What Am I Doing? (Hades and Bri)

Briony walked quickly to the Headmasters office, she didn't know who else to go to bar Cobalt and she was going to put him off until the very end she didn't want to be irritated or upset more than she already was. Wiping at her eyes so that the tears dissappeared Briony knocked on the door and waited to be let in.

She looked down at her hands, there was blood still there, there was blood still on her clothes too, Richard's blood. When the door was opened Briony walked slowly into the office, looking for Hades with her cold, dead eyes and when she found him Briony nearly started crying again.

"Sorry to...to interrupt you. I um, Rich is dead..."

Briony's voice cracked and her heart tore a little more, to say it, to confirm it, was something that she found so hard...

Hades stood looking out the office window onto the grounds. He'd received the message of a job well done now all he had to do was play it cool as everyone found out. A knock on the door broke his thought track. He frowned as he sensed Bri, what was she doing here? He flicked his wand making the doors open.

Blood covered her hands, Rich's blood. He decided to act shocked. "What happened? Are you okay?" He asked rushing over to her pulling forwards a chair for her to sit down in. "You're not hurt are you?" His eyes even darted over her body looking for wounds he knew wasn't there.

He stopped what he was doing and looked up into her eyes, regretting it the moment they made contact with his. She was full of hurt, he'd seen himself like this once. He would never wish it on anyone but this was all his fault. He stood up, clearing his head.

"How did he die? Where is he?" He asked turning back to face her once he was more composed.

"I...I don't know...I don't know where he is. He got shot, there was so much blood, I couldn't...I couldn't do anything. I..."

Briony placed her head in her hands and cried, she didn't give a damn any more who saw her cry, she'd just lost the love of her life and she had every right to bawl her eyes out. She tried to stem the flow of tears and she looked up into Hades face, why was he being so nice to her? Didn't he hate her...?

"He'd just proposed to me. I...I was supposed to be Mrs. Romain..and now...now I can never be that, I can never do any of the things I'd wrote on this damn list!"

Briony got out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket, a bucket list, she had been told by Richard that they were a good way of planning things, planning the future. But she sobbed, and tore it up throwing it into the corner of the room.

"Just...just WHY? Why right then? Did they do it to just FUCK MY HEAD UP?!"

Briony yelled pulling at her hair wildly.

"I'm sorry...it's not your fault Hades...I don't know why I'm flipping out at you...I've always had a tendancy to do that huh?"

She smiled weakly.

"Shh it's okay i'm sure we'll find him and give him the burial he deserves." He said kneeling down in front of her. He took one of her hands and pulled out a handkerchief with his spare hand, pausing to look in her eyes to make sure it was okay before he began to wipe them clean.

"Of course you couldn't do anything, no one could have saved him it was just one of those things that was out of your control." He said magicking the handkerchief clean again once he had finished, then passed it to her to wipe away her tears.

"No i don't hate you Bri, hate is such a strong word and i've been in your position. I've lost plenty of loved ones in my life time and i cause two of them as you know." He said glancing down to the floor. "Don't do this to yourself Bri Rich would not want you to be like this, would he?" He said taking hold of her hands again.

"I don't know but i'm sure who ever did it had there reasons good or bad." He said looking over he shoulder to the black crow sat on his window ledge.

He smiled then looked into her eyes seriously. "Why are you here Bri? I mean why me? I've done nothing to stay friends even thought i promised i would. What brought you to my door over everyone elses." He asked simple curious.

Briony shuddered and tried to stop herself from crying, she was being pathetic, utterly pathetic, she needed to get a backbone seriously. Briony mentally scolded herself, if you could say that, more like she mentally abused herself until she was able to speak properly. Her eyes connected with Hades and even though she was collected in her manner, they were still dead.

"Well Rich isn't fecking well here is he. The only thing that's stopping me from just leaving is Annie, I can't leave her fatherless and motherless...that kid deserves a first class life...too bad I'm such a crap mother."

