"N-No?"

She stutters out the word in disbelief, rage bubbling just beneath each syllable that follows.

"What the hell do you mean no!?"

Her voice slowly gains volume, that angelic supremacy shining through yet again, but this time I keep my cool, giving into the groaning of my tired muscles and sitting back on the couch hardly minding how she stood over me. I give a shrug, pushing back a shiver in my spine.

"You heard me... No..."

I repeat again, the nonchalant tone hardly sounding like my own voice despite its distinct accent that has always been familiar. Her fists clench at her sides, and for a second I expect her to deck me, after all the rage seemed too human-like for her to do anything else.

"Listen here you selfish prick I-"

"No you listen!"

The words escape a loud yell before I can think to stop them. It startles me more than it does her, and I take a moment before continuing, struggling to keep the powerful tone of my previous words, though this time my anger begins to give way.

"You have no idea all the shit I had to go through to finally get him out of my head, you have no idea what I've seen, you have no idea how long it's taking for me to get over it all!"

Tears prick the corners of my vision, I clench my jaw to stop them from falling. Speaking from my teeth adds a new edge to my words, and again I almost falter.

"And now, I'm finally living a normal life! I'm still getting over it, I'm still trying to forget and I'm still trying to be normal!"

I feel a droplet spill down my cheek, my hand tangles in the fabric of my long t-shirt as some sort of grip, something to keep me grounded.

"I just want to be happy! And now you're trying to bring all this shit back, just because you're refusing to see how unfair it all is! I'm not going to stand against Anti, not after everything he's been through..."

My words quiet towards the end, and thankfully no more droplets of liquid spill down my cheeks. Her anger cooled down just a bit, so it no longer threatened to spill over at the slightest provocation, I take this as a good sign and let a sigh leave my lips once I no longer felt my eyes burn with tears, I still can't tell if they stem from anger or something else.

"Besides..."

I let my tone return to a more neutral state, one fit for an adult, instead of the childish arguing that somehow ensued.

"Even if I agreed, what makes you think we can beat him? As far as I can tell you're all outmatched, and have no idea how to beat him... Do you even know any possible weaknesses?"

Her eyes dart away for a second, and strange secrecy dancing over her pale face before that fades to the neutral indifference.

"We... We have a reliable resource..."

I raise an eyebrow, silently urging her to elaborate. She doesn't of course, it's not a surprise, only a bit disappointing.

"Look, Sean..."

I almost hate hearing my name from her tongue.

"If this continues, if he continues, it will endanger everything that exists, heaven, hell, earth... I understand your hesitance... but we need your help, earth needs your help..."

I take a second, eyes scanning over her face for any sign of a lie, I almost want to find it. I want to believe she's lying, that this is all some trick I'm not stupid enough to fall for, however nothing but dreaded truth slithers through those light-ridden eyes. I sigh, opening my mouth to respond, only stopping at a familiar voice dripping with confusion.

"W-Wha-"

~~~~~~~Mark's POV~~~~~~~

Yelling is what I first hear. As soon as I step onto our floor of the shabby apartment building I can hear the loud voices, words muffled just enough that I can't separate them. One of the voices is easy to identify, the Irish accent that soaked each emotional syllable one I've heard so often. The other one however, it sounds like a female, and of course my mind goes to the worst case scenario.

Picking up my pace I make it down the hall in a matter of seconds, pulling on the doors handle until it swings open with a soft creak. As soon as I step foot in the room the yelling had ceased, I can still hear the voices however, soft enough I'm unable to distinguish words. That is until I walk further in, around the corner I finally see the two figures.

Sean sits on the ratty sofa, strangely relaxed despite the shouting that had very recently ensued. His hands are crossed in his lap, fidgeting just a bit, but other than that he leans back, face showing nothing but quiet curiosity directed towards the other.

Finally I look to the new figure. A female, short yet using every bit of her height to seem more powerful. Her hair falls in straight locks above her shoulders, and by the way she glares at Sean it's clear she's not happy with whatever he'd argued.

I feel my eyes narrow at the few choice words I manage to piece together from her mouth.

"We need your help."

Her voice contains a clear British accent, one that doesn't set her apart from many others in Brighton.

"W-Wha-?"

I can't even finish the sentence. Why is there a stranger in our apartment? Why were they yelling? Who the fuck is this 'we' that needs help...?

Both sets of eyes move to me, the familiar blue, and an uninterested hazel. Sean gives an apologetic smile, or at least attempts to, it comes off more as a grimace.

"Hey Marky... How was work?"

His Irish accented voice comes out, a type of indifference coating its lax tone. I don't let my eyes move off of the female, though hers had left me simply a nuisance to her goal.

"Fine... So uh... Who...?"

Sean stands from the couch at my breathless reply, I watch the female narrow her eyes at his now evident height. He paces forward, standing between me and the foreigner. He gives another smile, this time managing to look semi-remorseful.

"Mark, Emma... Emma, Mark..."

He gestures between the two of us, the girl I now recognize as Emma gives a mere nod of the head in greeting.

"Okay... Emma... So-"

I don't even need to finish the question before they share a look, the single expression almost feeling like they'd known each other for years, though that's impossible, I of all people know that.

"You might want to sit down, Mark."

