Your Eyes

by Puredeadthingy

AU Angels Unlimited or Agent Angel fic: What if Mel had Fallen, too?

AU Fic: If Mel had Fallen too, what would have happened?

Reviews adored.

'Oh, but I haven't come for Molly. I've come for you!'

…

'Mind the door doesn't hit your backside on the way out.'

As I turned away from the boy with my final snotty words, I expected the dark vibes to go away. They didn't. They grew slimier and closer and I was just about to fling a fist behind me when his voice slithered over my ear, like oil.

'They're bullying Jade.'

At the mention of my little sister, I turned around sharply, ignoring just how close he was and avoiding looking into his empty blue eyes.

'I don't believe you,' I said coldly, moving so he couldn't see Molly.

Molly's mother ran in, shaking slightly at the sickly vibes the boy was giving off. She gathered up her daughter and they both hurried off to the air raid shelter. I turned away from him and prepared to beam back.

His hand clamped on my wrist. I tried to yank it off.

'Let me go.'

He thrust a small black phone into my line of sight and pressed a button. Immediately, Jade's face came into view. She looked lost and tired; I had to bite my lip to stop from crying.

'Hey, Jade! Where's your sister? Splattered all over the road!' yelled one kid cruelly, plucking at her bag strap.

'Pity your family's so poor I bet you can't even afford a proper funeral,' said another one. As they taunted her, Jade seemed to get smaller and smaller until she was practically bent double. I was smarting with fury, but as the video ended I unleashed it all on him.

'The Agency'll help her,' I snapped, digging my nails in his hand so he'd let me go. The boy examined the marks carefully, and then smirked. 'No, Melanie, they won't. They didn't help my brother.'

I backed against the table. 'Why should they have helped you? You're a member of the Opposition.'

'Actually, I was an angel,' he said, and then smirked as I paled. 'My name was Brice. My little brother, Dom, was in serious trouble and they didn't lift a finger to help him. They'll watch him just destroy himself. But the Opposition…'

He walked nearer to me, and I found I couldn't look away from his eyes. 'Well, the Opposition let me check up on him. Get whatever's harming him away. Let me help him. Imagine what Jade might do to herself, bullied like that day after day…your Mum is already destroyed by your death, you want to make it harder for her? What if Jade hurts herself? It'll be all your fault…'

I shuddered at his tones, and pushed him away. 'I told you, no. You're evil—'

'Am I evil for caring?' he said mildly. 'I don't think so. I'll be seeing you again, Mel…whenever you want to talk about it, just look me up.'

With that, he faded away into the ether, a heavenly light strobed down, and Michael appeared, looking cold and angry.

'I'll have those, thanks,' he said coolly, pointing at my angel tags.

End-of-term and the rest of the class had left for some exotic zoo trip. I was banned from all activities and was effectively shut in my dorm. I'd broken the rules badly, I'd been told, and they didn't even know about my conversation with Brice. I'd left my team in a precarious situation and could have got myself into trouble. I was barely a trainee; didn't I know or care that I couldn't have defended myself?

I didn't tell them about Brice.

Right now I was ensconced in bed, waiting for the Agency to call so I could know if I was kicked out of school or not. I couldn't sleep—didn't need to but I wanted to—just so I'd have something to do. But every time I shut my eyes, Jade's gaunt face swam into view and then Brice's words were on replay in my ear…'It'll be all your fault…'

The phone shook me from that thought. I shot up, scattering pillows and the duvet, and snatched it from the handset.

'Melanie, it's Michael. You can come down to the Agency now.'

'Ok,' I said in a wavery voice, but he'd already hung up. I swallowed and put the phone back, rubbed my face and took the two flights of stairs down to the Agency car, feeling more alone than I ever had before. The Agent driving the car didn't even look at me, and we sat in silence for the whole drive.

Eventually, we arrived, and before I knew it I was in the waiting room. The receptionist didn't meet my eyes, and when I was told to come in she breathed a sigh of relief.

Seated round a long table were the beings that governed Heaven. Not one of them was smiling. Michael did not indicate I could sit, and so I stood, looking down at the ground and fiddling with my bracelet.

One of the archangels (Gabriel, I think), began to talk. I couldn't actually listen to his words, because his tone was so…heavy. I forced myself to open my ears, just as he said '..probation.'

I nearly choked. I couldn't understand what he was saying. Was I allowed to stay?

Michael clarified. 'We're very disappointed in you, Melanie, and we won't be letting you on another mission for a while. You will be on probation for another term, but you can stay.'

He smiled a little, but it left me cold. I was angry, and I couldn't explain why. They were generous to let me stay, I knew. I nodded blindly and they let me leave, where I tore down to the beach. Nobody was there.

I let myself cry for a while. Suddenly, someone started patting my back. Jerking my head up, I saw Brice.

