【ic】ѕcrew нeαveɴ, нello eαrтн【sᴇᴍɪ】【1x1】

Destinee was walking away from her guardian angel, and the poor excuse of an apartment when she was met with an unfriendly reply. ”You can wander the entire earth as many times as you’d like, but this is the only place you’ll find your beloved Jaison.” His voice had no sweetness or sarcasm to it, showing he meant those words completely. Throwing her arms up in distress, she walked back over to him, trying not to stain her shoes in the dying grass. "Fair enough. Let's go inside." she said with confidence, not noticing the angel had already headed towards the house without her. Sighing heavily, she followed him, a distasteful expression displaced on her face. She couldn't help but think Jaison wouldn't go to an apartment like this, and she wasn't sure whose it could be. The possibility of him being on a date, or worse, having a new girlfriend, scared her so much she shivered. Destinee was so certain that Jaison loved her most, and that there was no way he could move on in such a short amount of time.

Expecting him to open the door, Destinee waited there for a moment but was shocked to see him just go straight through. Right, she scoffed, I can walk through walls now..! she thought, still in disbelief as she closed her eyes and faded into the apartment. Opening her eyes, she was surprised that the inside of the apartment was so cute and homey when the outside was..well, moving on. Looking around for Jaison, she was confused to see him holding cleaning supplies, another girl in the picture. Was he doing charity or something? Meeting a fan? But why would they clean her house as an activity? The whole situation was strange, and both her and Declan seemed in need of a reality check. Turning to him, she whispered. "What are they even doing?" she stated, her drawn-on eyebrows raising with her voice. Seeing him just cleaning did give her relief though. He must just be hanging with a fan today, that must be it. To keep his mind off of her. Of course.

She began to walk around the house silently, looking around at all the furniture and photos. It seemed just like a normal young-adult's home. Nothing special, nothing strange. The girl in the photos and the one who stood by Jaison was pretty, she had to admit. However, her worry had faded away, the moment her terrifying fantasies of him kissing another girl were replaced by him playing house. She gestured Declan over to a photo of the girl in a pretty purple dress, pointing at her with a grin. "She's good looking, huh? I bet you would love to have a girl like this around. Too bad you're stuck with me." she laughed sadly and quietly, remembering the day's events once again. Trying to sit up on the table the photo rested on, she accidentally knocked it onto the floor. "Crap!" she screamed loudly, her hands covering her mouth in shock. Pointing to the broken glass and photo on the ground, she exclaimed to Declan, "You never told me I could do THAT!"

Natalia took the mop in hand, furiously scrubbing it against the floor that was now stained with juice. "Oh gosh, it won't even come out now." she exclaimed frustrated, her hand wiping the sweat off her forehead. Natalia couldn't believe this pop-star had just seen her furniture fall apart. As if she wasn't aware of how poor she was already. Besides, she just bought that table a couple days ago from Little Mike! Ohohoho, those two were going to have a talk. One that may involve some yelling, might she add. "Sorry about this." she told him, looking into his eyes and then glancing away. "I just don't have many visitors I guess." she said honestly, brushing a piece of hair out of her face. Natalia felt like a complete mess, and she wondered if Jaison would go laugh with friends later about this strange and crazy place he visited. What if he made fun of her on national television? All these thoughts circling her mind practically made her dizzy.

A loud crash, followed by little clangs sounded about the house. Whipping her head around, her mouth gaped open at the site of a picture frame and glass sprawled across her floor. First the juice, now this? She questioned herself. How was that even possible? "Quick, hand me that broom!" she exclaimed, as she ran over to quickly sweep away the remains.  Natalia was utterly embarrassed by how this was all playing out. "Gosh, you must think I'm an absolute ditz." she laughed quietly, as she took the pieces and put them in the trash. Suddenly, her phone rang, her ringtone being one of Jaison's popular songs as a joke with her friends. Her cheeks turning a bright pink, she shut the phone quickly, hiding it behind her back. "Someone I know put that as my ringtone. It wasn't me, I swear."she laughed uncomfortably. "Um, do you want to go somewhere else maybe..?"

"What are they even doing?" Declan continued to stare on in confusion at the site before him. Sure, an angel’s intuition was good, but… It wasn’t good.

”Your guess is as good as mine…” He muttered, watching as Destinee began to roam around the tiny apartment’s living room. Shaking his head, Declan made his way over to where the two living people were knelt on the floor. ”What did you do this time, Nat?” He crossed his arms as he stood over the two, who seemed to be cleaning some sort of liquid off of the floor.

Glancing up to make sure the child he was babysitting wasn’t wreaking havoc, he noticed the brunette girl trying to beckon him over to her. Holding back a sigh, Declan headed over to Destinee, who seemed to be looking at photos of Natalia, perhaps jealous that the living girl was hanging out with Mr. Popstar.

"She's good looking, huh? I bet you would love to have a girl like this around. Too bad you're stuck with me." Destinee laughed, but it was soft and had a hint of sadness to it. Declan held back the urge to wince at what Destinee was suggesting.

”Trust me, love,” Declan said tauntingly. She’s pretty, but she ain’t my type.” He slowly looked Destinee up and down before giving her a wink, as if suggesting the brunette was his type.

Looking back at the living duo for just a second to make sure Jaison was keeping his hands to himself, Declan suddenly heard Destinee screaming followed by the shattering sound of glass.

"You never told me I could do THAT!"

Declan held back a laugh. He probably should have mentioned something to the girl, but then he wouldn’t have gotten to enjoy the amusing moment of her figuring it out on her own.

”Congrats, Angel Cakes, you’re finally understanding how spooky spectres became a myth.” Declan chuckled before being brought back to reality by the sound of his little sister yelling.

"Quick, hand me that broom! Gosh, you must think I'm an absolute ditz.” Declan could definitely tell Natalia was embarrassed, which was slightly strange. You’d think she wouldn’t care what this man she absolutely despised thought about her.

