Disclaimer: None is mine all is the fabulous Melissa de la Cruz's.
A/N: Well updates a little faster and this one is a little longer...mostly cause I couldn't find a good place to cut it....and it answers lots of questions that I know you all have been asking..mainly when is Ara gonna wake up? Anyway happy reading and if you like it feel free to leave a review!
~Eb
Ara knew she needed to face more of what she had done, but there was no denying the fact that she would rather stay right here in this room alone with her guilt. It had always been her decision, her choice that to face this on her own. Her own soul was sore from the pain of remembering all of these memories, but she needed to face them and come to terms with her own failures.
"It's only going to get worse," Sariel said appearing out of thin air. The woman was dressed plainly in a white gown her black hair curling around her.
"I thought I told you to leave me alone."
"For what it's worth I care about you, you are half my responsibility."
"I don't see Gabrielle popping into my head uninvited."
"If she could I'm sure she would, you after all popped, as you so like to call it, into her head."
"Just leave me alone, I'm too tired to trade barbs right now." Ara felt the tears that she no longer had. How long had it been since she had cried all of her tears away.
The angel crossed the room not leaving any footprints on the white floor. She kneeled down in front of the younger girl. "Look at me."
"Just stop, make it stop?" Had she really resorted to begging? Yes, yes she had decided to descend to that level, Ara just wanted it to stop now. She was tired of remembering her past she knew it by heart why relive it? Why now? Why did she have to go through it all again?
"You know when it will stop."
"But I know what it is."
"Maybe you know, but have you accepted it?"
"Why?"
"You know why."
"I forgave myself long ago, I know the trick I know and I got over it."
"If you got over it, why is it so hard to remember?"
"Please don't make me relive that again."
Sariel cradled the girl's face on her hands and tilted her face toward her. "Listen to me Ara, you have a greater good at stake here. You need to wake up. You need to go through this and if I have to give you the strength to do it, I will."
"Please," Ara begged she did not want to see it again.
The Arch Angel shook her head no. Ara nodded slowly, "I don't know if I can do this."
"I will be right here."
Ara nodded again with the Angels help she could do this.
Jack wandered in late to Clique Pointe and after last week he did not think Schuyler would have a problem with it. He had an unavoidable appointment, one he had put off for too long. He shuffled the papers from one hand to the other and shoved them into his brief case as he was waved through security. If the wrong people saw them it might spell disaster.
He got on the elevator and pressed his floor before realizing he was not the only person in the elevator. Schuyler was in the back coffee mug under her arm absorbed in her BlackBerry. It was often said that once you handed someone a BlackBerry they became a crackberry, attached to that piece of technology at the hip.
Should he catch another elevator? After past incidents, maybe it was not the best thing to be in such a close proximity to one another.
He turned to go back but the doors closed. That made the decision for him.
"Hmm," he cleared his throat hoping that Schuyler was not packing this morning.
She looked up distracted from her series of emails and messages. It was impossible for her face to pale any further, she was already as white as a sheet, and he was guessing that without the make-up, that every socialite in Manhattan knew how to apply, she would have dark circles under her eyes as well.
"Good morning," she said flatly not meeting his eyes.
The hint in her tone was no more talking, no more conversation, nothing more to do with him. Jack thought of the papers in his briefcase, and here was the kicker maybe he decided a little too late. Needless to say, the rest of the ride was spent in awkward silence.
Jack went into his office and stared at his computer, he needed to do something, there were reports and sheets and things he had to do and yet every time he tried to focus on a task it swam before his eyes.
"Sir," his secretary said knocking on his door. "Your son's school called…again."
Jack looked up from the work he was not doing. "Again?" This was news to him, he did not even know the school had called once let alone again.
"Yes, they've called several times before but it never seemed pertinent to disturb you, however they are talking expulsion."
"Expulsion?" he said in disbelief since when was Duchesne talking expulsion? Since when? The school dealt in stern talking tos and slaps on the wrists, expulsions were practically unheard of. Especially for a Blue Blood.
