Chapter 11: Thomas

I opened my eyes and discovered I was on a beach. It wasn’t anything I recognized. The water resembled the pale aqua color off the beaches of Hawaii. The sands were so pale to be almost white. The sun shone in a clear blue sky overhead, but there wasn’t humid heat you come to expect in Hawaii. Behind me, was tropical vegetation and palm trees and no signs of anyone. Anywhere. Except for seagulls.

In short, I had no earthly idea where I was.

“Hello” came a voice next to me. I spun around and an old man sat in the sand next to me. He wasn’t there a moment ago. I stepped back from him.

“Hello, Umm, where am I?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?” The man asked.

The older man looked in his seventies. He had a thin frame, long grey hair, and clear blue eyes. Dressed in a white robe and sandals, he looked like a wizard stereotype from a Tolkien novel without the pointed hat. Thinking about it a little more I could go with Dumbledore from the Harry Potter movies. Did he have a white robe? Damned if I remember.

“Fighting demons and I took an arrow.” Recalling the last moments.

“It was a very noble sacrifice.” The Dumbledore clone praised.

“Is she ok?” worried more demons may have come for her.

“Briathas? Oh yes, physically, she is quite fine. Thanks to you, she continues to serve in the host. Her mental state isn’t quite as fine. She is terribly upset.”

I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I sat next to him. When I did, he looked at me searchingly a moment.

“Am I in heaven?” I asked finally.

“Yes” he said simply. “Is that a problem?”

“No, I guess not. I always assumed this isn’t where I was going to end up.”

“Giving up your life for another, especially for one of the host, has a way of setting things right.” He offered sagely.

“If I was going to spend eternity anywhere. I suppose this is as good a place as any. It’s just missing one thing.” I felt like being a smart ass.

“The Texas Bikini Team?” the old man offered dryly. I don’t remember Dumbledore being a smartass.

My mouth dropped open. “How?”

“Why would you want that when you have better?” He pointed down the beach. A figure sat in the sand. A figure I knew instantly. It was Bree. She sat hugging her legs with her chin on top of her knees and a very worried expression.

I started to stand and was going to call out, but he placed a hand on my arm. “May I have a few more moments of your time? Then you can go to her.” I sat back down but kept my eyes down the beach in her direction.

“She is falling in love with you.” He said simply

I puzzled his statement. “I don’t know about that. Doesn’t matter anyway because there are rules preventing anything from being done about it.”

“The rules.” He scoffed “As mighty and righteous as the host is, they have their faults. Nonetheless, it’s true. Look at her.” She was rocking nervously forward and back.

“In the thousands of years in the service of the host, she has never displayed this type of affection toward anyone.” He said, finally turning to me. “What are your feelings for her?”

I paused to reflect the question. We just barely met. Each time, I always felt closer to her than the time before. Setting her beauty aside, I knew she appeared to be cold, but she was far from uncaring. Slowly cracking open her hard exterior revealed the gem of a woman she truly is. Each moment with her was too short.

“The same.” I declared after a few moments. “Hardly matters now, it isn’t as if I’m going back to earth.”

“You may have earned a place here, but you aren’t staying.” He said dismissively.

“What?” I stood staring at him in shock.

“Your friend Isiah needs you.” He looked up at me.

“Is he ok?” with more alarm in my voice than intended.

“He is ok right now. More than ok. However, he will find himself needing you eventually. Assuming you agree.”

“Of course, I agree!” I snapped

He held up his hand in a placating gesture. “Relax, not right now. You will, but first, you two need to talk. Really talk. When you do, she will take you back.”

“Okay,” I said standing and he stood with me. He looked me in the eyes.

“One more thing,” He paused dramatically, and a serious expression crossed his features.

“If you hurt her,” then the next words came out in a deep menacing rumble that made all of the cells in my body quiver in fear and his eyes turned red. “I will kill you and you will wish for something as pleasant as hell.”

Then the expression and scary visage vanished as quickly as it appeared. “Got you! I’m messing with you.” Then laughed loudly.

I fake laughed just as loud. I needed to check my shorts. I’m sure I just made a mess, all because of Dumbledore the smartass. To make the whole situation even more awkward he put his hands on my shoulders and hugged me. Stood back, looked at me with a smile, and placed his hands on my shoulders and closed his eyes.

Warmth flooded into me starting in my stomach and expanded. I nearly blacked out from the intense endorphin overload permeating the cells of my body.

“There! All better and then some. Now go to her.” I took two steps in her direction before I asked. “What’s your name?” he was gone. I’m fairly sure I just met an Archangel.

