Death Becomes Her

by CapandCarter

Peggy starts work at a new hospital. But something else is there. Something she can't comprehend, and something she can't allow. Or can she? There's much to learn... (Five chapters being posted all at once! Other chapters will be shorter)

3. Chapter 3

Peggy sits up feeling groggy. She looks around confused. Why was she on this chair? When had she gotten out of her… bed? She frowns and tries to remember what had happened that night- day?

The sunlight is streaming in and she turns to see Lily sleeping on the couch.

"Lily," she calls out, "Lily!"

The woman blinks awake and then yawns. She looks around and tilts her head, "did we both fall asleep in the living room?"

A strange feeling of unease is swirling in Peggy's gut. But she doesn't know why. "I suppose so…" she looks at the telly but it is off. "Were…" she frowns, "were you planning on staying the night? I can't seem to remember."

"I don't know." Lily grabs her phone, "Michael called a few times." She clicks the number and puts the phone to her ear. He must answer and Lily yawns again, "I'm sorry. We must have been more tired than we thought. We fell asleep." She talks to him for a bit while Peggy gets up and walks about the apartment. For some reason she feels like something is off.

Her refrigerator catches her eyes and the magnets seem strangely spaced out. Had she done that? She tries to picture what it had looked like yesterday but for some reason can't focus an image in her mind.

"Well, Michael was confused," Lily says with a sigh, "he kept expecting me to call for him to come pick me up but we must have fallen asleep and he fell asleep too. He said the only reason he didn't worry too much was because my location still read here."

Peggy nods without responding and still looks around her apartment with unease.

"You look like you had a rough night of sleep."

She rolls her eyes at Angie but then promptly yawns, "fell asleep in my living room chair with my sister in law."

Angie smiles, "how's Lily? How many weeks is she now?"

"She's doing well, and about 26 weeks."

Angie smiles, "how exciting! They know what it is?"

She nods, "yes they do it's a…" the gender escapes her. "I- uh-" she huffs a laugh and then places her hands on her hips in annoyance, "I swear they just told me last night."

Angie frowns, "boy? Girl?"

"I think…" Peggy huffs again, "I must have slept truly terribly as I can't seem to remember!"

Angie nods, "still distracted with Death?"

Peggy tilts her head, "what?"

Angie looks ready to respond but a code is called and she has to dash off.

—

Later that day she's back filling out paperwork at the nurses' station when she feels a chill. She shivers and then yawns, her exhaustion wearing her thin.

"Felt a chill," Angie says, appearing with a clipboard looking solemn, "which room?"

Peggy blinks, rubbing at her eye, probably smearing her mascara. "What?"

"Death," Angie repeats, "which room?"

Peggy frowns, "the woman in 2439 died. But I wasn't there, I was in another room."

Angie nods, "alright."

"I'm going to clock out on time today," Peggy says with another yawn. "I'm so exhausted."

Angie frowns, "you do look very tired. Definitely try to get some sleep."

"I will."

"Any closer on his initials?"

Peggy tilts her head, sliding the folder into the right space, "I'm sorry?"

"His initials? Narrow it down any further?"

Peggy makes a confused noise, "I don't understand the question."

Angie rests her hands on her hips, "what are you talking about?"

"What are you talking about?"

Another nurse walks past and Angie stands there quietly until she's past. "Death's initials? Have you figured them out?"

Peggy's brows pull together, "is this a riddle?"

"Is what a riddle?"

"Your question! Death's initials? What the devil does that mean?"

"Death!" Angie says firmly, "did you figure out his name!"

"What the hell are you talking about!" Peggy replies, confusion coloring her tone, "you're speaking like death is a person!"

Angie stops, going still and staring at Peggy. Her eyes widen and then a hand covers her mouth.

"Angie?"

There's a long pause before the woman asks in a quiet whisper, "what do you mean Death isn't a person!"

"Have you gone quite insane?"

Angie's voice goes shrill, "have you!?"

They stare at each other for a long moment until Peggy is called away. Leaving a stunned Angie in her wake.

—

She catches Angie staring at her a few more times during the day. But whenever she huffs and asks the woman, "what!?" Angie just purses her lips and shakes her head.

So when her shift is up, she clocks out and heads home.

Her apartment is quiet and peaceful. She makes her dinner and sits on her couch eating with the telly on.

She's feeling sleepy when her nerves fire like a cold breeze has gusted in through the window. She turns to see if she'd accidentally left it open only to see a man, tall and imposing, wearing all black looking at her. He smiles and steps forward but she jumps up and scrambles back, "what the hell are you doing in my flat?!" She screeches, grabbing the nearest thing she can and holding it aloft, ready to throw it at his head should it be necessary. He pauses, and a look of confusion and concern crosses his features. "How the hell did you get in here?"

His expression is confused. He looks around the apartment like he might be in the wrong place and then his eyes catch on her refrigerator. His brows pull down and then his lips purse, just like Angie's had all day. Something unreadable crosses his face.

He looks back to her and there's an incredible sadness in his expression, "Peggy?" His voice is soft, and sad and she blinks in surprise.

"How do you know my name? Who are you? What are you doing in my apartment! I will call the police!"

His mouth parts like he's been caught off guard. Then he looks at the refrigerator again and his head droops for a moment before he's straightening and schooling his features. "Sorry," he whispers, "I won't bother you again." Then he's striding to her front door and exiting her apartment. Shock keeps her planted for a second longer before her adrenaline kicks her into gear and she races towards the door to lock it behind him. But curiosity wins out and she looks into the hallway. Except there's no trace of him. So she slowly closes the door and locks it.

Her hands shakily hold her cellphone as she calls the police.

"Sorry ma'am. Nobody with that description has been reported breaking in before. We will dust for prints and search to find how he got in, but other than that there's not much we can do. We recommend changing your locks, checking the sturdiness of your window locks and maybe installing a camera inside your apartment."

Peggy stands listening to the kind officer, hands wrapped tightly around her torso to keep from shaking. The experience has really thrown her for a loop.

"If anyone matches that description gets brought in or if he's caught breaking into someone else's home will I be notified?"

"You're welcome to call back as often as you like to check on your case file and anything relevant to you will be reported and then you will be notified. You said nothing was missing?"

"Not that I've noticed."

"And he just left?"

"He apologized and said he 'wouldn't bother me again' then left… It was so strange."

"Again? Have you seen him before?"

"I don't think so."

"Perhaps he wasn't here to steal or harm. Sometimes unstable people try doors to find something open and he wandered in. You're sure your door was locked?"

"I think so. I'd had a rough morning so I can't remember."

The police officer looks at her kindly and just nods, "well, let's make sure you always double check your locks morning and night okay? And call immediately if anything else happens, alright?"

"Alright."

They were there for a bit more and then they were gone. And she was alone.

Her apartment felt strange and empty.

After a few minutes of trying to pretend things were normal, she grabbed her thickest blanket and buried herself deep in her bed.

Strange scenes and emotions cloud her dreams. Someone is trying to speak to her, but Peggy can't understand. Swirls of black clouds overtake sea green and blue waves. Storms and sharp cracks of thunder preceded by flashes of electrifying lightning keep her heart rate high and her mind on edge.

Which means she's more exhausted when she wakes than she was when she went to sleep.

Dark circles ring her eyes and she sighs, going through her morning routine with a sense of dread for the day.

As she clocks in, she turns to see Angie staring at her again.

Her short temper is not having it.

"For bloody sakes, WHAT?"

Angie doesn't respond to her anger, simply tilts her head and studies Peggy before saying, "when you feel a chill will you promise to alert me?"

The thought of the chill she felt last night before the man had distracted her made her narrow her eyes. "Why are you acting so strangely?"

"Do you just promise me? I've been a good friend all these years. Haven't I? So just trust me. Okay?"

Peggy gives a noncommittal huff and walks to grab her first chart.

She does feel a chill once. But she's in with a patient and she ignores it.

An hour later Angie tugs on her arm, "I felt the chill. Why didn't you come get me?"

"If you felt the chill, why would I need to alert you to one?"

"Ugh!" Angie huffs, "You're being impossible."

Peggy just shrugs and slips the finished chart into the basket.

A code is called and she's heading towards the room when the code stops. Her brow furrows until she realizes it's the room with a DNR. She's about to enter the room when she hears Angie say,

"I know you're here."

She's about to answer that 'of course she'd be here' when a male voice sighs.

"I don't know what happened or why, but she's not going to be happy if you just give up."

The male voice says nothing and Peggy steps in, "who are you talking to?" She turns to see who the man might be but there is no one there. Only a weird shimmer that she blinks at and assumes is from the fluorescents.

Angie tilts her head, "who do you see in this room?"

"You and-" she looks at the man who's already passed. He's been a long term elderly cancer patient and he's finally at rest. "Him."

"Figures." Angie grumbles, then starts to follow protocols for the patient.

"Angie. I heard a man sigh."

"Congratulations," Angie says crankily.

She's about to press when the man on the bed sits up and looks around.

"What's going on?" He asks.

Peggy practically bolts out of her skin, gasping.

"What?" Angie says, "what happened?"

Peggy rushes forward, "sir? Sir, are you alright?"

The man frowns, "I'm-" then he pauses, flexing his hands and legs, "I feel fine… wow… I've forgotten what this feels like."

Angie walks over, "Peggy? What's happening? You're talking to air."

Peggy looks at her in incredulity, "are you mad? This man has just sat up!"

The man looks around and then stands shakily before straightening. "I haven't been on my own two legs in what feels like years."

"I'm-" Peggy is in shock, "I don't know what to say, you just coded, how do you feel?"

"Fine. Did they resuscitate me? I had a DNR."

"You awoke on your own-" she looks at the monitor which is blank and flashing empty boxes and then she looks at the man who has no monitors on.

"Peggy," Angie's voice is quiet, "I need to speak with you."

"We need to figure out what happened here!" Peggy insists, "sir, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Dr. Carter," Angie urges, "I need to speak with you now."

The woman drags her from the room and Peggy yanks her arm out of her grasp, immediately trying to head back in there. "What are you doing?!"

Angie grabs her arm again and yanks her back, "we're in a very complicated situation right now!"

Peggy steps back towards the door, "We had a man just code and then stand up and you've dragged me from the room! Have you lost your mind? He needs care!"

Angie's face grimaces, "not the kind we can provide."

"What in the hell does that mean?" A chill crawls over her skin and she goes still.

Angie's eyes close and her grip tightens. But then it passes and Angie relaxes, letting her arm go.

She huffs and whirls back into the room, only to stop short.

The man's body lies back in the bed, still and unmoving. His eyes are closed and he's hooked up to all the monitors which still flash blank and empty boxes.

Angie walks in and starts following protocol.

"I don't understand," Peggy whispers out, "he stood up."

Angie stays quiet and starts disconnecting the monitors.

"Angie."

The woman ignores her.

"Angela Martineli."

"You're not my mother. Using my whole name doesn't scare me."

Panic wells up in her chest. She knows something is wrong and her brain and sense of reality are arguing. "What is going on? Explain."

"If I did you wouldn't believe me."

"Try me."

Angie turns to her, "are you wearing a necklace?"

Peggy tilts her head, "I don't wear necklaces."

"I didn't ask whether you thought you were wearing a necklace or not. I asked if right now at this moment you are or not?"

Peggy drags down the neckline to reveal a bare neck, clear annoyance on her face.

"Shit," Angie breathes out, "he's thorough."

"What are you going on about? Who is he?"

Angie ignores her, turning back to the equipment.

"Angie, you're frightening me. I need you to explain. How could he have sat up-"

"I told you to tell me when there's a chill. And you didn't. So if you want an explanation then you need to tell me immediately. Not later."

Peggy sighs and throws up her hands, "I despise things I don't understand."

"You and me both," the woman comments.

It is six days later when she feels it.

"Angie!" She calls, "Angie!"

The woman, who is at the nurses' station, looks over.

"The chill," Peggy says with an eyebrow raise.

Angie rushes over and looks at it, "okay. Follow it."

"Follow what?"

Angie rolls her eyes, "the chill! What have I been saying?"

"You've been insane. That's what you've been."

"Me!" Angie gawks, "me! I'm not the insane one! I'm the idiot who believed you, the insane one, and now I'm the one trying to fix this mess! Sheez!" The woman gestures to the hallways around them, "follow the chill. I can only sense it when he's close to me. So you have to be the guide."

"You realize how insane you so-"

Angie waves her hands in front of her, "shush! Less talking more following."

