King of Hearts

-make sure you read chapter 12 first... I posted it about 5 seconds ago xD-

When Pete ran out of the room, I realized something about him. I realized that his whole life was built on lies. Everything about him, and everything about the way he addressed the world was a lie.

Every detail, right down to the nickname he called me, the way real names weren't used, it was just asking to crumble around him. It wasn't entirely his fault though, lies were all he was given to build his life with.

I'm sure if he was given sturdier material, he'd base his existence off of something more... real. But I couldn't help but be thankful for the way Pete turned out. He'd opened my eyes to his whole world, one where nothing really mattered.

Standing alone in that room full of secrets and blood, I realized one thing. I had Pete's heart. To him, it wasn't just a card, there was literally a connection.

And I knew, again, what I had to do. My eyes traveled over to the table, where the other cards sat, unfazed by the events that had just taken place, as if they were caught in a bubble, where nothing could harm them unless the hurt was intentional...

I walked over to the deck, and saw seven cards still lined up perfectly straight, two of them flipped over; the Ace of Hearts, and the Ace of Spades. While to most people, the latter would be the more appealing card, Ace of Hearts was my heart. And I knew who it belonged to.

Pete had chosen it. He may have cheated and lied to get it, but he'd won it. There was no turning back now.

I picked up the second heart, and I felt a sense of security knowing that my heart was in my hands. But that wouldn't last long; hopefully Pete would take care of it.

"One last chance. Let's hope it's a tie game, no one wins, no one loses." I said quietly to myself. I had a tighter grip on the King of Hearts, as it was the heart that seemingly meant more to me.

"He'll be in the garden room." I said aloud. It was as if I wanted to hear any sort of noise, always hoping it will come out sounding like Pete's melodious voice. Of course, it never was, but I could hope, right?

I walked through the mansion, searching for his favorite room, searching for any sign of life. And finally I found it.

In front of one open door, the floor was covered in lush, green grass. There were a few dandelions, spots of yellow littering the mass of green, but it was beautiful.

As I got closer, I noticed fresh footprints in the grass, making me smile. Pete was in there. I walked in through the doorway, and in front of me was the most gorgeous scene I'd ever seen. In the center of the floor, there was a huge fountain bubbling up, giving life to the garden around it.

There was ivy climbing up the walls, and every kind and color of flower scattered around in and orderly chaos. To my left, there was a stone bench, hidden amongst bushes and tall sunflowers.

To my right, there were pansies and tulips, in every color imaginable. There was a small tree growing, it couldn't have been more than in inch thick around the trunk, with small light green leaves scattered sparsely around the fragile, young branches.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but it seemed to point to something. I turned my vision, and lay my eyes on a rose. It wasn't crowded by other flowers, it had it's own space by the fountain. It was half living, half dead, as if it hadn't decided quite if life was worth it.

It was our flower. The one that I'd stared at for so long, the one that wouldn't show me it's thorns. But I realized this rose didn't have any, it was the fact that is was half dead that was so horrible. I wanted to do everything in my power to make it live.

Then I realized the significance of it. It was a symbol of the relationship between Pete and I. Just like the outcome of this 'game' could be fatal for us both, it could also give us both life. The ending wasn't decided yet.

I looked up then, straight into the gorgeous eyes that I'd realized I loved. He owned my heart, and now I owned his.

Pete sat under a massive, old tree in the back of the room, his body curled up with only his head sticking out.

He was looking at me, tears streaked down his face, and his normal magician's outfit gone. He was dressed simply in the white shirt and black pants, the jacket, hat, and gloves nowhere to be found.They were a part of the game, a part of the lie, and they didn't belong in a place as sincere as the garden room.

Pete looked down at my hands, noticing the two cards I held. I flipped them so he could see what they were, and he gasped while I held the Ace of Hearts out to him. The look on his face was new, it was a look of sheer joy.

He stood up slowly, quivering slightly, and walked towards me. His movements were careful, as if he was afraid this wasn't really happening, that this wasn't real. But when his hands came in contact with the card I was offering him, the shaking stopped.

He looked back up in to my eyes, beaming. "P-Patrick? You really want me to have your heart?" he seemed so happy, as if it meant more to him than anything.

"To tell the truth, I didn't want you to have it at first. But you won it, and I can't do anything about that. Besides," I held up the King of Hearts. "I own yours." His eyes glistened with happiness, his grin was of joy rather than secrets. "I wouldn't have it any other way" he said, moving closer to me.

His lips collided with mine, but this time the only thing held between us was our hearts. No knife, no lies or secrets, just love. It may have sprouted from lies, but it was the most real thing I'd ever experienced.

We wrapped our arms around each other, still gripping the cards in our hands. As we kissed, the world seem to disappear, time seemed to slow down. All that mattered was the way his body molded to mine, the way our lips moved together.

We both collapsed at the same time, falling onto the soft, damp grass. Our lips stayed together, desperate for what they'd been missing and wanting for so long.

We dropped the cards on the ground, and they became a part of the garden for the time being. In this moment, the embrace we shared, the kiss, we didn't need anything else. I slid my hands through his hair, and he pulled me closer to him by my waist.

We lay there, locked at the lips, and at the hearts, for an immeasurable amount of time. But when we finally broke away, and I looked into his shining eyes, I noticed something out of the corner of my eyes.

The rose was fully alive.