First things first, I don't own Darksiders and I would like to give my thanks to detrametal! Don't touch that dial and stay tuned! …Except no one uses dials any more so don't touch that button or remote! ...Then again, most people (myself included) would rather spend 30 minutes looking for the remote than actually change the channel on the TV… Also I just remembered that this isn't a TV… I'ma go. Just read, enjoy, and review! Later you cumquats!

Before we could even go through the Veil thingy, Alina had a pit stop to make. And apparently I was going with her.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Alina suddenly said, jumping down from atop Ruin.

"What now?" Strife complained, sounding irritated as always.

"I've got to go see someone about some things real quick. Hope, you're coming with me."

"What? Why?" I'd just gotten comfy.

"Well we're going to go get you a change of clothes since yours are soaked in blood. I didn't think you wanted to keep walking around like that."

"…Good point. So we're just goin ta see this person and go shoppin?" I asked as I slipped off the saddle.

"Yup, shouldn't take too long."

"Then why don't we all go? That way we won't be separated." Fury jumped in.

"Because it won't take us long if we're flying and the only other one here that can do that is the angel and I seriously doubt he'll like where we're going." Alina clarified with a sigh.

"So you're taking Hope somewhere dangerous." Death guessed.

"It's not dangerous." Alina argued. "There just may be two or three demons hanging around is all."

"Aw, a few little demons ain't no trouble." I tried to help. Now that she mentioned it, I was pretty tired of being covered in my own blood.

Alina looked to War then, "We'll be safe and back before you can spell supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

"Oh my glob, I loved that movie!" I said excitedly, recognizing the preposterous word.

"Great, let's go." The she demon responded, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from my Horseman.

"Wait-" Death started to say. He was too late.

"Don't worry Grim, we won't get inta too many fights." I reassured him as I summoned Concord and jumped onto his back. And off we went! Of course I waved bye to Death as we flew off, Alina right beside us - though I'm surprised Concord hasn't tried to attack her yet.

Also of course, Death didn't look too happy. Then again, it's hard to tell with the mask and all.

"What? Were you waiting for his permission or something?" Alina asked, catching me still looking back.

"No, I don't need nobody's permission ta do anythin." I answered, switching my gaze forward.

"Atta girl. So, you wanna go get tattoos and belly button rings?"

I looked at the demon flying beside me for a second, "You're gonna be a bad influence, ain'tcha?"

"Probably."

"Awesome."

A few minutes later, Alina declared that we were here. Wherever "here" was. We were still in the same city but in an older part of it. Surprisingly, it seemed to be considerably less destroyed than the rest of the city. The only real damage I could see was a large hole in a wall. It looked like it had been made by someone being thrown through it. Or not. What do I know?

"Um, where are we exactly?" I asked as we landed and I banished Con.

"Right where we need to be." Alina answered, oh-so cryptically before walking down one of the dead-end alleyways.

I moved to follow her only to have a large crow land on my shoulder and dig his talons into the cloth of my cloak.

"Well hello ta ya too Dust. Did Grim send ya?"

The bird squawked and I took it as a yes.

Anyway, I went after Alina and found her searching for something. "So what are we doin here, oh wise one?"

"I told you, tattoos and belly button rings."

"Okay, I think I'd go fer the tat but not the ring."

"Cool. I know this awesome artist. He's a demon, of course, but he does good work."

"Wait, demons can get tattoos?"

"Some can, others' skin is too tough."

"But they can get piercins?"

"Of course since a piercing is just stabbing a needle through flesh. You haven't noticed that some of the demons have nipple rings?"

I almost choked on air at that, "What?!"

"Yeah, some demons have weird tastes."

"I can tell."

I was about to ask if demons could get plastic surgery as well but it seemed Alina had finally found what she was looking for. With an "Aha!" she reached into a large crack in the wall. Without any warning, the pavement started to part, revealing a staircase leading down…

I stood at the top, feeling the hot, dry air brush against my skin and staring into the dark depths. It was the basement all over again.

