Rick had been chewing on his pencil when he had watched her leave.

Elise stood out, even amongst the colorful car parts and disjointed metal scraps. She consumed the attention in any space she decided to stand in, so Rick was only a victim of her aura as he peeked out at her in between mountains of paperwork and monotonous phone calls. And that time was no different. It wasn't uncommon for Elise to walk out of sight. She had a job and so did he, best for them to both focus on that. So when she disappeared, he turned back to the forms he had to read over. Dull, repetitive forms.

Even from his window, he heard it. A few minutes after she left. The horrid, sharp ringing noise of metal crunching and bending, almost breaking. Then a scream. Three screams, to be specific. Teenagers suddenly fled from around a car like birds scattering at the slightest bark of a dog. Their faces were pale, steps uneven, yet they ran as if for their lives. Rick could only watch, pencil dropping onto the desk from shock at the scene before him.

There wasn't much left when he rushed outside to see what had happened. The teenagers he recognized from the nearby high school all had long since fled before he was even out of his office. Elise, too, was absent. The only remains to give hints to what happened was an empty bag that stunk of weed, smushed cigarettes, and a large fist-sized dent in a car nearby.

That was what caught his eye. What caused him to pause, standing there with wonder and curiosity tainting his mind once more. That would certainly cause the first sound, but...

Did Elise manage to somehow make that dent? No. That wasn't possible. Yes, she was quite muscular, but somehow making an indent that size would be too much. There were plenty of objects nearby that she must have thrown. Caused that dent. Rick rationalized that thought in his mind until it became nothing but a certainty.

The possibility that she punched it, though, still lingered in the back of his mind. A distant, taunting thought he didn't dare explore further.

She didn't return that night. Nor did she answer any of his concerned calls. Rick spent the night laying awake, wondering if she was okay, and what happened. If she was ever going to call him back. If that was that, despite their relationship being too short, too quick. His ceiling was now a familiar sight to him from how long he had stared at it that night. Mind racing with confusion and anxiety.

Then, the next morning, she was at work.

Rick almost dropped his bag when he saw her. A loud, stuttered concern escaped from him before he could stop it. She looked fine. His anxiety was for nothing, as she only briefly glanced over.

"Oh, right. Should have mentioned it. One of the kids ended up flicking their cigarette at me. Went home to see if it was a serious burn," Elise said. She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she filled out her time form. There wasn't a single hint of any emotion on her face. Just a dull, blank expression. "It wasn't. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Rick had asked. He felt stupid the moment the words left him. She looked perfectly fine. She looked practically radiant. As if she took a long-needed spa day.

Elise glanced over. "Yes."

"And... the dent?" Rick asked.

She only shrugged. A short, curt shrug. "Scared them off by hitting a pipe against a car. Didn't mean to go hard, but they were risking everyone's lives here. Needed to keep them away for good, right?"

He swallowed. "Right."

Rick didn't ask her about it afterward. But he wondered. Kept thinking about it, over and over from his office. The words repeated. He knew her. Not fully. She was a simple fling, as was he, and they both knew that. Rick wouldn't know the depths of her mind, wouldn't know just how complex her experiences could be. But he wanted to. Oh, how he wanted to. Desperately, as if an addiction he was indulging in. He thought he was satisfied. Thought the simple arrangement was enough. It was. At first. Then this happened, and it send him spiraling into his hopes and wonders and curiosity once more. Rick didn't want to break her apart and examine every piece, but he wanted her sharp words to tell him. Wanted her to take his hand and guide him through what made Elise herself, like a guide through a new, mystical land. There was something to her. And he wanted to know that secret.

But he respected her. Cared about her. Elise may not be a permanent stay in his life, maybe a simple bedmate, but he respected her too much to breach such a topic. She had her secrets. He had his. That was simply life, and he'd be a fool to chase hers around like a drunken fool and never dare to indulge her in his.

As if to taunt him, at that moment, his phone rang. Rick didn't take his eyes off Elise for a moment, wishing that the ringing that seemed to follow him even when the phones remained silent was nothing more than a concept in his mind. Despite his wishes, though, it rang again.

He didn't pick it up. But he did look down from Elise back to his pile of papers, brimming with notes and references and numbers.

Yes. It was best this way.

