Jane x Faustus Chapter 1 [Bex solo]

            There was a horrible ringing noise that wouldn't cease, as it pulled the young woman into awakening with a jolt. Groaning, she reached for the infernal thing and, looking quickly at the number on screen, hit the call button and grumbled out a greeting. "If this isn't an emergency, you will soon find yourself in one." Her voice was gravelly from sleep as she struggled to open her eyes fully.

"Jane….I need you to come over. Like, NOW, please. It IS an emergency!" Her friend’s voice echoed down the line, making Jane sit up a little as sleep seemed to vanish.

"Eric? Are you alright? What's happened?"

"Just get over here and I will explain! Hurry!" he replied as the line went dead.

Groaning, Jane threw off her covers and got dressed. She worked nights, hence why she was asleep at this early hour. Looking over at her alarm, she groaned as the numbers showed only twelve past noon. Great! One hour of sleep. But her friend needed her, so, finally dressed, out the door she went.

It didn't take her to long to get there; granted, he only lived a street over. When Eric answered her knock, he all but yanked her inside, slammed the door shut, and locked it behind him. So not his temperament, for someone she knew to be calm and levelheaded all the time.

"So, what's the emergency?" Jane saw he looked a bit pale. "Eric? What is it?"

"Come… it's this way. I… ummmm… I was out early this morning. You know how I love to go digging for old stuff in the early morning," he began by way of explanation. Jane listened quietly as she followed her friend back towards his room. "I was on the old Wiccheten Place and was just digging about. You know that place used to be an old church at one point and, well… I found something." They had reached his room by this point and Eric had pulled out an old, battered, and beaten rusty metal box. He shoved it towards Jane.

"You were where?! Eric! You know better than to go near the old Wicchenten Place, let alone dig there! It's forbidden, closed off to the public! Whatever is in that box, I don't want it!" She shoved it back with the tip of her toe. "Take it back!" she hissed at him.

"That's the thing, I can't! Not after what I saw was in the box!"

"You opened it!" she shouted, eyes wide.

"Yes! It's an old box, buried in the middle of what used to be an old church. Wouldn't you?" Eric shot back.

"NO!" Jane shouted. "You have no idea what went on in that place, and if you did, you would never have gone there. Legends are there for a reason, Eric. You don't just waltz in and take whatever you want. Put. It. Back!"

"I can't take it back! Look in the box! You will see why!" He was biting his thumbnail at this point, a worrisome habit that Jane had come to hate, but she knew it meant that Eric was really worked up about something and didn't know how to explain it.

"Fine! One look, and then you take it back!" she grouched. She bent down to unlatch the box and opened it.

At first, she wasn't really sure what she was looking at. It was a head, obviously, but it was in too fine a condition to be real, or so she thought. The eyes, though, were a mess, like something had exploded them and left them scarred. It was a prop. Had to be—it was the only thing that made sense.

She gave Eric a look that was both confused and angry. "You woke me up…for this? It's not real!" She gave the box a slight kick and almost jumped out of her skin when a voice rang out from within.

"Would you, by Satan, stop doing that! It isn't the most comfortable of positions to be in in the first place, let alone kicked about!"

The voice was decidedly male, and it made Jane lean down and peek into the box again. She smirked and looked back at Eric. "Good one. Throwing your voice. Nearly had me."

"I assure you, it wasn't him!"

This time there was no mistaking it. She saw those lips move, heard the voice herself. Oh Gods in Heaven! What was happening!?

Mouth ajar, her eyes never left Eric’s; her friend gave her a look in return as he nodded.

"You see? I can't take it back! It talks! It's…alive….somehow! But I can't keep it either!"

Jane shook her head, violently. "Yeah, NO! No way, Eric! I bail you out of a lot of stuff but NOT this! NO! I am not taking a severed, talking head back to my house. You are insane to even think that I would agree!" she ranted.

"But, Jane! You are the only one I know who knows about stuff like this. You are the one who was so into the Occult at one point. If anyone can figure out what to do with this…thing, you can! I can't be caught with this in my possession."

