Disclaimer: Don't know, don't own, don't sue.

Chapitre Un

Lucifer, once the most beautiful and magnificent of all the angels, the fallen right hand of God, is amidst us. It may sound ludricous, delusional, or even impossible, but I am certain of it. After the fall, he lost his angelic form, but he can still disguise himself as one of them. He could be anywhere at anytime, plotting the moment when he lowers humanity to the level where he has fallen. This moment, the moment when all his carefully laid plans come to fruition, is soon.

"Guinevere, are you reading those stupid apocalypse books again?" Bryanna said. I flushed and shut the book I had been looking at.

"No!" I called indignantly. I put it back on the shelf among the other Christian books and turned back to the classics section. "I was just shelving a few things. Bry looked at me and smiled, shaking her bright blue head. She changed her hair color every three weeks, much to the mortification of her parents.

"Gwenny, I'm surprised. You never struck me as a very religious person."

"I'm not," I responded. "But the theories are fairly interesting."

"Hmph. Sure." Bryanna rolled her eyes. "About as interesting as the ones about Elvis being alive."

"Gotta agree with Bry there, Guinevere," Mikey called from the counter. He pushed his nerdy glasses back up his nose and continued, "Anyway, how long until we open up, girls?"

I checked my watch. "Half an hour."

"Good," Mikey said. He went back to the book he was reading and commented (more to himself than to us), "Irvine Welsh is a genius."

"Mikey, have you ever thought about actually helping me and Guinevere instead of reading all morning?" Bryanna asked lightly. Her brown eyes sparkled with amusement.

"I would help you two if you really needed it," Mikey pouted. "But it looks like you have it all under control." Just as he said this, I hit my elbow on a display of new books, sending 50 copies of Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian tumbling to the ground.

"Argh! I'm so clumsy!" I lamented, getting on my knees to repair the flimsy display. Mikey shut his book with a loud sigh and came over to me.

"Gwen, you're a piece of work," he said, picking up books and replacing them on the now repaired display.

"You're one to talk, Mikey; didn't you set the last shipment of books on fire?" Bryanna snorted with laughter when I said this.

Mikey frowned. "That's a bit of an exaggeration; only a few caught fire." He perked up. "Besides, I got to keep the damaged copies. They're still readable."

I ruffled his brown hair affectionately; Mikey was like a little brother to me. "Sure. Wanna get some breakfast before the customers attack?"

"Yeah, why not? Bry, you coming?"

"Sure, just let me get these dictionaries put away," Bryanna replied. We all sat down to cappucinoes and croissants, reveling in the silence of the store.

"Nothing like Barnes and Noble in the morning," Mikey contentedly remarked. I nodded in agreement. The clock behind the counter chimed 9 AM and we all looked at one another in expectation.

"I did it yesterday," Bryanna said defensively.

"I'm not awake yet," Mikey mumbled around a mouthful of croissant.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll go unlock the door." The sky outside of the store was gray and cloudy, a rather unpleasant sort of morning to be out. But nonetheless, there was a customer waiting outside the double doors already.

"I'm so sorry, have you been waiting long?" I asked the man once I had unlocked the doors. He had short black hair, a black leather jacket and skinny jeans on, looking for all the world as if he had just come from a rock show...but at 9 in the morning, that wasn't likely. His face was delicate and striking, if somewhat feminine, and his eyes were a sparkling hazel. I began to feel somewhat shy around him.

The man smiled gently and answered, "No, not too long." He walked inside and breathed in. "I smell coffee."

"Yeah, my coworkers and I were just having breakfast...would you like some?"

"No thank you; I've eaten." He had a very soft, soothing voice. "I'll just get what I'm looking for and trouble you no longer."

"Oh, it's no trouble, sir. I'd be glad to help you with anything I can," I offered.

He looked into my eyes with an expression of contentedness as he replied, "I'll be sure to ask you if I need assistance. Thanks again." There was a slight accent on the you, as if he wouldn't speak to anyone else...but I didn't think about it any further as I sat down with Bryanna and Mikey.

"Do you know him, Gwen?" Bry asked.

"No..." I trailed off. I realized that I sounded uncertain and repeated myself. "No, I don't."

"Looks like he'd like to get to know you!" Bryanna said suggestively.

Mikey grimaced. "I don't see why he would." I glared at him fiercely.

"Geez, Mikey, how sweet of you," Bryanna quipped.

"Oh...I guess that didn't come out right....what I meant was that he doesn't have a reason to, you know, like, try to talk to you, or whatever," Mikey rambled.

"Guys don't need a reason to talk to girls, Mikey. If he wants to, he will. If he doesn't, he won't. And I don't see why it matters to you," I replied testily. I got up to go to the counter, but Mikey grabbed my hand and stopped me.

"Wait! Gwen!" Mikey pled. I looked down at him and saw that his face was red, but his eyes were determined. He was not going back now. "I'm sorry. I was just..."

"...jealous," I finished. "I know." He looked down at the floor and dropped my hand.

"Do you...would you...I mean, if you weren't busy...?" Mikey stuttered.

"I'll think about it, Mikey," I said softly. "But right now, I've got a customer. Okay?"

Mikey nodded silently and watched me walk to the counter. The guy in the leather jacket was standing there with a book of poetry in hand. I looked at it and beamed. "Li Po! He's my favorite poet."

He smiled and replied, "Yes, his work is so beautiful and articulate. Have you read it in the original Chinese?"

"No," I said regretfully. "I can't read Chinese."

"It's a language well worth learning. I could teach you," he offered nonchalantly.

"That sounds interesting...thank you..." I realized I was blushing and quickly added, "Bye! Come again."

"I certainly will; goodbye, Guinevere," he said.

He turned to walk out the door and I blurted, "Wait!"

"Yes?"

"How did you know my name?" I asked quietly.

He laughed softl and replied, "It's on your tag." I looked down and saw that he was right.

"Oh...right." I was somewhat embarassed.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you're not the only one," he reassured me. And before I could answer, he was gone.

She was beautiful. Such amazing green eyes, such lovely Titian hair...she was like a Renoir painting in a bar, or a lily in a weed-infested garden. She did not belong here, in the mortal world. And if I had anything to do with it, she would not be staying long.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Deux

"So, what's the plan for tomorrow" Bry asked me. We were walking home along the cobblestone sidewalks of the Village to our loft apartment ten blocks away. Our breath was barely visible in the October air and the orange and yellow leaves were swirling around our feet like baby tornadoes. Autumn was my favorite season, mostly because of Halloween...it was the coolest holiday in the whole year. Bry and I always started on our costumes two months early. She was the Clockwork Orange guy this year (you know, with the eyelashes) and I was a sea nymph. The ironclad rule was that we couldn't try them on until the night before, and I was dying to. Only a week from tomorrow- that is, next Saturday.

"I dunno, Bry. As long as I'm free around lunch, we can do whatever," I quietly replied.

"Lunch?" She was intrigued, clearly. "Why do you have to be free for lunch?"

I blushed slightly. "I have sort of have a date." I rushed through the sentence as quick as I could, but it was just as painful.

Bryanna beamed at me like she was a spotlight and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Say that again."

"Bry, no..." I groaned. "You heard me the first time."

"I know, I know, but I wanna hear it again. I haven't heard it since junior year at Columbia." I frowned at her and sighed.

"Fine. I have a date."

She hugged me so tightly I could barely breath. "Oh, Gwenny, I am so happy-for-you!" She fairly danced in the street. "This is cool!"

"It's just lunch. And I didn't actually say yes yet. I might not go," I hastily responded. But all my backpedaling did no good.

"Oh yes you will! As long as it's not that guy from downstairs." She got a look of terror on her face. "It's not, is it? Cause I heard that he eats puppies. Kittens, when he can find them."

I rolled my eyes and began to walk again, pulling Bry alongside me. "Mitch does not eat kittens, Bry. Or puppies. He's just reclusive, that's all."

"Thank God!" she breathed. We managed to go another two blocks before she spouted, "So, who IS it, then?"

"Do you really wanna know?"

"Yes."

"Really Really Wanna Know?"

"Ye-es., I really really do."

"Say: I really, really, really want to know so badly that it is eating my insides like a starving man at a Chinese buffet." She repeated after me and I reluctantly answered her. "Mikey."

"Mikey who?" she answered with a perplexed look. Within two seconds it had dawned on her and she grabbed me by the shoulders. "No. Way."

"Ironically enough, darling , his last name is Way, so that would be, yes, Way." I wittily replied.

"You? and Mikey?" She shook her head and began to slowly walk again. "But he's like our little brother."

"Then I'll tell him that I decided not to," I said, quickening my footsteps. We were almost home.

"No, no, that's not what I meant! I was just...surprised." She smiled. "You should do it, Gwen. If only once. I mean, how will you ever know if you don't give him a shot?"

I sighed. "You win. I'll tell him yes."

She squealed and bounced up and down excitedly. "Really?"

"As long as you stop looking so happy and let me talk in the box, yes." She complied and I got us buzzed in. I waved to Mitch, who was leaving his apartment. He smiled and waved back at us.

"See? Not a kitten eater," I whispered to Bry, She just shrugged with doubt and walked up the stairs to our apartment. It was not much of a place, just four sparsely furnished little rooms. Two recently graduated college girls working at Barnes and Noble couldn't really afford much more than rent. But we had appliances in the kitchen and we had two beds and enough crates to hold all our stuff, which is more than some people have.

"Home sweet home," Bry breathed happily. She flopped down on the couch and flipped on the TV. "Hey, Legend is on!"

"Oooh, goody!" I ran to the kitchen and put some popcorn in the microwave. The answering machine was sitting right next to it, blinking with a red '3'.

Message One: "Hey, Bry, it's me...Gary. I was wondering if you wanted to go out again...same time, same place? Anyway, call me back when you get this, please. Bye."

"Delete it, Gwen," Bryanna called. "I'm booked up."

"No, you're not," I replied with confusion.

She glanced over at me with a grim expression. "When it comes to him, I am." Bryanna was a major heartbreaker, with about a dozen guys on the string at any one time. Personally. I thought Gary was one of the nicer ones, but Bry was into bad boys. And bad boys were, conveniently enough, into her. Maybe it was the blue hair.

Message Two: "This is Alltel, and we wanted to tell you about our-"

"I don't think so," I grimaced.

Message Three: "Hello, Guinevere. This is Gerard...you may remember me from this morning."

Bry gasped. "The hottie from the store? Nuh-uh!" She ran into the kitchen. "I gotta hear this."

"If you'd shut up, you would!" I replied irritably.

"Anyway, I wanted you to know that you made quite an impression on me," Gerard's voice continued. "I would like to see you again...say, tomorrow night at eight? Call me at 666-1977 (author's note: I know it's a weird phone number and much too obvious, but what the hey) if you'd like that, too. Goodbye."

"Slut," Bry coughed. I kicked her lightly in the shin, but I couldn't help smiling. Two date offers in one day...that was a first. Not that anyone besides Bry would know that. She was my best friend since fourth grade and she wouldn't tell my secrets to save her life. We had gone through everything together...she was more like my sister than a friend, really, except we almost never fought.