I am sorry to say I flung myself off the rock I was sitting on. Brice looked insulted. 'I was only trying to be nice, God…'

'How did you get let in here?'

'Still following the rules, Mel?' he asked leisurely. 'I just beamed up. It's a little perk of being employed by the Opposition.'

I didn't answer, only put my head to the side. Within moments, he was next to me.

'Do you want me to show you Jade again?' he asked gently, and I shouldn't have nodded.

Jade was shown to me, coming out of our corner shop. Mum sometimes sent us down there together to get some bread if we'd run out, and Des always gave us some extra for sweets. Of course, now she had to go alone.

I watched my little sister lean her head tiredly against a wall and sob. She looked beaten-down, exhausted, and above all, vulnerable.

Brice whispered silkily into my ear. 'Now, you'd think that the Agency would send out her guardian angel, right? But if they won't even help her sister—who, by the way, was doing a good thing with Molly there—what hope in hell does a kid like Jade have?'

I wiped my face, and felt that terrible, cold anger bubble up inside me. Quite calmly, I looked at him.

'I want to help her.'

He shut his eyes. 'Alright. You realise you'll be a fallen angel in that case.'

I nodded, shaking. I got up quickly, and etched a word in the sand for Lola and Reuben.

'You don't have to do it,' he said.

'I want to. To save Jade,' I breathed, feeling sick.

He shrugged. 'Take my hand. And…then you'll be a Fell.'

I could see, out of the corner of my eye, Lola and Reuben running towards me. Reuben must have felt something was wrong. I bit my lip and offered my hand to Brice; he took it, and the wind picked up. I glanced at my 'sorry' in the sand, and then Brice and I fell downwards, whirling through a vivid amber-and-red vortex. I was frightened; he let me cling to him for support. His face got paler and paler as we fell lower.

'You're going to hurt soon,' he whispered, and I only had time to glance at him before the pain ripped through me. It was all the disappointment from my heavenly colleagues, all the pain my family had felt when I died, even physical pain—slicing down my back, to get rid of the wings I did not have yet.

I don't remember how long I screamed for. All I remember is blearily landing, chilled, seeing my angel logo disappear from my top, and feeling my eyes become expressionless and dead. (I don't ever want to feel that happen again). And Brice lifted me up, so he could show me an old, large, red-brick house.

'It's full of fallen angels, love,' he told me. 'Welcome.'

I've told you before how it felt to die. This was like it again. Throbbing music permeated the air, and I didn't know where I was or how long it went on for.

This time, I knew what was happening. I was becoming warped, twisted away from what I should have been. It made the sensation worse, and I could only hope for it to end soon.

But all things must come to an end, and I presently woke up, shaking and nude, outside the house. Two girls were near me, and one presented me with a sheet. I wrapped it around myself.

'You're Brice's, aren't you?' asked the first girl, a redhead with clear green eyes and sallow skin. I nodded. 'He would have liked to stay and help, but he got a call from Upstairs. They were keen to let him see Dom after he helped another Fall.'

'I didn't do it for him. I did it for my sister,' I corrected her.

'I did it for love,' piped up the other girl, about thirteen, with dark hair, olive skin, and eyes that might have been sparkling once. 'My name's Juliet.'

The redhead threw her a glance. 'Juliet is rather too young to hold her counsel,' she apologised. 'But since she has told you, it would be rude for me to leave. My name is Sabd. I was cursed and then killed after I had given birth…I came for vengeance, and to see my son again.'

I shuddered. Juliet tugged at my elbow, pulling me towards the house. 'Come to our villa!' she pleaded, and I followed her mutely.

It was depressing inside. Fallen angels had tried to recreate their rooms in Heaven with vibey postcards or cute lamps. The postcards were tattered, the lamps cracked, and what shocked me as I caught a glimpse of the other Fallen were their hungry expressions and their beautiful, empty eyes.

Even more shocking was the realisation I was one of them now. Sabd noticed my stricken look and pointed towards a staircase. 'We have a spare room up there. It can be yours now. It will be difficult the first night…for many nights afterwards. But it is the path we have chosen, and we shall be rewarded.'

Picking up the sheet, I picked my way upstairs through the awesomely sad vibes and tattered walls. The room was middling-sized, with only a bed in the middle of it, making me feel exposed. I clambered into the middle of it, wrapped my sheet around me, and I cried myself to sleep for the first time, in Hell.

The next day dawned early, bleakly. I opened my eyes and thought myself drowning in Dark vibes. Then I remembered, and my mood wilted further.

Sabd came in, with a faded, embroidered, tattered dress. 'This is for you. One of Juliet's old gowns. I know you won't much like it, but Upstairs won't furnish you with clothes until they're convinced you're not a spy for the Agency.'

She leant close. 'If you are, I suggest you get out whilst you still can.'

I shook my head. 'I'm not an undercover angel. I'm just a girl who needs her sister.'

