The Games

Most people spend all their lives, and sometimes their after lives too, trying to stay on Death's good side. Death is the most revengeful thing one could ever face. So what happens when Psyche declares revenge on three people? Out of all those that she sees as doing her wrong, she choices three that would be the most entertaining; all connected in some small way.

Carlisle, Blake, and the demoness, Ivy are her new targets for fun, revenge and games.

Carlisle was one of her favorite demons who then betrayed her, fell in love, and grew wings. Blake has been a nuisance since the day he became a guardian; always trying to stop her plans. Ivy, a more recent betrayal, and a deadly mistake on Ivy's fault.

Psyche isn't known for playing fair, and her attacks are never direct, but always painful. Instead of going after these people directly, she goes after the ones they love most dearly. Her means always dirty, without the dirt staining her own hands.

The pawns of this game, Cora, the recently widowed, Lance, the recently dead, Tyler, the frequently insane, Brianna, the recently beaten, Ava, the recently freed, and anyone else she can get her hands on, the world if she could.

Date: Friday, October 1
Time: Noonish

Lance looked up at the goddess. Her long black hair laid neatly over her shoulders, and her dark eyes was looking at him strangely. He had no idea where he was; he had no idea who he was, and he didn't want to for some reason. He felt compelled to bow in front of the woman. "My lady." His words didn't feel like his own, as if someone was forcing them out of his mouth, but he didn't resit, somehow he thought this was what he wanted, what he needed. "I'll do what ever you bid." He said, his voice in a monotone.

The goddess smiled. "I want you to-" She snapped her fingers. Just then a cry of anguish escaped the boy's lips. "Snap!" she cried in delight. "Bend! Break! Snap!" She sung. And he did.

He clutched his head in pain. "No." he protested, as himself for a moment. He didn't want this, but then it was all over. He stood up, his eyes glazed over. His jaw was set in a hard line, and he looked as if he would kill over spillt milk; just as the goddess wanted. He remained silent, and a strange breeze blew around the room; how did a breeze get underground.

"Now, listen to me, Link, I have given you the power to break binds; contact; convents; ties. I want you to break Nick Lang's binds to the Merrywind realm. He is no use to me there, and all his powers would be useful to me." she explained as she stood up and walked gracefully to him. She placed her pale fingers on his forehead, and then he was gone.

The goddess turned gracefully and sat back down, crossing her legs, a strange smile on her lips. "OH TYLER!" she called, and a few minutes later the flaming redhead stepped in.

There was a look of pure sadness on his face. He missed Elliot, but he wouldn't go see her, afraid of what she would do. He didn't want her to hurt herself again, not for him. He didn't deserve her love to begin with, he didn't want her to hurt herself for.... trash. It was out of love that he did this; love that would never fade, no matter how much he wanted to, because as long as he loved her he was in pain.

The goddess looked as if she could read his mind, and it was very likely that she could, after all the goddess of death was full of many surprises. "I can erase your pain." she smirked.

Tyler looked at her skeptically. He was about to say something when Jake appeared next to the goddess. "You rang?" he asked as Robert -the goddess's messenger- appeared next to him. Jake was smiling widely; he already knew that was going on. "You know if you want to play games, I would be happy to play with you." he said as he sat down on the arm rest of her chair. He glanced at Tyler. "You made my pet dumb." he said simply, referring to the fact that Elliot has fallen completely silent.

Tyler looked down, as if ashamed, but he wasn't going to go race back to her like he would of once done. No, this was the best for her. "She'll get over it." he said, but at the same time he felt selfish for hoping she never would. He sighed and looked at the goddess. "How do you want to erase it?" he asked, he wanted Elliot to get over him, and for that to happen, he needed to stop paining too.

The goddess smiled widely. "Your memories." she said simply, and looked at Jake before Tyler could protest. "Would you-" Before she could finish Jake was standing touching Tyler's head, and all his memories were gone.

Tyler looked at her blankly. Like Lance he had no idea who or where he was, but he thought this was where he wanted to be. He watched as she pointed to the shadows. He didn't argue, he just turned and stumbled to the other side of the craven, and stood in the shadows.

The goddess seemed to be a very busy person today as Robert slipped in to the Craven. "I want you to use your new toy, Sebastian, and bring me that girl, Cora." she commanded her, and dismissed him before he could finish.

Now the room was empty of thinking servants, only those fully under her control, and Jake was in the craven as Jade slipped in. She, too, was waved to the shadows as she and Jake talked. "Will you stick around? This will be entertaining."

Jake smirked widely. "You kidding? I am going to put my own pawns in." He answered with a laugh, thinking about Elliot and the friendship that she had with Blake.

~!!~
Lance stood in the other realm, his face impassive. He walked through the crowds of trapped souls, looking at the amazing color of the old time circus. At one time this would of have reminded him of times at the fair with Iran and times he took Heather to the circus, but he could no long remember any of these things. He was as empty as the heart of the goddess.

He slipped into the big top, and felt Noah's eyes on him. But walked straight over to Nick, somehow knowing how he looked like.

~!!~
Robert stood in front of Sebastian, smirking widely. "Time to play." he said.

"Dude, you are seriously creeping me out now." Sebastian remarked as he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He blew out a puff of smirk. "What do you want; what is my pay?" He questioned. He wasn't satisfied with the answer that Robert always gave him.

"You can keep your life as payment, and I need you to distract some people while I take a hold of my little bird." Robert replied as they began walking. He was always changing the plan in someway, and the just-adult was starting to get annoyed by this man.