"The headmistress would like a word, with his parents. Now."
"Can you forward the call?"
"No, she would like to see you in her office," the secretary replied reading verbatim from the notepad in her hands.
"I'll go now then." He logged off his computer it was not as if he was doing anything important anyway.
There was no point in concentrating on work that he was not going to do.
"Alright, I'll push your lunch appointment back?"
"Yes and can you do me a favor."
Jack scribbled several numbers on a post-it and shoved it at the girl. "I want the last ten charges made to this card on my desk when I get back."
On the way to Duchesne Jack pulled out his own BlackBerry and dialed his son's number.
"Cameron," he said getting forwarded to voicemail. "We need to talk call me."
He hit the end button as he mounted the stairs to his old school.
The school was exactly as he remembered it, and Jack did not care for Duchesne anymore than he did when he was a student. The school's secretary showed him in directly to the headmistress's office. The woman had been replaced since Jack had gone to school, but it was still the normal MO. A public school girl, ivy education on scholarship of course, and adoption of perfectly rounded vowels and she passed as a Duchesne girl. She was just another in a long line of girls exactly like her.
"Mr. Caron, I wish I could say it was a pleasure but I cannot."
"Miss—" he glanced at the brass name plate, "Everson."
"Were you aware that your son was on probation here?"
Jack raised his eyebrows this was news to him.
"I'll take that as a no, Cameron has missed almost ten days of school in this semester, two or three days we can excuse. Five or six we get concerned and contact the parents but we are still willing to look the other way, but ten days and over we are confronted with a problem."
"Where is he?"
"Not in school and contrary to popular belief we are not an au pair."
"Miss Everson I believe we can come to some kind of arrangement."
"Deals Mr. Caron, I'm sure we can come to some conclusion that will satisfy both of our needs, the library requires a new reference section."
"I'll send you a check."
"Tell Cameron that if he has personal issues, we will be more than happy to accommodate them if they are accompanied by a doctor's note."
"Thank-you Miss Everson, it has been an enlightening meeting."
"We are always happy to help."
Jack rose and walked out of the office, now he was on a war path to find this irreverent son. Schuyler had warned him about this, that if he did not start looking after him than Cam was going to end up getting thrown out of school.
There were no phone calls missed or otherwise on his phone. That left Jack with one option: the hospital. He was waved through security without a second glance and he arrived on the top floor within minutes.
Strange he noticed the guard that used to stand at Allegra's door was missing. The nurses glared at him as his burst into Ara's room and just as Jack suspected Cam was asleep.
Ara was waiting, she had become used to this by now. Evening came and she stole down to visit the one thing she missed above all else. Heaven was just another place when Orias was not with her.
She paced the ground. The clearing they had found was in the middle of the forest away from everything and everyone, a place where she could pretend he had not betrayed her and everything she cared about.
In one of her weaker moments she had lied to herself about everything. Angels had started asking questions and then…then when He asked her where she had been. She lied. And the worst part was that He knew and said nothing.
She turned around to see him running through the trees. Orias was sprinting through the foliage as if the hounds of hell were on his heels.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"You need.." his breathing was so labored that he couldn't get the words out.
"Orias what happened?" Fear raced through her, what happened, why was he running so hard.
"Get out," he heaved.
"Why? I came to see you." She held him.
"No you can't, their coming."
"Who?"
"They know."
"Who?"
"Someone found out that you're here and they're not happy."
"I don't understand."
"Run now."
Her head was reeling with what her love was telling her.
"Why?"
"Because it's—"
Someone grabbed her arm. "NO," Orias was shouting he head whipped around and she saw that he was being restrained.
"What's going on?" she demanded as her captor hauled her away.
"You need to talk to Gabrielle."
The grip on her arm was going to cause a bruise and the pace that was set for her was hard for her to keep up. She could not wrap her head around this what had she done to deserve this treatment. She knew that lying to God was a mistake and that perhaps sneaking down to Earth was a mistake. Certainly someone had to realize why she did the things she did. It was understandable…wasn't it?