Sabd raised her eyebrows at me, and left me with the dress and some underwear. It was more of a shift, but it fitted and it kept me warm. I trooped downstairs, and found Brice in the kitchen, making some kind of tea.

'Hey,' he smiled widely, and for the first time I thought that perhaps Jade was not the only good thing my Falling could cause.

'You're happy,' I commented as I collected and rinsed an old mug, in preparation for the tea.

'They let me see Dom last night. For…um…you,' he said embarrassedly, coughing. 'I'm sorry you had to Fall.'

'I'm not,' I said without conviction. 'It's for my sister, yeah?'

He smiled sadly. 'I know, Mel, I know. Hey, you want some tea?'

I passed along my mug to him and he filled it with some lemony-smelling stuff. 'Thanks,' I said quietly, and he looked pained.

'I don't think you will. Thank me, I mean,' he mumbled, and my eyes flickered to meet his. 'No. You're right. But…'

He nodded and brushed past me. 'Upstairs'll be checking out your emotions soon. A warning.'

As I took a sip, and followed him into the common room, I said 'That's the second time somebody's told me that—'

And suddenly my world was collapsing in and the feelings I'd felt as I'd Fallen were a hundred times worse because they were projected in front of me, in flames and ice. I could hear Lola sobbing and Reuben's teeth chattering and Mr. Allbright's shocked voice and Maudie's gasp of disbelief and Jade's wail and Miss Dove's shudder—

And then I was back in the common room, tea spilt all over the floor, Brice having caught me, and Juliet surveying me.

'I heard a rumble upstairs. You're a proper one now,' she told me happily, and scampered off.

'Feel any better?' Brice asked me, as I looked, dismayed, at the smashed cup. 'It does take you rather by surprise.'

'I…yeah,' I said breathlessly. 'Um. Maybe I should clean this…'

'Oh!' he said quickly, pulling me up. 'I'll help.'

Sabd regarded us thoughtfully, before announcing that she was going to boil the kettle again. Brice quickly went with her to get some paper towels and all I could think about was his eyes as he had caught me.

They hadn't been quite so empty then. I had a sneaking suspicion mine showed some emotion, too.

A pale girl with shiny chin-length hair pointed upstairs with her cigarette holder. 'You might want to go change, doll,' she said huskily. 'The tea's on your dress. I'd lend you a dance outfit, but they're Velma's alone and it seems as though your style just arrived.'

She winked, and settled back. I raced up to change and found myself confronted with a huge light wood wardrobe. Cautiously opening it, spindly little vibes crept out, eventually swinging the door open and blasting my room with toxic vibes.

'Ow,' I whimpered. I guessed my system was still adjusting to the change in vibes. One way to make it go faster—saturate yourself in them. I stripped off the dress and pulled on black bootleg jeans and a snow-white top with what looked like black inkblots marching across my chest. It made me dizzy, but I combated it by racing downstairs just in time for Brice to come out of the kitchen with the paper towels. I collided with him, and he dropped them.

'Maybe I should just stay in my room, where I can be clumsy privately,' I said with a smile, picking them up for him.

'Perhaps,' he said. 'But you don't know what you've got planned for today.'

'Eh?'

He smirked. 'They don't give much notice. My guess is that you'll get to see Jade soon, for a few minutes. Then…you'll come back. And you'll want more…'

Brice trailed off. 'And if you do stuff right, you'll get to see them.'

I stared at him. 'Like…?'

He smirked. 'Come on, Mel, it's not like they're letting you board for free. You won't have to kill anyone. Having a bad time once in a while is what makes us human.'

'I suppose,' I said sadly. He must have noticed it, because he rubbed my arm in sympathy. 'Isn't it said 'resist not what is evil?' We're just…balancing the universe.'

It made me feel a bit better. He pulled open the common room door and walked to the teastain. I helped him mop the lemon stink, and Sabd came through with more tea. 'Now, sit before you drink it,' she said, smiling somewhat. I flushed and Brice helped me up. He pushed me to a beaten-up chair and indicated that's where I should sit.

'Didja embarrass yourself this much on your first day?' I muttered as I lifted the cup to my lips. He sat on the arm of the sofa.

'I was more angry,' he said consideringly. 'So…pretty much. Was roaring at people, telling 'em I hated them…some of them had gone through the same sort of thing, so they understood.'

He paused to take a sip. 'Nobody exactly had to help me Fall.'

'Don't say if you don't want to…but then how'd you know about Dom?'

He shrugged. 'Did Angel Watch one night, didn't I? Flashing up on that bloody computer screen; my little brother.'

'Oh.'

'Ditched my team the next mission to my century; then, managed to find an agent.'

He leant forward, dark blue eyes unreadable. 'Lucky me.'

The Velma girl with the shiny hair snorted. 'That's how mosta the earth angels got here, babe. I think Mel's the only one you've personally scouted.'

I looked at him in shock. 'That true?'