And so, with that unspoken rule between them, life carried on. They'd share nights and cuddle up while a movie ran on, share those glances between one another when they passed at work. Rick convinced her to try a new type of beer made locally and grinned like a fool when she spat it out and proceeded to whack a newspaper. Yes, it was quite terrible. But it was a right of passage to live there, to know how terrible it tasted, and she passed with flying colors.

They found themselves meeting more outside of work and their typical meetings. The town was small, and bumping into one another was simply expected.

One particular meeting stuck within Rick's mind. When the brunette decided to take a small visit to the library on a hot summer day, he found Elise there. Her outfit was neat and collected, as per usual. Her expression, though, wore exhaustion. She looked almost ticked off as she flicked her wrist to turn the page. The pencil grasped in her hand littered with bite marks, a victim to her frustrations.

"Elise?"

She hummed.

"Elise?"

That broke her from whatever trance she had been in, looking up towards the man. He smiled towards her, a brief warm smile before he glanced about the piles of books surrounding her. The titles were so bold that Rick couldn't help but take a quick peek. Anger management. Transformations. Emotions. Chemical compounds of the brain that release those emotions.

"What are you reading there?" Rick had asked.

She gestured towards his basket. "I should be asking you."

Rick frowned and tucked the basket of comic books behind his back. "I don't think it matters. And I do believe I asked you first."

She chuckled. A warm, heartfelt one. "Well, handsome, it's a book. Do try them sometime."

"I would. Unfortunately, you've already borrowed all of them, from what it looks like. Why do you need so many books?"

"Why do you need to ask so many questions?" She gave him a look out of the corner of her eye that told him to shut up.

He shut up.

Time passed some more. Life was great with Elise in it, making the dull days pop with vivid brightness. She was always a little odd. Nothing he complained about, odd was different and he very much enjoyed it differently. But some of her actions warranted concern. Worry. He could recall, when he stayed at her small apartment, that he saw her counting bills. Her face spoke of stress, and her hands practically trembled as she counted short for... something. He didn't know what. Nor did he ask, as he pretended to be asleep when she ducked back underneath the sheets to return to their warm cuddle.

Rick overheard her ask for more shifts the next morning. He never did share what he learned, but he convinced his Father to give it to her.

Another night made her face twist into an indescribable emotion. The news had been humming while they spent some bonding time on the couch. Clothes were on, but the kiss was heated and wanting. His hand had been somewhat tangled in her hair, enjoying the soft feeling tucked nicely against him as he enjoyed the passionate kiss.

Then she was gone. Her mouth, her hair, parting from him entirely. Rick paused, ready to teasingly voice his concerns, but found himself dry of words when he stared. Her expression was unreadable but left a bad taste in his mouth just watching it. Eyebrows furrowed, lips pressed thin.

The news continued. Background noise to him. Elise, though, was ever so focused on it. Staring at the TV with that expression that sent a chill down his spine. So he tuned in. A news report about a man named Bill. Bill Hubbard. The reporter, a woman with short-cut hair and drained blue eyes, spoke rather blatantly about him. Disgraced. Unwanted. Followed folktales and odd town legends. FBI agent no more, the woman claimed. Said he was running around with his tail between his legs to prove such things existed.

Without a word, Elise reached up and turned off the program. The static was quick to cut out, leaving the silence to stew and grow in his creaky apartment.

"I don't like the news," She said.

He didn't push. But they sat in an awkward, deafening silence for the rest of the night. She went home early. Rick didn't try to ask her to stay.

If only he did. Maybe he wouldn't have ended up on her porch at two in the morning in nothing but his pajamas. He gave her a relieved, tired look.

"Mind if I crash?" He asked. His voice strained and cracked.

Elise blinked sleepily. The floor creaked under her foot as she leaned back. Wanted more of an explanation.

"I'm... avoiding someone." Rick gave her a rough smile as he admitted that fact. "A few people, actually. I'm avoiding them."

She nodded. "You look a bit rough. They catch you?"

"No. I just climbed out of a window on a second floor and am not particularly good at landing in bushes unscathed."

She reached up. For a brief moment, Rick thought she was going to tap his head. As if to treat him like a child, and tease him. Instead, she withdrew with a leaf pinched between her nails.