"Oh, and I can! Is that what you are saying? Plus, I got out of that stuff a long time ago! It's a HEAD, Eric! One that hasn't rotted, and it TALKS! What am I supposed to do with that!?"

"I HAVE a name!" Came the male voice from the box, sending them all into silence.

Jane glared at her friend as she stood across from him and if looks could kill, Eric would be dead. She reached out, slammed the lid of the box closed, and latched it. "Take it back! I want nothing to do with this!" She stood and made to leave, only to freeze when Eric called out to her.

"Alright! Go ahead, and then when you need a favor from ME, don't bother!" Eric knew the weight of those words; as simple as it sounded, he and Jane had been through a lot together growing up. Their 'favors' often had run towards the dark. When Jane sighed, he knew he had won this round.

Jane closed her eyes and counted to ten. "I hate you…." she said softly, as she turned back around. Bending down, she picked up the box and shook her head, still glaring at her friend.

"No, you don't. Enjoy!"

"Ohhh…fuck off!" Jane's voice was hard, but the hidden laugh was there as she walked out of Eric's bedroom and headed for the door. "I can't believe you are making me do this. This is too creepy, even for me!"

"Hey, you live alone! It's the perfect setup for something like this. If my girlfriend came home and saw this, she'd freak and never come back. So…thanks."

"Ugh! Whatever! You owe me…BIG!" Jane smirked as Eric nodded and opened the door for her.

"I know, and thanks. Try and think of it as a project. It might make it easier. Bye!" He waved as the door shut and Jane swore softly under her breath as she walked home with her morbid 'prize'.

OwO

Once back home, Jane went up to her room and shut the door. She sat the box on her table, which held her laptop and a few knickknacks, and just stared at it. She had no idea what to do now, and she hated not knowing. This was too weird to be real! Things like this didn't just happen! But she couldn't deny it—the box was in her house, sitting on her dresser, and she knew what was in it.

Sighing deeply, she opened the lid again and peered in. She stared for a moment and felt her mind swirling in so many directions at once. "I simply don't know what to do," she muttered to herself. She sat back in her seat with another sigh.

"Well, that makes two of us. Where in Satan's name am I?" that voice demanded again, which caught her attention and angered her.

"Stop! Just stop talking! This isn't right, by any means! And don't you invoke Satan around me again! Who are YOU!?" She spoke harshly, not one to be bullied about.

"Shall I stop talking or do you want to know my name?" That voice sounded so arrogant that it took all she had not to throw the damn box across the room! But that wouldn't be very productive.

"Your name…and I suppose you want out of the box next?" she answered sarcastically.

"That would be much appreciated, yes, and my name is Faustus. Faustus Blackwood." He sounded a bit more polite that time, but Jane wasn't buying it. Whatever he had done to deserve this fate, he clearly wasn't a good man.

“Jane.” She introduced herself in return, as she did have manners.

"Charmed, I am sure," he replied softly. "Now, if you please? This is most uncomfortable."

She didn't like the idea of having to touch him at all, but neither would she leave him in this stinking old box. She stood and went to get a small dish that she rarely used in her rituals. "Alright…but first, you are getting washed, cause I am not having anything dirty in my house." She reached in and shut her eyes a moment. Telling herself that it wasn't real, that it was a prop, made it much easier for her to actually pick the head up and not drop him.

She carried him to the bathroom—for she now had to admit that this was a person, strange as it seemed—and set him lightly in the tub. She took her time washing his hair, careful of his eyes, and tried not to pay attention to the sounds he made as she did so—as if he enjoyed it!

Once that was over with, she brought him back to her room and set him on the small dish she had covered with a satin piece of cloth. She moved a good distance away, to just stare.

"Thank you." His voice was soft; he seemed to be waiting to see if she would respond.

"You're welcome," she replied, just as softly. She had so many questions. "How long have you been in there? How is this even possible?"

"I bear the Mark of Cain, as such, I cannot be killed." His reply was so matter-of-fact that she nearly laughed. It was such a simple explanation.

"As for how long, I was put in there in the year 2014. What year is it now?"