"Welcome to Pub Hades." Alina said, joining me.

"Wait, we're goin ta a bar?"

"For the most part, yes." She answered as she started down the steps.

"Whaddya mean 'fer the most part'?" I asked, following her down. "How can ya go ta a bar 'fer the most part'?"

"Well, we are going to a bar but we're not going to be drinking or anything like that. So, for the most part."

"Oh… well that's no fun."

"Fun or not, I like living and I get the feeling Death would kill me if I let you get drunk."

As I opened my mouth to reply, a deep - and obviously male - voice joined in. "Never thought I'd see you again."

After hearing the voice, Alina got excited and ran ahead, "Aw, you should know me better than that Aandros."

Who?

"Would it kill you to call me Uncle at least once?"

Wait… uncle?

I finally made it to the bottom of the stairs to find myself in a dark room lit by candles placed here and there. From what I could see, the walls were painted blood red, there were tables and chairs set up all around, a couple of couches were pushed up against the walls, and there was even one or two pool tables. Of course there was an actual bar with bottles of liquor lined up on shelves behind it and stools in front.

Also behind the bar was a man. Or, more accurately, a demon. He looked a lot like Alina with black hair that was cut short and sticking up everywhere and a neatly trimmed goatee. He had the same pale skin and dark grey horns sweeping back. The only real difference between the two - besides the fact that he was a dude - was that he didn't seem to have wings and had tattoos all over his arms. Or what I could see of his arms. He wore a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows and a black vest over that. As I got closer I could see that he also had the same iridescent eyes and scars on his face and neck.

"Who's this?" he asked, I guess noticing me slightly hiding behind the she demon.

"This," Alina started, pulling me around in front of her, "is Hope. She's the last human."

Why does she sound so proud o' that? "Um, hi." I greeted him.

"Hello." Aandros returned curtly before glowering at Alina. "You know you're not supposed to bring humans here, whether they're the last one or not."

"Chill out Uncle Aandy, we just came to grab some new clothes. Plus I wanted to see my favorite uncle."

I admit that I almost bust out laughing at that "Uncle Aandy" and even the demon bartender seemed taken aback by it.

"I'm your only uncle."

"Exactly!"

"That's not the point. What if I had other customers here? They would tear you two to shreds in a second."

"Hey!" I barged in. "We can defend ourselves ta some degree, I'll have ya know."

"You heard the human." Alina shrugged. "And they wouldn't tear us to shreds because you wouldn't let them."

Aandros sighed, "Besides the fact that you're my niece and I feel obligated to protect you, what makes you say that?"

"Because you know that if they tried to pick a fight with us, your bar would be destroyed. Again."

"Again?" I asked, wondering how many times that happened before.

The she demon shrugged, "Well this is a pub for demons."

"Plus my niece here has a habit of getting drunk, pissing others off, and picking fights." Aandros added.

"I'll have you know that I stopped drinking. Now when I piss people off and pick fights I'm completely sober." Alina huffed.

The demon bartender shook his head, "Your clothes are in the back room, as usual."

"Thanks Uncle Aandy." Alina said a bit too sweetly before heading towards a door that was almost completely hidden by shadows. "Oh, and I knew there wouldn't be any 'customers' here. They're probably back in Hell by now greeting their new ruler."

"Don't tell me you…"

"We did. But I'll tell you all about it later when we don't have a Council to meet."

"What have you gotten yourself into now?" Aandros sighed.

"Some deep shit… but oh well!" With that, she pushed open the door and in we went!

Before I could enter the next room though, Dust took off from my shoulder and landed on the bar.

"Don't tell me this is one of the Crowfather's?" the demons bartender asked while staring the bird down.

"Oh no, that's Death's crow. So don't touch him."

"Death's… are you trying to get me killed?!"

"Nah, not today." Alina laughed.