"Well. I guess I'll call them both back...are you gonna be okay on your own tomorrow?" I asked anxiously.

"If it frees you up, hell yeah I'll be okay!" Bry exclaimed. "Go get you some, girl."

"Must you be so crude, dear?"

"Um, lemme think...yes. Now get your butt over here and watch Tom Cruise run around in a skirt." I grabbed the bowl of popcorn and dove onto the couch.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapite Trois

I stood looking at the bed in frustration. There were pants, skirts, and shirts everywhere, but still nothing that I wanted to wear to lunch with Mikey. I wasn't even sure why I cared what I wore...I mean, for one thing, it wasn't like I was crushing on him. For another, he had seen me in my grubbies, with no makeup, at work. How would anything I wore now make up for that? I had almost talked myself into thinking it didn't matter and I could wear a T-shirt and jeans when Bry walked in.

"Chica, it's twenty until twelve and you are standing in your skivvies muttering at your clothes. Have you forgotten what New York traffic is like?" she reprimanded, going over to the bed and digging through the pile. She pulled out a white peasant top and a green silk skirt. "Here, put this on. I don't know why I do this stuff for you."

I smiled at her and did what I was told. Usually, I'm much more stubborn than that, but Bry knows what she's doing, especially when it comes to clothes. I debated over makeup and decided just to go with eyeliner, mascara, and some cappucino lipgloss...god, I could live off that lipgloss. It's so good. Fifteen minutes later, I was out the door and rushing to the corner to hail a cab when I abruptly bumped into someone else standing there. "Well, hello, Guinevere."

I blushed involuntarily at being caught in a hurry. "Gerard...hello. Sorry to bump into you like that; I was just trying to catch a cab..."

Gerard smiled serenely. "Oh, you needn't do that. I would be glad to drive you wherever you wish to go."

Say no. It would be so awkward. "Why, thank you, that's very sweet." You idiot!, my brain was screaming at me. How are you going to look when Gerard sees who he's leaving you with? And what's Mikey going to think when some other guy drops you off? Nonetheless, I got into his black Mercedes-Benz and buckled up.

"So," Gerard began casually, "where am I to deliver you, dearest Guinevere?" I bit my lip in embarassment.

"Um, well, I actually...god, this is so awkward!" I blurted. I buried my face in my hands.

"I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable; I shan't pursue the subject any longer," he replied.

"No, no, it's all right." I sighed deeply. "I have a lunch date with a coworker today, that's all. Nothing serious."

He looked at me out of the corner of his eyes with the slightest hint of amusement. "Really? Are you certain that you wish to enjoy my company this evening as well, then?"

"Oh, of course! I didn't mean..." I trailed off awkwardly. Good going, Gwen. Now you sound like a slut. "I'm sorry, I don't seem to be able to express myself properly today."

"That's quite all right, Guinevere. We all have our times," Gerard chuckled. He stopped in front of a little cafe on the corner. "I believe this is your stop?"

"Yes, but how did you know? I never told you." I was a little creeped out, honestly.

"Though I was focusing my attentions on you yesterday morning, I was not so utterly captivated as to ignore your friends. I believe the young gentleman with the glasses is waiting for you," he explained, gesturing outside. And Mikey was indeed sitting at a table outside the cafe, looking somewhat anxious.

"Yeah, I guess I'd better go," I hastily answered. "Thanks." I reached for the door handle.

"No, no, Guinevere, let me take care of that for you," Gerard said, getting out of the car and walking around the hood to my side. Damn! Almost got away with it, too! He opened my door with considerable flair and took my hand as I stepped out. Mikey was eyeing me behind Gerard's back as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Thank you very much," I stammered. Gerard bowed his head and kissed my hand briefly.

"Not at all, my lady. It was a pleasure." He turned and got back into his car and was gone with a wave. I looked over at Mikey and attempted a halfhearted smile.

"What was that?!?" Mikey exclaimed with surprise. "I know he's not your chaffeur! You're on the same salary as I am!"

"Look, Mikey, I can explain," I started, but Mikey cut me off.

"No, Gwen, I think I can do that myself. You agreed to go out with me because you felt sorry for me. And maybe I could've handled that, but now you decided to add insult to injury by letting your boyfriend drop you off!" Mikey shook his head. "I can't believe you would do that to me! I thought you at least cared enough about me to consider my feelings." He looked down at the table swiftly, but I glimpsed his shining brown eyes nonetheless. He was really hurt. I felt like a knife had been driven through my chest.

"Mikey," I said softly, reaching across the table to hold his hand. "I do care about you. That guy is not my boyfriend. He's just someone who was nice enough to drive me down here when none of the cabs would stop." He looked up at me warily. "I swear! I've known you since eighth grade, Mikey; I'd never lie to you."

"You promise?" he said. To his credit, his voice wobbled only a little.

"I promise, Mikeyjames." He smiled at my pet name for him. "Now let's have some lunch, okay?"

Lunch was only mildly awkward, thank God. Believe it or not, we actually managed light conversation with minimal pauses! But when he went to drop me off at home, it was clear that things were not going as well as they had seemed to be.

"I had a good time," I said quietly. We were standing on my doorstep and Mikey was fidgeting nervously.

"Oh, yeah, um, me too..." he mumbled. He looked up at me and swiftly kissed me on the lips. "Do you wanna...you know, go do it again sometime?" he asked, turning red as a tomato. I think his boldness had shocked him as much as me.

To be honest or to be nice? "I don't think so, Mikey...I mean, it's not that I don't like you!" I added quickly, seeing the look on his face. "It's just...I don't know, a kind of confusing time for me right now." I hugged him gently. "I'm not saying never, okay?"

"Okay," he whispered in my ear. "Thanks, Gwenny. For giving me a chance."

"It's the least I can do for my best friend, right?" I replied with a smile. I ruffled his hair affectionately and he halfway smiled at me. He turned and started walking down the stone steps to the sidewalk.

"Bye, Gwenny," he called over his shoulder.

"Bye, Mikeyjames!" I shouted after him. I stood there by the door and watched him as he disappeared around the corner. He had such soft lips...I hoped I had made the right decision...

"And one and two and three and four...good job, ladies!" said the giddy blonde on TV. I had just walked through the door of the apartment.

"You're doing 'Sit and Be Fit', Bryanna. I just wanted to be sure you realized that." ('Sit and Be Fit' is this workout show for really old ladies. Quite amusing, really.)

Without turning around, she replied, "Yeah, well, you work out your way, I work out mine." She giggled. "I dare say Mikey was more strenous on you than Mildred here is on the old girls."

I rolled my eyes and silently walked to the kitchen, dropping my purse on the counter with a sigh. Bry looked over her shoulder at me with concern. "It didn't go very well, then?"

"Afraid not...I don't think we would work out."

"Did you tell him that?"

"Yeah," I said glumly. "He took it pretty okay, but I still feel bad. I think I wrecked it from the beginning."

She turned off the TV and sat down at the kitchen table with me. "How's that?" One of the things I really love about Bry is how sympathetic she is. I mean, look at that. She just dropped what she was doing and went into total help mode. That's awesome.

"I was gonna get a taxi to the cafe, you know? And on the way out there, I ran into Gerard," -her eyes got big here, but she stayed quiet- "and he offered to drive me instead. Which was really sweet, I'm not saying, I didn't appreciate it, it's just..."

"...the way it looked. I see," she finished for me. "Well, look on the bright side. You don't have to worry about who to choose now."

"True, true. I WAS going to feel a little guilty tonight, so I suppose it's a good thing." I stood up and hugged her. "Thanks, Bry."

"No problem, I can do it anytime." She flipped the TV back on. "Any time that Sit and Be Fit's not on."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Quatre

"You are a vision," Gerard complimented when I opened the door. I was wearing a dark green velvet gown and had my hair in an intricate bun. There were dangling silver earrings in my ears and I had traded out my glasses for contacts.

"Me? You should see yourself!" I exclaimed. When I had opened the door, he was standing there in full tuxedo with a long-stemmed red rose in his hands. He was gorgeous.

"Thank you very much, my dear. Are you ready to depart?" he asked me.

"Just a minute, I need to tell Bry that I'm leaving." I turned my head and called to her. She came skidding into the hall in her usual puppyish way. Her brown eyes grew to the size of saucers when she saw Gerard.

"Goodness, you two are dressed to the nines! Where are you going to dinner at?" It was a good question and I realized that I did not know the answer. Gerard smiled kindly at Bry.

"I haven't decided yet, but it will certainly be a fine establishment." He bowed courteously to her. "I hope that you enjoy your evening despite your friend's absence." Bryanna blushed and bit her lip. She was thoroughly charmed.

"Oh, I will. You two have fun!" I hugged her goodbye and, with Gerard's arm linked through mine, we went down the stairs to the ground floor. His car was waiting outside in the chilly October night.

"Right this way, my lady," he said, opening the passenger side door to let me in. I slid in and buckled up in the smooth leather seat.

"I hope you like Italian cuisine," he said to me on the way to the restaurant.

"Actually, it's my favorite!" I smiled widely at him. "That's amazing."

"I'm pleased to have pleased you, Gwen. Can I call you Gwen?" he asked.

"Oh, of course! Is there, um, a nickname that you go by or something like that?" I fumbled.

He looked over at me with a half-smile. "My friends call me Gee. You are welcome to as well."

"Gee...alright. I like it." He smiled at me again and slowly slid his hand across the seat. I met him halfway and we held hands all the way to the restaurant.

We pulled up to a beautiful Roman villa-esque building, with white columns and green vines all around it. The golden letters over the door read 'The Acropolis'.

"Gee!" I squealed. "You didn't!"

"I did," he laughed. "I take it that you like this restaurant?"

"I've never eaten here, I could never afford it!" I was so happy that I impulsively hugged him, burying my face in his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around my bare back and I thought I felt his lips on my hair...but that could've been the wind. We stood there for a moment before I realized I was shivering. Gee released me and looked at me with concern.

"Gwen, darling, forgive me. You must be cold." He removed his jacket and slipped it around my shoulders. "Come on, let's eat."

After dinner, we walked around the corner from the Acropolis to the beach. It was a full white moon and there was no one else on the sand. Gerard had his fingers laced with mine as we walked along the shore, listening to the Atlantic wash against the land.

"Gerard, I don't know what to say. This whole night has been...perfect. It's the best date I've ever been on," I said.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at me. "You really feel that way, Gwen?" His hazel eyes glowed in the moonlight and I felt my face getting hot again.

"I do," I murmured.

He looked down at the sand for a moment and then looked back up at me. "Then you don't wish to date anyone else?"

I shook my head silently. He tilted my chin with his hand and kissed me softly in reply. He smelled like wheat bread. (author's note: Gerard hugged me once and he truly does smell like really good wheat bread. I swear!) I soon found myself hungrily kissing him back and was surprised when he stopped and pulled away, seemingly embarassed.

"I'm sorry, it's very unlike me to take such liberties on a first date," he hastily remarked, running a hand through his dark hair. "Forgive me."

"Gee." He looked at me curiously. "It's okay. I liked it." He smiled and put his arm around me. We started walking again. "I don't want to go home tonight."

"You don't have to. We can stay out here." I was a bit surprised.

"All night?" I asked, puzzled.

