Tyler and Chuck were seated at the kitchen table with their hands neatly folded in front of them, like school children in front of their teacher. Vivian was pacing back and forth in front of them.
"You will explain why you were fighting," she said in an authoritative voice.
Both boys were silent. Vivian was intimidating. She held her sword behind her head as she paced, giving them both death glares.
"SPEAK!" she yelled.
"It was nothing!" Chuck yelped.
"We were play fighting!" Tyler exclaimed.
She stopped pacing, eyeing them both up and down.
"I see. And what is the status of your mission?"
"Sarah and Anna both have jobs. We're all friends and we are in the process of deciphering what makes them happy," Tyler stated.
"Excellent," Vivian said, "You know, Roan and Ellie were going to come themselves. I see it was good that something came up and they couldn't come."
Chuck and Tyler exchanged glances.
"Because they would be sorely disappointed that you could tell a HALF TRUTH!" she thundered.
Both boys cringed, edging a bit closer to each other.
"I will be staying for a few days to observe you," Vivian said, opening the fridge and scrunching up her nose at the lack of groceries in there, "I will find out the truth and you will take my suggestions on how to run this mission more effectively."
She slammed the fridge door.
"Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes m'am!" both Tyler and Chuck saluted.
"Excellent. Tyler, be a dear and move your belongings to Chuck's room. I will require your bed."
Tyler scrambled off to his bedroom.
"Chuck, please tell me about Sarah and Anna. Start from the beginning."
Chuck nodded, took a deep breath, and began to tell her what he knew, leaving out the developments from the night before and the fact that Tyler and Anna were dating. He glanced at the clock in the kitchen. Sarah would be getting off work soon. So much for their first date.
He fidgeted.
"What is it?" Vivian demanded.
"Sarah," he said, "She should be getting off work soon. I was supposed to pick her up."
Vivian nodded, "We shall tell her a good reason tomorrow for your absence. Do not fear. I will handle it. Tonight, you and Tyler are going to tell me everything."
Chuck sighed, trying to keep it quiet as he did so. Anxiety shot through his body.
Sarah…I'm sorry.
Tears trickled down Sarah's face as she realized he wasn't going to come. She had been off work for an hour now. Putting her hoodie up, she stepped out into the rainy night, heading for home.
Tyler and Chuck were lying on the double bed – both as close to the edges of the bed as they could possibly get…as far away from each other as they could get.
"You're stealing the covers, cotton-Brain."
"Shut up, Prick. This is my bed. If you don't like it, go bunk on the couch."
Jolly mewed from the pillow between them. It was almost like he was telling them both to shut up – he was trying to sleep.
"Look, Chuck," Tyler said, "I'm sorry for freaking out on you, okay? But I think your dating stuff with Sarah is going to have to wait until Vivian is gone."
"I know," Chuck said sadly, "She's going to be mad at me because I was a no show to pick her up from work. It might be over before it started."
Tyler turned his head, able to pick out Chuck's miserable face even in the dark, "You really like her, don't you?"
Chuck nodded, "She's amazing. She's sweet and funny and so easy to be with. Most of all, she actually likes me for me. We have so much fun together. And I don't have to pretend around her. It's okay for me to make mistakes. I've never…had that before," he paused, "Is that how you feel about Anna?"
"Yeah," Tyler said quietly. He wasn't about to elaborate. He had no idea how he felt about Anna. He knew she was beautiful and sweet and had an amazing head on her shoulders. He was attracted to her. But she wanted Tyler to let Lou go, knowing he and Lou could never be together anyway. He didn't know if he could. Anna was right. It was wrong to ask her to settle for a one-night stand like he'd essentially done the other night. As long as he held onto his feelings for Lou, that's all it could ever be between him and Anna.
Tyler turned over onto his back, his arms behind his head, "I have a lot to tell you, Chuck. There's a lot you don't know."
Chuck turned his head, eyeing the other man. His face looked deep in contemplation.
"What if we started working together, Tyler? Not just tolerate each other, but actually work together. Maybe if we coordinate our efforts, things will go smoother."