He blushed and looked away, and then his eyes flickered back to me. 'Yeah. Knew you'd got a reason.'

Velma snorted once more, and took a drag of her cigarette. 'Like that's your only reason.'

'Velma, shut up,' Brice ordered. He started to say something and then shut his eyes tight, apparently in pain. As quickly as it had gone, it passed and he smiled slightly, falsely.

'You can see Jade now.'

I sprung to my feet. He stopped me, and gently reprimanded me for my excitement. Brice cocked his head towards the front doors and we exited not on a sparse plain like I remembered, but in an eerily-glowing red room, filled with travel pods.

'We take a timed one,' he said. 'A few minutes with her…'

'I get it,' I said, through gritted teeth, climbing in. 'I just want to help her. And where the hell does it say 'we'?'

His lips tightened and he slammed the portal door shut. Without warning, I took off, spinning through space again.

It wasn't nearly as nice as heaven. I was spiralling through what the Opposition must have considered their greatest triumphs. The Crusades, gas attacks, dictatorships…the stars burned right from my window, eventually turning pure black.

Three seconds later, I was in the science block of my old school, at 3.20, according to the clock on the wall. Twenty minutes before the end of school for us, ten for the junior school. The corridors were deserted. I grabbed a baby-blue hoodie off some Year 11's peg and put it on so the hood and my hair partially obscured my face, and dived down the stairs and out the back way.

I had to wait a few minutes for Jade to emerge, cursing every second wasted. She was one of the first out, and I immediately began to follow her, not wanting to scare her, but I really needed to know what was happening to my little sister.

I wished I could talk to her. I couldn't. All I could do was watch her…not treading on the cracks, oblivious to the shouts of the Juniors and the games of the Infants. She was like Honesty. Totally zoned out.

And then those wretched kids came flying past. 'JA-ADE, JA-ADE, HER MEM'RY'S GONNA FA-ADE.'

I reached out to run to my sister, and then, as suddenly as I'd arrived, I was back in the hall of Hell.

'NO!' I screamed, drumming my fists against the glass wall of the travel pod. 'YOU SAID I HAD MORE TIME!'

Arms wound themselves about my shoulders, pulling me away before I could do damage to the portals or to myself. I realised they were Brice's, but I didn't want to stop fighting to get to my sister. About to scream again, his voice spoke first; and it was low, calm.

'I warned you…Mel, it's OK, you'll see her again, I promise it's OK.'

'No.' I whispered hoarsely, barely feeling the tears running down my face. Brice turned me so I faced him, and his expression was one of pity. He clumsily wiped away the tears on one side, and pulled me into a hug.

'I didn't mean to make you cry,' I heard him say.

I was in bed, staring at the ceiling. I was depressed after my visit to Jade, and it showed. A few days had gone past since and every part of me ached to see her again.

'Mel?'

Maybe not every part.

I sat up. Dully, 'Hi, Brice.'

He seemed mildly pissed I didn't immediately leap out of bed, saying how sorry I was to be sad over not seeing my sister for a grand total of three minutes since I died. He should have understood.

'Are you ever coming downstairs?'

'Maybe.'

Brice casually strolled to the foot of the bed and sat down. 'You should. I don't think you're going to beat the world record—28 days.'

I raised an eyebrow.

'It can get boring here sometimes.'

I was about to reply when he grabbed my wrist, that pained look on his face again.

'But not, apparently, now,' he mumbled, more to himself than to me. 'Fancy a mission?'

I didn't, of course. But between that and Jade? I'd pick Jade.

As Brice waited for me to get dressed behind the wardrobe, he shouted the information he knew. 'Elizabethan era, trying to find a kid and make sure he doesn't tell this girl his name. We'll be visible, so it doesn't matter what you're wearing—Mel, are you listening?—we'll automatically change once we step out of the portal. I'm Edward. You're Sara.'

'Hang on, though, I don't know any manners—'

'You know how to curtsey?' asked Brice. 'That's all you need to do, really. Warn me of trouble, try and not speak—yeah, I know that'll be hard for you, Beeby—'

'Ha ha,' I said, coming out from behind the wardrobe. 'And basically keep an eye out for--?'

'Don't worry. Technically it's a no-go zone apart for cosmic, um, outlaws,' he said quickly.

He wasn't fooling me. 'Keep an eye out for who, Brice?'

'Maybe…some students on a mission,' he mumbled.

I was struck with horror. 'What, Angel Academy students?! Brice! I can't do that!'

'Babe,' he said sternly. 'For Jade.'

He had me then. 'For Jade,' I agreed in a whisper.

We stepped onto a dark Elizabethan street in the rain, wearing period gear. Brice gallantly shielded me from the wet with his umbrella. Both of us were becloaked, and Brice appeared to be looking for someone. I followed his lead.

Presently a figure came running through the rain. 'That's our guy,' whispered Brice, and stepped out from under the umbrella.