Peggy heaves a sigh and then turns feeling the cold draft from her left. They walk to a room and Angie steps through the door first.

Peggy follows, about to ask what the hell they were doing when she catches sight of a man and stops short. Her eyes widen and she gasps, "you!"

A man looks at her and winces and then looks awkwardly around.

"He's here?" Angie says, "good! Tell him he's a big fat coward!"

Peggy tilts her head, "what are you talking about! You tell him!"

Angie grabs her shoulders and looks at her seriously, "Peggy. I can't see him. Only you can. And Michael."

"Michael?"

"Yes, your brother."

"She turns to the man who looks like he wants to sink into the floor, "why were you in my apartment! What are you doing here?"

The man clears his throat and looks at the elderly woman on the bed, "can you please tell Angie that she needs to let it go. It's better this way."

Peggy reels back, "what?"

"What did he say?" Angie asks, scanning the room.

Peggy feels dread pooling in her gut, "you really can't see or hear him?"

Angie shakes her head. "He's- He's…" she turns and then gestures to the room, "where is he?" Against her better sense of reality, she points and Angie turns to face him, "what are you doing? You're just going to give up? You know that psycho you work for is screwing this up and you're just going to let him?"

The man's visage shimmers and she sees a shorter man, then a child, then a taller thin man and then he settles back to his large self. All of the men had worn his face. All matching pained expressions.

"Please," he says softly, "can you tell her it's for the better."

Peggy doesn't know why she repeats it. She feels like she's stepped into the Twilight Zone but she whispers out his words, "he says it's for the better."

Angie gasps, face turning to outrage. "For who?! She loves you! You love her too you bastard! Fight for this! There has to be something you can do!"

Black smoke starts to curl off his high necked sweater and his jaw is clenched and eyes and brow pitched. "Tell her… tell her I've failed every time before. So now is better. No one gets hurt this time."

Peggy relays his words and Angie's face shifts to a disbelieving sadness and annoyance, "yeah. Everyone's fine. Except you." Then she gestures to Peggy. "And her!"

"Me?" Peggy asks confused.

"You think you're doing her a favor and you're not!"

"I need to work," he says softly. Then the man turns to the bed and his face shifts to something gentle, "it's time to go."

The woman, who had been asleep, opens her eyes and yawns then shifts, "go where?"

"A new place," the man says, helping her sit up.

Peggy frowns, "she shouldn't be on her feet. She had hip surgery."

The man doesn't look at her and just helps the woman stand, letting her hand rest in the crook of his arm and resting his other large hand over hers.

"Hey-" Peggy starts, "you can't just make patients-"

Angie's hand rests on her shoulder and cuts her off.

"He's fine."

Peggy turns to her, "what? She just had surgery-"

Her monitors start to beep and then start to alarm.

Peggy's blood curdles. She calls the code and is in a strange sort of haze as the man walks the woman out the door of her hospital room while she tries to administer CPR on the same woman lying on the bed. .

Other nurses rush in and they try the defibrillator but nothing works.

"Time of death…" Peggy says quietly, "2:26p.m."

Angie yanks off her gloves and throws them away, walking out of the room.

She follows and pulls her arm to turn her around, "explain."

Angie yanks her arm out of her grasp and looks at her with a blank expression. "That was Death. With a capital D. We don't know his human name yet. You were trying to figure it out. "Why" do you ask? Oh. Because he's actually the man you fell in love with back in ancient Greece and have been reincarnated with hundreds of times to try to get your happy ever after only to lose him in the medieval times. I think. I never got an exact date. And Hades, you know, the whole god of the underworld, made him his forever slave or something like that and now he collects souls for a living. By the way Death doesn't remember any of this either. All he knows is that you're someone who can see him, which isn't the normal case for us humans." She gestures to herself. "Someone other than Hades is on your side, which is why you've been reincarnated again and whoever that is is trying to get you guys a happy ending. But-" she gestures out to the hallways as if that explains everything, "not working out great so far. I was skeptical at first and then I became a believer when the evidence was too hard to deny. So now I know Hades has screwed it up again because you don't remember. And now he's giving up. So that's freaking great." She places her hands on her hips and stares accusingly at Peggy. "Let me guess. It all sounds insane?"

Peggy stutters out an "uh- yeah."

Angie huffs and throws her hands in the air, turning and walking away.

"Wait-" Peggy manages out, "you said Michael could see him…" Angie pauses, her back still facing Peggy. "Why?"

Angie's face turns and her eyes are sad, "When your brother was shot on that mission, Death came to collect. But he recognized him on that mission and… he chose not to. For you. And saving Michael's life. He's been able to see him ever since then."

Peggy has no response to that as Angie walks away.

Her mind is at war the next few days. She's quiet at work and at home. She spends her free moments constantly going over what Angie had told her.

It's obviously insanity. Things like Death and Hades and the Underworld don't exist. She knows that. Those are myths. Stories told to explain things they couldn't understand yet.

But that logical line of thinking gets halted when she thinks about the man. Angie had somehow known he was there but genuinely couldn't see him. The police hadn't found prints… the woman and man who had both stood up and left only to be still on their deathbeds.

As she tosses and turns, she groans out loud and then pulls the covers up over her head.

She doesn't know what to do or believe so she does nothing. Just going about as if everything's normal. And that actually works for about two weeks (besides Angie's obvious but quiet annoyance) until she feels the chill again.

Against her better judgment and sanity she follows it to a room where a teenager is struggling to stay alive after a car accident.

When she sees him her eyes widen. He's young, thin, and very short. Her mind reminds her she may have seen this version briefly when he'd shifted at their past interaction.

He stiffens upon her entrance and she just stares at him, unsure what to say.

It's quiet for a moment and then she points to the boy, "he can make it through this."

Death sighs. A weary bone tired sigh that makes Peggy bristle, "what?"

"We've had this argument before."

His face is calm and removed, but there's a tension to his shoulders.

"I've… argued with you about patients before?"

He nods tersely.

"Well I'm right. If you really are-" the word catches in her throat, "death… then you get to decide. You let my brother live, or so Angie tells me. Let this boy live."

He winces like she's struck him and his eyes are full of grief when he turns to her, "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"That's not how life-" he sighs, "I can't do this again. I can't argue with you about this again. I-" he sits heavily on the boy's bed and looks at him, "you don't understand. You've forgotten. But there are consequences if I don't do my job."

"It's life and death. It's not a job!"

"Life and Death is my job!" he says sharply. "You don't know what he's threatened if I-" his voice cuts off and a chill rushes through the room, raising the hair on her neck. His eyes pinch shut and she can see his image flicker.

"Who?" She asks quietly.

The man shakes his head, "just please… go."

"I can't let a patient die. I have to try to save them."

The man turns to her with blank eyes. "Then go. Go find something that can save him."

At that moment, the boy's blood pressure drops and his alarms start going off. She pauses in shock for only a second before she dashes out the door to grab the cart and call other nurses.

It's as she's rushing back in that she realizes how he's tricked her. The heart monitor flatlines and she knows, even though they're administering the defibrillator that it's too late. He's nowhere to be seen and the boy is not coming back.

When time of death is called she walks straight to her small office, shuts the door and cries.

The chill passes by her again but she doesn't make it to the room on time. He's either being very smart and choosing the time when she's furthest away so he can work without her interrupting him, or he chooses when she's busy with a patient and someone else who can't see him responds to the code first.

It infuriates her but she's also partly relieved. Having your entire belief system of how the world works flipped on its head is confusing at best and cripplingly disorienting at worst.

She finally manages to catch sight of him but it sends her into silent shock as she watches his childlike form lead a young toddler away and down the hallway.

The room's alarms are going off, and people are rushing around her, but she's stuck staring at the little girls' curls bounce as she walks and follows the young blonde boy down the hall.

He's talking to her, gesticulating wildly with his hands and with a big smile and she's giggling, talking back, and no longer in pain from her terminal illness and Peggy has to find a trash can to vomit into.

Angie is charting something and she waits until the woman finishes before she clears her throat.

The woman looks at her and raises an eyebrow in question.

"I don't know what's happening or why but I do know that I've disliked the distance it's put between us."

Angie sighs and immediately hugs her. She embraces the woman in return and then she finds sad eyes studying her. "Truth is English, I don't know what to do. I can't decide if being a good friend is to continue sticking my nose in it, or to let sleeping dogs lie. I just… feel conflicted. I have never seen the guy and yet I have this picture in my mind of what he looks like. And I know there were some strange times but you…" she sighs and steps back, leaning against the desk, "you were happy. You were in love." Her shoulders move up and down, "and I feel like by doing nothing, I'm responsible for letting you lose this big epic love story. I don't know what to do."

"Neither do I," Peggy admits. "All I know is I want you on my side. I want you as a friend."

Angie smiles, "well that will never change. You're stuck with me from here to eternity."

Peggy laughs and feels her pager buzz. "I've got to go, but maybe this weekend we can hang out finally? Get some takeaway and watch something horrifically cheesy?"

Angie grins, "you had me at takeout."

Peggy laughs, "it's takeaway."

"Says you," Angie quips as she walks off.

Two months pass and she doesn't see him the whole time. Her floor has a surprising amount of time in between deaths and she's grateful. Not only because it means people get to live, but also because she's genuinely unsure how to continue living life as normal now that she knows exactly how abnormal it is.

A strange emptiness filtrates through her chest and stomach every now and then. And she knows… she knows something isn't right. But her fear of losing touch with reality ensures she doesn't bring it up with Angie or focus on it too much. Angie broaches the subject a few times but she decides that it's too strange and not in her mental capacity to deal with right now. She has her job and her brother and her soon to be nephew on the way. And she's sure she can continue life as normal.

Until the phone call.

"Peggy!" Michael's voice is frantic, "please! There's something wrong. She-"

A cry of pain has her standing up and throwing off her covers.

"I've called 9-1-1. There's so much blood!" His voice is shrill, cadence reaching hysteria, "hurry!"

Peggy flies through her apartment, running down the wooden steps in her bare feet and tossing herself into the metro car still dressed in her pajamas.

She slams into the E.R. and is rushed back towards the operating room. They usher into the viewing room where Michael is sheet white and plastered against the glass.

"Michael," she gasps, trying to catch her breath from running, "Michael what happened?!"

He turns to her, crying and a mess, "she-" he chokes out another sob, "she was sleeping and then she woke up with pain. I tried to tell her to take medicine and try to sleep but it just kept getting worse! Then she said she needed the bathroom and-" his emotions overtake him and he clutches at his chest, "blood. There was so much blood!"

It's true. She can see his pants and sleeves are covered in it. He's probably carried her down the stairs to their door.

She embraces him, holding him tightly. "It's going to be alright. We're going to fix this, okay?"

He can't respond. Turning back to the glass and staring at the flurry down below in terror.

"I'm going to scrub in, alright?" He doesn't respond, "or do you want me to stay?"

His voice is a whisper, "save her, please-"

She hugs him again and heads down to the operating theater. She's briefed on what they think the problem is and she feels dread sink into her veins.

Gilmore Hodge, a man she generally despises but who is being very professional at the moment looks at her very calmly and seriously at the moment says, "it's probably going to be mom or the baby…"

She needs another trash can but she holds it together enough to say, "can I step into the O.R.?"

He nods and after scrubbing up, they enter together, the nurses and attending surgeon working as quickly as they can. They give her an update and it's worse. She looks up to see Michael still crying, looking at her in panic. She keeps her face expressionless and turns back to the doctors, "there has to be something we can do."

"Doctor!" one of the nurses calls, "BP is dropping!"

And there's no time to come up with options as they try to stabilize her.

As the minutes pass, Peggy feels a sickening sense of deja vu.

She has a strange feeling she's been here before. Blood, pale, cold, the fear of losing a baby… The panic grips her and she crushes her hands into fists to try to keep them from shaking.

"Baby's almost out!" Hodge calls, "where the hell is natal!"

"I'll check!" One of the nurses calls, rushing off.

"Ox stats are way too low-" the surgeon warns, hands covered in her sister-in-law's blood, "we're running out of time!"

And time slows down as a chill sweeps into the room.

The goosebumps on her arms and the hair raising on her neck makes her look up.

And he's there.

Staring at her in as much disbelief as she's staring at him.

He looks up into the viewing room to see Michael and then he looks back down at her.

Her throat closes in fear and she stares. She watches as he steps forward and leans over the table to look at Lily's face.

That gets her moving. "No," She chokes out, "please-" he looks up at her, "you can't."

