Little cabin in the woods [A.J.]

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Okay this... this... was NOT funny. Lydia paced back and forth across the floor of the cabin that A.J. had holed her up in. 'You have to lay low' he had told her. And all for what? So he could go play house with the family of the bastard he was possessing. What in the hell was the matter with him? What difference did it make if this family thought their kid had dropped off the face of the planet? He was probably going to end up getting killed anyway.

She was in a very, very bad mood. The old cabin was set off deep within the woods and had no form of ventilating system... no heat, no air. It was muggy and humid outside... a morning of rain had been followed by a very warm afternoon... and she had opened the windows in the kitchen, but the screens were so molded and torn that all that had done was invite in the bugs, so the windows had been closed again. She was starting to break a sweat from the horrendous temperature... the least the owner of this hell hole could have done was install ceiling fans.

And on top of the heat, she was bored. What did he expect her to do with her time? He didn't want her to go off doing 'her thing', and there was no television here in the cabin. She couldn't even grab an hour's worth of entertainment from A.J.... seemed he was still at dinner with his 'parents'. With a heavy sigh, Lydia flopped down grumpily on the old, scratchy couch and stared up at the dozens of ladybugs that crawled along the ceiling.

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A.J. drove slowly down the narrow dirt path that was supposed to pass for a road. At least the vehicle he'd picked agreed with this type of terrain. The old red pick-up truck bobbed along easily, though he kept his speed relatively slow. He didn't like the hassel of having to drive so far out to get to this place, but then again that was the idea. It was secluded, private. He didn't have to worry about anyone wandering by and recognizing him, or seeing something they shouldn't.

Then he'd have to kill them, and that would just be more trouble than it was worth.

Soon the road widened out into a clearing. The gravel beneath the tires of the truck signified the beginning of the cabin's driveway - or what had once been a driveway. Now it was gravel and dirt.

A.J. parked his truck beside the cabin and turned off the ignition. He sighed. He was wearing a pair of worn, faded jeans, a neon green t-shirt with some stupid yellow logo on it, green chucks on his feet, and glasses. Really they were just frames with temporary non-perscription lenses in them. He'd swiped them from one of the racks at a place that sold discount glasses.

I look like an asshole, he thought as he got out of the truck.

The cabin was a bit run-down, but not a disaster. It hadn't been abandoned long and it was only lacking the normal day-to-day maintanance it would've gotten if it was lived in.

He stepped up onto the porch and headed through the front door. He could see Lydia lying on the couch. She looked miserable, which amused him. He would've loved to hang out here all day rather than having to play the Good Son at the family reunion.

"Hey there little darlin'," he said, smiling. "Looks like you're havin' loads of fun." His tone was light and sarcastic - his host's not his own. It would take him a bit of time to become himself.

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As soon as the door opened, Lydia sat up, ready to give that bastard a piece of her mind for leaving her in this shithole all day, but as soon as he came into view, she found herself too stunned to say anything. She looked him over, shaking her head. "Wow. You look... stupid," she sneered. She stood up from the couch and pushed past him roughly, moving to the refrigerator, where she retrieved a bottled water and stood taking a long drink from it. She had honestly considered laughing at the jerk, and might have, if she weren't so pissed off.

The cap to the water bottle was replaced and the bottle was put back into refrigeration, and Lydia turned to look at A. J. again. She walked up to him, swaying her hips seductively and came to stand right before him. Gently the glasses were pulled from his face and set on the counter. The hem of his t-shirt was clutched in her hands and she pulled it over his head. Lydia moved in and kissed his neck, sliding those hands over his chest, down his sides, across his stomach, and then she reached down and rubbed him through his jeans while she nibbled on his ear.

"Good thing for you I already used up all the hot water with my own shower," she growled teasingly in his ear.

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Lydia sat up immediately when A.J. walked in the door. He could sense her anger and irritation the second he stepped over the threshold. Oh, she was not at all happy with this arrangement. She was bored and restless.

