This is a COMPLETE filler chapter! It's still important to read to catch all the humor, adorableness, and the twist that will tie into the next chapter.
Would you like to know how I spent my sweet sixteen a week later?
It starts with a package for me at the front door. It was a single red rose, along with a note that said Happy Birthday…
I started to freak out.
"Who's that from?" Colby raised an eye. "Tim?"
"What if it's from Teivel?" I groaned. I kept the rose anyway in a small single vase on my desk next to my bed.
During lunch, Megan offered to take me baby shopping.
"You can't get any boy or girly clothing since she's too stubborn to find out early if she's having a boy or girl," Colby teased. "Maybe you could just get unisex clothing?"
"I should go shopping, huh?" I realized. "Addy and Sera will be too big for their onesies and infant clothes soon, they'll need new clothes."
"So...shopping?" Megan piped.
"We will," I promised.
Later Colby came into my room with a small wooden box. "Tell me it's not a ring. Lynn Coal isn't a cool name at all." I hoped.
"If we got married, you would just take my vessel's name, Patterson." Colby informed.
"Do you talk to Darryl?" I wondered. Darryl is the first name, in case you were wondering yourself.
Colby shook his head. "I haven't heard a word since we…uh, died." He said.
"Maybe he's finally resting peacefully then," I decided.
"Yeah…" he rubbed the back of his neck.
"So what's that?" I asked.
"Happy birthday Lynn," Colby handed me the box.
See, I thought this was gonna be a nice gift, and maybe I would have kissed him for thinking of me.
But, you know Colby.
I got exactly the opposite.
I opened the lid of the wooden box…and there were several pictures of Dick Roman.
"What the hell?"
Colby grinned. "It's Dick in a box."
This resulted in me shoving the box at him, cursing at him, and then storming out of my room angrily.
I got my revenge though.
When April Fools Day finally came, I went downstairs. Jackson was in the kitchen. Colby and Megan were on the couch watching a comedy on Megan's Xbox Netflix thing.
"Colby, Jackson," I started.
"Yeah?" Colby said, just as Jackson came out from the kitchen.
I went towards the door, putting my orange clogs on. "Do you want to know why I won't choose either of you?" I asked.
Megan looked as if she didn't belong, so she remained quiet.
"…why?" Colby asked first.
"Because I don't want either of you," I announced. "I'm leaving to go to Teivel." I said next. "I don't know what it is about him…maybe it's because he saved me a couple of times, and stalks me; I think I have Stockholm Syndrome; and he gave me The Little Guy." I explained.
I opened the door. "Goodbye." I stepped outside and shut the door.
I wait a few seconds before going back inside and yelling, "APRIL FOOLS!"
Jackson sighed heavily.
"NO," Colby yelled. "I CAN'T BELIEVE I FELL FOR THAT!"
I was laughing greatly. Sometimes it's good to be evil.
Three days later, we're all at the beach. I would feel and look awkward swimming, so I had on a pair of shorts, and Colby's Brooklyn shirt. I sat at the shore of the beach, my legs stretched out in the water.
Every time a bigger wave would come up enough to splash my stomach, The Little Guy would kick. I put my hands over my stomach, looking around for the others.
Megan is playing fetch with Lucky, throwing the stick out into the water for him to retrieve. I asked her if she had a thing for dogs, and she said she did, mentioning that she used to have a Golden Retriever.
I still can't remember meeting Megan before the coffee shop. It's all foggy in my mind.
Jackson is in the sand with Adena, showing her how to use the sand beach toys: shovel, bucket, and etcetera. Her bright sapphire eyes are wide as she giggles, learning how to throw sand at Jackson playfully.
Colby has Serafina in the water. He's holding her tightly as they swish around. She loves it.
"I can't wait to take you swimming next year, buddy," I said down to my stomach.
I hear someone call my name from behind. I turn my head to suddenly see Emily and Matthew running down to me.
"Hey guys!" I greeted. I gawk at their bathing suits. Emily's wearing a Steelers two piece, and Matthew has Steelers trunks.
"Hello Miss Logan," Balthazar greets when he catches up. "Holy hell, I wasn't kidding when I said you get larger every time I-"
"I'm due next month so laugh it up," I muttered.
"Oh I will," he promised. "I see you're all swimming. Could you watch the children for a while? I've got a lead on your missing half of the artifact." Balthazar informed.
"You do?" I said. "Good, yeah, I'll keep an eye on them." I promised.
Matthew squints his blue eyes out at the water, and then down along the beach. "Why are there two Adenas?" he asked.
"Adena has a twin sister," I told him. "Her name is Serafina; she's out in the water with Colby." I pointed out at the pair swishing around.
"Oh," Matthew said.
"What's twin?" Emily asked.
"It's when two people look the same," I told her.
Emily acknowledges this, as Balthazar says, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Be good, children." He said properly, before walking off to zap himself away.
"You guys can go swimming if you want," I offered.
"I sit with you," Emily decided, plopping down next to me, laughing as the water hits her legs for the first time. Matthew looks around as he took a step into the water.
"Where's Juliet?" he asked me.
I don't answer.
"Did the Vi'thans take her?" Emily assumed.
I still don't answer.
"I hate them," Matthew muttered.
"Me too, Matty," I agreed.
He shakes it off and goes further into the water to enjoy himself.
"You baby come soon?" Emily asked me.
