Chapter 1

(Saffy)

It's Been Two Years and I Still Hate You

A/N: So here it is, the first chapter of Angel in Darkness in Saffy's point of view. I'm writing as fast as I can but there is barely any of this prewritten so I'm apologizing in advance for slow updates.

Still looking for a name for the whole series...I'd love to hear your ideas, please!

It's been six years since Damon came back to Naomi. It's been two years since Naomi left. Two years since Damon stopped visiting, and two years since the birth of Loki, their son, the prince of Hell. See a pattern? All three now lived there, under the ground, in the desert city of the damned, Hell. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss them. I would be lying if I said I was happy.

She was like my sister, Naomi. She saved me from the asylum when I was ten, and always took the time to watch over me, treated me like a sister since the first day she spoke to me. Now it's six year later and I'm facing the world alone once more, dealing with high school, taking advice form people who'd never even been through it.

Both Miles and Dilyn had dropped out in their sophomore years, and Raya never needed to go. She was, after all an angel, or she used to be. Naomi had gone to high school, Miles had made sure of that, but now she was gone. It'd upset me at first, her never visiting, Damon had come nearly every other day, why couldn't she do the same? Apparently, leaving as often as he had wasn't the best thing, nor the easiest. To him Naomi was worth the trouble. I apparently wasn't worth the trouble for Naomi. The whole first year I'd hated her. Now I was over that and just didn't care. At least that's what I told myself.

I think she'd tried to hide the pregnancy at first. But I realize now Damon had known. He stuck around more often, started using a car rather then the motorcycle, they were awkward around us for a short time. I suppose they were still planning on what to do, how to tell us. I swear when they first announced it Miles almost flattened Damon. Sure he liked the boy, but it was his little sister who was, then, five months pregnant. Too far along to have an abortion, not that anyone would have suggested it, I think they planned that as a safety. They'd decided to have the baby and nothing was going to stop them. The other train wreck was the announcement that she was going to go live with Damon in Hell.

Their baby, should it be a boy was heir to Damon's throne. If he was to one day rule Hell, they wanted him to grow up knowing his empire, and what he was, a demon, to be put in simpler terms. Truthfully the young boy was a quarter demon, a quarter angel, and half mortal. A very complicated blood line. I saw him once, after his birth, just once before he was taken away, only once and not since. He was two now.

I crashed on my mattress. The queen sized bed took up the space two twins had once shared. It was my room now but it would never feel like it. I looked at my bureau and sighed. Someone had propped the picture up again. The one of all of us. Yellow happy face stickers stuck to the glass, covering the faces of Naomi and Damon, they were no longer part of my life. I was no longer a part of theirs.

The phone rang next to my head. I sighed and glanced at the caller I.D. Jade Comma blinked on the screen. She was my best and only friend. The only person who didn't spread rumors about my family, who wouldn't call me weird, who knew not to talk about Naomi, and who was always able to make me smile. She was the reason my life went on. The phone beeped on as I pushed the button and held it to my ear. Jade didn't even wait for a 'hello' before launching into her conversation.

"Saffy!" She squealed. "You're never going to believe this! Donna and Sam broke up! At the park, he so forgot their one month anniversary and she ended it right there! Oh I can't stand her! She goes through boys like plastic cups! Why do any of them even go out with her? Huh? Do they think they'll last any longer then the last guy? I swear she just looks for excuses to break up with them, one month is like a new record, the longest before that was like what three weeks?"

"Breathe Jade." I felt a smile on my lips. Jade had been head over heels for Sam since third grade when he'd punched Darren James for pushing her off the swings and skinning her knee. It'd killed her when he'd started dating Donna.

There were a couple deep gasping breaths from the other line. "Yeah, I know." Jade answered. "I'm just like so psyched about it, with the dance coming up and everything. Please God, let him ask me!"

"Cool it Jade." I laughed, "He'd be crazy not to like you."

