^ ^ ^ ^
"Do you have any beer?"
Bethany sat down on the chair to steady her nerves. She was shaking. "What?" she asked dazedly.
"Do you have beer? Alcohol? Nip? Drunk-juice? Tipple?" Loki stood up.
"Uh," Bethany put her palm to her forehead and squinted, trying to clear her head enough to think straight. "Yeah, in the fridge in the kitchen." She pointed to the kitchen doorway. Loki was almost to the doorway when she continued, "Wait a minute! Its 8:30 in the morning!" she called to him.
Loki just shrugged. "So?" He disappeared through the door and returned a few seconds later with two bottles of beer in hand. He put one of the bottles down on the coffee table in front of Bethany and opened his own and took a swig. "I need a beer and you sure as hell look like you could use one right about now." He tried to smile, but one glance at Bartleby and Loki's face turned solemn again. He returned to his kneeling position at Bartleby's side.
Bethany took the beer bottle in her hands and stared at the liquid inside it before she spoke again. "You're human? But how can that be?" She twisted the cap off and took a swallow of the cold liquid.
Loki sighed, knowing that his answer would not be a short one. "I don't quite know exactly 'how'. We just are." He looked from Bethany to Bartleby. "And we *can* be hurt. We have all the characteristics and feelings that humans have. We can feel joy, pain, sorrow, happiness, hunger, thirst, sickness, weakness, regret, blah, blah, blah. And we know jealousy and hatred as well as love and . . . free will. All of it, Bethany. Our wings are gone and in their absence we've received some, well, *manly* equipment." He made an indeterminate gesture towards his crotch area. Then he glanced at Bartleby's clothes that were thrown haphazardly over the back of the chair that Bethany was sitting on. "Seeing that you took the liberty of freeing B from his clothes, I thought you might have figured that one out on your own."
Bethany almost choked on her beer. She coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, gaping at Loki. "We didn't strip him naked! He's wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts, of course!" She defended herself. "And besides, it's not as if I was *looking* for something like that, Loki." Bethany felt the heat rise in her cheeks at her own comment. She knew she couldn't hide the flush of color on her face. She looked away from him, embarrassed.
Loki smiled at the site of her. "Anyway," he continued with a bit of delight in his voice, "Bartleby and I are red-blooded humans . . . . . and have been for about a year and a half, now."
Bethany composed herself enough to speak again. "But that doesn't explain anything. Why? How? You died, Loki. Bartleby killed you." Bethany regretted saying that, the moment the words left her lips. Loki's brief joyous expression vanished in an instant and his eyes shown vividly with the sting of betrayal.
"Yes," he whispered slowly after a long pause. "I died. And I remember dying, but then the next thing I remember is waking up in an unfamiliar house in Illinois with B asleep in the chair next to me. No explanations. No great wisdom of forgiveness from God. No one to tell us what the hell happened and why we were there. Nothing. We were just back on earth, human, and scared shitless."
"So you have no clue why God sent you back?"
Loki shook his head again. "Nope. We can assume a lot of things, like maybe we were forgiven, but sent here to earth to live out the life of mortals as punishment for our sins. At least, that's the only thing B and I can come up with that makes any amount of sense."
Bethany pondered that statement for a moment. "Turned into humans as punishment? That doesn't sound like something God would do. Maybe you were sent here as more of a kind of learning experience or something, letting you see the world through human eyes instead of the way angels may see it."
"Oh, so being related to The Almighty makes you some kind of expert on the subject?" Loki replied sarcastically. "It doesn't matter, anyway. All we know for sure is that we're here and not in hell - well we're not in Satan's hell, anyway. We all live in our own kind of hell now, don't we?" Loki managed a weak smile, but his words made Bethany wary of what he was really feeling.
She watched as Loki lovingly brushed Bartleby's bangs away from his forehead. Bartleby didn't stir, but he did take a deeper breath than usual, seeming to somehow recognize that Loki was with him. It was heart- wrenching to watch Loki with him. Bethany could see, despite what Bartleby had done in the past, that Loki still had great admiration and love for his friend. She wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate to ask her next question, but she had to know.
"So, you've forgiven him?"
Loki darted his attention toward Bethany with a look of disbelief on his face. "Of course," he said without hesitation. He glared at Bethany as if her question was the most outrageous thing he'd ever heard. "B made a mistake. We all make mistakes."
"But, Loki, he kil-"
"He made a mistake," Loki interrupted with austerity in his voice. "And I have forgiven him. I had to. I can't remember a time when Bartleby was not in my life and I couldn't bear for him not to be now. He's my best friend, Bethany, and we're in this together. If anything were ever to happen to him . . . I don't know what I'd do." He looked back down upon Bartleby. "When he didn't come home the other night, it scared me to death. I'd never felt that helpless before. I was alone. We've never been apart from each other for more than a few hours, so I *knew* something had happened. B wouldn't just leave me like that. Not ever." Loki stopped for fear of the tremble he heard in his own voice. Then he smiled sheepishly. "I'm still getting used to this whole stupid human emotion thing." He shrugged. "Sometimes it can be overwhelming, ya know?"
