Entry Twenty: Return to Hell

Standing in front of the portal to Hell was a nasty shock to my senses, because even though I had been preparing for this moment all week, only now was it starting to actual hit me; the enormity of the task I was about to attempt threatened to crush me with its weight.

I guess I had just been pretending this wasn't happening, like when your receive bad news - say your parents are getting divorced, and you just keep living life like nothing had changed, even though everything had. You think it would have sunk in when I was forging all the necessary documents, or when I was packing, but I had just continued on in a state of forced happiness for Frank and Mikey's sake.

I was so dead set on reaching this point, I didn't let myself stop and think about how afraid I was, or how little chance I had of coming back. I didn't want to worry Frank anymore than he already was, every night he cried himself to sleep, and it was destroying me that I was the cause of his sorrows. I wanted to comfort him, but how could I when I was the one making him feel that way?

I didn't even say goodbye to him, not properly, I just left with him with a kiss and a promise to see him later. I hate goodbyes, so I refused to let this be one, but now I was seriously regretting that decision, since it might have been the last time I will ever see Frank again.

But I promised him I would do everything in my power to make it back to him safety, so I might as well get this over with so I can hold him in my arms that much quicker. The two people I love most in the world were depending on me to return, and I refused to let them down.

Tugging the hood of my cloak further down over my face, I threw myself into the portal before I had a chance to second guess this whole idiotic plan. The trip was harsher than I remembered, as if even Hell itself was trying to reject me - telling me to turn back now before it was too late.

But it was already way too late, because I had arrived, and the gate guards were eyeing me up and down with bored expressions plastered on their faces. Keeping my eyes peeled straight ahead, and hoping my face was mostly obscured, I approached them warily, trying to radiate a sense of belonging that I definitely wasn't feeling.

"Documents?" The taller of the two held out his hand, and I placed the paper I had worked so hard on in his palm, praying that the forgery worked, because if this all went to shit within the first two minutes, I was going to be seriously pissed.

As he glanced over the papers that would decide my fate, I tried my hardest to control my breathing; I couldn't appear nervous, because elite demons were never nervous in any situation, unless they were in front of Lucifer, and if I was pretending to be one, I would have to act like one.

"Here you go. How was the trip?" I had to hold in my sigh of relief when the demon handed me the papers back without a second glance. I silently thanked my troubled teenage self who had specialized in copying my parent's signatures to get out of trouble, I knew it would pay off one day.

"I don't have time for small talk. I need to report back to Lucifer immediately," I scoffed, attempting to lower my voice and appear threatening, even though inside, I was a quivering mess of fear.

"Damn - do all elite demons have a permanent stick up their ass?" I heard the shorter guard ask the other as I stalked away towards Lucifer's palace, even though I was going to change directions as soon as I was out of their line of vision.

"I've only been here a week, but yeah - it seems like it," was the other's reply, and I thanked my lucky stars that I had been fortunate enough to run into two brand new demons who didn't seem to be the brightest in the bunch.

Step one of my shaky plan had been a success, now I just needed to find Bob and pray that he would be willing to help me one last time. I had debated long and hard about dragging him into this, but in the end, I didn't really see any other option that wouldn't end in me getting killed, so as much as I didn't want to endanger Bob, I had to take the risk.

Hell was oddly deserted, but I wasn't complaining since it allowed me to reach Bob's room without incident. I knocked gently on the door, praying that he wasn't out on a mission, because then everything would be ruined.

"Bob?" I called out as loudly as I dared when I received no answer from inside.

"Fuck off - I'm trying to sleep!" I smiled to myself as I slipped into the room noiselessly, I had missed Bob's crass behavior, and even though the situation could be better, I was excited to see him again.

Closing the door behind me, I chuckled at the sight of Bob splayed out on the bed, a pillow pressed over his eyes as if that could hide him away from the world.

"Bob, it's -"

"What did you not understand about fuck off? I just got back from a mission, and there is no fucking way I am going back out until I get some sleep, so you can march your high and mighty ass out of this room right now." The look of shock on Bob's face when he removed the pillow was priceless, I had pulled off my hood, and my bright red hair wasn't something you easily forget.

"Gerard? What the fuck are you doing here man, I thought you were free for sure? Did they catch you? Why aren't you being tortured?" Bob fired so many questions at me in a row, I didn't know which one to answer first.

"Okay - well for starters, yes I did get out - thanks to you. No, they didn't catch me, even though it was a close call a couple of times, but we managed to find a good hiding place." I settled down onto the bed, putting my hood back in place on the off chance that someone came into the room and recognized me.

"Then why the hell would you come back? Did you hit your head on the way out or something, and where is your brother?" Bob seemed more agitated than I was at this point, and he didn't seem to realize that if he just shut up for two seconds that I would explain the entire situation to him.

"I'm getting to that if you would just slow down with all the questions. My brother is safe...but he won't be for long. There is a lot that Lucifer doesn't tell us, and one of those things is that a demon can't survive for very long on Earth without a serum that restores the essence that keeps us alive. I only found out about this after I left, and now Mikey is really sick. He needs the serum soon, or he isn't going to make it, and I won't be far behind. The only possible way to save him was to sneak back into Hell and steal as much of the serum as I can carry. Believe me, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't a life or death situation," I finally managed to finish the entire story without any more interruptions.