'Goodness, Sara, I do not believe we have encountered such weather in a while,' he said loudly. 'Ah! Young man!'

He stopped the guy from walking past us, and I regarded him as he looked up. Expensive clothes, nice blond hair, generally quite handsome. Soaked through, of course, but…

Brice was spinning him some shpiel about how him and his 'travelling companion', Miss Sara needed an inn for the night, he was Edward Brice, could he recommend someplace? And then they'd have a drink together, naturally, he'd be buying; oh, Nick Ducket? Lovely to meet him—

'Sara! Do come here and greet this young man.'

I smiled and walked out to meet him, mustering up my memories of Drama and giving him a wobbly curtsey.

'Yes, I know an inn,' said Nick, eyes fixed on me. 'The Feathers. Lady?'

He offered me his arm, and something in Brice's eyes flashed, but I had to take it. He walked behind us until we got there.

The inn was fairly empty. A dark-skinned girl was talking to a boy, a customer, and looked up we entered. I spotted a dirty white dog and bent to stroke it. The dog bared its teeth and ran away behind the counter. I whipped my hand away and returned to Brice, blinking back tears.

Animals and angels get along. Animals and demons apparently don't.

'Cat!' Nick was saying. 'These two require rooms.'

Cat didn't like us, I could tell. She was one of those humans who was extra-sensitive to celestial beings. In fact, as we were lead up to our rooms by another woman, I could hear Nick whisper to Cat, and Cat retorting; 'Teach the torches to burn bright? Douse them, more like. Did you not feel her evil?'

Brice squeezed my hand. 'I'll be very mean to her, darling, I promise,' he whispered. I gave him a look, shaking my head. We didn't need anyone else hurt on this mission. He shrugged and, having located his room (adjoining to mine; I asked if the door could be locked), went downstairs to talk shop with Nick.

I changed for bed (our bags had changed to reflect Elizabethan times, as had all our clothes) and got between the heavy covers. I stared at the ceiling for some time, until the creak of the door made me suddenly switch views. It was Brice.

'I asked them to lock it!' I said, insulted.

'They did; calm down, Mel,' he said. 'I just…well, we may not be angels anymore, but we're still powerful beings.'

He came to sit by my bed. 'Sorry I had to leave so fast. But it's working out: Nick likes my plan.'

I remained silent. He guessed what the matter was, and, pulling me up, put an arm around my shoulders. He didn't say anything for a second, and then awkwardly lowered his face. He sort of cleared his throat, and then he kissed me.

Pulling away about three seconds after his lips touched mine, and flaming crimson, he stood up.

'Wait!'

'What?' he mumbled.

'At least give me time to kiss you back.' I said, and threw off the heavy counterpane. I stood on my tiptoes and pecked him on the lips.

Brice's Opposition alarm went off in the other room.

'Shit…Mel, I'll be right back, I swear.' He looked like he meant it, too.

I nodded and sat on the bed as he slipped through the door.

He didn't come back that night. I think I fell asleep half an hour later, anyway.

Coming out of my room the next morning, who should I see but him? He looked mildly ill, and tried to talk to me the moment he saw me emerging.

'Mel—'

'It's fine. I don't want to talk about it.'

'Mel! Don't be like this, please—'

'I'll be however I like. I don't want to talk about it. I'm fine.'

'Sara!'

He'd switched to my Elizabethan name; nearing the stairs, we could see Nick, obviously trying to eavesdrop.

His eyes were gleaming with triumph as we both came down the Feathers' stairs. He thought he was in with a chance. I was in no mood to be hit on by some kid, and I glared at him. Nick raised his eyebrows, and off he went, with Cat and their friend, to the Playhouse.

'Want to go too?' Brice asked me, somewhat anxiously.

I shrugged. He took that as a yes, and grabbed hold of my hand, pulling me along.

'I swear to you, I meant to come back.'

'Mmm,' I said, uninterestedly. 'I understand.'

'Mel!,' he said angrily, and swung me round, gripping my upper arms firmly, staring at my face with his blue eyes showing a flicker of emotion.

'What?' I managed, holding my own.

We glowered at each other a few seconds before Brice shook his head. 'I still want to kiss you,' he whispered. 'But—I couldn't ignore the alarm, it was serious.'

'Yeah, well, if that's all you're interested in then I don't want to be sharing kisses with you any time soon,' I snapped, and turned away from him in such haste I whacked into a girl.

'Sorry—' I began to say, and froze.

It was Lola.

'Carita? Girl, is that you?' she whispered in shock.

I nodded, dumbstruck.

'I am so angry at you!' she said passionately.

'I had to,' I said miserably. 'Jade. She's in trouble, Lollie, and I'm the only one who can help her!'

Brice was standing by, uneasily. He pulled at my elbow. Lola looked at him, lip curled.

'I suppose he told you that. That Jade needed you. You believed him?'

