Come {BREAK} *me* {DOWN}, bUrY *me*, bUrY *me*

Sterling closed his eyes tightly, not allowing any tears to come. "Stop it... don't do that... I"ll do anything to make you stop..." he said. Why was she literally torturing her? And figuratively torturing him? Sterling knew it hurt him more than it hurt Catalina... to see her silently screaming on the floor. At this moment, he had never hated anybody more in his life. His blood was boiling with angry passion, his face redoubtably contorted with rage... but he couldn't do anything about it, or he'd lose her forever...

"Anything..." he said again quietly, for emphasis.

Sterling tensed as she pointed her wand at Catalina. "No!! Don't do it! Anything anything I swear!" he said, hardly being able to fight back the tears that were forming in his eyes. Was she going to make him torture Cat? He couldn't do that... But would he if the situation demanded it?

Fuming with internal conflict, he shifted his weight from side to side. This was bad... this was really bad... Stupefy! he thought, curse aimed at Nerezza. Even if she used Catalina as a shield again, at least she would be unconscious for the torture...

"NO!" Sterling screamed through the Cruciatus Curse. Torturously, he held his ground, not wanting her to kill her. Then the spell was lifted, relief washed over him... then a spray of blood. "No..." he said quietly. He dropped his wand obediently but sprinted straight at Catalina. He cradled her lovingly in his arms... "No... Cat... I'm so sorry..." he said as tears ran liberally down his face.

Sterling had phoenix tears in his pocket... although he didn't dare use them, for Nerezza would kill both of them if he did. Sterling tried desperately to hold the wound closed with his hands, direct pressure... but nothing would work, it was far too large of a cut.

"Bitch!" he swore at Nerezza. He didn't care if she killed him... didn't care at all... as long as Cat survived this brutal, unending torture. Guilty memories of Sterling and Nerezza's kiss trickled into his mind. He tried to push them away... that was nothing, it was a fluke... He leaned forward and kissed Catalina on the lips... hopefully she was strong enough to get up and leave despite the gigantic gash across her chest.

It seemed an appropiate enough time. James was in his usual mood- the urge to submerge in the energy and pulse of London was irresistible to the young man. But he found waiting for him in one alleyway would be enough to satisfy his adventurous ways- he found a wizarding duel. There was a tanned woman pointing a wand at a pair of kids his age- they seemed to be in desperate need of help. He instantly cast a blasting charm at the woman, and dived towards the girl. He recognized Sectumsempra from his days at Durmstrang.

"You," he quickly said to the boy, giving him an alpha-male glare. "Duel her, buy me time. I know a counter-curse, but its tricky. Go." With that, James Wake pulled out his 9-inch wand of yew, its tip burnt with the over-use of magic he could only describe as "miraculous."
He began to mouth words as quick as he could, articulating almost everything as precisely as he could.

[[Dude...]]

Sterling glanced upward as somebody entered, probably to save his soul, yet again as they people always did when they entered while he was in a predicament. Words washed over him but he didn't hear them... his heart leaped for joy as Catalina's wound began to close... but he wouldn't leave her. He knelt next to her as the unidentified man started curing her... he was thankful, yet somehow resentful that it wasn't him that was able to cure Catalina. He had been hit by this very curse by the very same person before and had gone to St. Mungo's to cure it... he had never been taught the countercurse, for he had never studied the Dark Arts.

And he hated himself for that.

He couldn't save her, and here was another random person running in to save the day as always happened eventually. He resented Nerezza, for being so deliciously evil, and himself for being so ineptly weak.

Instead of gratitude for the newcomer, he felt a strange twinge of anger. She was his Catalina, nobody else was allowed to heal her. Even though he knew it was necessary, he wished he could do more to help her. Part of him wanted to turn and punch him in the face.

[[Psh, nice job Ace]]

Sterling heaved a sigh of relief at the sound of the pop indicative of disapparation. So Rezza was gone. Thank god. He squeezed Cat's hand tighter... "It's okay Cat... she's gone..." he told her soothingly.

Yet, he couldn't explain it, part of him wanted her back here... wanted to fight her... enjoyed being in the desperate position he so often was... part of him was desperate to be at her mercy again.

[[Should we pick this up somewhere else? What was he going to have to do?? Dang it lol, my curiosities will never be fully placated.]]