Moving on, the room wasn't all that big but had the same blood red walls and actual electric lights instead of candles. Made me wonder how he had power for said lights. But apparently Aandros pretty much lived down here since there was a dresser against the wall and a bed in a corner. Well, I suddenly felt like an intruder.

Going over to the dresser, Alina pulled open the bottom drawer and started pulling clothes out. Stacking them into two messy piles, she handed me one.

"Sooo, he's your uncle?" I asked, taking the pile.

"Yup, on my mother's side."

"But Lab and Zar said demons don't have families."

"Some do, most don't. Most are just mass produced. Spawned from the fires of Hell and all that."

"Well ok then."

So taking our new clothes, we went to opposite sides of the room to change. My outfit included black underthings - which I was assured were new - black shorts, a light blue baby-doll tank, and black fingerless leather gloves. What I would need these for, I'm not quite sure but they looked pretty cool.

"Thanks for the clothes but do ya got another shirt? I hate baby-doll." I asked as I brushed my hair and put it up into a quick ponytail.

"I do but I thought you'd want something to help hide that baby bump." Alina answered from across the room.

I turned around in my surprise but luckily she was already dressed, "Oh my glob, ya can see it?! Wait, how'd ya know?"

Alina now wore a strapless, dark red shirt, black shorts, new black gauntlets, with dark red ribbons in her hair. Seriously though, how many pairs of these shorts does she have?

"Did someone forget to tell you that I can see the future or did you just forget?" she asked, turning to face me.

"Probably both."

She rolled her eyes at my response, "Yes, because it's possible to forget something you were never told. Anyway, I saw you, Death, and your little boy one day in a vision I had."

"So it's a boy?" I asked, my hand going to my stomach almost of its own accord.

"Apparently."

"Hmm… I'ma name 'im Bob."

"Why Bob?"

"Because Bob is a warrior's name."

"No it's not."

"Yeah, try tellin my best friend that…" That's when I remembered that wasn't possible. "So are ya like tryin ta go twinsies with Big Red er is it like that red coat, brown pants joke?"

She looked at me, confused, "What?"

"The twinin er the joke?"

"The joke."

"Ya know, a captain o' a ship is 'bout ta get inta big fight and he tells his cabin boy ta fetch his red coat so his enemies won't see the blood if he gets hurt. But then he sees the enemy fleet, which is huge, and he tells the cabin boy ta fetch his brown pants."

Alina just looked at me for a second, her face completely blank, "Sometimes I think that it's a good thing all you humans died out."

"Yeah… But anywho, unless you've got other business ta conduct, let's get movin."

"Agreed."

So with a goodbye to Uncle Aandy, Dust rejoined us and we left the pub - closing the door behind us - and made our way back to the Horsemen, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

So I'm havin a baby and it's a boy. What should I name 'im? Actually, I know exactly what I want ta name 'im but what 'bout Grim? Wonder what he would pick… Oh shit, I still gotta tell 'im! Oh double shit, Jack's with 'im! I hope he ain't blabbed yet… If he has, I'll wring his fuckin neck!

Now I know that it probably wasn't the smartest idea to threaten a fully powered Horseman, even if it was just inside my head. But I'm pregnant. I don't give a damn.

Moving on, as soon as we landed, I banished Con and we went to our Horsemen. Before I could mount Despair though, Death pulled me aside.

"Put this on." He said, pulling out a long purple scarf out of Jeebus knows where.

Does he have pockets? "Why?" I asked.

"Your neck…" was all he said before he put the scarf on me himself. Despite how rough it looked, I actually felt really soft and was long enough that it wrapped around my neck twice and still left a good bit hanging behind me. Though it should have been even hotter with this thing on, it actually felt a bit cooler. Guess that's Horseman magic for ya.

Oh shit… forgot bout that. "Ya happy now?" I asked once he was done.

Death just nodded his answer.

"Ya know, if ya were gonna be embarrassed bout it, ya shouldn't have put it there."

"You shouldn't have made me want to put it on you at all." He practically growled in my ear.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Sure, just blame everythin on the human. Now let's get goin before the Council bastards come after us."