'I saw her! OK, Lola? I saw her,' I hissed. 'I know you don't understand, but I wish you did. I miss you, I do, I miss being an angel. But I can't turn back, not ever. I don't want to hurt you, either. Go back home.'

Brice coughed. 'We won't have to if these angel brats just go on their merry research trip and don't interfere, sweetheart.'

Both of us glared his way, both sets of eyes welling up with tears.

'You're with a Hell ope—'

'Just go back home!—'

'Mel?'

Amber. Reuben tagging behind. Brice saw I was about to lose it, and that even angels would attack former friends if need be, and snatched my hand, vanishing us both from the Playhouse.

'That was my warning. That it'd be your old friends,' he said quietly, as we ended up back in my room. 'I didn't know they'd be following Nick and his mates. I'm really sorry, Mel.'

I was too shocked even to cry.

Brice cleared his throat, and continued in his explanation. 'I wanted—to go back, and kiss you again. But I couldn't have done it without telling you what I'd been told. And…I couldn't kiss you and then tell you.'

'Oh,' I managed, a miserable, tiny sound, and sat on the bed.

'Will you be alright?'

I knew he had to go. I shrugged. I knew it was a no, but…

Brice scowled as I did; angry at something. What?

'You're unhappy,' he said sadly. 'I hate making you unhappy. And that's all I've done since I met you.'

I didn't deny it. He sat next to me, as close as he dared.

'Mel? Let me make you like you used to be.'

'Perky?,' I snarled. 'Not giving a fuck if my sister's living or dying? A—a brainless ditz--!'

'No.'

His voice was stern; a little frightening.

I don't know how it happened, but that word was like a hammer. I started crying, floods of tears. He inclined his head, trying to rest our foreheads together, to put his hands on the side of my face to wipe the tears away. I jerked away as he did, pushing my head upwards.

We found solace in each other's lips for a while.

I pulled away first, and blindly shoved him in the chest, calling him all manner of names. Brice held my fists as I shouted, flailing getting less strong. I think I cried myself to sleep with the memories, fears and aching--for the life I'd left behind.

This time, when he left, he left a note.

Gone to see Nick. Meal's paid up for, maid'll come up with it sometime.

I'll be back late. Look after yourself. No more crying.

I'm sorry you had to go through that.

Brice

Did that make me feel better?

'Hey,' he said softly as he came through.

'Hey,' I replied, twisted away from him.

He sniffed. 'Mel. The…it failed. I failed.'

'What?' I sat up, looking at him. 'Did I, did I do it wrong by not helping—'

'No! No…he just…well, you're not going to believe this. But, um, he was William Shakespeare.'

'You're right, I'm not believing it.'

'The upshot of it is,' he said sadly, looking away, 'Is that we failed, and we can't go and see them.'

I gasped. It felt like a slap to the face. Brice slumped down next to me, groping for my hand. His was shaking, and the winking scarlet-spattered jewels on his rings served to flash light before my eyes, all red and white and too too bright.

'Are you going to get into trouble?' I whispered.

He managed a lopsided grin. 'Hard to say, darling. They…normally, they don't, but this was such a rare…look, I'm a big boy. I can take care of myself.'

I felt something shake, and then I felt sick. We'd been brought back, mid-conversation. Brice looked up, anxious as I, and shrugged off his now-non Elizabethan jacket, putting it round my shoulders.

'You were shivering,' he said simply, and pointed to a small beaded curtain. 'If I've got my days right, that should bring you back to the House.'

'What about you?'

'Like I said, babe,' he sighed, 'I'm a big boy now.'

He pushed me gently towards the opening, and was gone. I stumbled through the curtain, beads sticking to me like slime and indecently, slowly trailing themselves over my body. I shuddered and shoved them aside. They felt like leeches.

Juliet's lamp was blinking. I was in the common room. It was nearly empty, apart from Sabd trying to read.

'Have I done wrong?' I muttered, throat suddenly sticky.

'You'll be avoided til Brice gets back,' she replied steadily. 'If they know what's good for them.'

'And you?'

She tapped the pink lampshade to stop it flickering. The broken pink glass beads tinkled.

'I never knew what was good for me,' she said wryly. She picked up the book again, index finger having kept her place. 'Perhaps that's why I'm here.'

Brice didn't come back quickly. I lay on my bed, fully clothed, awake for him—not that I could sleep. Jade's voice permeated my consciousness; accusingly, 'why couldn't you see me?'

But eventually, I heard a blundering downstairs, and rushed down, choking at the wave of dark vibes this person had brought in. It was Brice, of course; beaten badly, bloodied back, slashed across the shoulder, black eye.

He saw me and nodded, wincing at the pain. 'Hey,' he croaked.

I stood at the top of the stairs. 'How can you let them do this to you?' I whispered, and he shrugged. 'They let me see Dom. S'enough.'

'You idiot,', I hissed, and ran down the stairs to inspect the damage.

