Hello readers and welcome to the final chapter of this story. This is it. We finally got to the end of this Insidious sequel. What will happen? How will everything turn out? Who lives and who will die? Let's not waste anymore time and dive right into it. The end of 'Upright'.

This chapter, like 'Deliver Me from Evil', has special author's notes inserted with songs that would roll as a soundtrack if this was a motion picture. 'Granite' by Pendulum is the official theme song of this quadrilogy. Anyways.

Introducing Jospeh Bishara as the face and body of Lipstick Face.


10

A little over 3 AM. After their ordeal, Brian and Natalie had asked to remain in the master bedroom so they could have some alone time. Although reluctant, being so close to the demon, Aella had allowed them to do so. She had knocked the possessed girl unconscious and most likely, the entity within her as well. They were safe. For now. Before going, Specs reassured the parents that he would continue to look after Annie, as to permit them to recollect themselves in peace.

Finally alone, the man helped his wife up and they sat together on the bed. Silence set itself between them, neither uttering a single word for several minutes. And to their surprise, they enjoyed it, especially after so many hurtful words have been said. Not just during their confrontation with Allison's demon. But throughout the recent spell of their lives.

"I am so sorry, Nat," Brian eventually spoke with a clear crack in his voice. "So godamn sorry… For everything…" He took off his glasses to wipe a tear intruding upon his left eye.

It took her aback as she casted a surprised glance at him.

"All this time I've been punishing you… pushing you away… so much… so hard… When you were in so much pain. I never thought about that, about how you felt… There is no excuse for the way I treated you…"

The woman was overwhelmed by his speech. Emotions ran rampant inside, intensifying when he lifted his gaze toward her. She could clearly see how tortured he was by all of it. The agony of a million regrets swarmed his expression like locusts devastating a crop. She herself detected tears creeping in her eyes.

"I lost sight of who you were," he went on, gasping. "That you were my wife, the love of my life, the mother of my children. And I allowed my anger…" He stopped, unable to continue because of the sobs.

"Brian…" She attempted to put an end to his confession which was visibly tearing him apart.

"I allowed my anger to convince me that I hated y…" He could not go on and started to silently cry, covering his eyes with his index and thumb. Natalie did not hesitate to embrace him. Although she had been wanting to hear this from him for a very long time, she did not care about it now. All that mattered was easing his pain, comforting him. "Sh, sh," she whispered gently. "It's ok."

"I'm sorry that I ever thought that I could hate you," he admitted through gasps. "Because I don't, honey. I really don't."

Honey. She had not heard him use that word to refer to her in what felt like ages. It was so nice and soothing to hear, like the soft ambience of a water stream flowing downwards. It was utterly blissful and awakened feelings she never thought she would experience again. Warm memories sprung to mind, of happier times. And the hope that those times could return had been rekindled.

Brian managed to compose himself and cease his weeping. He raised his head from his palm and looked at her. "I love you, Nat. I love you so much. I feel so horrible for letting myself forget that. Forget that you are such a wonderful and strong person. You are a good mother and I would be lost without you… Whereas I… I should have been punish…"

She cut him off with a kiss. A kiss she poured into all her affection and love while tears washed her cheeks. And it crashed unto him like a tidal wave, with the force of a repressed passion that has been locked in a cage for an eternity.

Although a bit surprised at first, Brian ultimately accepted it, and kissed her back in the same manner, embracing her in his arms more tightly then he ever had done. Both were overjoyed by this intimate act, cherishing every single second of it. The forgotten taste of each other's lips, the warmth of being so close to each other, the pleasant touch of their hands and the exquisite release of any stress and burden brought them to a pure moment of ecstasy which they were never going to forget. It was like they were doing it for the first time, as lovers do in their honeymoon phase, savoring every moment and every bit of one another.

After parting lips, they propped their foreheads against each other and held hands. Realizing that each one had received the other's forgiveness, be it straightforward or figuratively, they rejoiced to the fullest, and for the first time in months, the company was less detestable and more heartwarming and delightful. Much more.

