The big city.

"Everthing's ruined," Elliot whispered, though her words were blurred together, muffled as she buried her face in his chest.
~!!~
Ava finally allowed herself to drift off to sleep. She didn't seem so afraid anymore, not with Blake so near to her.
~!!~
Cora sat down on the edge of the bed, and stared at her feet silently.
~!!~
Andrea began to sing again, lightly and softly, as if hoping that they could pentrate her daughter's nightmares and make things better for her, if only for a few moments, if only for one night. For she knew that things would be far from okay from now on, not that they had ever been very good.

Tyler sighed. "Elliot..." But he said no more, he had nothing left to say.

Carlisle sat beside her and intertwined his fingers in hers, "Sorry if I scared you when Clara came around. I mean it though, I'm going to fix this. Annabell doesn't deserve that." he told her, "But not by becoming a demon again, call me selfish but I can't get enough of you."

Annabell's dreams began to soften, the girl took great comfort in her mother's voice. Her grip loosened and she settled back into Andrea quietly.

Raven was sitting on the ground near Jade’s bed, staring at her hands. She didn’t know how much longer she could take this; staying here with Sable, and her, and knowing that Sable didn’t even know who she was. It hurt more than anything she could remember having hurt before, even anything in life. She was struggling not to look at him; she knew he was next to her even now ,that strange, twisted smirk on his face. It hurt to look at him too long; it was like looking at a complete and total stranger, not the brother that she had once known.

She missed Aden, too; she hadn’t seen him in a while, and since she realized she was in love with him…not seeing him hurt more. But she knew she had bigger worries right now, and that worry was sitting right next to her.
~!!~
Melanie was wandering the underworld, with no real destination in mind. She never had one lately.

She knew what she had done, and knew that Warren probably did hate her now. It wasn’t supposed to end this way. She had intended to save him from anymore pain, but maybe things would have been better if she had just stayed. She had tried to save him, but then been forced to make things even worse. She had killed Hope.

She slid down the wall, her head in her hands. She didn’t want to see him ever again, but she did. Yet she knew she couldn’t face him.
~!!~
Hymn was walking down one of the many corridors of the underworld, her mind in a slight daze. For once nothing hurt. Not physically, nor her heart. Things seemed actually…good, for once.

She should have known it wouldn’t last.

She glared at the demon who stepped in front of her; he was the one she had fought on that day that seemed so long ago.

“Finally healed, fallen?” He asked, a sneer on his face. Hymn would have liked nothing more than to wipe it off with her fist, but for some reason held back.
~!!~
Cora was sitting on the couch downstairs, trying not to think. Annabell was a fallen, and it all seemed so wrong. The young girl deserved nothing like that, and she wished she could help, yet could think of nothing. She had already made one deal with the goddess; she doubted she would go for another one.

Andrea had spent much of her time silent since 2 days ago. Cora wasn’t sure weather to be worried or grateful. She wouldn’t even yell at her husband, when that was all Cora wanted to do, though she knew he couldn’t have done much about it. IT was her, or Carlisle, he had said. And selfish as it was, she was glad Carlisle aws okay. Andrea was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room now, still silent. It was strange.
~!!~
Ava was still asleep, on the couch in the living room where she had fallen asleep the night before. She had been able to fall asleep only because of Blake, and in her dreams she was stilli n his arms, though she didn’t know if she really was or not.
~!!~
Elliot was in Jake’s cave, staring at her feet. She had gone insane once more the day before, and tried to hurt Andrew, who had had no trouble holding her back, as he had so graciously told her earlier that day, though it was still close to morning, or she she assumed. He found far too much humor in this situation, she thought. Far too much.
~!!~
Brianna was trying not to think too much about the demon staring at her from across the room.

Ivy was watching her, silently. She hadn’t done much to her lately, and that scared the young girl perhaps more than anything else. She was reading a book that lay on her lap, her parents at work. She liked the silcne of the day, but a feeling of dread lingered, like something was dangling above her head and ready to drop. And Ivy certainly wans’t helping.
~!!~
Ashlyn didn’t know where she was when she opened her eyes.

