Or, I thought everything was alright, Mabel mused, tapping her fingers against her thighs antsily. It had been three weeks since Leora returned Mabel's soul to her body, and—for the most part—things were back to normal.

Lucy, along with some others who had been wrongfully imprisoned due to 'unknown medicinal side effects,' had been released from jail, and the doctors who had been handing out medicine were currently under investigation.

And, while the doctors weren't guilty either, Mabel was just happy that Lucy was back to taking down true bad guys and interrogating possible crime lords.

Unfortunately, Lucy's interrogation skills didn't stop with the baddies, which was why Mabel sat cringing across the table from her two best friends.

"So, you just expect us to let you date some guy that we haven't even laid eyes on? Bull. Shit." Lucy was saying angrily, fingers twitching as if she wanted to shoot something.

Aleron wasn't the only one who had grown extremely protective of Mabel after her brief death, and she was struggling to split her time between her secret boyfriend and her two best friends. Eventually, Lucy and Kellan had caught on that something was fishy, which was how they'd cornered her in their favorite diner, prying into her love life over French fries and burgers.

"Well," Mabel started slowly, plucking up a fry and spinning it in her fingers anxiously, "He's not exactly outgoing, and he isn't fond of meeting new people."

Lucy and Kellan shared a skeptical glance. "That just makes the whole thing more suspicious, Mabs. We will be meeting this guy, and we will be making sure that he is an acceptable suitor." Kellan's voice was stern and brooked no room for argument.

Opening her mouth to argue and try to get out of the whole situation, Mabel's voice died in her throat when a shadow suddenly loomed over the table.

Lucy's eyes lit up at the intimidating newcomer. "Well, hello, handsome."

Brows furrowing with disgust, Aleron eyed Mabel with a look that read, This is the human you are associating yourself with? Why?

Mabel returned his stare with one of her own, one that screamed, Why the heck can they even see you? I thought you liked to stay invisible to other humans?!

Aleron snorted and replied, "I had to meet your friends, Little One." At his words, Lucy's demeanor went from oh-you're-attractive-and-I'm-single to so-you're-the-guy-I-need-to-kill.

"Mabel," she drew out, "who, exactly, is this?"

Holding back a frustrated sigh, Mabel managed a tight smile. "This is, uh, my boyfriend," she saw Aleron grimace at the word. "His name is Aleron."

Lucy glared daggers at the demon, while Kellan smile with forced politeness. "Hello, Aleron," the latter greeted. "It's so nice to meet you."

"What do you do for a living?" Lucy cut across, plucking up a French fry and pointing it at Aleron like a sword, "How long have you been dating Mabel? Did you ask her to keep the relationship secret? Are you hurting her?"

Aleron, who seemed more amused by the questioning than anything, quickly darkened with Lucy's last question. "I would never harm Mabel," he thundered, his voice reverberating throughout the diner. Mabel shot Lucy a warning look, knowing perfectly well that Aleron didn't appreciate any words that insinuated he would ever consider hurting her.

Kellan's eyes were wide, while Lucy's narrowed. "Hm," she declared finally, "First test passed. Have a seat, Aleron. What kind of name is Aleron, anyway?"

Aleron squeezed his hulking body into the booth beside Mabel, and she resisted the urge to hide her face in his shoulder.

"Also, are you aware of how attractive you are?

With an agonized groan, Mabel finally gave into the urge.

***

Mabel shared an incredulous look with Kellan. "How on earth did this happen?"

Kellan shrugged. "Honestly? I have no idea. My guess: your boyfriend likes violence, and Lucy likes to practice her skills."

It was about as good an explanation as any, Mabel decided, watching with awe as Lucy taunted Aleron from her spot in the lane next to him. "First bullseye in the head wins," she challenged, eyes glinting with competitiveness.

Aleron smirked. "Understood."

Lucy huffed at his continued overconfidence, pinning Kellan with a stern glare. "You're in charge of starting us, Kell, okay? I think Mabs is biased."

"That's not true!" Mabel crossed her arms defiantly, though part of her was willing to admit that she'd probably let Aleron win. She was still trying to make it up to him for dying, after all, so every bit helped.

"Uh-huh," Lucy rolled her eyes, spinning back to the target. "Sure. And Kellan's not engaged."

Kellan giggled. "She has a point, Mabel."

