The moment I saw her I was ensnared. I guess I should've noticed. I guess it was my fault for missing all the obvious signs, but I was in love. Love truly was blind, at least in my experience. Eleanor was my first and only love. Maybe any other person would regret that he have met and fallen for Eleanor, but not me. She was a whirlwind of energy and had a smile that would make me smile with her. She was my happiness. No matter how much pain she caused me, even though she didn't love me, I would never regret that I'm with her. She brought me so much joy. And this little bundle of life here in my arms. Eleanor, she was amazing. She lit up my very world. She might be insane. She might go into involuntary rages and destroy things, but I hope, with me by her side, she would be okay. She might one day become stable. It's not like I could leave her. Eleanor was my life. I guess I'm crazy myself for falling for a sociopath, but who ever said love was logical. Who can clearly define what crazy means? Who's to say what normal means? Eleanor is my whole world and I wouldn't leave her to save my skin. All I know is that I need her as much as she needs me. We needed each other to keep going. If I left, she just might fall apart completely. She was a dependent creature. She needed others. She relied on other people to take care of everything else while she went off and did her own thing. She always did things without thinking it through. Someone needed to take care of the aftermath. If I was gone, who would care for Eleanor? Her parents were long dead. None of her relatives would take her. They would send her to a mental institution if she was in their hands. I couldn't let that happen. That's why, no matter what, I couldn't break down because she would fall with me.

There was a sound to my left and I turned, smiling, knowing it could only be one person. "Elean─"

A knife was shoved into my cheek and the baby was torn from my arms as unforgiving flames of pain ate up the left side of my face. I dropped to the floor, clutching my cheek, curling over with agony. My teeth gritted together, swallowing the scream that rose to my lips, extremely careful not to make a whimper. It just might guilt trip her. I want to eliminate any possibility. I still believed there was a heart somewhere, somewhere deep in that body. It was just so heavily buried underneath an undoubtedly traumatic past, a past I had no knowledge of. I've seen the scars though. She wouldn't tell me anything, not that she needed to. It was okay with me. The past was irrelevant to our present and future. I looked up at Eleanor glaring at me and I had to fight to hold back tears. My hold was slipping as the cold hatred in her eyes glowed brighter at my gaze.

She bared her teeth in an aggressive manner and hugged the baby closer to her, warning me to back off. "My baby! MY BABY!"

I held up a hand, the other still applying pressure to my cheek, scooting backwards slowly, careful, always careful to not upset her any further. "Yes... I'm... sorry." Stupid, stupid, stupid! I agitated her. I was so busy with the baby that I lost track of time. I went past the agreed fifteen minutes. If only I was more careful before... It was my fault. The top of my shirt started to turn red as the blood slid down my face. I deserved this. This wasn't even my first offense. And last time, she stabbed my shoulder. I'm such an idiot. I told myself that I would be the one to support her and love her, but what was I doing? All I did was anger her. I have to try harder to accommodate her. She was my life, after all. I couldn't live without my life.

I slipped out of the room while she was cooing to Daniel, careful not to disturb or scare her in any way. There were already enough regrets. I'm sorry, Eleanor.

I rolled over in the bed and tried to wrap my arms around Eleanor, but there was no one there. I shot up, wide awake. There was only a cold dent where she usually slept. I peered around the darkness, searching for a familiar figure despite the ominous feeling that I already knew. She wasn't in the room at all. There was no one here except for me. Dread crept into my skin, an uneasy fear dropping into my stomach. Don't let my fears be true. Not again. Please let her be safe. I got out of bed and tiptoed quickly to the nursery, peeking in the room. Daniel was sleeping alone in his crib, his sleep undisturbed. Eleanor wasn't here either. This wasn't good. That meant it was one of those nights... She was gone... Not again. Suddenly, the creak of the front door opening and heavy, weary-sounding footsteps broke the dead silence of the house, coming from downstairs. I raced down the stairs, heart pounding and hoping against hope that it wasn't what I think it was. My barely starting hopes were dashed at the sight of blood staining her nightgown and hands. She had gone out again. I advanced toward her, little by little, palms up, careful not to scare her. She was like a wild animal in this state. There was never anyone as fragile and dangerous as she was. A not too close and not too far distance from her, I stopped and my arms stretched out, inviting her, hoping that this will snap her back to reality. The lost, unfocused look in her eyes disappeared, replaced by her usual light, and she ran into me, knocking us both to the floor. I made sure to protect her from the fall before I rested my chin on her blood-covered hair, ignoring the stomach-turning scent of human blood, and hugged her tighter to me, uncaring of the red soaking into my clothes and skin. It was so hard to breathe. I was so relieved. She was back. She was okay.