"Very soon," I confirmed.
"You let me play with you baby?" she hoped.
"Of course I will." I promised.
"Not let Vi'thans take you baby?"
"I won't let them."
"Me too?"
"Yes, and Matty. Balthazar will protect you."
"Yeah," Emily said as a larger wave crashed onto us. The Little Guy kicks. I notice larger waves coming.
"Want to feel the baby kick?" I asked.
"I can?" Emily gushed.
"Yep, give me your hand." She holds out her little hand, and I firmly press it against my stomach. After another wave, and another kick, Emily's thin brown eyes widen.
"You baby kicking!" she exclaimed, as more waves and kicks continued.
That night, during Titanic, Emily falls asleep on the floor with Lucky and Adena. Serafina has taken an interest in Colby, I noticed; she fell asleep with her dark blonde head on his lap on the couch.
What a weird bunch we are.
Tears brim my eyes when I see dead Leo in the water. Good thing I'm sitting next to Jackson on the love seat. I use his shirt as a tissue.
When Rose claims Leo's name as her own at the end, Colby says over to me, "Is it safe to take Sera to her bed?"
I nodded. Slowly, Colby moves Sera's head off, and gets up, lifting her up. She rests her sleepy head against his shoulder as he makes his way to the stairs. "Can you get Addy?" I whispered to Jackson.
He nods, getting up slowly, and then gently bending down to lift Adena from the warmth of Emily and Lucky. The skin walker stirs, staring down Jackson to make sure nothing funny was happening. When he sees what's going on, Lucky sighs, and lays his head back down.
Megan finally gets up too. She helps sleepy Emily onto the couch. Megan snaps her fingers to make a large Steelers blanket appear to cover up Emily and Matthew.
"Good night," I said to Megan, getting up last.
"Night." She said back.
I'm all nervous when I open the double doors to the white marble mansion. I almost kissed him last time.
"Murdock?" I called out, walking down the hall to the living room.
"Heel!" I hear him cry. After a bolt of lightning scares the yipes out of me in the hall, Murdock appears, pointing a sword at me in one hand, holding a shield in the other.
"Whoa, whoa! Uncle!" I put my hands up.
"I'm just kidding," Murdock pulled his sword back. "I was just reenacting A Knight's Tale." He admitted.
"I thought they used jousting swords in that," I remembered.
Murdock pouted. "They had sword fights too." He said. "Want to join me?" he offered.
"Can I have a lightsaber as my weapon?" I asked excitedly.
"Yes." He grinned. I cheered when a green realistic lightsaber appeared in my hands.
"The Force is with me," I said. "You're going down, Harry Potter." I declared.
After we have our fight, we argued over who won, so then we decided that it was a draw.
"Such bullshit...lightsabers can cut through anything." I pouted.
"But I used a spell to toughen my sword." Murdock clarified.
"Cheater."
"Am not!"
I giggled, then had another thought. "Did I tell you that I'm pregnant in real life?"
Murdock just stares. "...you are?"
"Yeah," I said. "I'm due in the middle of next month."
"Oh..." Murdock pushes up his glasses, hiding his darkening grey eyes. "That means you have a...boyfriend then...CONGRATULATIONS."
"I don't have a boyfriend," I informed. "...calm down?"
"The father ran off?" Murdock then guessed. "That's dishonorable!"
"Actually, I'm on the run from the father." I admitted. "He's a psychopathic asshole."
"Who is he?" Murdock almost demanded.
"An angel named Teivel," I named. "You can't do anything. He won't be found unless he wants to be found, or if I'm in danger."
Murdock only raised an eye.
The next morning, I almost dropped my bowl of honey nut cheerios when Matthew and Emily asked what Star Wars was.
"That's it," I said sternly. "One, I'm kicking Balthazar's ass. Two, on May 4th, you guys are coming over to watch all the movies with me." I declared.
"Why May 4th?" Jackson asked.
"May 4th is Star Wars day!" I exclaimed. "I'm so alone." I fake sobbed, going to eat by myself in the living room.
I took one bite when Balthazar suddenly appeared in front of me, looking as if he'd just gotten mugged.
"What happened-" I started to ask, but he shook his head, and motioned me to get up. I did so, setting my bowl on the love seat. Balthazar comes up and grabs the left side of my face with his hand, somehow searing a location into my mind.
He lets go and passes out on the floor.
"Balta'zar!" Emily cried, dashing out from the kitchen.
"What happened?" Colby and Megan asked, following Emily. Jackson was at my side in an instant.
"We have to get that artifact, now," I told them, and snapped my fingers.
When we reappear at the location Balthazar put into my mind, Colby goes, "Lake Avernus?"
"What? You mean the 'descent-into-Hell' lake?" I realized.
When I was reunited with Colby, and "met" Megan at the coffee shop, we went to New York to retrieve a pendant that had Nephilim inscribed on it, along with a Latin phrase that translated as "The descent of Avernus is easy'.
I nodded at Megan. "You're right about the descent. Good job. Now what the hell does Avernus mean?"
"Thanks," Megan said, feeling and looking accomplished.
Colby sighed deeply. "Avernus was an ancient lake in Italy, that served as an entrance to Hell." he explained.
"That's freaking creepy," Megan admitted.
"So...the descent of Hell is easy." I calculated. "What does that mean, then?"
Now we were looking at that exact same lake.