Putting his face in his hand, Declan began shaking his head. This night was already turning out to be a huge clown fiesta, and he’d only been there for maybe five minutes, at most. As expected, things did get worse for his sister as her phone began ringing, playing one of the jerk’s songs. Declan felt a bit bad for Natalia, but he couldn’t help but chuckle at the scene. It was like he was watching a horrible movie that’s budget was lost halfway through the film so they filled it with terribly-planned shenanigans one after the other.

Possibly after watching her house almost get destroyed, along with her dignity, his sister decided to take the little party outside. But, where would they even go? Natalia wasn’t exactly one to go venture the outdoors on a whim, and mostly she stopped by his grave on most occasion. Which wouldn’t exactly be the best location for a fun outing -- although the prospect might put Destinee on edge, and who knows what brought the urge to even hang out with the jerk even more. Declan was a bit confused and conflicted, to say the least.

Perhaps it was time for some godly intervention.

Tapping Destinee on the shoulder, Declan pointed to a random spot on the other side of the room, which just happened to be set on Maxxy. “Hey, check that out. She’s playing dead, too! Maybe she’s copying us.” The angel made a gesture with his hand and the dog instantly went belly-up like a goldfish. With his charge occupied with the spectacle, he swiftly stuck his leg out just as Jaison was getting to his feet leaving the other male to his downfall. A smirk played at the angel’s lips as he went back to his previous position and pretended he had no part in the male’s slip. That should buy him some more time to think of an actual plan.

”Your boyfriend isn’t the most graceful man, is he?” Declan joked, raising an eyebrow at the blond man laying face down on the ground as Maxxy perked up and ran to said man’s side.

--


"Oh gosh, it won't even come out now." Jaison inched slightly away from her. Perhaps if he just stood back a bit and nodded along, he could get away without cleaning. It wasn’t like he even knew how to clean, really. He was a popstar, for crying out loud! He had maids to do this sort of thing for him!

He tried to keep a straight face as the girl looked at him, explaining she didn’t have visitors often. That fact had been quite obvious, considering the condition of the apartment, but Jaison just nodded, feigning understanding. ”It’s fine,” He muttered, worried that this woman might snap at any second due to all the chaos happening.

Jaison honestly felt a bit of pity for the girl. She seemed a bit rude earlier, shoving cleaning supplies in his face, but he’d probably be frustrated too if he had to live in a house like this. Maybe after all this was over with he’d send the poor woman a sturdier table or something. Maybe even a comfy bed for that beautiful, little puppy.

Feeling a chill run up his spine, followed by the sound of something shattering, Jaison was snapped out of his thoughts. Things were getting ruined all of the place; was this a normal occurrence in this woman’s home?! How this woman has survived living like this, Jaison would never understand. It seemed like hell to him.

"Quick, hand me that broom!" Before Jaison could react, Natalia was snatching the broom out of his hand and running to clean up the remains of what seemed to be a now broken picture frame. First the juice, and now this… He wondered what would be next. He bit his lips as his eyes wandered to the dog that sat on the opposite side of the room. Don’t worry, girl. I’ll make sure it isn’t you. He mentally made a promise to protect the canine from the horrors this apartment seemed to be bringing.

Hearing a soft laugh, Jaison glanced back at Natalia, who was cleaning up the newest mess on her floor. "Gosh, you must think I'm an absolute ditz."

Fighting the urge to laugh, Jaison shook his head. Before he could speak, however, he was cut off by, strangely enough, his own voice. He noticed Natalia’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink as she shot up and shut her phone, hiding it behind her back, and claiming her friends had set the ringtone as a joke.

”Of course they did,” Jaison snickered. He didn’t really believe her, thanks to the new tint of her skin, but he figured the girl had already suffered enough tonight. He knelt down and placed the bigger pieces of glass Natalia had missed into the broom shovel.

"Um, do you want to go somewhere else maybe..?"

”Oh. Yeah, sure,” Jaison answered, slightly confused, as he tossed the contents of the shovel into a nearby trash bin. As he went to stand up, he spotted Maxxy laying across the room, belly up and seeming completely lifeless. ”Damn it! No I just promised to protect you!” He shouted without thinking as panic set in and went to run towards the dog.

Instead of at the dog’s side, however, Jaison suddenly found himself face-down on the floor as though some unforeseen force had tripped him. At the sudden impact, Maxxy perked back to life and ran to his side… What the hell was happening? This whole situation was bizarre, suspicious, and too dang ironic. He turned his face to look at Maxxy as she licked his ear in playfulness, he only felt a slight tinge of disgust at the action as he ruffled her fur. ”I’m glad you’re okay, but give me a break.” He whispered to the puppy with a grin.

Pushing himself up into a standing position, Jaison glanced back at Natalia. ”Well… Let’s head out of here then, shall we?” He replied nonchalantly, but internally was screaming in anxiety. However, leaving this evil and crumbling to pieces household seemed like a safe bet for his own well-being. Also, by the slightest chance that she was going to kill him, this was his best shot at getting a witness of the crime and to avenge him. Like look at Maxxy, the poor dog looked like it’s been through so much that it was playing dead.

As the two walked out of the house together, only one thought crossed Jaison’s mind as he gazed back into the loony house…

#SaveMaxxy2k15.

Destinee was staring at her palms, turning them upside and downside multiple times. She was shocked by their power, she didn't understand that as a ghost she could touch things, nevertheless move them! ”Congrats, Angel Cakes, you’re finally understanding how spooky spectres became a myth.” She looked at him for a moment, surprised by the nickname. First the comment about her appearance and now this? If she didn't know better, she'd think he was hitting on her. But she had a boyfriend. Even if he was alive and she was dead, Destinee somehow didn't see that as a dealbreaker. In the background of her thoughts, the poor girl was now cleaning up her mess. She began to lean down to help, saying sorry a couple times, before remembering that Natalia couldn't be helped by her and her spooky spectre self. Dusting her pants off, she got up quickly, crossing her arms as if they were a barrier and wall, keeping anything bad from reaching her.

She felt a light tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn to Declan. He was pointing at the cutest fluffiest dog around, who was having a good time just laying on the floor. “Hey, check that out. She’s playing dead, too! Maybe she’s copying us.”Destinee looked at him with a confused look, but her mouth gaped open when he flipped the dog onto her belly-side up. Her hands covered her mouth as she began to laugh a bit at the incident. She knew the dog wasn't hurt, and she had to admit she found silly pranks funny.

