*Jawdrop* When did this chapter get so long? It's like ten pages on word! Wow.

Anyway, I told myself to finish this on Friday, but that didn't work out, so then I said yesterday/Saturday, but I was making lefse with my friends for most of the day (which was really fun) and then about half of them decided to be freeloaders and stay the night. lol. But I got it done! I'm so happy about that.

Two things: One, my friend Leaf (OOOOOOOOOOOOOm on here) typed most of this and I can't thank her enough. That also means all typos are her fault (jk). And two, I resently got Paradise Lost: the Novel (I would have gotten the origenal, but 17th century poetry is confusing.) and it's about Lucifer falling from heaven and becoming Satan so I might be referencing that at some point, but you shouldn't need to read it to understand. (It's really a good book though, so I would recomend it.)

Erik hadn't even remembered falling asleep when he woke up. For a moment he had forgotten all of the previous day, but then the memories came flowing back, making his heart ach once again.

But he had a strange dream through the night and, even though he could barely remember it, it made him realize that there was still a chance his brother would talk to him. If Erik could catch him while he was on duty, he could apologize for leaving him and they could talk and Lukas wouldn't be punished because it would just any other time an angel met a Fallen angel!

With that plan in mind, he grabbed the book Francis had given him off the bedside table (when had he put it there?" and walked out into his living room. Remembering that he had no furniture, he was on the floor and consulted the book for help.

He started with the first chapter, which said it was bout the stages of being a Fallen angel.

"There are two main stages of being a Fallen angel. The first lasts up to a week after you Fall. During this time you will not be able to fly, your wings may ache, and the temperatures in Hell will be nearly unbearable. You may also experience sickness, such as stomach aches, headaches, fevers, tremors, and chills. This is a result of the parts of your body that still obey God trying to fight off the "evil" inside you. Don't worry, it'll pass soon.

"During the next stage you will begin to feel cold inside. This is due to losing the warmth that comes with God's love. It will make the heat more bearable, but not much. You will become cold on the inside and warm on the outside until you adjust to the temperatures."

The rest of the chapter went on to explain in more detail the different problems that could occur. Figuring that if he was going to feel like shit for the next week anyway, it didn't really matter exactly how or why, Erik skipped it.

He paged to a chapter about the creatures of Hell, trying to find one that would help him find his brother when he went to Earth. It seemed that most would be helpful just not exactly what he wanted.

He needed something that worked alone so he wouldn't have to pay more than one. But they also needed to have large numbers all over Earth. Who knew where Lukas could be sent? They needed to be fast so the information could get to him before his brother was done with his job. It needed to be a group that he could tell a couple and they would spread the information to others because there was no way he would be able to get the word our to everybody he would need. Finally, they had to be willing to work with him. It seemed that some of these creatures weren't as friendly as others.

Eventually, one caught his eye. Harpies. The book said they usually worked alone or in a small groups. They didn't have particularly large numbers, but they lived all over the world and were very goal oriented. And as for speed, they could fly in from another room and steal food from a man before it got from his plate to his mouth.

The more Erik read, the more it seemed these creatures would work. He decided he would try to talk to them later. He was suddenly feeling very sick and besides he couldn't even fly right now.

Putting the book aside, the Fallen angel curled into a ball on the floor. His stomach felt like it was going to explode. He wanted to throw up, but couldn't. His entire body was shaking and he felt so weak. His head was pounding and it hurt so much he had to close his eyes tight.

He willed the pain to go away. How had it come on so fast, so strong anyway? It didn't seem possible to go from feeling fine one minute to feeling worse than he had ever felt the next.

He hoped to God, the devil, or whoever he was supposed to hope to that this would pass soon, or that he could at least pass out.

He got his wish.

"Erik! Erik please answer the door! I don't have a key." The boy heard Francis's voice and knocking.

He groaned and sat up. At least he was feeling better aside from a lingering headache.

"What do you want Francis?" Erik asked when he opened the door. The taller man was smiling at him and holding two bags.

"I bought you some clothes." The Frenchman said as he made his way inside.

"Why?" Erik asked suspiciously.

"Well, you can't go around in those." Francis laughed. The other's clothes were ripped and torn from his Fall. Besides, those were the clothes of God's servants and would only cause him problems down here. "And anyway, I told you I was going to help you."