/|\

Downstairs, Specs had managed to deflect any question Annie had about what had recently occurred with her sister, and had successfully brought her back to the drawings topic. He wondered how she could still be so active at such an hour in the night. The topic was probably helping with that. But drawings and crayons were boring him severely and given the time, he was barley keeping his eyes opened. During one of her tirades about school, Annie had noticed how he was simply snoring, having had fallen asleep on the living room coffee table.

In the hallway outside the living room, Aella was deep in thoughts. In the Further, she was actually discussing with Elise and Allison.

"How could it not have worked?" Elise questioned.

"I warned you it was a long shot," Aella answered, distinctly indifferent.

"What are we going to do?" asked Allison.

Aella lay silent. And it was what hinted Elise to what she was pondering on. "Oh my God. You're actually going to go through with it, aren't you?"

Suddenly, Allison remembered Aella's initial solution. A sickening feeling of dread took hold of her. "No, please no."

"I came with an easy fix for this. But you refused and got me into doing it your way. And people almost died," the angel's tone gradually increased, up to shouting. "Neither one of you hAS ANYTHING TO SAY TO ME RIGHT NOW!"

"I didn't force you to do anything. I remember you wanting to offer this girl a second chance just as much as I did." Elise countered.

"Yeah well… against my better judgement."

"Because you knew how wrong it is. This is not her time to die."

Allison felt as if the ground was about to open up and swallow her entirely. Once more, she found herself crying. A constant state of her new existence, as if she had been cursed to permanently shed tears and be miserable. She commenced suspecting that she was going to end up like all the other lost souls in this desolate place they were in.

"If I don't stop him here and now, a lot of people will die before their time. Starting with her parents." Aella stood her ground.

"Do you think the outcome will be any different for them if you kill their daughter?" Elise posed.

"At least they will be alive. And they'll have Annie to motivate them to keep going."

"Or they could just as well implode and Annie could end up in foster homes or worse… On the streets." Elise spoke from a rather traumatic experience.

"Stop it! Just please stop!" Allison burst before weeping intensely. The discussion was terrifying her to her very core and she could not withstand it any longer, her nerves easily breaking. She wished she could run away so she could no longer hear horrifying scenarios and accounts on how her family could tragically end. But the fact that she could not get away, the fact that she was stuck in this nightmarish place and debating her ultimate mortal demise, traumatized her. She could feel the large scars taking shape on her soul. That is why she covered her ears and kept repeating 'stop it' in between sobs. She just wanted it to end.

Naturally, Elise jumped to comfort her. "Do you find this to be ok?" She addressed the angel. "Look at her. Look at what this is doing to her. Do you honestly believe that denying her the chance to continue her life is the best way to go?"

"I don't have the luxury to think about her when the fate of the entire world is at stake," Aella stated. "I'm sorry."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can still lose the entire world if you sacrifice one single soul." Elise argued.

Human stubbornness. Aella had experienced it before but it still felt as annoying as the first time. It vexed her. She should have proceeded to kill Allison's physical body, and the demon along with it, in the first place. The whole expulsion plan had been a terrible idea and could have resulted with fatalities. Only because she allowed herself to fall for the ill-advised human sentiment of compassion, against her superior celestial reasoning. And Aella had only herself to blame for the consequences. But not anymore. She was determined to go through with her solution right now, no matter how cruel or brutal it was.

Nevertheless, it would be the most extreme thing she had ever done in her lifetime. Sure, she had had to make questionable or harsh decisions before, but none of them compared to taking a human teenager's life. A teenager with her whole future ahead. A teenager part of a family that loved her and would do anything to save her. That is why she was not as cold and logical about it as she was expecting herself to be. Deep down inside, a faint sensation of regret mustered strength and yelled to be heard. And with each passing second, her plan was catching on more and more weight. It managed to split her in half, and the one that represented her sympathy and compassion, the one warning her that killing the girl was not the right course of action was incessantly poking its head to the surface.