'You're forgetting,' he said slowly, trying not to yell as I accidentally jostled the cut on his shoulder, 'You're one like us. You'd do it, too. You're a Hell Operative.'

'I don't have to be,' I mumbled quietly, trying to figure out if I had any angel left in me at all, so as to add a touch of healing to his wounds. 'Neither do you.'

'Mel,' he said harshly, impatiently; 'We've blown it with Heaven. We can't distance ourselves from Hell as well.'

'We bloody well can.'

'Oh yeah, and then do what?'

But his voice was weak, and suddenly it dropped. 'Don't let them hear you speaking like this. The cuts'll heal fast; the pain won't, it's happened before.'

As he spoke, I stepped back to look at him; the black eye did seem to be shrinking slightly, though the skin was still puffy.

'We can save Jade and Dom,' I murmured, lips barely moving. 'At least—we can if we stick together.'

'I want to stay with you,' he countered. At this, I tugged his arm towards that horrible beaded curtain; only this time, it was made of real leeches, worms and red beetles and surrounded by a misty fug of stench.

'Stop it!' I told him furiously.

'I don't want you to get in as much trouble as this—worse, knowing them. Mel, we can't leave.'

'I am,' I said quietly, and, steeling myself, walked through his illusion, though the curtain was still as foul as I remembered. With one last glance at the doorway, I turned and marched to a portal.

Suddenly, his trademark voice floated in. 'I suppose I can at least help protect you, angel girl.'

'Knew you would,' I responded, and pulled him into the portal.

Breaking probably hundreds of cosmic laws, we blasted off into no man's land; with Hell and Heaven on our tails.

I had been certain I heard whispering on the second floor.

We were at the Phoenix School where Dom was—both of us visible, for Dom could not have remembered what his brother looked like—and something was bothering me, batting at the corners of my hearing. It was the school, too, that annoyed me—too good. Too bright. Too pure.

'Alright, sweetheart,' said Brice, humouring me. 'Ladder here. Let's go look for your phantom voices.'

He went up first. He froze, midway up, and I frowned. 'Brice? What's up?'

'Mel,' he said distantly. 'Mel. It's some angels. You knew 'em.'

'What!' I squeaked, and, disregarding all sorts of rules like the cosmic outlaw I was now, floated up to see, through the glass, Lola and Reuben.

'Open the window,' yelled Brice, tugging me down in case they saw me; and, soon enough, we saw Reuben open it.

We scrambled in. Lola looked completely shocked, and then her expression closed off. Reuben went into a defensive martial arts crouch.

'Both of you,' Lola said shakily, 'Get away from us.'

I ignored her. Brice's face was devoid of emotion, too. I felt like I was the only real person in the room, and as I moved to the door, I could sense everyone watching me.

I tugged at the door handle. 'You're locked in.' My eyes cast about every face there. 'Why are you locked in?'

Nobody moved for a few moments. Then, Reuben quietly spoke. 'Because of what your lot did.'

'My lot!' I exclaimed in horror. 'What do you mean?'

'Fine, then, his lot,' Lola spat. I saw Brice flinch.

'We're not—we don't work for Hell anymore,' I said eventually. 'We're—free agents.'

'Cosmic outlaws,' sneered Lola, but shut up when I directed a hurt look at her.

'Why not just beam out?' came Brice's voice.

'We can't,' said Reuben sadly. 'The time-travel device that kid was holding messed up our tags—'

'Wait, time-travel?' Brice asked suddenly. His eyes were sharp, and turned on me. 'Dom.'

'What, he invented it?' I replied, amazed.

'And he's going to give it to my family if we're not quick. Right—you two, trust Mel. You used to, it's not hard. I'm going invisible—Dom might not recognise me, but my Mum certainly will.'

'I can't really trust you,' Reuben said warily, and I looked puzzled.

'Did he not tell you, babe?' Lola said gently. 'Brice beat him up. In London. When—when we met.'

I closed my eyes. I remembered scarlet on his rings. I remembered his hand shaking. I remembered him slipping off those knuckledusters.

'Mel.'

Brice's voice broke into my consciousness. 'Mel, yell at me later, scream, hit me. But for God's sake don't flake on me. Dom's life is at stake.'

'I'll hit you, don't you worry,' I said angrily, and stalked over to the window. 'How could you hurt one of my best mates?'

Nobody spoke. I rolled my eyes. 'Let's not argue about the tense. Let's just do our saving thing and then you can leave us to our sad and sorry half-life, agreed?'

'You've changed,' Lola breathed.

'Had to,' I said in response, and gestured to the window. 'Shall we?'

We trekked to the place where Dom and the time-travel device were. According to the whispered objectives the now-invisible Brice was telling me, we had to stop him handing it over to his relatives by any means necessary. I didn't question too much. I didn't feel like talking to him, to be honest. He was answering questions when asked by Lola or Reuben, though, completely civilised. I think he could sense my rage, or something, because he was so polite it hurt.

