The Old House (Haunted Series Book 16) (14 page)

Mia nodded.  She glided down.

Ted was arguing with himself as he drove.  He couldn’t stop the tears that streamed down his face.  He hated leaving Mia and Brian, but he had to do the right thing.  Beth had no one.  Mia had everyone.  What did she need him for aside from fertilizing her eggs?  He had given her a son.  That should be enough.  Time for him to save Beth.

There was something glowing in the middle of the road.  He slowed down, and when he made out the winged creature, he stopped and pulled off the road.  He expected it was Angelo or perhaps Sariel sent to fetch him.  He wasn’t possessed.  He had to convince the messenger of this.

He got out of the car and walked towards the mighty winged…  “Mia?”

“How dare you leave without a word,” she spat.  “Leave your ring, leave your marriage, and leave your son.  What kind of coward are you?”

“It’s for the best.  You don’t need me.”

“I do need you,” she argued.  “You’re my world.”

“Beth needs me.  She has nothing.”

“Do you love Beth?”

“No.”

“Are you aware that she is very self-sufficient?  She has her own house, a budding ghost-hunting concern, and ten thousand dollars in the bank.”

“No.”

“All you have is her word for things, and you run to her, why?  You don’t even like her.”

“She and I got along well before you came along.”

Mia flapped her wings behind her, lifting them up so they didn’t trail on the blacktop.  She walked towards him and stopped.  “I didn’t read the emails.  I have no idea what was lies and what was the truth.  I can’t help you out there.  What I can do is show you your own words to me.”

Mia pushed into Ted’s mind, past the math and into his memories. She started a chain reaction that would present the truth before his eyes.  She added in hers, and between the two of them, a holographic image emerged of their life together.  “This is the truth, Ted.”

She resisted the urge to extend her wings.  She didn’t want to distract him.

She waited until she felt she had made her point.  She extended her wings and lifted herself off the ground.

“When did that happen?” he asked, looking at her wings.

“Most recently. It’s a byproduct of me saving your ass.  And look at the thanks I get.  You leave me and run to the person who wants so much to destroy me.  Well, let me promise you one thing.  I’ll not be destroyed.  She can’t win.  She’ll drop you like yesterday’s news when she finds out that I won’t let your defection break me.  She’s using you.  She hates me because I won.  Because you love me. I know you love me, and you’ll always love me.  Why?  Because I’m wonderful, fantastic, and the best fuck you’ll ever have.  Not that you’d know.  Go ahead and bump naughty parts with boring Beth.  I’m done.”

Mia lifted herself in the air and flew away.

Ted stood there stunned.  “What just happened here?”

“Are you going to leave him there?” Sariel asked.

“Yes,” Mia said through clenched teeth.  “Fucking idiot.”

“Mia!  Your language is appalling.”

“I told you I’m not angel material.”

“Evidently not.  There are better words.”

Mia let loose with a blue line of coarse, very descriptive words before she broke into laughter.

“That’s not what I meant,” he said, tipping her over.

Mia stalled and started to fall but flipped back before she lost her composure.  “That was uncool, Sariel.”

“We could continue to circle, or I could show you how to soar, Mia.”

“Since I will crash when I see him continue on to Kansas, why don’t you show me?  I do worry that I’m a little distracted.”

“Come, Misfit. Yes, that’s my name for you.  Misfit, follow me upwards.”

Mia copied the way Sariel moved and soon caught up to him.  He taught her how to remain airborne in any position.  What Mia really excelled at was flying in close proximity to Sariel without her wings touching his.  She instinctually understood the smallest movements and copied them.  It was nothing more than learning to dance with a new partner, but this time, it was above the clouds.

There was no sexual tension, because neither of them were attracted to each other that way.  Sariel had learned his lesson that Mia was not led by her loins.  If he wanted to win her as his shield maiden, he would have to respect her and wait until she was ready.  He was surprised when she took off for the first time.  His feather inside of her alerted him that she was airborne, and he was there in minutes.  He expected to see that the large Italian birdman had convinced her to fly, but when he saw that she was flying solo, quite badly but remaining airborne, to chase down the love of her life, he was impressed.

“The car is moving, Misfit,” Sariel said.

“Which way is it going?” she asked, too afraid to look.

“He’s going home.  Congratulations, Mia, you won this battle.”

“But I haven’t yet saved the marriage,” she said.

“Whatever happens, don’t settle.  You are meant to be adored, Misfit.”

Mia looked around her confused. “Could you point me in the right direction?”

“Oh, Misfit, you still have so much to learn.”

Sariel guided Mia to the farm and watched as she landed.  She turned, looked up and saluted before she pulled her wings in and walked into the house.

“The phone’s been ringing off the hook,” Cid said as Mia made her way into the kitchen and collapsed into a chair.

She held out her hand. “Caffeine me, please.”

Cid filled a mug and placed it in her hand.  Mia raised her head long enough to take a sip before laying it down on the table.  “Who was on the phone?” she asked, confused.