His face is darkening, and he sighs, "I'm not here for her."

He looks down at where they're at that very moment pulling her nephew up and out of Lily. he's covered in blood but even from here she can see that he's blue, the cord wrapped around his neck.

A sound of horror exits her lips and she chokes, covering her eyes.

"Dr. Carter?" A nurse asks, "maybe you should step out-"

They're already working on the baby. And there's nothing she can do.

Except beg.

She turns to him, reaching over and grabbing his arm. "Please. You can't, I'm begging you. This will devastate them. Please-" the sob breaks out of her throat and she covers her face with her other hand.

A cold sensation makes her look back up and she blinks. His expression is calm and resolved.

He gently places his hand on the one holding his arm and then peels her other hand away from her face.

She's still in surprise as he rests a very cold hand on her cheek, "thank you for the few moments of joy you allowed me to share with you. I wish you all-" he looks up to Michael and then back to her, "a very long and happy life." He smiles sadly at her and then drags his hand away from her cheek. He nods at her once more before stepping backwards. The air shimmers around him and then he's gone.

She's stunned, frozen and unmoving as doctors and nurses rush around her. Perhaps they think she's having a fit and maybe she is. But something in his touch had made her insides melt and brain fry. She knew that touch… but how? Could-

A baby crying makes her adrenaline shoot up and she turns to see a NICU nurse bent over the small table. She rushes over and almost collapses in relief to see a bright pink baby wailing its little lungs out. She turns to see Hodge and the surgeon working on Lily whose vitals are stabilizing.

And she turns to the now empty space knowing it's because he didn't take either of them. Because Death… once again saved someone she loved.

The knowledge clenches at her heart but there's no time to process as she helps the nurses ensure the premature baby is taken care of and that Lily is being cared for.

After both mom and baby are settled, she sits quietly by Michael's side and watches the monitors. He's exhausted, deep circles under his eyes but he doesn't fall asleep. She rests her hand on his and he squeezes it back.

She's about dozed off when his quiet voice brings her back, "who was that man? In all black?"

She turns to her brother, "you saw him?"

He nods, "I saw him walk in and then I saw him disappear into thin air. Thought the stress was making me hallucinate at first but…" he wrinkles his nose, "you were clearly talking with him…" his brow puckers, "he touched your cheek and…" he's quiet for a long time, "something about how he looked rang a bell. Like I'd seen him before."

Angie's story rings clear in her mind…

And it's the final confirmation that everything she'd said was really actually true.

"He's Death."

Michael turns to her, "what?"

"He saved your life. On the mission when you were shot. What do you remember?"

Michael thinks for a long moment, "there was a large man there waiting with me… his face is sort of fuzzy though. Can't make it out."

Peggy sighs, "I can't explain it without sounding insane. But you and I can see Death. And that's who that was."

"Pegs-"

She holds up her hand to stop him, "I've spent months trying to deny it. I don't want to hear it. If you think I'm insane, fine. So be it."

He falls quiet and reaches up onto the bed and holds his wife's hand. "Whatever whoever he is… I don't know. I'm just glad they're both okay."

Peggy's voice is a bit raw when she responds, "me too…"

Chapter 9

Peggy sits by her window in her apartment. On a normal day, she usually eats dinner, watches the Telly, cleans a bit if necessary. But for the last few weeks she's been less than routine. She works, she eats, she feeds the cat she can't remember how she acquired, and then she thinks.

She thinks a lot.

Mostly about him.

And where has he gone?

—I wish you all a very long and happy life—

The tone and words added up into a goodbye.

He was saying goodbye to her. But when had they said hello?

So she sits. And she thinks.

Angie sits beside her as they have a rare lunch break together. Peggy had told her the story of Lily and her nephew and how the man had saved them and then disappeared. Angie had tried to explain that there were consequences of his not doing his job, describing a dark skeleton man with black eyes. But Peggy had frowned and told her that was ridiculous.

"I didn't tell you that!" The woman had quipped, "you described him to me! And now that he's disobeyed orders again… It's something worse. He gets in trouble. You have to figure out how to help him."

Peggy had thrown up her hands, "and how the hell am I supposed to do that!?"

Angie had glared at her sandwich, "I don't know."

Now the few moments they had alone together were spent in thought or throwing out random ideas.

"I mean.. You told me you've lived over 300 lives together. So… that level of reincarnation can't be normal. Who was orchestrating that?"

"I—"

"And also, the note! You said the note said—"

"Note?"

"The note on your phone—" the woman gestures to the device sitting on the table and Peggy grabs it. Her notes app has a recent note that was the last note she opened months ago.

Remember his name. Then he will return to you—

"Exactly," Angie says as if that explains everything, "someone or something told you that. That's what you were trying to do before Hades fried your memory."

"Who would go against the lord of the dead?"

"Is there a god of life? Like the opposite?"

"I don't know enough mythology to know that answer."

"Then you better start learning," Angie replies, "you've got death to save."

Her eyes swam with the words on the page. She was exhausted but she didn't want to stop. There had to be something in here that would spark her memory.

Or else she and Angie and Michael were all just completely insane.

"Why do you remember?"

Angie turns to her, "huh?"

"Michael and I don't remember anything. BUt we can see him and you can't. So… why did you remember?"

Angie thinks about that as she finishes a chart, signs in, and then dumps it into the bin.

"Did Hades know I knew?"

"I don't know…" then she huffed a humored laugh, "I suppose not. or you would be blank as well."

Angie nods, "can't erase memories you don't know about."

It's a google image of an Ancient Greek pot that makes her go still. A woman, dressed in sea colored robes is painted on the side. She reverse image searches and finds a name.

"Aphrodite."

"Finally!"

Peggy startles back, toppling out of her chair and staring in shock at the beautiful woman now sitting on her desk beside her laptop.

"Who—"

"You call my name and pretend you don't know me? Silly human."

Peggy studies the woman. Her stunning beauty and long flowing hair that seems to shift and move as if underwater, almost leave Peggy speechless for a moment. But then she shakes her head and forces her to focus, "I know you."

the woman nods.

"You… you've spoken to me before?"

"Many times."

"Why don't I remember?"

"Some rules were written before even I emerged from the waves. Others are for your own safety. If Hades had read your memories and seen me in them—" she waves a hand, "it would have been ugly at the Solstice."

"I don't understand—"

"And you needn't," the woman says with a smile, "that's for us immortals to bicker over. But what is on your list of things to worry about, is beating that slimy uncle of mine at his own damn game. The man has been selfish long enough. It is time for love to conquer all. Can you do so?"

"Do… what exactly?"

"Are you willing to risk it all to save the man you love?"

"You're speaking of Death?"

"I'm speaking of—" she frowns and huffs, "I can't tell you his name. It doesn't work like that. You must remember it on your own!"

"Why?"

"If I give you the answer, then true love did not conquer all. You must remember his name. You must say it to claim him once more. Then we will know once and for all that Love can conquer death."

Peggy sighs and straightens her chair, sitting on the edge of her bed, "but how do I do that!? How am I supposed to remember a name that I clearly can't remember! Even before Hades stole my memories?"

Aphrodite looks at the room and Peggy is surprised to see a bit of hesitation there.

"What?"

"There is a place where all the lies, all the false memories, the erasure of your past lives… where the rules of the living no longer apply."

"I don't—"

"Where the truth will become clear and coincidentally… place you in the same location as Death."

Peggy's throat went dry.

"You don't mean…"

The beautiful woman nodded, "I'm afraid I do."

"You're saying… if I go to the underworld… I would remember his name?"

Aphrodite nods, "indeed."

"But what do I do when I get there? How will I know where to go or what to do? And what if Hades knows I'm there? What if he comes after me?"

"Those are all questions I cannot answer. But I can offer you assurance that once your memories start to return, your love for Death will as well. And Love—" she smiles a smile that makes Peggy's breath hitch, "is a powerful tool."

Peggy takes a deep shaky breath and closes her eyes, trying to remain calm.

"Alright, let's say all that is true. How do I even get to the underworld?"

Aphrodite's perfect brows draw together, "oh, my dear. I thought I made that quite clear when I said you had to risk it all." Peggy's mouth gapes and the woman smiles sadly at her. "You will have to die."

Chapter 10

"Why did you do that," Hades growled at him, fingers clenching around his neck so tightly he knew if he was human it would have snapped.

Death could not respond. No power or ability to do so.

"Now hundreds of millions of people will suffer in death instead of going willingly. They will be frightened and refuse and scream and run and make this place a nightmare again because of your selfish actions! It was one child! How can that baby's life be worth all the misery and suffering that everyone else will have to endure?"

Again he didn't respond because he couldn't.

Hades snarled in his face, "You've wasted what it took centuries to build! I can't stand to look at you one more second!" Death felt himself be thrown, forcefully smashing against the far stone wall. "Enjoy spending the rest of her life in the pit." Hades snapped at him as he walked away.

Death had no control of his limbs as he sank beneath the floor, down into the smaller cavern below. His body landed with a thud.

Three dogs with old leathery skin and wispy tails drew near. One whimpered and the other two seemed hesitant to approach.

"It's fine," he rasped out, reaching out a gentle hand and petting the head of the dog who whimpered. "It's alright."

Their foggy white eyes somehow portrayed sadness as their sharp fangs bit down into his neck, shoulder, and an ankle. He tried not to wince as their poisonous teeth dug into his form. "Good boys," Death said genuinely, patting the leather skin softly as their poison began to work and make him groggy.

They pulled and yanked and dragged him down the long rocky slope, his clothes shifting from his preferred black high neck sweater and slacks to his black robes as they descended further.

At the end of the long slope the dogs dragged him to the edge of the rocky shallow pit. The thick dark green liquid bubbled cheerily as if it wasn't about to dissolve him painfully, molecule by molecule for as long as Hades deemed necessary.

The dogs hesitated. But he knew if they didn't fulfill their job that Hades would punish them too.

"It's alright," he whispered, feeling weak and starting to ache, "don't worry, it will be alright."

They whimpered but began to nudge and drag him until the heavy gravity of the underworld did the rest, pulling his body into the acid.

His first scream of pain startled the dogs and they began to bark and pace. His second scream caused them to start howling and he tried to bite back a third.

But it was impossible. Hades' pit of sorrow would refuse to let him die in peace. It was formed from the blood of Kronos mixed with The Algea's tears. He would suffer every minute, every second, of being in there. But he would not die.

No.

Letting him die would be too kind for Hades.

His screams turned to groans and whimpers, punctuated by the odd gasp or shout as the liquid would lap at his form and start to eat it away.

If Hades was serious… Then he would probably be in here for the next 60 years or so.

Tears formed on his face and there was nothing he could do but let them fall.

He didn't regret his decision. Her begging pleading face would have haunted him forever had he taken the child.

Now she could be free to live a normal life without him. Without his presence darkening her door.

He was happy for her.

As the first layer of his skin sizzled away, he pictured her face and the time they had had together. He focused on her smiles, her resting on the couch beside him, the way she had sat on his lap or been unafraid to touch him. She'd known he was Death and still wanted to be around him. The pain scratched and hissed at every one of his nerves, but he didn't let it change his mind.

He'd done what he'd done to keep her and her family safe. And that was enough.

"I'm sorry, you have to WHAT?"

Peggy pulled the woman further down the hallway and shushed her, "don't go screaming about!"

"You just said-"

"And I meant it!" Peggy hissed, "it's what I have to do to get him back."

"You remember him?" Angie asked incredulously.

"No," Peggy frowned, "but I can tell you're right. That she's right. I do feel like something is missing."

"Who is she?"

"Aphrodite."

Angie's eyes widened, "holy shit-" the woman breathed out, "That's who's been helping you through all your lives?"

"I assume so. She made it seem like that."

"Dang," Angie huffed, placing her hands on her waist, "you have the goddess of love fighting for you and the god of the dead against you… what the actual hell…"

Peggy rolled her eyes but then stopped. She looked down the long hallway that seemed to go on forever with the dim lighting reflecting against the linoleum floors. "I-" she turned to Angie, "I'm scared."

Angie reached over, pulling her into a hug. They were quiet for a while until Angie leaned back and said, "are you sure you understood her?"

Peggy laughed weakly, "oh, quite sure."

"But… If you die… I mean of course this sounds insane but… aren't you dead?"

"I don't know. She couldn't give me too many details. She kept talking about rules between the forces that be."

Angie watched as an attending wheeled a cart past them. "So…?"

"I need your help."

Angie's eyes widened, "my help?"