Erik wanted to ask why Francis was being so kind, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Why don't you get changed and then I'll show you around town?"

Erik took the bags, went into the bedroom, and did as he was told. Looking in one of the bags, he was disappointed but not surprised to see that they were entirely black. After he had them on, he was impressed to see that they fit him perfectly. How had Francis guessed his sizes so well?

When he walked out, Francis looked at him and said "That's better. Now, come on! We have a lot to get to and we've already missed half the day."

The taller blonde practically skipped out of the room. Erik followed with less enthusiasm.

"Why are you so excited about this?" The Newly Fallen angel asked as they were walking down the steps.

"Well, I have always wanted to help someone adjust." He explained. "When I Fell, a very long time ago, there was one person who helped me out more than anything. They have since died and I wish to honor their memory by helping another."

Erik stayed silent, almost regretting bringing it up. But Francis didn't seem bothered and continued walking happily.

The first thing shown to Erik was the buffet. It wasn't too far away from the tower and seemed welcoming to the boy. As quick as he could, he grabbed a plate and started filling it with food. Until the delectable scents had reached him, he hadn't realized how hungry he was. Even if he didn't need to eat, he still grew hungry. It was probably more in his mind than anything.

The food tasted just like Earth food, maybe a little better. Not as good as what he had in Heaven but that didn't matter. He was just thankful that it wasn't filled with maggots like they had told him it was when he was in Heaven.

After a few minutes of indulging himself, Erik looked up to see Francis laughing at him. Blushing, he composed himself and ate more slowly.

"You know, you really are cute." Francis said suddenly, making the other even more embarrassed. Before he could say anything, though, the man apologized. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I'm a seducter, so its become second nature to me, and though it is true, I do not flirt with other inhabitants of Hell. Unless, of course, they want it."

"No." Erik said and went back to eating. The table stayed silent for the rest of the meal.

After that, they walked to a couple of different stores, selling anything from paper and pencils to machines and furniture. The variety reminded him more of Earth than the pit of torture he had always been told Hell would be.

"Why is it so…nice here?" Erik asked.

"Well, its not nice per say, but its comfortable." Francis answered. "And why wouldn't it be? We built this place for ourselves - not us, but Satan and the first Fallen. Before that, there was nothing but flame. We turned our prison into a home."

For the next while, Francis explained about the different structures like a tour guide as Erik zoned out. He realized that if he was going to ask anything to try to understand this place better, now would be the time. He tried to order his many questions by importance, then asked "How do jobs work down here?"

"What?"

"Like in Heaven, different angels have different jobs to help the humans and you're alerted when-"

"Oh right!" Francis exclaimed. "Its been so long since I've been up there, I forgot how it worked. In Hell it's much freer. You can do whatever you want. Most of us tend to choose something to specialize in though."

"Really? Anything?"

"As long as you're not trying to work against us, oui."

Erik's mind flooded with possibilities. It'd been so long since he hadn't had a specific job. The freedom was exhilarating.

He shook the thoughts out of his head. His one and only mission right now was to get in contact with Lucas. He couldn't get distracted.

For the first time all day, Erik started to really look around. When he did, he saw that not only was Hell comfortable, it was beautiful in its own way. Each store looked different. Although the overall city looked older, some of the buildings seemed to be less than fifty years old.

As he was looking around, he caught a glimpse of himself in one of the windows and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned to examine himself closer.

All of his light was gone. He hadn't even noticed it while he was an angel, but he knew he had been emitting a light, and now it was gone and he looked dark. His new night black wings and clothes only added to that. His eyes had always been emotionless but now they looked completely dead aside from the shock and disbelief he could only see because they were his own.

He pushed his hair behind his ear and just stared at himself. He looked so different. His hands shook as he touched his wings then his face. It was unbelievable.

The worst part was he didn't hate how he looked. It was that he kind of liked it.

Erik stayed silent from then on. Francis seemed to pick up on the other's bad mood and said less, only telling him a bit about each shop. It wasn't half an hour before the Frenchman asked, "Do you want to go home?"

Erik nodded.

They walked back to the building together, but once they were there, the smaller one ran up the stairs alone. Francis understood. His first week had been hard too. He had probably pushed his friend too much by taking him out on his first day.

Over the next week, Erik almost never left his home. Every day, Francis brought him three meals and stayed to talk with him for awhile. It was a bit more than Erik would have preferred, but it was better than being alone.