"Look; my life if meaningless. Take it, it's money that I want." Sebastian said, but he didn't realize how bad he wanted to live until Robert had him pinned to the ground, about to deal a deadly blow. "Fine, fine!" he said quickly. "I'll do it!"

A few moments later he was standing on the entrance of Ashley's house, the door kicked open. He was smirking, although it was more bored then normal. He walked in, without a care, or so it seemed, and had a knife soon placed to Ashley's throat.

Robert appeared in Cora's room. He didn't even bother to look to see who was there before . grabbing her and re-disappearing. Within seconds later he had her thrown at the goddess feet. He couldn't explain it. He felt a sudden hatred for her. He felt betrayed by her. All he ever did to her was try to make her happy, and she runs off and married someone else. It didn't matter to him that he killed Blake, he just wanted her to be happy, and that was what she had led him to believe would do it. This was all her fault; it was her fault that he was a demon; her fault that he was lonely; her fault that he was broken. Maybe the goddess's revenge would be the key to his own revenge.

Monroe looked over at Robert when he appeared with Cora, and smiled widely. He , too, had a meeting with the goddess, and now he was off to do what was needed of him. He disappeared and in a few moments he was standing next to Brianna. Although Brianna was not to be taken to the underworld yet, she was part of the goddess's revenge plan.

He walked swiftly over to her and touched her forehead. No matter how close she and Ivy grew, there would still be that small hate for her, after all, look at all the stuff Ivy had done to her. So, Monroe focused on that hate, and he intensified it. He made it bigger, bigger then it has ever been. How could you help someone that hated you that much? Monroe was sure to be amused by this, this was all so intertsing. He was glad he was taking part in it.

Ashley gasped when the knife was at her throat and within seconds Rose was there, "Let her go and I promise that I won't send an entire police force after your pathtic life." Rose snapped.

Carlisle had been in the room with Cora when Robert showed up, he had no time to react and knew where they would be going, "Dammit!" Carlisle yelled and as if summoned Damon appeared beside him. Without a word Damon grabbed his brother and disappeared, reappearing by Cora. "I believe that belongs to me." Carlisle said, he stayed from Cora's sight, not wanting her to see him covered in blood once more.

It was true that Elliot had stopped speaking; she wasn’t sure why. She didn’t want to talk to Jake; she hated him. And if it was possible, she hated Andrew even more. The only person for whom she’d want to speak was gone, who knew where. He had left her, and she didn’t want to speak to anyone else. Maybe it was just her way of dealing with things, however impractical it may have been.

She was sitting in Jake’s cave when he disappeared, but she didn’t think much of it. He was always coming and going. She had grown to savor the time she had alone, which wasn’t much. Though with each day of extended silence, Andrew seemed to be giving up on her as well. She closed her eyes and focused on the steady throb in her back where her wings were connected, the only stability she had being her pain. She opened her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest, a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t place it, but suddenly she was aware of everything around her. She wanted to see Tyler more than ever, but again she was reminded that it was him who had left her. Weather it was for her own good or not, it had hurt her in the end. She was no longer angry with him, but sitting alone now, she felt a small spark of anger. She pushed it away, closing her eyes again and leaning her head back against the wall.

She hadn’t seen Blake or Cora or any of the Redbirds in what seemed like so long, and she was aching to, but it never seemed to be the right time. No time seemed right. What good would it do to see them? They would only worry if they saw her this way, she reasoned. She shook her head and let out a small sigh, but the strange feeling inside of her remained.
~!!~
Cora was sitting on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. Not much had changed in her since Carlisle’s death. She still had been unable to tell Rose or even admit to herself weather she wanted him to stay or leave, and she hadn’t seen him lately, though weather that was because he was remaining invisible for her sake or he was just gone she didn’t know. She didn’t know if she wanted to know.

She wanted to see Blake more than ever now, but she knew that him seeing her this way wouldn’t help him much. She figured he had his own problems to worry about with Lance gone now, and for a moment she felt a pang of guilt for not thinking of him more often. She closed her eyes, but as she heard a noise they snapped open again. Her eyes widened as she saw Robert, her entire body tense. She tried to pull away as he grabbed her but it was too late. She hit the ground hard and winced, but made no sound. She slowly pushed herself to her knees, looking up at the goddess with wide eyes, not concealing her fear or panic. In a moment her mask was back on. She stumbled to her feet, glaring at Robert.

“What’s going on?” She demanded, her voice sounding much stronger than she felt. Now she knew; she wanted Carlisle with her. Even if he was gone and technically not her husband any longer, the sense of security she felt with him was undeniable. She felt a shiver run down her spine, but it wasn’t because it was cold. She took a step back, brushing off her dress and keeping her eyes trained on Robert, then turning back to the goddess. “What’s going on?” She repeated, but some of her resolve wavered, and her voice was softer this time. She took another step back, but stumbled and fell to the ground again. She jumped as another voice reached her ears, one that was all too familiar. Her eyes widened, but she couldn’t find the source of it. She stayed on the ground, her eyes searching the darkness for him.
~!!~
Nick could feel himself slipping away more and more with each passing day. Oh, how he loathed that girl! His entire life he’d only cared for her, only loved her, only wanted her, but she had never given him a second glance. She had always been so wrapped up in herself that she never saw him. And then when he finally got the chance to be with her, she got him trapped here! It was all her fault, he thought. He blamed her. He hated her. He wanted to be the one to cause her death, and if he could go back and do it, he would. These thoughts didn’t seem wrong or out of place to him.; they seemed normal.

It was strange, that someone he loved could go to someone he loathed so quickly. He wanted her back, just to see her cry. He wanted her to suffer, just as she had made him suffer. He wanted to see her eyes when she realized that he was back, that he wouldn't leave again. But he couldn’t leave. He was trapped in this cursed place, all because of her.

