Chapter 26 – The Uninvited Guest
(A/N – OK, I've been writing towards this scene (and the Epilogue) for almost 35 thousand words now, so – Welcome aboard to christine parillo.7 and The Book Fangirl – (as well as all the ones who prefer to remain anonymous) – Everyone, fasten your seatbelts, this flight may get a bit turbulent before we get back to land. And – to keep the legalities straight, I own Tia, Ciara, Marvin, Mr. Toomey, and Father Rick – everyone else comes courtesy of someone else's brain. Ready – Here Weeeee Goooo!)
It was about two hours until dawn, Saturday, June 9, 1897, the weather was clear and seasonal, about 60 degrees farenheight with about mid 70's predicted by noon, and nearly all of Phantasma was awake and fussing about last minute details for "The Boss's Wedding Day". Erik still didn't understand why everyone was making such a fuss about a simple wedding, but, since Christine seemed thrilled with all the preparations, he went along with it. He was still a trifle bewildered by the suit Tia had produced (What WAS that fabric?) but had consented to wear it, after she had finished the last stiches, using what seemed like a tentmaker's needle, to fit it to his (still stick thin) frame. He had also insisted on a few tucks to Christine's dress, which Tia also had made with that same super-sharp needle.
The gazebo had been decorated with as many flowers as they could get to fit – roses of every color predominated, but there were also bluebells, iris, poppies, and about a dozen other varieties woven into the whitewashed wooden latticework. Father Rick had borrowed an altar cloth from the Cathedral in downtown Manhattan, which completely enveloped the altar in white satin with white on white embroidered designs, featuring doves and double rings entwined with crosses... (At least three of the women had helped him fold the oversized cloth to fit, and show off the design, as perfectly as they could contrive.)
The path to the altar was strewn with flower petals (from the flowers that DIDN'T fit on the gazebo – Tia had had to intervene, or the path would have been two inches deep in the slippery things), but she had directed that the extra flowers be placed all over the Phantasma buildings, fences, and everywhere else, with a select percentage going to Erik's new house, to decorate every room there.
The entire orchestra was all there, lining the fence on three sides of the park; Tia had even managed to move a portable organ into place, as well as the best piano (except for Erik's, which was still in the Aerie).
As a last touch, Tia placed a large orb with an even larger cross dead-center on the altar. This was set with a center stone that she still could not identify, and had been in the Brittany haul, in a chest all its' own, but it did make a nice altar piece. (She had her suspicions that it had originally been part of the English Coronation Regalia, but hey, finders keepers.)
Even Father Rick had a new surplice, donated by Tia – she'd used the last of her roll of white Kevlar, just in case there was a bullet, she didn't need it ricocheting into their new priest! She had guards posted at all approaches, and every fence line was being watched. She'd even gotten the guards positioned so that every manhole cover to or from the sewer system had someone watching for anything out of the ordinary. If The Prince Of This World wanted himself or his minion inside Phantasma, he'd have to manifest them both (which HE could do, but that, at least, she could not defend against. Still, she'd already taken Darius down ONCE . . .)
She had a special surprise set up with the orchestra leader, the processional was to be the "Wedding Song" written by Noel "Paul" Stookey (not that she was telling anyone that it wasn't going to be written for 75 years yet!) with their best male vocalist doing the singing (she'd given him the sheet music over a week ago, and the orchestra leader's eyes had lit up in appreciation.)
He is now to be among you at the calling of your hearts
Rest assured this troubadour is acting on His part.
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. There is Love.
Well, a man shall leave his mother and a woman leave her home
They shall travel on to where the two should be as one.
As it was in the beginning, is now until the end
Woman draws a life from man and gives it back again.
And there is Love. There is Love.
Well, then what's to be the reason for becoming man and wife?
Is it Love that brings you here or Love that brings you life?
Or if loving is the answer, then who's the giving for?
Do you believe in something that you've never seen before?
Oh there's Love, oh there's Love.
Oh the marriage of your spirits here has caused Him to remain
For whenever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is Love. Ah there's Love.
