He always watched over them. The lost souls, who thought that god wouldn't accept them for one reason or another. From something as mundane as being gay, to something like suicide or even murdering, everyone had a reason for being in this black place.
Eyes the color of spring grass gazed on from a bright doorway as the the grey people shuffled around, heads down and stares blank. You would think they would bump into each other, never looking up to see where they were going, alway in their own worlds, probably thinking about how they got here...that is, if they were even aware they were here in the first place.
It was his job to help them, these poor lost souls, but he couldn't help those who cannot see. He could only watch, waiting it seems, as the souls walked around with either lost or guilty looks etched on their faces. He felt his heart ache and sometimes pound when some got too close to the left door; the door that would sling shot them right back to earth without the needed rest, their individual lights becoming dimmer each time. They needed the rest, the eternal love and healing peace of The Light, or else their lights, their soul voices, would go out. It always made him so sad when they ended up going through that black hole, getting more of their light sucked out each time.
Earth was a cruel place though, with false prophets cheering God and manipulating the masses into believing that He will always love them, only to turn around and spout lies that God does not accept this, or will turn his back on you if you did that. It made the white headed spirit sick sometimes, but he was never able to be angry or hate them when he was a Watcher; love knows no hate.
The thing that made his heart ache the worst though, was that his soulmate, his twin, was here in the grey area.
Dear Daniel wanted to go to earth to learn, as all spirits who go to earth did. But Daniel was always a bit too impatient, and always made his lives hard so he could gain experience quicker.
The spirit went with him only a couple of times; one life they were lovers, another life they were brother and sister. He was even Daniel's spirit guide at one point. It didn't happen too often, seeing as they both had to grow in different ways, but when the spirit, Nathan, went with his soulmate at the same time it was always the lifetimes that would be the most taxing.
The time before last, given the circumstances, was different than any one else. The Spirit of Time had told them it was necessary for their growth, being fused into the same body. They had all charted it carefully, seeing as it would be a new and rare experience, especially for Nathan who never had to be in a body he couldn't control, who couldn't actually talk to Daniel in anyway and could only lend him the powers of a ghost. All the people who had joined them each grew in their own way, though unfortunately Johnathan had to spend sometime in the healing chamber when he returned, feeling great shame and loathing himself for causing so much trouble and pain, especially to the one who was his friend in that life and to Daniel who was a dear friend back Home as well as something like a son in that lifetime.
That lifetime, believe it or not, was nothing compared to the life Nathan's soulmate had set up for himself this time around. Becoming an orphan at birth, being ostracized most of his life for first talking to spirits and then later on for falling in love with a man. Andrew tried to help, but the era Daniel had chosen to live his next life, though it happened, was not always kind for those type of things. Andrew ended up being shot to death and Daniel became a murderer in his grief, so blinded by vengeance that nobody could reach him. Instead of a quick death he ended up slowly suffocating by the noose.
Even now, Nathan watched a disheveled Daniel, slightly more animated than the other residents, running his fingers through his hair and talking to himself.
If Nathan got closer, he would have seen the details of the tattered and bloody button up, the tears coming from a last ditch effort to get free before giving up while the blood came from the victims he'd gotten revenge on. The spurs of dusty and well loved boots clinked even as the boots made no noise themselves, with thread bare jeans looking about ready to fall off the man yet somehow staying on.
Nathan decided to take the plunge, not being able to stand seeing his twin like this anymore.
As Nathan drew closer, he began to hear snippets of the raven haired male's mumblings, the green eyes, darker green than Nathan's, looking dim and slightly crazed. When he got even closer, he cringed and his heart lurched at the angry rope burns and bruising around Daniel's neck. Nathan didn't back down however, and came even closer.
"...Die they all deserved to die how dare they take him away from me how dare they they couldn't leave us alone noooo they had to make us suffer just for being us just for loving each other he was the only one and they took him they killed him a damn bullet to the head they deserved what they got god damned devils who's the devil they're the devils if it wasn't for them we woulda been happy we wouldn't 'ave bothered anybody the one good thing in my life the one fuckin' thing that was good in my life they couldn't let me have..."
Nathan gazed at Daniel, his heart breaking at the sorry state his soul twin was in. Daniel was still reliving his thoughts before he died, still trapped in his own swirling nightmare of grief and rage. He listened a while longer as Daniel continued muttering to himself as if he were the only one around, talking about how Brook was almost finished with his book and how they would have been happy if they were just left alone, ever other sentence saying repeatedly 'they needed to die, they deserved it I made them pay they needed to die, die, die'. Nathan finally had enough and said very cautiously,
"William."
Daniel jumped and whipped his head around to look at Nathan in shock before fully turning towards the toehead and snarling, "Don't call me William! The name's Will ya' got that!"
Nathan shook his head, smiling a little. No matter what lifetime, his twin had always been the same, "My apologies Will, I was just wondering what you are doing here?" Nathan new very well what Daniel was here for, but he wanted to figure out what the raven was seeing.
Daniel snorted, the dark crease of his brow never fading as he replies, "I'm cooped up in a jail cell 'bout to be hanged, what'd ya think I was here for, a friendly stay with the sheriff?"