Peggy nodded, terror clutching her chest, "I can't do this on my own!"

"And you want me to do what?" Angie hissed, "bludgeon you over the head!?"

Peggy winced, "no… I have a slightly less gruesome idea than that."

She heard the knock and hurried over to the door.

Angie stood there looking nervous, hands shoved into her pockets.

Peggy stepped aside and let her in and shut the door.

"I don't even know where my life is that I'm even considering helping you do this," Angie said breathily, clearly trying not to panic. "This is a terrible idea."

"I agree," Peggy said, "It's my only option though…"

"Or…" Angie said, pacing, "you just don't do it. Maybe you'll reincarnate again and you can see him again later?"

"Angie-"

"Or, maybe it's just a guy. He's just a guy right? I mean, so what, you've lived hundreds of lives with him. You've been there, done that!"

"I don't remember those lives-"

"Okay, all the better. You don't remember your daughter or-"

Peggy grabs her arm and halts her pacing, "I had a daughter?"

Angie grimaces, "I think so. You told me you did a while ago when you figured out how to trigger memories when he would say your name."

Peggy reached for the bag on her friend's shoulder and the woman moved it away, "on second thought, I think this is a terrible idea."

"It is a terrible idea!" Peggy hissed, "one I have to do!"

"WHY?" Angie said manically, "Don't you get it?" Angie said, pacing again, "you'd be dying! You know, the last sleep! The no-more waking up and drinking coffee and working with me! What about your brother? Your nephew? What if this is all imaginary and we're both having mental breakdowns and this isn't real at all!"

Her eyes caught the movement of a flash and she turned to see her cat crouch and pounce on dust motes that the sun was illuminating. "How did I get that cat?"

Angie turned to look at it and frowned, "a dead girl told you to take care of it and you went to her apartment and took it home." Angie groaned and covered her face, "I still say we could just be insane."

"Do you think it's imaginary?" Peggy asked quietly. "I'll believe you. If you can look me straight in the eyes and tell me you honestly think it's all been in our heads, I'll believe you. I'll drop this right now and continue to live my life as I have."

Angie was frozen, staring at her with glazed eyes. They stayed like that, just staring at one another for at least a minute until Angie covered her face and groaned, "shit."

Peggy stayed quiet while the woman resumed her pacing with a few muttered curses punctuating her steps.

The woman turned to her finally and looked sick as she whispered, "I think it's real."

Peggy nodded, "so do I." She held out her hand and Angie looked sick as she pulled out a needle and a syringe. She gave them to Peggy who immediately cleaned them with soap and water and thoroughly dried to remove any fingerprints.

"We're going to leave here together," Peggy said plainly. "We're going to be seen at the cafe just a block from here and then we're going to be seen very publicly saying goodbye and heading two different directions. Then I will come back to my apartment." She walked over to her coffee table and grabbed two letters.

"If I don't make it back…"

"Oh-" Angie covered her mouth, "I'm going to be sick just talking like this."

"If I don't make it back, I need you to make sure they find these letters and give them to my brother and parents. They're going to be resting on my bed, alright?"

"Peggy-"

"And you're sure you're okay taking the cat? Just say that I told you I was going away for a couple days and needed you to watch her."

"Yes, but-"

"Come on," Peggy ignored the look on her friend's face. "Let's go get a coffee."

She'd had to sternly remind Angie not to be seen crying as they separated from the shop. But the woman just glared at her as she held the cat in her arms. The small bag of cat food stuffed in her large purse. She meowed and Peggy felt her own throat tighten. So she hugged Angie and left, not looking back as she turned the corner.

Peggy walked slowly home. Taking in the sights and sounds of the city as if this might be the last time she ever has the pleasure of experiencing them. Which it might.

She set everything in her apartment. She turned off her breaker and her water. If something were to happen while she was "dead" she wouldn't be able to stop it. So better safe than sorry.

She placed the letters on the bed, and then grabbed the vial.

A chill filled her. She blinked up and almost screamed. A hooded figure towered over her. Black leathery skin reached out to grab her wrist and she yanked backwards, tumbling off her chair and onto the floor.

"Who-" she gasped, "stay away-" but her brain was foggy. Why… she… Was she- her eyes widened and she stood, looking at the creature that was slowly moving towards her without an noise.

It was clear this was something inhuman. Something formed to do a task. She wanted to run and scream and kick and fight. To not let that thing touch her. But… but the point of this insane journey was to get to the underworld.

So instead… she held out her hand, ignoring the trembling.

The creature seemed briefly surprised before grasping her wrist and pulling her closer.

She could feel the air shifting. She knew they would be gone in moments, but in the last second, she looked back and tried not to react to the sight of her body in the chair, head lolled to the side and body still.

She had to come back.

She'd be back.

She… hoped.

She felt a different gravity settle on her shoulders as they shimmered into existence once more. It was dark. Only a narrow path, lit by what seemed to be the stones of the path itself.

She felt a hand push her towards the path and she glared at the creature. It made an annoyed sound and she knew it was telling her to hurry up. So she began walking.

Her steps were heavy as the gravity seemed to want to pull her to the ground. But she managed to keep walking, the creature's chilly oppressive presence not giving her a second to hesitate.

Eventually she began to see the outline of something. She stepped out and realized she'd been in a long stone tunnel and was now in a cavern that her human mind couldn't comprehend the size of. There was no ceiling that she could make out. Simply a haze as if her mind couldn't process what might be above her.

The creature, clearly impatient, shoved her forward, causing her to stumble and have to catch her balance.

She was feeling strange and almost… transparent. She looked down and felt panic at the fact that her hands were wispy. Steam or fog wafted off her in hazy waves. It was a mix of uncertainty as she felt heavier than ever without being able to feel her own substance.

Something grabbed her, halting her motion. She turned to see the creature holding on to the back of her jacket somehow. He pointed and she looked, seeing she'd almost stepped into a river. Inky black ripples passed along in front of her. The river looked like oil. Thick and unceasing as it flowed.

She looked up and down to see if there was a path to cross when she heard a splash. She turned back to see a long flat barge appear. When it slid onto the gravel, making a sound of rocks being tossed in an active blender, she winced and covered her ears.

"Fare?"

The voice wasn't spoken. But she heard it anyway.

She turned to ask the creature what he meant but he was gone.

"Must pay the fare."

She looked at the barge and a young girl sat on the edge, her feet paddling softly in the water.

Peggy took a step and held onto the end of the boat as she precariously made her way onto the flat part of the barge.

"What is the fare?" She asked, getting closer.

The little girl looked up and Peggy had to stop from gasping in fright. The girl's eyes were missing, and in the black holes, cobwebs hung, softly swaying in the air movement.

"Whatever ties you to the living," the soft voice said. "That is your fare."

Peggy felt a weight in her pocket and she dug her hand into her jeans. She pulled out a small frame and felt the strange press of the gravity weigh heavier. The faces of her family stared back. Her parents, Michael and Lily, and a little baby, giggling at the camera. Then she felt her stethoscope as a ghost around her neck and when she reached up, it had appeared.

"Must pay the fare," the girl's soft mental voice said again. "Departure is coming and you don't want to be left on the shore."

Peggy slid the stethoscope off her neck and held it in one hand and the picture in another. "How do I pay?"

The girl gestured to the river and then walked to the end of the barge, a small upright paddle waiting for her.

Peggy knelt and felt a wave of panic bubbling through her. What had she done? Was she really dead? Leaving behind a lovely life? All for the belief of something she had no proof of?

"Decide or get off."

Peggy sure as hell wasn't going to be left on the shore. And she knew even if she walked all the way back through that stone tunnel that she would not be miraculously bright to life. So there was only one way to go.

Onward.

She let the items slip from her fingers and they made no sound as they slipped beneath the surface. They did not bob or float or stay in her vision. They sank immediately, disappearing beneath the thick black liquid as the boat began to move. The soft splash of the paddle the only sound.

It was a long journey. The river seemed endless across and flowed on either side of them for as far as the eye could see. She might as well have been on the ocean for as much as she could tell.

The little girl did not speak again and Peggy had a feeling that if she tried, she would not get a response. So she stayed quiet, sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest.

"No souls make the journey twice."

Peggy jolted awake. Or at least back to awareness. Something about the endless journey had lulled her into complacence.

"I beg your pardon?"

"If you stay on the barge, you will have to make the journey back. And your soul will not last a second trip. You better disembark."

Peggy looked over to see they were indeed at the other shore. So she nodded and walked to the edge, "thank you," she whispered.

The little girl's empty eyes widened in shock as Peggy stepped off.

There was a large slope that she had to climb that led up and away from the river, further into the cavernous place. When she crested over the top, she paused, eyes widening. Below her was a massive valley. Her mind had a hard time comprehending what she was seeing.

Massive concentric rings of stone made the valley look like a giant bullseye. Each ring clearly had a purpose or designation. Although from this distance, and with her lack of understanding, she couldn't explain what Buildings, fields, structures, and many things she could see but not make out filled each circle, some looked brighter and others looked more grim.

The slope began to crumble under her feet without warning and she knew it wouldn't stop until she walked forward. So she did.

She walked down the slope and found herself on another path. She couldn't go anywhere else, couldn't stray from the path as the gravitational weight held her in the same place except allowing her to move forward one step at a time.

Eventually she reached the outer ring of the towering, high stone walls. A 5 foot wide gap was clearly her entrance. So she stepped forward and into the shadows of the massive stone.

"Gah!" she gasped out in surprise, clutching her head and bending forward.

It was like light being shone into her eyes after hiding in the dark for decades. Pain, flashes of light, colors, sounds, and- she gasped again. Memories.

Blue eyes, softly looking at her, and a smile. A smile of true adoring love that made her fading heart ache with love.

"Oh-" she breathed out. And the sound echoed gently against the walls before fading.

Energy flowed through her and the gravity seemed to lessen, the weight lifting off her shoulders and feeling more solid since she'd stepped on the barge.

"Stephanos-" she said, "Stephan-" it was all so clear. Every memory. Every life. Every moment spent with him or fighting to get to him. "Stephen." A dozen names in some variation of the first flood her brain along with the memories to go with them.

Everything became perfectly clear. She thought back to her first death, stabbed by Alexandros. She lifted her shirt to see a sort of dark pucker that she'd thought was a birthmark since she'd been born with it. But no… it was the mark of her first death.

His neck. The mark. She thought back and began to feel anguish that he had been the one to die first in every iteration they'd lived. And now, now she could see, she could remember Hades' presence at each one, studying, watching, observing. Aphrdotie was there too. Sometimes they were together, sometimes they stared at each other with annoyance on their faces, but at each death they were there until…

She knew in her heart. This was the last time they'd had a life together.

As if a spectator on this moment in her own past life. She watched Stephen make a deal with Hades to save her that long ago day in the rain on the side of the road.

"I agree to serve." Stephen said shakily, holding her limp body and trying not to break down.

"You agree to serve me forever."

"I agree to serve you forever." Stephen's voice was raspy.

"And so it shall be."

She watched in disbelief as he began to sink into the ground.

"Margaret!" Stephen's voice was panicked and he was trying to still hold her "Margaret, wake up!" His eyes flashed to the baby's face, now wrapped in a blanket in her arms. She can see him strain to see her. His neck was now in the earth, he was almost swallowed when he choked out an- "I love you— I love you both. Please—"

And then he was gone.

And she was filled with rage.

Another figure appeared. Aphrodite, looking at the scene with horror that quickly also turned to rage. She started to glow and she knew that if she were really there she would have to cover her eyes. Aphrodite waved her hand and the storm abated. She looked up, "thank you father." Then she looked to the wagon. "Hephestus!"

The air shimmered, a form and figure appeared, before the wagon itself collapsed and then reformed. Fixed and perfect.

The form, a bent over brooding looking man, nodded and was gone.

"Now you see." Peggy startled as Aphrodite in the memory addressed her, "I will plant this memory that is not your own. It will lie in wait until the time you need to see them. Look what was stolen from you. For his own selfish purpose." The woman's entrancing eyes kept her in their gaze. "Now show him what true love can do."

Peggy gasped, coming back to her present and panting to catch her breath. The stone walls stood beside her, unphased by how her world had just flipped upside down.

She wiped at her tear covered cheeks and spoke out loud. "Oh, I will."

—-

Death felt something grab him. Hands slipped between the dissolving skin and muscles to grasp at his collar bone and spine, hauling him partially out of the pit.

He could hear barking and whimpering but he didn't know what was going on. He wondered how long he'd been in here and how much of his form remained. Had it been 60 years already?

