The rest of the work day seemed to drag on and on for him like an eternity and a half. Neil checked the time constantly, yet it felt to him as if it were going backwards instead of forwards. If he didn't have plans to see her, the day would shoot through like a rocket. He checked again, five o'clock couldn't get there fast enough for him. He tried to stay occupied but every time he would concentrate on a task, his mind would drift off to thoughts of Jenna. He was glad that he'd been able to make up with her. He hated to see her hurt or angry. It was strange. 

He'd had girlfriends before but nothing held the intensity toward the way Jenna made him feel. It wasn't that she was just special, there was so much more to it than that. When he was with her, he didn't feel like a run of the mill average guy that was good at computer programming. When she was around he felt as if he could conquer not just the world but the whole damn universe. It was different with her. She made his life better somehow.  It was more than just love and good company. Even if she weren't helping him keep the demons at bay, he would still feel this way about her. He had never felt this way about any other woman in his life.

 She made every day seem like a new adventure instead of just going to work and going home. She gave new meaning to his life and he reveled in it. He had only been with her for months, but it felt like he couldn't even fathom the thought of being without her. He felt as if he was supposed to be with her, for more than just fighting off the demons of the seven deadly sins. He felt as if his soul wouldn't be complete without her. 

Suddenly one of the phones down the hall rang and the sound jerked him out of the daydream of Jenna and he remembered he wasn't off somewhere with her- but stuck at work. He checked the clock on the office wall. It had read a quarter past four. Good, he thought. Only forty five minutes to go and counting. He stood up to stretch from sitting for way too long. It was more of an excuse to waste time. He wasn't sure where he would take her after work. He didn't really care, so long as it made her happy. That was all that truly mattered. He would be more than happy to take her where she wanted to go, so long as they were together and had a good time with each other. 

He checked the clock again, the time was inching closer to five than he had realized. Thank god for that, Neil thought. He got up and walked around the office, heading to the break room, he bought a bottle of water and drank down half of it. He checked his phone again out of habit more than need. He was stalling and he knew it. Lucky for him the boss didn't care. Most of the office workers were thinking of the next day's events and poor Dale's family. It had been relatively quiet for a monday. Everyone was in mourning. Dale hadn't been a model co worker but he hadn't been a bad guy either, he would be missed around the place. Stories of his children, the occasional bad joke but he was a real stand up guy. 

There were times he would have rather gone home to his family but would stay late at the office simply because Bill had asked him to. Trying to take his mind off of Dale, Neil looked at the clock again. Five minutes to go. Would they even notice if he slipped out now? He figured not so Neil quietly grabbed his things and walked out of there in stealth mode. Once out of the building, He made a bee line for the trusty old civic and got in. He drove the few blocks over to Merlin's Trunk to see Jenna.  He was more than happy to see that the store wasn't busy, so she would most likely have time to spend with him before closing. He walked up to where she had been sitting in a private nook to the left of the science fiction section.

"Hi there." He said to her.

"Oh good you made it. I'm glad to see you again." She told him.

"You close at what six o'clock?" 

"No, my new employee does." She told him with a little wink of the eye.

"Oh good. I'm glad you've got someone here to give you a break from this place." 

"Me too. " 

"Where would you like to go tonight?" He asked her.

"It's up to you." She told him softly.

"Do you want coffee, are you hungry, I can buy you dinner if you like." He blurted out.

"Anywhere is fine with me."  She replied. 

"There's  a new family owned diner on the other side of town, I think it's called Nick's Diner."

"I heard about that place, I hear it's really good, too." Jenna informed him.

"Shall we go there?" He offered.

"That sound's nice, yes." 

"Do you need to do anything else before we go?" He asked her.

"Give me just a minute." She replied and kissed him on the cheek.

Jenna walked over to the new girl telling her a few last minute details about the alarm system and then grabbed her purse from under the counter.

"I'm ready if you are sweetie." She told him.

The two of them left Merlin's and walked out to his car.  He started the engine right away and drove through the heavy traffic with ease. It had only taken them about twenty minutes to reach Nick's Diner.  It looked slightly busy but the place wasn't packed. They walked in and found a booth in the middle of the place. Jenna sat on one side, Neil on the other. They picked up the menu's and started looking through it. 

Ten minutes later a young looking waitress came to the table.

"Hi, I'm Amber are you ready to order?" She asked in an upbeat tone.

"I think so." Neil replied.

"I'll have the fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a coke please." He told her.

"Very good sir, and for you miss?" She asked Jenna.

"Cheeseburger fries and a chocolate shake please." 

"Absolutely. I'll be back with your drinks as soon as possible." 

"Thank you." 

When the waitress left Neil wasn't sure what to say, he was just glad to be there with her. He didn't care what they talked about. 

"I think i'll go with you tomorrow. What time is the funeral?" Jenna asked him.

"It's at three o'clock. I have to work until one p.m, but I can pick you up after." 

"That would be fine with me." Jenna replied.

"Thank you for agreeing to go with me." He told her.

"How was work?" She asked him.

"Not bad but it was strange knowing Dale won't be there ever again. It was quiet, for a monday." 

"I would assume so. " She replied.

Just then the waitress returned with the coke and chocolate shake, straws and napkins. 

They both nodded thank you and she headed off to another table. 

Five minutes later she returned with their order. 

"It looks really good." Neil told the waitress.

"Just let me know if you need anything else, but I'll be back to check on you shortly. Enjoy." 

They nodded to her and then started to eat. It had been really good, even for a diner. After a few bites he set the chicken down, took a sip of the coke and looked at her for a moment.

"I was wondering, the demons haven't been around lately, even in my nightmares. Do think they gave up?" 

She set her half eaten burger down and just looked at him for a moment.

"To be honest, I don't know but for the rest of your life you'll need to be on guard about it. Demons are immortal. They can't die, all you can do is send them back to the underworld. It's an endless, frustrating cycle. Assume nothing, understand me?" She told him with a glare that had spooked him only a little. 

"I'll remember that. Thank you for all of your help with this whole unholy mess." 

"Anytime dear." She replied. 

Once the food was gone and plates cleared they sat there for a moment before he paid the bill and took her home.

"I'll see you tomorrow, honey." She replied as he walked her to her door. 

Then he went back to his own apartment, dreading the funeral the next day.