"Yeah your right, if he doesn't ask me, I'll ask him." The other line become quiet for awhile. "What about you Saff, who do you want to go with."

I sighed loudly, I didn't even want to go. "You know how I feel about this Jade." I reminded her. "I'm not going, alone or with someone."

"You might change your mind if someone asks you." She sing-songed.

"No one's going to ask me." I sang right back.

"You never know." She was irritated by lack of social enthusiasm. What could I say, dances were never my thing. People stayed away form me, rumors flew about my family and my uncanny ability of knowing more about people then I should kept them at a distance. "You could take Dilyn, now that is a gorgeous man!" She squeaked.

"No!" I chocked. "One he's too old, and two he's more my brother then anything!"

"Oh come on! Everyone would be totally jealous, they already are! All the girls stare at him when he picks you up."

Now twenty one Dilyn had come along way from the scrawny redhead he once had been. He'd packed on some muscle and dressed in a way that classified him as dangerous. With buzzed red hair, and just as moody as ever Dilyn had taken to hunting demons, and other unruly supernatural beings. His unique skill was in much demand among the others in his profession. Over the years he was able to sharpen it. Now he could almost locate demons and people alike by their marked items. With a better control over it he even limited the number of times he'd been pushed into possession. Unlike Naomi, he'd hung around, both him and Miles were still around. Dilyn had gotten his own place but Miles and I remained at Raya's. Even though Miles often joined Dilyn in his hunts.

"Jade there is no way I'm going with Dilyn!" I protested strongly against the idea.

"It was just a thought." I could hear the disappointment in her voice.

:—:™:

The alarm clock rang. I bolted upright, and slammed my hand down on it to stop the annoying sound. Another Friday was my first thought as always. Time for school. I sighed and dragged myself up with much effort. I glanced at my closet and decided again, that I really should do laundry. Grabbing the jeans I'd worn last Monday I started to pick through a pile of what I believed to be clean underwear. With no shirts of my own clean to wear I broke into Miles room, he was gone on a hunt, he wouldn't miss a shirt, if I could find something clean. I picked up a folded white T-shirt and smelled it. It didn't smell used, so I added it to my pile.

Showered and dressed I made myself breakfast and was out the door in less then half and hour. Jade was in the lobby ready to meet me. The prep school we both attended was only a few blocks away, we liked to walk there. She'd take the bus to my house and then we'd both walk to the school together. Her chattering the entire way and me nodding in all the right places. Today she was going on about the dance, more then likely trying to get me worked up about going too, but I was on to her little head games and refused to be pulled in to it this time. I wasn't going to go.

School came and went without me giving in. After school things got interesting. I should have noticed something off when I picked up on an unusual but familiar presence. One I'd tried so hard to push from my memory, I didn't even notice it, at least not who it belonged to. The presence was only a minor annoyance in the abyss of other, less recognized ones. Maybe I just didn't want to notice it.

Jade was a pretty girl. With neon pink nails amd a pleasantly plump face that showed off short and curled honey colored hair that was always pulled back in a bouncing pony tail. Her skin was a flawless sun kissed tan and her eyes were a dark muddy brown. She was built on the chubby side, but no where near overweight, and her body curved in all the right places. She was charming and charismatic, the school's gossip queen, my total opposite, and made friends easily, but I was her only best. Jade and I had been inseparable since we met in fifth grade, when she'd stuck up for me when some of the older kids teased me.

We walked home from school and as always Jade stayed at my house, we did our homework first, if we didn't do it together it never would get done. We'd learned that right off. We were watching T.V. when Raya came home. I should of noticed her unease, but was too determined to keep to the normal. The normal that was about to be shattered.

The door opened. We were in the living room, it was well past dinner and Jade had been gone for just as long. I expected it to be Miles, back from the hunt early. I didn't even turn my head, until I head the remote drop out of Raya's hand and too the floor. "Oh, my." She gasped.