While she was focusing on the puppy, her so-called angel decided it would be a good idea to trip her boyfriend as well. ”Your boyfriend isn’t the most graceful man, is he?”She scoffed, pushing him on the shoulder. "That wasn't necessary, you know." Why was he so determined to degrade Jaison? Before she could run over to try to help, even though that was useless, Natalia had done so. Destinee looked down at her boyfriend again and giggled at the sight of his shocked face. "Maybe it was a little funny. But, still unnecessary."she admitted, raising her eyebrows and giving him a smile.

Destinee pulled on his arm, dragging him out the door before they watched more of the disasters unfolding. "Much to your probable surprise, I do have other people in my life to go check on. You're bringing me to my family's house, guardian angel."she told him with a grin, leaning on her toes, ready to see her little sisters and her ma and pa. Destinee could only hope they were doing well, and that they would be okay until she found out a way to return to earth and live again.

While she was cleaning up the mess, and Jaison helped, she was suddenly surprised to see him get up and run the other direction. Confused, she lifted her head up and dropped the cleaning supplies as she saw Maxxy laying lifeless. "Maxxy!"she yelled, running over to him as Jaison was about to save the poor thing. The pop star suddenly slipped, and she wondered what he could have possibly slipped on or over. "Jaison! Are you ok?"she asked him, going over to help him up while Maxxy looked lifeful again. The dog was even licking him now. ”I’m glad you’re okay, but give me a break.”She smiled at the sight of them two, he was so nice to Maxxy. Natalia wondered if he had animals, and if he did, she hoped he actually took care of them himself. So many pop stars forced their pets onto caretakers that they paid. It wasn't the best life for a poor little pet. "Well, I'm glad you're o-"She was interrupted by Jaison, ”Well… Let’s head out of here then, shall we?”Natalia looked at him confused for a moment, then remembered their previous conversation. "Right, right."she murmured, getting up from the floor clumsily. "Let's go then, shall we..."she said faking excitement, not knowing exactly where they were off to. Just anywhere but here. It was way too embarassing for him to be around her house, Natalia felt completely exposed and like she was being reviewed or interviewed.

Natalia led the two of them out of the house, after filling up Maxxy's food and water bowl. She opened the door for the both of them, letting it shut quietly behind them, locking it tight. Natalia almost walked towards her car, but decided against it. After that destructive car ride, it was probably best to walk to their next location. She cringed, and began to walk on the sidewalk that led to a small town a third of a mile down. "Come on, we're going to walk the way. If that's okay..?" she questioned, but began walking anyways. A couple times they had to hide from paparazzi cars that drove quickly past. As they were walking, Natalia noticed a man in black was following them. "Oh my gosh, one of them is following us."she told him, pointing to the man hiding in a bush with a camera. Natalia looked around for a place that was familiar to take haven in. She saw her favorite antique store, and pulled Jaison into the store. "Phew."she said relieved. "They really follow you everywhere don't they? You must hate it, I know I would."she told him honestly, taking a seat on an old piece of furniture. Her phone began to ring loudly in her pocket, and she frowned, remembering how bad the last phone call was. A week to live, a week. She would definitely need to go to the doctor tomorrow and ask if there was anything else they could do to keep her life going for just a bit longer.

She opened her cellphone. Moments later, she dropped it on the floor in shock. She was getting a heart transplant. This couldn't be possible. Could it? Tears welled up in her eyes, and she jumped up and hugged Jaison, needing to share the amazing news with someone else, and she didn't care who. "I'm...I'm going to be saved.."she coughed out, tears of joy and sadness both flowing out of her eyes. "Someone is giving me their heart, I can't believe it."she smiled wide, laughing in relief and joy. This was a gamechanger. For her and for her future.

After admiring his work of making Jaison seem like a fool, Delan suddenly felt two cold hands wrap around his arm, tugging him through the front door and out of the house. It seemed this girl was a bit brighter than he’d initially thought.

”"Much to your probable surprise, I do have other people in my life to go check on.” Declan couldn’t deny that much; he hadn’t seen many people go visit more than one person. Usually they see their old lover with someone new, and go right back up to heaven, not wanting to see anything else. Or, sometimes, they don’t want to visit anyone at all, not wanting to see their loved ones in pain over the loss.

”You're bringing me to my family's house, guardian angel." Declan snickered at the fact that she was actually calling him that. This girl was quite bossy, eh? If it wasn’t for the fact that the big guy upstairs would get upset, Declan would probably forcibly just drag her caboose back to heaven.

He watched in amusement as the dead girl grinned and began leaning on her toes. Was she waiting for him to lift her up and fly her around or something?

”Well, we’d best get a move on then.” Declan grinned as he started levitating off of the ground, acting as if he wasn’t going to help her. ”Try to keep up,, Princess. Your family’s home isn’t too close to here, I’m sure. We’ll have to head to the second star to the right, and straight on ‘til morning.” He pointed to the sky, as if trying to give the girl directions.

Without giving Destinee a change to react, Declan grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her along as he quickly began flying towards the house Destinee’s family lived in, his speed slowly increasing over time.



Leaving the house with Natalia, Jaison slowly started walking in the direction of the car that they had arrived in. Noticing Natalia heading in the other direction, towards the sidewalk, Jaison gave the girl a confused look. Were they not taking the car? It wasn’t exactly safe for Jaison to be casually walking down the street. Though he had already done that earlier in the day and even borrowed a hoodie for the occasion, so it wasn’t like he stood out like a sore thumb at the moment.

"Come on, we're going to walk the way. If that's okay..?"

Jaison nodded absentmindedly as he pulled his hood up over his head and pulled the strings tighter so his face would be more well-hidden. ”Yeah, sure. Let’s go.” Looking back at the girl, he noticed she’d already begun walking off without him. There was no way he was sticking around this creepy house, so he quickly ran after her so he wouldn’t be left behind. He didn’t know this neighborhood, so he would undoubtedly get lost if Natalia were to ditch him.