"Yes. There's a nice little hideaway right about..." he searched around in the dunes until he saw a hint of driftwood, "...here!" He took my hand and let me to the dune to see a lovely little doorway made of driftwood leading underground.

"This is too cool! Who built this?" I asked. It was a little room with a futon, a table, and three foldout chairs in it. I wondered how the sand stayed out.

"I don't know...but I am very glad that it's here," he responded. He folded out the futon and gestured for me to lay down. "I'll sleep on the floor; I don't mind."

"No, no, there's room for us both! Don't worry." He hesitated, and then crawled up onto the futon next to me. He touched my cheek gently and smiled.

"Goodnight, Guinevere."

I kissed him briefly on the lips before rolling over. "Goodnight, Gerard."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Cinq

The sound of seagulls crying overhead woke me up. I blinked slowly and tried to get my bearings... this didn't look like my apartment. Then the memory of last night came flooding back to me and I realized that I was in the beach house. I looked down and saw an arm draped across my waist. Gerard was sleeping peacefully next to me, still in his tux. My dress was somewhat crumpled; it wasn't really made for sleeping in.

"I wonder what time it is?" I thought to myself. My purse was sitting on the floor next to the futon, so I dug through it and found my cellphone. The screen glowingly announced that it was 9:45 AM.

"Bry must be worried to death!" I realized. As if the cellphone had read my mind, it started ringing. Gerard stirred in his sleep and I quickly answered the phone.

"Gwenny? Where ARE you?" Bry asked. I climbed up the stairs as quietly as I could and stood outside on the beach.

"I'm at the beach...I'm really sorry, I would've called, but I just woke up," I explained.

"Are you alone?" I blushed somewhat even though I knew I was innocent.

"No, but it's not what it sounds like..." I mumbled.

"As in you didn't sleep with him? Well, that's nice to know," she sardonically replied. "Look, I forgive you. Just get back here as soon as you can. I wanna know all the details." Typical Bryanna. Her roommate disappears all night and she's more curious than angry.

"Fine. It's just...I really don't wanna wake Gee up. He looks so cute when he's asleep."

Her voice softened as she said, "Yeah, well, doesn't everyone?"

"Yeah, I guess. I'll be there by 10:30...you know the traffic."

"Okay. See ya, Gwenny."

"Bye, Bry." I hung up the phone and made my way back into the house. Gerard was sitting up on the futon, yawning and half-conscious. His hair was sticking up at all angles and he looked more like a little boy than his usual elegant self. He smiled sleepily at me as I came through the door.

"Good morning, Guinevere."

"Good morning, Gerard. You're looking lovely this morning." He looked down at his wrinkled shirt with amusement.

"Likewise. Though the untamed curls rather suit you, I must say." I flushed slightly. "I'm sorry I've kept you out so late; your roommate must be expecting you." I admitted she was and we walked back down the beach to the Acropolis. His car was waiting there where we had left it last night.

"Well, here we are!" I said brightly when we pulled up to my apartment. He opened my door for me and I stepped out onto the sidewalk. "Thank you...for everything," I said shyly.

"It was my pleasure, Gwen dear," he replied. He led me up the stairs and kissed me at the door. "I look forward to seeing you again."

"Mmm, and I you," I giggled. "Goodbye!"

"Goodbye, Guinevere." I walked into the apartment and was immediately pounced upon by a blur of blue and white.

"How was it???" the blur inquired.

"Very nice. We went to the Acropolis-" I ignored her gasps here-"and then we took a stroll on the beach and happened to stay there."

"Outside?" Bry asked in puzzlement.

"No, there's this underground shelter over there. Pretty neat, really."

"Yeah, it was...he's a great guy..." I trailed off. "Anyway, I need to go get changed, this dress has been through more than its maker intended."

"That's what you get for wearing a Bob Mackie," Bry smugly commented.

"This from the woman wearing a wifebeater, overalls, and panda ears atop her head."

"Eh, fack your mum," she responded, walking down the hall to her room. "I look awesome."

Over the next few weeks, Gee and I got closer and closer and spent more time together. Soon, the only place I went without him was work...ah, work. Things were a litle awkward between Mikey and me, to say the least.

I can't stand it. The way she's always daydreaming about him. The way that she won't talk to me about anything less than casual. The way that I can't touch her. The way she smells like him all the time...it's driving me crazy.

Maybe, if she would act like nothing's changed, it would be okay. But for now...it really sucks. The only thing good about it is that she's happy...that should be all I need, right? If I love her so much, I should WANT this Gerard guy to sweep her off her feet. But I can't be happy for her. There's a weird thing about him, something I can't figure out...I don't trust him.

"Gwenny, could I speak with you?" I said in a low voice. We were on our lunch break, eating samiches outside the shop (yes, i said samiches, I have since i was little, ok?).

"Sure, Mikey, what's up?" she answered uncertainly.

"I don't like Gerard," I blurted. "He's...I don't know. I don't get good feelings about him."

A frown played on her pretty mouth. "Mikey. You promised that you weren't going to be jealous."

"I'm not! This isn't about us!" I shouted. "It's about him! He's not good for you."

Her green eyes went hard and steely. "I think I'm old enough to decide what's good for me, Mikey." She turned around and walked back into the shop, leaving me looking at my samich in despair. Do I have to screw up everything???

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Six

"So, I was thinking," I said to Gerard one night. We were at his apartment, an elegant top-floor studio a few miles from mine. It was furnished in black leather with red accents, his sketches and paintings on all the walls. When he'd finally let me come over, I was awestruck at how beautiful it was...and how pricey it looked. Gerard always had so much money, but he never seemed to work...he said that he sold his artwork to make all that, but that couldn't be possible. I realized that maybe there was a lot I didn't know about my boyfriend.

"He's not good for you, Gwenny," Mikey's voice echoed in my head. But I shook it off. What did Mikey know? He was some kid that grew up in Jersey, had never even left New England, and now he was working in a little bookstore. Gerard, on the other hand, was worldly, suave, sophisticated...he was the complete package.

"Yes, darling?" he said, not turning from his sketch. He was drawing a woman who I couldn't see very well. Now and then I would catch a glimpse of her long hair or the lace on her skirt, just enough to make me want to see it.

"We've been dating for almost six months now and we haven't-" I blushed as I tried to find a delicate way to put it- "been together yet..."

Gerard stopped drawing and turned around with a serious expression. "No," he said slowly. "We haven't. What of it?"

I sighed deeply. "Well, I was trying to say that we- if you wanted to, of course-it would be okay with me," I floundered. Gerard put down his charcoal pencil and smiled at me.

"Gwenny...that is so sweet," he said, striding over to the couch and sitting next to me. "And I'm sorry if I've given you the wrong impression by not broaching the subject."

How does he always know what I'm thinking? I thought to myself.

"I just didn't want to make you uncomfortable or seem as if I was attracted to you for...the wrong reasons," he assured me. He stroked the side of my face delicately. "But I do want to. If you do."

"Well, I'm glad we're in agreement," I responded with relief. Gee kissed my forehead and stood.

"I'm glad, too. I have something I want to show you-it's not done yet, but I wanted to get your input on it," he said. He took his sketchpad from the easel and placed it in my lap.

"Gee! This is beautiful!" I gasped. It was a picture of me in the dress I wore to our 3-month anniversary dinner. I had had my hair up in a net of snow-white pearls and a white dress with cascades of lace for a skirt.

"So far, I've only drawn you, but the rest of it promises to be almost as lovely," he replied with warmth. "Do you like it?"

"Of course!" I exclaimed, kissing him hard on the lips. "I like everything you do." The cozy fire in his hazel eyes dimmed for a moment. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he said, trying to fake a smile. "You're just too good to me, that's all."

"No, no, you're too good to me," I protested.

He picked me up easily in his arms, bridal-style. "Do I sense a competition beginning?" he teased.

"May-be," I liltingly answered. "There's only one way to settle it." I cast a glance at the four-poster bed with its red velvet blankets and black sheets. "Are you up for it?"

He laid me gently down on the blankets before sitting on the bed next to me. "I'm sure I can handle whatever you throw at me, Gwen dear."

Gerard kissed me softly on the lips, taking baby nibbles at first and then pressing harder and harder against my mouth. I responded with enthusiasm, running my hands over his shoulders to feel the muscles in them. He put his hands in the small of my back, holding me gently as he kissed my face, my neck, my collarbones. I sighed happily, kissing the side of his neck up to his ear. "Let's get rid of this," I purred, unbuttoning his tight black shirt and throwing it to the side. Gee laughed softly and reached down to pull my tank top off with slow reverence.

"Good idea", he whispered, kissing the tops of my breasts as lightly as a butterfly on a flower. I could barely stand it, just lying there as he electrified every nerve in my body. I undid his pants with something close to franticness, and he did the same to me, tossing them on top of his shirt that lay wantonly on the floor. My blood was on fire it seemed, but he disappointed me by putting off what I really wanted. He trailed his lips slowly down from between my breasts to my stomach, tracing little circles there like someone would a baby. I could barely breathe with anticipation and I let out a low cry of frustration.

He immediately leaned forward and said something in my ear. It sounded like, "Now you're mine, mine forever..." but I was too enraptured to think about what he meant. I rose up to meet him and lost myself in passionate abandon. It was like I had never been whole until this moment, I had never known how good anything could feel. I heard his voice floating down to me from what seemed like a great height.

"Guinevere, I love you," he breathed heavily. I tried not to scratch his back, but I knew I had to be doing so.

"I love you too, Gee, just dont talk right now, okay?" I gasped, twisting the sheets with one hand so forcefully that I was afraid I may rip them.

"But I need to tell you something, Gwen. There's a lot you dont know-" I inhaled sharply in pleasure and he let out a small sigh. "I suppose it can wait."

We lay together afterward, panting and coughing slightly. "Gwenny, we need to talk."

I looked at his beautiful white face, shimmering with sweat. His hazel eyes lit the desire inside me again and I moved closer to him, saying, "Mm, later, not now."

He gripped me by the shoulders gently but firmly. "No, Gwen, you dont understand. We have to break up." My hazy reality came crashing down on my head. I propped myself up on one elbow to get a better look at him.

"What?" I couldnt believe my ears.

"We have to break up, Guinevere. We're in too deep and Im afraid that-" I interrupted him, enraged.

"You JUST made love to me, Gerard. You JUST told me you loved me, in more ways than one, and you are saying that you want to leave me?" I shouted.

"No, no, Gwenny, I don't want to, you don't understand what's at stake," he protested, grabbing my wrist in desperation. "It's because I love you that we can't stay together anymore."

"Oh, right," I said sarcastically. "What, so I don't get hurt or something? Is that why?"

His face looked relieved. "Yes, exactly! You understand!"

"All I understand is that you're telling me what everyone else has! That they dont want to hurt me! You think it doesnt hurt me to break up with me in bed, Gerard?!?!?" I wrapped the sheet around my body and stalked out of the bedroom. "I'm leaving." I gathered up my clothes and threw them on carelessly, as quick as I could. The doorbell rang outside in the hall. "Looks like someone else wants to be here, Gee. Not me, though," I called with mock cheerfulness.