Ignoring smirks from Alina and Strife, we rejoined the rest and mounted Despair. Then we were off into the Veil between worlds! Or I guess it was the Veil. Despair started walking and the world just… split in front of us. We passed through the split and into a world of complete white. I couldn't see anything except us, a never ending whiteness, and a faint trail that Despair was walking on. I even peeked behind Death but couldn't see the others. I sure hope that was normal.

Not even a minute after we entered the Veil, we left it in favor of Hell. According to Death though, this was not Hell but the Charred Council's domain. But it looked like Hell. At least the others were back with us. Or we were back with them. Either way we were all together.

None of that mattered right now though because something else was bothering me too much for that to matter. Besides telling me where we were, Death hadn't spoken to me since we'd gotten here. At. All. I tried cracking a joke, nothing. I tried asking him what he thought of my new outfit, nadda. I even apologized for just running off with the she demon and thanked him for sending Dust after us. His response? Zip, zero, zilch, sweet fuck-all nothing.

I hope he wasn't mad at me for kinda tricking him earlier. I mean, all I did was use puppy dog eyes and his name. But it was for the sake of getting answers so it should be okay, right? Don't tell me… Jack told him and now he's pissed because I didn't tell him sooner… That's not fair! I only learned about it recently!

I finally came to the conclusion that maybe it was better to just ask him, though I kept my voice low. "Alright Grim, what's up with ya?"

"What do you mean?" he asked in return.

He totally knows what I mean. "I mean, you've said all o' three words ta me before this and I wanna know what's got ya so pissed."

"…What was going on between you and Strife?" he asked after a moment.

…What? "Wait, ya actually think there's somethin between me and the Jackass besides mutual annoyance?" I questioned in return, tilting my head back to look at him.

He didn't say anything and just continued to stare straight ahead. Guess I had my answer then.

"Trust me Grim, there is absolutely nothing between me and 'im. Well, again, besides the mutual annoyance. But that's it."

"Then what were you trying to keep him from saying?"

"What?"

"Hope, you really think I didn't notice? Every time he started to say something about you, you interrupted him. Why?"

Oh shit… "Well ya see, there's… somethin I need ta tell ya. Somethin really important. He kept tryin ta tell ya before I could and… I think it's better that ya hear it from me. But please believe me when I say that it ain't got nothin ta do with Jack in any possible er impossible way." Wow. I think I may have made it worse. In that case, time to pull my trump card. "Besides, why would I cheat on my soul mate?" I finished in a mumble.

"What?" it was his turn to ask.

I could feel my face heating up and knew that I was blushing. I also started thinking that maybe this was a bad idea but felt like I had to get it out there. "I left it out earlier but the Creator said that we were made fer each other. As in, ya know, soul mates er whatever."

"I know." Was all he said.

Now it was my turn again! "What?"

"I knew it from the very beginning. From the first time I saw your soul in the Well.

"Oh…" Time to change the subject! Let's make him feel awkward… "Why do I feel like ya looked in my panty drawer?" I asked, shivering at the thought.

I think he was a bit surprised at the question, "What?" Now we're just taking turns with that word.

"A girl's panty drawer is a sacred and forbidden place." I explained. "I get the feelin a soul is sorta the same.

Of course Death refused to feel awkward - even for my sake - and decided to change the subject back. And after I worked so hard too! "What is this 'something really important' that you need to tell me?"

Just like that, fun time was over. "It's, uh… Actually, now ain't the time nor the place." It may seem to you like I was stalling, but in truth… yeah, I was stalling. Though I did feel like I should wait until we were alone to tell him news this big. "But I promise I'll tell ya later after we deal with the Council."

"I'll hold you to that." He whispered in my ear.

In response, I turned around the best I could, lifted him mask just a tad, and kissed him. It was awkward but it worked. "It's a promise."

"Get a room you two." Strife said from somewhere behind us.

