Chapter Two
It had been hard looking away from the stranger on his porch, because he felt like he knew him. He had seen that face before and it had meant something to him. The memory was just out of reach and yet his heart started to beat a little quicker. His throat suddenly felt a little tighter.
I have a special way to look at people, he silently reminded himself.
Emanuel didn't just see them, he could see through them. He could see what was inside of them, for good or for bad.
It didn't feel enough to say that the man, who used to be a fairly pleasant neighbor, had an appearance of evil. There was something frighteningly twisted and inhumane about him.
But the man on the porch was different. There was a bright light coming from him. He was good, like Daphne, but better somehow.
It was only then that Emanuel realized he was trembling, while he was struggling to make sense of the way he was feeling. The stranger was staring at him. Eyes wide, jaw slightly slack; and on his face was expectation, joy, and relief, all rolled into one.
But Emanuel didn't know who he was.
He remembered so little about his old life. He had been soaking wet and embarrassingly naked, when he had stumbled into Daphne, who had saved his life.
But she had never brought about feelings like the ones swarming him now. He had never felt anxious under the weight of her gaze. His stomach had not tied itself into knots as he tried desperately to recall why this all felt so familiar.
He was so puzzled by it in the seconds that had passed, he had not even noticed the bloody knife in the stranger's hand.
It had taken a great deal of strength to move around the dead body on his walkway, to climb those steps, and stand closer to this man. Whomever he was.
And then everything had paused again, or maybe it had just slowed down. They gazed at one another, not like people trying to read each other's mind, but as if they already knew they could and had in fact done it before. He could almost see the secrets held in those green iris', suddenly feeling very exposed when he realized that this man might be able to see into him similarly.
A cool breeze rustled their clothes and Emanuel was ashamed when it occurred to him how much he enjoyed this. That just standing near this man made him feel a sense of peacefulness and contentment that went all the way to his soul. The feeling of guilt only worsened when he suddenly remembered that Daphne had most likely been home when that thing had shown up. It was only then that their eyes parted and they had gone inside.
Poor, sweet Daphne, could be in danger and what was he doing?
The stranger went in first, looking around the foyer even as he told Emanuel that there was a woman tied up in the front room.
He was relieved to see her alive and seemingly unharmed. Even more so since he could focus his thoughts on her. Emanuel hurried to her side and untied her. She had placed her hand gently on his cheek and gazed at him.
And in the brief moment they had to look at one another, Emanuel realized again how pure her intentions were when she looked at him.
He brought her with him, when he had gone back to the stranger, holding her hand securely. Her hand was delicate in his, but it was solid and he felt grounded because of it. This was good.
He said his name was Dean.
There was something troubling Dean, but Emanuel wasn't sure exactly what it was.
He thanked Dean for helping them and told him what he had seen. He didn't see any point in keeping it a secret. This man was obviously here to help them. A messenger of God no doubt. It was reassuring and affirming of what he had come to believe in. The faith Daphne had given him.
Demons were walking the Earth. It was a thought that he felt should have troubled him more. And yet what bothered him was when Daphne had started talking about his special gifts. Not that he was ashamed of them, or that he wanted to hide them. He had done God's work for a while now. It felt like he had done it forever.
But for some reason, maybe because of the way Dean had reacted to the news, it had left him feeling uncomfortable. Why did Dean sound so disappointed?
And then so unhappy suddenly?
The amount of sadness in those green eyes touched Emanuel, because he could tell it was more than that, it had been grief. He had seen pain and suffering in the people he had helped. But nothing like what he could see in those eyes. They were broken, lost, and so frightened.
He realized he wanted to cry himself, just looking at them. And a powerful urge rose up inside of him, making him want to embrace this man that he had barely known an half an hour.
It made him realize how lackluster his life had been up to this moment, at least what he could remember of it.
Daphne
She had brought him back to her house when she had found him wandering in the woods. She had given him shelter, clothing, and food. She had offered him even more than that.
Her past had been a hard one. Emanuel had seen it in her, just like he could see it in Dean. She was scarred from it, battered and bruised despite the façade that everyone else saw. She tried so hard to be a good person, but she was limited.