He expected her to start complaining and yelling at him as he closed and locked the door behind him. But she was silent and when he turned around to face her again she was staring at him looking stunned.

"Wow. You look... stupid," she said.

A.J. grinned. "What, you're not likin' the nerdy choir boy look?"

She shoved her way past him on her way to the fridge. It was an unnecessary move since she had plenty of room to get around him. Her skin brushing his allowed him to hone in on her thoughts and feelings. She was aggravated with him, but at the same time thrilled to see him. That didn't surprise him. She had stayed in the cabin all this time.

Before they parted ways in Vegas he'd told her to meet him in Toledo, Ohio. That had been the first test. She'd seemed serious about wanting his power, needing it, but she also seemed impulsive. He needed to be in Ohio anyway, so if she hadn't shown up he would've just tracked her down later. But she had. He'd found her at her hotel and instructed her to wait for him at this cabin. He'd half expected her to be gone by the time he got there. But she'd stayed. She was bored, angry, and miserable, but she'd stayed. That had been the second test.

Lydia got a bottle of water from the fridge and took a long sip. A.J. cracked his neck and shoulders, moving them around to relieve the tension that had built up. It was difficult to be human all day long - really human. To walk, talk, and stand like him; to remember names, faces, relationships; to act like he cared about any of those people. It had taken a lot of self-control and discipline for him to be A.J. He'd even had to sing. Luckily this guy had good vocal cords and he'd taken time to learn a few songs on the guitar or he would've been busted then and there.

He looked down at Lydia as she sauntered over to him, looking too sultry for her current state of mind. He let her pull off the glasses and then the shirt. She kissed his neck, her hands moving over his chest and sides. It would've turned him on if the touch itself didn't offer the insight that it did. She was toying with him, trying to push his buttons as he had by making her wait around for him. She wanted to dangle the bait in front of him only to snatch it away again.

She nibbled on his ear, her hand caressing the front of his jeans. She implied he'd need a cold shower.

He grinned. At least she was being honest.

He pulled her hand away from his pants before he got too aroused and backed away, detangling from her gently.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to make an offer you're not willin' to make good on?" he asked.

He went and sat down on the couch, taking off his shoes. He'd had a long day and he would have loved to relieve a bit of tension with Lydia, so to speak, but she was playing a game with him. She wanted his attention, wanted him to want her so she could withdraw her own attention and deny him.

Well, he could play with her as well... for a while, at least, before he got impatient.

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Lydia watched with fire in her eyes as A. J. ignored her and went to go sit on the couch. If looks could kill... well, A. J. would still be alive on account of the fact that he was a demon, but still. The fact of the matter was that Lydia was NOT happy. She absolutely couldn't stand to be ignored and if the demon thought he was going to brush her off that easily, he was sorely mistaken.

She moved around to stand in front of A. J. and leaned down toward him, placing her hands on his shoulders as she bent down and brushed her lips against his. "I want you..." she began as she started to move into his lap, straddling the demon and shifting forward until their bodies were pressed firmly together. "...to take me to dinner," she finished, grinding against him and bending her head forward to kiss and nuzzle and nibble along his neck and jawline. "A nice dinner. With waiters and a wine list and a dress code," she instructed him.

She knew she was playing a dangerous game. A. J. had every hold on her but sometimes there was no stopping Lydia's ego and her crave for power. And sometimes the power she craved was A. J.'s. She wanted to see him lose control and she wasn't sure she even cared how it was done... with lust... with anger... it didn't matter. And neither did the consequences. "You owe me."

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A.J. kicked his shoes under the table and as he sat back on the couch he stretched. A few joints in his back cracked. He ran a hand through his hair, which he’d styled with a bit of gel that morning. The things I do to keep this body, he thought, messing up the dark blond hair with slender fingers. There were two metal rings on one middle finger that wouldn’t come off, no matter how hard the demon tried to tug at them. He’d tried everything except stripping the skin itself. He’d considered that, but figured it’d be more trouble than it was worth. The rings stayed and served as a constant reminder of the man to whom this body rightfully belonged.