~~~~~~~Sean's POV~~~~~~~~~

Though I'd finally gotten Mark to settle on the couch beside me, that didn't calm him at all. As the words come from Emma's mouth, the same spiel she'd given me not twenty minutes ago, Mark takes it about as well as I had.

Denial. Anger. He however doesn't outwardly argue with the girl, but with a single glance I can almost hear his deep voice resonating with argumentive spirit.

I give his hand a squeeze, keeping it within my own almost for myself more than for him.

"So let me get this straight..."

Mark finally speaks up again, any previous wonder about the angel having fled once he heard her requests. Emma's eyes had narrowed to slits once again, but she doesn't interrupt, hardly acknowledging me at this point.

"You want Sean, a human, to help fight something that not even you can handle?"

Monotone words spark with just enough fury, just enough disbelief that it had pressed the angels buttons all over again.

"Not quite..."

Mark raises an eyebrow, seeming to not notice the edge her voice had taken on. I do however, and give another squeeze to his warm hand, a warning this time.

"We don't expect him to fight Anti... We just need-"

"You just need him to face that thing again..."

Mark had thusfar refused to say his name, regarding my demon as simply an object. Maybe that's for the best, I don't want to get anymore attached to the thin- to him... Unlike Mark I can't bring myself to think of him like that. After everything i'd seen, everything I've heard, Anti is still a part of me... We're apart, and I'm of course thankful to be alone with my thoughts once again, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten, that doesn't mean' i've moved on.

Hell, I can't even say i've tried to move on.

A pressure on my hand draws me back into reality, with a wince I look down to where the man beside me gripped my hand, his knuckles white with the pressure. I let my ears tune into the conversation once again.

I'm not sure how much I missed, but whatever Mark had said seemed to trigger that below-the-surface strength i've come to expect from the female being. Her hands clench into fists, though shoved into the pockets of her jeans as if that would hide it. The green speckles in her hazel eyes seem to glow a gentle shade, however this time it's far from calming.

"It's not up to you, Mark..."

The venom in her voice hardly seems to faze the man beside me, however I feel myself moving closer to him as a defensive measure.

"Sean is the one who has a connection with the thing! You have no right to make this decision!"

A connection? Which means i'm not as crazy as I thought, the connection does exist.

"You have no right to ask this of him!"

"Both of you shut up..."

I don't realize the words had left my mouth until I take notice of the looks each gave me. Emma a quiet thanks under her rage, and Mark's one of simple vexation. I take a second to breathe, pulling my hand away as soon as the other man's grip had lessened, the ache in my fingers is almost comforting, a way to ground my racing thoughts.

"What would I need to do...?"

I don't need to look to my boyfriend to know the look of disbelief he gives me, purposefully ignoring it I look up to the female again. Her look of superiority isn't much better, I feel a deep-seated need to wipe the smirk from her lips, however I remain still.

"We just need you to get his guard down... You're one of the few things that can do that..."

I bite back any remaining questions about that, in all honesty I feel a strong doubt that i'd be able to get his guard down. However she looks sure, and some part of me wants to believe in that. Some small part of me wants to put my trust in something good for once.

