Death didn't descend upon us for quite some time. The lord and ruler of every Reaper to exist had to have a lot going on, and it was no surprise that he would delay in making a social call on one of his people. Still, I was surprised that he strode into the room like a heavy storm, bringing with him overbearing darkness and an air of impending doom. I was so startled by his arrival when the door slammed back against the wall that I fell out of my chair. Hardly an elegant greeting for my employer, especially not when I ended up with my legs tangled in the furniture.

"Hi," I greeted feebly once I'd extracted myself and jumped to my feet. "Leon's almost better. You're here to check on him, right?"

"I'm here to punish him," Death corrected in his frightening voice which echoed from the cluttered walls. "Mackenzie, please leave the room."

If I'd been alive, one might have called my actions suicidal. I didn't know what it was called when one was dead, but whatever the term, I stupidly placed myself between Death and Leon. I balled my hands into fists and hoped that I cut an intimidating figure. In truth, I was probably as much a threat to Death as a kitten was to a rottweiler.

"You can't. He saved my life. If it hadn't been for Leon, Alistair–"

"Alistair wouldn't have posed a risk if he hadn't taken you to Earth before you were ready." Death cricked his neck, the vertebra itching against each other with the motion. "I won't ask again. Leave the room."

A tremor of fear rippled so deeply through my body that I felt my very soul quake in his presence. If I had more to lose, I'd have run screaming from the room. Hell, anyone with an ounce of common sense would have done so in my place. Problem was, all I had left was Leon and whatever I'd become since I'd died. If Death did something to hurt either of us, then I'd have nothing, and there'd be no point to my having escaped the Hell Hound who'd chased me outside the hospital in the first place.

I chose not to linger on just how pathetic it was that the most important person in my life was someone I actively disliked. Thankfully, the author moved things along before anyone could give it too much thought.

Although I was ready to throw hands with Death and lose thoroughly, Leon didn't appreciate my white knight act. He heaved himself into a sitting position before standing uncertainly from the sofa that'd been his home while he'd recovered his strength.

"You were given an order, Mackenzie." Leon was all business. One might be forgiven for thinking that our conversation had never happened. I had to wonder if his excessive blood loss had led to his moment of humanity because there was certainly no trace of it left in his expression. "I need to give a full report, and I can't do that if you're here to interrupt."

If our roles had been reversed, I'd have appreciated someone having my back when my insanely powerful supernatural boss intended to punish me. But our roles weren't reversed, and I wasn't Leon, and he'd made it perfectly clear that my kind gesture wasn't wanted. My gaze shifted between the pair, and I gritted my teeth to keep myself from making further comments. It didn't seem right to me that Leon was about to get a lecture when I could vouch for him, but I was too angry to stand there and argue the point. If he was going to be a dick then he didn't deserve my help, anyway.

I snatched up my jacket from the corner of the book-laden table and stalked out of the room. I slammed the door for good measure, although I couldn't believe it would be enough to make Death jump. The pair probably intended for me to wait outside like a child who'd been told to step out by a teacher, but I was too angry to linger. I needed to walk it off, a feat which might've been easier if I'd known where I was going.

The corridors all looked the same so it was hard to tell just how many I'd wandered through before I found myself back at the stairs which led down into the underground station. I didn't hesitate to follow them, my fingers still curled into my aching palms as I descended to the platform. It wasn't long before a train arrived. Perhaps if it'd taken longer, I wouldn't have been so eager to jump aboard without checking the destination.

I glanced at my wrist as I sat quietly and ignored aboard the carriage. There was no point without a watch, but that didn't erase the instinct. I sighed. Without a true concept of time in the afterlife, I had no idea how long I'd been gone. Probably not long enough for Leon to worry. It wasn't like I could leave for Earth without a scythe so I couldn't get into trouble. Still, I was at something of a loss for where to go. That is until the train came to a stop at a familiar station. I had only a few seconds to consider my options. I lurched from my seat and hopped through the doors before they closed behind me. I waited for the train to depart, leaving only a rush of air and a hollow tunnel behind.

Muted beige corridors and lacquered doors greeted me when I ascended the stairs into the office building. Angry rhetoric circled through my head and drove me onward. I'd hoped that my frustration might abate after a long walk, but I was just as pissed with Leon as I had been back in the study. Unfortunately, such feelings also served as a distraction. It'd been my intention to find Clark. Well, not the intention. But when I'd arrived it'd struck me that I might talk to him about my case. I mean, he hadn't reached out and it'd only been a day. Or two. Maybe three. I had no idea, but some time had certainly passed, and it only seemed right that I should check in with him if he was actively trying to get me into Heaven. The problem with this plan was that all the doors still looked the same, and many of them didn't have signs. I also didn't remember the route Leon had taken when I'd first arrived. I'd been too preoccupied with being dead to commit it to memory, and now that was coming back to bite me in the arse.

Either Clark was psychic or something was going my way for a change because I rounded a corner and bumped right into his chest. Good luck on my side, but not so much on his. The papers he'd clutched in his arms dropped to the ground and scattered, some sliding under closed doors and others curling back over themselves and sitting out of order.

Clark's glasses slid down his nose and rested askew at the tip. "Mackenzie! What are you doing here?"

Perhaps it was dramatic, but I flung my arms around his middle and buried my face against his chest. I clung to my case worker tighter than Kate Winslet to a piece of debris in a freezing ocean. A piece of debris that Leo could've totally fit onto but that wasn't important at that moment. All I cared about was that I'd found someone who could point me in the right direction to get back. If I wanted to get back, that is. I didn't. But, you know, it was nice to not be lost anymore.

"Um... okay?" The man patted the top of my head awkwardly. "Did something happen?"

I remembered myself and released Clark. "Sorry. I just got kinda lost. Like, really lost."

"Oh." Clark smiled kindly. "No need to explain further. It happens all the time. What brings you here alone? Did Leon send you?"

My chest ached painfully. "No, he's mad at me."

Sympathy flashed in his eyes. "I heard you had a difficult first outing."

"That's an understatement," I muttered.

A total disaster was more appropriate. I mean, he'd almost died. I'd kissed a Hell Hound. Death was mad at both of us, and I'd dug a bullet out of his body with my bare hands. Either Clark had been wildly misinformed about the true nature of the trip, or he didn't understand what the word difficult meant.

"I find that tea helps in these situations," he said.

"Is there tea in the afterlife?" I asked. "Didn't think we needed to eat or drink."

"We don't need to do a lot of things, but sometimes it's nice to do them anyway. Why don't you come back to my office with me? We can give Leon some time to cool down and be less Leon-y."

Leon would probably freak out if he finished his meeting with Death and didn't find me waiting outside the door like a loyal puppy, but I couldn't deny that the lure of tea was like a siren song calling my name. Besides, it wasn't like I could just teleport back to the study in the blink of an eye, and I'd already been gone for a while.

Surely, there was time for a nice hot cup of tea before I faced his wrath.

After all, tea made everything better.