The Plot Bunny (19 page)

That little fact became unimportant the moment he realized Dana's brother could see them too. Although Josh kept a straight face, Luc detected the flash of fear and incomprehension in the younger man's eyes. How could this be? What did it mean?

Josh said something to Dana, pointing in their direction, and Dana nodded. She rolled his wheelchair on the paths toward them. Obviously, Josh was an advocate of facing one's fears.

"Joshua Johnson," he introduced himself as they reached the tree.

"Dury Smith," Dury replied, unable to hide his puzzlement. "And this is Taylor Black."

"Pleased to meet you," Taylor replied.

"And you," Josh replied politely. "Although I would have preferred to make your acquaintance in more pleasant circumstances."

His eyes fell on Simon and Luc, searching for an answer. At this point, Luc really didn't know what to do or say. Surely, driving his closest friends and family crazy was a definite no-no. Right?

In the end, Simon sighed and said, "If you can see us, don't worry. You're not crazy. We really are here."

The only sign of Josh's nervousness was the way his hands clutched the wheelchair. Even so, Dana seemed to have a sixth sense regarding her brother. "Are you okay, Josh?" she asked. "Is it too much?"

"No," Josh answered in a strangled voice. "I'm fine."

As they all headed back toward the graves, Luc wondered why, out of all those present, only Taylor and Josh could see them. It made no sense whatsoever. Then again, his life had stopped making sense many months back, when he'd met a beautiful young man claiming to be a plot bunny. He'd just take things as they came, and be thankful for what he had. Perhaps one day, he'd understand the reason behind it all. Until then, he'd enjoy this new life and maybe help Taylor with his own. After all, some things never changed, even if one lived with an angel and one's dead longtime lover in the heavens.

Before they could join the gathering once again, Susanne approached them, a small smile on her face. Dury suddenly looked uncomfortable, and Luc himself felt a small chill. "Is everything okay?" Dury asked.

"Everything is just fine," Susanne replied.

The flash of something sharp took Luc by surprise, and he watched in confused horror as Susanne drew a knife out of her sleeve. The blade shone hypnotically in the glum light and Luc could almost feel its deadly magic. He bounded forward, ready to defend Dury with his own body. Even in this "ghostly" state, he had powers and he could stop the woman from hurting his angel.

Simon reached his twin before, though, and shielded Dury from her anger. For his bravery, he earned a slash across the chest. Dury and Luc gasped at the same time as they saw blood-red light pour out of the injury.

Luc hadn't managed to learn all about the demons and creatures of the abyss, but the sight of Simon falling to the ground, injured, gave him a strength and a knowledge he didn't know he had. He jumped the woman, all the while acknowledging the fact that he needed to keep her safe as well. Thankfully, Luc's motion made Susanne drop the dagger, and it landed out of her reach. They fell to the ground, with Luc trying to control her erratic struggles. She clawed at his eyes, at his face, somehow reaching him in spite of his non-corporeal form.

As they fought, Susanne spouted imprecations at him, spitting, laughing, hissing, convulsing under him. Luc knew this was not Simon's twin under him, trying to hurt him. Someone—or rather, something—had taken advantage of Susanne's vulnerability and invaded her heart.

Luc allowed himself to become a conduit for a higher power, knowing that at this point, no one but God could end this and help her. The words formed and fell from his lips as if he'd done nothing else in his entire existence:

Exorcizo te, immundíssime spíritus, omnis incúrsio adversárii, omne phantasma, omnis légio, in nómine Dómini nostri Jesu Christi eradicáre, et effugáre ab hoc plásmate Dei. Ipse tibi ímperat, qui te de supérnis cæaelórum in inferióra terræ demérgi præcépit. Ipse tibi ímperat, qui mari, ventis et tempestátibus imperávit. Audi ergo, et time, sátana, inimice fidei, hostis géneris humáni, mortis addúctor, vitæ raptor, justítiæ declinátor, malórum radix, fomes vitiórum, sedúctor hóminum, próditur géntium, incitátor invídiæ, origo avaritiæ, causa discórdiæ, excitátor dolórum: quid stas, et resistis, cum scias, Christum Dóminum vias tuas pérdere?