"Are you sure it hasn't already happened?" Nathan decided to test Daniel some more, if Daniel was more aware of his situation, he may snap out of it. Daniel though looked at Nathan like he'd just told him the Earth's sky was blue because of alien technology.
"What the hell are you goin' on about? You been drinking the wrong kinda cactus juice or someth'n?" Daniel asked eyeing the other man warily.
"No, I'm afraid I haven't had the luxury," Nathan replied drily, causing Daniel to snort and his mouth to tilt up slightly before he frowned, as if he couldn't believe he thought that was funny. "Have you taken a look around, Will? A really good look?"
Daniel gained a confused expression, looking around himself before focusing back on Nathan, "Yeah? Like I said, I'm in a cell about to be strung up for murder," His face darkened, "The sons a bitches deserved it, they callin' me a devil? Gonna hang me for my 'sins'?" He barked a laugh, "I've been called devil my whole life for talking to the dead, ain't nothin' new ta' me. And sins..."
Daniel spits on the ground in front of him, "The only sin I've done is lovin' another man, for showing those dirty bastards what happens when you take what's mine. That man was my happiness, but they couldn't let me have that now could they?" He grinned bitterly at the end.
"You realize that the actions you took were not morally sound right?" Nathan asked, crossing his arms and giving Daniel a slight reprimanding look.
Daniel scoffed, "Isn't the law of the land to protect what's yours and to make sure justice happens? I couldn't protect him, and the law wasn't gonna do anything, so I took justice in my own hands."
"Though I'm not one to disagree," Nathan allowed, "Do you really think Brook would have wanted you to do that?" The question threw Daniel off.
"Look at yourself," Nathan continued gesturing to Daniel's appearance, "Do you really think that Brook would've been happy that you did this to yourself?"
Daniel looked down at himself, taking in the tattered and bloody clothes before looking back at Nathan again, his eyes widening as he then took in Nathan's plain black T-shirt and blue jeans like he was seeing them for the first time; and from the look of it maybe he was.
He took a step back, "What the hell, I ain't never seen that get up before!"
Nathan smiled sadly, "Yes you have Will, or should I say," He takes a step closer, a determined frown on his face, "Daniel."
Daniel jumped at the name, suddenly looking around again and giving off the impression of a terrified animal. His hand reached for the band of his jeans, supposedly trying to grasp for a gun that wasn't there, "Who are you?!"
Nathan gave him a pitying look, "I'm Nathan, and I'm sorry Daniel, but you're dead and have been for a while. It's time you came home."
Daniel gasped, looking around wildly again and Nathan could see that Daniel was finally seeing his true surroundings. He panicked more, "I...I can't be...you're lying!"
Nathan came closer and reached out as if to hug the terrified man but Daniel jumped back, holding up his hand as if to ward Nathan off, "I can't be dead! I-! I-!" He bent over and grabbed his head, squeezing his eyes shut as if trying to physically block out the truth.
Nathan took his chance and embraced Daniel, grimacing as the slightly shorter man's screams echoed around the black world, even as the rest of the inhabitants continued to ignore the struggle between the two males.
"Tell me this Daniel," Nathan grunted as Daniel began trying to kidney punch him, "Whether you're dead or not, do you want to stay the rest of eternity where you are?! Wallowing in your own pit as you wait for a death that has already happened?!"
"Shut up! Let me go!!!"
"Think Danny!" Nathan insisted tightening his grip, "How would you be able to see-"
"Will."
Daniel immediately ceased his struggles and Nathan heaved a sigh of relief, "Thank you Andrew, help me out here."
A man in a purple coat and grey scarf appeared out of Nathan's peripheral before a bright light flashes. When Daniel looked up, he seen a man in brown rawhide pants, a white button up, and a brown rawhide jacket. His brown hair was tied back in a pony tail and blue eyes the color of midday twinkled as the man grinned.
Daniel blinked a couple of times, mouth open and not quite believing what he was seeing as first. Nathan let go and stood out of the way of the reunion, smiling in relief that Andrew thought to come. But...
"Andrew, why are you here?"
Never taking his eyes off Daniel, Andrew replied, "Daniel's screaming could even be heard from the other side. Since you were nowhere there and you don't go to earth often, I figured you'd be here." Andrew walks towards Daniel, "It's time to go home William, You've been here long enough."
Daniel opened and closed his mouth like a fish for a couple of moments before sighing and giving Andrew a tired grin, "I missed you so much Brook, I'm sorry for what I did after..." He trailed off, shame hanging on his features.
Andrew shook his head, "I'm not angry at you for what you did love, you weren't thinking clearly at the time. The reunion can wait, you need some time to rest and heal." Andrew then grumbled under his breath, "For the fifteenth time..."
Nathan chuckled, catching the last sentence even as Daniel eyed Andrew wondering what he meant. The three men walk into the lightened doorway, Nathan pausing to look back on the other lost souls that still remain trapped in their own minds.
His mood dropped. Sure he manage to help his soulmate, but there were countless others that still needed help getting free. He chanced a glance up, seeing several other figures, some with wings, hovering over the purgatory and felt his mood lift again.
His work was never done, but at least he wasn't alone in it. Despite the heartache, Nathan loved his job, and now he had his twin back. Nathan sighed and followed the others into the light.