Tyler was quiet as Chuck waited for the verbal assault.
Tyler nodded finally, "I hate it to say it, Chuck, but I think so too. Look…I don't want this going to your head, but my opinion of you is changing. I don't think you're a complete idiot. You're definitely an idiot, but maybe not as much as I thought."
Chuck wrinkled his nose. That made no sense. Did that mean he was a partial idiot?
"I won't call you names anymore," Tyler said, "Not unless you know I'm joking. And we need to find a way to talk more. I have a lot to tell you, starting with what's really going on between me and Anna. Contrary to what you believe, I have been working on our assignment."
Chuck nodded, "Thanks Tyler. I'll try not to beat you up anymore."
Tyler snickered, "Seriously? I offer you an olive branch and you go making up stories to boost your ego?"
"No…I appreciate your olive branch," Chuck was pleased he knew the expression…he didn't have to ask about it, "I'm telling you I'm ready to listen. I want to work together with you."
"That might not be so bad," Tyler admitted.
"So how did your date really go?" Chuck asked.
"I like her, but she knows I have a past I need to let go of first. We're going to continue to hang out and see where it goes. But that wasn't the reason we took off. We went to Boston. You may have noticed by now that Anna and Sarah have a secret."
"I think they're being followed," Chuck said, nodding.
"They are. By an ex-boyfriend. Sarah inherited some keys from her mother to a storage house in Boston. Anna...has another secret. She's an Angel too. She's Sarah's Guardian Angel. We've been working together for a few nights now. So, when we went to Boston, Anna and I actually went to see what was in the storage unit."
First, Tyler had to explain what a Guardian Angel was. Then, Tyler told Chuck about the gold bars and keepsakes. He had to explain why gold was valuable and what counterfeit was and why they had to check so many warehouses. Tyler worked really hard to keep his patience from wearing thin. He had meant what he said...he wanted to work together with Chuck. But if would be really nice if Chuck could have a few less questions. Nonetheless, Tyler found himself starting to enjoy the conversation.
"Wow!" Chuck exclaimed when Tyler had finished, "A lot of that was unexpected. But it does give us a good place to start protecting Sarah. Tyler…ex-boyfriend. Does that mean that at some point Sarah had 'special feelings' for him?"
Tyler nodded, "Yeah. At one point, she thought she loved him, Chuck."
Chuck's face fell, a twinge of pain passing through it. Then, it slowly evolved to anger as he thought about what Daniel had been putting her through.
"I'll kill him if he hurts her," Chuck seethed.
"Easy Lover Boy. Anna and I are working on ways to find a peaceful resolution. Knowing the bars are fake, maybe we can remove the keepsakes, let him have the keys, and he'll just leave her alone."
Chuck nodded. A peaceful resolution was preferable.
"What I told you about Anna – it has to stay a secret, okay? It will devastate Sarah. Even after we've finished our mission and move on, Anna will stay with Sarah. She can't know."
"We'll be moving on?" Chuck repeated. Tyler noted the sorrow that crossed Chuck's face.
"Chuck…" Tyler rested his head on one elbow, making eye contact, "Don't fall in love with her…and don't let her fall in love with you. There's a reason Angels are forbidden to fall in love with their assignments. I wasn't trying to be mean before. You really can't have a relationship with Sarah."
"But you and Anna like each other! Why can you date your assignment but I can't date mine?"
"Anna is an Angel," Tyler said, "There is no rule about Angel and Angel. Besides, there's nothing real there yet."
"There's no way?"
Tyler felt a twinge of anguish rush through him as he felt Chuck's pain. He knew what it was to love someone he couldn't have, "No Chuck. There's no way. That's not coming from me. It's not how things are done. Angels complete their assignments…and then they return to Heaven. Except for Guardian Angels. They get assigned for life."
Chuck fidgeted on his side of the bed, trying to process this new information.
"Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk. But it's a mistake to get caught up in something with Sarah. You're going to have to push her toward someone else...that's our mission...to help her find happiness within herself, then push her to a good relationship where she can find love."