Briony placed her head into her hands and looked up at Hades face, this was weird, nice, but weird almost like they were before everything happened. She was happy that Hades realised that he had ignored her, but heck, she hadn't done anything either.

"You're the Headmaster Hades, if one of your Professor's is dead you should know about it...and...I knew you'd understand me, since you've lost people before. I thought you'd be a little more...'Get out you crazy mofo.' but this is good too."

Richard had the strangest sensation of floating even though he could see that his feet were planted firmly on the stone floor of Hades' office.

Wait... Hades' office?

He looked around a bit and sure enough he was standing in Hades' office, with the man himself standing near Briony, who was crying and looked to be breaking down where she stood. Without thinking he went to comfort her but froze when his hand went straight through her. He looked himself up and down to find himself looking... faint. Almost as if he wasn't supposed to be there. Glancing up he saw a flash of recognition in Hades' eyes.

He could see him.

Memories of being shot, several times, ran through his mind in a flash. Suddenly it began to make sense... Hades was one of the few people who had enough of a grudge against him to have him killed. Of course it still could be one of the Romanians but Hades was now his prime suspect. Wrapping his etheral arms around Briony's shoulders he glared at Hades,

"Don't think I don't see what you're doing..." he seethed, through gritted teeth, "You won't hurt her anymore than you already have! Mark my words Malfoy... I won't let you touch her!"

Hades looked up to see Rich's soul standing right in front of him. His eyes narrowed a little before he turned back to look at her. "No he's not here. I'm sure that girl deserves a lot you would be the best mother to her possible. Remember when i had this problem with Arsen and you told me to go for it. Well you'll make her happy i know you will."

"Well thanks for letting me know." He smiled weakly glancing over to Rich once more as he tried to touch her. He glanced down he hated bringing up his past he'd actually thought of giving up his gift because of it. It scared the hell out of him.

He smiled "I would never say that. I could never bring myself to look at myself in the mirror again if i started talking like that." He smiled standing up to stretch off his knees.

He walked behind her over to Rich and took hold of the front of his clothes pushing him over to the other side of the room using little force but he didn't need a lot. "I have no idea what you are talking about. But since your dead and im not there is nothing you can do about it." He thought his face expressionless but his thoughts were powerful enough to make even Rich's form quiver. "Now leave this is a private conversation." He smiled to annoy Rich more before placing his arm around Briony to comfort her. Glancing back just to look at Rich's face since he couldn't touch him without his permission.

Richard seethed from where he was in the corner and his ghostly form rippled a little as he set his will. He took a step forwards, towards Hades, and he swore he could feel his foot make an almost silent noise. With no fear of being seen by Briony, he walked straight up to Hades and stared straight into his eyes,

"If I'm dead I have eternity to haunt you Malfoy." he narrowed his eyes, "Mark my words... I won't go quietly in that good night!"

Stepping away from Hades his anger began to build as he began pacing backwards and forewards,

"The gunman was a nice touch Hades, I'll give you that." he scowled at the man, "But with the appearance of Cobalt as a professor... and your scent all over him... you couldn't have made it anymore obivous if you'd tried. He's working for you."

Pacing a little more, he walked past the fireplace and the flames dimmed a little with his proximity,

"I swear to God Hades..." he gritted his teeth, "I will find a way! I don't care if I go to hell for eternity! As long as I can make sure you don't ever, ever, touch her again... she's my wife!"

Briony looked at Hades with tears still in her eyes, she was confused, he was being so nice to her and she didn't deserve it, she really didn't. Briony sighed and relaxed into Hades as he placed a comforting arm around her shoulder, there was something different though, Hades looked some what distracted, he looked as if he was glancing at something specific.

"Um, Hades? Are you ok...?"

Briony asked with her eyebrow raised, her own pain temporarily forgotten by the interesting way that Hades was acting. But only for a moment, a new wave of it coursed through her and Briony placed her head in her hands once more.