"Aella," she heard her name being called from the realm of the living. Returning there, she saw Annie standing next to her. "Hey pumpkin," she greeted the child.

"I just wanted to ask you to keep helping Ali." Annie spoke from the heart. "Please, you have to help her. She's a good sister and a good person and I love her."

Allison heard her sister and experienced a bigger dose of sorrow.

"Please. I promise I will be a good girl and clean my room and study hard for school and everything."

Feeling sympathetic to her pleads, Aella looked at the girl and realized the kind of damage losing Allison could cause. For a moment, her eyes widened. Then, she reverted to their normal state. She knelt to reach Annie's level and continued to cast concerned glances. She even stroke the girl's head, gently and consolatory, doing it for quite some time.

After what felt like several minutes, Aella eventually got up and extended her hand so that Annie could take a hold of it. "Let's go!"

/|\

5:00 AM. The darkness of the night still prevailed, standing defiant against the approaching rays of the sun. The angel had summoned everyone in the living room. The demon had awakened, his expletive comments being heard from the TV. Tucker pressed the mute button on the remote but kept a watchful eye on the screen before having a seat next to Specs on the couch. Brian allowed Natalie to take the armchair as he placed himself in a standing position, holding her hand. Aella held Annie's hand, in front of them all. Breathing in deeply, she sought the right words with which to begin, knowing it was not going to be easy.

"As you know already, my plan has failed."

"What else can we do?" Natalie asked.

The top question, Aella thought. Might as well rip the bandage clean off.

"I have no other choice. I must kill him."

A heavy silence fell in the room. Everyone remembered the demon's exact words. "If you can't get me out of Allison's body… then the only way you can kill me… is if you kill the body as well." Realizing this, Natalie extended her eyes longer than she ever had done so. "No. Not that. Anything but that."

"Wait, you can't possibly be serious," Brian too intervened.

Specs and Tucker traded shocked glances.

The only reply Aella could give was to look at them with mournful abundance. It was the last thing either parents had hoped to see.

"There has to be another way," Natalie got up from her seat and approached Aella.

"Please, that's our daughter, our little girl," Brian did the same, with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I don't have a choice."

"No, no," Natalie's voice cracked. She quickly jumped in Brian's arms and implanted her face at his chest, visibly disturbed and crying. "I can't lose her Brian. I can't. Not this. Anything but this."

"We're begging you," Brian once more tried to appeal to the angel's empathy. "Don't do this."

"I have to. Or the consequences will be much worse," Aella retorted softly, in a dejected matter.

"My God…" Natalie raised her head from Brian, shimmering eyes and all. "You're an angel… And you're talking about killing my daughter? How can you?"

"I wish there was another way…"

"How can you be so calm about it?" Brian's temper shortened. "You're planning to murder my daughter."

"Because there is no other choice," Aella responded in the same way, letting go of Annie.

"You keep saying that," the mother fired. "Stop it. There MUST be another way. I will not let you hurt my daughter. I don't care who you are, if you even are an angel. You are not touching her!"

"Then what do you want, huh?" The angel yelled back. "Would you rather have her like this for the rest of your lives? Would you have her torturing you like she did up until now?"

"What does Elise have to say about it?" Tucker interfered.

"You stay out of this! Neither Elise nor the both of you have anything to say in this matter!"

"That is bull," Specs added. "We are helping because she said so. If Elise doesn't agree, we are out of here."

"I guess the demon was right," Aella spoke. "You two are a bunch of cowards."

A very heated argument irrupted between the humans and the angel, each party beginning to shout its point of view. Words and ideas got launched like cannon balls, making them very hard to grasp or even distinguish.

In the midst of it all, Annie was stepping backwards, frightened by the violent tones, abrupt gestures and hand waves. It became so overwhelming for her that she had to leave, unable to bear such displays of anger any longer. They generally consumed her when she had witnessed her parents fighting but now, especially with so many adults doing it, it was beyond her level of control.