Finally one day he had the courage to go outside. He was no longer getting sick and his wings now worked (his room was big enough that he had tested them out a few times.)

As he walked through town, he realized he needed a way to make money. Francis had explained to him that you don't get paid for anything you do on Earth. To get money, you have to work for someone in Hell.

Erik heard a voice calling to someone, and after a minute realized it was him they were calling to. He turned around and a blonde boy with glasses nearly walked into him.

"Oh, sir, I'm sorry." The boy exclaimed. "Anyway, my name is Eduard von Bock and I'm from the school and I have completed my studies and I was wondering if you'd mind being my sponsor. Before you say anything…" It was apparent to Erik that whatever this boy was saying, it wasn't just rambling and instead was a well rehearsed speech. But that didn't mean he understood it.

"If you want money, I don't have any."

"What?" Eduard looked confused and slightly annoyed. "No, I need a sponsor."

"I don't know what that means." Erik growled.

"How do you not know what that means?" The boy yelled. Suddenly the realization of what he had done must have hit him because all anger was replaced by fear. "What I mean is-"

"I'm new here, that's how I don't know."

"Oh, um, then why don't we get some food and I'll explain it to you?"

Five minutes later they were sitting at the buffet and Eduard was talking Erik through everything. "Well, they have a school here for those of us who came straight down here after we died. You don't have to enroll, but a lot of us do. It teaches us how to be a Fallen angel and to graduate, you need a full Fallen to sponsor you. That's where you come in."

"What all do I need to do?"

"Not really anything. Just sign a paper and I can graduate."

"Okay, I'll sign them. I just have a few questions first. Why do you even want to be a Fallen Angel?"

"I can't stay down here forever. I have to get back to Earth and get revenge on the person who killed me before he dies on his own." The look in his eyes was dangerous.

"Well, how did you end up in Hell anyway?"

"It was such a stupid reason. All of us at the school have stupid reasons for being here. Those with good reasons, like murder, are tortured and not accepted at the school.

"On Earth, I worked for a cruel and evil man. It wasn't by choice, I assure you. I couldn't get out. I had two "brothers" that worked for him, too. Whenever we did even the slightest thing wrong, we were disciplined. Beaten to the edge of death and left without a care. Devil knows how we lived as long as we did.

"My brothers and I were far from close, probably because we all knew one day, one of us would die and we didn't want it to hurt so much. This also meant it was easy for me to turn our master on them when he was coming after me. It wasn't that I wanted to see them hurt, I just valued my own life. At first I hated myself for it, but eventually the guilt faded. And my brothers never figured it out, so I didn't really face any consequences.

"That is, until our final day. My brothers and I were sent out on a suicide mission. We didn't know it at the time though. We were killed when a bomb went off. They went to Heaven, I was sent to Hell, just because I wanted to protect myself."

Erik had to agree this guy had a point. Protecting yourself at all costs was an instinct, and being able to do it required a degree of intelligence. Why should he be blamed for that? And he did deserve revenge against who ever this master of his was…

"Okay, get me the papers and I'll sponsor you." Erik decided.

"Thank you so much!" Eduard exclaimed and ran out. The other realized they didn't have anyway to get in contact. Hopefully he would find him back.

A couple of days later, Erik heard a knock at his door. When he opened it, he saw Eduard standing there with papers in his hand.

"Thanks again for doing this. I've been looking for someone for weeks. Most people around here don't really respect us, so it's hard to find someone." Eduard said as Erik lead him inside.

"Yeah, can we just get to it?" Erik had been looking for a way to contact the harpies. So far he had found nothing and he really wanted to get back to work.

"Of course." Eduard looked around and saw that the Fallen had no furniture, so he sat down on the floor, and the other followed. "Well, here's a pen, just sign on the line that says sponsor."

Erik did as he was told and as he was handing the papers back, he heard Francis's voice calling to him. Did everyone insist on interrupting his research?

"Oh, Erik!" As soon as the Frenchman entered the room, he froze and his face fell. "What's he doing here?"

"What?"

"Is he from the school? Please tell me you haven't signed his papers yet."

"I just did." Erik answered and stood up. Eduard did the same.

Francis just stood there for a minute. Then he stormed over to Eduard and looked him right in the eye. He was a bit taller and angry, making him look very intimidating, but the boy stood his ground.

