Chapter 27: Surprise
October 14-Christmas Eve, 2011

Author's note: just to not get in trouble, I should remind everyone that I don't own anything that has to do with WWE. Also, please be kind with what I did here; I have been planning this from the two defining moments: they became a couple and the retirement.

Thank you, Dark Mage of the Sea, for helping me write this chapter.

After TLC, Pandora called Punk and congratulated him on retaining the belt. At first feeling weird that Pandora was communicating through the mirror, Punk accepted the congratulations and then asked her about her arm. She showed that her arm was as good as new and then revealed that she would not be coming back just yet. She explained that she wanted the week off for the holiday and to find Edge. But the week changed her mind. On Monday, when she saw how vicious Kane was to Cena, she understood why he wanted her to stay away and she feared that even being in the same arena would affect her. She immediately contacted Punk and told him that she would not be coming back and why. Punk suggested that he could protect her from Kane but Pandora disagreed, arguing that Kane was more powerful than ever and that Kane's aura alone would affect her. Punk did not like being told that he could not take someone on but he also knew that he could not attack an aura. However, another reason for Pandora to not come back appeared on Christmas Eve, thanks to a conversation that happened back in October…

October 14, 2011

Pandora got the bright idea to watch the new episode of Sanctuary since it would correspond with last season's finale and she knew Edge would be a part of it. But Edge was not as thrilled as she was since he knew what was coming. "You sure you want to watch this?"

Pandora sat him down and turned it on. "Yes! Why would I not want to see it?"

Before he could answer, she got absorbed into the show and found out almost immediately why Edge was hesitant: his character was killed in an explosion in the first few minutes. Shocked by what she saw, she looked at Edge, who shrugged and said, "I tried to tell you."

Pandora slowly looked back at the screen as Edge suggested, "Why don't we watch something else?"

The demoness slowly nodded so Edge changed the channel to a movie and pulled her close. He smirked, rubbing her gently. "That's better."

Pandora nodded slowly. She pretended to watch the movie but her mind was very distracted by the explosion she saw on the show. She knew that it was only the character that was killed off. But it was still disturbing to see someone who looked like her mate killed. The scene also reminded Pandora of something she did not want to remember: Edge was mortal and would age and eventually die. While she did not mind him aging (since she saw Undertaker age over the years), she did not want him to die because, no matter where he ended up, she would never see him again. On the off-chance he went to Heaven, they would become enemies; if he went to Hell, he would be in a part of Hell that Pandora had no access to. The thought of not being with him for eternity depressed her.

After the movie, Edge wanted to ask what she thought of it but noticed that she looked glum. He nudged her a little. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Pandora looked at Edge and then left the couch. Edge was surprised at her being tight-lip about her feelings. He got up and grabbed her arm. "Hold on. What's wrong with you?"

Pandora looked away and quickly said, "I don't want to talk about it." Before he could ask her again, she went into the bathroom and got into the shower. She sighed gently, trying not to think about it. But the reminder owned her thoughts. She felt a small tear fall down her face and sniffled.

After her shower, she wrapped herself in a towel and went into the bedroom to find a nightgown. But she immediately ran into Edge, who demanded, "What the hell's wrong with you?"

Pandora tried to go around Edge but he was not letting her pass. After a few tries, she groaned with frustration and teleported to her drawers. As she pulled out a nightgown, Edge turned around and grabbed her arm, getting her attention. "Answer me!"

Not intimidated, Pandora took her hand back and put on her nightgown. "It's not important so drop it." She just did not want to think about it anymore. As she headed to the bed, she looked back and saw that Edge was leaving. "Wait, where are you going?"

Edge smirked. "If you're not going to tell me…I'm not going to give you what you want." He knew that this threat always worked before. But, to her surprise, she laid down and turned away from him, her wings curling against her. After a beat of shock, he scoffed and went into the living room.

