping altogether. As Xena's eyes glazed over in death, Callisto slowly relaxed her grip, staring blankly ahead. She didn't realise just how quiet it had gotten in the room until someone started slowly clapping. Callisto looked up towards the source of the sound to see Xena standing there, mocking grin back on her face.
"But…how? And who?" She looked back down at Xena's corpse. Which wasn't Xena's anymore. "Mama?"
"This is what I'm talking about Cal," Xena said softly, almost kindly, as Callisto scrabbled backwards from the body. "You're a killer and that's all you'll ever be. You even kill the people you claim to love."
"No…" Callisto whimpered, unable to take her eyes of the corpse. "Not true."
"Well, there was someone who believed that, believed in you." Xena forced Callisto's hand open and dropped a handful of dust onto her palm, "But you killed him."
Callisto's fingers reflexively closed over the dust as she clenched her eyes closed and curled in on herself. "Nononono…"
"Yes." Xena gently ran a hand down Callisto's cheek. "I'll see you around, Callisto."
And like that, she was gone.
[ooc: Just to clear up any confusion, everything under the cut only happened in Cal's head. Not that she knows that. Much lint to notstakedyet for letting me "kill" Angel.]