Sometimes they irked Pilgrim for a reason he couldn’t pinpoint. He caught himself staring down at his hand sometimes – his host’s hand – and not feeling right. Sometimes he felt anxious or restless, paced the floor. He felt constricted and confined and at the same time like he was being pulled in several different directions. He felt like jumping out of A.J.’s skin just to stop that feeling. His borrowed heart would pound against the chest; the lungs would feel tight and he wouldn’t be able to catch his breath.

Something’s wrong, he would think, over and over again. But it didn’t make any sense to him because there would be nothing wrong that he could think of.

Normally he’d have to go outside and take a walk, or find something to take his mind elsewhere.

As he sat on the couch, feeling more like a man than he had since he’d entered this body, the rings on A.J.’s finger caught his eye and he stared at them for a long moment.

Something’s wrong…

He glanced up as Lydia appeared in front of him. He’d almost forgotten she was there while his mind had wandered.

He smirked. “Jus’ can’t stay away, can ya?” he asked, his host’s voice and accent striking him more than they usually did.

She bent down, her hands resting on his shoulders as she brushed her lips against his. He let her, but didn’t reciprocate her semi-affection. She straddled him, sitting in his lap, and as she got nice and close, she said she wanted him to take her to dinner. He raised an eyebrow.

“Say what?” he said as she bent forward and started kissing his neck.

“A nice dinner. With waiters and a wine list and a dress code,” she said.

You gotta be shitting me, he thought, and he laughed softly.

“You owe me,” she concluded.

A.J. pulled away from her, having to push her away slightly to do so, and looked at her with a quizzical expression.

“I owe you?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. “That’s an interesting way to look at it. Remind me again… who was it that needed something from who here?”

His accent was beginning to fade as he spoke as he began to feel more and more like himself.

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re a pistol and all, but who’s the one who dragged their ass all the way out here and waited around in a cabin all day? Truth be told, I didn’t expect you to be here when I got back. But, here we are. Now, that’s saying something, since you don’t strike me as the type to wait around for anybody – especially a man.”

A.J. put his arms around her as he stood, pulling her up with him as he did. Her arms were around his neck, her legs around his waist. He turned around to detangle himself from her and dump her on the couch.

“You think I owe you because you had to endure a few hours of boredom?” He laughed. “Bullshit. I had to walk around acting like this douchebag all day. You think that was easy? And now you think I’m gonna throw on a suit or something and take you on a date?” He laughed again and shook his head. “Let me clear something up for you. I don’t do dates.”

He went to the fridge, opened the door and peered inside. He grabbed a bottle of beer and cracked it open, turning to lean on the counter as he took a sip.

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Lydia stared in shock as A.J. dropped her onto the couch as though she were nothing and went over to the kitchen area. She had been trying to push his buttons and was fully expecting him to turn her down regarding dinner, but the insults insinuating her desperation weren't something she had anticipated. She wasn't about to put up with it either.

"And it's somehow MY fault that you think it's important to blend in?" she growled as she got up from the couch and stalked over to him. Angrily, she snatched the beer bottle from his hand and upturned it, pouring the amber liquid all over his socked feet as she met his gaze with an angry glare. "I waited around in this disgusting little shack all day for your sorry ass because YOU claimed that you could teach me something new. But do you know what I think? I think you're scared," she hissed, looking him up and down as the last of the beer flowed from the bottle, a puddle having formed right at their feet that she had no intention of cleaning up.

"You're weak," she continued, looking him in the eyes again. Now that she had opened her mouth it was as though the words just came flying out. She didn't like being brushed aside and she sure as hell didn't like having her time wasted. The asshole was lucky that she couldn't kill him but right now, she was becoming determined to find a way to do just that. "You pretend to be some college mama's boy because you're too afraid for anyone to know what you really are. You probably don't have anything to teach me anyway. What could I possibly learn from a pathetic creature like you?"