Unable to sleep, Edge watched another movie. He was going to sleep in his bed tonight even if Pandora did not respond to his usual threat. It puzzled him: what was so upsetting to her that the threat of no sex could not make her talk? As he sat up and turned off the TV, he heard soft crying coming from the bedroom. Growing concerned, he investigated and found Pandora crying in her sleep. He reached over and gently shook her. "Pani…"

Pandora woke up and looked up, seeing Edge. But seeing him made more tears well up, even as he hugged her from behind and rested his head on hers. "Hey, what's wrong? Tell me."

Pandora sniffled and blurted out, "I don't want you to die."

Edge looked at her in surprise. "Die? Where the hell did that come from?"

Pandora sighed. "That show…"

Edge scoffed. "That wasn't really me. You know that."

Pandora rolled over in his arms and looked at him. "But that character is mortal…like you."

"But you're mortal too…right?"

Pandora revealed, "To an extent." At Edge's confused look, Pandora explained. "Demons freeze at age 18 for a thousand years and then start to age normally. If they choose to age a little during the thousand years, they can and the new age will be the new frozen year. But we can still die from the same physical things that humans can. It just takes a little more effort, is all."

Edge listened and then asked, "So what does that mean?"

Pandora looked down and closed her eyes in sorrow. "I will stay 18 and watch you age and die." A tear escaped her eye as she uttered, "I don't want to see you die."

Edge held Pandora close. "Pani…don't think about that." As Pandora opened her mouth to protest, Edge kissed her deeply. "Let's focus on what we have." Like with his career-ending injury, Edge was determined to look on the positive part of his relationship with Pandora. But as their passion started, the thought was in the back of his mind.

October 17

While Pandora was in Mexico with RAW, Edge was thinking about their conversation a few days ago. He knew that it was a legitimate barrier in their relationship, one that neither of them thought of when they got together. He wanted to get rid of it but had no idea how. Deciding to take a break from his thoughts, he went to make himself some dinner but he knocked down Pandora's jacket. Out of the pocket rolled the compact that Pandora used to contact her friends and mother in Hell. Edge looked at it and smirked, getting an idea. "Lacti…"

He picked it up and looked into it. He then realized, "Crap, I don't know how to use this thing." After examining every inch of the compact, he looked at himself and said, "How the hell am I supposed to contact Lacti?"

After a few seconds, his reflection rippled and was replaced with Lacti's face. "Edge? How the hell did you get this compact?"

Edge was startled and admitted, "Pani left it behind…and how the hell did I contact you?"

Lacti smirked. "You said the right words: 'contact' and the name. Now what do you need?"

Feeling silly that it looked like he was talking to a compact, Edge sat down and explained, "Pani's been upset the last couple of days."

Lacti got worried. "What? What happened?" Edge explained the moment in the show and Pandora remembering his mortality. Lacti blinked and said, "Well, yeah. You are a mortal and you will die."

Edge gave her a look. "You're being so helpful. Now what can I do?"

Lacti said in a numb voice, "Nothing."

Edge glared at her and yelled, "What? Nothing?"

Lacti shrugged. "Technically, there's only one thing you can do and you said you wouldn't do it."

Edge got frustrated and curious. "What are you talking about?"

Lacti looked at him dead in the eyes. "Despite me saying you have potential, you said you would never become one."

Hearing this, Edge knew what Lacti was talking about: he remembered that, while he was in Hell, Lacti told him that he had potential to be a demon and he said that he would be a human forever. However, things had changed, since back then he never imagined that he would become Pandora's mate. Lacti noticed his look and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Edge took another minute to think and then asked, "What if I changed my mind?"

"You have to think about this very seriously. This decision isn't like a relationship: once you make this decision, you're in for life."

Edge gave Lacti a look. "Care to tell me that in a different way, O Queen of One Nighters?"

Lacti smirked at the nickname and then said, "Once you do the ritual to become a demon, you can never go back to being human. That's why Pandora has never made the suggestion that she become a human: a demon cannot become human."

Edge argued, "Undertaker did, when he became the American Bad Ass."

Lacti shook his head. "No. He absorbed a human soul."

Edge looked away for a moment and asked, "Who can change me?"

Lacti held up her hand. "Hang on. You need to really think about this."

Edge hissed, "I am going to think about it. But I need to know who can change me."