"I noticed," Elise said. She stepped back, opening her door wider for him. "I'd recommend a shower."

It was definitely not the only leaf or stick in his hair. He felt his face burn at that thought. Elise only giggled at his expression, and let him use her bathroom. They spent that night together, simply laying in bed under the warm moonlight from her bedroom window. It brushed up against her skin just right, making Elise glow like an angel. Rick let himself stare, for just a moment.

She didn't ask. If he had run to his Father's, he would've gotten too many questions. Questions he couldn't answer. Elise didn't do that. She let him run and hide from his problems. To avoid life, the difficulties of it, for just a moment. She knew it wasn't healthy. And he knew.

His fingers drifted across her cheek. Elise was something else entirely. Not an angel who fell from heaven to save him. Not a demon who crawled up to drag him down. She was something different. An anomaly in their little sleepy town.

All good things would come to an end. Rick knew that. He knew his time was limited, that running would never be enough. Despite that fact hoving with each and every phone call he avoided, he let himself enjoy those little smiles he and Elise shared. Their secret fling was a break from expectations. Who could deny them from indulging, only a bit?

So Rick let himself enjoy it. Let himself get comfortable, despite the anxiety that shot through him with each glance at his wallet. The storm was brewing on the horizon, and he was terrified. But she was a distraction. One he took happily, a mystery he could focus on instead of his own.

Things came to an abrupt end when the car pulled up on the curbside, late one night. That night was no different from others. After a late day of work, they decided to walk to Elise's apartment together. It was a lovely night, with a warm summer breeze and singing crickets. He could feel the body heat from the woman by his wide as they enjoyed humorous observations and silly, worthless jokes. Elise's eyes glittered with a mischievous glow as she hinted towards a drinking game. A worthwhile opponent to him. He found himself accepting, knowing that neither would particularly enjoy the walk home after such a competition.

Then the car stopped. Neither had noticed it at first. Not until it stopped just down the street, as if the car was a predator and just found its prey. For a moment, things were tense and silent. Elise and Rick stared, and the van seemed to stare back.

Then out walked him. The man that made Rick's blood run cold.

The older gentleman, with a fancy suit and slicked-back grey hair with specs of red, stepped out. His suit was perfectly ironed, not a wrinkle to be had, and his top hat tilted down in a greeting. Rick took a step back, swallowing thickly.

"Rick. And a stranger. Hello." The man before them gave a short nod as a greeting. He wasn't one who liked to waste time. "Who is this lovely woman by your side? It would be rude if I could not give proper greetings. A shame you didn't introduce us sooner."

Rick felt sweat drip down his forehead. Elise took a short glance at him before sucking in a breath, most likely to calm her nerves. He wanted to throw up and run.

The man across from them narrowed his eyes slightly when they lacked a response. He sighed, straightening slightly. "Ah, no matter. I doubt it'll matter much since our business should be settled tonight, Rick."

"Business?" Elise asked. Her voice was no higher than a whisper.

"Yes." The man held a grin that threatened to rip out Rick's teeth if he misspoke. "Your boyfriend there didn't tell you? Oh, what a shame. You see, Rick and I have a bit of history to settle. Nothing much. I just lent him some money and require him to pay me back, that's all."

"That's all?" She asked.

Rick wanted to yell at her to run. To run himself. His voice, though, was dry. He couldn't find it, no matter how hard he tried. Those eyes across from him were scared, heavy, and warning. His legs were heavy, useless.

"That's all," The man replied. His hat dragged down against his chest, in a vulnerable pose. No matter how he tried, though, his murderous gaze emitted a much different message. "Isn't it, Rick?"

Rick didn't reply.

The man chuckled. "Oh well, that doesn't matter right now. What does matter is the fact you've been avoiding our calls. I even tried to visit you at your apartment. A shame you didn't answer. This may have gone more smoothly if you just were open with us."

Rick wanted to cry.

"The money, Rick. You owe us quite a lot. Where is the money you had promised to pay back?"

Elise wasn't a stupid woman. She likely knew what this situation was the moment money was brought up. Her face didn't flinch in the slightest from the reveal.

"Loan sharks?" She asked Rick.

"My Father... he needed medicine, I - I had to," Rick said. His voice shook, and every word was a struggle to pronounce. "He got sick in early January."