"Fucking asswipe...of course he would have kept that shit secret," Bob grumbled in a pissed off tone.

"I'm so sorry to involve you in something this dangerous again, but I need your help...you aren't still fucking that skinny blonde chick that guards that storeroom are you?" I pressed hopefully, aware that each passing minute was another chance for me to get caught.

"Oh you bet I am, she is the best lay in Hell. What does that have to do with anything though?"

"Well she just so happens to guard the room where the serum is stored, and I need to get in there undetected. I totally understand if you don't want to help, but I am not sure how else to go about this. If you could just distract her for a few minutes, I can be in and out before anyone even realizes I was here." Guilt began to eat at me again, this was too much to ask of Bob, and I hated bringing other people into my problems, even when it was necessary.

"Fuck yeah man - I'm in, on one condition though."

"Yeah anything, just name it." Because I already owed Bob the world for helping me escape, so I would do whatever was in my power to help him out.

"Take me with you...I can't stay here any longer. Shit has hit the fan since you left, and Hell has begun to literally mean its name."

"What do you mean? What's changed?"

"Lucifer has basically lost his shit is what happened. He knows an angel killed his best tracker, I am assuming that was your angel buddy by the way. He took personal offense to Heaven interfering in Hell's affairs, so he has been on the warpath ever since, sending out demons with the sole purpose of killing angels, and not only that, but he has upped the soul quota for all of us, he is running us ragged, and it's never enough. He always wants more, even though we have doubled our soul intact from last year already. I think he is preparing for war Gerard, and I am not throwing my life away in a pointless pissing contest with Heaven just so Lucifer can prove his manhood to God."

"I can't believe it...I knew Heaven was gearing up for war, but I had no idea it had gotten this bad here." I really was shocked, Lucifer may be cruel, but he wasn't any idiot; why would he wage a war against Heaven - unless he truly thought he could win this time.

"So can I come with you? I have been regretting not taking you up on your offer ever since you left, and I am not missing out on a chance at freedom this time." Bob fixed me with a pleading gaze, which looked odd on his gruff face.

"Of course you can. I would rather not leave you here to risk getting into trouble because of me for a second time anyway. I was so worried that someone might have found out it was you that released the hellhound before."

"Nah, I am a fucking good liar, no one suspected a thing," Bob grinned as if lying successfully was his greatest achievement, and honestly it might be.

"That still doesn't stop me from feeling guilty." I don't know why I was pushing the point when Bob was obviously fine, but I wanted him to know how much his help had and still meant to me.

"Drop it dude, it's all cool. So did you have any real plan to get this serum, or are we winging it?" Bob asked.

"Well I was basically just thinking you suck face with what's her name, and I sneak in and grab as much of the serum as I can." I shrugged in embarrassment, saying it out loud made me realize how pathetic it truly sounded.

"Well that works for me, Amy's shift starts in an hour, so you can help me pack in the meantime."

So Bob and I gathered all the things he wanted to take with him while I filled him in on how we had been living in the outside world. We decided that he would stay with Frank and I for a bit until he figured out where he wanted to go, I knew Frank wouldn't mind, especially once I explained to him that he had helped me get out of Hell - if we got out that is.

All too soon, our hour was up, and I found myself creeping down the hallway at a discreet distant behind Bob, trying to stay hidden, but not appearing too sketchy all at the same time.

The storeroom came into view, and I stayed concealed behind the corner, watching avidly as Bob conversed with what's her name, who was apparently named Amy. Bob was lying out of his ass about leaving something in the storeroom the last time they fucked, and she was buying it hook, line, and sinker.

Holding my breath, I observed as she unlocked the door for Bob, he emerged a few moments later, tucking something into his pocket before leaning against the wall and proceeding to flirt with her shamelessly. She was so distracted by his words that she didn't lock the storeroom back up after him, just like we had hoped, now all I had to do was wait until Bob started making out with her so I could sneak inside.

All of a sudden, I was hit with a bout of dizziness so strong, I had to sit down before I fell over. Fuck - not this...not now. I had hoped that when I returned to Hell, my essence would be restored, but apparently I had been running on empty for too long, and of course, I was weakening right now at the most important moment. I just had to get inside, and then I could drink some Livian...I couldn't give in to this now - not while Mikey was still fighting for his life, waiting on me to save him.

Bob and Amy were now attached at the lips, so I had to move if this plan had any chance of success. Pushing down the rising nausea that had begun to assault me, I crept across the small space to the still open door and tucked inside soundlessly. Luckily, the vials were in exactly the same place as the last time; with shaking hands, I unstopped one of the bottles and downed the contents hastily.

Almost instantaneously, I felt strength returning to my limbs, it was like I had injected an IV of caffeine into my veins, and I hadn't felt this good in months. Moving quickly, I filled the pack I had brought with me to the brim with the Livian, I wasn't sure how often we would need to drink it, but this should be enough to maintain the three of us for a long while.