As they walked down the street, Jaison stood on the side furthest from the street, using Natalia as a human shield to hide behind. Cars would pass the duo by every so often, and he couldn’t be too careful. Any one of them could’ve been the paparazzi. Suddenly, Natalia was pointing towards a bush, seeming freaked out. Without turning his head, he glanced his eyes in the direction  to see a man with a camera hidden in a bush, as the girl beside him explained that they were being followed. Jaison held back a sigh as he continued to slowly walk beside Natalia, trying to act casual.

Without warning, Jaison suddenly found himself being pulled into a random, nearby store. Seemed as good as anywhere to hide, he supposed. ”"They really follow you everywhere don't they? You must hate it, I know I would.” Ignoring the question, Jaison peeked out the glass door of the shop to check if the man was still following them. He let out a small sigh of relief when he saw no one, and turned his back to the door, walking towards where Natalia had found a seat on some old piece of furniture. He hadn’t noticed earlier, since he was preoccupied with the paparazzi, but it seemed like they were in a little antique shop. It wasn’t exactly Jaison’s style, but he had to admit it didn’t seem too bad.

Hearing a loud ringing sound, Jaison glanced back at Natalia who wore a frown on her face as she grabbed her cellphone. Giving the girl a nod as if to say “go ahead and answer”, Jaison turned back to examine some of the nearby tables. Despite being old, some of them definitely seemed to be in better condition and much more stable than the ones he had seen earlier in Natalia’s home. Picking up the price tag, Jaison’s eyes widened.

Was this seriously the price!? It was so… Well… Cheap! Dropping the tag Jaison glanced back at Natalia, who was still on the phone. Are people like this really that poor? he wondered to himself.

Suddenly, Jaison noticed tears in Natalia’s eyes. Had he spoken out loud? Had this girl somehow heard him pretty much insult her? Jaison’s first instinct was to apologize, although he was pretty sure he had kept his thought to himself, but before he could, he suddenly found Natalia’s arms wrapped tightly around him. His eyes widened in confusion, and he found himself awkwardly patting the girl’s back, caught in some sort of strange hug, as she exclaimed she was going to be saved. ”That’s...That’s great!” He played along, despite how lost he was, as the girl told him someone was giving their heart to her. He swore he saw some kind of flash come from outside, but decided to ignore it. He had double-checked while he was still at the door for the paparazzi, after all.

What in the world was this woman talking about? Did she have some kind of heart condition or something? And if her life was just saved, why was she celebrating with him rather than calling family or something? Pulling away from the awkward embrace, Jaison noticed Natalia wore a wide smile and seemed to be laughing. Jaison forced a smile in return, although he still didn’t comprehend what exactly was going on. It seemed to be an extremely huge deal for Natalia, though. ”Congrats!” He tried to hide the confusion in his voice, but wasn’t entirely sure if he had succeeded.

It was great and all that this girl was being saved from whatever was wrong with her, and he figured someone should be happy for her, but he couldn’t help but wish that Destinee had also been saved somehow. There had to have been someway his girlfriend could’ve been saved. Something the doctors could’ve done to help. Fighting the urge to tear up, Jaison forced a smile as he picked up two nearby glasses from a table, handing one to Natalia. ”Well… We may not have any drinks, but…” He lightly clinked the glass with Natalia’s. ”Here’s to you being saved.”

”Well, we’d best get a move on then.” She waited to be lifted up, like a cloud, a bit anxious to go see her family. God knows how her sisters were feeling, they were only in middle school, they were probably crushed. Destinee just hoped she could figure this whole situation out and return home to her life soon. Strangely, she wasn't beginning to fly or float. She opened her eyes to see that her guardian angel was taking care of himself rather than her. Aren't they supposed to do the exact opposite,? she thought annoyed.

The man pointed to the sky, ”Try to keep up, Princess. Your family’s home isn’t too close to here, I’m sure. We’ll have to head to the second star to the right, and straight on ‘til morning.” She tilted her head back at him, narrowing her eyes. Now he just sounded like damn Peter Pan. Enough with the Disney references, enough! All of a sudden, it became even more like all those Disney movies, as the angel pulled her into the sky and they began to fly. This time, she was more used to the motions and didn't close her eyes, even though she was still a little nervous.

Finally, after a bit of a quiet and awkward flying session, they arrived at Destinee's family's home. Unlike Destinee, they still liked to live a pretty reserved and quiet lifestyle, and they owned a small ranch that had flower pots lined on the porch. The house itself was in great condition, but the yard was a little overrun and needed a little help. Destinee stared at her house for a moment, her face brightening with the idea of just seeing her family. She really missed them already. "C'mon, let's go!"she said excitedly. Walking towards the house, she forgot to let go of Declan's hand, instead instinctively entangling her fingers with his.

As they walked up, she began to lift her hand to knock, but as soon as she raised it to the door, she sighed and just walked through it instead. The house seemed different than usual, like a darker and sadder tone was among. Destinee finally figured out that she was holding hands with Declan, and she shot up in surprise, apologizing quickly. "Oh wow, sorry. I guess it was just... nevermind."she said quietly, not wanting to admit it was an instinct from her time with Jaison. For some reason, Destinee felt weird talking about her boyfriend in front of Declan. But why? It wasn't like they liked each other or anything.

"Anyway, welcome to my humble abode."she smiled, twirling around, her arms wide open. "It's usually less...depressing."she commented, noticing a bit of a mess around. She began to look around for her family, and eventually found them all together in the living room, her two sisters sobbing, and her parents looked exhausted and drained. The two of them seemed just as sad, but were trying to remain strong for their remaining two daughters. Destinee began to cry a bit seeing them so torn up, and she wanted to comfort them so bad. Not turning back, she asked Declan, in a very broken and small voice, "Is this really my reality now? I can't go back to them?"she whispered.

Natalia was still so excited, practically jumping in the air as she hugged Jaison. ”That’s...That’s great!”she smiled wide back, thinking of all the possibilities that will be open for her now. All the things she will be able to do. It was unbelievable. ”Congrats!”Natalia realized at that moment, she never actually told the pop star the whole story. Oops, he must be a bit confused, she thought. She waved it off quickly, figuring they could just talk about it another time. She was starting to see the guy as a friend...a confidant. He was really easy to talk to, after all.