"And we so gracefully provided you the money to help," The man across from them spoke. "We even gave you an extended window to pay us back. Yet you couldn't find the money. Kept asking for more. Your time is out, Rick. Pay us - pay me back. Now."

Elise flexed her arm. Her breathing was labored and practiced. She was clearly trying to keep her emotions under control. Rick wished he had her emotional restraint. He was practically trembling, knowing his bank account was filled with nothing but flies. And he knew that people who didn't pay this man back weren't heard from again.

"I don't have the money," Rick admitted. "I tried, I - just... couldn't get it. In time."

There was no more time. The gleam in the opposing man's eyes said it all. Rick had his time. Had months to try and get cash. Wasn't the man's problem, no matter how much Rick had begged and pleaded for more time. He got half of the year. Anything else was simple generosity the suited man couldn't be bothered to give.

"Ah, a shame indeed. I wished things wouldn't get ugly, Rick."

His fingers snapped. Quick and demanding. And the moment they did, the van doors slide open behind him. Out climbed the largest men Rick had ever seen. With thick black sunglasses on the warm summer night and arms that could crush him.

"I wouldn't recommend you do this," Elise said. They had no power in this struggle yet she spoke so firmly as if her winning was almost a fact. And for a moment, Rick believed her. But she was simply outmatched. The men had muscles that rivaled hers, and their heights dwarfed hers.

The man snorted. "Why?"

"I... I wouldn't," She said. "I seriously wouldn't. I don't like things to get bloody."

The words sounded almost... haunted, somehow. As if she was speaking from experience. And the tone of confidence, mixed with fear and experience, was one he never expected to hear from her.

Yet the man across from them didn't heed the tone. Didn't understand Elise as Rick did. Rick stared, wide-eyed when he realized that Elise wasn't joking. She had an ace up her sleeve. She believed, with all of her soul, that she was going to win this fight.

The man bellowed out a laugh. As did his two bodyguards. That was their final mistake in the encounter. Rick hadn't realized at the moment just how much they sealed their fates with those mocking laughs. Taunting her.

Elise had snapped out an arm and shoved him back.

Rick was met with a thick layer of gravel when he fell. Dirt, dust, and rocks all dug into his back when he collapsed from her sudden push. That, though, wasn't what drew his attention. It was the tear of clothing.

He was only able to stare up at the stars when he heard the first tear. A loud busting of seams from fabric, as if being torn apart. That was when he looked down from the twinkling night sky.

That was when Rick saw her change. When Rick saw everything suddenly become explained and only cause so many more questions. When his life changed forever.

Elise was growing, in a sense. Her muscles expanded so much that her loose-fitting clothes were completely ripping under the growth of her body. She seemed to be either grunting or growling, though Rick couldn't tell as the sound of his own heartbeat overtook his ears, drowning out any other sound. His eyes locked onto her body as her shirt was torn into pieces that hung loosely from her now taller and muscular form that almost seemed to glow under that intense moonlight.

The men across from her had stopped laughing. Rick didn't know if he wanted to start or not. The sense of relief knowing that Elise did have an ace up her sleeve was stomped upon by the realization of what that ace was itself.

There was a clear change in the man's tone when she started to approach, ripping off the scraps of her shirt that remained persistent on her torse. The man in the hat that oozed confidence only moments ago now stumbled back, his hat tumbling to the ground as his face screamed of terror and fear. Elise's - or whoever was in front of him was faced away, but whatever expression they had sent the men falling back against the car.

"You - you can't hurt me!" He fumbled with his words, and he looked as if he were about to cry at any second. "I'll have you know that's a felony, and that -"

Elise snapped out an arm. Her fingers dug into the metal of the car door before she ripped it out of the hinges and threw it several feet away. It crashed and rolled, the horrific sound sending a bolt of terror right through Rick. He could practically feel the vibrations in the ground when it collided with each bounce as if a stone skipping across the water before loudly clattering to a final resting spot only a mere foot or two from Rick.

The man that had just been toying with his emotions and life like his playthings turned and promptly vomited. The two bodyguards looked like they very well might do the same.