Bethany nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Loki took a sip from his beer again, trying to shake off his "stupid human emotion".
"Anyway, I knew B had been watching you - keeping an eye on you, so to speak; making sure you were okay and everything. We figured God placed us in Illinois, near you, for *some* reason, so B figured it was for protection - yours and Grace's protection. B *was* a Watcher, after all, so it was him who'd been lookin' out for you. That's what led me here, today. I knew that when B didn't come home, that he'd been out watching over you and Grace. So I came here asking if you'd seen him, even though I figured it was a long-shot. Because B never let you see him. He was always good at hiding when he 'watched'; good at blending into the background."
"He must have been good at it. I never saw him."
"So, imagine my surprise when you said he was here with you, in your house. Does he know he's here?" Loki looked at Bethany.
She shook her head. "He's been unconscious since the fight. Well, he did wake up for a brief time, last night, but he was so disoriented, I don't quite think he knew where he was. But he asked for you, Loki."
"He did?"
"Yeah, he said he had to get to you."
Loki smiled brighter than ever at Bethany's revelation. "He knew I was alone. He never leaves me alone for too long. He knows I'm a fucking 'scaredy-cat'."
Bartleby groaned softly in his sleep and turned his head slightly which caught both Loki's and Bethany's attention. Neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity. They both waited to see if Bartleby would wake up, but he didn't shift or make another noise. He remained silent and motionless, once again.
Bethany polished off the remaining drops of her beer and sighed. She leaned back in her chair and took in the sight of the two former angels that now congregated in her small living room. Something in her gut told her that they were here for a reason. //God has a plan. God always has a plan.// And somehow she knew that this was only the beginning of something big. The warlocks, or "the devil's minions", as Loki had put it, were after Grace for a reason, too, and that scared Bethany. But she also realized that Bartleby had been watching over her, protecting her, and coming to her rescue when she most needed it and that gave her great comfort. She knew in her heart that these two former angels meant her no harm. But one lagging question remained in the back of her mind; A question that, even if she asked, would be something that she needed to find out for herself.
"Loki?"
"Yes?"
"Do you trust Bartleby? I mean, even after everything - I *know* you love him, but . . . . do you *trust* him?"
There was a long pause. Loki never glanced away from Bartleby to look Bethany in the eye when he spoke. "With my life."
And that's when they heard the baby begin to cry.
^ ^ ^ ^
"Do you have any beer?"
Bethany sat down on the chair to steady her nerves. She was shaking. "What?" she asked dazedly.
"Do you have beer? Alcohol? Nip? Drunk-juice? Tipple?" Loki stood up.
"Uh," Bethany put her palm to her forehead and squinted, trying to clear her head enough to think straight. "Yeah, in the fridge in the kitchen." She pointed to the kitchen doorway. Loki was almost to the doorway when she continued, "Wait a minute! Its 8:30 in the morning!" she called to him.
Loki just shrugged. "So?" He disappeared through the door and returned a few seconds later with two bottles of beer in hand. He put one of the bottles down on the coffee table in front of Bethany and opened his own and took a swig. "I need a beer and you sure as hell look like you could use one right about now." He tried to smile, but one glance at Bartleby and Loki's face turned solemn again. He returned to his kneeling position at Bartleby's side.
Bethany took the beer bottle in her hands and stared at the liquid inside it before she spoke again. "You're human? But how can that be?" She twisted the cap off and took a swallow of the cold liquid.
Loki sighed, knowing that his answer would not be a short one. "I don't quite know exactly 'how'. We just are." He looked from Bethany to Bartleby. "And we *can* be hurt. We have all the characteristics and feelings that humans have. We can feel joy, pain, sorrow, happiness, hunger, thirst, sickness, weakness, regret, blah, blah, blah. And we know jealousy and hatred as well as love and . . . free will. All of it, Bethany. Our wings are gone and in their absence we've received some, well, *manly* equipment." He made an indeterminate gesture towards his crotch area. Then he glanced at Bartleby's clothes that were thrown haphazardly over the back of the chair that Bethany was sitting on. "Seeing that you took the liberty of freeing B from his clothes, I thought you might have figured that one out on your own."
Bethany almost choked on her beer. She coughed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, gaping at Loki. "We didn't strip him naked! He's wearing a T-shirt and boxer shorts, of course!" She defended herself. "And besides, it's not as if I was *looking* for something like that, Loki." Bethany felt the heat rise in her cheeks at her own comment. She knew she couldn't hide the flush of color on her face. She looked away from him, embarrassed.
Loki smiled at the site of her. "Anyway," he continued with a bit of delight in his voice, "Bartleby and I are red-blooded humans . . . . . and have been for about a year and a half, now."
Bethany composed herself enough to speak again. "But that doesn't explain anything. Why? How? You died, Loki. Bartleby killed you." Bethany regretted saying that, the moment the words left her lips. Loki's brief joyous expression vanished in an instant and his eyes shown vividly with the sting of betrayal.