When she was not trying to wrap her head around what was going on she was trying to figure out the face of her captor. His face was turned away from her and she had not been paying enough attention when he was talking to match his voice.
The building he brought he too was small one room by Eliora's guess, when he showed her in he quickly left. There was a fire in the room, but its glow did nothing to warm her spirits. One figure stood just outside of the fire's glow.
"Good evening Eliora."
"Gabrielle." Eliora bowed her head and bobbed a curtsey. They had always been friends but the older woman's icy tone made her blood run cold.
"We have a problem."
"I didn't…I just…you have to understand."
Gabrielle held up a hand to silence her. "I know what it feels like."
"How dare you tell me what it feels like," Eliora lashed out, "you who hold people you love every night and can sleep knowing he's safe. How dare you tell me about what I feel."
"I understand you are angry."
"NO I'm hurt, all I want is to be with him, but I can't fall. I tried but I can't."
"Well you may have just succeeded."
"What?"
"You can't go back to heaven, I've sent word already. Sariel says you cannot return but you are not fallen, and you did not choose this life freely. Therefore, we are at an impasse."
"What will you do with me?"
"I do not rightly know, I've been told half of your punishment and it is up to me to decide the other half."
"Punishment?"
"They have given me two options and I will leave your fate in your hands. Their first offer is that you give up your secret to the whole of the heavens."
"I can't—"
Gabrielle held up a hand to silence her, "The other is that you use it."
"To what?" The blood drained from her face she couldn't use her gift her secret. No one was ever supposed to know only if it was desperate.
"I think you know."
"And what of Orias?"
"With the first you may keep him, but the second you will lose him and he will be stripped of his memory."
"How can they leave me with those options?"
"Well they left me, but I am leaving them to you. You chose this fate, you will finish that choice. Then you will join us but not as a Blue Blood, you will be called upon only when the heavens see fit."
"What will happen to him? Will he…"
"There is almost nothing I can do for you—"
"Anything please."
"Except, I can help you in this way, if you choose the second one I can fix his memory, so that when he has can remember everything of his own free will, then he will remember you and can decide for himself."
It was the best she would get, Eliora knew that, but it still stung. It was no choice, not in reality. She could not give up her secret, and they knew that they simply wanted to be seen as courteous and nice.
"I need a knife."
Gabrielle produced her own blade shrinking it to the size of a dagger.
"Where is he?" She asked taking the blade from the Arch Angel.
"Outside."
"Very well, send everyone away it is a secret for a reason."
"Can I trust you?"
"I will cut my own heart out for everyone else the least you can do is let me do it in peace," Eliora snapped.
Gabrielle nodded and led the way out of the shelter. The light from the room spilled out into the night illuminating the figures who stood in the courtyard. Michael stood behind Orias's right shoulder, Orias was kneeling on the ground his arms restrained behind him, Abbadon stood over his left shoulder. Both angels looked less than pleased about the situation.
"Leave," Gabrielle ordered addressing the angels behind Orias.
"Are you—" Michael looked skeptical.
"I said leave." Abbadon gave a swift jerk of the head and turned on his heels. While Michael waited for Gabrielle to join him before they left. She eyed Eliore carefully before venturing into the darkness.
"Eliora, what's going on?" Orias asked. She walked over to him tears running down her face this was it, the horrible gift that was borne inside her would be her undoing. She knelt before him and looked him straight in the eye. She was supposed to hold him forever, supposed to be with him for eternity and now….
"I love you, never doubt that."
"I never have, why are looking at me like that?" She felt the knife in her hand and held her other hand up.
"Forgive me?"
"Isn't that your job?" he joked trying to make the situation lighter.
She nodded as she sliced her palm and said the words she had shared with precious few.
Ara came back to herself, Sariel was still in front of her holding her up as she cried.
"You were brave to face that again."
"It still stings."
"I need to leave, but I will see you very soon."
