Hello, my lovelies! It's that wonderful time of week again: it's time for me to torture fictional characters that are not of my creation! Sorry, Erica...As always, disclaimers are in order. I do not own "Welcome to Hell". That honor belongs to Erica Wester. I do, however, own most of the angst and my original ideas. Without further ado, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

"What?" Jonathan gasped, gazing at Caius in complete and utter shock. "What do you mean, Sock would still be alive?"

Caius had to force himself not to smile; this was practically orgasmic. "I meant just what I said. If it hadn't been for Mephistopheles's error in judgement, Aurial never would have gotten out of Hell in the hopes of finding a new mate. She would not have fallen in love with an Angel, meaning there would be no curse. Sock would never have been afflicted with demon blood."

"He never would've killed his parents and himself…" Jonathan murmured, allowing the words to sink in.

Caius smiled, clapping his hands. "Well done, Mr. Combs." He said in a patronizing tone. "That is exactly the case. I know you silly mortals believe your "psychology" has all the answers when it comes to these types of situations, but you are all simply blind. Though this "psychology" can be applied to a few situations, more often than not, serial killers and other people who have taken another human's life have been infected by demon blood at some point in their lives."

"So, people like Charles Manson and Ed Kemper? They were afflicted with a supernatural disease?" Caius nodded. Forgetting his mission for the time being, he reveled in having the upper hand over Jonathan Combs.

"They were indeed. As I said, most people who have committed murder are. Sock, however, is a special case. The demon blood was diluted through his family bloodline."

"Wouldn't that make the demon blood weaker?" Jonathan interrupted, and Caius growled, a truly demonic sound that came from deep within his throat. He did not appreciate being interrupted.

"If you will remain silent and let me explain, I would be able to tell you that demon blood does not function as other substances do. Rather than growing weaker as it spreads through the bloodlines of many a generation, it grows stronger. By the time it reached Sock and his family, he was all but doomed to be insane." Caius replied shortly, clearly irritated.

"Does that mean his parents were insane, too?" Jonathan questioned, watching in confusion as Caius shook his head.

"No. This is not something I can explain well, but I can make a sort of comparison." Jonathan arched a brow, prompting the small demon to continue. "As I am sure you know, some human diseases are passed down from generation to generation. However, sometimes this disease skips a generation or family member. This is similar to what occurs with demon blood."

"So, it skipped Sock's parents and went straight to Sock?"

Caius nodded. "This made it weaker than it would've been under normal circumstances, but it was still strong enough to drive him to murder."

Jonathan, who had been leaning forward eagerly as if he were listening to a thrilling story, slumped weakly against his desk chair. He had trusted Mephistopheles to do what was right, but how could he really trust the Devil to not make another mistake? A small part of his mind, the more rational part of his brain, insisted that he couldn't be sure Caius was telling the truth. After all, demons were known to lie, especially if it would cause the negative emotions they thrived on. However, he couldn't sure of Mephistopheles's intentions either. Did he actually want to help prevent Sock from causing harm to himself or others, or was he only trying to cover his ass? Jonathan groaned and hid his face in his hands.

Caius beamed, all but ecstatic. As well as being able to feel the mortal's anguish, he had been able to read Jonathan's thoughts. He knew of the inner turmoil the human was going through. Everything was going according to plan. Now it was time to initiate the next step.

"So, are you going to try to help your little love rather than wait for mine to clean up the mess?"

Jonathan, too exhausted to notice that Caius had just referred to the Devil as his lover, shrugged. "Unlike the superior thinking skills you demons must have, we humans need some time to process huge amounts of information."

Almost losing his self-control at the apparent sarcasm, Caius took a deep breath, exhaling a grey cloud of smoke. "I will await your response, then. Just know that you only have a few days. Creatures like Cataclysms tend to do their work quickly." He sighed. "The fact that Sock was able to ignore its taunts and temptations for so long is a testament to his strength." Caius added this last part grudgingly, as if he couldn't quite believe he had decided to voice such a thought.

Jonathan only nodded, so Caius decided that now would be the perfect time to fine-tune the details of his plan. He knew exactly how he was going to convince Jonathan Combs to end his life.

Mwahahaha! I am an asshole! My beta and roommate will probably agree with that statement...Anywho...as always, I hope you enjoyed the chappie. Constructive criticism and the like are always appreciated. Negativity isn't, though. See you next time, my lovelies!

XOXOXO