"Hey, wake up," she heard a familiar voice say as she tossed in her sleep, pressing the panda tightly against her chest, trying to escape the nightmare. "Willow, wake up!" Opening her eyes, she sat up abruptly with a gasp seeing Jack beside her bed.
His bare chest glistened in the darkness from sweat and his eyes where bewildered as he looked at her, still breathing abnormally. She could still feel her own heart racing, and her breath came in uneven bursts.
"What?" She yawned, her voice thick with sleep, as she slowly relaxed her grip on the stuffed panda, wondering if he had a nightmare. "You okay?"
His eyes widened for a second.
"am I okay? it's your nightmare who woke me up," he mumbled scratching his neck as he looked down as he tried to calm his breathing. "I can't sleep when you keep waking me with your fear, so scoot over." Before he got a chance to pull up the cover she pointed at the bathroom.
"You're not getting into my bed drenched in sweat like that," She yawned, guessing he had one of his own but felt it was easier blaming it on hers, which was fine if it meant he asked for help. Peter had done the same when he was afraid after a movie or game, saying he would sleep with her since she was afraid and he would protect her instead of just admitting it. Somewhere in the back of her head she knew she was allowing a guy to sleep in her bed, but the fact he was clearly this out of it made her ignore it.
Jack didn't argue but followed her out to the bathroom where she placed him gently on the chair and found a cloth. Drenching it in cold water she turned with a yawn and was suddenly really aware of the fact Jack was only wearing sweatpants and was finally starting to breathe normally. And the fact she had been really close to wipe him down herself in her drowsy state. Looking down she handed him the cloth and with red cheeks took a step back.
It's cause you promised Ian to help, and it's clear he's afraid she said to herself while waiting for him to do it. She noticed he had trouble reaching certain parts of his back and with a shaky exhale, she took the cloth from him. With trembling fingers, she carefully guided the cloth over his smooth, toned back, doing her best to focus on the task at hand.
So not the time to see him in this light she thought banging herself in the head mentally before mumbling he should probably get something to drink too.
"Why are you acting like I'm the one who need help when you where the one having a nightmare?" He mumbled, rubbing the scar in his palm, but did as she said as she reached him the glass she had by the sink.
"It's way too late to argue, please just do it, for me." She mumbled, before yawning loudly as he took a sip.
Exhausted and barely able to keep her eyes open, they shuffled back to her bed. Willow felt herself being gently pushed across the mattress, and she managed to slip under the covers with a heavy sigh.
"scoot over," Jack mumbled as he settled under the covers beside her. She tried to pull her feet away from his, as they brushed against hers.
"You're freezing!" she mumbled wishing she had more clothes on than her t-shirt and shorts as he cuddled into her back again.
"I'm death, what did you expect?" he mumbled softly, his breath tickling her ear. She turned her head to look at him, their eyes meeting for a brief moment. His scent of peppermint enveloped her senses before she quickly averted her gaze. "I'm not gonna do anything, I promise." His voice was soothing and reassuring.
"Just try and get some sleep," she yawned, glancing at the watch on the nightstand that indicated it was almost four in the morning. She closed her eyes, attempting to drift off, as Jack's breathing finally had become steady. However, it wasn't long before his peaceful breathing turned into restlessness. He began to toss and turn, his hands reaching out as if searching for something, or someone. Opening her eyes, Willow observed the rapid movement beneath his closed eyelids, accompanied by quickened breathing and whimpering sounds. She remembered Ian's explanation about Jack's nightmares and was surprised over how bad it actually seemed to be. Gently, she brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead. His hand shot out and grasped hers, holding it tightly as if seeking comfort in his unconscious state. "Jack it's okay," she mumbled unsure what to do other than letting him hold onto her hand. "I'm here, I'm right here, you're okay" She slowly inched closer, ignoring the trashing and placed her other hand on his chest for a second before with a nervous sigh pulled him closer, gently rubbing his back. It took only seconds for him to not trash around in her arms and his breathing slowly went back to normal, and she let out her breath.
Jack nuzzled into Willow's chest, and if it wasn't for the fact she knew he wasn't awake she would have punched him, but instead she slowly fell asleep herself.
A few hours later, she found herself in the company of Ian, who had returned early that morning, patiently waiting for Jack.
"Thank you for taking care of Jack," Ian said, handing her a cup of warm cocoa before settling onto the chair beside her. "I hate doing jobs in the night." he mumbled his eyes harsh for a second before they softened with a sigh.
"Of course, even though Jack can sometimes be a jerk doesn't mean he can't be afraid and need help." she mumbled taking a sip, thinking back to the morning. It had been extremely awkward as Jane had stood on the edge of the bed staring her down when she woke up, completely entangled with Jack. Apparently she had been in Jack's room searching for him and in Ian's until Willow's because Jack had a meeting with Death himself.