It was dark, she could tell that straight off the back. And there were strange noises coming from somewhere to her right. She tried to push herself to her feet, and was surprised to find that her stomach no longer throbbed. She could taste dried blood on her lips, however, and feel it on her clothes. But it was like the wound was gone, as if it had never been there.

She knew she was dead almost immediately. She burshed her clothes off, and walked towards the voices. She followed them, and found herself standing in a long corridor. She walked slowly, the noises following her, as if people were there, watching her. She pushed open a door at the end, and was surprised to see a large throneroom. And someone was sitting on the throne.

Carlisle had spent much of his time with Annabell in the spare room. The times she could deal with the pain was spent talking and laughing to make her happy, the times it became too much he spent holding her, and the times she fell asleep he spent with Cora. Presently he had just for the girl to sleep and he silently walked downstairs. "She is okay again." Carlisle said somberly as he sat next to Cora.

<~~~~>

Ashley sat in the kitchen reading a book. Behind her stood Rose, who was presently invisible to her because Damon was also invisibly there.

<~~~~>

Carmen wondered heaven aimlessly.

Jade was still asleep. She looked peaceful. It was the only time she ever looked peaceful, through she only slept for so long. She spent most of the night awake, just staring at the roof. Dark circles decorated the skin below her eyes.

~!!~
Chris stepped out behind them. "Something the matter?" He asked.

~!!~
Blake was sleeping peacefully. Through his neck hurt. He was still holding Ava. He mumbled something softly, and he held her close.

~!!~
Samson was watching them thoughtfully. That was when Josh appeared. "Hello." Josh said cheerily.

~!!~
The goddess smirked. "Hello!" She mused. Clara smiled, and turned around. "Fun." She said. Tyler sat up, and looked over his shoulder. Blood dripping down his face. He said nothing.

"Who..who are you people?" Ashlyn asked, just as Tyler turned to look at her. Her breathe caught in her throat at the sight of the blood. "Where am I?" She asked quietly.
~!!~
Cora looked over at Carlisle in silence, finally nodding. Andrea stood up and slipped out of the room and upstairs without a word to either of them. Cora reached out and took his hand in silence.

Andrea made her way upstairs, and into the room where Annabell lay asleep. She was glad she hadn't seen her husband yet that day; it would only make her sour mood much, much worse. She shut the door behind her and knelt down by the bed in silence.
~!!~
Ava opened her eyes slowly, and realized that Blake was still holding her. Her cheeks flushed a light pink, but she made no move to get up. She didn't want to wake him.
~!!~
Hymn jumped, then shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong," She mumbled, and was about to turn around and walk away when the demon muttered a name under his breathe, a name for her, and she snapped. She spun around and swung a punch at him, as hard as she could, and it connected with his nose. She gripped him by the shirt and threw him to the ground hard, surprisingly strong for someone so small. She pinned him down, rage filling her eyes. "What did you call me?!" She shouted. Her anger was coming out quickly, for all the times she hadn't reacted. She looked like she would have killed him, that is, if he wasn't already dead.
~!!~
Ivy jumped when Josh appeared. was Brianna just imaginging the pink on her cheeks? She htought she must have been, and turned to Josh. She said nothing; he hadn't done anything to her, and she knew he was related to her, so she smiled at him instead. "Hello," She said softly. Ivy was silent.
~!!~
Raven finally stood up, ignoring the sound that sounded like a cough that Sable made. She walked around to the other side of the bed before sitting down there, putting at least some distance between them, though it wasn't nearly enough for her. She heard his laughter, and flinched.

Carlisle tightened his hand around hers and offered her a small smile. "Hey..." he muttered.

Annabell heard the door shut and opened her eyes as her mother knelt down, "Hello, mommy." she said.

Tyler stood up revealing that his injuries extended blow his face. "Welcome to-" Tyler began. "We call this place the underworld." Clara said, smirking, knowing it wasn't the word Tyler was going to use.

~!!~
Chris touched her shoulder. "Hymn, enough." He said softly.

~!!~
Josh smiled at her, and turned and looked at his son. "Hello, Little Sammy." He said.

The blonde stood up. "Do not call me that." He hissed.

~!!~
Jade opened her eyes slowly. "Hello Raven." She said, slowly. She wasn't feeling well.