All was going well, and Tia was hoping it would stay that way, right up to the point when the first kiss was to be exchanged. Tia suddenly felt like it was 29 degrees below zero, which meant that they now had at least one uninvited guest to deal with. Gesturing to Father Rick to finish the ceremony regardless, she turned towards the back of the park. Only Father Rick heard, and understood, the words she whispered softly as she went. It was the Latin version of Psalm 130, also known as the "De Profundus." (A/N – a rough translation is "Out of the depths I cry to thee, Oh, Lord . . .")
For Tia it was like walking through glue – though no-one else seemed to notice anything amiss even yet – HE was back in his handsome as anything could be persona, and dressed for the occasion, and Darius was not with him. /No loss, except, WHAT does HE want, and how do I deal with him?/
As she continued towards whatever awaited her, she mentally surrendered herself to whatever might happen, reciting the line in her head /Thy Will Be Done,/ but, Tia being Tia, could not resist adding /If You will show me how to do it./ In her heightened mental state, she didn't even blink when she Heard? Thought? Felt? She wasn't sure, but it said, /Open to Me, and I will help you./
/Come in then, if you be of the Light./ she returned, not caring that the price might be herself. She had committed to whatever it took YEARS ago, she would not turn away at the last moment (although part of her was wailing in primitive terror.)
Father Rick was watching, even while his hands, more or less on auto-pilot, finished the gestures of the Mass. To him it seemed as if Tia was absorbing a light, iridescent mist as she walked, but somehow, he could not be afraid.
Tia reached the stranger, and they bowed at each other, and Tia (who was not only Tia at the moment) said, "Hello, Lightbearer, it is good to see you again."
Mr. M, blinked once, then said, "Hello, Uriel, still following orders blindly, I see."
Uriel/Tia laughed without sound, "Following, yes, blindly, no, but then, I never COULD convince you of that, so let us not go there now. You are not going to win that argument at this late date, no more than I, so let us get right to the point. What do you seek here?"
Mr. M gestured toward the altar. "I want – that stone. You and I both know what power it has, and these mortal fools will not figure it out for years, if not centuries. Father was remiss in letting it stay on earth, anyway –"
Uriel frowned, but let the slur, if slur it was, pass. "Lou, can't you give it a rest and come home? We all miss you –"
"Home? HOME? I've got my own kingdom, where my word is law, what has home got that I haven't?"
"Your family." Came the flat reply, and Tia felt the fringes of Uriel's longing for his brother to come back where he SHOULD be. It was so strong that Tia felt a tear welling up in her eye in sympathy, and did not try to hide it. Uriel smiled at his brother gently, and held out the hand with the single tear still shimmering wetly on her/his fingertip. "Come home", Uriel urged again, still gently, and reached towards his brother.
Tia was shocked to see the Prince dodge the hand as though it were poisonous, muttering "Tears, freely given? Uri, you KNOW what that will do to this form! You win, I'll leave her and hers alone, but don't TOUCH me with that!" And, as swiftly as he had appeared, he was gone.
Uriel sighed, sad but not surprised by his brother's choice.
Surprised, but relieved, Tia mentally queried, /what's wrong with tears?/
/Nothing, child, but to him, it would have burned like acid. He's warped himself to the point where he's inside a "shell" of pain. That tear would have burned right through it. As for you, child, your task is accomplished. I will ensure that your unspoken nightmare will not happen. None of your family will come to the Light because of disease before you return home. Now, smile, the nuptial couple is coming this way, and I must go. Thank you for your help./
And Tia, smiling, began to make plans to go home, in about a week, after she'd left an economic guide for the family finances with Erik, and trained up someone (she had several candidates in mind, she'd have to pick one.)
Meanwhile, Erik and Christine were on their way to the Wedding Breakfast, which was set up in the Hotel Phantasma Main Dining Room (although Tia fully expected Erik to sneak off with Christine as soon as both of them had eaten and had made the Stable Master put a dual saddle on Cesar, tying him outside the Hotel side door, and making sure Erik knew where he was.)
(A/N – OK, TWO more chapters, one here and one at Tia's house, and then - I have an idea for a new tale- What if, instead of Christine the child coming from a Christian culture, she came from one where scars were a sign of physical prowess? And what if they met – face to face, while she was still under 10 years old? How would that change the situation? I'm still trying to figure the rest of the tale, but, I have the opening scene stuck in my head, so, watch for Going Swimming – coming soon to a FanFiction near you!)