"LOOKS LIKE IT'S JUST THE two of us for a little while," Louis said. Melanie glanced over at him and she nodded, coming to grips with the fact that he was right - she would be stuck with Satan himself once again.

"It seems so," Melanie mused, looking around the town hall, her eyes focusing on nothing in particular. "Now what?"

Louis shrugged. "No idea. You're the one who doesn't want to go back to your body."

"Stop being annoying," Melanie huffed before she sat herself down in the closest chair, a deep sigh escaping her parted lips. "I'm tired."

"Aren't we all?" Louis answered before he sat down beside her. "You're only tired because you're stuck here and you've found out that your friends were gits. Plus, you're desperate to go home.  It's drained you completely."

"Mm," Melanie groaned in agreement, her eyes drooping.

"I'm tired because I've never had to deal with so much crying, an arse called Michael and the stress of sending two of you away at one time."

"What do you have against Michael?" Melanie wondered, looking over at Louis who smiled at her slowly.

"How familiar are you with angels?" he asked and Melanie shrugged.

"Not too good," she admitted.

"One of the angels told of in Christian, Jewish and Islamic teachings is Saint Michael the Archangel." Louis said, rolling his eyes. "He was a dick."

Melanie laughed out loud. "He reminds you of him, doesn't he?"

Louis nodded stiffly. "He was one of the angels who told God it would be best to banish me. Prick."

Melanie was laughing so hard that tears formed in her eyes. She was relieved to find that she was  still able to laugh after the day's events and for Lucifer to be reminded of an arch-nemesis by a human boy was just too amusing.

"Oh, stop it," Louis said, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure from now on if someone says the name 'Rachel', you'll recoil."

That shut Melanie up because she knew it was true. If she ever heard the names Rachel or Kaleb, she'd shut down and refuse to speak to anyone. The memories of seeing her own death would flash back to her and leave her in shock. She'd never be able to forgive them.

"I still can't believe they'd be so twisted," Melanie said, looking down. "Friends are supposed to be amazing people, who understand and love you..."

"That's what I thought about God, Gabriel and Michael and look where that got me," Louis piped in and Melanie laughed. It felt good to still be able to laugh.

"Only because you were a dick," Melanie said and Louis just rolled his eyes at her cocky remark.

"No, I simply wished for more - to be recognized like my superiors," Louis said. "To be worshipped like a God."

"In a way you are a God," Melanie said. "Being a religious figure created by God and all."

"Oh shut up," Louis groaned. "I'm The Devil, not a God."

"Just like you're a man with no penis."

Louis let out a loud, exhausted sigh. "We've been through this. I have a dick."

"Sure," Melanie laughed, standing from where she and Louis were sitting. The town hall had once fascinated her when she was younger with all of it's intricate paintings and decor inside but as a young adult, her interest had vanished completely.

"You want me to prove it?" Louis said and Melanie glanced at him, wide-eyed. Prove it?

"No, thank you," Melanie said. "Fire or something will shoot from the end, no doubt."

Louis's eyes widened upon hearing her obscene imagery and he shook his head. "I can assure you that nothing of the sort happens."

The pair of them left the town hall together, Melanie's eyes on the school to the right. She could remember her time in high school being rather enjoyable but whether that was because of her interest in learning or spending time with her mate, she didn't know. Mostly likely the latter. "I never thought I'd miss school."

"Hm?" Louis mumbled.

"Because I'm dead, I'm only just realizing how much I took for granted."

"Take for granted," Satan corrected. "You're still alive, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Melanie mumbled. "I don't understand that. If my body is alive, how am I still here?"

"I've told you," said Louis. "Because you've found out what killed you, and there's the opportunity to go back to earth, your body has a fighting chance. As long as you're here, in The Beyond with the choice to keep breathing, then your body will be waiting for your return."

"If I decided to pass on, it would die?" Melanie asked and Louis nodded before he looked over his shoulder at the town.

"What do you do for fun in this place?" Louis asked and Melanie just shrugged.

"It's a small town, there's not that much to do." Melanie turned and pointed at the pub behind them. "The pub is always fun if you want to get pissed. There's a leisure centre at the bottom of the town with a swimming pool, gym and dance classes. Tennis courts up in the more country part of the town."

"Sounds fun," Louis said, tapping his foot. "I could use a pint."

"You can drink?" Melanie asked and Louis rolled his eyes.

"Please stop with all these doubtful questions, dear Melanie," Louis said. "I can drink, I have a penis, I have horns and red skin... I'm not an abomination."

"Some would beg to differ," Melanie muttered and The Devil glared at her before turning to enter the pub. Melanie walked behind the bar while Louis sat in one of the high stools by the counter. "What d'you want?" she asked.

"Pint," Louis muttered. "Lager."

"The cheap shit," Melanie laughed before retrieving a glass from behind her. "Vodka is the king."