Turning back down the beach I called out. “Bree?”

She glanced up sharply and stood. Her appearance was the same, white sundress and barefoot. The biggest difference is she had her wings and her usual stony expression faltered. Her eyes were a little red and she fiddled with her hands nervously.

“I’m so sorry.” She began “I tried...”

I was standing right in front of her but as soon as she began talking, I just said, “hush” then stepped close for a hug. It was a little awkward at first because I didn’t know how delicate her wings were. I settled for sliding my hands around her waist and pulling her close. She was trembling slightly.

Whatever mental dam was holding her back finally burst and her arms wrapped around me fiercely. She started sobbing.

Leaning back, I reached up and took her by the chin to look at me. She made eye contact and it was then I realized what the strange man told me was true. I could almost feel the love radiating from the powerful angel. I cupped her cheek and she leaned her head into my hand, covering my hand with hers.

Last time I tried, I was kicked in the chest, but I figured “Why not?” Leaning in towards her I made another attempt. Brushing my lips against hers, at first, she stiffened. Her hand, still on top of mine, laced my fingers. Her chest leaned against mine and her chin lifted. Our lips met with a grace and tenderness belying her rough persona.

Sad to say, I’ve been with more women than I care to admit. I skirted kissing for reasons I couldn’t quite articulate. Kissing this beautiful angel, it was clear to me how incredibly intimate the gesture was. Women in my life were always transitory. The intimacy and kissing served to only make the temporary situation all that much harder. Here she is, opening to me after only knowing me a brief time. I’ve never lacked confidence. Even when I was a kid. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling my morality isn’t in line with what Bree should be receiving. Deep down, I didn’t truly feel I was worthy of a woman so exalted. She’s an angel of God, no pressure.

The tender moment stretched on. Finally letting go we let ourselves go and our kiss became more insistent. She reached up with one hand to lace her fingers in my hair and the other around my back under my arm. Her breathing increased and she was becoming more turned on by our kissing. After several long moments of exploring each other intimately she placed her hand on my chest gently and moved herself back slightly.

“If you don’t mind, I would rather we wait a bit longer before we do anything more.” She said in a timid voice. I was more than a little relieved and just nodded in agreement.

She arched an eyebrow. “Really? I expected you to be fighting more than that.”

“I’m already being kicked out of heaven. I doubt defiling the sexiest angel in the universe will give me any return passes.”

She burst out in a laugh. “Defile me? It’s an act of love.”

“Not what I have in mind.”

She still laughed slightly. She gave me a long searching look. “Do you always hide your feelings behind jokes?”

“Only when I’m awake.”

“I’m risking a lot to be with you. It isn’t too much to ask for you to define your feelings a bit more clearly.”

Anxiety filled my chest. Speaking my feelings directly isn’t something I’m exceptionally good at. “You are exquisite. I’m attracted to strong women. Particularly women who can fight. I’ve always imagined fighting side by side with someone who is beautiful and strong. You aren’t just an emotionless soldier doing whatever you’re told. You are an angel and have all the positive virtues I would expect an angel to have. Most of the time you hide behind your stoic demeanor but when you smile and I can get you to have a little fun then the real you is what I see. You’re loving, compassionate, devoted, humble, and patient. This just gets me started. If I were to imagine my ideal woman, then I couldn’t get any better than you.”

I didn’t get to finish the rest of my thoughts. Just that moment she kissed me. Really kissed me with fire and passion. Our tongues danced and dueled. I wasn’t sure what to expect from kissing her, but I could tell it wasn’t something she did often, if ever. I told myself I needed to be patient. Being honest, I didn’t even know what was going to happen. It wasn’t like we could do anything long term. She was immortal and I wasn’t.

When we finally came up for air, she was smiling at me. “Thank you, I knew I made the right decision.”

“The decision to do what?” I asked dumbly

“I spoke with Michael. I am going to propose to Isiah and Lauren to work for them directly. Essentially, I would do for them as I did for their father.”

“I’m not sure I understand the significance.” I puzzled through the implications.

“Several reasons. Isiah and Lauren are a different breed of seraphim. Lacking a better term, I proposed we refer to them as Arch Seraphim. In your language, my role would be a diplomat. I will be a liaison for the host and the seraphim on earth. I can also serve as a guide to keep them from making a grievous mistake with their divinity. Michael is already training Isiah. I could train you and Lauren. Lastly, it would be up to them to allow personal relations between the two of us.”