"She's unbelievable," he heard Hades growl. "What is her obsession with you two? Well, she's in for a surprise if she thinks I'm going to let your little human take you so easily from me. Bah!"

"Come on," the voice said, "time to set the trap."

Even in the dim light, her eyes caught something strange about the walls as she walked. There was something strange about them. She stepped closer to one side to try to see better only to step back in shock. What she thought, upon closer inspection, might be a strange design carved into the bottom five feet of the stone were actually scratches and grooves from millions upon millions of hands being dragged and scraped along the wall, trying to escape their fate.

She wondered who came to do the dragging if Death only brought you to the river. Only when she caught the strong smell of wet dog a few minutes later did she swallow thickly in fear of the answer.

—-

The outer ring, once she walked the width of the outer stone wall, held nothing but gravestones. Her mind tried to process why the underworld would have gravestones. But, unless her eyes were deceiving her, that's what they were. They were all the same. Small, rectangular, name, birth and death date. Nothing less, nothing more. No more than an inch of dirt between each one on all sides.

She walked quietly, half expecting for something terrible to happen, half wondering if anyone even knew she was here. Did all the dead take such a solitary path to their final destination?

It felt like hours until the next circular wall appeared to grow taller. She reckoned she was finally getting close enough for the perspective to start to change.

Finally, she walked into the shadows of the next stone wall and darkness surrounded her except the dim light from the strip of sky. She walked for a while until it opened up into the next ring.

Her eyes grew wide at the barren landscape. Scrub trees, brush, and dust swirled around her. But it was the people staring at the ground that made her hazy skin crawl.

An innumerable amount of people stood in silence staring at the ground. They weren't in lines, yet they seemed to all be the exact same distance apart. No one was moving. No one was doing anything. They simply stared at the ground. Nothing else.

As she was walking, she gasped silently as a person shimmered into existence maybe one hundred feet from her. The others shuffled, adjusting silently to her presence and so the space between them all was kept the same. But then it was like nothing had happened. They were back to being still, silent, and staring.

Peggy picked up her speed after that.

The third ring was at least full of movement and sound. People worked as far as the eye could see. Mostly tinkering on machines or standing in what looked like strange factory assembly lines.

Everyone looked haggard and beaten down, but she wasn't sure if that was just her mind playing tricks on her. Could the dead be haggard and beaten down?

A few eyes watched her as she passed by but no one spoke to her or tried to make contact so she hurried through.

The fourth ring was the first one that gave her hope. Small houses, cabins, cottages, and abodes filled the massive space. People seemed to mill about and talk to one another. They didn't notice her as she watched them, still following the path. This ring was larger than the other three had been. The sheer scope of the land in front of her heading towards the next stone walls, beside her as it circled around, and behind as she made her way through, wasn't processing in her mind well. Everyone who ever had died was… in these rings? It was a hard thought to even entertain. So she focused on her way forward.

The fifth ring was lively. It looked like Ancient Greece had. Large white temples and homes. Lush gardens and parks. Waterfalls into lakes and pavilions filled with people laughing and talking. She could see a Greek theater in the distance and vineyards ringing around it. Animals walked around and she smiled at the sight of a bunny and a fox playing in the streets before scampering away.

People seemed vibrant and interested in those around them. They were clearly living even though they were dead. Arts, music, athletics and leisure seemed to be the main focus of the ring;s inhabitants. She could smell something… a savory scent of some kind and her eyes widened to realize that perhaps some dead were allowed to eat for the simple sake of eating…

But this ring was almost painfully small compared to the last four. A fact that did not go unnoticed by her.

She was perhaps about half way through when she heard a— "Margaret? Margaret, is that you?"

Her non-beating heart leapt in her chest as she startled at the sound of her own name. She turned to see— "Rebecca!"

The brunette stared in shock at the edge of the path, unable or unwilling to step on it. Peggy walked over, "Rebecca—" she reached her hand out and the brunette shook her hands wildly.

"Don't!" Peggy stepped back, "don't touch the boundary if you're undecided."

"Undecided?"

But Rebecca tilted her head, "where have you been? We've been looking for you for…" she paused, "I don't know, since we've been down here, I suppose."

"We?" Peggy asked hopefully, "who else is down here?"

Rebecca smiled, "everyone. My parents and I are here in Elysium. And Sarah and James are on the Fortunate Isles."

Peggy furrowed her brow, "you're separated?"

Rebecca didn't seem bothered, "I suppose we are. But they chose to reincarnate three times, mostly to look for Stephen and you. And when they couldn't find either of you the third time… they weren't allowed any more chances. But thankfully they were of high regard in each life. So they received the blessing of living on the Fortunate Isles. but they come and visit often."

"Can…" Peggy felt hesitant, although she was pretty sure she knew the answer, "you visit them?"

Her soft laugh made Peggy feel a bit more at ease. "No. No, the Isles are reserved for its inhabitants only. But I am happy here."

"Wait, what do you mean you haven't seen Stephen down here?" Peggy asked, "how could you not? Didn't he collect you?"

It was Rebecca's turn to frown in confusion, "what do you mean? You're saying he's down here somewhere?"

Peggy nodded slowly, "yes… Hades turned him into Death."

Rebecca's eyes widened, "he what?"

"When I was pregnant and about to give birth, I began to die. So Hades appeared, wanting to make a deal and Stephen took it to save my life. He works for Hades collecting souls. Or… at least he did until he saved my nephew's life and now Hades is punishing him somewhere. I have to find him. Where does Hades keep prisoners?"

Rebecca was just staring at her with wide eyes and a gaped mouth.

"I know it's a lot," Peggy said calmly, "but I'm here to find him. Where would Hades keep those he's punishing?"

Rebecca's eyes somehow got wider, "you think he's punishing Stephen right now?"

"Yes. And Stephen doesn't remember our life together. He doesn't even remember his name. But I am surprised you haven't seen him at all…"

Rebecca gestured to the path leading miles and miles behind her, "everyone over the age of 12 walks this path alone. Death simply brings you to the entrance."

"Everyone over 12? What about younger than?"

"Children are each treated as a special case. Below 8 years old, they are brought here, to Elysium, with almost no exceptions. Between 8 and 12, consideration is taken for their actions but they usually end up here as well. Or—" she frowned, "the meadows."

"Meadows?"

"Where they stand silent for all eternity."

She gasped, "how could they place a child there?"

"Like I said. It's rare. But some people are born with no love or kindness in their heart. Something went wrong in the womb and even as a child they showed a tendency for evil. But—" she took a calming breath, "no one under 12 is sent to Tartarus. So they stand in the meadows. No pain, no suffering. Or they can choose the graves."

Something began to click, "these are options."

Rebecca nodded but her face made it clear that was too much of a simplification.

"When you reach the inner ring, you will be given the option to join the meadows first. This is for those who don't wish to be judged. Who are scared of the outcome. If you continue, then you will be judged. If you were evil in life and had no redeeming qualities, you would be sent—" she pointed downwards and it was ironic in an unfunny way that even the underworld had its own personal hell.

"And that's where Stephen would be?"

Rebecca's eyes showed sadness, "I hope not. It's a horrible place."

"I do too," Peggy responded. "How do I get to Tartarus?"

"You can't go down there!"

"I have to! I have to get Stephen—"

"No one who goes down there has ever returned. It's a permanent placement."

Peggy looked back at the way she came and she pointed, "how do you end up in those first rings if being evil sends you below?"

"They will explain at the judgment," Rebecca answered. Then her eyes flicked behind her, "another has entered the ring, you must go." Peggy looked back to see a speck of a person walking into the fifth ring. "They don't like to judge more than one at a time. You must hurry."

The woman looked anxious for her and she nodded, but then paused, "It was lovely to see you… I hope… I hope one day to see you and your parents again. Would you tell James and Sarah I said hello?"

Rebecca smiled and half reached out before stopping and drawing her hand back. "I will. And—" she looked worried, "I hope you find Stephen and save him. He deserves a good life."

Peggy nodded, "I will. I promise."

The figure was drawing closer so she waved and headed forward.

The sixth ring was, of course, the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. True to its name there were islands on a massive body of water. Bridges connected a few of the islands. Beautiful ships and elaborate barges floated quietly on the water. What seemed to be scattered firelight lit the dark sky. Bronze and stone braziers were everywhere, floating, hanging, and resting on pedestals. Everything glowed and shimmered as if full of magic. The same buildings as the fifth ring dotted each island, and more gardens, vineyards, and fields filled the spaces. She could hear laughter and the sound of beautiful music. Smells of all types enchanted her nose and she wanted to step right off the path and join them. But she knew that was not her path.

A part of her wondered what the consequence for trying to cross the boundary was. She had a feeling it wouldn't be a good thing.

The path had become a long beautiful marble bridge that also glowed with firelight. Bronze torches were affixed every few feet as she walked. Her footsteps making no noise.

A deep longing in her chest told her that she and Stephen belonged here. They'd suffered 100x more than 3 good lives and if they didn't end up on the Fortunate Isles then Hades would have to have another reckoning with her.

But she had to have the first.

The stone wall to enter the 7th ring was the thickest of them all.

Finally she passed into the bullseye of the rings. A large imposing temple stood on a hill in the middle. White marble columns with veins of gold and black lined the building and she knew it belonged to Hades.

But the path didn't lead to the temple, it led to the side where it entered a garden.

She stood still for a moment, trying to decide if it was better to face the normal path and judgment or storm Hades' temple.

But something told her that if she faced Hades, she wouldn't win. Her best bet would be to try to undermine his system from the inside. So she followed the path to the left.

Before the garden. A path veered off to the left again and ran straight towards the stone walls. A small sign stood at the fork in the path.

Fear judgment?

Continue left to the meadows.

She supposed the meadows were a better choice than chancing Tartarus.

Ignoring the sign, she continued on her chosen path. Not long after passing through the wrought iron gate of the garden, she came to a man who sat in long flowing robes. He had thick brown hair that curled and hung down to his lower back. He was handsome and regal looking. The man was standing by a well and held a small black book in his hand.

"It's not often I'm unsure what name to call a person who approaches my judgment," the man said calmly, his deep voice seeming to surround her from every direction.

"My name is Margaret."

"No," he laughed, "you misunderstand me. I know your names from every lifetime you've lived. But which is your true self?"

"They were all me," she answered without thinking. "I would never live a half filled life."

The man studied her and then nodded, gently waving the black book as if evidence, "surprisingly I agree with you. Why were you reincarnated so many times? Why did you not travel down here and go through the process each time?"

Peggy's brow furrowed, "do the gods not share their schemes with anyone else?"

"The gods barely pay attention to human lives. Which is why your resurgence again and again, without visiting the underworld, is strange to me. Since I received your book upon your death I have found it fascinating."

That knowledge struck her. This man, and the others out there weren't all powerful omniscient gods. They didn't know everything all the time or control time or people's lives. They too were part of the system of life and death.

"So, that is the book of my life?" She asked, pointing to the book in his hands.

"No," the man said, "no, this is the book of your wrong doings. For all of the years you have had the privilege to live, it is surprisingly small."

Relief flooded her but she stayed impassive, "and does that mean…?"

"It means you will pass by me. And continue to your next judgment."

"Thank you," she responded honestly. "But—" she looked at him, "I assume had that book been quite thick, I would end up in Tartarus?"

He nodded. "Or, if it had been bad, but not quite so evil, you could choose to work. To earn a better choice." The mechanical fields she saw.

"What is the better choice?"

"The rolling fields. A place for those who have lived a life, neither bad nor good. Not worthy to be punished but never did anything to be praised. A place to be peaceful and exist but nothing more."

"I see." That must have been the ring with all the cottages and small homes.

"Since you would be the one to send me there… do you know the name of everyone in Tartarus?"

His eyebrow raised, "I do."

"Could you tell me if Stephen Rogers is there? I believe Hades has him held captive, potentially torturing him."

The man frowned, "I know the name of every person in the underworld. There are thousands of Stephen Rogers. To which do you refer?"

She decided to take a chance, "you would have seen him in any of my lives. With different versions of the same name. Or perhaps you know him better by the moniker Hades gave him. Death."

The man tilted his head, "explain."

Peggy took a deep breath and gave a brief synopsis of the deal Stephen made for her and then how he has been serving as Hades' reaper since that deal. Of course he wouldn't know. Stephen had never died and been brought to the underworld. This man would have never received his book. Of which Peggy would bet would be barely a page if any entries at all.