Ian reached over and gently removed her whipped-cream mustache and licked his finger as he said.
"Still, I owe you my gratitude. Jack usually doesn't let others see him like that, so I'm glad he trusted you enough to do so." Willow just nodded looking at his gloved hands with red cheeks, wondering if he actually knew what sort of affect those actions has on people. "Anyway I promised to keep an eye on you until Jack's meeting with Death is over." He pulled a pack of cigarettes out and let one rest on his lips as he pulled out a lighter.
"How long will it take?"
"When it's reporting to Death? Who knows," he nonchalantly shrugged, his fingers gliding through his hair as his gaze remained fixed on the door across the hall, through which Jack had disappeared an hour ago. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that just behind these those was a God, the God of Death, mister Death.
Willow pulled her legs up under her, setting the cocoa cup on the small table, and leaned back in the comfy leather chair with a sigh.
Why did she have to stay here while he talked to Death? Couldn't she have gone down with Fahima and eat breakfast?
With the thought of breakfast her stomach started to growl and Ian looked at her out of the corner of his eye before vanishing. In mere minutes, he reappeared, presenting her with a plate adorned with bagels. "What I could find as they're cleaning up after breakfast." he mumbled as he sat down while Willow gratefully devoured one, after putting some cream cheese on it.
"Thanks," She smiled.
"Anytime." He smiled softly, patting her head before turning his attention towards the door again. Something about Ian made her at ease, just like with Jack no matter how much he could piss her off. And she couldn't help but wonder why, was it a reaper thing? or did she just have no self-preservation?
Looking at Ian she wondered how he felt when he had made the deal with Darlia, and the fact he now was able to make the same deal with other humans, now he was also a reaper.
"Can I ask you a personal question?" She fiddled with a lock of her hair unsure if she should actually ask.
"That truly depends on what it is, but try me." he replied with a raised eyebrow, his lips curving into a faint smile.
"How did you become a companion? When did you meet Darlia? why did you do it if you had a family and why was you chosen to become a reaper instead of ending in Hell?" Most she had read about, but there was still things she didn't quite get.
He glanced at her for a fleeting moment before he amused erupted into a chuckle.
"Jack did say you where curious," He gave her a big smile before sliding his fingers through his hair. "Well where to begin, when I was a child, way before Jesus birth I lived in this village where Lucifer resided. God, you see had decided to send the four archangels down first to interact with us humans as they usually did it from afar or not really interacting beforehand. Lucifer took a little extra time seeing what the others saw in us, but when he did was it because of Sariel." His tone softened by the mention of her name before he cleared his throat. "I guess I was chosen because of that, as I was in the village Sariel lived in, so I was also one of the first to believe in what now some call Christianity as I learned that he existed due to Lucifer preaching about him, who we at the time didn't know was a angel, but believed was some sort of God himself." Ian chuckled.
"I thought only atheist's could become a reaper?" she frowned confused, as that's what she read in the chronicles, he nodded softly, his mind far away.
"Well yeah now, but that was a choice not a rule. When I was born Hell didn't exist yet, Lucifer fell from Heaven after I became a companion." He mumbled blowing the smoke out, while his other hand fiddled with the coin she had seen before. "Before Hell, souls would either end in Heaven or the void. But after Hell was created God gave Death permission to make more reapers like Darlia to help as the angels now was needed elsewhere. Just like now, was one of my jobs to help Darlia and Death with the new reapers and learn about the world they now would get to know. And I guess Death saw the value in me and made the deal with God about me becoming a reaper myself to help out instead of ending in Hell as we had learned companions would end after the second companion Freja died." His voice hid a pain and his eyes become tearful for a second before he pulled himself together.
So what the chronicle said about the history was true, the reason Ian was turned was due to Death liking him and how he grew up, and why others never was turned into reapers ever again.
"Wasn't it hard? Leaving your family? You couldn't have been that old." She mumbled fiddling with a lock of her hair as he nodded.
"Extremely, but I was even blessed enough to live long enough to get one because of Sariel," he looked down at the coin before putting it in his suit jacket pocket. "In that time you didn't live that long, especially if you came from the street, so I was already a father at fifteen. I met Death at nineteen when I was trying to steal from the butcher and he caught me as I lost my job as a carpenter." He laughed of disbelief as he slid his fingers through his hair, shaking his head softly before giving her a smile. "And at twenty-seven I was turned to a reaper."
"Must have been insane to suddenly become a reaper too, like companion is one thing but a reaper?" She laughed in disbelief. "Must be hard knowing everything." She mumbled, eating the last piece of the bagel.
" that may be a exaggeration in a sense though we do know basically everything worth and needed to be known," he mumbled thoughtfully, blowing a puff of smoke out. "there kinda need to be a reason for us to need the info for us to know it."