He wanted to wrap his hands around her neck and squeeze, but she could not die. No, someone had already done that. Or something. But it didn't matter; he just wanted to see her in pain. He wanted her to feel as he had for so many years. A small, twisted smirk turned up the corners of his lips at the thought, just as he felt someone's eyes on him.

He immediately tensed up, staring across the big top at someone he'd never seen before. 'Perhaps he is trapped, just like me,' he thought with a trace of bitterness. Without a word he made his way towards him, his face impassive and cold. He approached him and stopped a few feet away, a cold, calculating stare on his face.

"What?" he snapped, the first words he'd said in so long.
~!!~
Things were supposed to be better. She was supposed to be happy, now that he was gone. Now that Nick could no longer touch her, no longer talk to her, now that she never had to see his face again or hear his voice again. But they weren't. And she didn't think they would.

Ava knew that Blake blamed himself for Lance's death, and no amount of her trying to convince him otherwise seemed to do him any good at all. He was set in his mind that it was his fault, and she had stopped trying to convince him otherwise. Now, she was just determined to be there for him, to love him and show him that he was not alone, no matter what he thought. She wanted to see him smile again and really mean it for once. she wanted to see him laugh again; she just wanted him to be happy. But nothing seemed to be working for that, either.

Even now, sitting next to him near the silver waterfall, she could do nothing to make him smile. Someone would think being in heaven would bring at least a small smile to your face, but it didn't seem to do a thing for him. She had retreated into herself lately, reaching out to him futilely. She wanted to help, but she no longer knew how.

She stole a quick glance over at him, but turned away almost immediately. She folded her hands together in front of her, staring down at them in silence, twisting them together nervously. She didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t want to say anything to make it worse, either.
~!!~
Laurinda had been slowly getting back into somewhat of a routine of her daily life. Each morning she woke up, went to school, came home, ate dinner, went to sleep, began again. Her ‘parents’ struggled to get her to ‘open up’, as they put it, to talk to them. It wasn’t that they weren’t nice; they were. She liked them a lot, but she still didn’t want to get attached. She had learned firsthand many times what happens. As soon as you get close to someone, fate rips them away. Or in her case, Sebastian.

It was strange, how memories that she would never have given a second thought before seemed so important, so treasured, now. She didn’t realize how much she had missed him until she saw him again, but when she did see him he only hurt her in the worst way imaginable. She watched Lance die, and she still saw it every time she tried to think about him. Which was why she had stopped.

She knew she had to move on. She wanted to, but it was hard, so much harder than she ever could have imagined it would be. She
~!!~
Ashlyn still hadn’t left her room; she didn’t need to. Where else did she have to go? She didn’t belong anywhere, and she refused to do anything that woman told her to anymore. She wouldn’t hurt someone else just because someone told her she had to do it. She may have been dead, but her life belonged to her now. She wouldn’t be subject to someone else’s wishes. She could choose for herself.

But then why did she feel so horrible? She wanted to see Mason more than she ever wanted to. She longed to see his face again, to be able to feel him next to her. But why hadn’t he come to find her? If he had wanted to, he could have by now. She hadn’t moved for so long, but he didn’t come. She pulled her knees up to her chest, staring out her window. ‘Of course he didn’t,’ she thought. ‘You’re a demon. He’s not. Why should he want to see you?’ The thoughts stung, and she flinched, closing her eyes and trying to pretend that she was somewhere else, anywhere else, but there. She couldn’t wish the thoughts away, however. They remained long after she had lain back and fallen asleep.
~!!~
Melanie found that moving on with her ‘life’ was much harder than she could have ever imagined. She spent most of her time at the old dried up lake, thinking about what could have been, what should have been. She knew it was only torturing herself, but it was better to wish about what could have been than to think about what was, especially when she knew it was all her fault. She’d only wanted to help, and ended up having to hurt him to save him. She knew if she had to do it again, it might not end up differently She loved him too much to see him suffer, but every choice she could have made seemed to end in just that. She wanted him to be happy, but she found that she couldn’t be happy without him.

She pulled her knees up to her chest, staring out at the place where the lake used to lay. Again she was back here, wishing she wasn’t, but knowing that she couldn’t bring herself to leave. She knew she would probably never see Warren again, and she knew full well that she deserved it, but she wanted to. She needed to see him, but no amount of apologies could change anything. Her heart felt like it was broken, but how could a heart that was no longer beating break? She didn’t understand it.
~!!~
Hymn was unable to shake her conversation with her brother. She didn’t miss Melody, did she? Her entire life she had been the one stuck in the shadows while Melody shined, but she didn’t care. Did she? It was her choice, one she had made a long time ago and couldn’t take back. She was happy with who she was. This was who she was. Wasn’t it?

She was thinking things through too much, and she knew that. She pulled her knees up to her chest, a deep frown on her features. She was staring at the drawing on the wall, the one Chris had made with her. She found that she came here a lot when she needed to think. She reached out a hand and ran her fingers over the chalk lightly, careful not to smudge it. She let her hand fall back to her side, thinking of all the times she’d been mistaken for her sister, and how much she had hated it. Why would she want to see her again? She never even loved her…..did she?

She let out a small groan, closing her eyes tightly. She was a fallen, for crying out loud! She shouldn’t care this much! She had had her chance with her sister, and failed. This was what she had wanted, where she wanted to be. Chris was here. That should have been enough. Why did she feel so torn now?
~!!~
Andrea hadn’t seen Isaac since the day she had been in the underworld. The days seemed to almost melt together, one turning into another and then another. She lost track of time, not that it mattered much. She was back to living life without her family, just as she had for so long after her death. Only now the wounds were fresh, the memories new. It hurt more now.

