Fallen from Grace

Chapter V

Trigger warning read at your own discretion.

Eleanora rushed home and ran up the stairs to her apartment. Slamming the door behind her, she dropped everything and let the tears run down her face as she slid down the door, pulling her knees to her chest as she wept into her arms. She was thought she had become accustomed to the pain that she felt, but...maybe she wasn't.

She allowed herself the luxury of crying for a few silent moments before getting off the floor. Making her way into her washroom, she washed her face before looking at her reflection. Her white hair was completely disheveled, her eyes puffy and red as her white skin was pink and flustered.

Her fingers twitched, before she rolled back her sleeves, looking down at the white skin that was littered with even paler scars. Looking down at the scars, she sniffed at her weakness before covering them up again. Walking into her room, she rummaged through her closet before finding what she was looking for.

At the end of half an hour, Eleanora had bathed and pulled her white hair into a neat bun as she wore a long-sleeved black skater dress with stockings. Pulling on her shoes, she grabbed her essentials and coat before making her way out. Locking the apartment door behind her, she made her way out into the cold street as she pulled at the collar of her coat to keep her warm.

Walking down the sidewalk, she kept her gaze down as people turned to look at her due to her snow white hair. She stopped at a flower shop to buy a bouquet before resuming her journey.

Eventually, she came to the graveyard, her destination. Walking down the row of graves she finally stopped at the ones she was searching for. Eleanora stood over the graves of Mason Clark, beloved father, husband, son, and friend to all. Olivia Clark, beloved mother, wife, daughter, and friend to all. Adrian Clark, beloved son, brother, and friend to all who were taken from us too soon.

With a quivering smile, she crouched down to dust away from the leaves that lay on the ground. Settling down in front of the three graves, she placed down the flowers on the ground as she looked at the stones that bore their names.

"Hi." She choked out. "Mom. Dad. Baby Bro." Her eyes welled up tears as she looked up at the gray sky and blinked them away.

"God, I promised to stop crying." Eleanora choked a laugh as she wiped away the tears. "There are so many things that I want to tell all of you...but..." Her voice cracked as he tried to continue her sentence.

The tears flowed freely as she buried her face in her hands, sobbing into them. She sat on the ground, crying shamelessly at how much she missed her family. Eleanora heard the rustling of leaves and a sudden warmth beside her as she looked up with red and puffy eyes, a look of surprise evident.

Apollyon sat beside her, his knees pulled up as he held three black Dahlias in his hand before placing them on each of the graves. He didn't meet her questioning gaze as he got a far-off look in his eyes, while Eleanora continued to stare at him through the haze of her tears.

"They're in heaven." He informed her suddenly. "Your parents' heaven is made up of memories with you and your brother, as well as the memories they shared together." He smiled softly, something that was unlike the Devil.

"Your brother, Aiden-"

"-Adrian." She corrected with a sniffle and wiped away her tears.

"Adrian...His heaven consists of you, your parents, and...cars." He chuckled as he still had that far away look about him. He blinked once and the look went away. He rubbed his eyes and turned towards a hiccuping Eleanora.

"May I?" He inquired softly, holding up his hands almost as if though he wanted to brush away a strand of her hair. Being too tired to protest, she nodded. He placed his hand on the side of her face as a rush washed over Eleanora, forcing her to inhale and hold her breath as she was remembering something.

The first thing she saw was a flight of stairs, stairs that led upstairs towards the upper portion of her house. She walked up to them, seeing doors on either side of her before making her way towards one that was slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she faced the backs of two people, both of them turning around to smile at her.

One of them was a man with rich blonde hair and dazzling blue eyes, and he gave her a pearly white smile as he looked down at the woman beside him. She was beautiful with delicate features and caramel brown hair and corresponding eyes, a small bundle in her arms.

"Eleanora, come here, sweetheart." The woman called out gently and bent down as she approached the woman. In her arms was a little baby wrapped in a blue blanket. A tuft of brown hair peeking out from beneath the cap as he blinked back at her with wide brown eyes, giving Eleanora a meager smile. Instantly pure happiness soared through her as she looked down at the baby.

"Meet your baby brother, Nora." The man smiled. "Adrian Clark."

Suddenly the scene changed to a neat pastel yellow kitchen. The woman from before cutting the crusts on a sandwich as a high chair stood at the end of the counter, a 2-year-old Adrian babbling in it.

