Seven Minutes in Heaven

Chapter Two

The first thing Jeremy did was punch Tobias in the face. Multiple times. Hard. He let out every single bit of anger and sadness that Tobias had caused. Tobias took the hits, barely batting an eye at the show of violence. As an angel, he probably didn't feel pain.

"What the hell do you want?" He growled, and the angel/Tobias grinned cockily.

"That's not a very nice way to greet your best friend." The angel replied teasingly, and Jeremy was quickly realizing that not only did the angel take on the appearance of people, it also adopted their personalities.

"Ex-best friend." Jeremy corrected stone-faced.

"Yeah I suppose I deserve that." The angel said, rubbing his jaw absentmindedly, just like Tobias used to.

"Damn right you do! You convinced my girlfriend to cheat on me. You deserve to rot in hell!" Jeremy shouted, jabbing a finger into Tobias' beefy chest. Tobias always had been better built than Jeremy, something that was always a sore point with him, and could have contributed to Cordelia cheating on him.

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as to say I deserve to rot in hell, but I certainly do deserve some form of punishment." the angel replied, irritatingly calm.

"That is where you and I disagree." Jeremy spat. He didn't really get how seeing Tobias was supposed to convince Jeremy to live again, unless it was to get the chance to strangle him.

"Of course. Personally, I think that we need to clear the air."

"I have nothing to say to you." Jeremy replied, arms folded.

"But I have something to say to you." Tobias said, and Jeremy raised his eyebrows. Curiousity is an interesting thing, and despite Jeremy's massive hatred of the person in front of him, he couldn't help but wonder what he had to say. Apparently Tobias interpreted his silence as affirmation and continued speaking. "First of all, I'm sorry for what happened because of Cordelia and I. But I am not sorry for the action. I love Cordelia, and I know that she has feelings for me. You were not good for her, and you drained away all of her energy. She has confessed to me that it was exhausting to be in a relationship with you, because you second guessed every single expression of affection that she showed. Cordelia loved being around me because it was simpler. Basically, what I am saying is that we are not totally at fault here." Jeremy wasn't sure exactly what to say. What does someone say to that? Jeremy certainly didn't know.

"Did she tell you that?" He said hoarsely, and Tobias frowned in pity, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Jeremy realized how much he had missed Tobias comforting him.

"She did bro. We talked a lot more than you ever knew. Anyway, ready to see my future?"

"If it was anything like Cordelia's, not really." Jeremy replied ruefully and Tobias chuckled.

"I think you will be surprised by mine. Now put your hand on the television." Jeremy obliged, and was sucked into the swirling red and scarlet.

This one started off different compared to Cordelia's. Instead of seeing a scene from the future, he saw the scene that had sent him over the edge. Cordelia and Tobias kissing by the lockers. It was much more passionate than he remembered. Jeremy felt a pang of jealously as he couldn't remember the last time Cordelia kissed him like that. Approaching footsteps came from behind him and he turned around to see him, dressed in his all black ensemble with the clunky headphones covering both ears. It was just as surreal to stand there with angel Tobias watching real Tobias make out with his former girlfriend as it was to stand with angel Cordelia watching real Cordelia cry. Jeremy didn't think he would ever get used to this, no matter how many people he had to see again. He saw himself spot the two, and then witnessed himself scream profanities at the pair, then he dreaded what was coming next. The screaming got so intense that Jeremy saw himself punch real Tobias in the face, then get slapped by Cordelia. It was not fun to watch himself completely snap, treating the two people who he cared about the most like shit.

"That one hurt." Angel Tobias quipped, rubbing his jaw. 

"I'm still glad." Jeremy answered quickly, not really thinking about what he was saying.

"Ha. Let's follow you." Real Jeremy was stalking away from the couple, and the two of them followed. Jeremy looked back and caught one glimpse of Cordelia stroking Tobias' face tenderly.

As the pair rounded the hallway they found themselves in a prison viewing room. It was mostly quiet, except for the low murmurs of prisoners and their visitors. Armed guards lined the walls and wandered up and down the aisles. 

"Why are we here?" Jeremy whispered, compelled by the quiet atmosphere to stay as quiet as possible.

"I seem to have gotten myself in a bit of trouble." The angel remarked dryly. Without another word Jeremy wandered up and down the booths, searching for the familiar face. At the third one from the left he spotted him. The man on the other side of the glass was much older, and had a beard, but was definitely Tobias. It was very uncomfortable to see him like that. Jeremy couldn't help but notice that the twinkle in his eyes was gone, replaced by this dead look that was unsettling to look at.

"What did you do?" Jeremy asked, eyes still on older Tobias.

"I killed someone." Angel Tobias replied nonchalantly. 

"You killed someone?" Jeremy half yelled, half shrieked.

"Yeah. I'm not proud of it, but that is what happened."

"Well, who did you kill?" Angel Tobias grinned ruefully.

"That is for me to know, and for you to find out." 

"Ass." Jeremy muttered, and Tobias laughed. 

"Let's get out of here." Jeremy walked over obediently, forcing himself to not take one last look at those dead eyes.

Unfortunately for Tobias, life did not improve for him. Prison treated him rough, as he was a meek person. Jeremy had to witness actions being done to Tobias that were just inhuman. It all ended with Tobias pissing off one of the prison gangs and getting stabbed with a shiv, bleeding out in minutes. Finally, they were back in the all white room.

"How exactly is this supposed to be convincing me to go back?" Jeremy wondered aloud, not really expecting a straight answer.

"I'm not really sure. It's confusing to me too. Anyway, two down, five to go." Once again, the voice changed immediately, and this change caused tears to well in his eyes.

"Mom?"

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Thank you all for reading, and I hope that you enjoyed the latest installment of this book. If you enjoyed, remember to vote, comment, and follow!

Cat