“Your husband was, spouting promises, regrets, and there was a lot of shit I didn’t understand, but the important thing is, he’s coming home.  What did you do out there?”

“I fought for him, Cid,” Mia said and fell asleep, exhausted, the coffee mug still in her hand.

Ted didn’t know what to expect when he arrived back at the farmhouse.  Would Mia even be there waiting for him?  Would Cid and/or Murphy kill him?  All he knew was that he had made the single most idiotic error ever to made by anyone; he left the woman he loved.  He relived the memories Mia had shown him on that deserted bit of road.  The feelings that he blocked, the memories that he had pushed away, all came to bear testament that Mia Cooper was the only woman he would ever love.

His misplaced gallantry was a fantasy made up by a caffeine-addicted techie whose bible was written by Marvel Comics.  He knew deep down that Beth was using him.  He still thought he could save her though, but now he no longer wanted to.  Sometimes you have to let go of regrets in order to move forward.  Regrets anchor a floundering ship.  You need to cut the cord in order to sail to safety.

Mia sat on the porch swing sipping on the coffee that she had reheated in the microwave.  She had added Ted’s ring to the necklace’s contents when she changed her clothes.  Gone was the smell of the upper atmosphere.  It had been replaced with Tide and Downy.  She had frantically searched and found the box of Christmas candles and placed one in the guestroom window.  She had no idea what she was going to say to him.  Hundreds of words moved through her mind at once, bringing on a migraine.  She stopped thinking and took a deep breath and concentrated on the air moving through her lungs.  As she let it out, she opened her eyes.  Before her stood her grandmother Fredericka.

“My little dear, the torment you have been through. You must be exhausted.”

Mia didn’t question her existence. She set her cup down and made room for Grandma Fred on the porch swing.

“You have a beautiful home.”

“Thank you, Ted and I may not have Ralph’s taste or pocketbook, but we do have a lot of imagination,” Mia said.  “Would you like to see your great-grandson?”

“Oh, Mia, I have watched over him day and night.  He is a beautiful baby and will bring you years of happiness and, yes, eventually a little strife.”

“Teenage years?”

“Yes.  I remember yours weren’t exactly easy.”

Mia nodded.  “Grandma, I’m scared.”

“He’s coming back, Mia.”

“For now.  I’m not sure I can keep him.  People leave me all the time.  My parents, my lovers…”

“You think this is because there is some kind of flaw inside you?”

“Yes.”

“Your parents were but vessels to bring you forth.  Ralph, Bernard and I raised you the best we could.  The men in your life weren’t strong enough to stand in your shadow.  It takes a brilliant man to see that by doing so, he is enriching himself.  Contrary to what Angelo would like you to believe, Ted is the man for you.  Yes, he is confused. He lives too much in his head.  He is more afraid of you leaving him or being taken from him than you can imagine.  He sees himself as inadequate physically.  He can’t fight like Stephen, Angelo and Sariel, but he can help
you
to do so.  Listen to him, Mia. He is connected to the world of science and numbers, where truth rules.  He is your greatest ally.”

“This past month, I have been presented with two grandfathers.  Do you care to comment?” Mia teased.

“Orion has come forth has he?”

“Yes.”

“Good, he has had his head in his books for far too long.  Help him, Mia. He will need you more than you need him.  Now, Amanda’s father Émile is a good man.  You must take your family and friends to his home when the battle begins.  He will protect them for you.”

“Grandmother, I have chosen Sariel to fight with. Have I chosen wisely?”

“Stephen Murphy is who you will fight beside on this earth, but in the heavens, Sariel will need you beside him.  Angelo too.  I know all this is so confusing.  So many needy males.  You’re going to have to find a way to accommodate them all.”

“Can you tell me about what is to come or when?”

“I’ve never been a seer, Mia.  Those answers Orion will bring you.  In the meantime, mend your marriage.  Take Ted away from here, and make sure he knows that, above all, he is the most important being in any dimension.”

“The curse…”

“It bound you to Stephen when you were but a child.  But you broke the curse when you showed him your soul.  You gave him something he desperately needed from you.  He will no longer tempt you away from your husband.  He understands who you are, maybe more than you do.”

“I have missed your counsel.”

“I have missed giving it.  But alas, my place is elsewhere, which I have to return to, pronto.  Oh, I have taken the gift of having children away from you, just for now. I will return it when the time is right.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Mia said.  “Brian needs siblings.  Being an only child is lonely.”

“For now, he will have Sabine’s daughters.  Later, you will provide him with many, many brothers and sisters.”

“Whoa, how many?”

Fredericka laughed.  “Oh, Mia, some things must remain surprises.”

Mia hugged her and felt more than the transfer of love from a grandmother; she also felt strength move into her body.

“Take care and learn.  Listen to Ted, and trust him, Mia.  Oh, and tell Orion, he was the best.”