They were off with a threatening snarl from Elise. That was all it took. And if Rick could feel his legs, he would have done the same. Yet he could only watch in paralyzed fear as the men boarded their van at record speed and tore down the road, one door lighter than they had started. Leaving nothing but Rick and this new Elise, if she was even still Elise, alone on the dainty gravel road.

___________________

Rick hadn't been able to do much after such an event. What could he do? Rick had only been able to sit and stare as Elise glanced back with bloodshot eyes and a grin that wasn't quite hers before she had rushed off. So Rick did what anyone did. He went home and splashed water against his face to make sure he wasn't drunk.

Whoever that was, it wasn't Elise. That stare, that grin... nothing about that spoke of Elise. It was someone else, who was bigger, who ripped her shirt and left her in nothing but a sports bra and able to rip apart metal with her bare hands.

He wondered, briefly, what she would have done to the men if they hadn't run. He didn't dare continue that thought.

Elise - the real Elise, his Elise, showed up later on his front porch. Her elbows were coated in dirt, she was still in her sports bra and pants, and her hair was matted with branches and leaves and gravel dust. She stood awkwardly, as if unwelcome in his home for what she had done. And he considered it. That thought held no water when he let his memories continue past the horrifying metal sounds. She saved him. And that was all that mattered, wasn't it?

"You can come in," Rick said. He stepped back and held open the door wider, welcoming her inside once more. "I... would recommend a shower, though."

Elise snorted at the reference. A short, lackluster snort. One that didn't find much humor within her at that moment. For once in her life, she seemed almost... defeated. Despite her victory, it felt empty. As if she lost more than the men had.

"Thank you," She said.

The air hung thick with tension as they both moved about, preparing themselves for the confrontation both eventually would have to endure. Their secrets were out, ugly, and in the open for the other to see. Neither could avoid it. Not anymore, not after that event. So, after a shower heavy with steam and coffee brewed, they sat on his couch.

"So..." She said.

"Yeah. So," Rick added.

The silence clung. Rick tenderly sipped from his coffee.

"I... think it's fair that you go first," Elise said.

"Me? I'm not the one who turned into -" He cut himself off, unable to quite find the words to describe whatever he had witnessed moments ago. It wasn't awful. It was scary, but anything unknown was frightening. And that wasn't fair to Elise. "Nevermind. You're right. I apologize, for getting you into that situation. I explained it briefly, but my Father got sick. He needed medication. Our insurance wouldn't pay, so I had to find other means."

"Other means through loan sharks?" Elise asked.

She hadn't touched her coffee yet. Her shoulders looked tense.

"Yes." Rick avoided her gaze. He had a feeling that both of them wanted to bury themselves into holes at that particular moment, for the only purpose to avoid that conversation they were enduring. "I just needed it. I was desperate and they were there."

Elise nodded. "True to the name. Like sharks smell blood, loan sharks smell desperation. Sharks feed off of blood, and loans sharks live for desperation."

He eyed her. "You know too much about this."

"You know I've been desperate for cash. I've run into a few loan sharks in my time. Dealt with them in much the same way."

A bitter chuckle left Rick. Right. Because she had a history. A past filled with mystery and wonders he wouldn't know. Because he didn't know her, at the end of the day. Rick understood Elise, but he never would truly grasp what made her Elise. And how could he have ever guessed? The signs were there, yet none could blame him when the pieces connected into such an odd idea that even Santa Claus would doubt such a notion.

"I have a... I call it a condition, per se," Elise said. She set down the cup she had yet to drink from, her eyes boring into his. "It's hard to describe, but you saw it in detail. Whenever I get overly emotional, I turn into... her. Into 'the other'. That's what I call her, at least. I doubt naming my alter ego that turns me into a taller, muscular, violent person would be a good idea."

Rick was speechless. He saw it happen yet found himself barely able to believe her.

"I don't know how to describe it. It's almost horrifying, in a way," Elise said. She glanced down at her fists and squeezed them. "I get angry, or I get excited, or happy, or what have you. If I feel anything too intensely then I start to change. And it's like something else takes over. Something bigger and meaner and that something wants to hurt people. The severity of how much she wants to hurt them is based on how strong my emotion was. I managed to keep myself kind of calm earlier so she just ran away once the threat was gone."

That explained the look. Rick couldn't get those eyes out of his mind. The blood-red, intense gaze that looked like she wanted to rip him to shreds with her own hands.