She still couldn’t believe what she’d almost done to Isaac. She’d almost killed him. The thought made her flinch, and she stared down at her hands. Then the fact that Carlisle was dead, killed by Damian….one of her sons murdered by the other, and she was his guardian. Why hadn’t she been able to stop it? The guilt was fresh, for all of these things. She missed them all so much, Isaac the most, it seemed. Her heart ached, and she wanted to see them again, no matter where it was. But Isaac didn’t want her to be in the underworld; he had made that perfectly clear. But why didn’t he want to see her, even if it was like that? That thought hurt the most.

She glanced around, but no one was there. She was in heaven, though where she couldn’t say. She rested her chin on top of her knees, closing her eyes and letting herself relax, though she knew sleep would never come. It hadn’t for a long time now.
~!!~
Lenora glanced over at James, a slight frown on her face. Brianna was gone; she had left the day after she had shown up, and Lenora wondered how she was doing. She hoped she was okay.

She hadn't gone back to her old home since that first day, and had no desire to do so. It was better to remember it the way it used to be, happy and filled with both her mother and father, then to go back and see it empty, and remember the long and lonely days spent without her father. She had been thinking about him more and more lately, how she had forgiven him. The wounds he had left when he had disappeared were still there, and at times she wondered why, or how, he could have done it. Left her alone to grow up without him. Part of her wanted to ask him, but she hadn't seen him lately. And besides, did she really want to know the answer?

She pushed the thoughts away, turning her eyes back to James. She felt almost like a failure as a guardian again, though Layla had been strangely silent lately. She couldn’t make him happy, and that made her sad. She let out a small sigh, taking her eyes off of him and focusing on the window, her mouth set into a thin line, trying not to hink about anything. She wished Dust were here now. He always seemed to make her feel better.
~!!~
Heather stared up at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused and tired. Lance was dead. She had been right there next to him, and unable to stop it. The only thing she’d wanted this whole time was to keep him safe, see him happy, but she couldn’t even do that. She felt useless. She wanted to see her brother again, but he wasn’t in heaven. She had been able to move on now; she had her wings, but they meant nothing ot her without Lance. An eternity without her brother was meaningless.

But she didn’t understand. Her brother….she loved him so much, and she knew him better than anyone else, or so she thought. How could he not be in heaven? How could he be a demon? It didn’t make sense. She had been worried about him during the last part of his life, the way he complained about headaches, but that didn’t have anything to do with this, did it? None of it made any sense to her at all, and she wanted to know why. She needed to know why. But she couldn’t just go ask. She wanted to see her brother. She needed to. But she couldn’t. She sat up slowly, looking around at his room, her eyes tired. She couldn’t sleep. How could she, with her loving brother as a demon?
~!!~
Raven smiled slightly at Kasper from where she was sitting near the door, her knees pulled up to her chest. Lately, she had been able to protect him from Sable. It was strange; she knew Sable could hurt him, and her, if he wanted to, but for some reason he seemed to be holding back. Or maybe she was just getting stronger, and overthinking things. Whatever it was, she didn’t care anymore. She would enjoy it while she could.

But something else, something strange, was happening to her as well. She began to notice things about Kasper she didn’t before. The way he smiled, when he did, and simple things, like the way he sat, the way he sighed, the way he did almost everything. She didn’t understand the feeling she was having for him until it was too late to stop them; it was the same feelings she’d had for Aden. Still had for Aden. It hurt to think that he didn’t believe her when she’d told him about Kasper and that nothing was going on, but that was the irony now. Now she /was/ falling for Kasper, and it was /because/ he had thought she was. Strange, wasn’t it?

She knew how utterly wrong it was, too. She was dead, and on top of that, his guardian. What right did she have to harbor these feelings for him? And yet she did. She realized she was still staring and blushed slightly, turning away. Sable’s memory hadn’t come back, and seeing him still hurt, but now it was a steady throb instead of a stabbing pain. She was so confused, about Aden, about Kasper, about Sable, about everything. And she couldn’t seem to find any answers, no matter how hard she looked.
~!!~
Brianna was sitting in the chair near her window, staring out at the midday sun. Her eyes were dark and tired; she hadn’t been getting much sleep lately. Her arms were bruised with both new and old, courtesy of Monroe’s powers. She hadn’t wanted to leave James, but she didn’t want to burden him. Now that she looked back on it, she had no idea what she’d been thinking, going there to him. She shook her head, turning away from the window with a small sigh.

Ivy was sitting on her bed, staring at the wall, looking deep in thought. Brianna smiled slightly, shaking her head. She had forgiven Ivy for all she’d done, or at least most of it. It was hard to totally forgive her, but she was trying. At the very least, she was still here. That said something, right?

She looked at Samson, her features softening again. She was so glad he was here. She was about to say something when Monroe appeared again. Immediately Ivy stiffened up, and stood up. Brianna’s eyes widened as he touched her forehead, and suddenly she felt it, more than ever before. Hate. Not at her father, for what he’d done to her. No, that was Monroe’s fault. Not at him, nor at her mom for not doing anything about it. At Ivy. She was suddenly reminded of all the things she had done to her, all the pain she had caused, the sleepless nights, the tears. Somewhere deep down, she knew this was Monroe’s powers, but she also didn’t care.

She glared at Ivy and suddenly was on her feet. Ivy looked at her warily, then turned to Monroe. “What did you do?!” She demanded, though she seemed to know.

