There was a rumble of thunder outside, and then lightning struck the tree outside. Hank Millar's eyes looked frantic at the possibility of a fire.
"OUT!" He bellowed at the Nephilim, throwing Nora and Patch to the floor as they scrambled out of the shed. Their frantic cries suddenly disappeared, and eerie silence wafted in the air. Patch stood up and hugged Nora tightly to his chest, eyeing the group of angels that had suddenly appeared in the shed warily.
"Hank Millar and his Nephilim?" Patch asked. Nora shifted to face the angels, eyes wide in wonder. They were all devastatingly beautiful, and radiated power.
"He's… being taken care of," A red haired, green eyed angel said, a tinge of amusement in his voice.
"Patch," A honey blonde said, stretching her ice white arms out towards Patch, as if expecting him to embrace her. He watched her, but made no move. Her frosted pink lips stuck out in a pout, and her blue eyes trembled slightly. Nora glared at her, feeling a burning hate for this girl.
"You turn down an archangel?" The blonde asked, coyly wrapping a strand of blonde curls around one finger, batting her eyes, and throwing Patch a glowing smile.
"Cynthia," another angel said, placing a hand on Cynthia in a restraining gesture. She shook a sheet of bright red hair out of her face before smiling apologetically at Nora, to which Nora smiled back.
"We weren't here to save you. There has to be punishment for an angel gone rouge," A bronze haired male angel said. His eyes danced blue and green in the dim moonlight.
"Yess," Cynthia hissed, the word dripping with malice. Nora shivered at the hunger in Cynthia's eyes. Patch's arms around her were the only thing stopping her from taking a swipe at the blonde archangel.
"Perhaps hell?" The bronze haired angel suggested, his eyes wistful.
"I agree with Lionel, it seems like a suitable punishment," A strawberry blonde angel said, her fingers entwined with the bronze haired angel – Lionel.
"Archangels?" Nora asked, the realization finally dawning on her. The realization was quickly followed by a wave of rage. How dare they suggest punishments with laughing tones right at Patch's face? How dare they decide his punishment in such light matters?
Angel. It doesn't do any good to anger the archangels
"I agree," The archangels chorused. All but one. Nora took a liking to her instantly, probably because she hadn't voted on Patch being sent to Hell.
The archangel outshone all her companions in the beauty department, and probably the kindness. She had a tumble of dark brown almost black ink colored hair that flowed in graceful waves to her waist. Her eyes were a soft, dark violet, and her skin was ice pale flushed with rosy pink. She was dressed in a flowing, silvery white dress with a halter styled top, and a shimmery grayish skirt that danced to her knees. Stacks of silver and black hair ties and bracelets encircled her wrists, and a silver angel charm hung, nearly out of sight, around her neck.
"I disagree," She said, her violet eyes focused solely on Nora and Patch.
"Ivy," the strawberry blonde sighed, somewhat frustratingly.
"Because he's your brother?" a red headed angel asked.
"Miranda it's not because he's my brother," Ivy said. Patch's dark eyes watched, expressionless, as the archangels discussed his fate.
"Then why?" Miranda asked, her acid green eyes bore into Nora's, as if willing Nora to go away.
"It wasn't out of disloyalty," Ivy said. A raven haired, male angel snaked his arm around Ivy's waist.
"I see what you mean," A curly haired angel said, bobbing her head up and down, her bronze ringlets flying.
The raven haired angel played with strands of Ivy's hair as she spoke, "He loves her. He won't betray us. Why send him away?" The other angels nodded, considering Ivy's words. Nora let out a sigh of relief, and Patch relaxed his stance.
"Hmm…" Another angel murmured.
"Fine. We don't send him to Hell. But at least we need someone looking over them. Making sure they don't… pull any stunts," a platinum blonde male angel said. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"But who do we send?" Cynthia asked, "Only an archangel can stand here as long as he or she wants without falling." The group was silent, each angel lost in thought. Nora crossed her fingers, and she felt Patch breathe hard from behind her. Cynthia's hands were on her hips, a triumphant look on her face.
"Not I," Cynthia said, smiling as Nora's heart sank. Just a little. Was anyone going to volunteer? Nora looked around. Each of the angels stood there, their lips pursed in thought.
"Why don't you say anything?" Nora hissed at Patch. Patch's eyebrows went up and he chuckled darkly in amusement.
"Best not to interrupt the archangels in a discussion. Unless you wanna end up a clump of ash on the floor. Angelfire isn't that pleasant," Patch said. A shiver crept up Nora's spine and she settled back into Patch's arms, a newfound fear for the Archangels.
"I'll go," Ivy said, gently untangling herself from the raven haired male's arms.
"Ivy," He said, almost despairingly.
"I'll go with you," He said.
"Tristan, you don't have to," Ivy said. Tristan's stance was stubborn, and Ivy sighed in defeat.
"We're gonna be followed by two archangels?" Nora asked incredulously to Patch. Patch shook his head, amused.
"Nah. Just hanging around. She's my sister," Patch said, "And she and Tristan's an item."
"The hot archangel over there?" Nora asked, nodding towards the raven haired male angel holding Ivy's hand. Patch nodded.
"Yeah."
"What's going on?" Nora asked as the archangels protested against Ivy's decision.
"Ivy's… special," Patch said. Nora cocked her head, not quiet understanding.
"It's just… She can do things no other angel can. So they need her," Patch said.
"So she isn't coming? Cause I'd hate if Cynthia ended up coming with us. Talk about another Marcie," Nora said, scowling at the thought. Patch chuckled and planted a kiss on Nora's forehead.
"Ivy'll always get her way," Patch assured Nora. Nora breathed a sigh of relief.
"No Marcie number two," Nora said.
"Fine, send Ivy. Leave heaven unguarded," Cynthia said.
"Rafael's still there," Ivy said.
"Rafael's Ivy's second," Patch explained. Nora nodded, trying to look more educated than she felt. Cynthia huffed, and a spiraling flash of lightning struck where she was standing. When the bright light vanished, Cynthia was gone.
"Well, now she's gone," Miranda said. The group's dreary, businesslike manner was replaced with a cheery chatter.
"So Ivy and Tristan's going, Rafael's gonna take her place. Anything else we missed?" a curly haired redhead asked, holding up one of her fingers with each done task.
"You'll come back and check on us, right?" the red haired, green eyed angel – Rafael – asked. Ivy nodded.
"'Course. It's not like I'm gone for good. It's probably just… four years give or take," Ivy said.
"You can't go walking around like that," Patch said, gesturing towards her dress.
"Unless you're going to a dance," Patch added. Laughter ensued among the archangels. Ivy rolled her eyes and crossed the room to shove Patch playfully in the arm.
The next time Nora blinked; Ivy's dress was replaced with a pale blue tank top and skinny jeans, a thin black jacket, and a gradient purple scarf. She still had all her jewelry and hair ties. A faint, silvery haze outlined her figure.
Lionel wolf whistled, and Tristan drew Ivy closer to him.
"Mine," Tristan teased, but there was a protective, possessive edge to his tone.
"So I guess it's a good bye for now?" Miranda asked. Ivy nodded, and held up a hand to wave. There was a blinding flash of light, and all the archangels but Ivy and Tristan vanished.
"What about your stuff?" Nora asked.
"The house across from yours is empty right?" Tristan asked, the edges of his lips turned up in a small smile.
"Um… Yeah," Nora answered.
"Lovely," Ivy smiled.