My response? A one-finger salute over Death's shoulder.

With the Jackass now silenced and my boyfriend hopefully reassured, I turned back in my seat only to find that we had arrived at the bottom of a tall staircase.

"Soooo I guess we're here." I wondered out loud.

"Yes, we're here." The Reaper replied.

After dismounting, the Horseman banished their mounts and we all walked up the stairs together. Even Aen and Alina who I thought for sure would fly. So the only one not walking was Dust and he was riding on Death's shoulder.

But speaking of the demon, she looked really nervous. Actually, she looked a cross between nervous and angry and was basically clinging to War. Was the council really that bad?

I must have looked pretty nervous myself now because Death put his arm around my shoulders. I tried to return the gesture with a smile but not sure if it worked. To be honest, I was a little anxious. Meeting the Council in person was way different than seeing them in a vision while I was technically dead.

What could they want anyway? Maybe the really do wanna congratulate them. Nah, that's too optimistic. Maybe they're in trouble fer killin Luci and maybe disruptin the Balance. Nah, that's too pessimistic. Maybe…

Before I knew it, we'd reached to top of the stairs. And I was only slightly out of breath! Yay! At said top sat the Charred Council, looking just as I remembered them. Meaning, Hellish, rocky, lava-y, and as unlovely as could be.

We went as close to the stone heads as we could without burning our feet off in the lava. I glanced around at the others to see if we were supposed to kneel as I had seen Big Red do that one time but no one moved. They were all standing their ground. Change that, we were all standing our ground. Against what exactly, I wasn't quite sure but I was with them all the way.

The Council itself - themselves? - looked dead. I mean, they looked the same as before but the roaring fires that once filled their eyes and mouths were now nothing but faint embers. Sooo, were they dead? Did someone beat us to the punch? Or had Corruption taken its toll on them? And the answer is… none of the above! They were just asleep.

"You sent for us?" Death spoke, waking up the sleeping giants.

"Horsemen!" Righty roared.

"You have done well in defeating Lucifer and restoring the Balance." Lefty spoke next.

Hey! What 'bout the rest o' us? Sure, I only killed myself but that helped Grim go inta that battle rage thingy.

Middle took his turn next, "But now it's time to end these… farce relationships."

…What?

Apparently Alina was thinking along that exact same line, "What?! Aw Hell no! You're not doing this to us again!"

Again? Oh yeah, the Council made 'em break up the first time. So not cool.

Lefty spoke up again, "Learn your place demon!"

"My place is right here beside War, dipshits!" she countered.

Righty: "We will not have you interfering with the Horsemen's work!"

"Oh not this bullshit again…"

Leftly: "That is not our only reason."

"Then I'd love to hear what else you've got." Why is Alina the only one talking now?

Middle: "Balance has been restored. If the humans came back now, it could be disrupted."

War was practically having to hold the she demon back now, "To fuck with your Balance!" I think she was getting her curses mixed up.

Then it hit me. They were trying to break me and Death up. That wasn't gonna fly. Plus it was a little too late for the "no new humans yet" thing. I guess they didn't know that though.

Wait a sec, did they say farce relationships? Farce as in fake? Hells ta the nuh-uh!

"Excuse you!" I finally spoke up. It was my turn to rant a bit.

Lefty: "Human, you-"

"Nah, nah, nah. Shut up. I'm talkin."

Surprisingly they did just that.

I stepped forward to the very edge of the lava pool and pointed back a Death, "See that man? I frikkin love that fucker! Accordin ta him, he frikkin loves me too. Y'all can call this shit a farce all ya want but I know fer shitty fuckin sure that it's real! It's the realest thing in my life right now! Hell's bells, I even got confirmation from the Creator 'imself! Same goes fer Alina and Big Red! So if y'all really wanna break us up, y'allre gonna have ta throw every damn thing ya got at us! So consider my gauntlet thrown down. I'm out, ya shit-faced bastards. Go fuck yourselves sideways with a sharp stick."