"Is that why you - the car, in the junkyard," Rick clarified, "Was that her?"

Elise grimaced. "In a way. I was about to transform when I left. Sometimes I can catch it. The kids didn't know. I was careful."

She was. She hadn't been caught. Rick had no idea what she was even hiding. Until tonight.

"Until tonight," Rick said.

"Yes," Elise said. "Until tonight. I don't blame you, I understand the stress of money. I've been trying to secure money to find a cure for this. As you can tell, it makes traversing normal life and relationships... difficult."

"I would imagine."

The silence was less tense when it consumed the conversation once more. Rick wanted to excuse himself to get more coffee, to refill any drink, but both of their cups were filled to the brim.

"I am going to have to skip town tomorrow morning, though," Elise said.

Rick snapped his gaze back to her. "What?"

Her explanation gave enough answers for the fear in her to melt into nothing but a simmer. To hear her suddenly wanting to leave town was almost jarring to him. He had grown fond of their relationship, the nights he spent with her were quite fun and warmer than the rest of the cold, bleak days.

"Bill Hubbard. The FBI agent that turned into a private investigator," Elise explained. Her hair hung low over her eyes as if to hide them as she continued further. "He's been after me for a good amount of time now. He knows what I turn into and he's after me and her. I can't get into the full details, not without putting you in danger for knowing too much. I'm sorry. But he's a threat to me, and I'll have to leave town once I pack up now."

"Does he know you're here?"

"He knows how to find word of my other coming out. He'll be aware by tomorrow morning."

Right. That made sense. Rick nodded along to those words. A quick, firm nod. Elise was a mystery he now finally had unraveled before him, and he wasn't sure how to feel about the answers before him. He didn't hate her, didn't fear her. It was a twist he certainly hadn't expected to be coming. And Elise didn't lose her charm when all was shared. But it was that disappointment that hung in his chest that got him. Finding out that this was it. This was the last time he'd ever see Elise, and everything would be gone with a single sunrise. A fling like theirs was never destined to last, yes, yet this felt too fast. A cruel end to something he wanted to go on, just a bit longer.

"If it's by tomorrow morning, does that mean you could possibly spend the night?" Rick asked.

There was a pause. Elise stared at Rick like he was the dumbest man in the world. And maybe he was. But if he had to be the dumbest man in the world just to spend one more night with the more unique woman in the world, then so be it.

"Are you sure?" Elise asked. "Aren't you scared?"

"Considering that you saved my life, not particularly."

Rick never did learn any more about Elise that night. Nor did she ask more from him. They spent what little time they had together in bed, simply holding each other as they spoke about quiet and meaningless things. Nothing serious. A quiet, contemplative night in each other's arms, only with the occasional slight kiss and hug to keep themselves satisfied.

Morning came too fast. A flash of pink in the hue of the sky and there it was, bright and warm and all too much. Rick never hated a morning so much, not until that day. Not until he practically glared at the sun for ruining what little time he had with Elise left.

He wanted to ask so many questions. Pondered so many things. Elise answered so much yet so little. He wanted to give the world to her and ask her how she saw it, what she'd do to it. He couldn't muster up the courage to ask her, though. Not when she was leaving in mere minutes, and not when he knew those types of questions were ones she wasn't fond of. To think that a woman of such complexity would chase after a normal life. It was an odd thought he had when he granted her a copy of one of his favorite comic books to remember him by. Perhaps that was why they attracted one another. Moths to flames. He was simple, normal, everything she wished for. And she was new, and interesting, with a tint of mystery that added to her charm. They were what each other wanted, and it was nothing but an impossible dream. They both knew that when she climbed into the rickety pickup truck she had, turned on the radio, and gave one long look towards Rick. That their fling was nothing more than that, and it never would be. Not when the world refused to let her be free, to settle down and let herself be normal, even for just a minute.

Elise understood that. As she drove down the gravel road out of town in the early morning sunset, drinking her coffee made by Rick in his cramped little kitchen, she let understood it all too well. A song picked up on her radio, one she didn't hum along to but had her fingers tap in tune with. A fun town while it lasted, with memories that would keep her awake at night. But a town not meant for her. Not for a long, long time.