My attention caught immediately and I whirled to face the new comer. At that moment a cat burglar would have felt more welcome. At least by me. Raya was overjoyed at their appearance.

"It's been awhile." The treacherous voice was oh so familiar. I glared with iced eyes at the dark cloaked figure standing in the door way, a small lump held protectively at their hip.

"Naomi!" Raya rose from the couch and practically flew to her arms open for a hug and tears glistening in her eyes. She'd come back and she wasn't alone. The lump squirmed in a protest and demanded to be put down. Naomi shushed the child and dropped the hood of her cloak.

"Hello." She gave a guilty smile.

"Naomi! It's wonderful to see you. How is everything? How's my son these days?" Raya went right to the small boy, "Little Loki, how are you? Oh you've grown so much!"

I remained silent, glaring at Naomi, trying to let her know just how unwelcome she was. For the time being she didn't notice.

Naomi placed the fussy boy down, "There's trouble. Damon's rule is being threatened." She sounded pained. "I need a safe place to keep my Loki, just for a while. Raya I need a huge favor."

"Anything." Raya cooed at the boy, he smiled, a feat that immediately marked him Damon's son.

"He needs to stay here. Just until things are sorted out."

The fallen angel turned serious. "Naomi how bad is it?"

"Bordering on war." She admitted in a small voice. "There's been two assassination attempts countless murders and…and the attempted kidnapping was the last straw for Damon."

"So he sent you two away." Raya assumed.

Naomi shook her head. "I'm going back, but we want Loki to stay here, we think it would be safer."

"Why should we let him stay here?" I snapped from the couch.

"Saffy?" Naomi sounded surprised.

"Yeah?" I snarled back.

"Saffy how have you been. I missed you so much!" She made to hug me but I ducked away from her embrace.

"I've been fine no thanks to you." I could feel tears form, although I didn't know why. "You never came to visit! I hate you!" My voice broke and I ran to my room slamming the door behind me. I heard Naomi rush after me. Raya stopped her right outside the door.

"Give her some space. She took you're leaving hardest."

"I had to." She mumbled. "For Loki, I would have left to be with him eventually, the constant trips took such a strain on him."

"You never visited." Raya said.

"We fixed the gates, we had to so I could get there. I was afraid to come back. Afraid of this. I can never stay."

"Stay with us, with Loki." Raya pleaded. "Your brother would like to see you and Dilyn still comes around."

"Damon would love that, but I can't," I heard Naomi sigh and her finger tips brush against my closed door. "I have a duty to them now. I'm empress of Hell, as much as I hate leaving him, not being able to see you, I have to stay by Damon's side, give him something stable. He can't trust anyone there."

"Why the revolt?" Raya asked.

"Some are unhappy with the way he rules, it's more strict and no one is allowed through the gates. They don't like being confined to Hell. Others simple reject him cause of his blood. There was, is, so much prejudice against half breeds, and it doesn't help that his son is a mix of mortal too." Someone chocked a sob, "I almost lost him Raya, I almost saw them both die! I'm tired of being weak, I'm not going to run away."

"I can appreciate that." Raya soothed. "Saffy just needs to come around. She misses you. We all do. How long are you staying?"

"I'm leaving. I've been here too long as it is." Naomi gulped. I felt panic race through me. She was just dropping her kid off and leaving. "Please keep Loki safe. Please."

Raya sighed, "Of course, he is my grandchild."

"Thank you." There was a pause and I heard Loki coo. "Give the others my love, and tell Saffy I miss her…a lot…she is my best friend." Loki started to fuss again. "Bye baby, mommy loves you, I'll be back real soon. Be good." I heard Naomi retreat and Loki start to whine as his mother left, then the soft shushing sounds of Raya trying to calm him.

I cursed and slammed the photo back down hearing the satisfying crunch of the glass breaking. Tears still burning in my eyes I buried myself under the blankets and cried myself to sleep. I hated Naomi, no, I realized, I hated myself.