Done with my little rant, I turned, grabbed Death's hand and started pulling him back to the stairs. I think he was too surprised to resist.

"Human!" one of the Council yelled as a curtain of flame rose up, cutting up off from the stairs.

Without even thinking about it, I used my right hand to brush it aside and walked through the break in the fire. Don't ask how I did it, I only know that I was super pissed and it just happened. So I led Death down the steps and when we got to the bottom I let go of his hand and started pacing.

"What the actual fuck?! Who in the nine bloodied rings o' Hell do those bastards think they are?! Tryin ta tell us we cain't be together… fuck them!"

Death grabbed my shoulders, stopping me and my tirade, "Hope… that wasn't the smartest thing you could have done."

"Yeah, I know. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry." He chuckled.

"Yeah, don't be sorry, Brat." The Jackass said as the rest of the group joined us. "They're just going to kill us sooner now and with every resource available."

"Not my fault they're a buncha ass-butts who piss people off." I said indignantly. How could Death believe there was anything between us?

"That doesn't matter now." Death interjected. "We have to prepare for the upcoming fight now. Go to your homes and ready whatever you might need. We'll meet back on Earth tomorrow."

"Are you sure it's wise to split up?" War asked.

"We've got no choice. We need to be ready as possible as soon as possible." The Reaper replied.

"Where on Earth are we going to meet exactly?" it was Aen's turn to question.

"Why not Sammy's prison?" I suggested. "Since we all know where it is."

"Sounds good to me." Alina agreed.

"Grab the dynamite." I whispered to her and she nodded in response.

Just like that, it was settled and we went our separate ways.

Of course I went with Grim though. Not like I had a home to go to anyway. To be honest, I was I little excited to see what the Reapers house looked like. I wondered if he lived in a coffin or something. No, wait, he was Death, not a vampire. Some catacombs maybe? I feel kinda rude now, just because he was Death didn't mean he had to live in a deathy place. For all I knew, he could live in a cozy log cabin in the middle of a lush forest or a mansion or an ivory tower or even under a bridge. Oh my glob, my boyfriend could be homeless! Poor baby… Anyway, my questions were answered when we exited the Veil and entered a world filled with snow. No, it wasn't snow. It was ash! Gross! What I wouldn't give for my cloak now…

"Sooo, this is where ya live?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"This is where I built my home, yes." He answered.

The world was totally covered in ash that the ever-present wind wouldn't let settle. And… was that a bell I heard? Well that was weird.

It wasn't long before we came to a squat building that seemed to be made of bones. It was… fitting. Much more so than a mansion or whatever other stupid idea I had. Inside was simplicity itself. There was a table and chairs, a cot which I guessed passed for a bed, and the only decorations that could be seen was a myriad of scythes hanging on a wall.

Removing Severance - leather strap and all - from my back and grappling hook, I leaned them against the wall beside the door, "So, uh, nice place ya got here."

It seemed that was the magic phrase since the next thing I know, Death has me pushed up against the wall and is attacking my mouth with his, his mask lay forgotten on the table.

Holy fuck… remind me ta compliment his house more often.

I don't think we've been able to kiss like this without interruptions or sudden realizations since that night in the- oh shit! I still need to tell him!

"G-Grim…" I started, breaking our kiss. "I-I think we should stop."

"Why?" he asked, ripping his scarf off and burying his face in the crook of my neck before pressing kiss after kiss to the tender flesh there. He better not leave another bite mark.

I grabbed his hands and removed them from under my shirt where they had started to roam. It was now or never. "Because if we continue, I don't think it'll be good… fer the… baby…"

Death pulled back to look at me, his orange eyes wide with surprise, "What?"

"…I'm pregnant."

There, I told him. I hope whoever's reading this is happy now.

A bit worried,

Hope

For those who don't remember, Aandros is the bartender in Singing On The Wind. Moving on! Leave a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts whether it's about cheesecake, what just happened, what should happen next, or your moral standpoint on turtles!