“Why are you still here?!” Brianna demanded, looking at Ivy. “You only wanted to hurt me before! Why are you still here?!” She demanded, her voice loud and angry. “I hate you!” She cried, and the words rang true. “Just go!” Ivy’s mouth dropped open, but she quickly closed it, taking a step back. Of course, she knew Brianna was justified in her words. She knew all she’d done, but she wanted to be able to make up for it. She knew this was Monroe’s doing, but the words still hurt, badly.

The goddess smirked at Cora and looked at Robert. "Take care of angel-boy. I'll deal with Cora here.' she said as she pushed herself up. Jake stood up as well.

"This is quite an interesting game you have here." he said sincerely amused, his purple hair falling in his eyes.

The goddess smiled wider. "Yes, quite." she answered and stepped in front of Cora. She grabbed her suddenly held her tightly. "You are a key pawn in my game of chess. Not only can I use you to get to Carlisle, but also to Blake." she laughed. "I don't think you realize how close to their hearts you really are."

Robert spun around and walked over to where he heard Carlisle's voice. "You think you can save her?" he asked, frowning at him. Pulling him out of the shadows so Cora could get a good look at his bloody form.

~!!~
Sebastian laughed suddenly, only holding Ashley tighter. "You think I am afraid of cops? And do you really believe that the whole police force will come after me? They have a whole higher class of criminals to catch then me. And it isn't like anyone is going to miss this life right here." he said.

~!!~
Lance titled his head, staring at Nick. "What?" his voice was a lifeless tone. "I came to release you and you greet me with 'what'?" there was no emotion at all in his voice. No bitterness, no joy, no nothing, his voice was as blank as his face. he reached out and grabbed Nick's arm. Then he let gut just as quickly. "You are free to leave." he said.

~!!~
Blake sat in silence. He was no better then Elliot. He wouldn't talk, wouldn't smile, wouldn't do anything. He just sat there watching the water fall. He wouldn't even look at Ava. She knew that it wasn't fair to her, but he couldn't help himself. He just sat there, blaming himself.

~!!~
Chris stepped into the cave, frowning slightly. He watched her quiet;y, saying nothing. Nothing at all. He made no sound at all.

~!!~
Kasper was sitting on his bed. His legs crossed in front of him, Indian style. He glanced over at Raven when he felt her eyes on him. He frowned when he noticed that that she was staring and blushing. She quickly looked away and he stood up. He walked over to her and leaned down and poked her cheek. "I didn't know the dead could get a fever." he noted.

~!!~
Samson reached over and touched Brianna's arm and glared at Monroe. Monroe just sat there, smirking widely. "Bye bye, little sister." he said walking over to her. 'You heard her, just go."

Samson looked down at Brianna, frowning again.

Carlisle couldn't fight back, all he could do was hope Cora didn't look his way. Thoughts rushed through his head on ways to stop Cora from being used but came up blank. The Goddess was right, Cora was too close to his heart for her own good. He knew now that once he had saved her from this fate then he would have to go. "Let me go." he snapped as he pulled himself from Robert's grasp but stayed in sight, he knew if he didn't things would get worse.

Damon appeared behind Sebastian and smiled evily. He grabbed both of his arms, freeing Ashley who ran to Rose, snapped them behind his back and pressed him against a wall. "I don't think it is wise to mess with people a demon cares for, Sebastian." Damon grumbled, "Now, I give you two options, you apologize and never show your face in this town again, or I snap you in half like a twig. Choose wisely."

Cora took a small step back as the goddess stood up, hating how frightened she felt. If she had been an angel maybe it would have been different, but as a human she knew what the goddess could do to her. When she grabbed her tightly she flinched, but made no noise. Her eyes widened at her words, and suddenly her fear was replaced by anger.

“What are you talking about?” She demanded. “I’m not going to be a part of any of your games!” She shouted. The mention of her brother had shaken her; she wanted to see him. She missed him.

She spun around and saw Carlisle, and her knees buckled. The only thing holding her up was the goddess now. She stared with wide eyes at the blood that covered his form, and she closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head quickly. “No,” she whispered, and fell silent.
~!!~
Nick stared down at his arm, taking a step back. “Who are you? Why did you release me?” he asked slowly, though in truth, he didn’t care about the answer. He was free? He could go to Ava. Ava….his hands clenched into tight fists at his sides and he looked at Lance, nodding once. He gave no word of thanks, nothing, as he disappeared. He found himself standing in the meadow behind Lance’s house, and his eyes widened. So it was true.
~!!~
Ava sighed, standing up in silence. “Blake,” She said quietly. “I love you, and you’re scaring me. I don’t know how to help you. Please, tell me how to help you,” She pleaded quietly, looking at him though he would not look at her. “Please, Blake,” She said quietly. “I want to help. I don’t know how to make you see that it isn’t your fault,” she whispered.
~!!~
Hymn reached up a hand and touched her cheek as she felt the tears. She hadn’t cried over her sister even when she was alive. She bit her lip and closed her eyes tightly, but it didn’t stop them from leaking through. Why did she miss her? Why? She didn’t understand it.

Her cries echoed through the cavern, but she didn’t care. She pulled her knees up to her chest and bit her lip hard, trying to stifle her cries, but all it did was make her lip bleed, blood trailing down her chin. She couldn’t stop.
~!!~
As soon as he poked her and commented on her blushing, it only made it worse. “I don’t have a fever,” she mumbled, and heard Sable’s low chuckle from next to her. Immediately she was pale again, paler than usual, even. She looked up at Kasper, forcing a smile. “I’m fine,” She mumbled, hoping things weren’t as obvious for him as they seemed to be for her brother. Even without his memory, he knew her all too well.
~!!~
Ivy saw the hatred in Brianna’s gaze, and stood up, glaring at Monroe. Brianna screamed something at her, and she flinched, nodding. She disappeared, reappearing in the goddess’ throne room. She looked around at those gathered there, her brow furrowing as she tried to figure out what was going on.