Lydia had had enough. She had more important things to do than hole up in a rotting cabin waiting for this asshole to make good on his promise to her. Angrily she drew back her arm and swung the empty beer bottle at his head, watching in satisfaction as it shattered against his skull. She was left with a shard of a broken bottle in her hand and she dropped it on the floor, spat on A.J.'s feet, and turned on her heel to walk out the front door.

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"And it's somehow MY fault that you think it's important to blend in?" Lydia asked as she stood from the couch.

She wasn’t happy with him at all. He could sense her anger almost as if it were his own. He hadn’t known how she’d react to what he’d said, but that was part of the reason he’d said it. He wanted to push her buttons too, after all.

He also had no qualms about hurting her feelings, if such a thing was even possible.

She approached him and, as he went to take another sip of beer, she snatched the bottle from his hand and poured the contents onto his feet.

"Hey!" he said, doing his best to move his feet from the stream of liquid. But the puddle forming was unavoidable.

"I waited around in this disgusting little shack all day for your sorry ass because YOU claimed that you could teach me something new. But do you know what I think? I think you're scared," Lydia said, glaring at him.

He met her gaze with a hard stare. "Do you, now?" he asked, his voice taking on its natural deep timbre, losing his host’s vocal qualities.

This little outburst from Lydia was enough to make him shed his human disguise, even if he didn’t seem outwardly angry.

"You're weak," she went on, letting the last of the beer trickle out of the bottle. "You pretend to be some college mama's boy because you're too afraid for anyone to know what you really are. You probably don't have anything to teach me anyway. What could I possibly learn from a pathetic creature like you?"

A.J. could feel the liquid seeping into his socks, making them soggy, cold and heavy. He stared at Lydia as she spoke. She wasn’t only angry – she had a strong desire to do him harm. He found that slightly amusing, but her words also annoyed him. She really didn’t get why it was he did what he did, did she? But calling him pathetic? Well, that just pissed him off. He may not have been the most powerful demon or even the most ambitious, but he certainly wasn’t pathetic.

"Listen, lady –"

But he didn’t get to continue. The beer bottle smashed and shattered against his head, showering glass over the floor and his bare skin. He felt a few shards sink into his scalp, the warm, wet sensation of blood oozing out.

"What the fuck?" he growled, shaking glass from his hair, his eyes going black.

He barely noticed when she spat at his feet and dropped the bottle. He was too angry to care about that. He was angrier at himself than at her. He should’ve seen it coming. He needed a bit of a refresher course himself, it seemed. Too much time playing human had made him rusty. But she was wrong to assume it had made him weak.

She’d wanted to do him harm – that was expected and understandable, given the circumstances. But the fact that she’d had the balls to actually go through with it, despite the fact that he could kill her damn near effortlessly, well that was interesting.

Lydia turned and started heading for the door.

Oh, she thinks she can actually walk away after that? he thought.

That was the first lesson he’d have to teach her: Never turn your back.

He turned his attention to the door and concentrated, hearing the click of the lock turning into place, as he picked up one of the larger shards of glass from the floor. He started walking toward her, paying no attention to the glass as it dug into the bottoms of his feet through the socks. It hurt, but he’d felt worse pain. This was barely a pinprick compared to the fires of Hell.

A.J. grabbed Lydia by the shoulder and turned her enough so he could shove her against the living room wall. He pinned her by holding his forearm tightly against her neck - not enough to make breathing too difficult, but enough to hold her in place. He put the sharp tip of the glass shard beneath her chin, not pressing hard enough to draw blood, but applying enough pressure for her to feel it.

"First off," he began, "NEVER do something like that to somebody and then turn your back. That’s just common sense." He leaned in closer, his cheek brushing hers as he whispered in her ear. "And secondly, never ever do something like that to something more powerful than you are."

