When Hell Freezes Over

The streets around me bustled with life. I looked over at Nick and found that his eyes were on my face as usual, trying to read my next move before I processed it. He knew that he had to watch me carefully or I would slip away into the world and create havoc, just like I had done multiple times before in the thousands of years we had spent on the Earth. Somehow I always was the center of the largest scandal, or the worst war, and it drove him crazy when I caused the world to see me. He thought that my antics would endanger the song; I thought he was uptight.

His outlook on our existence was that everything we did revolved around the last song, and if we strayed in any place from the fate written out for us, the song would somehow be affected because of that. He followed the rules exactly, living his life unknown, and creating no emotional ties with humans.

My outlook on our existence was much different than his. I believed that God had put us here for centuries for a reason: to live with the people on this Earth and see how they had put his gift of life to good use. So far I had found many people who had done so, and many others who had not. Earth was a diverse place when it came to everything: people, personalities, species, places. In many ways I believed it to be even more beautiful than Heaven, and I wished sometimes that I could spend a longer time on this world. Its life was so much shorter than it should have been, and the people on it were the most unique of any of God's creations, full of passion and feeling. Earth was definitely the most beautiful place I had ever been, and the people in it had the most feeling of any of the creatures I had ever met. They're lives revolved around feeling, especially love, and it seemed like even the evil ones had some seed of love buried deep in their black hearts.

I, however, had never fallen in love. I had toyed with king's hearts, married the gods of legend, but never found someone that I could call my own. Yes, I had found friends that were as close to me as family here, but I had never found the other half so many of the people on Earth dreamed of. In some ways, I was happy that I had never found the one who I was destined to love, because he would have only ended up dying, and I would be immortal until the end of time. But I was also sad, because I had seen so many of the friends I had made on this world find love, and I had never felt such a thing. I think the main reason I never fell in love was because I wasn't a human like them. I had a human form, but my soul was different than theirs. If I failed at the last song, I would be obliterated from the world forever, but if I got it right, I would be sent straight to Heaven, no judgment needed.

The song was the most important thing of my existence. It was the most important thing in the whole existence of the world! It decided how everything in this world would end, and it was all up to Nick and I. I would be singing the song, and he would be playing the piano. The song was sung in Latin, and it was the whole history of the world. So far I had learned the notes for the first three fourths of the song during our stay in Earth, but I would never have a chance to practice it until I sang the song. If I ever sang a note before the final song, we would be destroyed. That it what had happened to my mother and Nick's father, and I was determined that it would not happen to us. I wanted this cycle of Chosen Ones to be done forever, and the song gave me a chance to do just that.

I turned my head to look at Nick again, and found that he was looking away from me, toward Balboa Park, where we had just come from. He had dragged me to see one of the newest exhibits in one of the museums, fascinated by the intricate designs on the pottery. When I saw what he had come for, I laughed inside; He was looking at my work a thousand years ago in Greece. I didn't tell him that, though. He would only shake his head at my meddling and turn to another piece of art that some other ancient woman had made a thousand years ago.

I was curious at what he was looking at, and turned to follow his eyes, only to be met with shock. He was staring at a girl around our physical age, with honey-brown hair and caramel skin. Suddenly I felt something squeeze my chest, and I realized I had felt this sensation once before, when Nick had looked at Cassandra in Troy. That was a long time ago…and I didn't want to remember it. It made me think of how I was forced into marrying Menelaus, and how Cassandra ended up dying in the end, along with Paris and Hector. Nick never let me forget that war, and I actually was sorry now for all of the damage did. I was still young then, and I didn't know how to cover my tracks as well as I did now. I had not yet been forced to learn how to hide from the devil and his friends.

"Nick." His head whipped around to look at me, concern etched on his face. He no doubt thought I had gotten into trouble again. "What are you doing?"

He blushed. "Nothing." He scratched the back of his head, which was a nervous habit of his. I always wanted to swat his hand away from his head when he did that. It was an endearing habit, but at the same time it showed he was insecure. He had nothing to be insecure about. He was perfect. "Since we already did what I wanted for the day, what do you want to do now?"

"Shop." I told him instantly. I loved the clothes of this age. They weren't as pretty as the dresses women used to wear, but shorts were so conventional!

His face fell. "But that's all we did yesterday!"

"So…?" I asked, turning on heel to the car we had left.

I heard Nick follow behind me, and then he suddenly stopped. I turned around.

"Why'd you stop, Nickalicious?" I asked, using the nickname I knew bugged him.

"Uhhh. Well." His stomach rumbled and he looked down at it. "Can we eat lunch first?" He put on his puppy dog face. "Please, Tash?"

I started to shake my head, and then stopped as I realized how hungry I was.

"Sure."

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We were sitting at the Prado, slowly eating the food we had ordered, when I felt a pair of eyes on the back of my head. Nick was here, sitting across from me, so that meant that it had to be someone else who was watching me.

"Nick." I hissed across the table. His head shot up from his menu. "Is there anyone staring at me from behind?" I asked him quietly, so the person who was staring at us wouldn't hear.

He scanned the room, and his eyes landed on someone right behind me.

"Yes." He leaned over so it looked as if he were whispering something sweet in my ear. He was playing the couple card, so I giggled softly. He began talking quickly. "He's right behind you: tall, slightly graying hair, looks in his forties, blue eyes, clean shaven face with a blue undershirt, grey suit, and black shoes. Do you know him?"

I thought for a second, and then a thought hit me. "You think he's that guy I modeled for five years ago?"

Nick looked at him menacingly and flexed his biceps. "No. He looks like a fucking creep."

I jumped when I heard him swear. He rarely ever swore about anything. I was always the boisterous one, and he was the one who kept calm while I freaked out.

