~~Young~~

Chapter Twenty One

Fun...Sera thought she would trade the fun in for the mundane in a heartbeat. But of course that was what she had traded the mundane for, her heart beating in her chest again.

"Come on," Death tugged her along, "I can't help Chelsea with the packing on account of the saving my energy for the important stuff."

And Sera was the important stuff?

Death reached for Jerry too but he recoiled from her and suddenly all humor was lost from her face, "Jerry?" she asked slowly.

He didn't hear her, Sera thought his mind wasn't really with them except that he kept reacting to Death's attempts to grab him.

"Jeremiah talk to me," she said sharply, honest concern in her voice.

His eyes met hers abruptly and he frowned, "promise not tu come af'tah me."

"What?" Death balked.

He stepped up to her and took her hands in his, "promise me," he said harshly.

"Fine," she bit off, "I promise I won't."

For just a second both their figures became as solid as the walls around them and he kissed her. It all seemed so familiar, and Sera realized it was because it was exactly as Duncan had done with her. It was a confession Sera didn't think Jerry, a demon, was capable of. Love.

Chills ran over Sera's skin, something wasn't right.

Jerry grabbed Death's face and pulled away, "Just remembah, d'u promised." And then he vanished.

"Bastard!" Death stomped her foot.

"What, what's going on, I don't understand?" Sera shook her head.

"He's not coming back," Death surprised Sera by sniffling, "at least he doesn't think he's going to."

"From where?"

"I don't know," she groaned, "which means I can't help him the ass."

"Sera?" Chelsea's face appeared from around the corner of their bedroom door, "oh my god, hurry up would you! This isn't just my stuff in here."

Sera took one last look at Death with her sullen expression. If she didn't know better she'd swear she was even more translucent then before. It seemed to Sera, what Jerry so pointedly didn't say, was mutual.

"Come on," Sera took her hand gently, "we gotta stick together."

She received an absent nod and this time Sera was sure she saw her wipe a tear from her ghostly face. Together they hurried into the room and nearly stumbled on the piles Chelsea had already started making.

"Just box it up alright?" she waved her hand to their beds where piles of flat U-Haul boxes were stacked, "I got it sorted, the stuff closest to the door is the most important so start there."

Watching Chelsea as she flew around the room the urgency began burning in Sera's veins again and she got to work. The first pile was clothes, but only the necessities, jeans, sneakers, sturdy tops and warm sweaters. The undergarments were there too along with their entire medicine cabinet. She filled up the box just as Duncan came in to check on them, there were only a handful of them left, most of the other Angels were already gone. Who was left was going to share the Suburban Duncan had managed to buy off one of the kids next door, the Kappa's. As luck would have it they were in a band and they let Duncan buy the trailer that went with it.

All they had to do was finish packing up and they were gone.

As Duncan taped up the box Sera moved on to the next pile. It was sheets and towels with a bunch more clothes. There were a few hard items at the bottom of the pile but Sera just picked it up on one swoop and dumped it in the box. Still something hit the floor with a clatter; a picture frame...Sera paused.