"No!" he yelled, racing down the hall after me, blanket wrapped around him. "Don't open that door!" I laughed bitterly.

"What, am I supposed to go out the window?" I strode to the door and twisted the doorknob with vigor. "I don't think so, Gerard." When I pulled the door open, I saw who was standing there...and screamed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Sept

I screamed...but nothing came out of my mouth. The thing at the door chuckled hideously. "What, did you think-I was going to let you alert everyone? No, no, Guinevere, that wouldn't do." All the blood drained out of my face and I stared at it with my mouth open. It knows my name.

Gerard came skidding across the floor as fast as he could, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "Don't hurt her. Please don't hurt her," he pled.

The thing laughed even harder. "Gerard, you know better than that. Like I would hurt this delicate creature." It nodded at Gee in approval. "Excellent choice, by the way. Almost as lovely as your mother."

Gerard gritted his teeth as he said the last thing I ever would have expected. "She was worlds above you, Father."

"THAT's your dad?" I screamed, whirling around to face Gee.

"I do have a name, you know," the thing said, extending one red hand forward in greeting. "It's Lucifer, or if you would prefer, you can call me Dad."

"Never!" I spat at it defiantly. Turning back to Gerard, I asked, "If your dad is Satan, then what are you, Gerard? What have I been sleeping with?" I felt so unclean, so invaded now, when a mere 30 minutes ago, I had felt wonderful.

"I'm a demon, Gwen," Gerard said, looking sadly at the floor. "Well, half of one, anyway. My mother wasn't like...him."

Lucifer smiled evilly, baring his white fangs. "Indeed she wasn't. Lucky you get your looks from her, eh son?"

Gerard didn't answer his question. "Why are you here?" he asked.

Lucifer narrowed his black eyes menacingly. "I think you know why. Don't try to act like you're innocent here, Gerard. You knew the moment you saw her that you would have her. And you knew the consequences."

He tried to warn me, I realized. He had tried to tell me before and I wouldn't listen. I got so lost in my thoughts that I didn't realize they were still arguing until Satan took hold of my arm.

"Don't you even dare touch me!" I hissed, trying to pull my arm away. But he held me in his iron grip.

"Sorry, daughter dearest, but you have a wedding to attend." He took Gerard by the other arm. "Your own."

"I never said I would marry him!" I protested, ignorng the hurt in his hazel eyes. He would've married me, I knew it, but I didn't care right then. "You can't make me!"

"I'm not making you. He is. The moment that the two of you consummated your love, he had your soul for eternity. A simple rule of immortal living. But I forgot- you don't believe in heaven or hell, do you, Gwen?"

Now you're mine, forever... That was what he had meant. I felt sick with realization. "Gerard...you betrayed me."

He couldn't even look at me. "I'm sorry, Guinevere. I'm so sorry."

Satan sighed. "Well, this is a nice little soap opera, but we have places to be, so come along, children." I was beyond arguing at this point, so I let him lead us down the stairs, and into Gerard's car.

"I thought you might like to know, Gwen, that the entrance to the underworld is in the New York subway system, below the Museum of Modern Art. How many times have you been there and never noticed?" Satan informed me casually.

I stared out the window of the car, watching the rain drops drip from the top to the bottom. I sat as far from Gerard as I could. He tried to put his hand over mine once, but I pulled away and he gave up. I would never forgive him for this.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Huit

We wound our way silently through the underground crowds of New Yorkers until we reached a quiet corridor off to the side of one station. Lucifer had a black fedora pulled low on his head and wore a black trenchcoat to avoid attention, but they were no longer necessary. He searched the side of the concrete wall until he found a small crack near the floor.

"Ah, here we are." He stroked the crack with one finger and it glowed red hot. The crack shot up the wall and widened, leaving a gaping crevice in the wall. Beyond it, there was the faint sound of running water. I couldn't determine the source of it until I followed Gerard and Lucifer through the wall. There was a blue-green river flowing past us into the darkness ahead.

"Is it the sewer?" I asked, repelled. Satan laughed.

"Of course not, my child! This is the River Styx. If I'm not mistaken, you're a lit major, so I needn't warn you not to try anything." My heart sank as I realized the truth of his words. If I so much as touched it, I would lose my mind. It seemed that there was no way out...but Satan had reminded me of something else. I was a lit major and I knew something of Dante and the Greek myths. The gears in my mind began to turn...perhaps I was not so unprepared for this after all.

"Charon is late," I muttered to myself. Lucifer smiled approvingly.

"Indeed he is, clever girl. You'll fit in well with us." An old man with a gray beard came rowing down the river, halting in front of us. He stood in his boat and bowed, nearly tipping over.

"Why, good day, Dark Lord Sir!" He nodded towards Gerard. "Good day to you as well, Young Lord."

"Charon, you old fool, I should dip you in the Styx! Why are you late?" Satan growled.

"Well, a bunch of Ozzfest kids died of heat exhaustion recently and there was some trouble with their finances, so-"

"Never mind, never mind, I don't want to hear it," Lucifer sighed. He stepped into the boat and sat down. "All aboard." Gerard tried to help me into the boat, but I pushed him away and sat down on my own. He climbed in after me and we began to row down the river through the dark tunnel.

"Your new home is only twenty minutes away, lady, don't look so glum!" Charon trilled, mistaking my melancholy expression for boredom. Twenty minutes...better that it were twenty years. The three of his sat in silence as the old ferryman chattered about various landmarks along the way. Finally, we reached a grand gate with three dog heads carved upon it in onyx. Their fangs were bared and their eyes were wild, making me shudder as I looked upon them.

"If those bother you, Gwenny, you should see the real thing," Lucifer whispered to me.

Oh, spiffy. I didn't like dogs anyway...now I have a mutant one.

"You do know that I can hear whatever you think, right?" Satan nonchalantly commented. I gaped at him with disbelief.

"Can-" I couldn't bring myself to say Gerard's name -"your son do so as well?"

Lucifer looked at Gerard with slight distaste. "No. He's not quite as talented as me."

I avoided Gee's gaze. "Good," I replied with gritted teeth.

"Well, here we are! Hades!" Charon cheerfully exclaimed. I gasped in spite of myself. It was incredibly beautiful, like Venice gone to seed. The Styx ran through it in canals, once-opulent homes lining the streets. I saw no one, but I felt eyes watching me from the balconies of the townhouses. It was ice cold and snow lay all around, occasionally falling off a rooftop onto the narrow streets. I shivered and Gerard gave me a sideways glance. I was immediately warmer, but I didn't thank him. His devil's arts are nothing to be grateful for,I told myself.

"Do you feel them watching you?" Satan asked. "Those are the souls of the dead. The wicked, cruel dead. Their punishments are tailored to fit their crimes...we feel that individual attention is the best policy." He sounded as if he was a spa manager pitching beauty treatments and it made me sick to my stomach.

We made our way through the maze of canals and suddenly, the townhouses were gone. Instead, we were surrounded by a snowy woodland, crystallized leaves on every bough. I heard a female voice singing sadly in the distance like a bell.

"How beautiful!" I cried, almost forgetting that I was in Hell. "What is this place?"

"Suicide Park. The singing girl is Lenore. She's been here for some time," Lucifer explained. "She has a lovely voice, as you know, but you may find her company somewhat depressing."

"Why?" I asked.

"Suicide Park is, as the title implies, the final resting place of those who have done away with themselves. Lenore, like most suicides, is somewhat sad. The gunshot wound through her forehead is also a little distracting. Try not to look at her if you can avoid it."

"How sad! Does everyone have those wounds?" I was fascinated as much as disgusted.

"No, just the suicides. Everyone else was automatically healed," Satan answered.

"That's strange. Is there a reason?"

A quiet voice from the other side of the boat responded. "They don't know they're dead." Gerard looked down at his feet with an angry look on his face. "They think they're in some sort of nightmare, but they can't wake up." He choked on his words. "It's the worst place in Hell to be."

"Gee?" I whispered. I'd never seen him like this. "What's wrong?"

Gerard looked me in the eyes with new intensity. "My mother lives in Suicide Park." From the snowy depths of the woods, someone screamed. "She's insane."

"Yes, well, it is a shame," Satan casually replied, as if he was talking about some stranger instead of his wife.

"A shame that rests squarely on you," Gerard hissed at him.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at him. "If she has enough foolishness to kill herself when she knew where she would go, then that's her fault."

"WELL then," Charon said loudly, interrupting our conversation, "here's the palace!" It was a grand mansion, entirely built from black bricks. A spindly tower rose from each side of the building, like a mockery of a Victorian house. It was a gothic confection worthy of Jack Skellington and not unlike his house. Its windows were made of grey stained glass and were warped and twisted. In the center of the house's face was a huge window that spanned two floors, providing a view of Suicide Park. Evil pulsed from it like an aroma, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from it.

"You'll be married in the grand hall in three days," Lucifer ordered. "In the meantime, feel free to explore. Just don't get hurt-you're still human, after all."

"Nothing can hurt me, can it?" I anxiously questioned.

"Not if you have Gerard with you," Satan cheerfully replied. "So I suggest that you begin to treat him better than you've been doing." Great. Just great. The man that I hate more than anyone-except maybe his dad-is my escort."I wouldn't say that out loud, Gwen. You might hurt his feelings."

"As if you cared," I mumbled under my breath.

"And you do?" he said to me. "You're the most heartless fiancee I've ever met." I felt a stab of guilt with this comment-it was true. Gerard abruptly climbed out of the boat and stalked off into the house, leaving his father and I to glare at each other.

"I'll see you in three days," I spat at him, running into the house after Gerard.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Neuf

"Ger!" I called, shoving the black-and-red wooden doors aside. I caught a glimpse of him as he ran up a staircase on the left side of the foyer. "Ger, please!" I took the steps two at a time to keep up, skimming my hand lightly along the iron curlicued balustrades. He climbed all the way to the top of the tower, and abruptly stopped before an archway there. He bowed his head and seemed to be muttering something under his breath.

"Gerard!" I pleaded, spinning him around by his shoulders. "What's going on with you?"

He looked at me searchingly. "Do you know whose room this was?"

"No, how could I?" I was nonplussed. "I've never been in Hell before."

"It was my mother Rachel's. He kept her locked up here, imprisoned, for seven years." My eyes widened in horror.

"Gerard...I didn't know. I'm sorry." And I meant it; I was so sorry that I forgot, for the moment, that I hated him. "What happened then?"

"She slit her wrists...well, her hands. All she had was an ax and that was less than delicate. I was ten. I found her." Tears welled up in his eyes, but he kept going. "She was the only person that ever loved me and now she's a ghost." He sniffed as quietly as he could manage. "She doesn't even recognize me sometimes."

"Oh, Gee," I whispered. Without thinking, I put my arms around him and laid my head on his shoulder. "That's awful." He didn't embrace me in return, just pulled away and looked at me again.

"I know you hate me, but can you understand where I was coming from? Can you understand why I'm like this? Can you forgive me for my betrayal?" Those were some hard questions, but I knew the answer.

"Yes. To all three, yes. And I don't hate you," I quietly responded. Amazingly, I didn't. Since when was I so understanding and gracious? Was the cold going to my head?