"This is just great. Peachy. Awesome. I'm stuck here not knowing what to do, 22 with a kid that's not even mine and not the faintest clue how to take care of her..."

He smirked a little enough for Rich to see but Bri couldn't. "You could try but i can banish you from this world and the next. Hell i could even get you dragged down to Satan himself." He thought then turned to look down at Bri.

"What? Sorry i thought i saw something but it was just a piece of dirt. Nothing to worry about. "Like i said before Romain i have no idea what you are talking about." He sighed placing a kiss on Bri's head keeping his eyes on Rich. "Of course he's working for me i run the school, my scents on him because he works for me. I give him his money each month just like i did you." He thought his voice sounding bored even in his head.

"Hmm i think i'll give us another go." He smiled brushing back Bri's hair. "Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Ar... but she's not you never married." He laughed in his head making it echo inside of Rich's soul.

Richard growled low in his throat and his entire etheral body rippled again, colours returning to his grey body for a few seconds before returning to their dead grey. He scowled again and pointed a firm, unwavering, finger at Hades,

"You will die Hades Malfoy. I will rip your bones out and watch you beg for death. And when you do..." he stalked forwards and stood toe-to-toe with Hades again, "I will deny you. I will heal you again and again. Just so I can wring every last drop of pain from your body."

He turned away from Hades, still in a towering rage,

"And as for Satan..." he spun round on the spot, his body rippling until it looked almost corporal, "You tell the Morning Star that I am not at his beck and call. Tell the Most Unclean that I am not his just yet!"

Energy began to build up in his spiritual form, causing bright light to burst forth from him at random places,

"I'm not going to die from something as trivial as a few bullets Hades." he smirked viciously, "I will find my way back. And I will kill you. Even if I have to drag you before Lucifier's feet myself."

With a final roar of rage, Richard's spirit exploded outwards into nothingness again. The fire in the fireplace flickered madly before going out and a few of the papers on the desk fluttered as if there was a breeze.

Briony looked at Hades confusion playing in her eyes and she turned her head to look where he was and couldnt see anything at all. Sighing a little she gazed up slightly bewildered at Hades when she felt his lips upon her head, his hand upon her hair. This was him being too nice, what was going on?

"What do you mean? Give us another go? You want to be friends again?"

Briony rubbed her tear stained face trying to make sense of what was happening in a way she was glad of the distraction from her pain and Briony pouted softly trying to understand.

"What was that?"

She raised her eyebrow at the sudden gust of wind that ran through the office.

Hades eyes narrowed as Rich slowly gained power. It couldn't be, surely he was dead. He shook his head his face staying expressionless. What did it matter he had no proof.

"We'll see. I will die eventually yes but not by your hands or anyone else's for that matter. I'll die of old age." He thought. "I can do things others will think impossible." His eyes narrowed. "I'd rather take the pain than beg Romain. I never beg it's not a part of me."

"Yeah we can be friends right?" He asked looking over at Rich.
"I'll pass on the message, but it's not wise to wind Lucifer" up. He's not the forgiving type.

"Yeah okay i'll be waiting like always." He sighed looking down at his watch.

"I've left the window open it always happens although i have no idea why." He said getting up to close the window.

Briony looked at Hades and she rased her eyebrow but choosing not to think any more about it she reclined in the chair that she was sitting on and closed her eyes. Briony had no idea what to do and inside she was begging Rich to help, to come back even if it was just for a moment, just so she could get the closure she needed. To know for sure, that he was dead.

"Thanks Hades, sounds kind of weird but I've missed being able to flip out at you and not get killed..."

Briony chuckled weakly and smiled up at Hades as he shut the window.

"Are you sure you're alright Hades? You're looking a bit...um..."

Briony could see his facial expression changing when she hadn't done anything and he was moving about the room like there was something in there that shouldn't be.