"Not in The Beyond, it isn't," Louis said as he leaned his elbows on the counter. He rested his chin on top of his clasped hands and said, "I'm the king here."

"Sure," Melanie muttered as she filled the glass to the brim. "My dad used to work in a pub before he switched jobs, so I know all the tricks."

"Was one of those tricks getting drunk and nearly hit by a car?" Louis asked innocently and Melanie thrust the drink forward onto the counter before him, liquid spilling over the sides of the glass.

"Shut up," she muttered before picking up a glass for herself. However, she didn't fill it like she did with Louis'. Instead, she placed it back on the shelf and looked down.

"Not going to join me for a drink?" Louis asked. "You'll never get a chance again."

"I think I've been drunk enough times in my life," Melanie muttered before turning around and leaning against the bar in front of Lucifer who was sipping his drink. "How can you even drink that?"

"Well, I happen to find it very appealing-"

"I didn't mean it like that," Melanie interrupted. "Like, how are you able to drink in The Beyond. Isn't this a ghostly land and everything in it?"

"You can still eat and drink, Melanie," Louis said, wiping the froth from his upper lip with his thumb. "What kind of world would it be if you couldn't eat or drink?"

"A pretty shitty one," she said, smiling. She left the bar and perched up on the stool next to Louis. "Can I steal a sip?"

"I thought you weren't getting drunk any time soon?"

"A sip won't kill nobody," she answered before carefully taking the glass from Louis. He watched her with a lazy gaze as she sipped at the alcohol. "Well, that's what I said right before the accident," Melanie said after handing the glass back to him.

Louis laughed. "You are one silly girl."

"And you're one poor excuse for The Devil."

"Watch your mouth, Melanie," he warned, grinning slyly over to her. "I'd hate to send you back to earth without it."

"Big talk," she laughed before leaning forward to place her chin against the counter. There was no denying the sadness that still consumed her thoughts, the idea that two people that were so close to her, were her killers. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't know what to do," she complained.

"What do you mean?"

"When I get home! What if I wake up and someone tries to kill me while I'm in the hospital? I'd be vulnerable. What if Rachel comes to visit me? My parents would have to physically restrain me from punching her."

"For a sweet, rich girl you seem pretty violent," Louis commented.

"Oh, you have no idea," Melanie laughed before sitting up straight. She looked round the interior of  pub and then out the window at the grey town. It was eerily silent. "You know, it's actually OK here."

"I've been thinking the same thing ever since I got rid of that Michael fella," Louis said, grinning.

"Stop being mean," she scolded. "He's agreed to give you his soul in exchange for his life."

"Yay," Louis said flatly. "It'll be fun having him nag on at me for all eternity."

"He'll be an old man by then, Louis," Melanie said. "He'll probably have amnesia or something and not remember you at all."

"Hopefully," Louis said. "Nah, he actually seems like a good guy and he cares for you a lot. It's just his name irks me."

"How many people called Michael have you had to deal with?" Melanie asked, looking questioningly over at him.

"A good few," he answered. "Unfortunately, Michael happens to be quite a popular name."

"At least you've not had to deal with someone else called God," Melanie said, smirking and Louis laughed.

"True, though there was one man who was killed and he happened to be a priest."

"Oh no," Melanie laughed. "Did he give you a hard time?"

"You have no idea!" Louis said, swivelling around to look her in the eye. "He was all like, 'father protect thee from sinner, Lucifer', and he would not stop for hours! I'm not going to lie, I was glad to send him to Heaven straight away," Louis said, shaking his head.

Melanie was laughing, a clear image of him arguing with a priest coming to mind. "I'd love to have seen that."

"Of course you would've," he said before taking another sip from his drink. "Are you religious?"

"Me?" Melanie laughed. "No, not at all. I don't think anyone in my family is. My Granddad prayed a lot, if that counts?"

"Well, it means he believed," he said, grimly. "Stupid man."

"Hey!" Melanie slapped his arm roughly. "Don't you dare talk about anyone in my family like that! He was a nice, kind, gentle man! Not stupid. That was too far."

Louis saw Melanie's eyes slowly start to water and he apologized quickly. "Melanie, please don't cry."

"Sorry," she mumbled, wiping her stray tears away. "It's just ... I've lost a lot of people in my life, and it still hurts to think about them."

Louis was silent for a moment, and Michael's words suddenly echoed through his head from earlier:

"She's had a harder life than you think. Money doesn't make up for a broken heart, you know?"

"Melanie," Louis said slowly, his hand reaching out for her's. He entwined his fingers with Melanie's and she looked up at him. "Michael told me you've had a hard life - that you have a broken heart. Do you?"

Melanie laughed quietly; a choked sob escaping her parted lips. "Yes. I don't know why Mike told you that but I do."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Louis asked, hating himself for doing so. He wasn't an agony aunt, he was The Devil, so why did he feel obligated to comfort the human girl before him? His curiosity to find out more about her was surfacing more and more by the second.