Lacti thought for a moment. "Well, it can't be one of Satan's kids; they tend to make their creations insane or a pet…or both. You saw that with Kane and Damien." Edge nodded as Lacti got an idea. "I think I know who. He's powerful enough and won't use you to his advantage."

That got Edge's attention. "Who?"

Lacti smirked, deciding to tell Edge this way: "You should know, Edge…you were #16."

Edge paled a little. He knew what #16 meant: that was his number in Undertaker's infamous Wrestlemania streak. Lacti nodded. "He's powerful enough to change you and I think he will…for Pandora."

Edge nodded slowly. "Once I make my decision…how do I contact him?"

"You fog a mirror and write '6666.' When he shows up on the mirror, tell him what you want and why; he'll do it then."

Edge nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Lacti."

Lacti smiled. "Like I said, you're different than most humans and you mean a lot to my daughter. I know she'll be very surprised to see you in demonic form…but she'll be happy too." Edge smiled softly as the call was disconnected.

November 20

After a month of thinking, Edge came to a decision. He was watching Survivor Series and just witnessed Punk and Pandora come out after being introduced by the Hall of Famer Howard Finkel. Edge smiled at Pandora, fogged up the compact, and wrote 6666 in the fog. He knew that there was another match after Punk's Championship match he wanted to see it live but he also knew that he could watch the match later if Undertaker took him before that match. Seconds later, Undertaker appeared in the mirror, numbly surprised. "Edge…how did you find me?"

Edge said straight up, "Let's cut to the chase. Make me a demon."

Undertaker's eyebrow twitched. "This will not heal you enough for you to wrestle again."

Edge was surprised to hear that. "Wait, what?"

Undertaker numbly said, "This is an injury you had as a human…and such injuries will forever be with you in the human world."

"What about in Hell?" When Undertaker said that the injury would be healed only in Hell, Edge remembered, "That is not why I made this request."

"Then what is the reason?"

Edge looked at the screen, which briefly had a close-up of Pandora cheering for Punk. "Pani has remembered my mortality. She doesn't want me to die…and I don't want to live without her."

Undertaker had a very brief, very small smile. "Very well. I will prepare the ritual. You will write a note to Pandora, saying that you will be gone-"

Edge looked at Undertaker. "Gone? Isn't this a simple ritual, like a baptism?"

Undertaker's eyes narrowed, making Edge's spine tingle in fear. "You will need time to get your new powers under control. If you were to disappear, she would become suspicious. Do I make myself clear?"

Edge nodded a little. "Fine. Give me some time to make it sound real."

Undertaker silently ended the call, making the human scoff. Keeping his eyes on the match, Edge got out a piece of paper and wrote a quick note for Pandora. The note explained that he was away on a long hiking trip to think over a few things and told Pandora not to worry. He smirked at the lie he concocted since it was very believable with his love for nature. With everything set up, he watched the rest of the match, which resulted in Punk winning the WWE Championship from Del Rio.

Seconds after Punk and Pandora's celebration ended, Edge all of a sudden found himself on top of a ladder in a very dark room. Clutching the ladder, hoping that he would not fall and hurt his neck even more, he looked around. "Where the hell am I?

Suddenly, a burst of flame circled the ladder, with a large lit area directly under him. He started to tremble in fear as Undertaker's voice boomed around him. "You are at the threshold of a new world…and you are doing this for my only daughter. Are you prepared to commit?"

Edge looked around, trying to find the demon. "Yes but why the hell is there fire?"

He heard a faint slicing sound, as if someone slid a blade across their palm. Before he could react, his neck was sliced and an already-bloody hand grabbed his wound. Standing on his own ladder, Undertaker's face got in Edge's. "Welcome to Hell, boy."