Jane's eyes went wide at hearing this, and she nearly gulped. "It's the year 2021," she said softly.

"Seven years? Are you sure?"

"Yes, the year is 2021. I am positive." This made no sense; Jane felt herself grow a bit woozy at the implication. But her attention was diverted by something much more pressing.

"Forgive me, but what happened to your eyes?" she asked, ever the healer.

That wasn't exactly a good thing to ask, Jane noted, as Faustus's expression turned slightly hostile.

"I was tricked," he said simply; that was the end of the discussion.

"Ohhh…sorry," Jane said gently. "I am a Healer, so I might be able to help, if you would permit me at some point."

He seemed to seriously consider it, but he merely nodded. Jane went to stretch out on her bed, getting comfortable, as she tried not to stare at him. It was still a little unnerving, him being what he was.

"So, Faustus, what happened to make you…well…this way? This must be some strong magic…." She chuckled softly, arms under her head.

"Again, I was tricked. I was once a powerful High Priest of the Church of Night. Headmaster at the Academy of Unseen Arts. I was led astray, and for that, I was punished." He spoke so eloquently that Jane knew he had to come from a good background, which lent credence to his story. "As far as magic, what does a mortal like you know of such things?"

"Hey! Don't get lippy with me or I'll put you back in the box," Jane threatened, pointing at him. "I know a lot about magic. I used to practice the Arts at one point."

He seemed to regard her a moment, and then nodded again. "Why did you stop?" he asked, seemingly curious.

"Because…things happened, that I was not, at present, ready to deal with," she replied softly, looking up at the ceiling. The fact of the matter was, she had lost someone she loved very much. At the time, she had figured it was because she was using magic, so she had stopped. It was a memory that haunted her every day. If she had not gone down the path she had, would her loved one still be alive? That was the worst possible 'What if?' she had to live with daily.

"You lost someone?" The words were soft, curious, and for some reason, that level of understanding enraged her.

"Would you just be quiet for once!?" she bit out, glaring at him—angry again that he could not see her glare—and sighed in frustration. "Yes! Ok! I did…and had I not been practicing, I might not have!"

"You cannot know for sure though…" That voice, still soft, gentle even. "Perhaps you should try again?"

"I will never go down that path again! Ever!" she raged back. For once, Faustus kept his mouth closed, causing her to sigh deeply again in exasperation as she flopped back onto her bed. Silence reigned for a few moments, as they both said nothing.

Jane was slowly fading back into sleep when she heard just the softest of whispers.

"I am sorry…"

Turning her head ever so slightly, she glanced over at Faustus and sniffed as she looked back at the ceiling. "It was a long time ago, but…thank you." Her words were soft. "I work nights, so now is when I sleep. If you want, I will look at your eyes for you when I wake, before I leave for work. Just…try to stay quiet till then, and by the Gods, stay silent till I get home." She chuckled softly. "If anyone finds out you are here, they will cart you off to perform experiments or something on you and do Gods knows what to me, so shhhh!" A soft chuckle escaped her as she rolled over to face the wall, closing her eyes once again.

"Good night, then, Jane." His voice was the softest of whispers, and it made Jane smile faintly.

"Good night, Faustus," came her equally soft reply as she faded into dreams.

OwO

She awoke again to another buzzing sound, only this time much later than her set alarm. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she saw the time and felt panic flood her.

"Shit! I'm late! God damn it, Eric!" she cursed; she must have hit her alarm button when she answered his call. But she needn't have bothered—she had two voice messages from her boss saying that they were overstaffed and for her to take the night off.

Now she was left with a free night and no idea what to do. She couldn't go back to sleep; she was too awake. So, after seeing to her necessities, she sat down in her computer chair with a huff.

"Are you not going out, then?" Faustus's voice nearly had her jump out of her skin again. Convinced that this whole thing had been a weird dream, she had forgotten he was there till he spoke. Reaching out to turn on the lamp nearest him so she could see him better, she shook her head.