Being especially cautious not to let any of the jars clink together, I exited the storeroom as silently as I had entered and quickly made my way back to Bob's room. We had decided to meet there, since he still needed to gather his stuff, Amy would have become suspicious if she had seen him carrying a bag.

As I waited, I tried to slow down my rapid breathing while I enjoyed the feeling of vitality coursing through my entire body. It had been ages since I hadn't felt some form of sickness or weakness, and I had forgotten how wonderful it felt to not be overcome by aches and pains.

About fifteen minutes later, Bob made an appearance, his hair messed up and a shit eating grin on his face. Step two of the plan had been successfully completed, now we just had to make it out of here in one piece. This was the most unsteady part of the process though, especially with the addition of Bob. I had papers that would allow me to leave at any time - even if they were fake, but he didn't, so we would have to take make a run for it and hope we weren't followed.

"Ready?" I asked Bob when he was finished shouldering his pack and I was done checking to make sure that none of the precious vials of Livian had broken.

"As ready as I'll ever be. If this all goes to shit, I want you to leave me behind. Your brother needs you more than I do."

"I'm not leaving you Bob, we will both get out of this, we just have to be quick." Right now I really did believe that we could do this, I was humming with energy, and I was convinced that I could out-fly the entire host of Hell.

"Well what are we waiting for?" Bob clapped me on the shoulder before we exited the room.

I led the way back toward the portal, we had decided that I would try to bullshit my way past the guards, saying that it was essential for Bob to join me, and Lucifer hadn't had time to draw up his paperwork. It probably wouldn't work, but it was worth a shot.

I stifled a groan when I realized that the watch had been changed during my time here. The two idiots that had been at the portal earlier might have bought our lie, but I recognized one of the new guards, which meant he had been here for much longer, and he wouldn't be quite as gullible.

"Documents?" The same question was repeated by the new guard, I think his name was Alex, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure.

"Here's mine, Bob is with me, but Lucifer didn't have time to draft him a release copy. This is just a quick mission anyway, we will be back by day's end." I felt myself sweating as Alex scrutinized my papers with an unforgiving eye, but apparently my forgery was good enough to fool him as well.

"You're clear, but I can't let anyone out without papers. No exceptions." Bob began to back away, but I refused to give up that easily.

"This order comes from Lucifer himself, you must let him go," I demanded roughly, hoping to bully my way out of this.

"It's not my rule. I can send a runner to check with Lucifer if you can wait?" Alex seemed genuinely sorry, and I almost felt bad for what I was going to do next.

"Oh fuck it..." I exhaled before punching him in the face as hard as I could, feeling his nose break underneath my fist. The other guard stood there in shock, and I knew it was now or never.

"Run Bob!" I shouted as I bolted for the portal. I could feel his pounding footsteps following close behind me.

The portal was right in front of us - this was it, we were going to make it. Just then I heard a cry of pain behind me, turning back, I saw Bob on the ground, clutching his leg which had a crossbow bolt protruding from it.

The other guard had apparently gained his wits, and I felt like an idiot for not taking him out as well. Turning back, I scooped Bob up into my arms before continuing to run. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have been able to handle his weight, but the Livian was empowering me with a strength I didn't know I possessed.

"Put me down...it's not worth it," Bob groaned, but I ignored him, too busy dodging crossbow bolts to waste any effort speaking. There was no way I was leaving him behind now, he would be sentenced to the Wastelands for sure, and there was no way in hell I could live with that on my conscience.

Releasing my wings, I shot forward the remaining few feet, and I silently rejoiced as I felt the familiar constricting sensation which meant I had entered the portal. We had done it, against all odds, I had escaped from Hell - not once, but twice. As soon as the fresh air hit my wings, I soared off into the sky, flying faster than I had ever gone before in my life, fueled by the Livian and my longing to return to Mikey and Frank.

"I'm coming baby," I mentally cried out, unsure if Frank could hear me from this distance, but hoping he could. I needed him to know I was safe so he wouldn't have a reason to cry anymore.

Once we were a considerable distance away from the portal, I landed briefly to remove the crossbow bolt from Bob's leg and bandage him up. The wound was already healing, and even though he couldn't walk, he could fly, and we were soon winging our way back toward the safe house.

Extending my senses, I didn't find any hint of pursuit so far, we had caught them off guard, so it would take them some time to organize a tracking squad, and by that point, we would be long gone. Making sure to zigzag our trail and lose our scents in every river we passed, I was confident in our abilities to remain undetected.

I repeated my call to Frank every hour, desperate to be returned to my love so I could hold him tight and bask in my successful return home.

Hurray, I didn't take a million years to update this time! I am not in love with this chapter, but it was hard to write and lots of plot happened, so that's a good thing right?

I seriously cannot believe this story has 10k+ reads, you guys make me feel so loved, I want to hug all of you, and I am not even a hugger.

And if you want to make me even happier, could you check out my new Frerard fic I just started called Pyre? I am really excited about it, and it would mean the world to me if you read what I have so far.

Okay that's it for now. I'm super sleepy, so I am going to leave before I start rambling.

Until next time

<3 starr