"Why can't it be me?" Chuck asked, his voice so quiet, Tyler could barely hear him, "I would give up being an Angel in a heartbeat, Tyler."
Chuck was quiet for a few minutes, tears pricking his eyes. Tyler didn't know what to say to help him. That was an enormous statement.
Chuck was already falling in love with Sarah, Tyler realized. This was not going to end well. Sarah would not be able to find her happiness if she fell in love with someone she couldn't have. And Chuck...he would experience the same excruciating heartache that Tyler felt every single day for the past 5 years.
"I know, buddy," Tyler said finally, "But giving up being an Angel isn't possible. If it were, I'd have done it a long time ago.
Silence fell through the room again.
"Hey Tyler?" Chuck said after a long silence.
"Yeah."
"Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, Chuck. What is it?"
"Can you put some clothes on while you're in bed with me? It's awkward enough as it is."
"Shut up, Chuck."
Chuck was outside the apartment building when Sarah brought Bunny out the next morning.
"Sarah," he said softly, stepping in front of her, "I'm so sorry."
"I really don't want to talk to you right now," she hissed, trying to step around him.
"Sarah, please! There's a good reason!"
She turned, crossing his arms expectantly.
"I…I…had a visitor last night," he said. Trying to invent a reason on the spot was going to be hard. She already knew he didn't have any family. How could he explain Vivian?
"Who?" she said, the heat in her voice making Chuck cringe, "Know what? It doesn't matter. I know better than to trust people. Thanks for the fun, Chuck. Have a nice life."
"Sarah, please!" Chuck begged.
She whirled around, about to go off on him, when another voice chipped in.
"Hello – you must be Sarah!"
Vivian was dressed in a blue sundress, a large hat on her head. She smiled, reaching down to pat Bunny. She was sure a lot less scary looking this way!
Sarah looked at her up and down, "And you are?"
"Vivian!" she exclaimed, sticking out her hand, "I'm Vivian McArthur! I'm Tyler's cousin."
Chuck blinked. That was a good one. He never thought about using Tyler. Sarah didn't know about Tyler's family. Come to think of it, neither did he…other than that Trayvon was his brother.
"So sorry about keeping Chuck from meeting you last night, Sarah…it was all my fault!" Vivian gushed as she linked arms with Sarah and walked toward the apartment building, "Chuck, be a dear and throw Sarah's dog's business away."
"Umm," Sarah looked backwards to Chuck, who shrugged and took her paper towel from her to do as Vivian said.
"We should do lunch to make it up," Vivian was grinning ear-to-ear as Sarah opened the front doors of the apartment building to let them in, "I'll pay – I insist. Afterward, maybe we could do some shopping together and whatnot. I just know we're going to be amazing friends."
"Okayyyyy," Sarah pulled away from Vivian, a little daunted by her advances, "I'm going to get my mail before I go upstairs. I'll talk to you soon."
Moreover, Sarah wondered, why would Vivian take such an interest in her? She was a neighbor...one Tyler had only known a couple weeks.
Vivian nodded, skipping her way to the elevator. Sarah and Chuck watched in awe.
"She's…intense."
"Yeah," Chuck agreed, "You have no idea. So, I'm really, really sorry I didn't come get you last night…but I really, really couldn't get away from her."
Sarah nodded, "It's okay. I think I understand now."
They glanced at each other, slowly gravitating into a tight hug. They stood there, holding each other for a long moment. Chuck sniffed her hair, loving the scent.
"I really wanted to be with you last night," Chuck whispered into her hair, "I'm sorry, Sarah. Please I still want our date."
"I believe you," she whispered back, "And I still want our date. I... care about you, Chuck. As scary as Vivian is, she's not enough to scare me from wanting to be with you."
She lifted her face, brushing his cheek with a tender kiss when she noted the anxiety in his eyes. Now that she was looking at him, Chuck was shaking. Actually shaking.
"Chuck..." she pulled him into a hug again, reassuring him, "It's okay. I still want our date."
"Maybe I can get away tonight," he melted into her arms.
She nodded, "Okay."