Frozen in fear, Edge had a terrifying flashback to the Hell in a Cell match at Summerslam where Undertaker chokeslammed him to Hell (unaware that they were in the warehouse where Hell's chapter of the Ministry met years ago). Indeed, Undertaker chokeslammed Edge off the ladder…and into the fire. But the fire did not burn him; it turned gray and grew more powerful once he was in it. The circle was sucked into the lit area where Edge was, allowing Undertaker to climb down his ladder as his bloody hand healed. He watched the fire for about five minutes, knowing that Edge was being changed. He started to walk to a nearby wrestling ring (which he created for this occasion) when the fire blew up and a demonic voice sounded: "You just made a big mistake."

Undertaker looked behind him with cold eyes. The fire had died down and Edge was standing in the middle of the fire. But Edge was clearly different: he was now a human-born demon. His clothes burnt, he had reverted back to age 35 (the age when Undertaker chokeslammed him to Hell). His hair had grown back to shoulder-length and his body looked a little younger and stronger. The crazed look on his face made him look even more possessed than usual, which would have sent a chill down a human's spine. He slowly stepped out of the fire, making Undertaker turn around fully. "You need to learn control."

Edge responded…by spearing Undertaker, almost going right through him. Edge immediately stood up, too insane to remember what Undertaker said about his neck injury in Hell. Edge looked at the ring and grinned devilishly until Undertaker grabbed his throat and threw him into the ring. Undertaker ripped off his trench coat and went into the ring, right into another vicious spear. Edge growled, completely out of control, and was about to leave but Hell in a Cell immediately surrounded the ring. Undertaker sat up, growing angrier and angrier. "You are not leaving until you learn control."

Edge growled ferociously at Undertaker. The older demon realized that only one thing could teach his creation control: a match. Remembering how vicious Edge was as a human, Undertaker knew that it would take an extremely vicious match to counter the newborn demon: a Last Man Standing match inside Hell in a Cell.

The match lasted an hour, with both demons not holding back. In both Hell and his playground, Undertaker was able to hold his own but Edge was a different individual altogether. Edge did not hold back with his new demonic aura, bringing in his favorite toy (a chair) and causing Undertaker to bleed. But Undertaker had the home-field advantage and used it to his advantage. He threw Edge against the Cell walls, making him bleed and cracking a few bones, and wearing him down. Edge almost won a few times but Undertaker was not going to admit defeat. Finally, Undertaker gave Edge a vicious tombstone, which would have killed a human but only knocked Edge unconscious. Catching his breath and ignoring the blood, Undertaker summoned a healing coffin and placed Edge in it. Everything but the coffin and the powerful demon disappeared, leaving the room silent.

December 5

With Edge healing, Undertaker had Lacti to watch over him. At first, she did not want to help him but eventually agreed since she knew that Edge's choice showed dedication to her daughter. It was both easy and fun to hide it from Pandora since she was around Punk all the time and kept talking about Edge coming back from his hiking trip. Being an excellent liar, Lacti acted like she had no idea where Edge was; then again, she kept telling herself that she was telling a half-truth since she did not know where Edge was mentally as a demon. She soon found out.

That night, Lacti decided to check on Edge before going home and watching RAW. He was still unconscious so she started to leave. All of a sudden, she heard thumping and groaning. Curiosity peaked, she went to the coffin and saw through the glass lid that Edge was awake and struggling to break free. The casket was locked from the outside to keep him from escaping before the healing was finished. Seeing Lacti, Edge momentarily froze, allowing Lacti to open the top half of the lid. "Welcome back, Sunshine."

Edge glared at him. "Get me out of this."

Lacti shook his head. "No. you're not ready."

"The hell I'm not! That bastard put me in here! Get me out!"

Lacti shook her head. "He put you in here for you to heal. This is a healing coffin, not one of those he uses in casket matches."

Edge accepted this answer and then said, "So what do I owe this unpleasant surprise of seeing you?"

Lacti glared at him. "One, you're in Hell. Two, is that the thanks I get for watching over you this past month?"

Edge paled a little. "I've been out for a month? Damn, what did I miss?"

Lacti rolled her eyes. "Did you ever hear me say you're in Hell? Do you remember anything? Like the ritual?"

Edge thought and then remembered everything: asking Undertaker to change him, the baptism, and the vicious match. Lacti then said, "So tell me the truth: was Pandora the only reason why you chose this?"