Ara nodded she could hold out for a few more minutes.
Sariel appeared in the room Cameron was asleep with his head on the bed. This was going to be hard for him too but he needed to see it so that Ara could wake. She placed Ara's hand in his own and tapped it gently the memory would flow from one to the other. Just in the nick of time, Sariel vanished.
"Cameron," Jack said and watched as his son sat bolt upright. He was breathing hard as if he'd been running marathon anger flashed in his eyes and knuckled his eyes trying as if he was trying to recall something that was on the tip of his tongue.
"Dad?" Cam muttered through blood shot eyes, rubbing his forehead.
"Good morning—or should I say good afternoon?"
"What—" His eyes went wide and he reached automatically for his cell phone.
"Time? Let me tell you what time it is, time for you to be at school. Time for you to stop screwing up your life. Time to take responsibility."
"What?" The memories were pounding in Cam's head making it hard for him to concentrate on anything.
But Jack wasn't listening to him he was in the middle of a good long rant.
"School? Why have you not been attending? What is this ten days of missed school? I—"
"Why do you suddenly care?" Cam lashed out grabbing his bag from the floor, "It's not as if I matter in your life," he snapped.
"You will sit down and you will listen to me," Jack yelled across the room as his son.
"I'll listen? I'm done listening to you or Mom. You—you only want me when it's convenient, when I'm the golden boy, but now now that I show my true colors you are more than happy to wash your hands of me."
"Don't you ever say that, Cam—"
"Say what that I am about as wanted as cockroach in your apartment? Sorry Dad, but I've had enough of you and your family."
Cam brushed past Jack and out the door.
"Whoa," Oliver said backing up away from the disgruntled teenager.
Jack walked to the window running his fingers through his hair.
"This is a bad time I'll come back," Olive said to nobody in particular rocking back on his heels turning to the door.
"What do you want Perry?"
"I was actually coming to see my daughter, finished work early and you know the story," Olive replied with a shrug, there was nothing more he could say.
Jack turned as if for the first time he realized Ara was still in the room. Laying, hands crossed on the bed, just as serene as any angel ever could be.
"You stay, I'll go."
"Nah, we both can, after all we share this connection," Oliver said nodding at the chair. "Take a load off."
Jack sat because there was nothing else he could do. Head in his hands his words suddenly weighed him down, everything he said to Cam. Jack had promised himself he would never become his father, and those words that had been pounded into his head by his own, his responsibility. Damn he was becoming Charles Force.
"She always considered you her father," Jack said trying to push everything to the back of his mind. It was the first thing he reached for when thoughts of his other child were pushed aside.
"I know." Oliver kicked at the flooring and leaned against the wall shoving his hands in his pockets. "But you know good parenting is not learned over night."
"I'm sure you were born with it."
"If only you knew the number of times I called my mother or the pediatrician when Ara was a child. I was scared out of my mind, but I got through it. You'll get through this."
"Is it wrong to say that I just want out?"
"No, they are not always good days and some days it feels like you want to throw in the towel and return the baby to the hospital and get your life back. Try again," Oliver urged.
Jack shut down, this was not what he wanted to hear from Oliver. The man who had everything: career, family, logic. No wonder Schuyler would choose him, how could Jack hope to measure up to Mr. Perfect Oliver Hazard-Perry?
"Can I comment?"
"Do I have a choice?"
Oliver shrugged, "As a writer I am a student of the human animal, I watch people, see how they interact, take in the details how a man takes his coffee, the way a girl looks at those she loves, or how parents communicate with their children. I take all of this in, mull over it and put it all together into a cohesive story."
"Alright?"
"From what I see, you don't know Cam, he might as well be a teenager you pulled off the street, but that doesn't have to stay that way."
"Why do you people keep telling me that?"
"Because Cam deserves to have parents, just like every child does."
"Are you really that perfect?"