"Oh, yeah, yeah," she waved Kellan off, shifting her attention to the paper targets in the distance. She wasn't sure how they'd ended up at the gun range, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about Lucy's opinion of Aleron.

As soon as the demon had hinted at his love of weapons, Lucy had latched onto it, demanding to know what all he knew (thankfully, his knowledge of weapons only made passing Aleron's work off as 'classified' easier).

The line of questioning had then led them to the gun range, where Lucy was determined to beat Aleron in sharpshooting. The distance between the two gun-wielders and their targets had only grown, but Lucy had yet to best Aleron.

The sad part was, Aleron didn't even seem to be trying that hard. His face was lit with a smug smirk, and he kept sending amused, is-this-human-serious glances to Mabel.

"C'mon, Kell," Lucy hollered, her focus solely on the target, "Let's get going! I have a loser to beat!"

"Alright, I'm coming," Kellan wandered closer, and Aleron held his gun aloft, the weapon looking miniscule in his large hands.

"Ready? One . . . two . . . three . . . go!" A round of gunshots went off, and Mabel covered her ears with her hands, wincing when the banging reverberated in her skull.

"Hah!" Lucy exclaimed when the noise ceased, "I got it!" She whirled around to Aleron, "Did you even take a shot?"

Aleron grinned dangerously. "One."

Lucy threw her hands up in the air. "Are you kidding me right now?" the targets were pulled in, and the group saw that Aleron was, of course, not kidding. Lucy's paper had three small holes, only one of which pierced the intended spot. Aleron's, however, held only a single hole; he'd made a perfect bullseye, naturally.

"Mabel." Lucy spun to said woman, hands on her hips. "I am both disgusted and seriously in love with your boyfriend. Are you sure I can't have him?

Silencing Aleron's forthcoming growl with a sharp look, Mabel shook her head. "Sorry, Luce; he's mine." This made Aleron smile, and Mabel knew the words were true.

***

"Al," Mabel protested weakly as the demon guardian placed a trail of kisses along the back of her neck, "Aleron. I am trying to cook dinner."

The cool hands pressed against her waist spun her around until they were sharing the same air. "I do not need to eat, remember, Little One?" He laid a kiss on her nose, then her cheek, followed by her lips.

"I know," she laughed breathlessly. "But I do. C'mon, Al. Don't want me starving to death, right?" Once the words left her mouth, she wanted to slap herself.

Aleron snapped back as though he'd been burned, face pale and eyes haunted. "Do not joke about that," he ordered, though his tone was desperate.

Mabel sighed warily, biting her thumbnail. It had been surprisingly easy to settle back into her original routine of work, Aleron, and friends; she forgot, sometimes, that she had died.

Aleron, however, would forever be aware of it. She woke up in the middle of the night occasionally, only to find him watching her carefully, his eyes trained on her chest as if to make sure she was still breathing. Whenever she asked him about it, he dismissed her, adamant that he would not bring it up.

"I'm sorry, Aleron," she apologized, though her resolve strengthened at the same time.

This couldn't go on any longer.

"We need to talk about this," she declared finally, her voice loud in the otherwise silent apartment.

A spark lit in Aleron's eyes, and she knew the 'talk' wouldn't be easy. "No," he argued. "We do not."

"Yes," she insisted, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms, "We really, really do. It can't go on any longer, Aleron. You look at me like I'm going to die any second—"

"Because you did die!" he burst, "Do you not understand, Mabel?" his voice cracked, and all the fight seemed to leave his body. "You were dead. You were dead, and I could not stop it. I could not protect you, and I have never been able to. We cannot talk about it, because I do not want to remember anymore." He turned away, his eyes downcast, and Mabel's fingers tightened on the counter, resisting the urge to reach out and smooth away the worry lines on his forehead.

"I know, Aleron, and I am truly sorry you had to go through that," her voice was soft. "But, please understand that I deal with it by bringing it up, and then setting it aside. I just . . . I need to talk about it, to understand that it happened, and to know that it's all okay now." she felt tears building, and she laughed bitterly.

"Just thinking about it makes me want to cry! God, Al, I am so, so sorry! I just don't know how to fix this." The tears leaked out, and she buried her face in her hands, utterly humiliated. "I didn't want to leave you," she cried. "I didn't want to die."