The elevator dinged. Chuck jumped back a foot from Sarah just as Vivian stepped out, waving her arm, "Chuck dear! I need you to open the apartment for me! Tyler is still sleeping."
He looked back at Sarah, his eyes lingering in hers for a moment, "I've gotta go."
She nodded again.
Chuck joined Vivian in the elevator.
"Thank you, Vivian."
"Don't thank me," Vivian growled, "I told you last night I'd handle it and I did. I don't want you to blow your mission by ticking off your assignment!"
Chuck was still flushed and had a really hard time not fidgeting, "We're okay."
"Why are you picking her up at work anyway?"
"We're friends," Chuck shrugged, "Sometimes after work, we go do something fun."
Vivian nodded, allowing the half-truth to go for now. She was biding her time before she called them on their lies. Did he really think Vivian hadn't noticed Chuck jump 10 feet high when the elevator door opened? Ooooohh, but there would be hell to pay then.
She opened the apartment door, heading down the hall to Chuck's room.
"Tyler! Get up!"
He groaned as she half-dragged him to the living room. Jolly mewed as she pretty much threw Tyler on the couch a little too close to him.
"What is that?" Vivian asked.
"That's Jolly," Chuck said, picking up the kitten and wrapping him in his arms protectively, "He's my kitten."
"He's adorable!" Vivian gushed, grabbing Happy from Chuck and pretty much melting into a little puddle.
"I know, right? And he's so soft!" Chuck was grinning now, his earlier anxiety forgotten.
She made goo-goo eyes at Jolly for about 5 minutes, then put Jolly down and turned back to the boys.
"Now. What is your plan of action today?"
"Usually, we follow the girls to work and observe," Chuck said.
It was another half-truth. Chuck was pretty sure they'd only done it once…but he was afraid of telling Vivian that.
"Very good. Tyler, you'll follow Sarah today. Chuck, you follow Anna. I'll go between you."
"We usually do it the other way around," Tyler interjected, "I follow Anna."
Vivian eyed him, "And why is that?"
"I have a better friendship with Sarah," Chuck stated.
"I see," Vivian stated, watching both Tyler and Chuck's faces, "Then let's do it your way."
Tyler breathed out a sigh of relief. The cover story of Tyler and Anna being in a relationship could definitely not happen in front of Vivian. Vivian would murder him on the spot. He needed to get to Anna and tell her of the new developments ASAP. And then they needed to find a credible story to tell Sarah, who still believed they were dating, as to why they couldn't tell Vivian about them. He wasn't even sure if Vivian had figured out yet that Anna was a Guardian, although he didn't see why she couldn't know that. He really needed to corner Chuck again and find out what information Vivian was able to drag out of him during the questioning period.
Chuck was relieved because she wasn't pressing about Sarah.
Vivian was starting to think it was a bit comical and wondered how far she could let them think they were getting away with it before she'd have to crack the whip.
"Fine," Vivian said, "Then let's get going. Chuck, I'll go with you first."
Chuck and Vivian sat in the shadows, watching Sarah. It was a regular day. Sarah hurried around, serving her tables with a smile. Lou was working in the back again, so she would often head to the back to speak with her over various matters.
The door dinged. Trayvon walked into the restaurant slowly, looking for Lou.
Lazlo growled, but stepped away from Trayvon. Sarah's eye was pretty close to normal again, but still had a bit of a dark tinge to it. He didn't want a repeat.
Lou came out from the back to greet him, indicating a spot at the bar for him. The brunette-haired bartender, Hannah, poured him a beer.
Vivian was still watching Lou.
"Who is that?" Vivian whispered.
"That's the owner," Chuck replied. He didn't think he should divulge the truth. Tyler had trusted him with it.
Vivian glanced at him. Another half-truth.
"So, we'll go after work," Trayvon said.
Lou nodded, "Yeah. That sounds good."
Trayvon kissed her cheek and left the restaurant.
"Well, not much is happening here," Vivian said, "I'm going to go catch up with Tyler. Let me know if anything changes."