"Nope. Guess not," she replied, trying her best not to stare. She sat there a few moments before she suddenly stood, walked back to the bathroom, and grabbed a few things. She needed to keep active or the thought of having an actual live, talking head in her room—who at one point had been an actual person— would drive her mad!

Upon returning, she set up the things she had brought within her reach and turned to look at Faustus head on. "So, I did promise to look at your eyes, did I not? I am a Healer and would like to look to see if there is anything I can do, if anything. Granted, I no longer work with magic, and I am not even sure magic can heal you at this point. But will you permit me?"

"You may." His voice was haughty, his words terse, as if he did not wish to discuss the matter further.

"It will hurt,” she warned.

"I am aware."

"Alright then…." She leaned forward, turning the lamp to give her better light, and began her assessment, trying to be as gentle as she could. The outer areas of the eyes had taken the brunt of the punishment: the skin crackled and was dried with old blood. She gently washed the areas with Q-tips dipped in rubbing alcohol.

"So, I know you said you were tricked, but….what did this to you? I ask only to know what I am working with. It helps to know what happened." Indeed, it would help to know, but it would also hopefully help him keep his mind off the pain and keep her from thinking about how he was just a head.

"It was gunpowder. Exploded from a box when I opened it," he answered stiffly, clearly in pain but trying not to show it. "I was—greedy, in my former life. I paid for it."

"That explains the burnt-out edges, then." She nodded to herself as she picked up a small scalpel and carefully cut a few areas of dead skin away. Her hands were gentle but quick as her own eyes took in his. "It looks like the outer edges of the eye took the most of it. Once I get it cleaned a bit, and if you were extremely lucky and managed to close your eyes in time, I think you might see again. Most of the damage was done to the surrounding tissues and not your actual eyes."

A fleeting smile ghosted across his face. She noticed and chuckled softly.

"Not one for hope, are you?" she gently teased as she continued lightly cleaning out the areas around his eyes and eyelids.

"What have I to hope for?" he asked, rather woodenly. "I am reduced to what I am now due to my actions. I made poor choices, and if I had my body back, there is a good chance I would do so again. Hope has no being in my creed."

"That's sad," Jane said softly. "You would think you would at least try to learn from your mistakes. If one must live forever, why spoil it?"

He was silent at this. For the next hour, nothing was said between the two of them. That was simply fine for Jane, as she preferred the silence to empty talk. Near the end of the hour, she was content with her work.

"I will stop for now, give you a break. I have cleaned you up to the best of my ability. Tomorrow, we can check your eyes themselves. Let us HOPE they are not severely damaged inside." She chuckled and went to clean up. Her desk looked like an operating table, covered in blood, both wet and dried, as though she had murdered someone.

When she returned, she bit her lip and removed a stopper from a medicine bottle. "I don't know if you can eat or drink anything, given your current…situation…but I do have drops that will help with the pain, if you want,” she offered. She could not knowingly leave anyone in pain, and he was no different. "They go under your tongue, so you don't have to swallow them. Do you want to try?"

For a moment, it looked like he would refuse. He was a stubborn, prideful one, wasn't he?

But he nodded. "Please." He opened his mouth enough for her to place two drops under his tongue. She then recapped the bottle and set it aside.

"There. That should take effect soon….and if it doesn't, I will think of something else." She sighed softly to herself and laid back on her bed again, grabbing a book. Silence reigned for a while as she read, trying not to steal glances at him; she was curious. This was beyond strange, but he was there now, and she had to find a way to deal with it. With him.

OwO

Two hours of reading later, she marked her place in her book and set it aside. She was getting sleepy; she yawned softly as she settled back further onto the bed.

"You are going to sleep again, now?" he asked.

She perked up a little. "I don't know. Maybe. I don't have to work, and I am a little tired." She looked back at him. "Don't you sleep?"

"I do. In fact, it was all I really did in that box." He was surprised that he was being so forthcoming. But it felt so GOOD to finally have someone to talk to other than himself.

"I can imagine. How are you not insane? I mean, if I was locked up somewhere, even for a short time, with no light or anyone to talk to, I would go mad indeed."