Edge glared. "What kind of question is that? Of course she was the only reason!"

Lacit held up her hands. "No need to yell. I was just asking a question."

Edge nodded. He then added with a sad sigh, "Besides, it's not like I can wrestle anymore. He said I still have my neck injury."

Lacti looked away and said in a low voice, "Only in the human world."

That caught Edge's attention. "Care to repeat that?"

Lacti looked at Edge. "Your neck is fine in Hell. Didn't you learn that in the match?"

Edge thought back to the match where he was out of control. He did a lot of spears, more than he had ever done in a single match, and he did not feel any pain in his neck. He then looked at Lacti. "Were you watching?"

"No, I didn't even know you were here until he contacted me. But I know how vicious you two can get with each other; I've seen all your other matches."

Edge silently agreed and then asked, "How much longer do I have to stay in here?"

Lacti thought for a moment. "Let's see: you've been out for a month so…you'll be out on the 18th, just in time for TLC."

Edge then remembered: "What have I missed in WWE?"

Lacti just said, "A lot." She turned on the screen and watched RAW with Edge.

While he was waiting for the second phase to finish, Edge caught up on all the wrestling shows he missed.

Edge was ready to leave the coffin on the 18th and did so about an hour before TLC. He wanted to meet Pandora immediately but Lacti told him to wait a while. He protested but she was firm, saying that it would be more fun if he waited until Christmas Eve (since that was a special night for the mates). Realizing that she was right, he agreed. After watching TLC in the warehouse, he was contacted by Lacti, who told him that she asked Pandora where he was, thus making his mate worry. Edge smirked and said, "Let the fun begin."

After Lacti asked her where Edge was, Pandora got very worried; she had not heard from Edge since his note after Survivor Series. She knew that he loved hiking but he was never gone this long, not without contacting her. Worried that something had happened, she spent the week going through every trail that Edge loved, with no luck. However, she did not know that she was being followed by him because he was hiding his scent and enjoying the game…until it was time to reveal himself.

Christmas Eve

Growing more worried by the day, Pandora arrived at the house that she and Edge shared in the human world. She had just returned from a long trail and was about to borrow his computer in his office to look up another trail. But as she got close to the office, she momentarily froze. She sensed that there was another aura in the house with her; the aura was familiar and different at the same time. As she looked around, trying to find the source of the aura, a sudden earthquake struck the house. Frightened, she dove under the computer desk and stayed there until the earthquake ended a few minutes later. She sighed in relief and got out…only to see that the scenery outside had changed: the house had been moved to Hell. She stared out the window in shock. "How is this possible?"

She turned to leave the house but froze in the living room: there was a figure standing by the couch. He was wearing a robe that was similar to Undertaker's Ministry robe and had the hood on, covering his face. She immediately sensed that the unknown aura was coming from him. Getting nervous, she asked, "Who are you?"

A familiar chuckle sounded, making Pandora pale. Then a recognizable voice sounded: "Aw, you forgot me already, babe? I'm hurt."

Pandora covered her mouth with her hand. "No…"

The figure removed his hood, revealing that it was Edge. Pandora could only utter, "How…?"

Edge removed the robe and said, "You don't have to worry about mortality now."

Pandora figured out why the aura was familiar and different: it was Edge's and it was demonic. She felt tears welling up. "You mean…you…?"

Edge nodded and stepped forward. "We shouldn't have to live without each other, Pani."

Overwhelmed by emotion, Pandora started to cry. Edge smiled and wiped her eyes before hugging her close. Pandora hugged him back, still crying. She could not believe that Edge became a demon to be with her but she was very happy that he did. After a minute, Edge kissed her deeply. "Don't cry anymore."

Pandora sniffled and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm just…so overwhelmed." She looked up at him. "When did you get baptized?"

Edge shrugged. "Survivor Series."

Pandora froze. "You've been a demon that long?"

Edge argued, "To be fair, I've been in a healing coffin for about a month. Undertaker…"

Pandora interrupted, "What's Father got to do with this?"

Edge casually said, "He baptized me."

Pandora became stunned again. "You need to tell me everything."