"Yes," he whispered slowly after a long pause. "I died. And I remember dying, but then the next thing I remember is waking up in an unfamiliar house in Illinois with B asleep in the chair next to me. No explanations. No great wisdom of forgiveness from God. No one to tell us what the hell happened and why we were there. Nothing. We were just back on earth, human, and scared shitless."
"So you have no clue why God sent you back?"
Loki shook his head again. "Nope. We can assume a lot of things, like maybe we were forgiven, but sent here to earth to live out the life of mortals as punishment for our sins. At least, that's the only thing B and I can come up with that makes any amount of sense."
Bethany pondered that statement for a moment. "Turned into humans as punishment? That doesn't sound like something God would do. Maybe you were sent here as more of a kind of learning experience or something, letting you see the world through human eyes instead of the way angels may see it."
"Oh, so being related to The Almighty makes you some kind of expert on the subject?" Loki replied sarcastically. "It doesn't matter, anyway. All we know for sure is that we're here and not in hell - well we're not in Satan's hell, anyway. We all live in our own kind of hell now, don't we?" Loki managed a weak smile, but his words made Bethany wary of what he was really feeling.
She watched as Loki lovingly brushed Bartleby's bangs away from his forehead. Bartleby didn't stir, but he did take a deeper breath than usual, seeming to somehow recognize that Loki was with him. It was heart- wrenching to watch Loki with him. Bethany could see, despite what Bartleby had done in the past, that Loki still had great admiration and love for his friend. She wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate to ask her next question, but she had to know.
"So, you've forgiven him?"
Loki darted his attention toward Bethany with a look of disbelief on his face. "Of course," he said without hesitation. He glared at Bethany as if her question was the most outrageous thing he'd ever heard. "B made a mistake. We all make mistakes."
"But, Loki, he kil-"
"He made a mistake," Loki interrupted with austerity in his voice. "And I have forgiven him. I had to. I can't remember a time when Bartleby was not in my life and I couldn't bear for him not to be now. He's my best friend, Bethany, and we're in this together. If anything were ever to happen to him . . . I don't know what I'd do." He looked back down upon Bartleby. "When he didn't come home the other night, it scared me to death. I'd never felt that helpless before. I was alone. We've never been apart from each other for more than a few hours, so I *knew* something had happened. B wouldn't just leave me like that. Not ever." Loki stopped for fear of the tremble he heard in his own voice. Then he smiled sheepishly. "I'm still getting used to this whole stupid human emotion thing." He shrugged. "Sometimes it can be overwhelming, ya know?"
Bethany nodded and gave him a reassuring smile. Loki took a sip from his beer again, trying to shake off his "stupid human emotion".
"Anyway, I knew B had been watching you - keeping an eye on you, so to speak; making sure you were okay and everything. We figured God placed us in Illinois, near you, for *some* reason, so B figured it was for protection - yours and Grace's protection. B *was* a Watcher, after all, so it was him who'd been lookin' out for you. That's what led me here, today. I knew that when B didn't come home, that he'd been out watching over you and Grace. So I came here asking if you'd seen him, even though I figured it was a long-shot. Because B never let you see him. He was always good at hiding when he 'watched'; good at blending into the background."
"He must have been good at it. I never saw him."
"So, imagine my surprise when you said he was here with you, in your house. Does he know he's here?" Loki looked at Bethany.
She shook her head. "He's been unconscious since the fight. Well, he did wake up for a brief time, last night, but he was so disoriented, I don't quite think he knew where he was. But he asked for you, Loki."
"He did?"
"Yeah, he said he had to get to you."
Loki smiled brighter than ever at Bethany's revelation. "He knew I was alone. He never leaves me alone for too long. He knows I'm a fucking 'scaredy-cat'."
Bartleby groaned softly in his sleep and turned his head slightly which caught both Loki's and Bethany's attention. Neither of them moved for what seemed like an eternity. They both waited to see if Bartleby would wake up, but he didn't shift or make another noise. He remained silent and motionless, once again.
Bethany polished off the remaining drops of her beer and sighed. She leaned back in her chair and took in the sight of the two former angels that now congregated in her small living room. Something in her gut told her that they were here for a reason. //God has a plan. God always has a plan.// And somehow she knew that this was only the beginning of something big. The warlocks, or "the devil's minions", as Loki had put it, were after Grace for a reason, too, and that scared Bethany. But she also realized that Bartleby had been watching over her, protecting her, and coming to her rescue when she most needed it and that gave her great comfort. She knew in her heart that these two former angels meant her no harm. But one lagging question remained in the back of her mind; A question that, even if she asked, would be something that she needed to find out for herself.
"Loki?"
"Yes?"
"Do you trust Bartleby? I mean, even after everything - I *know* you love him, but . . . . do you *trust* him?"
There was a long pause. Loki never glanced away from Bartleby to look Bethany in the eye when he spoke. "With my life."
And that's when they heard the baby begin to cry.
^ ^ ^ ^