And that was the truth. Although she had full expected to stay dead and become close friends with Leora, she hadn't, and coming back had made her realize just how scary the ordeal had been and just how much she would have missed Aleron and her friends has she actually left for good.

Now that she was back, she was constantly struggling with guilt that resided in the back of her mind, telling her that she should have fought harder against Nephele's poison (she should've done more) to keep those she loved from experiencing such pain and worry.

Heck, she hadn't even gone through the same agony they had, but here she was, sobbing like a baby.

Again.

God, couldn't she do something other than cry all the time?

Hands pulled against her shoulders, and a beat later she was wrapped in Aleron's embrace, his face nestled in her hair.

"I am sorry, too, Little One. I should have known you would want to speak about it." His words were a gentle caress against her brow. "You do not ever have to apologize; I know you did not want to leave."

A wet giggle fell from her lips as she tried to salvage the earlier, happier mood. "'Cause I'm predictable?"

"No," he swayed them back and forth slowly, and Mabel's lids closed at the relaxing motion. "Because you are stubborn. My little, stubborn angel."

***

"I think we should make a toast," Lucy declared, holding up her martini.

Kellan brought hers up as well. "To marriage?" she asked, her engagement ring glinting brighter than even her smile, which had only grown bigger the longer the night had gone on. Mabel couldn't blame her though. After all, she was getting married to Jake the next day, and even Mabel was restless with excited energy.

Just as Mabel was about to agree with Kellan's suggestion, Lucy interjected. "To marriage, sure," her face grew somber, her gaze drilling into Mabel's. "But also to friends and a long, happy life."

Mabel pushed back the swell of emotion that stirred in her stomach. "Yeah," she agreed, her throat dry, but not from the alcohol, "To marriage, friends, and a long, happy life."

They clinked their glasses together, and the rest of the night was filled with stories from high school and terrible dance moves.

***

"What does this signify?" Aleron asked with disdain, tugging at the tie snuggled against his neck, "And why must I suffer through it, yet you do not wear one?"

Mabel laughed, rifling through her makeup bag and sending Aleron a quick wink over her shoulder. "I'm still in my pajamas, for one. Two, this is what human men wear to weddings, Al. You've been alive a long time—haven't you ever worn a tie?"

His nose scrunched, like the mere idea of wearing a tie on purpose made him nauseous. "I am responsible for reaping wicked souls, Little One. Of course I have never been to a wedding, nor worn this terrible contraption."

"Fair enough," she consented, letting out a small cheer when she finally found her mascara. "I'm going to go get dressed, okay?" Not waiting for a response, she darted around the doorway, finishing her makeup before tugging on her dress.

When she stepped out, Aleron's brows furrowed. "You are not wearing that?"

Mabel looked down at the knee-length, navy blue dress, utterly confused. "Um, yes, actually, I am. What's wrong with it?"

Aleron's head tilted. "I thought the women wore white at a wedding?"

"Oh," she chuckled, waving her hand dismissively. "Only the bride. It's a sign of purity, I think. The other women wear dresses like this. What do you think?" she spun in a circle, her grin widening when he stopped her, pulling her into his chest and leading her around in something akin to a slow dance.

"You are always beautiful, Little One. But," his eyes grew faraway, "I would prefer to see you in a different color."

Mabel was about to demand what the heck that was supposed to mean, but was stopped by her phone's alarm.

She squeaked, pulling away from Aleron and snatching up her purse. "We have to go!"

***

They'd barely started the actual vows before Mabel was blubbering from her spot next to Lucy, who looked stunning as the Maid of Honor, even as she held back her own tears.

When Jake and Kellan kissed, Mabel clapped happily, barely able to see them through the salty water in her eyes.

No sooner had the wedding finished was Aleron on top of her, wiping away her tears almost frantically. "I do not like it when you cry," he confessed, kissing her temple when the tears slowed.

"I know," she laughed wetly. "But, Al, we both know I cry all the time, because I'm an emotional idiot."

He quirked a smile. "And little."

Recognizing the game, she nodded brightly, wrapping her arm around his own as they headed towards the doors leading to the church's back lawn, where the reception was located. "And stubborn."

Aleron stopped her suddenly, pulling her to face him and pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Not an idiot, though, Little One. Never an idiot—only an angel."

Mabel was sure the smile she sent him in response held nothing but pure love.

***