Chuck didn't miss the look in Vivian's eyes though. She had definitely gotten something out of her observations.
She was watching Lou and Trayvon and Chuck wondered what it was about her that had caught Vivian's attention.
Chuck nodded and Vivian flitted away. He glanced at Lou. The woman looked troubled as she drowned in her own thoughts in a shot of rum. Sarah continued to serve her tables, blissfully unaware.
Casey had his arm pressed to the bookcase, effectively caging Anna in as he flirted with her, much to Tyler's absolute annoyance.
When Tyler had arrived earlier, he managed to get a moment with Anna to tell her the relationship thing was off…in front of Vivian, anyway. Her eyes grew wide when he'd told her the Contessa had come and she agreed, she'd have to act natural. She had never actually met Vivian face-to-face, being a Guardian Angel with a long-term mission, but she had heard the stories from various passing Angels over the years. They would definitely all have to be on their best behavior. Plus, they'd have to keep up the dating story in front of Sarah if they wanted to use the story again. She was...less than happy about that. It pissed her off. It was like the dating cover story was a game to Tyler more than a cover story. He wasn't willing to get busted by Vivian, but wanted to pick up where they left off with it after Vivian left...which would hopefully be extremely soon. Anna was showing her attitude toward the whole thing blatantly now.
He watched Anna blush as Casey played with Anna's hair, twisting it around his finger. She giggled lightly. He was telling her his plans for when he left the library...to pursue his career in architecture.
"Ahh," a voice said beside him, making Tyler jump, "It seems we know who Anna's Cupid Arrow needs to hit."
"Vivian, you really need to announce your presence better," Tyler muttered, trying to keep from being rattled about her comment.
"Who is he?" Vivian asked, ignoring his last comment.
"That's John Casey. He's on probation for beating up a man several months back. His sentence is to work here for 3 months. He should be done probation by next week. Anna says he shouldn't have been charged since he was with his cousins at the time and they were the ones who did the beating. He even tried to stop them. She says he's a great guy."
"Hmmm…" Vivian said with interest. Her gaze wandered over to Freed, "And who's that?"
"That would be Emmett – the Head Librarian and local cryptographer."
"Another love interests?" Vivian asked.
"No," Tyler shook his head, "His treatment of Casey bothers her. She has no interest in him other than career-wise. However, he could be the key to making Anna happy since Anna has an interest in cryptology."
Anna was giggling again at something Casey was saying, glancing up to the corner where Tyler was none-too-discreetly.
"I can see he looks rough on the outside, but he's just a big baby on the inside," Vivian smiled, romantic hearts appearing in her eyes, "We should just hit them with the Cupid Arrow right now!"
"That hasn't been established yet," Tyler snapped, "And you know the rules…we can't shoot Cupid's arrow until the subject is happy with his or her own lives. That way, the new couple doesn't have baggage. Anna still has issues to resolve."
He gulped back the lump in his throat, thinking about both Anna and Lou. Touché.
Vivian pouted, "But it's so obvious they like each other! Look at them!"
Tyler gave her a perplexed glare, willing himself to keep his temper intact. Between Casey flirting with Anna right in front of him, and Vivian being happy about it, his brain had had just about enough. And there was the fact that Vivian was acting like Casey and Anna were the most perfect couple for each other ever. She couldn't wait to pair Anna and Casey. Obviously, it hadn't dawned on her yet that Anna was a Guardian. Vivian was as tough as they came, but when it came to making two people in love, apparently, she went with the shoot first, ask questions later theory.
Several hours later, both the girls were done with their shifts. Chuck, Vivian and Tyler were meeting up at the town square to walk Sarah home. Anna had already taken a cab.
"We haven't much to report," Vivian said as they joined Chuck.
"Me neither," Chuck replied, "Just a normal, boring day for Sarah."
Tyler was staring at the 8-Island. Anger was already coursing through his blood at Anna's attempts at making him jealous. He knew he was already in a bad...maybe dangerous mood. This was not helping. Trayvon was coming out of 8-Island with Lou. He glanced at Chuck, ticking his head toward them. Chuck understood...he wanted to follow them.