It seemed to take forever for him to finish the exorcism ritual, but finally, Susanne stilled under him, losing consciousness.

"Is she okay?" Dury asked from behind him.

"She will be," Luc answered, not completely certain as to how he knew that. Now that his task was done, though, he focused on his lovers. "Simon?" he asked, voice trembling. He well remembered the injury and knew the magical weapon must have hurt Simon quite severely.

"He will be fine," Dury answered, "but we need to get him back home. He'll recover faster there."

Luc nodded and got up, taking Susanne in his arms. "What do you think this means?" he asked.

"It was a test," Dury replied glumly. "Whoever sent this demon knows about the Guardians, about you. Perhaps he even fears you. Something will happen soon. We'll just have to be prepared."

Luc handed Susanne to Dury, knowing seeing the woman float would probably be quite scary for any onlookers. So far, no one seemed to have seen a thing, but he didn't know how long that would last.

As Dury cuddled the young woman, whispering soft words of comfort, Luc turned to Simon. He needed to get his lover out of there while Dury did some damage control, but he couldn't exactly leave Dury alone either.

He knelt next to Simon, holding the other man close, willing the injury to close. "What do I do, Lord? Tell me." Clearly, whoever sent the demon counted on separating them.

As if in response to his silent prayer, Michael popped up next to him, also in spiritual form. "Something happened," the archangel said.

Luc nodded. "A demon took over Simon's sister. We don't know why."

Michael let out a thoughtful "hmm". With a glance toward his son, he said, "Stay with Dury. I'll take care of Simon. Things are in motion now, and you have to be prepared for the worst."

Luc obeyed and helplessly watched the archangel leave with his injured lover. He didn't know what would follow, but he had a feeling it would be a challenge for all of them.

Epilogue

Simon watched the city beneath them, smiling as he heard laughter of children. Everything felt so peaceful, almost impossibly perfect. Barring the little being-attacked-by-his-possessed-twin thing, this life after death existence wasn't half bad. Since then, there had been no sign of particular activities from the demons, nothing out of the ordinary at least.

One year, on the dot, had passed since his and Luc's death by drowning—on the mortal realm, at least. Just this morning, his sister had put away her black clothes, revealing some of her more colorful outfits. She was beginning to get used to the thought of his demise, Simon knew, and it made him happy. As for him, time flowed differently here, sometimes faster, sometimes slower. In the past kind-of-year, he'd had ample opportunity in honing his skills, both in battle and in bed.

A smile floated on his lips as he thought about his lovers. Living with Dury and Luc remained a novel experience. It still surprised Simon that their bond could be so strong, and that he and Luc had been allowed to come here in the first place.

"Stop thinking so hard," a soft voice said from behind him.

Simon turned to look at his angel lover. For some reason, Dury's hair was longer now, reaching down to his waist. He'd changed a bit in their time together, turning more confident, less uncertain. This—and Dury's general affectionate temperament—often determined an increase in sexual initiative from Dury's part, a fact which pleased Simon very much.

Judging by Dury's expression, though, this wouldn't be one of those times. "Duty calls?" he asked his lover.

Dury nodded, smiling sadly. "Luc is waiting for us."

Wordlessly, Simon took Dury's hand and kissed it. He knew how hard it was for Dury to fulfill his duties of Death Angel. Yet again, he could only give thanks to God that he and Luc had been allowed to help Dury through this.

Together, they left the small balcony at the superior floor of their home. Luc was, indeed, waiting for them in the foyer, absently leafing through a book. Simon mentally shook his head. Here or in the mortal realm, his lover never changed. He still lived and breathed letters.

As they approached, Luc lifted his eyes from the tome. The book evaporated and Luc gave them a sheepish glance. "Ready?" he asked.

Simon nodded. "What is it today?"

"A little girl," Dury answered. "Leukemia."

Simon's amusement over Luc vanished. He hated it when children died. Even knowing that they would be happy here, it still sucked. He wished he could do more, and it irked him that he couldn't.

Neither of them said a word as they descended from the heavens toward the mortal realm. The transition felt familiar now, no longer shocking Simon or unbalancing the equilibrium of his powers.

