Time After Time

6. Meeting Death

"Jace." Whoever you are go away! "Jace Andrews...WAKE UP!" The voice booms and echoes in my ears, vibrating my whole body that I jolt awake falling off my bed.

"What the fuck?!" Staring up at the woman standing above me looking down at me smugly. She is gorgeous, I would remember if I fucked her, wouldn't I? "Who the hell are you?" Shivers run throughout my body as she laughs. Her hypnotic laugh has me moving closer to her as if I was being lured to her. Shaking my head at the ridiculous notion, I need to find out how she got into my place.

"The name is Alanna, but you can call me death."

Okay that's it! I have completely lost my mind. How much did Jess and I drink? No, that can't be it we had one drink that was it. "Nice try lady. How the hell did you get into my apartment?" The playful demeanor evaporates from her face. A cold chill hits the air that I'm shivering.

"D-death." Nodding her head the temperature returns to normal in the room. "Why are you here?" Rubbing my arms to get warmth back into them, they are chilled to the bone. 

"Relax. I'm not here to collect you."

"Collect me?"

Rolling her eyes, the annoyance bounces off of her in waves. Jace shut the fuck up! Before she really decides to collect you. "Are you going to repeat everything I say? I swear as long as I have been doing this, it gets so damn tedious. Why am I cleaning up other's messes?" Looking at her dumbfounded she smirks at me. "You are lucky you are cute, because my patience is wearing thin. Get dressed." Eyeing me up and down her eyes light up. "Or not. I haven't seen a good set of abs in a very long time."

I need to move, why can't I move? Snapping her fingers sweats and white shirt is on my body. Sighing she turns on her heels and walks out of my room. What the fuck is going on? Following like a damn lost puppy, I really do not want to get on her bad side. Death is in my fucking apartment! Sitting on my couch she sits right in front of me on the coffee table. If this was me before I made that stupid deal and in my fucked-up mind where I didn't care about shit, I would have bedded her in a heartbeat.

"I'm flattered." Jumping out of my skin, she throws her head back and laughs. Her caramel skin glows and her eyes glimmer with amusement. "You wouldn't be able to handle a woman like me." She's right. "I know I'm right."

"Stop that shit!" This freaking me the hell out. "Are you here for Sienna?"

"Eventually, yes." Sighing, I throw my head back and close my eyes. This is all my fault. "It was never your fault, Jace."

"Then why would you take her if it's not my fault?"

"Because she doesn't belong here. Her time was up at the age of seventeen."

"So, it was my fault!"

"No, it wasn't. The drunk driver killed her."

"But if I..."

Her hand lands on my knee and I flinch. Shouldn't I be dead if she touches me? "It doesn't work like that." I really wish she would stop reading my thoughts. She shrugs but pulls her hand away. "Look you could always play, the-would-of, should of game. The end result will always be the same."

No matter what she says I am always going to blame myself. This whole thing is so fucked up. "Why are you here then?" If not for Sie or me then what?

"Father Time has gone off the deep end."

What does this have to do with me? "Who?"

"The man you made a deal with." If I see him again, I am going to wring his neck.

"The Morgan Freeman wannabe, asshat." Her laughter rings throughout the apartment.

"One of the best descriptions so far. I like you Jace Andrews."

"Um...thanks, I guess." What else am I supposed to say to death? I really do not have a death wish anymore.

"Jace, stop throwing me off topic."

"I'm not trying to." I really am not. It's as if I am on a very crazy high I cannot come down from and it is making me paranoid.

"Father Time, is trying to re-write history." When I don't say anything, she continues. There is no point to keep voicing my opinions if she can read my mind. "I don't try to, but you are very transparent right now. Your thoughts are just screaming at me. "As much as you humans like to think if given the opportunity you can change the past, but you can't."

"But he said...and things have..."

"Changing the past offsets the balance. Come on Jace I am pretty sure you have watched plenty of movies where scenarios like this turn into disasters." She's not wrong. "Of course I'm not."

"Stop doing that!"

"Sorry, but since Sienna didn't die someone had to take her place. Someone who was not meant to die at that time. This does not suit well for me, because my list gets jumbled, and I do not like taking people before their time." I thought death would be scarier, but she seems...human. "I once was, and I swear that is the last time." I should not glare at death it's plain right suicide. "As I was saying Father Time is bored and likes to interfere and that is against our rules."

"Motherfucker!" Standing up I pace back and forth. "No matter what, Sienna will still die. Even after this all plays out." Nodding her head, I pull at my hair. "This was all for nothing!"

"Would you trade it for anything?"

"No." I don't even hesitate to answer because even if this is all screwed up, I'm not the same douchebag I was after she first died. 

"That's what I thought." Getting up she pours herself a drink. "I so need this. I hate cleaning up his messes." I would too. "I tell you what. Now that you know you can have a choice."

"What choice?"

"You can play out your three chances. Just remember they are a glimpse of what could happen, or you can go back the way things were before all of this started."

"What's the catch?" She hands me a glass of scotch and I take it.

"Smart man. The catch is that to keep the balance, if Sienna doesn't die someone dies in her place."

"How the hell am I supposed to live with that?"

"It's how it goes, Jace. Someone already dies each chance you play out. It is no different if you decide to go back before this all happens."

"He's not Father Time, he's the damn devil." Downing the rest of the scotch I sink back into the couch. I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't.

"The Devil is a little less diabolical at times, I must admit."

"I wasn't thinking. I should have but I wasn't." Stupid, selfish idiot! "Of course there would be consequences. With every action there is a reaction."

Alanna nods her head as her curls bounce around. "Most humans don't. They think with their heart and emotions. Other times men think with their..." Looking down at my crotch smirking. "You know what I mean. It can all be dangerous at times."

"I don't know what to do." Rubbing my face over my hands this is all too much. Maybe I should have Jess commit me to a psych ward.

"I got to go death is calling." A chill runs up my spine again. "Don't worry it's not Sienna." I breathe a little easier knowing that. "When you wake up in the morning you will be where you want to be. Whether it is your old life or to follow this through to the end."

With that she vanishes. Blinking I feel as if this is all a bad dream, but I stare at the half glass of scotch with red lipstick on it. Touching the glass it's warm to the touch. "I'm not going crazy, am I?" Shaking the feeling away I know I have to think about this. I caused this and I have to make this right.

I just have no idea how the fuck I am going to fix this!