"You want a flaw, ah yes the classic character flaw. I'll give you, my flaws. I walk down a path that I know will lead to my demise, pain, and yet I treasure every day. I allow those I love to run over my heart and I try not to let it bother me. I look the other way when she talks about others, even when I know that in the end, it won't be me."
Jack was silent.
"When it gets too much I close myself off. When I can't be the bigger person, I retreat into worlds that I can control, where I play god to all of the little creatures. Where people can fall in love with those who care about them, and I can lose myself so completely, that I forget the numbness in my own heart."
What was Jack supposed to say to that? Was there any response that could be said? He asked and that was Oliver's answer, he was willing to back down in fact he had known all along that he would have to back down and yet he stayed, he pushed on.
Madison walked out of her morning Trigonometry looking worried. Cam had not been there. She met Jazz in the hall where she was coming down from her Chemistry lab and once they locked eyes, both knew the terrible truth.
"You didn't pick him up?" Jazz asked.
"Me? It was so your day."
"Have you…" her voice failed her as Jack walked down the stair case from the Headmistress's office.
"That can't be good," Jazz said.
"I think we're passed good and are now located in the middle of nuclear fallout," Madison remedied pulling out her phone. "Come on Cam pick up."
When the call rolled over to voicemail, Madison knew that the situation was so much worse than she originally anticipated. Nuclear fallout was nothing compared to what they were going to be dealing with.
"Where would he go?" Jazz asked, "the hotel?"
"No, he doesn't like to stay there during the day."
"The hospital?"
Madison punched the number into her phone and pulled Jazz along into the girl's bathroom, they were going to pull a Cameron and skip class so that they could track down their friend. First, however, they needed to know where to look for him.
"Yes, hello does Ara Van Alen currently have any visitors?...Yes and who are they?" Sometimes vampire powers paid off, even over the phone the woman was going to do whatever Madison wanted her to do. "Hmmm three you say? Alright and their names?...Yes thank-you."
Slowly Madison lowered her phone and snapped it shut.
"And?"
"We should go, now."
"I have class, I can't miss another day and neither can you."
"Oh no, we need to go." Madison grabbed her friend's arm if they were going to get to Cam before all hell broke loose than they needed to be there three point two seconds ago.
When they arrived at the hospital Madison checked with security and to her disappointment Cam had left exactly when she thought he had.
Great if I was Cam where would I go? She tried to locate him with the mind connection but he had shut down those paths he wanted to be left alone.
"I thought he was doing better," Jazz commented as the trudged up the street.
"Me too." Madison checked her cell phone but there was still just the empty screen.
"Maybe we're missing something?"
"Do you think he would just intentionally over sleep?"
"It would explain him not showing up for school."
"Yeah and it does follow Occam's Razor."
"Simplest answer."
"Exactly." Madison nodded
"Since we wasted one perfectly good skip day what do you say to a meal while we think of where to look for our friend?"
"You paying?"
"Since I was the one who pulled you out, sure."
"Deal."
Cam knew he was in trouble. Over sleeping was not a crime, well apparently it was when it meant that he missed another day of school. To add to that he had told Schuyler he would stop that, get his grades up, it was worse that he was letting her down. Yet all of that seemed to pale in comparison by what he had seen today. It had come in one big rush, and now he knew. Knew everything that Ara had done, and it was amazing to him that he seemed to have done nothing wrong. He even tried to save her, but she still…
He still needed and wanted to talk to Schuyler about all of this, after all she was the one who cared about him so he went to the one place he was hoping to run into her: her house. Going to the office would run the chance of him meeting up with one of his parents and that was something Cam wanted to put off for as long as angelically possible. The thing was, who knew when Schuyler was coming home. He was not stupid, as a child he remembered his parents coming home at all hours, it could be five or it could be midnight.
He sat against the door and weighed his options, there weren't many. He pulled out his phone and checked the number of missed calls he had. Several one from his father, a couple from his friends, none from people he actually wanted to talk to at the moment.
The secrets weighing heavily on his mind, he'd seen them all the memories he'd been wishing for and now he knew. It was not him, she did this with no explanation just sliced her palm and said those words. All this time he thought it was something he did and it was something she did.