The man was silent when she finished and his eyes flicked back towards Hades temple. "I know to whom you refer. Are you saying… he was a human?"

"Yes."

"And Aphrodite was the goddess who chose to keep your souls above on earth."

"Yes. And she sent me here, to retrieve Stephen and undo the treachery that was done by Hades."

The man looked disturbed as he rubbed at his chin in thought. "Hades is efficient. He is not usually prone to cruelty or undo distress. This story troubles me…"

"As it should!"

"But—" the man turned to her and she saw a hint of silver in the darkness of his eyes, "If what you're saying about Hades making a deal for him to be the reaper… I understand why."

"What do you mean you understand!?"

The man stepped closer, and maybe he wasn't an all knowing all powerful being. But he still held power, here, over her, and she felt his presence deep in the strange gravity. It held her in place.

"I have been the first judge since the beginning of time. I have watched billions and billions of souls come through here. For most of eternity, they are screaming, crying, dragging their feet, and begging at my feet that it can't be true. Insisting that there has been some mistake and I have to let them go back. You would not believe the weeping and gnashing of teeth and the genuine fear that every soul has had in regards to their death. Until…" He sighs, "until we received a new god of Death. The last almost thousand years have been a strange period of peace in the underworld. Not that we don't have the odd wailer. Death is sad in many ways. But I can state with absolute certainty that the man you know as Death has changed this place for the better. Souls come feeling comforted and safe. Hades may have played a nasty trick to get him here, but I understand why."

"Well doesn't he deserve a chance to feel comforted? To feel safe?"

"Didn't he live lifetimes with you? That's more time given than any other humans I know of."

Peggy gaped, "he has died brutally in the majority of those lifetimes!"

The man studied her again and then nodded, "I see."

"What? What is it you see?"

"Hades is no fool. Whatever he does, or allows, he has a reason. That's all I can say. Now please, carry on to the second judge."

"No, I'm here to—"

Gravity sharpened and she cracked to her knees, hands pressed against the stone pathway and a weight crushing her.

"Move on," the judge said quietly. "You will not find your answers here. And I shall not be an accomplice to your scheme."

She was released, the weight shifting off her and she panted heavily, her lungs grabbing a full breath."

After a few seconds she stood and glared at the man, but did not argue. Following the path past the well and onward.

The second judge was a woman. Three large volumes sat on a table and the woman was sitting staring at the brazier full of fire that lit the area.

"Hello?" She said softly to get her attention.

The woman turned and Peggy took a step back. Instead of a pair of eyes, she had four on each side, arranged like an arachnid's.

"Do I frighten you, child?"

"Uh—"

"Seeing and knowing too much can be frightening. I understand."

Her hair was black and gray, straight and hanging to the floor. Her robes were soft green and had gold ribbons around her arms and waist.

"No, I'm sorry, I was just startled."

The woman gestured to her books. "First Justice has passed along your story. You search for someone."

Peggy looked back towards the man she'd left and then back to the woman, "is that who I just met?"

The woman nodded, "And I am Second Justice." A thought crossed Peggy's mind and the woman smiled, "I am indeed not."

"You—" Peggy blinked, "can you read my mind?"

"Of course."

"Can everyone?"

The woman smiled, "no. I am the Second Justice. The fallacy that Justice is blind is an interesting misinterpretation. It works for the humans above. But no. Down here, Justice sees and knows all. How could I make an honest and well thought out decision about your fate without knowing every single detail about you?"

Peggy looked at the books and the woman rested her hands on them. "You've lived quite the lives."

"And I intend to keep living."

"First Justice is correct, you know. The being we know as Death has—"

"If you insinuate that you deserve him more down here, than he deserves a live up on earth I will—"

"Peace—" the woman said. "I simply state the facts. I know your feelings. And I understand them. But I also know that your singular feelings do not outweigh the entirety of our underworld system. You would rather him live a mundane life on earth while the underworld writhes in chaos at his loss? We, the justices have spent millennia judging the dead. This is our most unprecedented era of peace. It would be a difficult thing to lose."

"And he means nothing?"

"No, he means everything. Which is why he should stay."

Peggy gaped, her rage fiery, "not at the cost of his freedom!" She stepped forward, "you know where he is?"

The woman's face shifted to sadness, all eight eyes closing and then reopening with sympathy. "No. Hades does not divulge where he keeps those he doesn't want seen."

"Have you noticed a difference in the dead since his absence?"

The woman's face saddened, "of course we have. And a few years ago, his absence was sorely missed as well. Death made choices for you that caused pain and distress down here."

Peggy glanced back and was rethinking her decision to go through the judges. Maybe she should just—

"Planning an ambush?"

She turned back, glaring at the woman, "You say you're the embodiment of justice. And yet a man suffers, has suffered for hundreds of lives! And now serves unwillingly! He was tricked into serving! How is that justice?"

"Like First Justice stated. Death has already been given more time than any other human male on earth. Why does he deserve more?"

"Because he has never been allowed a full life!" Peggy closed her eyes, reeling back through each and every memory of his death. "He has died young, and in pain, in each life he was given! Never once did we grow old together! He's never been given the chance to meet—" her eyes widened, "our daughter." She stepped forward and the woman raised her eyebrows, "where is our daughter!?"

"She's in Elysium with your grandson. Would you like to go there?" The woman opened the first book. "Your choice here is simple. Your lives have been mostly exemplary. So you move past the rolling fields. You can choose the graves which means eternal death. No consciousness, nothing. Or Elysium. If you want to be judged to be accepted at the Fortunate Isles, you may continue on to the Third Justice. You have certainly had enough reincarnations to earn it."

"And hasn't Death?" She snapped back, "hasn't he earned peace?"

"I am Second Justice," the woman stated again, "but I am not the lord of the underworld. His ruling overtakes mine when it comes to staffing."

The juxtaposition of that statement made Peggy scoff, "so justice for most. But not all."

The woman glared at her, "what is your choice?"

Peggy stood there, going over her options. And suddenly she realized that she'd been a coward earlier. Aphrodite hadn't sent her here to sneak her way through. If so, the goddess could have devised a better scheme. She'd been sent here to confront him with the power of true love on her side. So without answer, Peggy turned on her heel and began to run.

She heard a faint, "good luck," as she disappeared around the corner.

He was waiting for her at the entrance. His arms were crossed and his galaxy eyes were piercing through her.

"Dangerous risk you've taken."

Peggy stood at the bottom of the wide set of marble steps.

"Tell me where he is."

"He's a little hung up right now."

"You bastard!" She snarled out.

"Calling the lord of the underworld a bastard. Interesting choice to get what you want."

"I'm getting him whether you allow me or not."

And Hades stepped to the side, gesturing to the inside of his temple, "be my guest."

Peggy glared at the man, "what, you're just going to lead me straight to what I want and let me take him?"

Hades laughed and she heard the strike of lightning followed by a boom of thunder. She turned to see clouds having formed over the other rings, rain pouring down.

She imagined all the people stuck standing still in the meadows.

"I'm happy to show you that what you want is out of reach."

Peggy quickly walked up the steps and stared into his disconcerting eyes, "we will see about that."

Hades grinned and pointed, "through the temple, down the long dark slope and above the pit. You'll know it when you smell it."

She kept her eyes on him as she walked past, but then kept striding forward. Not getting distracted by the dark grandeur of where he clearly resided. As she walked past the last room, a woman stood, arranging flowers that seemed vibrant and colorful in spite of the other decor.

The woman must have felt her presence because she turned and met Peggy's gaze.

The woman's voice entered her mind like a soft breath of spring. "As someone else who was tricked into being down here… never forget what strength lies in love."

Peggy nodded and continued walking. A throne room was the final space and as she stepped in. An ornate chair that was clearly growing from the roots of something that was must have been growing upside down and underneath the temple. A crack ran through the floor and a melted silver stream flowed inside. It radiated an aura that made her skin prickle and she knew if she touched it, it would be a one way trip to Tartarus.

She looked around. There was no slope in sight. She was about to turn around and confront him when she felt the ground liquify and her body start to sink.

"You coward!" She called.

"It's the way to the slope," she heard his bored voice reverberate through the temple. "Calm down."

As her waist sunk through the floor, she huffed and crossed her arms, "it had better be."

She heard a sigh and she could picture him rolling those cosmic eyes of his as she sank fully into the ground.

She landed on the ground and sat up. She could see the long slope downwards and felt a shiver of fear. Hades had been right. The smell in there was foul.

A growl caused her to look behind her. Three dogs approached her, teeth barred and eyes foggy.

She quickly crouched, ready to spring away if they attacked. But they simply stood there menacingly, as if they would only attack if she tried to escape.

"I'm going down," she said, somehow thinking they might be able to understand her, "I'm here to find Death. Do you know where he is?"

One dog growled, another whimpered, and the third tilted its head.

So she slowly began to back down the slope. They followed her. Each step she took, they advanced. But they never lunged or tensed for an attack. So she slowly made her way down and tried to not fall backwards.

A sharp bark caused her to stop in place, worried she'd tried their patience too long. But then the dog who had whimpered, whimpered again, his nose twitching as he smelled the air. She took the chance to look behind her and gasped.

There he was.

"No—" she choked out, her eyes barely comprehending what she was seeing.

He was strung up, chains passing through his robes and— she gasped again, his rotting form. She couldn't see his face as it hung over his chest, drooped in a way she knew he wasn't conscious.

Rage filled her. "Stephen!" She cried out, Stephen! I'm coming!" She went to step into whatever the thick green liquid in the pit below him was, when another sharp bark made her freeze.

One of the dogs gently grasped her ankle and began tugging her backwards.

"Stop," she said with a rasp, "I need to get to him!"

The other two dogs crowded in the space between her and the pit and were snarling. But more in a warning way than in attack mode.

"You don't understand!" She said to the creatures, unsure how much they could really understand, "I have to save him! He doesn't deserve this!"

She looked back up and wanted to scream. She'd seen him like this before at the hospital after the three long years of his absence.

Mostly skeletal with rotting flesh and muscle clinging to the bones. His robes were inn tatters, barely clinging to him.

At least six chains were strung through him and disappeared into the hazy ceiling.

How… how was she supposed to get him down?

"Go on," she turned to see Hades at the bottom of the slope, staring at her, "save your little prince."

"This is how you treat your prized possession?" She snapped. "All this talk from all your minions about all the good that Stephen has brought to the underworld and this is how you repay that?"

"He wasn't obeying," Hades growled at her, "he kept allowing you to come between him and his duties. So he's just being held here until you're out of the picture."

She narrowed her eyes, "so why not just kill me!"

He huffed, throwing up his hands, "do I look like three old ladies to you?! I'm the lord of the underworld! Not the fates! You committing suicide was your choice, not mine."

"I did not—"

"Whatever semantics you want to use are up to you. But you willingly chose to die. So I'll call it what I want."

"So why not force me to Tartarus when I arrived?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, "I know I'm the villain in this story you concocted. The big bad lurking in wait. but I don't mess with the dead. I ensure they reside where they belong or where they choose if they're given the option. I ensure the world above is not affected by the world below. I keep the peace. Imagine if the dead were allowed to roam the earth above. How well do you think that would go?"

"Don't make yourself out to be some type of hero!"

Hades sighed, leaning against the stone. His clothes the same as she'd seen him in the hospital all that time ago.

"I didn't start this. My niece did."

"Why?"

"You prayed to her. She watched your love for Stephanos and your treatment at Alexandros hand. She begged for the chance to allow you an ending worthy of true love." He sighed again, "and she used my allowance of that against me. I thought she meant one more chance so I granted it. You were an interesting pair and life can get boring after several millennia so I thought… hmm, why not. But she had truly meant until you get a happy ending. Since he—" he gestured to Stephen's form hanging above, "seemed cursed to die, no matter the lifetime. We fought about agreements and deals each time. She was sure you could figure it out, and I was growing more certain that you wouldn't. All the while I was studying him—" he pointed again and began to walk to the edge of the pit, "How he died with such grace. How he usually was comforting you or still fighting for what was good when he was killed. An idea sprouted…"

"We were finally together!"

He nodded, "exactly. You finally managed to get married. And that to me signaled you'd reached your happy ending."

"We'd only just been married!"

"Bah!" He waved a dismissive hand, "I gave you a few years. But then you got pregnant," he sighed as if that was such an annoyance, "and I knew my opportunities would be slim. To have a human be able to serve me, shifting into something more, he'd have to be a willing soul. And I knew he'd never leave you willingly. But he would willingly agree to save you."