"So he's pretty awful looking if you're swearing…right?" I asked tentatively. I didn't want to get him even more mad.

"Yes." Nick said through gritted teeth. "And he's coming over here right now. Be careful."

I felt a large hand on my shoulder and looked up to an unfamiliar face that was bent over my head.

"Excuse me, but do I know you?" I asked politely but firmly, taking his hand off of my shoulder and daintily dropping it.

"Don't you remember me, Natassia?" I gave him a blank stare and he straightened up to his full height. I still couldn't remember him from anywhere. "It's Lucifer, the teacher."

I thought for another second, and then looked at him apologetically. "I still don't remember you. I'm sorry."

He laughed. "No. It's fine." He gestured to the empty chair at our table. "May I sit here?" He asked us, seeming to look more at my face then Nick's.

"Su-" I started to say sure, but was cut off by Nick.

"Not to be rude," He stated in an obviously rude voice. "But we're kind of on a date."

My head snapped at Nick when he said that. We were on a date?

Mr. Weston looked surprised by Nick's statement as well.

"I thought you two were just friends?" He asked, clearly shocked. "At least that's what I was told."

Nick's face grew even more alert and disturbed when he said that. "That's what you were told?" He asked fiercely. "When? By whom?"

"Someone who once knew you two very well." Mr. Weston answered simply. Now he was making me curious. "But I just came here to give Natassia a warning." He looked back at me, and stared deeply into my hazel eyes with his bright blue ones. "Don't waste your time here. It is coming to an end, and you have an important decision to make."

And suddenly I knew who he was. But he was already gone. He had disappeared into thin air. Just. Like. That.

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The rest of lunch had been awful. I knew who it was; Nick knew who it was; but we couldn't talk about it without either him blowing up on me or me bursting into tears. The unthinkable had happened. The devil had found us, again, all because of me, and now he would try to tempt us again. The reason I knew it was him was because of the hoof I saw sticking out of his pants before he disappeared. Only one entity I knew had hoof-like feet, and that was the devil. I couldn't believe that I didn't realize the connection we he said his name was Lucifer. No one in these modern times named their children after the Bible, and even in the beginning of time no one cursed their child by naming him after the devil.

We were now walking in the mall. I had convinced Nick to come shopping with me after lunch. He had tried to get out of it, saying he was too flustered after the man's visit to come, but I wasn't about to go shopping alone with the devil lurking about. It was far too dangerous.

At the moment I was in the dressing room of Delia's, trying on dresses. I had narrowed my number of dresses from twenty down to three, and now I wanted Nick's opinion on them.

"Nick." I called, sticking my head out of the curtain. He jumped in his seat and turned to look at me. "I'm going to model three dresses for you. Will you tell me which one you like the best?" I asked.

He rolled his eyes. "You could just buy all three." He suggested, getting up from his chair and situating himself in the chair right in front of my dressing room. "It would be easier. Then we could go to the next store you want to shop at, and we could leave sooner."

I laughed at his attempt to make me hurry. "I know. I could. But I want to see which one I should wear to that Carnival you said you would chaperone me to tonight. I'll probably end up buying all three, knowing me, but I want your opinion." He sighed and rolled his eyes at me. Again. I put a pout on and used my baby voice. "And besides, I still want to look at the new shirts and other clothes here. I only got to look at the dresses!"

He sighed and pushed me back into the dressing room. "Hurry up and show me the first dress, shopaholic."

I quickly threw on the first dress and looked at myself in the mirror, making sure he hadn't messed up my hair or smudged the little make-up I was wearing when he shoved me. When I was certain I was perfect, I pulled open the curtain and stepped out.

His jaw dropped.

"Wow. The green. It's beautiful, Tash." He got up and walked around me, looking at me from all angles. "I've never seen you in green before. You seem to prefer earthy colors." He looked at me with question in his eyes.

"I don't like to stand out." I said simply, bracing myself for his response.

He scoffed. "Sure. Tell that to Cassandra and all of the others your 'not standing out,' has hurt through the ages we've been here." He picked up his jacket from the back of the chair he had been sitting on. "You look nice; buy it. I'm leaving. I'm tired."

"You know what, Nick?!" I yelled at him. He stopped and turned around to face me.

"What?" He asked, his face blank and his voice tired.

"I have had enough of your reminders. I am sick and tired of you taking the past and making me remember it. I'm sorry I hurt all of those people, I never wanted to, but they're all mistakes that I have to live with. You're not the one who has to deal with the guilt of meddling and hurting others; I do. I'm the one who hurt them, so just let me deal with it by myself. Stop bringing it up and stop making me feel bad, because I already feel bad enough about it by myself." I began to cry and I could feel the sting of mascara going into my eyes. "I'm sorry that you loved Cassandra and I killed her." His eyes filled with tears, and I started to cry harder. "That was never part of my plan. I thought I loved Paris…but I was wrong. I lusted for Paris, but nothing else. Just like all of the men I have met on this Earth." I looked away from him and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand, being careful not to get the make-up on the dress. "I don't want to go to the Carnival tonight. I want to go home. You can leave without me. I'm going to put the dresses back and take a taxi to our apartments. I'll see you later."

I walked back to the dressing room and turned back around at the curtain to see Nick still standing at the door, his eyes on me, tears pouring down his face. I watched him slowly turn away from me and exit through the door without a second glance, leaving me to pick myself back up after our fight.

As I took the dress off and reapplied my make-up, I kept thinking about Nick and several realizations suddenly hit me: I had never cried in front of him; he had never cried in front of me; this had been our first real obvious fight.

And the largest one off all: I think I might actually be in love with him.