"Hello?"
Cam looked up to see a man his hands deep in the pockets of his coat. His brown hair looked like it was in need of a cut but it framed a face that Cam remembered from the night he found Ara. It was her father—not her real one of course—but the one she would always call 'dad.'
"I was waiting for someone," he said blankly getting up, no doubt he would want to go in. It was strange that the only person he could talk to was the mother of the girl who he wasn't sure he wanted to see again.
"I can see that and since I think I know you and you aren't sporting one of my books so I'll take it you are not a crazed fan looking for an autograph. So you must be waiting for Sky."
"Yes," he said resolutely focusing on the wall.
"Why don't you come inside, I've already eaten but you look like you could use a good meal."
"No thanks."
"Come on I make a mean BLT."
"I don't really do food anymore." The man lived with a Blue Blood certainly he knew they didn't eat often it wasn't in their way.
"Well still sitting out here, alone with your thoughts, might drive you mad."
The man put the key into the lock and opened the door, Cam got up reluctantly and followed him into the house. He sat in the kitchen while Oliver went about putting food together. Cam remembered the man he seemed to be the kind that was always watching him. He made comments that hit home and was easy to make the advice when the man was not suffering himself.
"Alright what will it be?"
"Someone mentioned BLT."
"Sounds good."
Oliver left him alone to finish his meal and returned right when Cam finished eating.
"Well I just got off the phone with Schuyler and she's going to be late at the office tonight. Which leaves me wondering what are you going to do for the night?"
Cam shrugged.
"I thought as much, let me make a call and I'll see if you can crash on a friend's couch."
"You're not going to call my parents, are you?"
"Last time I checked my friends list Jack and Mimi were not given an invitation."
Cam nodded he liked this guy more and more.
Oliver dialed the number and spoke to someone on the other end for a few minutes. He hung up and sighed.
"No one wants me, I get it." Cam got up to leave. It wasn't a surprise he saw those looks from his father and his grandfather in his dream. Even she didn't want him.
"Sit down," Oliver replied. The tone in his voice made Cam pause and sink into the chair. It was the tone his father had never been able to use without making Cam's blood boil, the tone that said I am not done with you and you will listen to what I have to say. "Cam, I'm going to tell you that someone wants you, your parents as crazy as they are, want you. In some twisted way they love you."
"I—"
"No, let me finish then you talk. But you have to help them out, we are not perfect beings and that means we fuck things up. My friend already has someone in his guest bedroom. So what I am going to do is this: I'm going to make a decision without telling my wife, you can stay in our guest room, until we can solve this problem. But if we do this there's an agreement to go along with it."
"What?" Cam knew he could not accept that.
"No more missing school, no more sullen I hate the world attitude—because I hate that—and you will sit down with your father and have a conversation."
"He just wants to tell me how much I've messed up my life."
"Maybe you need to hear that."
"I didn't do anything I over slept I was going to go to school."
"Did you tell him that?"
"Didn't have a chance. Besides he wouldn't care all he cares about anymore is his other child, I might as well be invisible."
"Ara has that effect on people, but would she want you to be this unhappy?"
"I don't want to talk about her. She's the one who made this mistake and I am the one who suffers. So maybe everyone's right I'm just a failure because of her."
"Is that what you believe?"
"Might as well."
"Cam you are not a failure and I am going to tell you this because you deserve to hear it, your father was upset about the things he said."
"Why?"
"Like father like son?"
"What do you mean?"
"Jack Force was often a disappointment to his own father."
"Really?" Cam smiled sullenly, it would serve his father right to know how he felt at this moment.
"Yes, when he was in high school and probably most of the way through college Jack thought about making a new name for himself, a new mark. Charles wanted him to fall in line, follow the path that had been set for him since before the son was a sparkle in God's eye."
"Sky."
"Exactly and his father let into him and I'm guessing he folded. He never made it to the point you are at now."