He pulled back enough to hold her gaze. "Lesson number one."

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Lydia gasped as she was suddenly grabbed and shoved up against the wall. Now this was more like it. She hated to think that A.J. had gone soft by playing human all day. One of the biggest reasons that she stuck with him like she did was that he wasn't afraid to put up a fight. And he would always come out on top but that didn't bother Lydia any. She had no complaints about A.J. being on top.

The shard of glass was angled toward her chin and she craned her neck to avoid being impaled by it, gazing down her nose at his liquid black eyes as he made his point about not turning her back. A slow grin crept over her face as she looked at him. "There you are," she purred, reaching out to swipe a finger into the thick trail of blood that was streaming down the side of his face from the glass wound. She stuck her blood-soaked finger into her mouth and sucked it clean, her eyes never leaving his.

"Now get off of me, Pilgrim," she said with a sly smirk. He had no intention of killing her any more than she had intention of killing him. He kept her around for a reason, and whatever reason that was, it wasn't gone just because she smashed a beer bottle over his head. In fact, she had a feeling that he probably reveled in the pain. "Or at least take off your pants if you're going to stand that close."

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Pilgrim studied Lydia for a moment. He didn't quite sense fear from her as much as thrill and anticipation. He probably should've expected that. She'd wanted his attention when he walked in, and now she had it.

He still held the glass shard beneath her throat, but had no intention of actually stabbing her with it. If he'd wanted to do that she'd be dead already.

They stared at one another for a few seconds and then Lydia smiled slowly. Pilgrim smiled back, his eyes still black.

"There you are," she said, wiping some blood from his face and sucking it off her finger.

"Oh, now that's just gross," he said, his smile broadening. Clearly he was not at all disgusted.

"Now get off of me, Pilgrim. Or at least take off your pants if you're going to stand that close."

Pilgrim laughed, removing the shard from Lydia's neck.

"Now that's classy," he said.

He leaned in closer to her, running his fingers down the side of her face.

"Just one detail, though," he said with a serious expression.

He let his cheek brush hers as he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"How can I get off you and get you off at the same time?"

He pulled back to smile down at her. She really was getting more interesting the more time he spent with her. She bashed him over the head with a bottle, he came after her with a piece of glass, and now they were making dirty jokes and laughing about it.

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Lydia closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as he whispered in her ear. "You're right. What a strange predicament," was her silky reply as she moved her hands between them and started to unfasten his jeans. She clutched the denim material in her fists and pulled him tightly to her, and instantly her mouth was on his, kissing him with an intensity that revealed just how appealing their violent argument had been to her.

When finally she broke the kiss, she placed her palms flat on his chest and shoved him away from her. "Your blood tastes... different," she said, her gaze flickering up to the smear of red along his temple, and then she broke into a grin. "Spicy," she said with a wink. Lydia wasn't one to drink blood for kicks but she actually found the violence between them sexually appealing and intense. And just that one taste of his blood had sent a tiny surge of energy through her, though she couldn't be sure if she had just imagined it or not.

Once again she grabbed the front of his jeans and led him over to the couch, unzipping them completely before pushing him backward onto the sofa. Lydia climbed into his lap, straddling him, her hands moving affectionately into his hair as she looked him over with complete curiosity and adoration. "Do you have blood of your own that mixes with the human's?" she asked, leaning in to kiss a trail from his cheek up to the hairline. When she pulled back, she licked her lips, erasing the leftover traces of blood.

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Pilgrim didn't feel the way humans did. His emotions came quickly and intensely and were always a dark and twisted version of what they should have been. He'd been quick to anger, but as quickly as the emotion had come, it faded to be replaced with a sort of passion.

"You're right. What a strange predicament," she said.

He could sense her excitement and her desire for him and it only added to what he'd already been feeling. He felt her hands tugging on his jeans, pulling him close. Her lips were on his and he returned her passionate kiss, his hands coming to rest on her hips. His kiss was not gentle, but she didn't seem to mind. In fact, she seemed to like that he was a little violent.