They landed in a hospital room, the white on the walls rivaling that of their home in the heavens. Somehow, the color—or absence of color—seemed different here, though, cold, unfeeling, lifeless. Simon shook himself and focused on the form on the bed.

She was small and frail-looking, obviously bearing the signs of a long-term disease. Next to her, a nurse stood, frozen in the middle of retrieving a syringe of medicine.

As they approached, the girl noticed them and let out a small gasp. Large blue eyes peered at them with frightening intensity. "Are you angels?" she said in a soft, barely audible voice.

Simon nodded. "Yes, baby. We are."

"We've come to take you home," Luc offered.

Dury led them to the bed and took the girl's hand. "Are you ready?"

The girl hesitated, and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sad. I don't want to leave Mummy and Daddy."

"I know, honey," Dury replied, "but I promise you, you'll always see them from up above."

"Mummy doesn't want me to go," the little girl said, sniffing.

"She will understand, in time," Simon answered. He very much doubted that was the case, but he needed to say something to make it easier for the child to let go. "And she will know you are happy."

The girl wiped at her eyes, obviously trying to be brave. "Mummy said that I have to hold on, that I have to see my new brother. Will I get to see him?"

"Of course you will, honey," Luc answered. "Just not from here. But don't worry. Your brother will take care of your parents."

That seemed to convince the little girl. "It hurts…" she said. "Will it go away?"

Dury squeezed her hand, and Simon saw one single crystal tear fall on the child's pale arm. "It won't hurt anymore. I promise."

In moments such as these, Simon truly understood their purpose in the world. The girl seemed to trust them, finding comfort in the three of them in spite of the difficulty of the moment. And that made everything worthwhile.

They gathered around the bed, holding the girl for the longest time. "Would you like to hear a story?" Luc said.

The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Is it a happy story?"

"A very happy one," Luc answered. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a wizard. He was always busy with his potions and scrolls, and didn't have any friends. Locked up in his tower he sat, not even realizing how lonely and isolated he'd become."

"Poor wizard," the girl lamented.

"Quite so," Luc continued. "But one day, a prince knocked at the wizard's door. At first, the wizard didn't want to open, but the prince insisted. He claimed he needed the wizard's assistance for something very important. They needed to build a very complicated item, and it could only be created with the wizard's help. You see, a dragon was attacking the prince's kingdom, and the prince could not defeat it alone."

"Did the wizard agree?"

"He did, for the prince didn't take a no for an answer. The wizard helped the prince build a beautiful statue, the statue of an angel. Into the statue, he poured all of his power and all the love he had for the beautiful things of the world. The prince imbued it with courage and strength, and together, the two created the most perfect being in existence."

The girl let out an "oh" of pleasure, and Luc continued. "Finally, when they were done, the angel came to life. Boosted by the power he'd been born from, he destroyed the dragon and saved the prince's kingdom. Then he blessed the prince and the wizard with long life and eternal love."

"So what happened after that?" the little girl asked. She sounded sleepy now, and Simon knew she was running out of time. Dury's hand on hers started to shine softly.

"After finishing his task, the angel wanted to leave. But the prince and the wizard cared too much for the beautiful angel, so he begged the angel to take them with him. The angel did, and they lived happily ever after, together, in the heavens."

"That's a beautiful story," the girl murmured. Her eyes drifted shut, and finally, she went limp in Simon's arms.

A clear, silvery sphere shone in Dury's palm. "Thank you," Dury said. His eyes no longer held sorrow. Instead, Simon felt only love and happiness come from his angel lover. "Thank you both."

As they walked away from the bed, the nurse regained the ability to move, glancing startled at the monitors that had now flat lined. Simon paid her no heed. The little girl may have died here on Earth, but she'd started a new existence, a painless one. And one day, when her soul was ready, she would return here, and hopefully lead a better, fulfilling life.

They left the mortal realm and returned to their own world. After reverently leaving the girl's soul in the keeping of the angels in charge with guarding the spirits, they made their way back to their home. The sadness that had overcome them during their journey down evaporated.

"You know," Dury said, "the story doesn't go quite like that."

Luc shrugged. "I took some liberties. Call it creative license."