”Well… We may not have any drinks, but…” They both clinked their glasses together, as people do when a celebration is in session. ”Here’s to you being saved."Natalia faked taking a sip from the glass, her face still excited as ever. "Thanks Jaison."she told him, placing her glass back down on the table. "I feel like I sort of made a new...friend, today."she admitted, her feet shuffling a bit, not used to this sort of thing. Social interactions and herself? Not the best of friends. But, she felt like with Jaison, something was different. Natalia wasn't quite sure what yet as of the moment, though.

Looking down at her watch, she realized it was almost midnight. Feeling like Cinderella a bit, she knew she had to get home and get a good nights rest before work tomorrow. "Oh gosh, it's so late. I gotta go."she told him hurriedly, picking up her bag. "Bye Jaison. I'm not sure if I'll see you again...so, I really hope things work out for you."she told him with a straight face, meaning it with all her heart. A couple hours ago, she would never say such a thing to him, but the events that took place changed her perspective. As she left, she gave a little wave, closing the door swiftly and practically sprinting back home. And all that was left behind was her glass sh-I mean, credit card. Oh crap.

As they landed outside of Destinee’s family’s home, Declan was honestly shocked. He’d expected some huge, fancy mansion considering their daughter’s fame, but… It was actually just a cosy, little ranch. It seemed like a pretty quiet lifestyle, nothing like where you’d expect the family of a celebrity to live.

”C’mon, let’s go!” Declan wondered briefly if this girl remembered she was dead; she seemed much too excited. She wasn’t about to run inside and hug and kiss her family after years of not seeing them. She was gone. She might see them, but they wouldn’t see her. She couldn’t hug them, she couldn’t kiss them, speak to them. All she could do was watch helplessly while the mourned.

Just as Declan was about to take his hand back from Destinee, the girl suddenly began entangling her fingers with his. Declan raised an eyebrow as Destinee began to walk towards the front door of the home, but followed her anyway. ”Gross. Cooties.” He mocked jokingly, but Destinee seemed to not hear him in her excitement. This poor girl was acting like a lovestruck teenager bringing her boyfriend home for the first time or something. If only the girl could be so lucky. She was even about to knock on the front door, but seemed to realize her mistake.

Still hand in hand for reasons unbeknownst to him, Declan followed Destinee through the door. There was a really dark and sad tone in the house, unsurprisingly, considering the day’s events. He had witnessed similar upon checking up on his family after his second funeral. When Natalia was a few years old, she’d whined and whined until their parents agreed to redo Declan’s funeral for her. He imagined it was even harder on his poor folks the second time around.

”Oh wow, sorry. I guess it was just… nevermind.” Declan grinned as Destinee finally released his hand from her grip. ”Jeez, girl, for a second there I thought they’d have to forcibly remove you from me.” He joked, trying to lighten the mood a bit before they found Destinee’s family. They’d undoubtedly be crying somewhere, which was always a sad sight.

”Anyway, welcome to my humble abode. It’s usually less...depressing.” Declan smirked, raising an eyebrow as he watched the brunette twirl around with her arms wide. She was proving his ‘girl visiting back home after years’ theory correct more and more by the second. She did remember she was dead, right? This would be an extremely awkward conversation later on, if not.

Destinee began walking once more, assumedly looking for her family, and Declan followed after. It didn’t take long before they ended up in what seemed to be a living room. Four people sat together in the room, clearly upset. Two young girls, who couldn’t be much older than middle school aged, sobbed together while an older man and woman, assumedly Destinee’s parents, sat across from them. Her parents seemed exhausted and drained, but were clearly trying to remain strong. Probably for the two children in the room.

Glancing towards Destinee, Declan noticed tears beginning to form in the brunette’s eyes. He figured this would happen, but there wasn’t really much he could do. He frowned as the girl finally spoke up once more, her voice barely more than a whisper. ”Is this really my reality now? I can’t go back to them?” Declan frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew the answer to the question, but he didn’t want to make the girl even more upset than she already was. ”Everything will be fine… Don’t you worry.” Declan wasn’t really sure what to say, but he felt like he needed to try to help her feel better. That was what guardian angels did, right? He honestly wasn’t too sure, but he needed to do something.


Jaison let out a small chuckle as Natalia pretended to take a sip from the glass he had handed her. He still had absolutely no clue what was going on. It was clear it was something important to this girl, though, and was glad she wasn’t forced to celebrate whatever this was alone.

As he set his glass down, he briefly wondered to himself what if Destinee hadn’t been in that accident. He could be somewhere entirely different, toasting his new engagement rather than some mystery celebration he’d never even understand. "Thanks Jaison." Confused, Jaison glanced up at Natalia. Was she thanking him for the toast or something? He really hadn’t done anything that deserved a thank you. "I feel like I sort of made a new...friend, today."

Jaison forced a smile in response. He wasn’t really looking for friends after everything that happened. Plus, this was just some random woman he’d happened to meet at the park. He’d probably never see her again in his life after tonight. He might as well entertain the thought, though. Give the girl the chance to be able to tell all her friends that she’s friends with the Jaison Crawford.

Before he could say anything, however, Natalia seemed to go into a panicked state, hurriedly grabbing her bag and stating how late it was. "Bye Jaison. I'm not sure if I'll see you again...so, I really hope things work out for you."

”Oh, uh… Thanks! You too!” Jaison called after Natalia as she ran out of of the store.

Letting out a sigh, Jaison sat down onto a nearby stool. He honestly wasn’t sure where he was or how to get home. Pulling out his cell phone, which luckily still had a little bit of battery left, something on the floor caught his eye. Turning on the phone’s flashlight, he knelt down to pick up the flat, rectangular object. He instantly recognized the small piece of plastic as a credit card, but whose?

”Pretty girl that Natalia, eh?”