"Here you go, baby." The woman smiled as she handed her a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without the crusts.

"Thank you, moomy." Eleanora heard herself say in a soft child-like voice as the woman, her mother, smiled at her, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"Now eat up, before daddy takes away your sandwich." Her mother spoke in a low voice.

"Did someone call for daddy?" The man asked as he came into the kitchen with a dazzling smile that truly lit up the entire house. "Is that peanut butter and jelly sandwich?"

"No!" Little Eleanora shrieked in laughter as she grabbed her plate and ran around the counter, her father chasing her while laughing.

"Daddy, no!" She laughed out as her father lifted her off the floor, and spun her around in his arms while tickling her, making her laugh hysterically. "Daddy! Stop!" She spoke between her laughter as the man laughed along with her, hugging her tightly before placing a kiss on her cheek.

The scene changed again as this time Eleanora was seated in a car, watching the scenery pass by her in a blur as a little 3-year-old Adrian slept in the car seat beside her, her parents seated at the front.

"Moomy! Daddy!" Eleanor called out to the two in the front seat. "How long till we arrive!?"

"Not long now, sweety." Her father laughed. "We should reach Disney land in 15 minutes."

"But that's so long!" She complained. " I wanna go on the rides! And see the princesses! And all the toys! The shops!"

"We'll do all that." Her mother assured with a laugh. "Just wait a little longer and we'll be there in no time."

"Okay." She nodded as she settled back in her seat. The next thing she knew, they were in the line to get into Disney Land, her father parked the car as they all got out of the car, looking up at the castle in awe as excitement seered through her and she jumped in ecstatic joy. "Moomy! Daddy! It's so pretty!"

"It is." Her mother smiled at her as her father balanced her little brother on his hips. "Happy birthday, sweetheart."

"Happy birthday." Her father smiled at her. "My little baby is growing up."

"ELLA!" Her brother shrieked in joy before clapping his hands together joyously, giggling hysterically as the entire family chuckled.

The scene changed once more to a 5-year-old Eleanora walking down a dimly lit hallway as she clutched a teddy bear to her chest. She stopped in front of a door from where the light was pouring out from beneath it. Twisting the doorknob, she pushed it open as her parents looked up from their books. Her mother had her head rested on her father's chest as they both were reading a book.

"You can't sleep?" Her father inquired gently as he sat up in bed as Eleanora shook her head in response and her father gave her a soft smile.

"Wanna go out for a drive with daddy?" She nodded in agreement as she still clutched her teddy bear in her arms. Getting off the bed, Mason fit his feet into his slippers as he placed a kiss on his wife's forehead before going to Eleanora, lifting her into his arms.

"Come on, honey bug." He chuckled while lightly flicking her nose. Both of them made their way down the stairs, and towards their porch. Settling her in the back, Mason went to the driver's seat, driving off.

They drove for a while as Mason soothingly sang her a few songs. Slowly, her eyes felt heavy and drooped as her father's soothing signing and the melodic hum of the engine was lulling her to sleep. But she tried hard to stay awake as she didn't want to have any nightmares any longer.

"Sleep, baby." Her father soothed from his place behind the wheel. "Daddy will fight away the nightmares."

"Promise?" She inquired drowsily as her eyes were dropping.

"I promise," Mason assured. "Daddy loves you, Eleanora. Never forget that."

"I love you, too, daddy..." She trailed as her head fell to the side, sleep overcoming her senses.

Suddenly her father's dazzling blue eyes changed to a dark shade of brown, not like her mother's caramel brown, but to the eyes of the Devil's vessel. She blinked as tears welled up and streamed down her face as she felt Apollyon's hand rested on her cheek.

She choked out a laugh between her tears and placed a hand over the tightness that coiled in her chest. These tears were of joy as she saw her happiest moments with her family, pure bliss overcoming her senses and grief for not having them beside her. The image of her father's smile seared into her mind, the feeling of her mother's kisses still lingering on her forehead as she could still hear her father singing her to sleep, the hum of his car's engine looming in the background.

Not realizing what overcame her, she lurched forward, tightly wrapping her arms around the Devil as she sobbed into the crook of his neck. Eleanora felt him tense for a moment before his muscles relaxed and he wrapped her in his arms. He smelled like leather and diesel with a spicy and musky scent accompanying the set of fragrances rolling off him.