"Thank god. Thank god you're okay."

Eleanor wrapped her arms around me, returning my embrace as I whispered hoarsely, my voice choked with emotion. She didn't complain as I pressed my face against her hair, trying to cool the burning in my eyes with her cold as ice hair. She was shivering. I started rubbing her arms, trying to warm her. This wasn't the first time Eleanor went out and killed something, and it probably won't be the last. She didn't need to tell me what compelled her go out time after time, coming back home covered in blood. She didn't have any obligation to confess anything to me. It was okay as long as she came back. I got her back now, but who's to say she will come back next time? My heart ached and my grip on her tightened a bit. I felt my hands shaking a little. What if she didn't? How many days will we be together until she decided to disappear forever? Please, Eleanor... please don't leave. If you don't want to stay with me anymore, whoever you murder out there... kill me instead. Just don't leave. No matter what people say about you, no matter how many times friends and family tell me to leave you...

I need you. Don't leave. Don't abandon the times we had, the good and the bad, the memories of you and me. It doesn't make any sense to me but I needed Eleanor.

No. No. She will come back. The baby's here. She won't leave for long if the baby's here. As long as the baby stays, so will she... However, I didn't know how much more I could handle...

Eleanor's POV

Red that stained so easily. Evidence that was so hard to remove. Vermillion that haunted you for life once soaked. I would never escape from it. It was on my clothes, my body, right now, coating it a bloody crimson. The blood had already seeped into my soul. I was already stained the first time I took a life, the first time I caused the light to leave someone's eyes. I could never escape. I couldn't stop killing. The blood beckoned to me, calling to me to come, come here. Its seductive whisper caressing my ear, always, always there, driving me crazy until I can't take it anymore. It was an itch that came back again and again. It never stopped until I answered. I had to answer. Otherwise that whisper would never leave, taunting, always taunting me. I hated it. I couldn't stay in the house when the bloodlust took a hold of me. I had to leave. I couldn't risk hurting my baby. I couldn't do that. I couldn't hurt my precious Danny. So I left each time I was at my limit, but only when I was at the end of my rope. I didn't want to leave my Danny. Now, that I committed another murder Pierre was going to move us to another state again.

Pierre picked me up and heading toward our room, his footsteps sounding tired. He looked tired, too. I shook my head. "Shower."

I wanted to go to the baby, but first I need to wash the blood off my body, if not off of me. The red that haunted me would never leave me entirely. I knew it wouldn't; it'll never let go of its prey once it already had a taste. It's been so long since the whisper had a long-term companion. All the other humans it had attached itself to died already. It wouldn't let go of its solace from loneliness. But at least I wouldn't let it contaminate my baby. The whisper and I made a deal. I won't wait too long between each call and it won't go after my precious little one. Pierre closed his eyes, looking extremely old in that moment, and then opened them, his face returning to normal but his eyes still looked tired as he wordlessly nodded before he turned in the opposite direction, heading to the place I desired. I hugged him one last time before scampering off to the shower. He left to do who knows what. I never understood him and never tried to. Danny, just wait a little longer, Mommy's going to come in just a bit. Dream sweet dreams while I wash.

I still don't think it's scary, but I don't know what genre this should be in...