Jaison snapped back to reality as the voice of an older woman spoke up. His eyes widened slightly as the name written on the card hit his ears. Was that the name of the woman he’d spent the evening with? She’d never actually introduced herself. ”Ah, yeah, um… She dropped this.” The older woman shook her head as Jaison tried to hand her the credit card. ”That’s fine, sonny. You’re friends, right? You can just hold onto it for her.” With that, the old woman made her way to a back room of the store.

Sighing, Jaison looked at the antique shop’s door as he muttered to himself. ”Looks like we’ll be meeting again after all, Natalia Hughes…” Bringing his phone back up, he quickly dialed his bodyguard. He needed to just get out of this area and get home to Zem and his bed already.

”Everything will be fine… Don’t you worry.”Destinee wiped her tears, taking a look at her family one last time longingly. She went into a different room, the kitchen, and began to pace wildly on the tiled floor. She suddenly figured out she should probably eat something and went to go open a cabinet before having another of the great epiphanies she had today. "God, can I even eat anymore?"she wondered aloud, tapping her foot on the floor in distress. Destinee had no idea what was possible now, and what her future would be. She didn't ask for this to be her reality, it wasn't fair.

Throwing her arms up once, she laid her hand to rest on top of her head, her face practically melting off with a sudden anger. "I don't understand. Why am I dead so early? How are you supposed to help me? We can't do anything to help them!"she yelled angrily at him, needing to take her anger out on someone. What was her purpose now? Could someone even have one as a dead person? And angels? Do they really do nothing to help those mourning....

"Why can't I just go back."she told him frustrated, pacing again, as she commonly does (as you can see, megmoogle). An idea popped into her mind, it was like a lightbulb went off over her head. "Why can't WE go back, Declan."she told him, with a wide grin. Grabbing his hands, she brainstormed ways to persuade him into helping her. "I'm sure you also want to live again too, correct?"she asked him. "There must be someone you want to live more with..like I do. You get it, right?"she questioned, placing emphasis on the word "someone". Maybe he also had a girlfriend to get back to, he must have a family as well to be with.

"Well, help me out and we can live again. It's a win win."she told him, flipping her hair back. "Do you really have a reason to stay a guardian angel? You can't possibly want to.."she raised an eyebrow at him, looking him up and down. Clearly, the man should have something to live for. He must have a girlfriend, he was practically a model. She could have sworn she saw him once...Tumblr Crush magazine maybe? That had to be it. Destinee wondered when he had passed away, wishing she could get a sneak peek into what he was like before the wings and the obnoxious halo.

Natalia opened her door, a breath of relief following as soon as she took her shoes off. It had been an extremely long day, one like never before. It all seemed like some big dream or nightmare, she couldn't figure out which. Natalia got into her pajamas, made herself a cup of hot chocolate, and watched a quick rerun of "Friends" before finally falling asleep peacefully in her bed. Maxxy laid beside her, sniffling quietly. It began to rain outside the window, and Jasmine regretted asking for it. Dang it, New Jersey.

Declan watched as Destinee ranted, obviously still not used to this whole being dead thing. Who could blame her, though. It had been only a few hours since the incident. "I don't understand. Why am I dead so early? How are you supposed to help me? We can't do anything to help them!" Declan began tapping fingers against the kitchen table, only half listening as Destinee yelled angrily at him. He honestly wasn’t sure what the girl expected him to do. He was only an angel; he didn’t control life and death. Literally all he could do is follow the girl around and watch her have emotional breakdowns as she witnessed her loved ones crying. This wasn’t the first time he had a newly dead person yell at him, and it definitely wouldn’t be the last either.

He wasn’t sure what Destinee was going on and on about, but the words ‘going back’ caught his attention.  "I'm sure you also want to live again too, correct?” Declan raised an eyebrow as he stared at the brunette. She was completely serious, wasn’t she… ”There must be someone you want to live more with..like I do. You get it, right?" Declan winced slightly. The only person he had was his sister, who had never even had to the chance to meet him. He’d just be a complete stranger. Destinee still didn’t know Declan died immediately… Right. She thought he was some kind of weird underground trader.

"Well, help me out and we can live again. It's a win win. Do you really have a reason to stay a guardian angel? You can't possibly want to.." Declan forced a grin, crossing his arms as Destinee looked him up and down. ”And give up having these magical powers?” Declan snapped his fingers, making an apple fly into his hands. ”I don’t know, love. I wouldn’t be able to do cool stuff like that if I was alive.”

He honestly kind of liked Destinee’s idea, though… The angel powers were cool and all, but… Declan never got to live a life. Not even a bad one. He instantly went right to the grave… He’d always wanted to experience living. Plus, it would be pretty cool to actually beat up any guys that got too close to, or hurt, his little sister (even if Declan was practically a stranger to her). Rather than just tripping them over nothing to make them look like complete idiots.

”Okay, sweetcheeks,” Declan took a bite of the apple before tossing it at Destinee. ”You’ve got yourself a deal.”

:

Jaison let out a yawn as he finally arrived home, tossing himself on the couch. It had been such a crazy day, and he was ready to just get some much needed sleep. He frowned as he noticed a photo of him and Destinee sitting on his coffee table. Seeing her face only made Jaison’s heart hurt more. Eyes burning with the threat of tears, Jaison turned the frame over, hiding the picture from view. His dog, seeming to notice something was wrong, crawled over to the blonde, snuggling up against him. ”Hey Zem…” Jaison choked out, petting the dog’s fur. ”She’s gone…” He glanced back to the turned down photo. Zem began to whimper and licked Jaison’s cheek, as if understanding what it was being told. ”Thanks for keeping me company, boy…” He smiled as much as he could at the dog before laying back on the couch.

Jaison suddenly found himself in the middle of the street at night. The only light available to him was that of the streetlights overhead. There was no stars in the sky, strangely. He couldn’t even see the moon. Everything was incredibly eerie and seemed like the setting of a horror movie. How had he even gotten there? What had he even been doing.

Suddenly, Jaison heard the sound of a car honking, causing him to jump. To his right, as well as right in front of him, headlights were headed right for him. He found himself frozen in shock, unable to do anything but watch as the cars rushed at him, head-on. As the cars got closer, Jaison slammed his eyes shut, waiting for the impact. The horrible pain.