Therefore, without anyone noticing, being so caught up at yelling at one another, she snuck out of the living room. She just wanted to be alone, in her room, with Mrs. Dolly. Annie made her way upstairs and headed towards her bedroom. But to do that, she had to walk in front of Allison's room. And since the door was wide open, the demon saw her immediately.

"Annie? Annie is that you?"

The younger girl stopped dead in her tracks and turned her head at him.

"What are you doing here, sweetie? Where are your folks?"

"They're fighting," Annie said discouraged, and sighed.

"Oh, honey. I'm so sorry." The demon played sympathetic although he knew exactly what was happening downstairs, having had heard it all.

"I just want them to stop. I can't stand it anymore."

"I know you do, honey. It's rough and hard seeing your mom and dad constantly fight and not love each other as they are supposed to."

"I wish things would go back to the way they were," Annie expressed with a sad disposition. "When we used to play and do fun stuff. When mom took us to the bike track and we used to ride all day long. Or when we had family picnics in the back yard. Those days were so nice and awesome."

"I bet you'd do anything to have those days back, wouldn't you?"

"Anything! I'd even give up Mrs. Dolly." Annie declared.

"Well you CAN have those days back, Annie. If you do as I say, you will have those days back for sure. I promise!"

"Really?" She asked enthusiastically, a smile as large as her face plastered across her lips.

"Cross my heart and hope to die." The demon replied.

"Awesome. What do you need me to do?"

"I want you to go to your room, right now, and hop into your bed. No going anywhere else or telling someone, or our solution will not work. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"Then, you must fall asleep, but you gotta do it very quickly. No time to waste. And when you go to the other place, you know, where you can fly over tall buildings and stuff, I want you to fly away. Go as far as you can, as high as you can. Then, you wait for my signal. You'll know what it is. And you'll see things will be as they were before. And don't worry about the scary people. I'll make sure they'll go away."

"Promise?" She asked, reluctant.

"I promise. Now hurry before it's too late."

"Awesome!" She said with alacrity and sprinted out of the room. The demon changed his face from that of a kind, helping figure to a sinister and devilish grin.

Annie did as she had been told. She reached her room, closed the door and climbed into bed. She said a quick prayer, as her mother had taught her, and then covered herself to get to sleep. It did not take her long to drift off, all the background noises fading away into a deafening abyss…

She opened her eyes. It was dark. Darker than before. And much more silent. A disquieting silence, that did not make her feel good at all. She realized she must have reached the place the demon was talking about. The place she visited frequently in her dreams.

Annie looked around to check if there were any scary people. Apparently, she was alone in the room. Thinking there might be someone under her bed, she slowly leaned to take a peek there. But her bravery let her down midway, being too afraid to go through with it. For a moment, the fear paralyzed her to the bed. She kept suspecting that if she were to move, one of the scary people would come out and scare her. She was not ready for this. However, Annie remembered what her older sister told her. "And don't worry about the scary people. I'll make sure they'll go away." Coupled with the fact that she had to do this in order to make things better, she built up enough courage and decided to carry forward with the plan laid out by her sister.

She effortlessly hovered upward. Looking back, she saw herself sleeping on the same bed she had just left. So far so good. Now for the next phase. She floated toward the door and went straight through it, reaching the hallway outside. If she were to have been walking, she would not see where she would step as the floor had been inundated by a weird fog. Pushing that thought aside, she made her way to Allison's bedroom door.

When she passed in front of the room's threshold, heading away, the demon chuckled wickedly. All of a sudden, Allison's physical body became lifeless, its head dropping downward without any control. The demon warped himself out with ease, revealing his true form, a coal black skinned humanoid, tall and slim, with sharp claws, a long, pointed tail, fur covered shins and hooves for feet. Its most distinguishable feature was the lipstick red smeared across his face, which gave off a slight glow. Glowing also were his eyes, yellow gold and inhuman. Echoing crackling sounds accompanied his presence, now that he was not concealed anymore within a human body.

