Subways and Undergrounds by pixiegreen

Chapter 3

Orlando's pov

The last time he had been in Glasgow was when he had come up to meet his old friend Billy. They had first met at Cambridge University where they were both studying medicine. They had become close very friends in the short but wild years as they used to go out every weekend with each other to any club they could find. After a year of Uni they decided to live together and ended up sharing a broken down flat for the remaining years. Since splitting ways they hadn't been able to see each other, Billy had moved back up North to finish his education at a training Hospital in Glasgow.

When Orlando came up to visit him it had just been like old times, and now seeing the familiar sights again with his new eyes he dearly missed his friend, the pub they had been carried out of, the massive cinema that he had somehow managed to get lost in when trying to find popcorn, and the silly statue with a traffic cone constantly shoved on top that Billy insisted on trying to climb on top of while a police officer looked on.

Orlando knew the rules well, you never, under any circumstances, visit your old family and friends. It is not for mortals to know that there truly is an afterlife. If they were to know then there would be no room for faith, and without true faith there is no entrance to heaven and so on. It's not like Billy would recognize him now anyway; he was no longer that gangly man who couldn't pick up a girl to save himself that Billy would know.

He kept thinking that any moment, Billy would round the next corner wearing that daft parker that he always used to wear, with glasses resting on the top of his head and a biro pen tucked behind his ear, just forgotten.

Orlando dearly loved his new life but he mourned the loss of his old friends. Its not like he doesn't have friends now, very good friends but to loose everyone in your life in one go was just painful. He remembered Sean telling him after his turning that after a couple of years he would let him watch his friends and family but until he was ready he would not be allowed near them. Many angels had tried to contact their remaining relatives to reassure them but they always got caught. Eric had taken pity on Orlando and had went out of his way to watch over Orlando's friends and family to report back to him about the little things that were happening in their lives.

His family hadn't coped well with his death, but three years on they had began to find their feet again. Sam was going to be married next spring and his mother was going off on a cruise with a couple of her oldest friends. But Eric had never said anything about Billy.

Surely it wouldn't hurt to just look in on him, if he didn't tell Billy who he really was then surely it couldn't be so bad.

Having made up his mind he headed for the Sanctuary Hospital. But when he reached the sliding doors he began to doubt himself, even if he didn't tell Billy who he was he would still get into a lot of trouble over this, and after all that Eric had done for him he didn't want to disappoint him, Eric meant so much to Orlando. Eric would also be in trouble for this no doubt; he was Orlando's old guardian after all.

Just as he began to think of Eric he heard his familiar steps coming up behind him and before he could turn round he felt his warm arms encircle him.

"Come on, I shall take you to meet him. It will be our secret."
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