"No," Melanie said, to Louis' disappointment. "Thank you, though."

"Are you sure?" urged Louis. He found himself suddenly desperate for answers about the human girl, intrigued by her hidden past that she so longing wished to keep secret. "It's not as if I'm able to tell anyone. Being stuck in Hell all the time," he finished, quoting her words from earlier.

She laughed before slowly nodding. "Alright. But please don't mock me or laugh-"

"Why would I?" he asked seriously.

"Because you're a cocky bastard," Melanie answered. Louis shrugged.

"Granted. I can promise you I won't Mel," Louis said, squeezing her hand gently. "You can trust me."

"Trust you?" Melanie scoffed. "How can I trust someone as evil as you?"

"Because I'm actually telling the truth. Everything I've told you since you landed in The Beyond, has been the truth."

Melanie raised a brow but didn't push the subject. She sniffed and wiped away her remaining tears before clearing her throat. "Three years ago, my granddad was diagnosed with cancer," she started.

"Oh," Louis muttered. "Sorry about what I said before..."

"It's fine," she said, continuing. "He was fine for the first few months but he just got sicker as the days passed on. My gran wasn't the healthiest either, and she had to deal with the constant appointments, keeping him well and comfy... Eventually he wound up in hospital. With the stress and such, so did my gran. When my granddad passed away, my gran couldn't accept it and she was crying constantly, day and night. A few days later she died too. Whether it was because of the medicines she was given or from a heartbreak, I don't know. All I know is that I lost both my grandparents within a week."

"Melanie, I'm so sorry," Louis said, watching as more tears slid down her cheeks. "But you know it's only natural for people to die. You'll be OK, I promise."

"I'm not finished," she said, smiling bravely through her tears. "Two months later, my oldest brother, Craig, left with some friends for a holiday. Their boat..." Melanie trailed off as her tears consumed her. "I never even got to say goodbye before he left! I was out with some friends..."

"Shh," Louis said, pulling her towards him. She allowed him to wrap his arms around her, and she returned the gesture, hugging him tightly. He was the only person that she was able to talk to who didn't already know about her life. It felt good being able to let it all out. "It's OK."

"And now..." Melanie continued, sobbing into his chest. "I've lost two friends."

"Breathe, Mel," Louis encouraged. "Breathe." She obeyed and her shaky breathing eventually calmed until she was able to breathe normally again. Louis slowly reached up and cupped her face between his hands. He used his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "You're fine."

Melanie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore his warm hands holding her face close to his. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just... I can't talk about it without crying. No one ever sees me cry."

"I've seen you crying too much," Louis laughed, wiping away a stray tear. "Just let it all out, Mel."

 She nodded slowly before placing her hands over Louis'. "Thank you."

Louis smiled in return and slowly dropped his hands to his sides. "It only seems fair that you told me the hardest part of your life. I told you mine, after all," he said, grinning.

"Being kicked out of Heaven was the hardest part for you?" Melanie laughed. "Are you sure it wasn't being called a girl by Gabriel?"

Louis let out a sigh before shaking his head. "That was more humiliating, I'd say."

Melanie smiled at him, grateful for his company. "You're not too bad, Satan."

"Neither are you, Cooper," he replied before downing the rest of his drink. "I actually like you being here."

"I'm flattered, really," Melanie said before she thought about the requirement for returning to life. "What will you do with my soul, Louis?"

Louis looked over at her, a brow raised, "I don't know. The nice thing to do would be to allow you to pass on peacefully. But then again, everyone should have a side-kick..."

"You'd want a ninety year old lady as your side-kick?"  Melanie said. "I don't think so."

"Ah, but that's the thing," Louis said. "I could restore you to your younger self. You'll be dead after all, it's not as if anyone would be seeing you."

"Your powers are just weird."

"They're epic," he said, grinning. "Of course, it'd be your choice. I'd like someone to keep me company to be honest. Besides, you and I seem to get on rather well."

"I will not tolerate your cockiness after living ninety years, Lucifer."

"I have a feeling that you'll be cocky for the rest of your life, so I should be just fine." Louis smiled widely at her as she rubbed her eyes. "You're tired."

"Crying makes me tired," Melanie said.

"Watching you cry makes me tired," Louis said she she slapped his arm gently.

"But think about it," Louis said, standing from his stool. "When you die in your elderly years, I'll have possession of your soul, so you'll end up landing in Hell. If you so desired, I could give you back your youth and you could be my eternal companion."

"What if I get tired of the job after so many years?" Melanie wondered.

Louis shrugged. "I'd grant you your freedom, and let you pass on."

"You're turning soft," Melanie laughed before standing up beside him. "But I'll think about it. I'll answer you when I die in about seventy years."

"It's a deal then?" Louis said, a brow raised.

"Not for another seventy years, dear," Melanie said with a smirk.