He started walking towards Annie's bedroom. Although his hooves were quite large, they did not produced a single noise each time he stepped, like feathers touching the ground. And since he did not even bother himself to hurry, he was being as silent as possible, only the crackling sound giving away his position. But it did not matter. He was very close to his prize: Annie's empty body, ready to be possessed.

When he reached the young girl's door, he developed a half smile, which showed his tint, grey fangs. Without any hesitation, he opened the door.

The first thing he laid eyes upon troubled him deeply. An empty bed. No empty vessel to possess. And it hit him. He had just fallen into a trap. Again.

He began to pant heavily. Spinning at 180 degrees, he climbed the wall to his left and ran on all fours back to Allison's body, leaving large holes in his wake.

When he arrived there, to his shock, the teenage girl's body along with the chair she had been sitting on vanished in thin air before him, like an illusion that ran its course. It was replaced by Elise, who stepped out from the darkened, far corner of the room. "Got you now, bitch!"

Putting two and two together, the demon suddenly felt a hostile presence behind him. Aella menacingly rose, eyes fiercely shining like a supernova. She was emanating fury and wrath, especially now, when she finally had him in the clear and exposed. There was nowhere left for him to run or hide. He was vulnerable and at her mercy and Aella welcomed the opportunity to enjoy smiting the son of a bitch.

When the demon realized the danger, he quickly turned around and launched his claws at the angel. Aella deflected each attack with precision and when she saw an opening, she easily took advantage of it and delivered a heavy blow that caused her fist to go straight through his face and to come out on the other side of his head. Aella thought of the many times he had laughed in her face and in the face of the family he had been torturing for so long. But now, she was having the last laugh, outplaying him in such a fashion.

She remembered how it started, the moment where she had been approached by Annie. It had been then when she had realized how to save both Allison and her family and eliminate the demon, using the young girl's astral projection ability. To use her as bait. When she had knelt and caressed the girl's head, she actually had been telepathically talking with Annie.

"Annie? Can you hear me? Don't be frightened, I'm talking in your mind. I can do that. It's ok. I can hear you as well."

"This is weird," the girl replied.

"I know but I'm doing it because I don't want to be heard by that thing inside Ali."

"I don't think anyone can hear us like this."

"True," Aella acknowledged. "Annie, I think I have found a way to bring Ali back. And chase away that thing inside her… forever. But I need your help. You're the only one who can help me. And it's not going to be easy. And not 100% safe. But I will be with you every step of the way. If something goes wrong, we will stop. If we do this right, sweetie, we'll save your sister. Wadda ya' say?"

"I will do anything to bring Ali back. The real Ali." Annie answered without waiting.

"Excellent. Now listen very carefully. You must do exactly what I say or our plan will not work. Phase 1. We will go and talk to your mom and dad and Specs and Tucker."

Which is exactly what had happened, after Aella had gathered everyone again in the living room.

"I will start an argument there with everyone. Make it look like we are fighting, really bad. Pay no mind to what I will say. It will all be a lie. But I have to make them believe it."

In truth, Aella had deceived the humans once more. Another lie but a necessary one. She was sure the demon had been listening to everything going on in the house. She had had to make everything look convincingly enough for him. Both to point out the humans' desperate situation and to offer a valid reason on how little Annie could simply walk out unsupervised and reach in a position where he would be able to talk to her.

"When the yelling and shouting will start, you will become upset by it all and leave the living room. Everyone will be too busy on the fighting to notice it."

Truthfully, Annie had found it very easy to sneak past the adults. They had been really upset.

"Phase 2. The general idea will be that you just want to be alone and away from the fighting. And the best place to do that is in your room. But to get to your room, you will need to walk in front of Ali's room. And she will see you and will most likely try to talk to you."

Aella had figured she would need to add some layers of encouragement to persuade the little girl to interact with the demon. But Annie had displayed an uncanny bravery that surprised even her.