But instead he felt nothing.

Opening his eyes, Jaison found himself suddenly in a hospital room. On the bed, he found Destinee, bruised and bloody as she’d been before. ”Destinee!” He called out her name. She was right there. Laying in the bed, attached to a beating heart monitor. Jaison began to run towards Destinee, but with every step she seemed to get further and further away. ”What is going on…” He stopped running as he realized he wasn’t making any progress.

Suddenly, the heart monitor attached to Destinee began to flatline. He could barely handle it the first time, and now it was happening again! Jaison dropped down to his knees, tears filling his eyes.

Jaison shot up into a sitting position, his heart pounding and body covered in sweat. He ran his fingers through his hair as Zem snuggled up to him once more. ”It was just a dream… A nightmare….” Jaison frowned, burying his face into his hands. If only Destinee’s actual death had only been a nightmare as well. He still couldn’t believe she was gone. That he’d never get to see her again. Never speak to her, never hold her. It just wasn’t fair!

Stroking his dog’s fur, Jaison laid back down on his couch once more to rest his eyes.

“Jaison…” Jaison opened his eyes and found himself outside, in front of a concession man. Behind it was an older man, dressed in a shrimp costume. “Would you like some shrimp, Jaison?” Jaison raised an eyebrow; what the hell was going on? “Eat, eat” The man insistently began shoving the shrimp towards Jaison’s face.

And give up having these magical powers?” Declan Destinee flinched as an apple flew into his hand. Geez, did those with powers always flaunt them constantly? ”I don’t know, love. I wouldn’t be able to do cool stuff like that if I was alive.” She raised her eyebrows at him, replying back with a large sigh. ”Right…’cool’.”’More like obnoxious.’she thought to herself, all the while convincing herself there was no way she’d ever act this cocky, even with oooooo magical abilities oowoowwwww.

She was taken away from her thoughts by a surprising response. ”Okay, sweetcheeks,”he annoyingly called her as threw his dirty apple at the poor girl. Destinee avoided the fruit like it was acid rain. She was not a fan of other people’s saliva, and Declan’s was all over that apple! ”You’ve got yourself a deal.” Destinee practically squealed in excitement. In fact, she did. In that moment she felt like one of those woo girls you see in bars and at bachelorette parties. ”Now that’s what I’m talking about!”she exclaimed, her voice strong as she now felt full of purpose.

”Okay, so first we gotta talk to the big man, ya know.”she whispered, pointing up with her index finger. ”I’m sure the two of y’all are good pals, right?”she eyed him suspiciously. ”Don’t tell me you’re his new Lucifier or something..”she laughed, slightly nervously. If her guardian angel and the big man upstairs were on terrible terms, how in hell would she negotiate with him? Haha, get that, in hell? Funny, right? Okay, sorry, back to the story.

”Anyways, lead me to God and let’s just have a calm, persuasive talk, why don’t we?”she offered, eager to get away from her family full of grief and sorrow. The tension in this house was unbearable, and she knew, the minute she came back to Earth, everything else would fall into place. Her parents would once again be happy and united, and her boyfriend would propose. The magazines would say “It’s a Miracle!”. She’d write a book, become a Christian. Destinee would become famous from this. And Declan, ya know, he’s definitely gonna do….something with his newfound life.

Covers off. Light on. Pajamas off. Outfit on.

Natalia was going about her daily routine as usual. It felt like one of those cringey youtube videos children make, where they show their average life (that nobody really cares about if we’re being honest here). Everything felt the same, yet things had changed drastically in 24 hours. She met someone she despised and realized, that perhaps, she was wrong about him after all. Natalia took this to heart. She needed to stop judging people by superficial things. Instead, she needed to form her own opinions of them overtime.

Still, that moment was over, that day was over. Now she would move on with her average nobody life. One day when she’s married she’ll tell her kids the story to showcase the moral “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” But that was all she ever needed it to be, a memory. Natalia definitely didn’t believe this moment would lead to anything significant.

More importantly, she found out that she was going to get a heart transplant last night. That was the real big news, the thing that would change her direction of life. It gave her hope for a future. Her dream had come true. So many years now, she could live. She reminded herself to call the doctors later for further information. The surgery had to be soon, real soon. It scared her slightly, but not more than her previous situation which was quite terminal.

Sitting down at her tiny table with her bowl of Frosted Flakes, she slipped on her glasses as she decided it was finally time for her to fill out those overdue bills. Before she got complaints again from the managers. Spreading the papers out, she reached for her wallet, ready to pull out her credit card. Strangely enough, it wasn’t in it’s usual space. Well, that’s fine, she must have put it somewhere else in the wallet.

The poor girl dumped the wallet on the floor after five minutes of searching. Where could it be? ’Ok Natalia, retrace your steps’, she told herself, trying to remain calm. Ok, she had it when she was paying for her drink-Click. The antique store! It had to still be there. She must have left it there last night. Ugh, she felt like such an idiot in that moment.

Getting in her car and driving straight over to the antique store, Maxxy in the passenger seat, she ran in, dog in hand. She noticed the familiar old lady behind the oak desk, the one that was way too tall for her height. ”Ah, Mrs. Carlton! I’m so glad you’re here.”
she breathed out slowly, out of breath from running in. ”I think I left my wallet here.”she laughed nervously, petting Maxxy with her one shaky hand. ”Oh honey, I gave it to your friend.” Natalia gave her a look of confusion, her eyes wide. ”You don’t mean….the boy I was with last night?”she exclaimed, almost dropping her small dog. ”Why yes dear! He was a handsome fella.” Natalia raised her hand to her head, stressed from this new information. ”I’m sorry miss, I have to go, I’ll see you soon!”she parted with, the bell ringing on the door as she ran out.

Where would this manzzz even be? His house? Well, Natalia didn’t know the address so that wasn’t very helpful. The studio? That wouldn’t work either! Suddenly, Natalia remembered that Jaison took his dog to the dog park on Sundays. It just so happened to be a lovely Sunday morning. I guess it was time for a quick trip to the dog park. Good thing Maxxy was here and looking a little energetic.