Brianna felt herself calming once Ivy was gone, and her hands were shaking. She looked at Samson, then Monroe, then back out the window in silence.

The goddess let her fall to the ground. She was smiling widely. "Cora, I fear you have choice but to play." she laughed. "Of course, if you really don't want to play I have Lance for Blake and Annabell for Carlisle." she said with a smirk. She was enjoying this. She really was; she didn't care who she hurt, she wanted to hurt everyone.

~!!~
Sebastian exclaimed and pain and looked back in glared at Damon. "Do you actually think I believe in angel and demons?" he demanded. "I think you and that other guy had a few too many to drink." he spat. 'That other guy' he was talking about was Robert. "Demons!" he laughed ignoring the pain. "The only demons on earth is ourselves. We destroy ourselves or let other s do it for us."

He looked around. "I'm pretty sure that one girl would be down here is she heard all the noise. That moron much of have done his job. Let me go, I played decoy, my job is done here." he said, but he wouldn't apologize.

~!!~
Lance said nothing and disappeared before Nick could. He reappeared in the thrown room He said nothing as he slipped into the shadows, and watched in silence.

~!!~
Blake shook his head and looked forward. "It is my fault. Don't you get it? I could of have saved him. If I only tired harder. I let him down. He would never admit it, but he counted on me, and I failed him. Even if I didn't blame myself, he still would." he answered in a monotone. "I could of, should of have saved him."

~!!~
Chris stepped up behind her and touched her shoulder. "Hymn, what's wrong?" he asked softly.

~!!~
Kasper sat down next to her. "No, tell me. What's wrong?" he demanded. "Are you okay. You have to tell me." he said.

Damon's red eyes intensified as his anger grew. He pushed the boy up closer to the wall, "The girl is being taken care of by her angel." he gripped tighter, "Why don't you just worry about whether or not I let you survive past this."

<~~~~>

"Let her go, I will do as you want... Just leave her alone." Carlisle grumbled.

Cora fell to her knees, shaking her head slowly. “No!” She shouted suddenly. “Not Annabell. Not Lance,” She said quietly, shaking her head over and over again. She forced herself to her feet, and her eyes met Carlisle’s for a moment, and they were filled with indecision and pain. She turned away and glared at the goddess, but she didn’t speak again.
~!!~
Ava’s hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, and she shook her head. “Should have, could have, won’t do a thing,” She snapped suddenly. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe you could have saved him, but you’ll never know now, will you? So why dwell on it, if it’s only going to torture you? Blake, it’s over, and I want you to be okay. I’m worried about you, but you won’t listen to me. Lance wouldn’t blame you; I don’t think he would. You’re blaming yourself where you don’t need to be blamed. Blake, I love you, but I can’t sit here and watch you beat yourself up over something that isn’t your fault.”

She closed her eyes and disappeared, reappearing in the meadow behind Lance’s house, right in front of Nick.
~!!~
Hymn jumped as someone touched her shoulder and spun around, her eyes narrowed. She saw that it was Chris and relaxed, but only slightly. She quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, pushing herself to her feet. “Nothing. I’m fine,” She mumbled. “I was just….” She bit her lip. “Thinking.”
~!!~
Ivy looked around slowly, frowning. She stayed off to the side in the shadows, hoping to remain unseen, though she doubted the goddess didn’t know she was there already.

Brianna stood up, pushing her chair back. It fell to the floor with a loud clatter. She turned out of the room and walked downstairs and outside, and then kept walking down the sidewalk, not turning back. She didn’t know where she was going, just that she couldn’t be there anymore.
~!!~
Raven shook her head. “I’m fine, really,” She said, smiling slightly at him as her cheeks slowly returned to their normal color. “See? Fine.” This only made Sable chuckle again, and she glared at him.

The goddess looked over at Ivy, a smile tugging on her lips. She looked over at Cora again. "Sorry dear, but you are all pawns." she laughed as she grabbed her arm again. "How should we use you? Maybe I can kill you?" she said.

Jake leaned over. "We could always kill her the same way she did the first time. I don't mind flames." he said.

~!!~
Blake watched as she disappeared and looked down at her hands. She was right, but he didn't want to believe her. He knew he couldn't go around blaming himself, but he did. He closed his eyes and leaned back.

~!!~
"Thinking?" he repeated sitting down next to her. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Mind sharing what you were thinking about?" he asked. He took her hand in his kissed her finger tips.

~!!~
Kasper frowned and looked over at Sable. "What's so funny?" he demanded, frowning deeply. He didn't like Sable at all.

~!!~
Sebastian frowned deeply. "Why would I care? You're going to do what you want anyhow." he said trying to get free. "Like I was told by more then one person, I have a pathetic life." he smirked. "How ironic though. To be killed by my own occupation. Murder."

Damon growled in anger before disappearing with the assassin. He reappeared in a familiar cavern, the one he nearly killed Carlisle in. "I hope you enjoy time you have left because I plan to kill you now, just like I killed Carlisle. That is if you get out of here." he then disappeared.

<~~~~>

Carlisle watched I'm anguish, he had no clue what to do. He couldn't let Cora die, it would hurt her too much and she might never forgive him for not doing his job. His face showed a mix of anger and sadness.