"When you talk to her, be upset. Like really upset. Your parents' fighting is really affecting you, and you can't take it any longer and you want it to end. But you have to act really good. Like Brad Pitt good. Don't worry about any mistakes you will make. Just move past them and keep going."

Aella had not been concerned that Annie's act could not fool the demon. He would be blind to it because of another aspect, and would be too distracted to suspect anything. That is why she also had taken the liberty, at that point, to let the others aware of her plan, directing them on what they had to do.

"She'll try to cheer you up. Try to make everything better. Which is a lie. But you will fall for that lie. Because we know it is a lie. But the thing inside Ali won't. Then it will suggest, in some way or another, for you to go to the other place, the one with scary people. And you will accept that. You will say yes to everything."

Annie had been very apprehensive and nervous during the entire conversation she had with her sister. She had struggled to act as best as she could. But the fact that everything had been happening as Aella had said it would, gave her courage. She had become surer of herself with each moment.

"All you have to do next is go to your room and go to sleep so you can go to the other place. When you do that, all we need to do is just show yourself to him. Show him that you are in that place and going away. Don't worry, he will see you. What he won't see is when I will hide your sleeping body in the wardrobe. He won't know you will be there. Trust me."

As soon as Annie had left her room in her astral projected form, Aella had teleported inside, and had done as per her plan, hiding Annie's body in the wardrobe. All while making it look like nothing had been happening in the room. She also had done the same with Annie's body, concealing her entirely like she was not there. Despite the fact that her energies would be stretched to the max attempting to conceal so many things, Aella had been sure the demon, in his panic at realizing he had been tricked, would not be able to detect the hidden vacant vessel. And she had been correct.

"Then, we get to the final phase. Phase 3."

"What is Phase 3, Aella?" Annie asked curious.

"I get him!"

And indeed she had. Aella had counted, like before, on the demon's blinding craving to cause pain. Presented with the opportunity of possessing young Annie, Aella had been sure he would take it for it would have been a promising opportunity to cause much more suffering and torment. The holy grail, especially given the family's state and mindset. To be in their youngest's body and viciously turn on them, it would have been the ultimate pleasure for him. The perfect sacrilege of purity and innocence. How could he have resisted it? And he fell right into her trap. Because as soon as he so carelessly had left Allison's body, it was all over. All Aella had to do was hide both sisters and then lie in waiting for her prey. In addition, she had been impressed with how well Annie had handled herself and had followed her instructions to the letter. The girl had performed exceptionally well in spite of the dire circumstances and enormous pressure, playing her instrumental role brilliantly, beyond the angel's wildest expectations. Once more, Aella had been reminded of the colossal potential of the human race and its capacity to achieve astonishing feats. And Annie was one of the brightest and best mankind had to offer.

Returning to the present, Aella threw the slain demon behind her. Upon hitting the ground, a vortex of energy was released via electrical discharges and a black-purple light wave that engulfed the demon's lifeless corpse. Aella trained her hand at the unstable irruption and managed to contain it from spreading. With her other hand, she managed to teleport Allison's body in the room, on the same chair but this time, free of any chains. Allison herself also appeared.

The dark colored wave that had come out of the demon was being now sucked into Aella's hand and released out of her other hand, in shades of white, at the physical body of the girl. "Allison," the angel uttered, under a considerable amount of pressure. "This is it. Step into the energy stream! Now!"

Although her body was free now, Allison could not simply return in it. The link between them had been nullified after being separated for such a long time. But Aella had devised a course around that. She would use the unstable dispersion of energy caused by the demon's death as a converted power source to reinitialize the spiritual link between astral form and physical body. All that was left was re-entry. And Allison had to merge her projected soul with the energy stream so that she could ultimately be reinserted in her body.

She looked at Elise. "Thank you."

The woman returned a reassuring smile. "Go. Live!"