Ashlyn knew then; she was a demon...she knew she deserved it, but it still was a shock to her. She found herself staring at the injuries on Tyler, then tore her eyes away and looked at Clara.

"Why..what..." She wasn't confused; she just didn't know what to do now. She wanted to see Mason, but something told her that wasn't going to happen.
~!!~
Hymn shook his hand off. "No! I'm sick of this!" She shouted, and lifted the demon up by his shirt, bringing his head down hard onto the ground. He groaned, looking like she really got the better of him this time. "Demons heal fast," She hissed, looking down at him. "But you still feel it, don't you?" She asked.
~!!~
Brianna sighed, and held her head in her hands. They all gave her a headache sometimes. Ivy was looking at Josh, she noticed, again. She frowned.
~!!~
Raven stood up quickly. "Good morning, Jade," She said quietly. "Are you feeling all right??" She asked softly.
~!!~
Andrea smiled at her daughter. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked quietly. She would never act this way in front of her husband, not now. She was showing that she cared, and she couldn't afford to show that side to him, at least not now, not after what had happened.
~!!~
Cora smiled slightly at him, but it was obvious her thoughts were far off. She was trying not to think about anything at all, but it wasn't working very well.

"No, it's fine." Annabell said as she stretched and yawned. "I can't go back to Heaven anymore, can I?" she asked thoughtfully.

Carlisle sighed, "She'll be fine, everything will be fine. You can fix this." he told himself as if to reassure it in his head.

"You are dead." The goddess said. "But you can get revenge." Clara pointed out. "Then you'll be no better then the person that killed you." Tyler mumbled.

~!!~
Chris stepped back, but said nothing.

~!!~
Jade buried her face into her pillow. "No, I feel sick." She said softly. When she was human she always got sick. Now being human again, she guess her body went back to being weak.

Ashlyn didn't seem to hear Tyler; she knew who did this to her. Who was the cause of seperating her from Mason. 'David.' His name echoed in her head. She knew she was better than him, though. But yet the idea was so tempting. She looked at the girl who had said it, not yet saying anything herself.
~!!~
Hymn stood up a few moments later, shaking her head. "Not worth it," She mumbled. The demon sat up, coughing and gasping. She had been choking him. "Not even worth it." She turned to walk away, and surprisingly didn't turn back this time.
~!!~
Raven frowned. "Do you need to go to the doctor?" She asked. "Can I get you anything?" once agian she had to ignore Sables laughter.
~!!~
Cora sighed, and nodded slowly, looking down at her feet.
~!!~
Andrea shook her head slowly. "No," She said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Do I have to go to the Underworld?" Annabell asked, her bottom lip quivering at the thought.

Carlisle frowned and looked at Cora, "So..." he muttered, "Would you like to go out tonight? I'm sure mom would want time with Annabell and it would get your mind off of it for a few hours." he said.

"My name is Clara." She said. "And my mother." She said. "The goddess of Death."

~!!~
Chris touched her shoulder.

~!!~
Jade shook her head. "I don't like doctors." She admitted, and then coughed. "Water?" She asked quietly.

Ashlyn shook her head slowly. "She doesn't look like any goddess," She said simply, looking at the woman defiantly. She was confused; her mind was spinning. She was a demon, she had figured that much out already.
~!!~
Hymn didn't shake his hand off this time; instead, she just kept walking. Her hands that were clenched into fsits at her sides were trembling.
~!!~
Ava slowly stood up, trying to be careful not to wake the sleeping Blake.
~!!~
Raven nodded quickly, and left the room. She came back a few moments later with water, only to see Sable leaning over Jade, a hand over her forhead. She dropped the glass. "No!" She screamed, and ran to him before he could touch her. His laughter echoed around the room as he made himself visible and able to be heard by humans. Raven pushed him to the wall, tears in her eyes as she tried to hold him back. It was obvious that he was letting her.
~!!~
Cora nodded slowly. "Okay," she said quietly, the ghost of a smile on her face. "Sure."
~!!~
Andrea nodded once more. "I'm sorry," She said quietly. "So, so sorry," She whispered.