"Who is to say that I didn't?" Faustus chuckled softly. "I would be convinced this was all a dream and I would wake back up in that box, if not for the pain in my eyes. That alone lets me know it is real, and I thank you for it."

"You have a strange way of saying thanks, but you're welcome, I guess." Jane chuckled, then yawned again. "Don't worry, though. Long as you do nothing to endanger me, my home, my friends or even yourself, you will not go back into that box."

"Your word on that, please?"

The way Faustus said that made her open her eyes from where they had closed and really look at him. Even without his eyes, Jane could tell he seemed nervous. He had a tic in his jaw, she noticed, as he awaited her answer.

"My word…you have it. You will never go back into the dark like that again. Long as you hold to your end. No harm to me, my home, and those I love, or even yourself," she repeated with another soft yawn.

"Then….you have mine as well. No harm will come to you, or those you love, or myself," Faustus said gravely, knowing what kind of vow he was making. One he was planning to keep, this time.

Catching the sounds of Jane's yawns, he smirked faintly as a soft chuckle escaped his lips for the first time. "Sleep, Jane. I can hear your yawns from here. You will not disturb me, nor I you. I assure you."

Jane only nodded as she curled back into the blankets and sighed softly. "Good night, Faustus." She said softly as sleep slowly took hold.

"Good night, Jane. Sweet dreams."

OwO

The next day pulled Jane into awakening way past dawn, and she groaned softly when the light that filtered through her window curtains danced lightly across her eyes. Blinking, she sighed as she stretched, feeling a bit better since she had gotten a decent amount of sleep. It was midmorning, a time when she was normally asleep. Grabbing her phone off the dresser, she noted the time and smirked. She had today and tomorrow off, so she didn't really have to worry about rushing anywhere. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. As she felt her body relax into the mattress, she smiled faintly to herself. It was a new day.

Opening her eyes, she turned her head just enough to glance over at Faustus, who sat quietly upon her desk. A small smirk crossed her face as she slowly sat up. He seemed to perk up at hearing her movements.

 "Good morning, Faustus," she greeted him with a grin as she stood and walked past him, towards the bathroom.

"Good morning, Jane," he replied politely.

"Someone’s in a good mood today," she teased as she shut the door. She completed her morning routine, then returned to the room and took up a seat in her computer chair nearby. Tilting her head slightly, she could see the areas around his eyes were no longer black- or red-looking but had healed well…and so fast.

"Wow…" she said breathlessly. He really couldn't die, could he? To heal that fast…. But then, if he healed that fast after what she had done, why hadn’t he before? Reaching out without warning him, she slid her fingers just under his chin and tilted his head lightly to the left. Faustus jumped slightly at her touch.

"Sorry." But she didn't release him. "Just…the outer areas of your eyes….have almost healed…and so fast." True, the rest of his eyes were still a mess, but the areas she had tended to were free of any blemishes.

"If you are quite finished!" His voice sounded cold again, making Jane release her hold on his chin. He cleared his throat and turned towards the direction of her voice. "I dislike being touched, unless I expressly give you permission." So arrogant, so haughty! Almost made her want to break her promise to him just to shut him up! But no, she wasn't like that. Many things she was, but a liar wasn't one of them.

Faustus sighed and tilted his head ever so slightly, an odd thing for him, considering that was all he was, head and neck. "You startled me," he said by way of apology. The cold aloofness in his voice nearly made Jane laugh. "You said, the outer edges have healed? You may check my eyes if that is your intention." He seemed eager this time around.

Jane nodded as she got up to go get more rubbing alcohol, Q-tips, some wipes, eye drops and a better light to see by, which she strapped to her head like a miner lantern.

"This is really going to hurt, but again, I will try to be gentle. Just bear with me," she said softly as she got comfortable in her seat and scooted closer. "You will feel my fingers first." She reached out and lightly traced over his closed eyelids, feeling for anything hard like dried blood or dead skin she would have to remove. Hearing a sharp intake of breath from Faustus just at her touch wasn't a good sign, but she didn't stop. "Sorry. Now, I want you to try to open your eyes for me. Slowly. I will help you by pulling up the lids; don't force it, though." Her voice took on a commanding tone.