He held her tightly as he rocked them gently, resting his cheek on her head as he hummed the song that her father had been signing. Both of them sat on the murky ground, in the middle of the graveyard as Eleanora couldn't believe that the Devil would allow her to see the happiest moments of her life.

**

Eleanora lay in her bed, her face flushed and her nose stuffy as she had gotten the flu on her way back home. She was currently wrapped in her blanket as Mrs. Scott and Elliot were fussing over her.

"Drink this." Mrs. Scott instructed as she placed a steaming cup into her hands. "It's herbal tea. Good for flu."

"What were you doing outside in such a weather? And in a dress at that?" Elliot inquired sternly like a concerned parent.

"I wanted to get out." She sniffed. "And I felt like getting dressed."

"Well, now you can forget getting dressed and going out for a few days." Mrs. Scott scoffed at the teen. "You are going to stay in bed for a few days, and no 'but's."

"Yes, ma'am." She assured with a stuffy nose, taking a sip of her herbal tea, sighing in relief.

"I'm going to run some errands and then I'll be back to check on you." Mrs. Scott informed her.

"And I have to head back to the station." Elliot sighed. "But I'll call every now and then to check on you, you hear me?"

"Yes. My nose is stuffy, not my ears." She retorted in a raspy voice before coughing slightly. "I can manage for a few hours on my own. Don't worry."

"How can we not?" Mrs. Scott muttered under her breath as she grabbed her coat and headed towards the door. "Call us if you need anything."

"Okay." Eleanora understood as she lay back in bed, cocooning herself in her blankets. Soon the apartment was filled with silence as she sighed a breath of relief at the peace. She loved those two, but at times they acted more like her parents than her landlady and her son.

"I was beginning to think that they would never leave." A voice spoke from her bedroom doorway.

"Shut up." She sniffled. "They are very nice people."

"I know." He informed her. "Mrs. Scott is a very sweet lady." Eleanora sat up on her elbows as she looked at Apollyon standing at the foot of her bed, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" He shrugged. "I've been to her place a few times. She invited me in for tea."

"Sure..." She drawled and lay back down.

"How are you feeling?" He inquired as he sat down on the other side of the bed, as Eleanora turned to be facing him. "Your face is very red."

"No s**t, Sherlock." She grunted.

"Whose Sherlock?" He inquired.

"Never mind." Eleanora gaped at him. "And I've had better days."

"I can see that."

"What do you want?" She grunted at him.

"I came to ensure that you were alright." He informed her honestly as she looked back at him as if though he had grown another head. "What?"

"Did you hit your head or something?" She inquired. "How come you're so...nice?"

"Can't I be?" He retaliated.

"As far as I know, I don't think that you have it in you to be nice." She shivered.

"Well, I can be nice when I want to be." He shrugged as he peeled off the jacket from his shoulders. "And besides I am not bothered by what you say and do anymore."

"So...I can do this?" She inquired as she scooted closer to him, resting her head in his lap as he placed his hands in mid-air to allow her to do as she preferred.

"I don't mind." He informed her as he lowered his hands, one of them rested over her side and the other rested on her head. Suddenly, he started to stroke her hair as they both were silent for a moment. "I never apologized."

"What for?" She sniffled, pulling the duvet closer to her.

"For my behavior." He informed. "All of that pent-up anger and bitterness at your race was being released on you, whereas it wasn't your fault. It was my own. I still don't like you humans, but there are a few exceptions."

"Oh, really." She laughed. "Who is included in your list of 'exceptions'?"

"You." He answered straightway and softly, causing Eleanora's laughter to die down in her throat as she turned to look at him, as he was looking at her, a look of pure sincerity in his eyes as she swallowed thickly.

"And Mrs. Scott. Her son doesn't like me very much and the feeling is mutual. Other than that, I can bare with Sebastian." He continued on with a troublemaker grin.

"Sebastian is a cat!" Eleanora exclaimed. "You can't include him."

"Well, I just did," Apollyon stated. "So suck it up and deal with it." With that both of them broke out into an argument, bickering at each other as the sight was one to behold. The devil sitting comfortably in a bed, with a white-haired soulless girl's head rested on his lap as he stroked her white tresses. Both of them arguing like little children as neither one of them wanted to accept defeat.