dark, light | angeless [c]

♗ | aftermath

A/N: all previous chapters were the past.

Present Day, Earth...

Chris closed his eyes. What was the point anymore? Any other creature would have chosen to commit suicide by then, but Chris had a reason to force himself to keep living;

To suffer. To always remember how terribly he had fucked up, and the aftermath of that.

It felt like just yesterday, but a century goes by terribly fast sometimes. He twirled the rose he was holding, crouching down to set it lightly against the headstone that read, simply, 'ANGELO PARENTE.'

Josh held Ryan-Ashley's hand tightly, watching silently. Chris couldn't see them, not anymore.

"I'm sorry," Chris said quietly. Josh strode forward, frowning and waving his hand in front of Chris's face. No response. "Josh," Ryan-Ashley murmured. "It's useless. Let's go.." She mumbled.

Losing his horns and his tail had cost him everything but the small amount of power he still had. Chris knew after what had happened, Angelo would kill himself. He hated the fact that it had to be that way, but he could do nothing to stop it.

It was Maria's plan. Chris had been the only known survivor of her attempts to change demons back to mortals- to purify them. Chris, now essentially human, was unable to see creatures like reapers anymore.

When Angelo passed, Ryan's memory was quick to follow. Chris and Ricky had to watch Ryan suffer through it all, the fear of knowing he was forgetting being his motive for eventually taking his own life.

That, as a result, ruined Ricky's life. Without Ryan, there was no reason to live anymore. He hadn't been thinking of Chris at the time, but maybe if he had, he wouldn't have died.

It had been shortly after regaining his freedom that he had learned of Mike's death. Apparently, it was angels. Michael had tried to defend the familiar and failed, both of them losing their lives.

Chris was, once again, completely and utterly alone.

"I want to do something for him. It's the least we can do.. Please?" Josh murmured. "He.. He's in need of a new familiar, so it would seem.." He murmured, walking over to Angelo's grave, sitting down and leaning against it. "Do you think Angelo would look better with black ears, hm? I think it would look nice with how pale he is, wouldn't you agree?" He asked, resting a hand on the gravestone.

Ryan-Ashley quirked an eyebrow. "What are you up to?"

Josh smiled halfway. "The administration is really going to hound us for this.." He said, snapping his fingers and standing up again. He strode back over to his beloved and rested his hands on her hips.

"It's really not the best weather for a cat to be out all on it's lonesome," Josh said, glancing over his shoulder at the blue glow above Angelo's grave. "I think Chris might just become a cat person." He said as he watched the witch begin walking off in the direction of the cemetery's exit.

Ryan-Ashley grinned. "You sly thing. Such a sweetheart, doing something like that.." She murmured, wrapping her arms around Josh tightly. "I think he's going to be okay." She said.

Josh just smiled and glanced at the black and white cat that was trotting along behind Chris, who had yet to notice it's presence. For a moment, the cat turned and looked directly at Death themselves, knowingly, and gave a nod of it's head before continuing to follow along behind Chris.

"I think so, too." Josh said.