"You manipulated him!"

Hades turned to her, and he wasn't haughty or sad, but reserved, "I did. And I don't regret it. These last thousand years, he's been the greatest gift to the underworld. And I refuse to let you take him. Once you've accepted your fate here. I'm sure you'll end up on the Fortunate Isles, then he can resume his duties and all will be as it should be."

"And when will he get to rest, hmm?" She asked, throat closing with emotion, "when will he join me on the Isles?"

"He agreed to serve me forever," Hades pointed out, "I once told him eventually he would fade, to give him hope that it would one day be over. But… that's a no go. He does his job so well that I have no intention of that happening. But here—" he gestured to the form hanging and it slowly sunk back into the pit. Stephen made a groaning sound as he landed in the water, and then he sucked in a painful gasp and went still.

"You're killing him!"

"He can't die—" Hades responded, sounding annoyed. "He's no longer human. I made sure of that."

Peggy frowned, "back when I first met him in this life, after you punished him… I was able to heal him. But then later I wasn't. Why?"

Hades seemed annoyed, "when he came back fully healed I was caught off guard. But if he can heal quickly by your touch, then he wouldn't remember his lessons to obey. It was a simple fix."

"How could you do that?" She asked, "he doesn't deserve this!"

Hades glared at her, "are you going to hear my deal or not?"

She crossed her arms, "and what deal is that?"

"You accept whatever you prefer, Elysium or the Isles. And he continues to work for me. But I allow him to have his memories back and he can visit you as he has been doing on earth. He's efficient and usually doesn't slack on his responsibilities, I won't beleaguer that point. So we both win."

She doesn't immediately turn him down. Because she's evaluating all her options. And while it's not the best option, she does briefly consider it. She'd be allowed to stay in Stephen's orbit and see her daughter again. And she wouldn't have to fight for it. Hades would give it to her.

Which meant it wasn't the right option. True love was worth fighting for. She looked down at the pit and then at Stephen we seemed to be fading before her very eyes, the pit stealing more of him each second that passed.

Aphrodite did not send her here to concede.

"How about—" she said, her mind flying through the options, remembering Greek tragedies and deals worth Hades' time. "I offer you a deal."

No Greek god worth their salt can ever resist a good deal. That was something she remembered from her time alive on the earth.

Hades raised an eyebrow, "which would be?"

"Will the fates abide by a deal you make?"

He narrowed his eyes, "yes."

"Then my deal is this. You give me the chance to save him. If I can carry Stephen from this pit, back to the stone tunnel, you agree to let us go back to earth. You agree to let us live. To live out our lives in happiness until we die of old age. Not of sickness, not of an accident, but old age. The simple fact of our bodies growing too weary to continue."

His eyes narrowed, "and if you can't?"

"Then not only will Stephen serve you for all eternity, but so will I, in whatever capacity I fit best."

Hades' eyes widened and she was slightly smug that she'd been able to catch him off guard.

"Let's say you do escape. When you die of the proverbial old age," he said, "then he goes back to serving me. And you will too."

"No," Peggy snapped, "If I escape, when we die, we've earned a life of peace. Not of more death. That's the deal. Take it or leave it."

Hades eyed her, then the pit, then her again and then he stared at Stephen for a long time. He extended his hand, "you have a deal."

She shook his hand and felt the gravity of the underworld tighten around them before snapping, releasing her, the debt sealed.

Hades let go of her hand, "too bad you'll be dissolved three steps into that pit."

Peggy stared at him in annoyance before taking a deep breath and settling into a sense of calm. Peace settled deep in her chest. An assurance that as fickle as love can be. Flighty when just beginning or volatile when uncertain. There was nothing stronger than True Love. There was no substance, no idea, no experience more powerful than that of love that was pure and true. A love that had been tested and tried in hundreds of lifetimes. That had been patient and waiting for over a thousand years.

A love that bolstered her now to step into the pit. Even at the warning whines of the dogs and Hades' disbelieving laugh. She took the leap. And her foot met solid ground.

She looked down to see the space around her foot was bare, just the stone beneath it. She looked in shock as she took another step and it cleared. The green liquid looking like it was being buffeted away from her foot by wind.

"Hey—" Hades said, "what are you doing?!"

She didn't stop. Taking small steps and making her way towards his form.

"What's happening?" Hades asked, in annoyance, "how are you doing that?"

She ignored the questions. Not hesitating as she stopped again and again, closing the distance to him.

"Aphrodite," she whispered as she approached him, "don't fail me now."

She tried not to gag at the smell his form was radiating. Nothing would stop her now. She leaned down and tried to get a good hold on him. A scream escaped her lips as the acid soaked into his robes and form began to eat away at her.

Her next scream was more of an agonized groan as she hauled him up, draping his arm across her shoulder. She had no time to try to understand how a form that was mostly skeletal was sticking together. She would not question a blessing.

Each step she took back was excruciating because of the acid he carried on him. But the area around her feet remained clear.

The dogs were barking and looked anxious as she made their way back to them. Each step he felt heavier and dripped more acid on her, but she didn't care, didn't stop. She would walk for however long it took to get him back.

As she approached the edge, Hades was staring at her feet wide eyed and he looked angry.

"How are you doing this?"

She heaved, gently setting Stephen's body onto the edge and climbing out herself, panting and heaving, trying not to groan aloud as the pain ate away at her.

"You doubted? Me? The goddess who was formed the ocean's waves, my ability to manipulate them?"

Peggy looked up to see Aphrodite standing on the slope, her arms crossed and her robes glimmering brightly in the dimness around her.

"You!" Hades bellowed, "this isn't the ocean!"

"It's partly tears, my ill-tempered Uncle. What is the ocean if not just salt water?"

"Oh come on!" He glared at Aphrodite, "you cheated!"

Aphrodite pointed a haughty finger at her uncle, "you cheated first."

Hades gaped at her. "No! You can't cheat me! We've made a deal!"

"And she's fulfilling it!"

"She has to accomplish this feat on her own. She has to carry him!"

"She is!"

"You moved the liquid."

"No," Aphrodite said calmly. "She did that herself."

"But you just said—"

"Not even death can ravage true love," Aphrodite snapped back. "You may have been winning battles but love has won the war. I bestowed upon her one of my gifts, the ability to buffet misery and sadness away with love, And long before she chose to die or to make that deal. The gift was hers to have before she'd made her choice. So when you made the deal, not even the worst you have to offer can best a pure sacrifice for love."

Hades tilted his head, "sacrifice?"

Aphrodite smiled, "you said it yourself. She sacrificed her life to try to save him. Without any confidence that she would make it back alive."

Hades gaped, then he huffed and looked at Peggy before looking flabbergasted, "now, wait just a minute—"

"You've lost. Or you will lose. Better to yield with grace."

"No, I—"

"Get up, darling." Aphrodite said calmly to her. "You have a long journey ahead of you."

She nodded, swallowing her pain and getting to her feet. It took a minute, but she pulled him back up, and adjusted his weight. She took a lilting step forward.

"I'm not letting you get away with this," Hades snarled out, stepping towards her. The three dogs growled and bared their teeth at their master. Hades looked at them in surprise, "what? Even you three? By the fates, you're all traitors!"

"No," Peggy said, shifting Stephen's heavy weight and trying to remain standing, "you're the only traitor here."

"You won't make it," Hades hissed at her. "Even though you've gotten his body, the journey back will kill you. You'll never make it on your own."

Aprhodite laughed, "listen to yourself! The lord of the underworld has lost track!"

Peggy turned to her as did Hades, both confused.

"She cannot die," Aphrodite claimed, as if the final punchline of this millennia's long joke was finally being told, "she's already dead."

Hades turned to look at her in shock and she felt the same. Sure his body was heavy, and she was suffering in pain. But she couldn't die. There would be no final step. Her form down here would not give in or cease to exist. It would be difficult because of what was expected. But it could not crush her further than she already was.

Now Aphrodite's insistence that she die was clear. Perhaps the goddess could have snuck her down to the underworld alive, but then she would have had something left to lose. Now, she has everything to gain.

"You've gotten so used to the multitude down here, uncle—" Aphrodite said, "that you've forgotten the dead differ from the living. Just because they can choose to eat or drink, or because they still feel pain when they're tortured in Tartarus, does not mean they are alive."

Hades' cosmic eyes were wide. Staring at his niece in complete disbelief.

"I will make your journey a misery," Hades snapped at her, "every step will be pain. Every inch will be like trying to escape sinking sand. You're alone. You can't do this. Give in now and I will still hold up my original deal."

"I'm not on my own," she breathed out, taking another step. "I have him with me." She adjusted him again and took another step. If he was offering his original deal that meant he was desperate to get her to give in. Which meant he knew she could make it.

She eyed the slope and knew that she was about to embark on the most difficult journey she'd ever go on. And she took a step. And another. And another.

Time didn't process the same in the underworld. She had no way to gauge how long it took her to reach the top of the slope. But eventually she did it.

Nothing happened as she hauled his form through the middle ring. Being dead was strange. She didn't feel tired in a sleepy sense. And she didn't feel hunger or thirst. But she could feel pain. She could feel her body fighting the effort.

She supposed it made a sick sort of sense that if dead people couldn't feel pain then Tartarus would be pointless.

She wasn't going to focus on the details of being dead. That would come later. At the end of a very long and lovely life with the man who was currently unconscious. Her hand was wrapped around his waist and her other arm holding his hand that was pulled across her shoulders steady.

She passed from the bullseye into the shadow of the stone walls to enter the sixth ring. She could feel the eyes of someone or someones watching her as she did. but she didn't turn back or wonder who they were. They didn't matter. What mattered was taking it one step at a time.

Nothing happened in the sixth ring either. She took a rest about halfway across the bridge and she wondered if Hades would let it swallow them up. But she hoped a deal was a deal. He'd do nothing to halt their progress. Only to make her miserable.

After a brief rest where she watched the burned portions of her skin heal, she kept going. It must be another side effect of being dead, she supposed. If Tartarus tortures for all eternity, then those trapped there had to continue to have a form for that long, which meant they would have to regenerate or heal at some point. Or maybe it was because she was walking backwards. She didn't know and she didn't care.

The fifth ring was also unbothered. She looked for Rebecca or another face she recognized, but the landscape was different. She wondered if the circles actually rotated so it wasn't always the same area affected by the dead walking past on their path.

Either way, it didn't matter. She had to keep going. She would see them all again.

Her mind went to her daughter. The memory of finding her dead in her labor bed had been a moment of pure agony for Peggy. She'd lost Steve not two decades before and then had lost her daughter and grandson all at once. She'd been inconsolable for weeks after. And she did want to see her. To meet her grandson and be reunited. But first she would get to live her life with Stephen.

A full, long, lovely life.

She took another step.

The fourth ring was peaceful as she walked through it. The people still milled about. A few did look her way in confusion, but she ignored them. This was the biggest circle and she was starting to feel like a lead weight in an ocean of molasses. So against her better judgment, about halfway through the circle, she set Stephen down and sunk to the ground.

"Just a minute of rest," she said quietly, breathing deeply even though she didn't need oxygen. Her muscles were screaming at her, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to sleep if she tried. So she just laid there, resting a hand on Stephen's skeletal arm, and staring at the hazy air above.

Eventually she got up again and hauled him once again into position. She was halfway there. She could do this.

Each step was like swimming with her hands tied behind her back. But she was relentless. Step after step. He never woke, or groaned and she hoped that Hades would not pull a last minute trick on her and leave him in this form.

Her eyes went wide. Hades had said he wasn't human anymore. That he'd made sure of that. Did that mean he wasn't going to be human on earth?

After panicking about it for about thirty seconds. she shoved the thoughts away. There would be time to figure that all out later. Right now she just had to keep walking.

Passing through the wall of the final ring felt like scaling Mount Everest.

Not that she'd ever done that. But she could imagine that was what it felt like.

The scariest part was that so far… nothing had happened. His promise to make every step miserable was absent from her journey.

Maybe Aphrodite had had something to do with that. Whatever the reason, she was grateful.

Her one track mind kept her going. She had to walk back to the river, which meant going up the slope. The worst part was the ground was no longer a flat stone pathway. The gravelly unsteady ground made carrying his weight infinitely more difficult. She slipped and slid a couple times, before catching her balance, groaning under the weight. But eventually her luck ran out. Her foot caught a few unstable rocks and her foot slid sideways, landing her and Stephen in a heap. Blood coated her knees and hands. The side of her ribs had taken a pretty good scrape too.