"What lies have you told him?" Francis spat.

"None. Well, one. I told him I was done with my studies. I have two months left. But that's it."

"Then how did you get him to sign?"

"I may have left some information out."

"Well, that would be lying."

"No, it's just not telling the whole truth."

"Whatever. Tell him everything you didn't tell him now." Francis instructed then stepped to the side.

"Okay. As my sponsor, you're in charge of helping me with my homework, which you won't have to because I get A's all on my own. You're supposed to help me on Earth, which I really don't get because I was human so I know how Earth works, and other simple stuff like teaching me how to fly."

"And?" Francis coaxed.

"And what? That's it."

"What about the bonding?"

"Oh, right, that." Eduard sighed. "We're now bonded. It just means we're going to be a bit closer. We'll be able to find each other all the time and stuff like that. It shouldn't really matter too much."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?" Erik asked.

"I told you, I do what's best for me. It's so much easier to find a sponsor when they don't know everything about it."

A few days later and Erik had an idea of how to contact a Harpy. It was a desperate idea, but the book hadn't been helpful and he was worried about sharing his idea with others, even Francis and Eduard.

He was outside of town (but still close enough that he could fly) with a couple of dead rats. He put them on the ground and called as loudly as he could, "If there are any harpies out there, I have a job for you! And some food!"

To his great surprise, two Harpies landed in front of him. He had no idea where they came from, but was getting used to strange things like that happening.

"What do you want?" One of them asked.

"You're lucky we were flying by." The other stated.

"Yeah, how did you expect us to hear you?" The first said.

"Why didn't you just come to our island?"

"We always have someone there."

"I didn't know where it was." Erik answered.

"Its off the coast of Greece, duh."

"Trust us, you can't miss it."

"Now, what do you want?"

"I need you to keep a lookout on Earth for someone." The Fallen angel explained.

"Can't you just go talk to them yourself?"

"The problem is he's an angel, so I have no idea where he's going to end up. So I was thinking-"

"You'd have our entire species keep a look out and whoever find him first gets a reward?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Okay, what does he look like?"

"He has silvery white hair, violet eyes, and he's about seventeen. Oh, and he's a miracle worker." Erik was elated to hear that they would help.

"Okay, we'll get the word out. And don't try to pay us with dead rats."

"Yeah, we like our food with a struggle."

After that they flew off.

When he came back to town, he saw Eduard waiting for him. Ashe approached, the student said, "So, I was feeling bad for tricking you and I decided to make it up to you I'd get you a job."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You'll be getting supplies from Earth for the same person I work for. I'll show you where it is."

Eduard led him to a small bakery.

"Why do we need a bakery if we have the buffet?" Erik questioned.

"The buffet doesn't have everything all the time."

Erik stayed silent.

He was brought inside and introduced to the owner. He told him that the job wouldn't be too hard - just getting flour and other supplies once a week - and he would be paid fairly well (or at least what Erik expected was well.)

The Fallen angel quickly agreed to the job. Once everything was in place, he went back home feeling very accomplished.

That night he lie awake thinking.

If he was going to see his brother, he would have to prove that he wasn't evil. Just saying so wouldn't be enough.

He may not be called to people in danger, but there was enough problems in the world he was sure he could find someone to help.

The next day he flew to Earth to look for someone to help. It took less than an hour before he found what he was looking for.

There was a suspicious looking man in a dark sweatshirt with his hood up sitting in his car outside a bank. He took a few deep breaths before getting out of his car. When he did, Erik saw a gun in his hand and any doubt that something bad was going to happen left his mind.

Before he could reach the bank, the Fallen angel grabbed the man and pulled him somewhere he could drop his cloaking magic without anyone else seeing him. When he found an ally, he shoved the man against a wall and yelled, "What are you doing?"

"What the Hell are you?" He yelled back, face white as a sheet.

"I'm an angel."

"No you're not! Angels don't have black wings!"

"Well I do." Erik growled. This was not how this was supposed to go.

"If you're an angel, you're an angel of death!" The man assumed wrong. "Look, I don't care if I die, just wait a bit, okay? I need money for my family!"

"I'm not a freaking angel of death. I'm here to help you."

"Like Hell you are! You couldn't do anything good!"

"Shut up!" He refused to think about that comment, knowing it would hurt.