"Really?" Cam brightened at the idea that his father was weaker than he was.
"Why don't you tell me what's going on."
"I lost."
"What?"
"Who," Cam corrected.
"I see…and?"
"Ara, I woke up and then…I feel empty and alone, so cold and disconnected." And angry he added silently.
"Well anything else?"
Cam thought for a moment should he tell Oliver? What could it hurt the man knew everything anyway. "She told me to have faith and I did and now…."
It's gone.
"Ara did?"
"Yeah, I was in the hospital and then she just was in my head and I felt better. But now I know the truth and I don't care anymore."
"Okay," Oliver said slowly drawing out the word drumming his fingers on the table, "I'll show you to your room."
"What no other questions?" It was Cam's experience that when adults got a hold of new information they would push you until they had everything they wanted. This guy just wanted to hear him out and then he left him alone.
"I think you just needed to share it with someone and don't worry Conduit's honor I won't tell anyone."
"You're pretty cool you know that?"
"Great now a pre-teen thinks I'm 'cool' whatever happened to my social life?"
"Hey I am a teenager."
"And that makes it better how?"
Cam shrugged but smiled this guy was alright.
Sariel was waiting in the room, where was Raphael? As if on cue the angel appeared, her twin the healer of the heavens.
"We shouldn't be messing in this Sariel."
"Do it," she ordered.
"We can't."
"It's done," she said then Sariel turned around, "isn't that right Michael?"
Charles Force was standing in the doorway, framed by the dim light of the hallway the man looked like the fallen angel he wasn't. Sariel smiled this would be a better night than she originally thought. Two birds, one stone.
"I did not know we were to be so honored," Charles said entering the room, he closed the door so that they would have some privacy. "I mean if I had known there would have been Arch Angels here—"
"Michael," Raphael started forward toward his old friend.
"What are you doing here?" The question was directed at Sariel.
"The girl needs to wake up, we are here to see that it happens, but since we're here we might as well cover some unfinished business."
Charles arched an eyebrow. "You'll wake up the one who's caught in the middle but not one of your own?"
"Gabrielle would have skinned me alive," Raphael responded quietly.
"So now that that's covered," Sariel said, "are you ready for your punishment?"
Charles smiled coldly, as if to say what have I done?
"Did you honestly think that you would get away with murder?"
Charles's face paled.
"Your status as an Arch Angel has been rescinded."
"You cannot you have no authority here."
"When you kill someone who belongs in heaven it becomes our problem, now we can do this the easy way or—"
"The hard way," Raphael supplied withdrawing his sword.
Charles held out his arm which Sariel took his arm and shoved the cuff of his shirt up. Gently as if patting a child on the head she ran her hand over the mark of the angel. It vanished under her fingers.
"May I ask," Charles said straightening his shirt, "who you chose to replace me?"
"You can ask but the person is under consideration."
"And Lucifer's spot?"
"Hmm, oh he's been replaced for some time now, your niece actually."
"I see. You are—"
"Just because we're not on earth," Raphael cut in, "doesn't mean we don't watch." Raphael placed a protective arm around Sariel and watched Michael until he backed out of the room and the door shut.
"Do you think I made an enemy today?" Sariel asked as Raphael went back to the bed.
"None you can't take on."
Raphael shook his head and he sat on the bed and placed a hand on the young girl's face. "Ara," he called, "wake up, it is time."
There was a small flash of light from his finger tips and Ara's eyes fluttered open.
Raphael stood up, "Be well."
Ara nodded. The two Arch Angels disappeared and Ara was left alone. She reached blindly for the nurse call button, she hit the button and waited.
The nurses were impressed at her quick recovery. They had never seen a comatose victim recover so quickly. The called her parents right away and helped her remove all of the hospital appliances.
Schuyler walked into her house late that night, it had been a long day at the office and not wanting to incur further problems she had stopped to see Evan and then fell asleep. Now officially still exhausted and ready for bed she opened her front door to a lovely surprise: Cam in her living room doing homework. Did the world hate her?