So she just laid there for a bit, face grimaced against the waves of pain. She hoped Stephen was not injured further. She truly had no idea what state he was in.

After the majority of the pain faded, she stood up and began to carefully pull him back into a position she could hold him in. The uneven footing made it take twice as long and she was crying in agony by the time he was arranged,. His weight on her most likely bruised or battered ribs, was like sharp blades being shoved into her sides. But she grit her teeth and kept climbing.

"You're back."

Peggy blinked her eyes open to see the young girl's face from the barge.

She sat up, looking around. The river Styx flowed its inky blackness silently about three feet in front of her face.

"How long have we been hear?" Peggy asked, voice sounding raspy.

"I do not know. I simply sense when there is someone to carry. I've never had someone appear at this side of the river." The little girl looked at the form beside her. "You know him?"

Peggy nodded, standing and groaning at the way her entire body seemed to be one big ache, "I do. I'm taking him out of the underworld."

"But he is Death."

"He was Stephanos long before he was Death," Peggy gritted out, pulling on his skeletal arm to get him back up, "and he will be again." Peggy looked at the girl once Stephen was settled. "Can you ferry us across?"

"I only ferry souls to the underworld, not back." Peggy was about to protest, to argue that it woudl be just once, and please please please. BUt the girl studied Stephen's face and a smile graced her usual somber countenance, "but he is always nice to me. So I will allow it."

She stepped aside and Peggy breathed out a grateful, "thank you. Thank you."

"Be careful," the girl warned, "don't let any part of you touch the river."

Peggy eyed the barge and nodded. She crouched, and with every bit of might she had, pulled Steve's form over her shoulders, so that way his torso rested it's weight on her spine. She didn't stay there long, knowing she could only support this massive weight for a short moment. She stepped forward, almost losing balance and tumbling head first into the Styx right there, but she caught herself at the last second, legs splayed to keep balance.

With a mighty groan of effort, she slid her legs under her and took a step, then another to the end of the barge. She leaned forward, letting Stephen roll over her head and off onto the boat. He landed with a thud, rolling further into the middle. She leapt on, no longer able to keep her balance and landing flat on her face. She rolled over, staring at the cavernous ceiling again and let tears slid out of her eyes. Her whole body screamed at her.

But it didn't matter. They were on the barge, and they were both safe. She was so close.

"You must disembark."

Peggy sat up, and looked at the little girl. "You're Charon aren't you."

The little girl nodded.

"Why do they alway portray you as a gloomy old man or a monster?"

The little girl gave a full smile at that and her wispy voice sounded amused in Peggy's head, "sometimes the truth is too difficult to swallow. Mortal men hold such contempt for those who they value lesser. So I am made to be whatever they can stomach."

Peggy nodded, "I appreciate you ferrying us back. I will see you again. But hopefully not for another 80 years give or take."

"See you then," the girl said, gesturing to the shore.

Peggy felt bolstered by the knowledge that she was almost done. So she got to her feet and didn't hesitate to reach down and pull his weight back over her. She took a step down and his weight made her crash to the shore, but she was careful to tip their weight forward and not let them touch the river.

Then she dragged them back up and towards the stone tunnel entrance.

The one hundred feet felt like six miles since she was so close, but she didn't stop.

She was insight of the tunnel when the air shimmered.

Hades stepped out and looked at her.

"Do not attempt to trick me in the last minute," she gritted out, her breathing short.

"No," he said, looking at the ferry as it pulled away from the shore, "no I'm not here for that."

"Then why are you here?"

"What, you thought you were just going to magically turn human? Hello, I'm going to have to help you."

Peggy narrowed her eyes and glared, "why should I trust you?" Then she paused, "why didn't you make every step of this journey miserable like you promised?"

He huffed and threw up his hands, turning in a circle before glaring his cosmic eyes at her. "Was the journey easy?"

"No."

"Then fine."

"But I expected you to send the hounds or make the ground lava or something."

He waved his hand and Stephen's weight disappeared from her shoulder and he reappeared sitting up at the entrance to the tunnel.

"Don't you dare touch him!" She hissed.

"I'm here to keep up my end of the bargain," he snapped back at her.

"Oh you're just going to let me go quietly, is that it?"

Hades stomped towards her and his presence buffeted her back. Maybe she shoudl stop arguing with a god.

"I was going to make you miserable. Your feet bleed and burn and vines hold you back and creatures lashing at you."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I threatened it and you went anyway."

"What?"

"You could have chosen a life of perfection on the Fortunate Isles. You could have had everything you wanted. And you still chose to make the journey to live an ordinary life up on earth."

"life on earth is not ordinary."

"Maybe not, but there is the mundane. Taxes, and rent, and funerals and work. You could have lived a oure life of leisure down here. But you chose not to. You wanted to truly experience a full life with him before you experienced death."

"And… you're okay with that?"

"First, I don't have a choice. I realized even if I did everything to stop you, you would eventually still get to the end and all I would have done is piss you off in the process."

"Oh, don't worry I'm plenty pissed off."

Hades sighed, "well, I hope the next 8 ish decades will give you time to cool off, because I know when you return, I will be trying to persuade him to take his job back."

"Not happening."

Hades raised his hands in surrender and backed up a step, "just fair warning." He snapped his fingers and the air around Stephen shimmered. She gasped as he settled back to being whole. His robes shifted to his usual black high necked sweater and slacks.

"Not even I can get rid of the marks of death," Hades said somberly. "Whatever for he takes, he will bear the scar that that body had."

"Will he be human?"

Hades grimaced, "he will be close enough. You will die of old age. He will age on the outside. And when you pass, he will be allowed to accompany you down here."

"I'm assuming that's the best you can do."

He frowned at her, "yes."

"Thank you" she said honestly, "for keeping your end of the deal."

"Unlike you believe, I'm not some moral-less huckster. I simply like efficiency."

"Agree to disagree at the moment."

"Before you return, there's a few things you should know."

Peggy groaned but then went quiet, "such as?"

"Such as…. It's been three weeks since you died."

Peggy's eyes went wide, "what?"

"I'm the god of the underworld. Not the lord of time. You've taken a long time to get back to this tunnel."

"How long?"

"Your journey to my temple took just over a day. And you've been walking back to this point for almost three weeks."

She stared at him with wide eyes. "So, everyone thinks I'm dead?"

He nodded. "but… I'm willing to help you. If you promise to at least consider my offer upon your return."

Peggy narrowed her eyes, suspiciously, "help us how?"

"There is a very powerful substance that warps the minds of mortals. It's called the Mist. I can wield it so that way upon your resurgence above, it will be like you never left. As well as mortal necessities for Stephen like documents and papers to prove his existence."

"And if we accept this help, do we have to accept your offer when we die?"

Hades looked somber, "no."

She nodded, "I promise that we will. Give great consideration to the offer of a job upon both of our deaths after a long healthy and happy life."

A small amused grin touched Hades' lips. "Deal."

She once again shook his head and as he held her hand firmly, he looked at her genuinely and said, "it's not often, hardly ever, that I am bested by a human in such a way that I learn to admire them. Enjoy your life."

She felt the gravity disappear and the world went black.

She blinked awake groggily and rubbed her eyes to focus on the man staring at her in confusion. She was sitting in her chair in her apartment and Stephen was laying on the couch, still unconscious.

She grinned, adrenaline hitting her system. Jumping up and running over to him.

"Stephen, Stephen!" Peggy grabbed his shoulder, "Stephen, wake up!"

She watched in rapt attention as his eyes opened and he blinked, staring at her apartment ceiling.

Slowly his head turned to catch her gaze and his beautiful blue eyes widened.

Tears were already falling. She could feel them as she laughed and cried in unison. Both relieved and in disbelief that they'd finally made it to this moment.

His hand came up, resting on her cheek, his thumb wiping the tears away.

"Peggy?" He asked, "what happened?"

She choked out a laugh and rested her head on his chest, wrapping him in her arms as best as she could. "You're home."

"I can't believe you carried me all that way," he said for the thousandth time. "You're incredible."

She smiled at him, kissing his cheek and snuggling against him on her couch, "It was worth it."

His arm was wrapped around her and she felt his fingers gently running up and down her arm.

And she felt the question rise that she'd been ignoring since she began telling him the story just an hour ago, "do you remember our past lives?"

He stiffened. "It's alright if you don't."

"I just remember our time together since I met you as Death."

Disappointment was the first feeling, but she shoved that down. "It's no problem at all. We have the rest of our lives for me to remind you."

Then he stood up suddenly and looked at her with wide eyes, "no."

She frowned, "no?"

He pulled her up, holding her hands tightly in his, "no. As in, no that's not how I'm supposed to remember. Right?"

"I don't—"

"Say my name," he said softly. "The name of the man you knew in this form."

"You lived in this form for many of yoru lifetimes."

"Okay, then say the name of one of them."

Her eyes widened and lips curled into a smile, "Stephan."

His eyes shut, hands tightening around hers. When he opened then, he looked at her in shock, "Ancient Rome."

She nodded, "did you see your death."

"I did," he responded quietly.

"Your lives… they come with gruesome endings."

He nodded solemnly, "then show me the lives you think that I need to know."

"Eventually you will se all of them," she began, "but lets start back at the beginning. Go to your young teenage form."

He shimmered and shrunk and she smiled, "we need to make sure you don't do that in public."

He laughed softly and nodded.

Peggy ran a hand through his hair and he leaned into, relishing in her touch.

"Stephanos."

His eyes closed and he hunched forward. The onslaught of memories taking a minute to settle. His eyes opened and with them, his hand raised to his neck.

She nodded sadly, "the mark of first death."

He frowned, "I wish I didn't have to keep it."

She lifted her shirt, "I have one too. Alexandros killed me right after."

His index finger ran over the small darkened spot before he looked at her, "after all we've been through. Here we are."

She smiled and then frowned, "I've shown you the first. But I think I should show you the last."

"The last?"

She nodded and gestured to him. "This size, but older."

He adjusted and she spoke, "Stephen Rogers."

This set of memories was longer. And she watched as tears began to leak out of his closed eyelids.

She held him tightly until she heard, "we had a child?"

"A girl."

He went still and then pulled away from her, looking stricken. "What?"

He looked horrified, "I—" he swallowed thickly, "I collected her."

Peggy felt the ache in her chest. She guessed, but hadn't been sure. "You did your job."

He sunk to the chair and stared off, "and I didn't even know her."

"She didn't know you either. And you will meet her. She's very much like you. She could paint a rose as lively as one in a garden."

he looked up at her with a longing expression, "she loved to paint?"

Peggy nodded. "She did." Before the mood could get to somber, she looked at the clock. It was now 9 o'clock in the morning. A perfect time to go visit Angie and her brother.

"Come," she said, pulling him to his feet, "it's time to go introduce you to the family."

"And…" he paused, "who am I here?"

"Who do you want to be?"

He wrinkled his nose, "Stephen feels a bit formal for this time era."

"True. But if you like it."

"How about," he looked unsure, "Steve?"

She smiled and the name settled easily on her tongue, "Steve. It's perfect."

At that, a shimmer in her kitchen happened and she walked over to investigate. She laughed merrily as a birth certificate, social security card, driver's license, and passport all settled on her counter. The picture was a version of him he could pass off in any form except probably his younger ones.

"At least he's thorough," Peggy said with a grin.

"I…" he looked at the documents and then to her, "I really get to live a life with you? This isn't some lovely hallucination I'm having in the pit?"

She stood up on her tippy toes and kissed his lips. He didn't hesitate, kissing her back and enveloping her in his arms. "It's no hallucination," she said breathlessly. Then she backed up and pointed at him."You have to choose a form though. I don't care what you choose, and I don't mind if you switch in front of the people who know. But you're going to need to have a permanent form out oft his apartment."

"You don't care what I choose?"

She shook her head and he took a deep breath. His form shimmered through a few and then he settled on his largest form.

She couldn't lie and say she wasn't surprised. "Why this one?" She asked.

"You expected me to choose a different one?"

"I—" she started. "No, I guess I didn't know which one you would pick. You said once that your smaller form was most natural."

"True," he said softly, "but in this world, I can be of more use to you like this."

She put a hand on his chest and gaped at him. "I know you served for almost a thousand years. And that would be a hard habit to break. "But you are not here on this earth living this life to serve me." She gestured to him, "so please pick the form you actually prefer."

His form shimmered again and he settled into the form he'd had during their last life together. She smiled and grabbed his hand, "perfect."