The goddess laughed. "Do you want me to prove myself?" She asked. "Don't, you'll regret it." Tyler said.

~!!~
Chris pulled her to a stop, and wrapped his arms around her.

~!!~
Jade's eye snapped open. "What is going on?" She asked looking at Sable. Fear was in her voice.

Ashlyn glared at her. "Go ahead," She said through gritted teeth. 'I don't deserve to be alive, and I'm not. I don't deserve to even remain here,' she thought, her thoughts twisting and bending, and her mind felt like it was caving in on itself as she recalled every bad thing she had ever done.
~!!~
"Nothing," Raven said queitly. "Nothing's going on." Sable gripped the young girl's arm tightly, pushing her away. Raven hit the wall hard, but didnt' give up. She grabbed him again. "Sable!" She shouted, looking at him. "Remember me. Remember Jade. Look at me! Look into my eyes and remember, please," She said quietly. And his eyes did meet hers. But they were different; distant, cold. And he pushed her aside again, glaring at her in annoyance and something else.
~!!~
Hymn didn't protest as Chris hugged her. Instead, she closed her eyes and tried to stop her hands from shaking. It wasn't working. She rested her head on his chest, trying not to scream. She was so frustrated.

She laughed. "I have a job for you; but first, go have you fun." She said, and stood up.

~!!~
Jade was crying. "Stop, stop, stop, please." She cried. "I want the man I loved back." She wiped into her hands.

~!!~
"Are you okay?" He asked softly. "Will you be okay?"

"Fun." Ashlyn formed the words on her lips, and slowly nodded. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them she was standing in David's home. He wasn't at work, she noticed right away. He lay on the bed, a pillow on the floor. It was stained brown with blood; her blood.
~!!~
Sable disappeared then, and Raven looked at Jade. "Aden helped you when those two, Ruby and Zinc, were hurting you, right? He seems to know a lot...do you think he could find a way to help with this?" She whispered, referring to Sable. She refused to believe that there might not be a way.
~!!~
Hymn shook her head slowly. "No," She said quietly. "No, it won't. But it's as close as it ever will be,"she said quietly, and slowly wrapped her much smaller arms around him.
~!!~
"Go away, Andrew," Elliot said quietly as he walked into Jake's cave, but her voice was much less forceful or demanding than usual, as if her fire were gone. He seemed to notice this, and only walked closer. She said nothing.

Jade looked at her hands. "It is worth a try." She said, softly. "Do you love him? Aden I mean." She said suddenly.

~!!~
Chris sighed softly. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything," Hymn said quietly, but her voice was muffled. "Nothing at all."
~!!~
Raven's cheeks turned red and she looked away. "I don't see how that matters right now," She mumbled, but the answer was written all over her face.
~!!~
Ashlyn took a step closer to the bed, reaching out a hand. She quickly pulled it back; no, she wasn't as bad as him. She wouldn't hurt him; would she? He mumbled something and turned over in his sleep. She took a step back, but tripped and fell. He woke up then, and looked as though he'd seen a ghost when he saw her; he had.

Annabell said nothing, she just began to cry. She was supposed to be an angel and she had no clue why she had fallen, she didn't do anything wrong. She had no clue about what had happened with Isaac and Carlisle.

Carlisle smiled, "Okay, we'll leave in a bit then." he said but made no motion to get up.

Chris said nothing.

~!!~
Jade closed his eyes. "If you love him you should tell him." She said, softly.

Raven nodded slowly. "I know I should," She said quietly. "But that's not what is important right now. What's important right now is you," She said, standing up. "So do you think there's any way he could help?" She asked, looking at her. "Any at all? I can go ask, if there's just a chance.." She said quietly.
~!!~
Cora thought she heard crying upstairs, and looked over at Carlisle in silence, a strained look on her face.

Andrea shook her head slowly. "You'll always be my angel," She said quietly. "None of this is your fault. Fate it just cruel sometimes." With her last words she wrapped her daughter in a hug again, hiding her face from her as her hair fell over her eyes. Tears slid down her cheeks as she tried to hide them from her daughter, and from herself.
~!!~
Hymn pulled back after a moment, smiling up at him sadly. "Sorry," She said quietly.