He had offered her the only thing he could. He had no money, no possessions, and no memory of who he was. But he had given her the one thing she had always wanted. A companion to share her journey with, a shoulder to cry on, but mostly a person to take care of.
She couldn't give him what a normal wife could, she had been so guilt ridden because of that. But for some reason, it had not mattered to him. He had not longed to be with Daphne like that. So when she said she couldn't, he told her that it was alright. They had taken oaths to love God before anyone else and that had been enough.
But meeting Dean seemed to shake that foundation. The walls didn't come tumbling down, but Emanuel could feel them quake as decades of debris fell to the floor.
Dean needed help, he could see it in his eyes. But Emanuel wondered if was the type of help he could offer. For whatever reason he did not question the knowledge that he would do whatever he could to help this man. But not in the same way he had gone easily with Daphne down the aisle to be married.
Something about trusting Dean felt good. Felt better than helping the disadvantaged, or repaying Daphne for her kindness. Something... just felt natural about it.
It had taken them some time to get ready. While Dean got rid of the body, Daphne had made them sandwiches. Dean had just come in when she had finished setting the table for them. Yellow placemats because it was still Tuesday, plates and cups carefully arranged. Taking the jug of sun tea from the windowsill, she had poured them both drinks before excusing herself.
"You can have a seat."
Dean had regarded the table and then Emanuel in a perplexing manner. On the surface he appeared amused, but there was sadness on the edge, just within sight of being noticeable.
The hair on Emanuel's neck rose when Dean took his seat. The already present nervousness clenched his stomach worse, as he stiffly sat in Daphne's spot. It felt wrong and yet some how thrilling at the same time. Like a child who is breaking the rules for the first time. Which made him feel foolish.
"You don't happen to have anything a little stronger do you?"
He found himself tilting his head to the side just a little, staring at Dean. "No, we don't abide in alcohol here."
"Too bad," Dean answered while reaching into his jacket pocket, withdrawing a metal flask.
Emanuel's eyes went wide as he watched Dean pour the liquor into the tea. His mouth falling open slightly when Dean offered him some.
Bible verses about Eve being offered an apple, of temptation and what happens when you give in to it, rushed into Emanuel's thoughts. Dean, who had saved him from the demon, was tempting him and not just with alcohol.
The way he smiled just a little, leaning back and away from the table as he recapped the flask, and shoved it back into his inner pocket. The way the setting sun brightened his short hair and made it look like artistically sculpted gold. The depth of his green eyes and the freckles across his nose.
Horror filled Emanuel when he realized how beautiful he found Dean. It was the only word to use because it was the only one his mind would let him think of. There was something so amazingly beautiful about Dean that it both captivated him and frightened him.
Neither of them ate their sandwiches. Emanuel had not been hungry all day and the guilt over how he reacted to the man next to him didn't help it. It appeared that Dean was also too bogged down with his own strife to enjoy the food. But he did have two glasses of tea mixed with whatever was in his flask. He didn't offer Emanuel any more alcohol after the initial time.
Daphne had come down then, placing his suitcase by the doorway. She had not been alarmed when she found the food untouched. Instead, she had wrapped the sandwiches in cellophane and placed them in a paper bag. She packed some more food in it and had carried it out to the car.
Dean looked relieved to leave which bothered Emanuel even though he couldn't figure out why.
The black Impala that Dean led them to also struck him. There was something so enticing about the classic car. Which was startling because until this moment, he would have said he was indifferent to any vehicles. But he wanted to get into this one, practically felt compelled to.
And he did.
Without asking what Dean needed. Never questioning why Dean had come, how he had been able to kill a demon, or why the demon wanted him. He simply looked to Daphne and said good-bye.
She had smiled and gazed at him like she had always seen this day coming. That the broken bird she had found on that wooded trail would someday mend it's wings and fly away. She had prepared since the first day they met, for the day they would part.
"Good bye Emanuel." She had looked to Dean then, just as serenely and added: "Take good care of him, please Dean."
And Dean said he would, though something about her request seemed to bother Dean a bit. Like it had offended him that she had needed to ask, and unnerved him at the same time.