Allison gazed at the energy stream for a second, took a deep breath and walked in it. As soon as she had done that, she found herself being thrown toward her body…

She opened her eyes. The first thing she distinguished was light. Sun light, coming from the opened window. It did not harm her eyes. On the contrary, after such a long time in the dark, seeing light again made her excited and raised her spirits. It was quite the sight.

She then realized she was sitting down. She could feel the hard wooden frame of the armrest of the chair she was occupying. She felt it. She could actually feel it. It was an amazing sensation. To feel again, to touch objects and enjoy the contact they produced with their skin.

The surroundings were familiar. The orange, fluffy carpet on her floor she had used to love to walk on barefoot. The square angles of her desk. The wardrobe door covered with all sorts of rock bands' posters. The comfortable bed she had used to sleep and do homework on. The nightstand next to it, filled with her all kinds of silly items she had kept over the years. Her trusty handheld mirror she usually had used to check every inch of her face. This was more than a familiar surrounding. She was inside her safe place, her inner universe, the kingdom she ruled. She was inside her room. And everything she recognized there helped her feel like she was finally home.

But the next thing that caught her attention was the hand that was holding her own. She recognized it instantly. It had been the first hand of another person she had laid eyes upon. The hand that had held her and comforted her, the hand that had always fed her and took care of her, the soft, milky-skin hand that never abandoned her and stood by her side no matter what. Lifting her tired eyes to confirm to whom that hand belonged to, she received exactly what she had been expecting. Her mother's warm and loving gaze.

"Mom?" She murmured with a trembling voice.

"Allison?" Natalie asked, widening her eyes. Brian was standing next to her. Both of them realized, as soon as she had said the word 'mom' that their daughter, their true daughter, had finally returned. The manner in which she had uttered the word 'mom' gave Natalie a clear and definite confirmation that it was truly Allison saying it. And the happiness that followed forced her to cry tears of joy. "Allison," she said and hugged her daughter like never before. "You're back. You're finally back!"

Allison embraced her mother as tightly as she could and for the first time, she was crying out of pure delight, thrilled beyond belief to be with Natalie once more. "Dad," she turned to her father, extremely glad to have him look back at her. Brian took off his glasses from his watery eyes and proceeded to envelop his wife and daughter in his arms. A few feet away, Tucker was overjoyed to see the girl back.

"Look who just woke up," Specs entered the room with Annie.

"Ali," she jubilantly screamed and sprinted to her.

The parents let Allison go so that she could be reunited with her sister. The girls locked themselves in an ardent embrace, elated and almost euphoric. "You," Allison confessed through gasps, "you are my hero. You saved me!" Then, she squeezed her at her chest once more, not wanting to ever let go of her. "You saved me!"

Brian and Natalie joined them, letting out their happiness in a family ritual of reunion and togetherness.

Specs and Tucker watched them and smiled contended, pleased by the outcome of the entire ordeal.

Aella, along with Elise, also made their appearance and marveled at the beautiful sight. The angel looked at her and saw that she was moved to tears. A smile formed on her lips. Because deep down, she was beyond glad that things turned out the way they did. The family standing before them deserved it. Fully. And she was more than pleased that she had offered them this second chance.

"Time to forget," Aella drew their attention. All four family members shifted their gaze at her, happiness and glee discernable on their faces.

/|\

(Author's note: Ruelle feat. Fleurie - Carry You)

It was a sunny Saturday morning. The sky was clear of any clouds and warm gusts of wind gently fell upon the neighborhood houses. The Petersens were in the front yard of their home, playing catch and having a generally good time. Brian teased his daughters by keeping the ball to himself. But to his surprise, Allison and Annie tackled him to the ground. The one who eventually got the ball was Natalie. But just like her husband, she began running away with it, relentlessly chased by her girls.

Across the street, Specs and Tucker were loading their equipment back into the Winnebaghost. Several feet away, in limbo, Aella and Elise were watching the family playing.

"It's refreshing to see them happy," Elise said. "All because of you."

