The Angel

By

Michelle Naylor

Part 7

There was someone very softly singing. It was a song he knew, though he could not say how. Somewhere in the back of his mind, the melody struck a cord. (No pun intended.)

The language was strange. He could not place the words, yet they too reached in to touch some primal part of him.

The voice though…he knew that voice. It was the voice of his childhood, the one he would always hear inside his mind during his darkest times. The one that drove him into law enforcement, the one that urged him to come to Denver. That voice had never stirred him wrong.

A hand gently pushed a few strands of hair off his forehead. Soft, smooth fingers. They radiated warmth and comfort.

He opened his eyes, taking a few moments for his vision to clear.

A beautiful face looked down at him.

"Sirena." He whispered. He smiled and closed his eyes again. He felt safe. He could never feel otherwise in her presence.

He heard her soft laughter. "So you do remember. I knew you would, eventually."

"I don't, not really, but I do know you. I don't know how or why, but I do."

"Of course you do." She said, and started to hum again. Ezra felt himself begin to float on the wave of her voice. It was like being rocked to sleep.

The lovely sound of her voice and the touch of her hand where gone in an instant, replaced by the feel of a much larger, rougher touch on his forehead. He opened his eyes to protest Sirena's departure, but she was still there.

And Chris was kneeling beside him!

"Hey Ez." Chris said. "You feelin' better?"

He felt like throwing up. With effort he managed to force the bile back down his throat. Moving his gaze to Sirena, he saw her smile at him. Only it wasn't the soft, caring smile he recalled from before. This smile said all too clearly, 'I told you so'.

He narrowed his eyes at her. His angel had a mean streak.

"Stop that." He growled at her.

"Stop what?" Chris asked.

Ezra looked back to Chris. "I…uh…I meant…ummm, nothing."

"Uh-huh." Chris didn't sound to convinced. So much for his magic tongue, it deserted him when he needed it the most.

Ezra shifted uncomfortably on what he now realized to be the leather couch in Chris's office. "Ummm, Mr. Larabee, do you mind explaining how I cam to be ensconced in your office?"

"You must be feeling better." Chris said, shaking his head at the amount of words in the question. Wouldn't a simple 'how did I get here?' work just as well? "You passed out. You've been dead to the world for an hour."

Ezra felt himself shiver at the word 'dead'. He was reminded that that would be the state Chris would be in if he did not succeed. There would be on third chance. He knew that without even asking Sirena.

"Are you cold?" Chris asked when he was his undercover agent shake.

"No." Ezra shook his head. "just…deja-vu I believe."

There was a knock at the door, and Nathan stuck his head inside. "Hey, you're awake." He said when he saw Ezra sitting up. He came in and walked over to the southern man and reached one dark hand out to feel a cool forehead. "No fever, that's good." He went to touch Ezra's wrist to feel his pulse, but Ezra jerked his hand away.

"I assure you, Mr. Jackson, I am in perfect health."

"Men in perfect health don't pass out, Ezra." Nathan studied him with a critical eye. "When was the last time you ate?"

Ezra sighed. He knew it would do no good to argue with Nathan in his 'mother-hen' mode. "I missed dinner last night." Or would that be tonight? He hoped this time-shifting thing didn't leave him permanently confused. "And there was no time for breakfast this morning."

"I knew it." Nathan was giving him that look, the one usually reserved for naughty children and the feeble-minded. He obviously thought Ezra had no idea how to take care of himself. "I'm gonna order you up some food, and you're gonna eat every last bite of it." He turned to Chris. "I should take him home."

"NO!" Ezra and Sirena said the word at the same time.

"No." Ezra repeated. "I'm fine. I just need to eat, like Nathan says."

"He's agreeing with me, Chris. That's not a good sign."

Ezra shot a dirty look toward the former medic, only to see the humor behind his dark eyes. Ezra could feel the corners of his own mouth start to twitch.

"Well, miracles have been known to happen." He quipped, sending a sidelong glance at Sirena. She smiled.

Chris studied Ezra for a minute, trying to gage the truth about his health. He must have been satisfied, for he nodded and said, "Alright. No need to leave if you're not sick. You're not sick, are you?"

Ezra felt that cold stare bore into him. It was the magic of the Larabee glare; no one could lie while being held in its grasp.

"I'm right as rain." He gave what he hoped was his most assuring smile. Inside, he felt like falling over everytime he looked at Chris standing there, alive and healthy.

"Get him some breakfast." Chris spoke to Nathan. "Force feed him if you have too."

Nathan gave a two finger salute, the teams signal, and left to go downstairs to the cafeteria.

"Hey Ez." Chris said before Ezra could follow Nathan out of his office door.

"Yes, Mr. Larabee?" Ezra left his hand on the doorknob and turned his head to look at the team leader. He heart jumped again. Lord, he didn't know if he had the strength.

"You do." He heard Sirena whisper to him. Funny how her confidence in him could transfer into his own being.

"You better be telling the truth about how you're feeling. Can't afford to have you falling down on the job again." Chris told him.

"I assure you, I shall not fail to perform to the best of my abilities." The words where spoken to Chris, but they where meant for Sirena as well. He would not fail in what he had been chosen to do. No matter the cost.