"I swear to you, Guinevere, that I will protect you as long as I live-which is ostensibly forever-and that I will never imprison you the way my father did to Mom," he said passionately. "I don't expect your love anymore, as much as I long for it. But I still love you and I want us to stay together."

I thought about it for a moment. Choosing my words carefully, I replied, "I regret that I cannot bring myself to love you any longer, but I accept your friendship and offer the same, if you will take it."

"I will." He hugged me gently. "Someday, this will all be different," he whispered to me. "When I take over Hades, I will change everything for us."

"What about the lost souls?" I wondered out loud.

"I can do nothing for them. They put themselves here by their own deeds and none of mine can lessen their punishment." He released me and we began to descend the staircase, hand in hand. "Do you want to meet my mother?"

I swallowed hard. "If she is important to you, then yes. I do." My voice shook slightly. "But I am frightened."

"Don't be. She cannot harm you if I am with you. Nor can anyone else. And once we are wed, only you can harm yourself." His unspoken words hung on the air. But I hope that you will not.

We strolled together down the path that led through Suicide Park, pausing to admire the flowers growing along its grey stones.

"These black irises are lovely! How can they grow in this snow?" I asked. Gerard smiled.

"They're ordered to. Anything that you want to grow here will grow." He knelt down in front of the irises and stroked the petal of one. It shot up three inches above all the others in the few seconds Gee touched it. I gasped in wonder.

"How do you do that?"

"It's simple. You just wish for something and it comes true. But," he warned, "it has to be something material. Not anything like resurrections or revenge or messing with people's heads. That doesn't work." He gestured at the frosty ground. "Go on, try it." I closed my eyes for a moment, with one single picture in my mind. I reached down and touched the snow. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, a small rose began to push through the snow and bloomed a pale icy blue. Gerard applauded.

"Excellent! You're one of four people that could ever do it," he praised me. I blushed and thanked him as we continued our stroll. In the not-too-distant distance, a man sat with an acoustic guitar under a tree, strumming quietly to himself and singing. He stopped and looked up at us with a smile.

"Hi! Who are you?" he asked curiously. His messy blonde hair fell in his bright eyes as he looked at us.

"I'm Gerard, and this is my fiancee, Guinevere," Gerard introduced us. He looked over at me with concern in his eyes. "Gwen, what's wrong?"

I cried gently as I knelt down to hug the man with the guitar. "I know him already." I had seen his picture immortalized on T-shirts and posters at every tourist trap in New York. The only difference was the bullet hole in his handsome face. "Hi, Kurt."

He hugged me back with confusion. "How do you know my name?"

"I like your music. Could you play me something?"

He shrugged, apparently accepting that explanation. "Okay!" He plucked out a chord progression that I knew by heart; A-F-D, A-F-D. I sang along quietly with him. She eyes me like a Pisces when I am weak/I've been locked inside your heart-shaped box for weeks.

"You know the words!" he exclaimed happily. "You're pretty cool." He frowned slightly. "Then again, so is everything here." I gave him my coat and kissed his cheek. "Oh, thanks, Guinevere."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart," I replied. I squeezed Gee's hand as I stood up. "We'll come see you again soon, okay?"

"Okay. Nice meeting you two!"

"The same to you!" he called after us, beginning to strum his guitar again. We walked deeper into the woods along the path as I hummed 'Heart-Shaped Box.'

"I wonder if he knows how many people miss him?" I mused.

"No...he doesn't know anything about the living world. None of the dead do in Hell," Gerard explained.

"What about Heaven?" I asked.

He sighed wistfully. "I don't know. I was taken from there when my mother had my baby brother. I've never met him. He probably wouldn't want to meet me, being an angel and all."

"Your parents were angels?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah, before my dad decided to rebel and take his buddies with him. My mother, bless her, wanted to stay in Heaven. But Lucifer kidnapped us both and left my newborn brother there. Said that he was a goody-goody and would never amount to anything demonic."

"Like that's a bad thing," I snorted. Gee ruefully laughed.

"Yeah, I know. But what choice do I have, you know? I grew up in Hell, it's the only place I belong now." He fell silent as we neared a dark grove of pine trees near the center of the Park. "My mother lives here. Hopefully, she's having a good day." A piercing scream echoed through the woods. "I guess not." I shivered slightly and he tightened his grip on my hand in reply as we stepped through the trees into the clearing where Rachel lived...well, dwelt. I guess an insane dead angel can't be said to be 'living'.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Dix

We stepped through the barrier of evergreens, the snow crunching under our feet. A woman lay in the snow in front of us, her arms buried under mounds of powdery white. Her black hair streamed over her face as she wept, her fair white back displayed in her crushed velvet gown. It flowed around her like rich Cabernet wine, like someone had spilled her there.

"Mother? It's Gee," Gerard said softly, taking a step closer to her.

The woman stopped crying and sat up. "That sounds familiar." She threw her head back, sending her hair behind her to display beautiful hazel eyes, a mirror of Gerard's. Her face was shaped like his and the same mouth uttered, "Have I seen you before?"

He smiled at her. "Yes, Mom, we've met." She cocked her head at him and then beamed widely in recognition. She stood, snow falling off her arms. I stifled a gasp of horror as she walked toward us.

"Gee darling!" she exclaimed, hugging Gerard with bloody stumps of ivory. "It's lovely to see you! How've you been?"

He patted her back like a child. "As well as usual. How've you been?"

"Cold," she laughed gaily. She turned her pretty eyes on me and smiled. "Is this a friend of yours, Gerard?"

"My fiancee, actually. Guinevere, this is my mom, Rachel." I forced a smile and brace myself as I hugged her gently .

"It's wonderful to meet you, Rachel," I said. She returned my hug warmly and stepped back to look at the two of us.

"It's about time you brought home a young lady, Gerard," she mock-chastised. "I was beginning to think I would never have grandchildren." She gestured with the ragged ends of her wrists. "But I forget myself. Would you like to stay for tea? I've got a pot on the stove."

There was nothing in the grove but us and the trees. "Of course, Mom," Gerard replied politely. "You make excellent tea."

"Oh, you're just flattering me," she purred, pretending to pour us cups of tea. "This is a bit harder than it used to be."p>

"I imagine that it would be without ha-" I began, but Gerard shot me a look. "Without having younger joints," I finished clumsily.

"Yes, well, arthritis does set in when you have such old fingers as mine," she calmly replied. Gerard breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Rachel sat in the snow with us, pretending to drink her tea. She raised her 'cup' to her mouth and suddenly did a double take. "I have no hands!" she gasped. Gerard stood in alarm.

"Of course you do, Mother, you're just seeing things. Perhaps you need to go back to the eye doctor," he hastily suggested. But Rachel let out a wild cry of anguish nonetheless.

"What the hell are you talking about?!? My hands are gone!" She shook her forearms before our eyes, sending drops of blood flying into the snow. "Are you blind or something?"

"Oh, Mom," Gee sadly whispered.

Rachel got to her feet clumsily, eyes ablaze. "What do you mean, 'Mom'?!? Who are you? Why are you here?" She hurled her pretend tea cup at him. "Get out of my house!" She glared at me with venom in her lovely face. "And you too, whoever you are!" She continued to throw imaginary tea cups at us as we left, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Gerard and I walked hurriedly home, not saying a word the whole time. I thought I heard him swallow hard a couple of times, but decided not to ask about it. We reached the house and went up the other set of stairs, to the right top tower. Two rooms were at the top, both with carved archways above them. Gerard looked at me for the first time in several minutes.

"I guess you're wondering why I go to see Rachel," he said quietly.

"No. It's because you love her. I can see that much." I wrapped my arms around him, feeling his muscles against me as he pulled me closer. "She loves you, too. When she remembers to."

Gerard kissed the top of my head and stroked my hair gently. "I guess that's true." We stood there in silence for a little while. "Can I ask you something?"

"You know you can; you're my best friend." I thought briefly of Bry when I said this, and a pang of sadness accompanied the thought. But I brushed it off.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" He blushed as he realized what that sounded like. "I don't mean like, sex or anything, just...I don't want to be alone. That's all."

I laughed and kissed his cheek affectionately. "Of course, Ger. I know what you meant. I may as well get used to it anyway, since we're gonna be married soon."

"You can have your own room, Gwen, you don't need to stay with me," Gerard mumbled with embarassment, looking down at the polished black floor.

"Gee." He looked up at me questioningly. "I've seen you naked before; what are pajamas compared to that? It's no big deal."

Gerard broke into laughter as he realized the truth of it. "True, true. That's a good point."

"Well, I have those a lot. You should listen to me," I admonished teasingly.

"When have I not, Gwenny?" he replied lightly.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapitre Onze*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I woke up the next morning, and the one after that, warm and comfortable in Gerard's arms. He slept with a smile on his face, his arm thrown across my waist casually, and I smiled to myself. I don't think he'd ever been so happy in his life.

Me, on the other hand...living in Hell was better than I had thought, but definitely not the way I wanted to go. I missed work, I missed home, I missed Bry and Mikey...especially Mikey. I almost felt guilty for thinking about him when I was soon to be married, but I couldn't help myself. What was he doing now? Was he seeing someone else? Were he and Bryanna looking for me? I had been missing for a few days now, but time moved differently here. For all I knew, it was a few weeks that I had been gone.

Soon enough, it was the morning of our wedding. There was a package waiting when I opened the door, a note on it in Lucifer's elegant script. Wear this today. I have a feeling that it will suit you. I turned to Gee in disgust.

"I would rather not wear something that your father sent me."

"Well, I know, but he does have good taste. Look at it, at least." I opened the box and pulled out a very familiar dress. It was the same that I was wearing in Gerard's drawing, down to each cascade of lace...except it was black instead of white. A black hairnet of pearls accompanied it, twinkling seductively in the morning light.

"Good lord! What's with all the gothicness!" I exclaimed with exasperation. Gerard frowned at me.

"Hey now! I'm gothic; are you disparaging me?" he grumbled. He looked so cute when he was annoyed. I laughed and threw my arms around him.

"Of course not, Gee dear. I'm just saying it's not my thing," I explained. He looked down at me with a somewhat satisfied expression.

"Well, alright. After today, you don't have to wear black ever again if you don't want to." He rolled his eyes as he turned to the closet, looking for his tux. "Though I don't know WHY you wouldn't want to."

The grand hall on the second and third floors was decorated with black and red lace and lights everywhere, a long red carpet down the aisle, and ebony polished benches in place of pews. An assortment of demons sat on the benches, leering at me as I walked down the aisle alone. I shivered inwardly, but tried to smile at them through black lips. Lucifer's instructions had extended even to my cosmetics. Blushing bride, think blushing bride.

Gerard took my hand gently when I reached the altar as if to say that he understood. He hated his father's friends, all traitors and scoundrels, their black wings sticking out between the visible bones of their backs. Their skinless faces were all too expressive, but none so much as Lucifer when he stood behind the podium. He was dressed as a priest and carried a book that looked like a Bible, but most definitely wasn't. I forced myself to recite the twisted vows that bound me to this serpent's son against my will, praying silently to myself the whole time. I expected Satan to invade my mind and punish me at any moment, but I think he was too busy enjoying the ceremony. I snapped to attention again with the words, 'You may kiss the bride.' Gerard leaned forward and brushed my lips with his as lightly as he could. I stood motionless as he did so, trying to prevent a smile from creeping across my face. Lucifer could do as he wished, but he could not make me love his son. We were winning with his rules and it infuriated him.