Lydia shoved him away to break the kiss, which irritated him slightly. He smirked when she said his blood tasted spicy.

"Does it, now?" he said, raising his eyebrows.

He leaned forward and kissed her neck. These kisses were soft and gentle, teasing. "It's a side effect of being what I am," he said between kisses.

He pulled away to look at her and she led him over to the couch, tugging on his jeans. He let her unzip them and shove him onto the sofa. Pilgrim landed on his back, laughing as Lydia climbed on top of him. She ran her fingers through his hair, her eyes examining him with an intense hunger and desire. She wanted him just as he wanted her.

"Do you have blood of your own that mixes with the human's?" she asked as she kissed his face.

Pilgrim thought about it for a moment. He'd never really thought about the physiology of possession.

"I don't think I have blood since I don't really have a body anymore."

He watched her lick the blood off her lips. He thought she was a fascinating creature. Morbidly beautiful.

"But, yes. I guess there would have to be something that mingles with the host's body while I'm in it," he decided.

He placed his hands on her hips to move her as he sat up. He smiled, moving his hands to her waist.

"I never really thought about it," he said.

He moved her hair away from her neck and shoulders to kiss her neck.

"I'm more interested in your body than this guys," he said.

He kissed her collar bone and nibbled it gently. He was realizing that he and Lydia were very similar. She intrigued him in a way no other human had.

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"Oh, I don't blame you there," she grinned slyly, closing her eyes and tilting her head to allow him easier access to her neck. Lydia's fingers curled into his hair, tugging at the roots. She knew that it wouldn't bother Pilgrim at all but for the first time since meeting him, she wondered just how aware the boy whose body he inhabited was. Did he lie dormant inside the body while the demon had him possessed? Did he protest many of the decisions that Pilgrim made using his body? Did it disturb him that she was using him for her own sexual gratification with no regards to what he wanted?

The very idea that she and Pilgrim were putting A.J. through a potentially emotional ordeal just in order to please themselves and each other was extremely gratifying, not to mention sexually appealing. It was like Pilgrim holding the poor bastard down so that she could rape him, and she felt empowered, suddenly finding herself hoping that he was screaming on the inside.

"Mmm," she sighed, leaning forward and nuzzling his throat, allowing her teeth to graze his collarbone. "Does A.J. have a girlfriend?" she asked as she leaned back and grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifting it over her head. "Because it would be such a shame if she happened to walk in on us somewhere," she purred, grasping the material of his shirt and tugging upward on it so that she could remove it as well. There was a dreamy, faraway look in her eyes as she imagined the love of A.J.'s life walking in on the two of them in a situation similar to this one. "What a way to ruin someone's life," she grinned, pressing her mouth to his hard in a lip-bruising kiss.

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Pilgrim continued to kiss Lydia's neck as she replied. He felt her tugging at his hair - a slight twinge of pain. But pain like that didn't bother him. After Hell, not much did. He wondered vaguely what Lydia's pain tolerance was. He supposed he'd find out soon enough.

She leaned forward to nuzzle his throat. He felt her teeth against his collar bone. She seemed to like inflicting pain, which amused him. Though she seemed to be testing his boundaries, at least that's what he figured.

"Does A.J. have a girlfriend?" she asked as she pulled away to take off her shirt.

The question surprised her and he looked at her curiously. This was the first time she'd asked him anything about the guy he was possessing. He'd assumed she didn't care. That or she just didn't think about it.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it would be such a shame if she happened to walk in on us somewhere," she said, pulling his shirt over his head.

Pilgrim laughed.

"Not that I know of. If he does she's pissed off because he hasn't talked to her in a long time."

Pilgrim had a feeling A.J. didn't date much, or at least he hadn't until he got possessed. She commented that that'd be a way to ruin someone's life and she gave him a hard kiss before he could reply. He returned the kiss and pulled her close.