Cora's eyes widened; it was almost as if she could feel the flames all over again, the way it had felt to be standing there. That time, Robert had tried to stop it; she remembered it all so clearly. But his time, he wouldn't. She knew that.

She looked over at Carlisle, her gaze passing over him quickly. She looked at the goddess, narrowing her eyes. "I don't care what you do," She spat. "But my brother has enough to worry about now. I'm not sure hurting me will do much more." It was a lie, or at lesat she hoped it was. She was bluffing.

Ivy folded her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing. Another game; more pawns. She took a step back, her eyes on Cora, staying silent.
~!!~
Hymn looked over at him, and knew that she shouldn't lie,. But what was she supposed to say? The truth? She didn't even know what that was now.

"I was thinking about my old life," She finally said quietly. "About Melody, actually." She was silent, wondering what he was thinking. Would he laugh at her? "I---I hated her for so long, or at least I thoguth I did....but now...I---" she frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration as she looked down at her hand in his. "I think I miss her," She said finally.
~!!~
Raven glanced over at her brother, flinching. It still hurt to see him this way, but nothing seemed to be able to make him remember. Sable looked at Kasper, smirking.

"It's obvious what's wrong with her," He said. His voice, so little heard, made her shiver. "She's fallen for you. The guardian fell for her charge." His voice was snide, and he turned away then. Raven stared at her hands, her cheeks a bright red, her face a mixture of anger and embarrasment, and something else as well.
~!!~
Ava had thought that he was gone forever. But now here he was, standing before her. An illlusion? He reached out and grabbed her arm, and that was when she knew he was real.

The goddess frowned and looked at Carlisle. "Your hopes are useless. You will not be able to save her." she said as she turned back to Cora. "Your brother blames himself for Lance's death. What happens when he finds out you are dead. What kind of little brother would he be if he couldn't even protect you." she said. "Even if it is not his fault he will blame himself." she as she stepped forward.

Jake yawned and looked bored. "Or course, there is also Tyler. My mindless puppet could always follow him around." she smirked. "And he'll blame himself."

~!!~
"Then why don't you go visit her?" he asked suddenly. "If you really miss her why don't you go talk to the elder angels, redeem yourself again?" he asked, looking forward. "Another chance." he whispered. He sounded almost sad. "You don't deserve this life anyways." he whispered as he rested his head on his knees.

~!!~
Kasper froze and looked over at Sable then Raven. "What are you talking about?" he asked then looked back at Raven. "Is he right?" he asked. He hadn't seen it. He was a bit dense.

~!!~
Sebastian's eyes widened as he looked around the craven. He wasn't sure how he got here, but he was starting to believe in demons now as he walked to the entrance. The sea... If he tried to get out he would fall and drown, but if he stayed in here when high tide came he would drown anyways.

Carlisle frowned widely, "Let her go... I will do whatever you want." He pleaded as he fell to his knees, "Anything at all... Just let Cora go..." he begged.

<~~~~>

"So, do you care to apologize to the young lady now?" Damon asked as he appeared behind Sebastian.

Cora took an almost involuntary step back, flinching slightly as she heard Carlisle's voice. She kept her eyes on the goddess, and her eyes widened when Jake mentioned Tyler. "What did you do to him?!" She yelled, taking a step forward instead of back. Something flashed behind her eyes; she was furious. "What did you do to Tyler?!" She cried.
~!!~
Hymn shook her head quickly. "I already had that chance, and I blew it," she said quietly. "And even if they did give me another chance, I would just do it again. I know I would," she said quietly. She bit her lip, glancing away. "Besides," She said quietly. "I don't want to leave you."
~!!~
Raven just nodded. How much worse could it get? She heard Sable's laughter again, and she bit her lip. She looked close to tears, almost, her cheeks still bright red.

Layla was next to James, she had been annoying him earlier, but was silent now. Kira had originally stayed where James was before, to frighten others, she knew that her owner Layla had left with James and decided to stay in Alice's house until she went to join Layla again.

~~
Bailey was in the back yard playing with Brownie, the dog was running around chasing her trying to get the toy from her. The dog alot bigger now, and was able to knock her over easily.

~~~
Alice was sitting in a lawn chair out back watching them play and smiled as she watched. She was still sad that James had to move, she called him everynow and then and talked to him, but missed him alot.

~~~
Catrina was walking her 2 pitbulls around, and they barked and ran after everything they saw. She had the leash wrapped around her wrists, but that didn't help anything they just kept dragging her along with them.

Sebastian spun around and glared at Damon. "Now why would I do that?" he demanded. "I didn't kill her, and wasn't, I wasn't getting paid to take her life." he said as he crossed his arms. "Get me out of here." he demanded.

~!!~
The goddess frowned and looked at Carlisle. "No, this is too much fun. I don't care what you will do, I want to play with her now." she said as she pointed to Cora. "She is my toy now."

Jake looked down at her. "No, no, Cora, I didn't do anything, I just returned him to his proper state of insanity and blankness. He wanted to forget, so I made him forget." he said as he stepped forward. "He wanted to forget Elliot, you, Blake, Layla, and Sally. Now he can't even remember his name." he explained. "He is a happy demon now, so to speak."

~!!~
Chris frowned. "Hymn, if you miss her, you need to try. Try again, I love you, and I only want the best for you. I know you can do it; you changed. You'll be fine." he whispered. "You need to be free to fly again." he whispered as he kissed her forehead. He held her close, he didn't want to loose her, but this was all for the best. "I'll do it." he said suddenly. "I'll get you the second-- er, third chance." he whispered.