'No—we just need to stop him handing it over—he can live with his dad—'

'How come you didn't?'

'Died, Sanchez.'

Lola's voice dropped. 'If you hurt her, Brice, I'm going to kill you.'

'First of all, you don't like her. You think she's evil. Second, she's had enough hurt. Third, I'm not scared of you. Fourth, I'm already dead.'

'Shut up,' Reuben ordered them quietly. 'Don't fight. Mel's going through a harder time than you, Lola, right now.'

No more voices.

I stopped. We were at the house, and I could see Dom. Lola grabbed her tags in a silent prayer as we just walked in, but we didn't get far before a man stood up and counted us, aloud.

Four. He could sense Brice there. Before we could react, a heavenly burst of light blinded me—I looked up to see Michael, and I am ashamed to say that I ran. Brice did, too, presumably to find Dom.

I just ran and ran until my feet were slipping from under me and my breath was coming in short, red-raw-hot gasps. I leant against a wall to steady myself.

I ran away from light. I ran away from an archangel. I ran away from Brice. Lola Reuben Michael everyone I knew.

'Not quite,' Brice said. My thoughts must have been loud and clear. I stumbled up and flung my arms around him; after a moment of him regaining his balance, he did the same to me.

I pulled away eventually. I saw his eyes were red-rimmed; he looked upset. Touching a tear mark with my fingertip, I looked up at him questioningly.

'Dom,' he grunted, and moved back. I glanced down, biting my lip, and he came closer, to kiss me. As we pulled away, I slapped his cheek.

'Ow!'

'For Reuben.' I told him, and then kissed him again.

'I'm not sure if I deserved those in that…combination,' he muttered, holding his cheek.

'You did deserve them,' I shot back, and he smiled.

'I suppose I did. Dom's safe, though, and I still have you. Things could be much worse.'

He smiled at me, a genuine smile, I could see.

'Having me with you's a good thing?' I joked, trying to lighten both our moods. He blushed and looked down. 'Yeah. Don't tell anyone, 'kay, Beeby?'

As his eyes met mine again, I felt something pass between us. I knew it wasn't a 'frisson of attraction' like those books say, or, or, a 'spark' happened. This was a real cosmic bond, some deep recognition, and he felt it too.

He bent in to do something—but what, I can't say. There was a furious barking, and we both looked around.

Then we saw it. Lumbering, half-blind; a hellhound.

I swore, and Brice took my hand; we made as if to run, and he stopped me; a whole pack of them.

'Nothing for it,' he said to himself, and turned his face to mine. 'This is going to hurt, babe,' Brice whispered sadly, and we were suddenly out of the 23rd century and rushing, screaming, towards my own century.

I landed heavily, on my hands and knees, in an alleyway just off from Jade's school. The gravel bit into my wrists and palms, and I saw, for the first time since I died, my own blood. Brice pulled me up.

Then we heard the screams.

Some old angelic instinct took over and I rushed out of the alleyway mouth, to be confronted with dark creatures bobbing and weaving around the school; hundreds, no, thousands. I stumbled backwards from the sheer terror, and a voice, audible only to cosmic beings, boomed out.

Fight.

'Or?' Brice yelled.

We destroy them all.

He looked at me. 'We won't win.'

'I know.'

'But we have to.'

'I know,' I said, tearfully. 'Look—this is my fight. You've already done your bit—go.'

He quirked a funny little half-smile. 'Mel, after Dom was saved and those angels strobed down, Michael found me trying to get away. He offered me another chance in Heaven. I said no, because I'd lose you. There's no way I'm leaving you, ever.'

We swiftly kissed and then broke apart. Unarmed, vulnerable, hand-in-hand, we stepped towards the outside of the alley.

'I love you,' I whispered, before I dived in.

'I love you too,' he told me, equally as quietly.

We walked into the mass of dark beings, ready to be destroyed. As one took a swing at us, I closed my eyes and squeezed Brice's hand.

Then I heard more screams, the screams of Hell. I opened my eyes again and gasped. We were surrounding by an angelic shield, and the dark creatures near it were turning to dust simply by being in its presence.

'Holy crap,' Brice said in amazement. 'You must have really had potential. They wanna keep you!'

'Both of you, actually,' said a male voice, and I froze: Brice had to yank me around to face him—Michael, our headmaster. I probably squeaked. He nodded to a celestial agent who'd just cleared the area of the sticky toxic vibes, and we beamed up.

Together.

Of course, it wasn't all rose petals and chocolate truffles. We had extensive rehab; I was treated for my dark vibe exposure; we were on probation for what seemed like aeons. The worst part was weekly 'chats' with our Head about 'how things were going'.

But Lola eventually forgave us. And Reuben hung around with us. And Brice and I still have each other.

And now his eyes are completely alive whenever he looks at me.