 She wiped away the muck and crust over his eyes lightly as she could, then placing thumb and forefinger under and over his right eyelid, ever so slowly, and with his help, opened it.

The eyeball under the flaps of skin was whole, but the iris was glazed over and there was a scar going down one side of the actual eyeball. "Well, that doesn't look too bad. Can you see out of it at all?" she asked.

"I can see grey shapes, but nothing else," came Faustus's bitter reply.

"Hey, it will take some time, but at least your eye on this side is intact. Don't give up so soon."

"Do you ever cease to be so annoying an optimist?" he bit back at her with a frown.

"Nope! Never." Jane chuckled. "Now, hold still. I have to look at your other eye." So saying, she did the same to the left side. Cleaning out the muck and the crust and cutting away small areas of dead skin, she took hold of the actual eyelids and lifted them as Faustus tried to open his eye at the same time. This time, though the eyeball was still intact, it was grey all over. Not a good sign. But Jane doctored it as she did the other eye: placing drops in them and cleaning them out with water the best she could, trying to hurry so that Faustus wouldn't be in pain needlessly.

"There. Finished," she said softly. "Now, we wait. See what happens…and probably repeat that process for a few days."

Faustus’s stern silence damn near drove Jane mad. She ignored him and turned her attentions to her computer and the music she had been working on for weeks instead, after she had, once again, cleaned up. Having her earphones on, she was unaware that she was humming to herself as she listened to the music she had already played and arranged but was still missing that one component to bring it all together. It had been eluding her for weeks, but she couldn't seem to find just the right tempo and chord to complete her song. Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, she realized Faustus was talking and removed one of her headphones to be able to hear him. "Sorry? What did you say?" She chuckled softly.

"I said, what are you doing?" Faustus said in that gruff way of his when he was curious and trying not to act like it.

"Listening to music that I wrote, on repeat. Trying to find the missing beat for a song I am working on." She had no idea why she told him, but it was nice to have someone to talk to as well, even if the situation was totally strange.

"You? Wrote music?" Faustus asked, looking interested. "Might I hear?"

Jane looked at him as if he were about to tease her for such a hobby, but hearing him ask to hear her song, made her curious as well to what he thought, and she nodded, unplugged her headphones, and pressed play again.

The music that played was soft, but strong. A violin melody that was accompanied by several back pieces in higher and lower tones, as well as piano and organ music. It seemed to tell a story, but without that missing part, it was incomplete. She watched Faustus as he listened and watched as approval washed over his face before he could school it off his face.

"You wrote and played that?" He sounded awed.

"Yes." She answered simply.

"Again? Play it again?" he asked eagerly. She played it at least four more times for him, till she realized what he was doing. She caught the faint sounds of him humming and she started! Reaching out, she lowered the volume of the music, which caught Faustus unaware.

"No! Keep going….please…." Jane called out to him as she listened, her own eyes closed as her music and his humming coincided together. "I'll be god damned! That's it!"

She bolted out of her chair and went to her closet. She dug out her violin, quickly tuned it, and sat back at her chair. She began recording. The song started again; finding the right key, she played the soft tune Faustus had been humming in time with her already composed music. The music flowed through her as the violin sang softly, but strongly, throughout the room. Her eyes closed as she let it take her. It was sad, joyful, pleasure, pain, all rolled into one! What she had been looking for all along! It was PERFECT!

Once the song was over, she hit stop on both devices and then hit play on the recording one after it rewound and listened intently. What she heard took her breath away! The missing link to her own song came from Faustus's mind! His humming cemented the song in a way that had escaped her for weeks! It was absolutely beautiful, and now the melody was complete!

Smiling over at him, and forgetting he couldn't yet see her, she chuckled softly. "That….that is perfect, Faustus! How did you ever do that? Catch that tune? Thank you!" She gushed, so overly happy at this moment. "That song has been driving me crazy for weeks because I couldn't find the right tone to complete it….and you…find it almost instantly. A million times, thank you!"