"No," Aella disagreed. "I would have given up and chosen the easy way out a long time ago. It's you they have to thank for. That I have to thank for. You opened my eyes, made me see that everyone is worth saving. Even the damned."

"Does that mean you will accept your friend's offer?"

"Yes," Aella responded confidently, with her mind being fully made up. "What about you? Any chance I can convince you to come back to heaven with me?"

"No. As long as there are people like them," gazing at the Petersens, "I won't stop in trying to help. It's what I do. It's my calling."

"I see," Aella accepted, knowing that any attempt to talk her out of it would be in vain. "Good luck!"

"You too! Wait. There is one last thing I'd like to ask of you," Elise admitted, this time peering at the men at the van. Aella understood.

Specs and Tucker were very focused on their gear when Aella approached. "So, you all packed?"

"Yeah. Ready to go," the larger male answered. "What about you? You're going back to heaven?"

"Not exactly," Aella cryptically responded.

"Right, classified angel business, right?" Specs tried to guess.

"You could say that. Listen, guys, someone asked me to deliver a message to you."

"Elise?" Tucker asked, clearly realizing there could not be anyone else. Both dropped whatever they were doing and paid close attention to her.

"Yeah. Elise. She wants you to know that you are not responsible for her death. She doesn't blame you at all. Never did. It was her time and she had accepted it. And so must you."

The men processed the words, looking down and reflecting upon the guilt they have felt up until now. The demon had been correct. They were blaming themselves for what had happened to Elise. Not a day went by without them wondering about those heavy words. They should have. They should have been next to her. They should have done something. They should have heard her needing help. They should have been there. But the reply to each one of these statements is that they had not. And in spite of their attempts to bury this consuming remorse, they did nothing but repress their emotion and let it fester like a disease.

However, it was a huge relief to hear Elise's message, carried out by Aella. A very heavy weight had been removed from their hearts and it made them whole again. For the first time, they were not plagued by guilt when thinking about Elise. They were grateful to have known her, to have shared fantastic experiences with her and to have benefited from her knowledge and expertise. She had been and would continue to be a close and cherished friend and a second mother.

"She also wants you to know that she's very proud of you two. That you were like the sons she never had and that it has been and still is a pleasure to work with you."

Even though they tried to hide it, Aella could tell how emotional they became upon hearing that. Their entire expression changed, transitioning to a soft and tender gladness covering a barely contained joy. It meant a lot for them.

"Feeling is mutual, Elise," Tucker declared.

"We love you!" Specs completed his partner's thoughts.

"Always with the melodrama," Tucker rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. You're just saying that to be all macho because Aella's here. She's an angel dude. Way out of your league."

"And I suppose you think you have a chance."

"Guys!" Aella interrupted their spat. They immediately became silent. "Geez, do you ever stop fighting?"

"Sorry." Both added in unison.

Aella giggled, allowing herself to let them know they amuse her. "You know, you guys did a good job back there. Not bad at all. Keep being awesome. Take care of yourselves, ok?"

"Copy that," Tucker acquiesced. "Five by five!"

And with that, Aella threw them one last smile and went around the van, a thud following afterward. Specs and Tucker could not find any trace of her when they looked there. She had disappeared and they understood how, not needing to solve that mystery as well. They hopped in the van and drove down the street, turning at the first right and leaving the neighborhood, heading toward their next case. In their wake, Annie and Allison's laughter resonated like a blissful echo that was music to their parents' ears. The sun shined unbothered across the houses, announcing a fine day ahead...

(Author's note: SECOND CREDITS SONG: Pendulum - Granite)


Wow. Can't believe this story is done. And I am really happy with they way it turned out. For sure, it could have been better. But, despite its flaws, I really hope you have enjoyed it. Thank you so much for each and every one of you who have read up until now.

And, as promised, the quadrilogy will continue with the next story, which I am already planning. Hopefully, I'll have it up and running soon enough. So stay tuned. See you around.