Declan grinned when Destinee called him the new Lucifer. If you asked some of the other angels, they'd probably say he was. Hell, some may even exaggerate and say Declan is worse. Declan, however, disagreed. He was just some poor, poor soul that was taken from Earth waaayyyyy too soon.

    

"Anyways, lead me to God and let's just have a calm, persuasive talk, why don't we?" Declan did like the sound of persuasive... But from his years of experience, he knew God would see right through them. God would probably make them do some kind of ghostly charity work to give the duo back their lives, kind of like the charity Declan was failing at now of watching over Destinee! Just as he was about to explain this to the girl, however, a thought came to him... Why tell her this now? It could be a good laugh watching her desperately try to convince the big guy to no avail...

After waking up from a nightmare, and then some weird-ass dream about some Shrimp Man, Jaison decided he should get some fresh air and clear his head some more. It was Sunday, the day he normally took Zem out to the dog park. He had originally been planning to skip out this week, after all the chaos that had happened, but since he was going to get some air he might as well bring the dog along. Plus, the poor pup was so used to their weekly routine that she was probably waiting by the front door with her leash.

   

After brushing his teeth and throwing on some clothes, Jaison headed out to the living room and, funnily enough, he actually found Zem waiting with her leash. Letting out a chuckle, Jaison kneeled down and attached the leash onto Zem's collar. "Okay, girl. Let's go." He quickly ruffled the fur at the top of his dogs head before standing up and leading her out of the house.

   

;

   

It was a beautiful day outside, luckily. Jaison hoped it'd be enough to get his mind off of recent events, as well as his nightmare. Adjusting his hat and sunglasses, Jaison sat in the grass beside Zem and looked up at the sky. "She's up there somewhere, Zem..." The dog, seeming to notice the sadness in Jaison's voice, walked up and began nuzzling against Jaison's arm as if to say she was there for him.

"Well, let's get to it then, Toots." Even before she could hit him for the subtle flirt, Destinee was zoinked up into the sky. In time, both Destinee and Declan were standing in front of God's golden gates. The trip felt reallllllllyy long. Almost as if it took them a year to get here. But, obviously, that couldn't be true. "Uhhhh...I'm having second thoughts." she admitted, intimidated by the whole idea of even meeting and talking to God. It felt almost impossible that God would even listen much less accept her request. But she had to stay strong, for Jaison. The gates opened suddenly, almost as if God could hear her distress.

Grabbing Declan's hand, Destinee began to enter the gates. It was now or never. She would approach God and simply ask to go back to Earth. He had to believe in true love right? He was the one who put the two of them together in the first place. Surely her death was some mistake. Someone hacked the system or something. That must have been it. With this reassurement, Destinee felt more confident that she could do this.  Yet, when God called out, "Hello Destinee and Declan. I see you are having some trouble." she practically froze in shock, hoping instead that Declan could answer for her.

"Slow down, Maxxy!" Natalia yelled out as she and Maxxy practically barreled down the sidewalks to the park. He was in such a rush, and why? It wasn't going to take them a year to get there or anything. She should have brought him some treats, that way she could control him a bit more, she thought with a sigh. Even still, with her credit card with someone she may never see again. The good news was she could just deactivate it, no big deal.

Rounding the corner, she saw a man and his dog sitting on the grass. They looked relatively enjoyable to chat with. Maxxy practically pulling her over to the other dog, she allowed him as they traveled across the grass. "Hey, sorry about him." she laughed lightly, as Maxxy practically jumped on the mysterious man's face. "He loves new people. And new dogs." she nodded, thinking back on when Maxxy ran across the street past traffic to greet a Boston Terrier. "As do I, actually."

Within seconds, which had probably felt like an entire year to the newbie, Declan and Destinee had arrived at God’s gates. He never understood how it felt so long to new angels. It was literally like flying a plane, so if anything it shouldn’t have felt more than a few hours, but whatever. "Uhhhh...I'm having second thoughts." Declan’s eyebrow twitched slightly, but before he could flame the dumb girl for dragging him all the way to God’s freaking golden gates for nothing Destinee had grabbed his hand and dragged him through the gates.

”Hello Destinee and Declan. I see you are having some trouble." Declan glanced over at Destinee who made no move to answer-- or any move at all. Time sure as hel--heck wasn’t stopped, though. Clearly Declan was going to have to respond for her. What a nuisance this woman was. ”So, God, Big Dumb over here--” ”Declan…” Declan coughed upon seeing God’s stern look. The man could be quite terrifying sometimes. ”Sorry, God. Sweet, sweet Destinee over here insisted on coming up here to meet you and-” More intimidating stares from the head honcho. ”Declan you and I both know already what’s happening here.”

Declan grinned, looking at Destinee. ”Why am I doing all the talking here? Girl, you’re the one that wanted to speak to God. Go on ahead.” He could hear God let out a sigh, but he seemed willing to humor them before saying no, just like every single other time anyone ever had tried to persuade God to give them their life back. Surprisingly, it happened quite often; as if no one else before them had ever had the same idea.

Jai had been deep in thought, mindlessly petting Zem, when suddenly a new dog had jumped at him. Once he’d gotten over the shock, however, he realized… This was no new, strange dog. This was Maxxy! Which meant that Natalia girl couldn’t be too far...Right? ”Hey buddy.” Jai had begun petting her without thinking. ”Did you miss me? It feels like it’s been forever.”

"Hey, sorry about him." Jai recognized that voice. "He loves new people. And new dogs." It seemed she didn’t recognize him, though. To be fair, he was “disguised” in a hat and sunglasses. ”It’s fine, I love dogs.” He was so busy giving and receiving love from Maxxy, he didn’t even bother to make eye contact with Natalia. ”Wish I could say the same about Zem he--” Before he could finish his sentence, Jai noticed Zem walk over to Natalia, his tail wagging excitedly. He thought it was extremely weird. Normally Zem avoided strangers, but he seemed to actually like this girl. ”I, um… Okay, completely disregard that last thing I said, I guess. I swear he’s not normally this welcoming.” He laughed softly as his, normally hesitant around strangers, doggo tried to get some affection from Natalia. Dang dog was trying to make him a liar.