After the ceremony, there was no reception, merely a family dinner. Satan sat at the head of the table, Gerard and I sat next to each other at the opposite end. He frowned at us and said, "So. I suppose the two of you are pleased."

"Why should we not be, Father?" Gerard replied sweetly. "This is a most joyous day, is it not?"

"I've seen you kiss dogs with more passion than that, Gerard. I thought you loved Guinevere?"

"Why, of course he does, Lucifer," I gushed. "We just didn't want to be too effusive in public; it would seem vulgar."

Satan slammed his fist on the table. "IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE VULGAR!" he roared. "WE ARE COMMITING AN OFFENSE AGAINST GOD!"

"Personally, I think you are far too concerned with revenge, Father," Gee nonchalantly commented. "You have a lovely kingdom here-why envy what he has above us?" Satan bared his fangs in anger and was about to retort when he apparently thought better of it.

"Perhaps you are right, son," he said kindly, doing a complete 180 from a moment ago. "I should be pleased. I am pleased. Bring us some wine, wench!" he snapped to a serving demon. She flitted out of the dining room in a hurry and reappeared a second later with a bottle of red wine. Satan filled his glass to the brim and then our own, lifting his in a toast. "To the beginning of a long and fruitful marriage!" We echoed him and clinked our glasses before draining them.

"This is delicious!" I exclaimed. "May I have some more?" Lucifer beamed.

"Why certainly, Lady Gwen. Have as much as you like." And I did. By glass 4, Gee and I were both laughing and teetering in our chairs.

"I say, Lucifer sir, this wine nearly matches the color of your skin!" I chortled drunkenly.

"A friend of mine had synthesia-said it was the color of a 6," he replied. "Speaking of numbers, though, isn't it time for the two of you to go off to bed?"

"Oh, you're right, Dad!" Gee giggled. He stood up unsteadily and put his arm around me. "Best be off, eh, Gwenny?"

"Definitely!" I shouted, stumbling out of the dining room. Lucifer was beside us in a flash.

"Oh dear, in the state the two of you are in, you may fall down the stairs!" he warned us. "I should help you kids up." He did so, leaving us at the top of the tower together. "Goodnight!" he called. Gee and I continued to laugh at nothing as we made our way into his room, collapsing on the bed.

"Oh, it's dreadfully hot in here!" I complained.

Gee leaned over to help me unhook the back of my dress. "Indeed it is!" He pulled off his jacket clumsily, tossing it aside on a chair. "Much better." He looked at me strangely, his hazel eyes gleaming.

"Gee," I giggled weakly, "why are you looking at me like that?" Gerard didn't answer, but pulled me up and off the bed, kissing me on the lips.I kissed him back eagerly, almost impatiently.

"Mmm, it's about time we did this again," he muttered, kissing my neck as he pulled my bra over my head. We fell onto the bed and let drunken lust take completely over. Little did we know what the consequences would be.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapitre Deuze*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Have you ever woken up with a feeling that the night before had gone horribly wrong? Sometimes, it's just a nightmare or false intuition. But when I woke up the next morning, I knew it was none of those things.

First of all, I was not wearing anything. Second of all, Gee was nowhere to be found. A little voice in the back of my head was saying things I didn't want to hear, so I pushed it away and tried to come up with other explanations. He's playing a joke on me...he went to the kitchen to fix up some hangover helper...he was so drunk that he fell asleep somewhere else... Armed with my rationalizations, I wrapped a sheet around myself, secured it with a brooch, and went downstairs to our private kitchen. It wasn't so well staffed as Satan's, but the food was better, so we always ate there. Gerard was sitting at the small oak table drinking a cup of coffee. Putting a hopeful smile on my face, I sat down next to him.

"Good morning, Ger," I chirped.

He looked up at me questioningly. "Good morning?" he haltingly repeated. "Do you realize what happened last night?"

My uncertain smile turned into a very certain frown. "Do I want to remember?"

He took another sip of the coffee. "My father is a very determined being. If he wants something, he will get it. Even if he has to sacrifice part of himself for it." He looked glumly at the table. "He has nearly killed himself trying to do what he's done to us. I wish he had."

"Darling, I'm afraid I don't understand. We didn't...?" I couldn't ask.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I took advantage of you and it's all my fault," he apologized.

"No, don't blame yourself! You were drunk, too! You didn't know any better..." I fervently prayed that he would agree with me, but he ignored this comment.

"If it was just our friendship at stake, this wouldn't be such an obstacle," he said. "But I think that our little romp is going to have some big consequences."

"Last time I had sex with you, I went to Hell. What worse place is there?" I joked halfheartedly.

"You're pregnant, Guinevere. I can sense it in you now," he softly said. "My father made sure of that when he mixed your drink."

A river of emotions flowed through me. I was frightened for my future, angry at myself and Gerard, joyous over being a mother. I could no more pin down my feelings than pin down jello.

"Aren't you going to say someting, Gwenny?" Gerard begged. "I have to know how you feel about our baby."

Our baby. Those two words made my decision for me.

"Gee, you're my best friend in this world or any other. You're the sole person who loves me." I hugged him tightly. "I'm not upset about this. It should make us stronger, if anything."

Gerard looked at me stunned and then hugged me back. In my ear, he whispered, "You're so much braver than I am."

"No, I'm not. I'm so scared." Hot tears dripped from my nose to his shirt. "I'm scared to death."

"I know, baby, I know," he replied. "But look on the bright side. This has probably killed my dad."

I laughed. "Anyone else would be SAD that their dad is dying."

"Yeah, well, anyone else's dad isn't Satan."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapitre Treize*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Eight months passed with little change. My stomach grew, Lucifer's health faded, and Gerard grew more and more restless for one life to end and another to begin. One night at dinner, a demonic messenger came to us with the news we had long wished to hear.

"The Dark Lord has passed into dust and is no more. The ownership of Hell is now given to our Lord Gerard to manage as he sees fit."

"Lady Guinevere has co-ownership, too," Gerard interrupted. The page fought to keep a scowl of his face. None of the demons liked Gerard and they were even less fond of me. They considered me a 'peasant mortal'.

"If you so desire, My Lord," he tersely replied, casting a slightly disdainful look at me before continuing. "Also, Cassandra the seer has recently made a prophecy that I though may interest your highnesses." He looked down at the scroll in his hands and recited.

The page rolled up his scroll with a flourish. "Have a pleasant evening, Your Highnesses." He bowed and turned smartly on his heel, leaving the room.

"Insolent bastard," Gerard muttered. "I should kill him."

"He's nothing to worry about, darling," I casually remarked. "But the prophecy might be...who is this Cassandra?"

"She lives in Limbo as a consultant to confused spirits. She is a psychic and the wisest of all women." Gee frowned. "Any prophecy she makes is valid."

"Maybe it's about someone else," I suggested. "After all, neither of us are angels."

Gerard brooded. "Cassandra's prophecies are often metaphorical..." He interrupted himself and stood. "I shouldn't think about it right now. I have things to attend to."

"But you haven't even finished your dinner!" I exclaimed with dismay.

"Sorry, Gwenny," he replied, kissing me on the cheek. "I'll see you later." I watched him go off to his father's old office. What new challenges would come with this title, Prince of Darkness? Would I be left all alone as my husband conducted his satanic business? I surely hoped not.

I had been expecting our child to arrive in three weeks or so, but babies aren't always observant of schedules. I woke up at 3 AM in a cold sweat not long after Lucifer's death. Gerard sat up and blinked sleepily at me.

"Honey? What's wrong?"

"I think I'm going into labor," I anxiously replied. "I don't feel good at all."

"Okay, do you want me to get a midwife?" he asked concernedly.

"Those black-winged psychos? No, you can deliver it." He looked hesitant. "Can't you?"

"Well, I've never delivered a baby before..." he said, fidgeting nervously. I had a strong contraction and cried out in pain.

"Well, you're goddamn well gonna deliver this one!" I exclaimed, furious with agony.

Gerard meekly obeyed, squeezing my hand and gently prompting me to push. After what seemed like hours, he beamed up at me.

"I can see the head! One more push, Gwenny, just one!" I gathered all my strength and pushed as hard as I could. My baby cried faintly as Gerard picked it up and gasped.

"What, is it deformed?" I huffed.

"No, it's a-"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapitre Quatorze*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"It's a girl!" Gerard exclaimed. He wrapped her in a little white blanket and gently handed her to me. "She's so beautiful!" he whispered in awe. She was a beautiful baby, with snow white skin and a head of dark curls. I stroked her damp hair and she wiggled slightly, making sucking motions with her mouth.

"Aww, are you hungry?" I asked her. "How sweet." I put her to my breast and she fed happily as Gee and I watched her. "What should we name her, Gerard?"

He silently thought. "Karma."

"Karma? That's interesting."

"Yup. Karma Rain. That's her name," Gerard stated.

"I like it...it's weird, but it fits."

"I think so, too," Gee replied, sitting next to me on the bed. "She's a hungry girl, isn't she?"

"Yeah." Her little fingers wrapped around one of mine as she drank. I smiled at Gerard. "She's our daughter, Ger. What do you think of her?"

He cupped his hand around the back of her round little head in an affectionate gesture. "I think she's magnificent." He looked up at me ruefully. "Which is why I'm so frustrated that I have to leave the two of you for a little while."

"Where are you going?" I asked, dismayed.

"Out on business...I won't be long, though. I promise." He stood and kissed the top of my head, then the baby's. "Take care of her for me, okay?

"Of course, sweetheart." I responded tenderly. As much as I missed Gee when he was gone, I welcomed the chance to be alone with our girl. She finished eating and drifted off to sleep as I held her in my arms. Looking at her little wrinkled face, it was hard to believe that she would fulfill any sort of prophecy...this innocent baby would never be a danger to anyone. It was impossible...but then again, I said the same of Heaven and Hell.

The next few days I spent in bed nursing Karma. Her birth had left me somewhat drained and I hadn't felt well enough to walk around yet. Despite Gerard's apparently heavy workload, he always managed to bring me three meals a day, generally with a love note or a flower or a gem accompanying it (living underground, you tend to find a lot of gems). Karma was usually sleeping or eating, but when she wasn't, she was a sweet, quiet baby. I couldn't have asked for a better one...or a cuter one. As she grew to a week old, she became chubby and round. Her face changed and she looked more like Rachel and Gerard than ever. She was always looking for something to eat-always.

"Darling, I don't think that's edible," I admonished gently, pulling a white rose from her hands. She squeaked indignantly, but was soon distracted by something else.

"Are you going to Scarborough Fair?" a clear voice came from nearby. "Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme?

I sang softly in reply. "Remember me to one who lives there." The voice drew nearer.

"He was once a true love of mine," we finished together. Lenore stepped out of the trees daintily, smiling sadly at the both of us.

"Ah, milady Gwen, she 'tis a fair child," Lenore cooed in her Irish-accented voice. "She looks so like to my Rosalie."