Vivian glanced over at the couple, opening her mouth to speak to Tyler.
Chuck threw an arm around Vivian, "Have you seen the local bakery here, Vivian? They have the most amazing strawberry shortcake! Let's go have a piece."
Vivian's eyes almost popped out of her head, "Indeed!"
"I'm not much for sweets," Tyler said, "I'll meet you at home."
"Let's go visible and invite Sarah to come with us!" Chuck suggested. He winked at Tyler.
"See ya later!" Tyler called as they walked out of sight to meet Sarah.
He feigned walking for home for a minute, then hopped into the shadows and B-lined for Lou and Trayvon. He didn't know why they were together, but he intended to find out.
They walked slowly, joining hands as they came to the edge of town. Tyler was growling and it was a good thing he was in shadow mode because if he was in transparency, he'd have decked Trayvon by now. That was nerve…holding hands with his woman.
A twang of guilt and Anna's face flashed through his mind. He shook it off and continued his quest.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Trayvon asked Lou.
"Yes," she nodded, "It's the only way I can let go."
He took her hand and lead her inside a gate. Tyler looked up. Above the gate was a large steel sign indicating "Cemetery."
He followed Lou and Trayvon inside the Cemetery, his insides twisting. He had a feeling he knew what they were doing there…and he was right. Tyler wanted to throw up as he realized he was face to face with his own tombstone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
TYLER MARTIN
DOB: February 12, X766
Passed Away August 4, X784
Love is Eternal, Let Me Light the Way
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Lou bent down, placing fresh flowers on the grave. Trayvon stood beside her, a hand on her shoulder.
"Tyler," Lou said in a shaky voice, "I need you to know that I love you. And I always will. You still plague my dreams every night. But it's been 5 years now. I have to let you go. I know you wouldn't approve of this," she started to cry, "But I love Trayvon. Please forgive us. I never wanted what happened to you...to occur. I swear to you…" her tears took over, her body shaking with sobs, "It just happened."
She reached in her pocked for a Kleenex, wiping her tears, then blowing her nose before continuing, "But if you hadn't been hit by the truck…if you were still alive now…I don't know if things would be different. I think I'd still love Trayvon. Please forgive us. Give us you're blessing."
Tyler's mouth fell open.
I don't know if things would be different. I think I'd still love Trayvon. Give us you're blessing.
Tyler felt a stabbing in his heart. He let out a roar, his body teaming with rage. In the shadows, Trayvon and Lou wouldn't hear his painful scream. But the birds did. A bunch of birds took off into the sky.
"Hi there Brother," Trayvon said, holding Lou's sobbing figure to him, "I want to say I'm sorry too. We both know Lou is an amazing woman."
"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THAT IF IT WEREN'T FOR ME?" Tyler screamed, "YOU STOLE HER FROM ME IN MY OWN HOUSE, YOU PATHETIC, LYING BASTARD! YOU SLEPT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND AND THEN YOU KILLED ME!"
"I promise I'll take care of her," Trayvon continued, "I'm sorry. I really wanted to be a good brother to you."
"THAT'S SUCH A CROC!" Tyler bellowed. He flitted out of the shadows, slipping into transparency and started ripping branches off nearby trees, chucking them at Lou and Trayvon, turning them into a barrage of spiky missile-like weapons. In shadow form, he moved much quicker than real-time and was able to break branches at an alarming rate. The barrage would be deadly if he actually meant to hit them. He might have tried for Trayvon, but Lou was right beside him.
Lou screamed. Trayvon grabbed her hand as they ran from the cemetery.
Tyler fell to his knees, his own sobs wracking his body.
"I don't understand," he cried out, "I loved you. I gave you my life. You were my life…And you betrayed me…how can you want to be with the man who killed his own brother – the one you loved?"
He stayed there for a long time, knowing he was putting Chuck in a horrible position, having to deal with Vivian. But his anguish prevented him from moving. Lou wanted his blessing. How could he give his blessing? He'd already given her everything he had…even his life.