"Hello?" she said surprised to see the boy in her living room. Wasn't her discussion with Jack pre-freak out all about taking care of his kid and not giving her that responsibility?
"Hi," he brightened looking up from his books.
Oliver entered and indicated his office. "Be right back," Sky excused herself and made a b-line for the office pulling Oliver after her.
"What in the name of everything good is he doing here?"
"His homework."
"That's not funny," Schuyler snapped wiping Oliver's smile right off his face.
"I called Kingsley to see if Cam could crash there and he already has a guest. Which incidentally we should talk about."
"That still does not explain what he is doing in our living room and ten at night."
"He doesn't have anywhere else to go."
"How about his home?"
"Do you really want to send him back to that black hole?"
Schuyler messaged her temples the noise in her head was getting to be too much, especially when paired with her current home invasion problems.
"You okay?" Oliver asked placing a hand on her shoulder. She swatted his hand away and took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"I suppose he can stay here for one night, but I want you to talk to Jack about this tomorrow," she said sticking a finger in his chest. Like hell, she was going to speak with that man again.
Oliver's office phone went off, he grabbed the extension. "Hello? Yes no, no we'll be right there yeah." He hung up the phone. "Ara woke up," he said completely dumbfounded.
"We need to go."
"And Cam?"
"We –I—look I care about that kid as much as the next woman but my daughter woke up, and I need to be there you brought him into this house you will deal with him."
"Sky I want to see Ara just as much as you let me make one call."
"One."
Oliver grabbed the phone and punched in some numbers.
"Hello? I think I have the….no no I am looking for Kingsley, oh okay, look I know he said no earlier but Cam needs a place to stay. Really? You're sure Martin would be chill with that? Alright I'll bring him over."
"He's going to stay with Kingsley at least for tonight."
"Alright I'll get something for Ara and I'll meet you at the hospital."
Oliver took Cam to Kingsley's door, the teenager had been quiet on the drive over and when he as they waited at the door Oliver felt compelled to say something.
"Just for a few days."
"Whatever," the kid blew him off.
"Well you should feel lucky."
"Why? Because I am the one person in the world that nobody wants?"
"Because tomorrow another very special Van Alen woman will be sending you off to school."
That shut Cam up, Allegra Chase opened the door and welcomed Cam into the house.
Ara sat up, she felt odd, empty cold alone, pick any adjective thereof she could apply it. The bathroom was fully functional in her room, complete with its own steam shower. When she got out she felt better, the chill in her bones had receded. Standing in her towel she had a choice between the hospital gown she'd been wearing and her ball gown she'd had for the party. Not exactly what she wanted to wear.
The door opened and her parents rushed in. There were hugs and kisses and a change of clothes. All she wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep for three days curl up under the covers and hide until she could face the sun light.
Back in her room, Ara was getting ready for bed, her parents joked softly about her need to sleep. She'd been out for several months surely one more night was inconsequential? Her mother waited for her to crawl under the covers to turn out the light.
"Good to have you home sweetie." Schuyler reached for the light switch.
"Mom?"
"Yeah?" Her hand paused on the switch.
"Tomorrow can Jazz come over?"
"Of course." She reached for the switch again.
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
"Can I have a hug?"
Schuyler smiled for what felt like the millionth time and walked back into the room. "Any time." She wrapped her arms around Ar. Ara closed her eyes and let her mother's love sink in. If there was one thing she could depend on it was her mother, she would always love her.
Reader-Rabbit93: Yes definitely time to kick him in the shins! Thanks for the review!
KelseyMorgan': They are looking up a list from the library of all the blue bloods who were at Plymouth trying to piece some stuff together. No problem I should have made it more clear in my writing. Thanks for the review!
xo-tink-xo: I know I feel like in the end it's going to be Jack, I mean it's like best friend syndrome the BFF can be fabulous the paragon of men everywhere and still they just don't go for them...who knows?! I like adventures and there are tons more left! Thanks for the review!