~!!~
Kasper frowned. He glared at Sable. "Shut it." he growled and looked back at Raven. He didn't know what to do. He had never had anyone really like him, much less be falling for him. Geez! He was only fifteen! "Raven-" but he wasn't sure what to say.

~!!~
James was looking out the window. Layla had decided to show her face again. He hated her, he hated this apartment, he hated his father, he hated everything, everyone. NO, he wasn't a very happy boy. He didn't think he ever would be again.

Carlisle looked up at the goddess weakly, "No..." he muttered, he put the one he loved, the one he had lived for, the one he had become an angel to protect in danger. "I'm so sorry Cora." Carlisle said as he bit back his tears, "I didn't know this would happen." there was now nothing he could do, no plan he had come up with would save her from this, none of them would keep her living like he needed her to be.

<~~~~>

Damon smiled evily before he grabbed the back of Sebastian's shirt, "Gladly." he said before pushing the boy forward to leave him hanging over the cave edge. "I told you what I was going to do, didn't I?"

Lenora hesitated, looking from Laya to James. She finally set her hand on his shoulder, but lightly. "James, I know things look bad now, but---" she cut herself off. She knew she spoke too much, and she usually made things worse rather than better. It was something she coudln't seem to help.
~!!~
Raven sighed, shaking her head. "You don't have to say anything," She mumbled. "I know it's wrong, and stupid. I'm your guardian; I shouldn't like you as anything but a friend, and I'm trying. not to. I just need more time," she said quietly, ignroing Sable's laughter.
~!!~
Hymn shook her head quickly. "Not unless you do, too," She protested, but she knew he wouldn't even as she sopke the words. But she didn't want to leave him; she didn't think she could, even if it meant another chance at something she had lost.
~!!~
Cora didn't saeem to hear Carlisle, or the goddess. HEr eyes were only on Jake. "You..." she said quietly, but she didn't finish. Her hands were clenched into tight fists at her sides, and she stepped forward, unthinking. "You change him back!" She shouted, shoving him back.

James turned his head and glared at Lenora. "Right now! When are things gonna change?" he demanded. "I am tried of waiting, Lenora! Don't you get it?" he demanded. "I don't have forever, not like you do. You were a good girl, and you earned your wings! Where do you think I will go when I die?" he wanted to know.

~!!~
Kasper stood up and turned to Sable. "Would you shut up!? Not everyone likes to hear your laughter all the time." he shouted. It wasn't helping. He didn't know what to do, didn't know how do anything right. He just stepped back and looked away.

~!!~
Chris pushed her hair out of her face. "Hymn." he whispered. "You know I can't. I am bound here because I died here. I know nothing else. But have another chance. You can have a better afterlife." he said as he took her hand in his. "You have to do this for both of us." he said calmly.

~!!~
Jake smirked. "I can't. This is what he wanted. I can't change it back unless he wants to be changed back." he said as he disappeared. The goddess gripped her wrists. "Little girl." she said as she spun her around. "Look at him." she said pointing to Carlisle. "Look at what you do to him!" she laughed. "You make him so sad, because he can't protect you."

~!!~
Sebastian looked up at Damian as he clung for dear life at the edge of cliff. Rocks were hard to grip to and his grip was slipping. "NO! Get me back up!" There was pure fear in his voice.

Lenora was caught off guard by the question, but she didn't hesitate to answer. "James, I know you more than I know many people," She said softly. "You're sweet, you're kind, no matter what you say," she said quietly. "I care for you, and I know, without a doubt, that you'll get your wings someday." She looked him in the eyes as she spoke, nodding. "It just doesn't make sense any other way."
~!!~
Raven sighed, and made herself invisible to Kasper. She stood up and turned her eyes to Sable, who had finally quited down, though not much. He too turned invisible, but he was grinning. She tried to ignore the way he was looking at her, but soon found that she couldn't.
~!!~
Hymn shook her head quickly. "I can't," she said quickly. "Chris, I can't. I can't. I can't leae you here," she said suddenly. "I know I can't. Not now, not after everything..." she trailed off at the end, but she had the stubborn look in her eyes that she got a lot. "I know tha tI can't.
~!!~
Cora flinched and tried to pull out of her grasp, but soon gave up. She met Carlisle's eyes, though his figure was blurry and indistinct thorugh her tears. She shook her head slowly, but the goddess' words had hit home. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
~!!~
Elliot looked up as Jake appeared again, blinking, then looked back down. She hardly splke to him anymore, not to yell or anything else. She seemed uncaring of everything else around her now, him included.

"Don't be a baby, Sebastian." Damon said swiftly, "If one chooses to kill then he shouldn't fear death." he said as he pulled the boy into the cave. "Now, let's get you home." Damon then disappeared and reappeared in Sebastian's home, he still had a firm grip on the boy, "You should expect to see me again, Sebastian. You are far from done dealing with me."

<~~~~>

"It's not your fault, Cora." Carlisle said as he stood up and swiftly crossed the room, "He wiped away her tears and smiled, "I just fear I can't save you." he made no motion to pull her away from the Underworld, he found no point presently, he just wanted he wasn't leaving her. "I love you, Cora... I shouldn't but I do... and I fear that because of that love you will die..."

Layla looked at Lenora when she heard her speak. She rolled her eyes when she heard how she answered James's question. She stayed quiet for once though, she didn't have anything to say anyway.

~~~~

Alice went back inside when her cell phone rang. "Hello?", she said and that's all Bailey had heard before she had closed the sliding glass door and went up to her room.

~~~~

Katrina called her friend Alice as she was walking through a neighborhood with her dogs. She hadn't talked to her in a while, and had decided to give her a call.