Edge nodded and sat her down on the couch. He then told her about his conversation with Lacti, the baptism, and the match. Pandora listened with intent ears and then said, "You've really been following me this past week? I've been worried sick about you!"

Edge smirked. "It was fun." Pandora gave him a playful glare as Edge stood up. "How about we go out?"

Pandora looked up at him. "As in a date? I'd love to."

Edge nodded and looked at her outfit (jeans and a red shirt). "But can you change your outfit? I haven't seen you in a long time and I want to see some skin."

Pandora blushed but smiled and nodded.

Minutes later, Pandora (in short shorts and a tube top) and Edge were walking around Hell. Passing-by demons stopped and stared; they knew who Edge was and was surprised to see him in Hell as a demon. Pandora smiled and hugged Edge's arm, making a few female demons jealous. "You're famous here too, Edge."

Edge slightly shrugged. He was not affected by that; he was used it to since human fans were worse with their fandom. As they continued walking, they soon came across Damien (who was there for a day trip) and a group of his followers. The mates were determined to ignore him but a small follower saw them and pointed them out to Damien. The eldest son looked up and his eyes widened. He then smirked; this was going to be fun. "Well, well, well…looks like he decided to kick the bucket willingly."

The followers laughed, making Pandora glare at him. "Shut up, Damien!"

Edge looked at Damien, who smirked wider and stood up. "So…did you decide to end it all since you were forced to retire from the one thing you love?"

Edge's eyes narrowed. "I'm not dead yet…and I won't be for a long time."

The same small follower asked, "Boss, if he was dead, wouldn't he be in another part of Hell?"

Damien answered by smacking him; he hated being caught up in his incorrect insults. Edge smirked and stood his ground, pushing Pandora behind him. Pandora, not knowing about his healed neck, said, "Let's go. Don't get in a fight with him."

Damien looked at Edge and smirked. "That's right…run away. You don't want your neck to break." When Edge did not even blink at the statement, Damien was surprised and decided to push Edge's buttons further by saying, "Go on, run along…listen to your whore."

Pandora was stunned that Damien would stoop that low. Edge, on the other hand, snapped; before she could stop him, the Rated-R Superstar ran up and speared a very surprised Damien. Pandora yelped in surprise, especially when Edge rolled off Damien as if he was in a lot of pain. She ran to him, tears welling up, and knelt beside him. "Why did you do that?"

Before Edge could answer, Damien got up and bent over so his face was close to Edge's. "You humans are really stupid. And now your neck is broken because I called your girlfriend what she is: daughter of a whore, always a whore."

Then, to Pandora and Damien's surprise, Edge grinned. "Fooled ya." He then punched Damien in the nose and got up. Damien's followers tended to their leader while Pandora, still stunned by what happened, held Edge back, who looked crazed and was egging Damien on. Damien glared at Edge. "You're not worth my time." He and his followers then left.

Edge smirked. "So pathetic." He was then met with a slap from Pandora. Shocked, he looked at her to see that she had angry tears forming. "What the hell was that for?"

Pandora sniffled, still upset. "I thought you had broken your neck. You scared me to death!" She turned around and crossed her arms. Edge massaged his slapped cheek and said, "I'm sorry, babe. I thought you knew that injuries are healed in Hell." Pandora lowered her head, making Edge sigh and hug her from behind. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you."

Pandora sniffled and leaned into him. "Just don't do that again."

Edge nodded. He then smirked. "You gotta admit…I gave Damien the surprise of his life."

Pandora could not help but laugh at that. "Yeah…you humiliated him pretty good."

Pandora and Edge decided to not reveal to the human world what Edge did. They were able to pull it off because there was an exact replica of their house in the human world and they used that as their weekend house and whenever they had human guests to entertain.

A couple weeks after he got settled, Edge was offered a contract into the budding Hell wrestling company. He was both the main wrestler and trainer for rookies and was able to be home every night once he mastered teleportation. Happy for his success, Pandora decided to let him fly solo for a while before she would join his side again. But Fate had an interesting way of telling her that things were about to change…in a big way…