"Oh, I guess I just assumed Jack meant literally everything." She pulled her legs up to her chest, seeing him put out the cigarette in the ashtray.
"we don't know everything, not in the sense of I know every book that ever been published or what ingredients makes a Thai Steamed Coconut-Pandan Cake which Marek once made and was delicious I must say. No, it's more like, whatever Death or the people we have reaped knows, we know, which is a lot. Like I know how to make a lot of dishes and a lot of books due to people I reaped, but thank the creator we are capable of storing this kind of info away or I would have gone insane a long time ago." he mumbled, his brows furrowed.
Before she could ask more questions, the double doors was opened and Jack peeked a head out. Ian's posture tensed, mirroring the nervousness etched across Jack's face.
"Dauði will like to meet you, Willow," Jack voice cracked as he waved at her to come. Frozen to the chair she just stared at him.
Death wanted to meet her? gulping she stood up but Ian stopped her from walking to Jack with lips set in a grim line.
"Let me speak with him before-"
"There is nothing to speak about Johanan, Jack let the child in." A melodic voice interrupted from the other side of the door. Without even thinking she hurried past Ian and through the door, drawn to the voice, a voice that could make you jump in front of a train simply by suggesting it. A voice that could make you do anything and you would follow straight off a cliff.
A tall man sporting a thoughtful shadow of a stubble on his chiseled jaw and pitch-black hair, meticulously tousled, while a lock of hair gracefully curled down his temple sat there on a black throne calmly looking at her. But that wasn't what made Willow freeze with wide eyes, it was his eyes, pulling her in and showing her worlds she had yet to even see, showing her strange looking creatures to her mom sitting in their old kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. "So, this is the girl that causes so much trouble," his deep resonant voice slicked across the room towards her, dangerous and alluring. Jack's touch on her forearm pulled her out of his trance, and now his eyes were simply just electric blue eyes with a Roman clock ticking in each of them. He leaned against his palm as he examined her before standing up, revealing an athletic build and slender torso underneath the dark blue suit. He stopped in front of her and leaned down close to her face, letting a natural tanned finger gently lift her chin up. "Interesting eyes, they're not that common in humans. But you have gotten it from your dad if I remember correctly?" She nodded with a gulp, wondering how he knew before realizing that Death probably knew everything like the reapers, if not more. His smile didn't reach his eyes as he straightened, while she guessed he was in his mid-twenties too late twenties as he looked over her head on Jack that had walked closer. "The Weber's family truly is quite interesting and certainly does not seem to fear dead in how you give your life to save one another." Death mumbled under his breath as he walked towards his throne. "That is all, I just was curious to see who it was you kept sticking your neck out for." he waved at them to go and Jack bowed deeply, pushing Willow down so she did it too.
"Of course, my almighty Dauði," Jack took a hold of her and started to pull Willow with him and she followed until she remembered that Death would know when they planned to stage her death. She quickly withdrew her hand from Jack's grip and turned around, seeing Dauði had already lost interest and fiddled with the silver chain around his neck which pendant was hidden underneath his shirt.
"Excuse me dark lord Dauði?"
"What are you doing? Let's go!" Jack snarled, putting a arm around her waist and dragged her after him as she fought in vain to get out of his grip.
"Let her speak Jack, a human who dares to speak to me I might as well listen to what they have to say," Dauði's voice cut through, his tone carrying a sense of amusement, as he raised an eyebrow, signaling Jack to release his grip.
Willow felt Jack's involuntary shiver as he reluctantly let her go, and she quickly lowered her head in a respectful bow.
"Thank you, your almightiness," she lifted her head to see him just staring at her with a expressionless face, though she saw the curiosity in his eyes. "I ask of you to bless me with the wisdom to know the exact time the reapers will stage my death, and if I can be granted the opportunity to see or speak to them before it happens."
I can tell you that, it was decided today when it will happen, let's go Jack snarled in her head, as he suddenly stood extremely close behind her. Death just stared at her for what felt like minutes before a smile slowly crept onto his face and he let out a short chuckle.
"Now that you're this bold to ask, I might as well give you the answer. It has been decided it will happen Tuesday afternoon." He said with a calm voice while Willow's world crashed down. In three days? Already? Willow thought as the tears started to swell up in her eyes. "I will grant Jack permission to see your family once again through the veil. And Jack? the rules still apply, especially now when you have claimed her and made her your companion." He said coolly before suddenly vanishing when Willow found herself tumbling to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself for comfort. Her forehead met the floor as a heavy sob escaped her, the weight of the situation bearing down on her while she hadn't heard Deaths last words.
"It's going to be alright, Willow," Jack's gentle voice reached her ears as he held her in a tight embrace, his presence a source of comfort as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.