"Thank you, Lenore, that is kind of you."

Lenore curtsied delicately. "No need to thank me, milady. But I would ask you; may I touch the young one?"

I hesitated. Lenore had lived here a long time and was not right in the head...could I trust her with Karma? Still holding my daughter in my arms, I nodded to Lenore.

Lenore stepped towards us and laid a cool white hand on Karma's head. "Ah, milady, I am sorry," she cried. "Your lovely girl has a sad future ahead." I pulled Karma closer to me and backed away from Lenore.

"What do you mean, Lenore?" I said sharply. Lenore just stood there with a tear rolling down her wan cheek.

"Ah, she is like my Rosalie, a dark one, to be sure. There is nothing you can do." Lenore sank to the ground, sobbing in anguish.

"Gah?" Karma asked me curiously. I shook my head and walked off with her.

"Lenore's just a drama queen, Karmy. Don't listen to her." But I was none too convinced myself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*Chapitre Quinze*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Looking back on that first year, that time when I was blissfully unaware of my husband's activities, I felt a combination of emotions. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have been so unobservant? I berated myself. But in a way, I had been glad that I didn't realize what was happening. Because if I had, I could never have been happy with him...Strange that I could be happy with the Devil himself, but I was comfortable and cared for, lulled into believing that everything had changed. Until one stormy night...how cliched it sounds...

I was downstairs in the grand hall, playing the grand piano as I often did during exceptionally bad snowstorms. Karma was asleep upstairs in her crib; I had no fear that she would wake, for she never had before. In the middle of "My Immortal", the doors burst open, bringing in a whirl of snowflakes and cruelly cold wind.

Not looking up or stopping my song, I said, "Gerard, darling, do shut the doors, please." There came no reply, and I turned from the keys to see no one standing there. I cautiously got up from my piano bench and walked to the doors, shutting them firmly. "Silly storms, they always-" Two strong arms gripped me from behind and I screamed.

"Gwenny! Don't scream, it's me!" Gerard said into my ear.

I sank down into a pew gasping for air. "Don't scare me like that!"

He gave no reply and I saw that his face was even paler than usual, his countenance grave. "Why didn't I see you earlier, Gee?"

He turned away and murmured, " I was hiding because I was ashamed."

"Dearest, what do you have to be ashamed of?" I asked gently.

Gerard slumped down into the pew next to me, his features drawn and hopeless. "I...I did something bad, Gwen," he replied weakly.

"What is it, Gerard?" Instead of answering, tears welled up in his eyes and he buried his face in my hair as I held him.

"There've been so many things," he sobbed, water rolling down his damp cheeks onto my neck. "So many horrible things and I promised you, I promised you..."

I stopped stroking his midnight-dark hair and took hold of his face in my hands. "Please tell me, sweetheart," I pleaded. "I can't stand to see you this way."

His hazel eyes glistened wetly as he stared at me, sniffling and trying to gain control over himself. "I killed someone. A woman. And her child." My mouth dropped open. "And I stole from another family and they were so poor already, and I've raped and lied and cheated and done unspeakable things."

"Gerard! You don't know what you're saying; you haven't done any of those things," I sharply remarked.

He began to cry again. "Oh, maybe not me. But I've led them all astray, made them do all that." He began to laugh almost hysterically. "The Devil made me do it!" he shrieked. I backed away and stood to gain a little more security.

"But you've always said they do those things on their own, Gee, that they were evil at heart and-"

"Evil at heart? Oh, no, they are not." He came closer to me and I unconsciously took another step back. "I see their hearts, as innocent as sheep! They wouldn't do half of these things without my prodding." Still giggling, he continued, "And do you know what the worst part is?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Underneath all the guilt, all the shame, I love it."

I shook my head. "No. No, you're lying."

"Afraid not, Guinevere," he sighed resignedly. He held up his hands for me to see. "Look at the blood on my hands!" And it did seem suddenly as if a red light had bathed them. He struck a dramatic pose and drawled, "All the sweetest perfumes of Araby will not cleanse them now."

"You are mad!" I screamed at him. "Mad, do you hear me!?"

He looked at me and grinned evilly. "Mad? Oh no...not mad. Bad and dangerous to know...yes. Keep it in mind, sugar."

I stared into his eyes resolutely, determined to stand my ground. But the dam of emotions in my heart broke and I found myself running up the stairs to our room, locking the door, and flinging myself onto the bed.

I wept for what seemed an eternity before I heard Karma whimpering. "Darling, I'm sorry," I choked, picking her up from her ebony-wood crib. "I'm sure you're hungry." As she fed her chubby little face, I replayed my conversation with Gerard over and over in my head. I wanted so badly to believe that it wasn't true. But it was. "He's the devil," I whispered to myself. "The Devil himself."

Chapitre Seixe

I have to run away. I have to leave. That was all I could think as I paced up and down in our locked bedroom.

"How am I going to escape from Hell!" I screamed at myself, "Carrying Karma, at that!"

Karma blinked at me where she sat on the bed and slowly got to her feet. "Karma! You're walking!" I gasped, forgetting my worries for a moment. "Come here, sweetie!" Karma wobbled slowly over to me and put her arms up.

Holding her close, I whispered, "It's okay, Karmy. We're gonna get out of here somehow. We're gonna leave Daddy and he's not gonna hurt Mommy anymore, okay?" She looked at me with those wide hazel eyes with such trust that it made my eyes water again. "I don't know why you trust me; I've let you down so much."

"Nah," she squeaked.

"You're really smart, aren't you, little one?" She tipped her curly head to the side and smiled at me. "I wish I was as smart as you. Maybe I wouldn't be in this mess."

A knock came at the door. "Who is it?" I warily asked. The moment the words left my lips, the door was kicked down and Gerard stood there smiling. My stomach flipped nauseously.

"Don't hurt her, Gee," I blurted, my words a twisted echo of what he had said to his father so long ago.

He giggled maliciously. "Guinevere. As if I would hurt our baby." He took her from my arms and held her face close to his. "Why, she's just like me. Aren't you, sweetie?"

Karma looked fearfully at him and began to cry, something she rarely did. "You're upsetting her!" I shouted, trying to tug her from his arms. "Give her back!"

"Now, Gwen," he tutted, "she's my daughter, too." He kissed her forehead and she wailed louder. "Not to mention the heiress to the throne."

"You don't need one of those! You'll probably live forever, if only to spite me," I caustically replied.

He laughed and took another step closer to me. "Ah, Gwenny. Such fire and spirit you're displaying this evening." He set Karma on the floor, allowing her to toddle off down the hallway to Rachel's old room. "It's quite a turn-on," he continued silkily.

"Don't even think about touching me!" I hissed, backing away from him and accidentally falling onto the bed.

"Far too late," he responded, pinning me down and kissing me roughly on the lips. "You're my wife, Gwen." He pressed his mouth hard against my throat. "You can't deny me my rights."

"Why, you're gonna divorce me if I do? What a loss!" I shot back sarcastically.

He stopped kissing my neck and looked at me amused. "I think you should be quiet now, Gwenny. Lay back and enjoy this." He pulled a black scarf out of nowhere and gagged me with it, tying the knot at the back of my head harder than he needed to. I fought him with all my might, but it was no use. He won in our battle of wills and used me over and over again, our baby only just down the hall. And he loved the fact that he was hurting me with his every touch, loved the tears rolling down my cheeks as he whispered horrible things into my ear. He finally finished and rolled off of me, smirking in triumph.

Pulling off the scarf, he spoke to me. "You had better get used to this, Guinevere. Because it won't stop and it won't get better. You've lost."

"Oh no, I haven't!" I yelled at him as he walked out the door. "You won't get away with this!"

He looked over his shoulder and laughed at me. "I won't get away with it? Please. I expected better than that from you, my lovely bride."

I could think of absolutely nothing to say. Go to hell? We were there. Fuck you? I just had. Son of a bitch? That was the plain truth. I was completely and utterly defenseless.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Sept

Every night for the next week was like that one, whether Karma was awake or not. I thought that after awhile, he would give up and just leave me alone...it turned out the only one to give up was me. One morning, I woke up and realized that I didn't care about anything anymore...except for Karma Rain. Before I knew it, she was a child of two and a half, walking, talking, and feeding herself. She was remarkably intelligent and, like most intelligent children, asked a lot of questions.

"Mom, why do we have to wear dark clothes all the time?"

"Mommy, why are the people in the park so sad?"

"Mommy, does it ever stop snowing?"

"Mom, why does Daddy make you cry all the time?"

I tried to answer her as honestly, yet innocently, as possible. It would be an insult to talk down to her; she would know better. One afternoon, I walked into the library to see her intently staring into a book of poetry, her dark curls falling in her small oval face.

"Darling, what are you doing?" I asked curiously. She smiled up at me and replied,

"I'm reading, Mom. Can't you see?"

At the rate she was progressing, I feared that she may have other abilities as well, a suspicion that went unconfirmed until dinner a few nights after her birthday. We ate chicken alfredo, just the two of us as we liked it. We ate in silence, watching the snowflakes swirl outside the window.

Suddenly, Karma piped up. "Who's Bry?" I dropped my fork onto my plate in mid-bite and stared at her.

"Where did you hear about Bry?" I slowly spoke.

"In your head," Karma casually replied. "You were thinking about how you miss her."

"You can hear what I'm thinking?" I asked.

Karma sighed impatiently. "Yeah, Mom. So who is she?"

"A friend," I muttered, "an old friend of mine." Karma looked dissatisfied with this answer, but gave up and went back to her dinner. I tried as best I could to clear my mind, but I was going crazy. If Karma had her grandfather's powers, Gerard could use her to his own purposes much more easily. Unless...unless we could get out. I renewed my plans to escape, out of desperation instead of hope.

But all my plans ended up untested after all. One wintry morn, while I was sewing a dress for Karma, I heard a knock at the door. (I knew it was winter because I had kept track in a diary since my arrival. Otherwise, every morning would seem as if it was in winter.) Not looking up from the needle and thread, I called listlessly, "Come in!" The door creaked open softly. "What do you need?"

"Guinevere?" a soft voice replied. I dropped the indigo cloth on my sewing table and whirled around.

"Mikey!" I gasped. I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck ecstatically. "Oh, how did you get here?"

He held me tightly for a brief moment. "I wish I could tell you, but now's not the time." He looked around my room. "Where's your daughter?"

"In her room, down the hall," I answered, feeling dizzy from shock. Mikey pulled me along behind him into Karma's room. She slept peacefully, her hair spread over the pillow as she slowly breathed in and out.

Mikey went over to her and gently picked her up, placing her on his shoulder. "What's going on?" Karma sleepily queried.

"Something good, sugar, something good," Mikey answered. He wrapped his free arm around my waist and hurried me down the stairs. "Gerard is gone for now, but if he finds out what we've done too soon, there will be Hell to pay. Literally."

"I don't understand, Mikey!" I exclaimed. "Who's we?" We stepped outside into the chill and Mikey gestured towards the snow-covered landscape around us.

"See for yourself, Gwenny." There were demons everywhere, their eyes glowing red as they clashed against beautiful white-winged creatures. The angels' swords pulsed with a golden light as they struck satanic flesh, killing left and right. "Heaven itself has come to your aid."