Mia shook her head in amazement as her grandmother walked into the dark night.

Ted pulled into the drive.  He saw the light from a candle move through the trees before he rounded the bend, and the headlights of the car caught a lone figure standing on the porch waiting for him.

He stopped the car in front of the farmhouse, got out and vaulted up the steps and took Mia in his arms.  He felt her cling to him, transferring her love with the heat of her body and the words that spilled from her lips.

“I love you so much.  Never leave me again.  I need you. You are my heart, you are my world.”

Ted set her down and got on his knees.  “Forgive me, Mia,” he pleaded.  “Forgive my weakness of wanting to be a superhero.  I am a vain, insecure man who fears losing the best thing that will ever happen to me.”

“I forgive you, Ted, if you will forgive the times when I can’t be with you, when I can’t tell you things.  Trust me, Ted.  I need your trust and your love.  I need your big brain to help me navigate in this changing world.  I need your laughter in my ears, your body in my bed, and your love to keep me safe.”  Mia pulled him to his feet.  “Do you forgive me?”

“Yes, Mia, I forgive you,” Ted said.

He took her in his arms, and his lips found hers.  He kissed her softly.

Mia opened her eyes and looked into his as she kissed him back.  She traveled beyond his eyes, past the equations, and found her way into his heart.  She planted part of herself there.  No matter what happened to her, Ted would have part of her with him always.

“Mmmm, I’m lost in your eyes,” he said.

Mia took off her necklace and slid off the ring.  She held it tightly as she got on her knees.   She looked up at him. “Theodore Martin, would you take me as your wife, to have and to hold regardless of feathers, bitchy days, and interference from all of our friends and enemies?”

“Yes, Mia.”

She stood up and took his hand, turning it over first, and traced the lifeline of his hand, promising, “I, Mia Cooper Martin, promise my love, my soul, and my body as long as we both shall live –and if you play your cards right - into eternity.”  She slid the ring back on his finger.

Ted scooped her up in his arms.  He carried her into the house and up the stairs.  He gently set her down on the bed.  He raised his finger and ran to look in on Brian who was sleeping with a wide smile on his face.  It was as if he knew that his parents had found each other again.  Ted placed a kiss upon his head.  “Sleep in, little dude,” he said.

Mia undressed and waited for her husband to return.  She pushed away all other thoughts and concentrated on the moment.

Ted walked into the room and looked down at her.  Mia looked up at him and smiled shyly.  He never saw her so vulnerable before.  Ted couldn’t help but be overcome with emotion.  He discarded his clothes and slid under the sheets with her.  She clung to him, and he held her.  “Mia, I’m not going anywhere.”

“I was so afraid,” she admitted.  “I can fight dragons, demons and devils without fear, but the thought of losing you is something I cannot bear.”

“Why me, Mia?  Why have you given me your heart?  There are so many more worthy beings that would treasure you.”

“You are the most valuable person I have ever met.  You have given me courage, humor and shared your intelligence.  You convinced me that you were the man for me.  You’ve saved me, and put me in danger, but above all, I know you love me.  You show me this every day.  I pray I will be enough for you, Ted.”

“Mia, you may be too much for me.  Remember I’m human.  Speaking of, those were a mighty set of wings you were sporting earlier.  They weren’t…”

“Crow’s wings? No they weren’t, were they?”

“How?”

“I suspect that I’ll never turn into a bird.  The best you’re going to get is…”

“An angel,” Ted completed.  “Show me.”

Mia slid out of bed and turned her back on Ted.  He watched as she caressed her wrist and the tattoos appeared.

“Oh my god, that is so amazing,” he said, getting up and running his hand along her back.

“There’s more.  Stand back,” Mia said as she tapped her wrists together.

Ted stood there as wings pushed out of her skin and, feather by feather, formed the most glorious set of wings to ever grace a being.  “They glow, like…”

“Sariel’s, yes, but, Ted, they are mine, and mine alone.”

“But how?”

“Does it matter?”

Ted turned her around and lifted her chin.  He kissed her.  “No, Mia, it doesn’t matter.  All that matters is that you’re happy.”

Mia extended her wings and brought them around them both.  She pulled Ted close to her.  “Love me, Ted, love me forever.”

“I love you, Mia. You too are my world.”

Mia released her wings and left the warrior behind as she climbed into bed with Ted and enjoyed that she was a woman, that she was Ted’s woman.

Cid smiled as he put on the noise-cancelling headphones.  He reached down and patted Maggie’s head.  “Mommy and Daddy are back together.”

Murphy moved through the trees to the far edges of the forest.  When he broke through to the glen, he looked up and watched the stars for a while, putting thoughts of Mia behind him.  Ted was back, and he would watch over Mia now.  She was no longer the wounded waif he had fallen in love with.  She had become a woman, a warrior, a mother, and a wife.  He understood his place in her life finally. He would always treasure what she had shared with him, but he would look elsewhere to share his heart.