I spent so long dealing with literal Hell, I put my trust in him half the time... I still feel guilty for it if I choose to be honest with myself, and now I have the chance for something good. I can do something right for once in my life.

On the other hand... I could die a horrible death by the hands of what was once my demon...

Now that I think about it... It's about a 50-50 chance... At least that's what I'll keep telling myself...

"I'll do it..."

Mark clears his throat beside me, I manage to bite back a scoff turning my head just enough to meet his choclate eyes.

"Sean... A word...?"

I follow his lead when he stands. Ignoring the feeling of the angel's eyes on us, I follow him around the corner, until we stand just out of sight in the small hallway. His eyes move to me with a certain disbelief that causes an angry twist in my gut.

"You can't be considering this..."

His rich voice holds a concern I do my best to ignore. I'm not sure if its some heroic streak I'll regret later, or some simple rebellious spirit I've yet learned to control, but I feel my eyes narrow regardless.

"There's nothing to consider... I'm doing this..."

My voice comes out a hiss, and I force it to come back a few notches as Mark speaks again.

"Look Sean... You don't have to do this... That thing isn't your problem anymore-"

"That thing has a name, Mark..."

He hesitates at this, I almost don't realize i'd said it aloud until I look into his pitiful eyes. Though he doesn't mention it, for now at least, I can tell he's fully realizing how fucked up this entire situation is... how fucked up I am...

"Regardless... You don't have to deal with him... You can say no..."

I feel any anger drop, his words come out almost desperately. I allow a breath, I didn't realize i'd been holding, to escape. Though that doesn't ease the heaviness over my chest.

"I can't... Anti, he's my responsibility... I let him get away, I let him follow this insane, power-hungry fantasy, and now I have a chance to stop him..."

"Sean, none of this is your fault, you know that right? No one blames you..."

A simple downcast of my gaze and the answer is clear despite unspoken. I feel his hand on my shoulder, a strong yet gentle grip that offers just a bit of comfort. I can't bring myself to believe any of his words however.

Clearly someone must think me responsible, if not Emma than whoever sent her. Though I certainly don't sense any sort of friendliness from the female when she regards me.

"Look..."

I allow his voice to cut through my thoughts before they can grow too dark. I let my eyes move up to his as that warm hand moves from my shoulder to cup my cheek. His chocolate eyes convey a gentleness I'd only come to expect from him.

"I don't like it... but I trust you, if you're sure you want to do this, if you feel you need to do this... I'll support you, I'll be by your side through it all... but-"

I hardly notice my own hand moving to grip his free one, longing for more of that loving warmth.

"If you believe it's too much, if you say to me right now that you can't do it... I will not think less of you, I will tell that Emma to fuck off, and we can go back to living our lives..."

His thumb moves across my cheek wiping away a wetness I hadn't noticed prior. I force my eyes to remain on him, my hand to remain in his in some attempt to ground myself, some attempt to put my racing thoughts into words.

"I-I don't want to do this... But..."

I feel more droplets follow the first, though the words flow easily.

"But I have to... We've tried... I've tried to live this fantasy life, i've tried to be normal for you... But we can't-"

I allow a shaky breath to enter my lungs, trying desperately to stop the lump in my throat from growing.

"We can't pretend all of this didn't happen... We can't pretend, we're not fucked up... that i'm not fucked up. We can't be normal... I want to... but I-I can't..."

I feel the muscles in my chin quiver. I absolutely hate it, such a thing conveys a weakness I'd expect from a child. Yet here I am hardly able to speak, hardly able to control the saltiness that coats my pale face.

However despite it all Mark manages to keep me from fully breaking down, I manage to stay on shaky legs. I silently allow him to wipe away the tears, allow him to rest his hand against my cheek once again. And when he leans forward pressing a soft kiss to my lips, I feel the lump in my throat recede, I feel the heaviness onmy chest lift and when he pulls away I feel a lot more stable on my own too feet. He pulls away from me but allows our hands to stay intertwined.

"Then we'll do this, we'll face this bullshit together."

A mere nod is all I can manage. I find myself unable to speak as he leads us back out into the room where Emma stands patiently, raising an eyebrow in silent question as soon as we both return. That's when I find myself finally able to form words, though they come out softly, defeated if anything.

"We'll do it..."