I stared at him, trying to make sense of things. "What do they have to do with you?"

Mikey grinned, his cheeks turning red. "Well, I'm sort of...um, your guardian angel," he shyly responded.

"My guardian angel," I repeated with disbelief. "And you never told me this why?"

"You wouldn't have believed me," he said with a shrug. He looked down at my wrist that he held in one hand. I tried to cover it quickly, but he pried my fingers away. Four purple blotches were imprinted on my white skin, eloquently summing up my marriage.

"Did he do this?" Mikey asked, a hard gleam in his brown eyes. I looked down in reply. "I'll kill that bastard." Mikey led me down the steps and we hurried towards the park. "I may not have done my job well before, but by God, I'm going to now!"

"Hi, Mikey!" Karma interrupted. "I'm Karma." She looked at him curiously. "You don't like my daddy, do you?"

"Hi, Karma," Mikey replied. "You're right, I don't like your daddy." We went deeper into the woods, moving as quickly as possible through the thick layer of snow on the ground. Mikey looked at me questioningly. "Does little Karma do anything special?"

"I can read!" Karma piped. Mikey smiled at her.

"Well, that IS special, hon, but that's not what I was thinking of."

"She reads minds," I quietly responded. Mikey shivered involuntarily.

"That's not good...I don't know how He would take that."

I stopped mid-stride. "You don't know how He would take that? Mikey, I can't go without her, I can't-" He pressed his lips to mine just hard enough to cut me off.

"You won't," he whispered. "I swear it." Karma looked between the two of us with confusion. Mikey looked at her kindly. "Karmy, darling, would you like to go on a trip?"

"What's a trip?" she asked.

"It's when you go away to somewhere else for a while," Mikey explained.

"Do you have to come back?" Her voice trembled anxiously.

Mikey hugged her tightly. "No, not if you don't want to."

An all-too-familiar voice chuckled. "Oh, but you are mistaken." Gerard stepped out from between the trees. "It's not about what she wants. It's about what I want." He glared at me. "And I want my wife and daughter to stay here."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Dix-Huit

"Get behind me, sweetheart," Mikey urged, passing Karma to me delicately. Gerard chuckled.

"Oh, how sweet. Sticking up for that little harlot," he jeered.

"I don't love you, Gerard! I haven't since the night you confessed everything!" I shouted.

"So what? It doesn't give you the right to cheat on me!" he retorted. "But I'm a generous man, why don't you come on home like a good girl and we'll forget about it?"

"She's not going anywhere with you," Mikey growled, shielding me from Gerard's gaze. "That's final."

Gerard sighed. "Fine. If you really want it that way, I suppose I can give her to you." I was flooded with relief for a moment until Gee continued, "At least give me my child, though."

"No!" I screamed. "You can't have her!"

"Guinevere, don't be so unreasonable. She's my daughter, too." Underneath his nonchalant tone I could hear an annoyed edge. His patience was running out.

"She won't be like you, Gerard! Mikey and I will make sure of it."

Gerard regarded the three of us coolly. "In that case," he remarked, pulling a sword from the sheath at his side, "I suppose we'll have to do this the hard way." His sword was made of black obsidian and shone in the cold light filtering through the trees. The silver hilt was studded with blood-red rubies and it was altogether a beautiful piece of workmanship. That is, until I recalled how many souls had been cut down by this sword.

"I guess we will," Mikey bravely answered, drawing a sword out of nowhere. It was like Gerard's in make, but instead of obsidian, it was made with a beautiful steel that was nearly white, the golden hilt studded with ocean pearls.

"No!" a female voice screamed. All of us looked around the shady grove for the source. "Don't do it!" A figure in deep red leapt nimbly down from a snowy branch and ran lightly towards us, stopping between Gerard and Mikey.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" Gerard asked. She gave no reply, but turned to Mikey with a face full of love.

"Oh, my darling son!" she gasped, embracing him with her stumps. Mikey flinched, but she didn't seem to notice. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"Mom?" he asked wonderingly. "Is that you?"

"You don't recognize me?" she laughed. "It's only been several hundred years."

"Rachel," Gerard irritably interrupted, "I'm your son. Not him."

Rachel turned to look scornfully at Gee. "You do have a brother, you know. Or have you forgotten about him as well as me?" She turned to me with a plaintive expression. "He hasn't been to see me for the last year."

"Well, Mom, I have better things to do-" he began.

"Better things to do?" she howled. "Better things to do than see your dead mother! Oh, well, la-da-dee-da, now that you're the Prince of Darkness, you're too fancy for me? I don't think so, in fact-" Gerard suddenly swung his sword in an arc and neatly cut off Rachel's head, sending it tumbling to the ground mid-sentence. Karma and I screamed simultaneously as it rolled across the snow and stopped.

Mikey looked up at Gerard with hatred in his eyes. "You...just killed...our mother." His voice trembled with rage.

"The two of you weren't close anyway," Gerard dismissively responded. He raised his bloodied sword and bowed with exaggeration. "Come on, little brother. Show me what you've got."

Mikey took a wild swing at Gerard, clumsily flailing his sword. Gerard easily sidestepped it and nicked Mikey's side. Mikey winced in pain, but swiped at him again. Gerard leapt lightly out of the way and laughed.

"Oh Mikey, can't you do any better?" Gee taunted.

"I certainly can," Mikey snapped, cutting a fine red line across Gerard's face. He put a hand to his surprised face and removed it to see red fingertips.

Gerard's eyes narrowed as he snarled, "No more mercy now, bro." He switched hands and beckoned to Mikey. "We're playing for keeps." Gee brought his sword down hard where Mikey's head was a moment before, but Mikey ducked out of the way. However, he was a little too slow and Gerard's blade bit deep into his shoulder. Mikey gasped with pain and sank to his knees in the snow.

Gerard dropped his sword behind him, looking satisfied. "Not so tough after all, I see," he purred. He picked up a large stone from the ground, walking over to Mikey with a smile on his face. "Soft enough for me to do you in nicely, I think." Mikey groaned and tried to get up, but fell back.

I panicked. My future, my true love, and my only child were riding on this battle. Swiftly but silently, I grabbed Gerard's fallen sword in the snow and hit him on the back of the legs with it. It did no damage, but it surprised him and he turned to glare at me. "Why you little-"

"Now, Mikey!" I cried. Mikey gathered all his strength and plunged his sword straight through Gerard's back, leaving a hole through his heart. Gerard stumbled and fell over Rachel's head, lying on the ground next to her body. He struggled for air as blood bubbled from his mouth, his raspy breaths coming slower and slower.

"So...this is how...it all ends..." he whispered. "I have...been defeated." He looked at me with his wide hazel eyes clouding over, a hint of his old self in them. "Goodbye...Gwenny. I loved you once...you know?"

An unexpected tear trickled from the edge of my eye to my nose. "I know," I replied quietly. "I loved you once, too." He slowly shut his eyes as I wept silently, mourning my past. My husband was gone and I actually missed him.

"Mommy!" I had forgotten Karma. "Mikey's hurt!" I turned to look at him and he was lying in the snow, weakly breathing. His pale face was white as a sheet and his lips were turning blue.

I rushed over to him, pulling him upright and against me. "Oh, Mikey, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

Mikey smiled with effort. "My shoulder hurts pretty bad, but I think it's the stomach you should worry about, Gwen. You have any first-aid stuff?"

"No. No, I don't." My heart was racing with fear. "What am I going to do?"

Mikey put his hand over mine. It was as cold as ice. "It's alright, Gwenny. It probably wouldn't help much anyway." He closed his eyes gently and muttered, "Go with Gabriel. He'll help you."

"No!" I shook him violently, making him open his eyes again. "I'm not gonna lose you, Mikeyjames! Y ou're not gonna die!" I kissed his lips fiercely and commanded, "Don't you fucking die on me!" I sobbed. "You can't die! You're an angel!"

"So was Gerard," Mikey said softly, staring at me with his vacant brown eyes. "He was every bit as immortal as me."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Chapitre Dix-Neuf

Karma had been silently gathering snow ever since Mikey had fallen and she now toddled over to me with a thick ball of it in her hands. "Honey, what are you doing?" I sniffled. She gave no reply, but gently pressed the snow against Mikey's side, slowing the bleeding.

Mikey opened his eyes and mumbled, "That feels kinda good."

"Karmy, it's working!" I exclaimed. "Keep going!" In a few minutes, the two of us had made a sort of snow bandage out of it.

"It's not enough, Mom," Karma murmured. She looked up at me with determination in her young eyes. "Stand back, I gotta do it myself."

Confused, I did as she said and watched as she laid her hands over the snow on Mikey's stomach. She quietly chanted to herself, moving her hands in little circles. I was amazed to see blue sparks dancing around Mikey's wound, bringing color to his cheeks and lips again. Karma finished her chanting and promptly fell to the ground.

"Karmy! Baby, are you alright?" She gave no reply, just lay there floppily.

Mikey sat up and looked at the both of us with amazement. "What just happened?"

I looked down at the curly-headed child in my arms. "Karma just saved your life."

Mikey curled his fingers around her wrist and checked for a pulse. "She's just fainted, Gwenny, she'll be alright."

"I hope so." We looked around the bloodstained grove in silence. "We'd better leave before the demons find us here," I said. "Follow me." I cradled Karma in one arm and led Mikey with the other through the park to the entrance of Hades. Charon was there in his boat, waiting for us.

"Charon! Are we expected?" I asked.

The old man smiled and bowed. "Always glad to help a lady in need, Guinevere." He winked at Mikey. "And any gentlemen you wish to bring with you." I blushed slightly as we stepped into the boat.

"What's going to happen, Mikey?" I asked anxiously. "Are they just going to let us get away?"

Mikey shook his head. "I'm afraid not. They can't do anything to us right now, but eventually the demons will want their queen back. And they'll use any means possible to do it." He looked at the unconscious girl in my arms. "They might just take her instead. Did anybody know what she can do?"

"I'm not sure...how long would it be before they attack?"

Mikey shrugged. "A decade or more in human years. It may seem slow, but in the immortal world, that's pretty quick. Don't underestimate our enemies."

We reached the exit to the subway and thanked Charon, stepping out into the mortal world. It was like coming home after a year away; everything was unfamiliar and strange.

"Mikey...where are we going to live?" I asked.

He smiled at me sweetly and replied, "Why, in heaven with me, of course! Unless you don't want to be with me anymore?"

I kissed him briefly but passionately. "Of course I do."

"Then follow me." We made our way to the surface of the street, the sunlight nearly blinding me. Mikey searched the alleyways as we walked, looking for a secluded one. He finally found it and motioned for me to follow him. "Now, all you have to do is take my hand and let me do the rest. Alright?" I nodded and held his right hand in mine, Karma perched on my shoulder. "Just a little further to heaven, Gwenny. Earth's not as far from it as you think." And with that comment, we disappeared in a cloud of golden mist to a place that none would see us.

But life is not all happy endings and cheerful jaunts over the rainbow. Whatever idyllic peace there was for the next few years would not last. But that story is not yet ready to be told. For now, be happy. Look around. Maybe your guardian angel is the guy next door.