"No! Get away from me! Get away from me you monster!" He pulled his gun up and aimed it at Erik.

"Put that down now."

Instead of doing as he was told, he pulled the trigger. Erik used his magically given speed that he hadn't used in years to launch himself upward and away from danger.

He landed on the roof of the nearest building and took a minute to calm down. Then he balled his hands into fists and kicked a pole that was probably transmitting some sort of signal.

"Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!" He started quietly but ended up yelling.

Instead of giving up, he decided to try again somewhere else.

"Get out of here!" A woman screamed, throwing a glass at him. "You bastard! You damn batard creature!"

Erik flew away in defeat. This wasn't the second person he had tried to help, nor the third. She was the eighth person that day. He tried all sorts of people from all over the worlds, but no luck. They all ended the same no matter what he did. He had even tried hiding his wings, but it was like people could sense he was a Fallen angel.

Instead of trying again, he chose to go home.

But of course he couldn't just go home. No, Francis had to be standing outside his door waiting for him.

"So, where have you been all day?" The Frenchman asked.

"On Earth." Erik answered as he opened his door and stepped inside.

"Oh? And what were you doing there?"

"Nothing." He said and slammed the door in his friends face.

Everyday for a week, Erik went to Earth and tried to help people. And everyday for a week, he was sent away countless times. Not to mention insulted and shot at.

It was the insults that really hurt. He had ignored them at first, but it was getting harder and harder. It was really taking a toll on him.

One day, before Erik had left, he heard a knock on his door. He debated whether or not to open it, figuring it was Francis. In the end, he decided to.

Before he could even greet the other Fallen angel or ask him what he wanted, he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged down hallway.

"Francis, where are we going?" Erik demanded.

"To somewhere you can relieve some stress."

Francis took him to a rather large building slightly outside of town. Erik had seen it out of his window since he got here, but had never asked what it was.

"This is where we torture the humans who did something horrible during their life. It's not eternal, just fitting to their crime. That's what makes it such a good place to blow off some steam." Francis explained.

"You torture people to relax?" Erik asked in disbelief.

"Oh, don't say it like that. Everybody has a sadistic side. And they deserve it. Just try it." Francis said and dragged him inside.

The place looked like some sick research facility. The souls being tortured were behind planes of glass as if they were in a zoo. Some were strapped to tables or chairs, but others were freer. The Fallen angels and other inhabitants of Hell were outside in control panel seeming rooms. They were laughing maniacally as they inflicted pain on their victims with all sorts of devices ranging from blades to electricity to fire. The screams could be heard perfectly through the glass and they were begging for mercy.

One in particular caught his eye. A teenaged boy with dark hair was strapped to bench. His eyes were filled with tears and his voice was strained.

"Please," He cried, "Please don't do it again! I'm sorry! I'm sorry just please stop! Plea-" he was cut off by a jolt of electricity resembling a lightning bolt. While he was still twitching from the energy flowing through his body, they brought down a knife to cut his chest, leaving the mark ragged and uneven.

As blood started to flow out, Erik felt his stomach clench. He put his hand over his mouth and ran out of the building. Outside he stood with his hands on his knees trying to keep his food down. He couldn't stop seeing the image or hearing the screams.

"It's okay." Francis appeared next to him. "It's not really my thing either. I can only watch it because, well, after a while you get used to things. The only reason I brought you here is because you do need to find a way to relieve some stress."

"Well, that's not it." Erik assured him.

After that Erik couldn't sleep for days. All he could see when he closed his eyes was that boy and all he could hear was screaming. It didn't help that whenever he looked out his window he saw that place.

When he was finally able to fall asleep, any little sound would wake him up. That fact actually turned out to be rather helpful when he heard two pairs of wings sneak in through his window and shot awake.

He looked up too see two Harpies, one on each of his end bedposts. He had no idea if they were the ones he had talked to or not, but it didn't really matter.

Especially when one said, "We found him."

Well, you pretty much know what happens after that. Now that Erik's POV is all caught up, the next chapter will be about Lukas again. I'll be switching between the two and maybe more as the story goes on, but I'm going to stay with Lukas for a while because theres almost more Erik than Lukas. Sigh. Why do stories have a mind of their own?

Well, I'm going to have a piece of lefse then go to bed. Goodnight/have a great day/ good afternoon/ good evening/ ect.