"Uhhh..." Adam stammered with uncertainty, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze upon him.
He doesn't understand what happened. He had only offered Jophiel a bowl of grilled eel and now she was asking for his hand in marriage!?
It had been ages since he entertained the idea of romance, and now someone was actually proposing to him!? Should he accept? Then again, he remembers Lute's distrust of her. She claimed Jophiel was the source of her unease for decades.
Jophiel, stalking them for decades? It sounded absurd. Surely, a seraphim of her stature had more important matters to attend to than shadowing the First Man and his Lieutenant.
She was stunning, her scent reminiscent of moonflowers. But this was the Angel of Love, so surely her intentions were pure, right? Perhaps accepting her proposal would lead to a life filled with boundless affection and joy.
...
But what if she was like Lucifer?
Leading him into love only to shatter it? Was she feigning affection, biding her time to steal or trick those he cared for?
Please, no.
He couldn't bear that agony again.
Eve and Lilith had already proved to him that love is never enough.
Discovering Eve's contentment in hell with Lucifer and Lilith had left him shattered.
But Sera and Emily had been his solace, mending his broken heart. Lute and her sisters had shown him the possibility of new love. Aclima proved that love endures through time, and Vaggie instilled hope within him.
If he lost them ...
But perhaps this may be a new opportunity for him. Eve has already moved on and yet he is still stuck, afraid of pursuing romantic love. Adam's mind raced, torn between the allure of Jophiel's proposal and the haunting specters of past heartaches.
Its been centuries since he even thought of romance ...
It would be unfair to Jophiel for him to say 'yes' when his heart isn't in the right place.
"Maybe." Adam replies to Jophiel. "I need some time to think about it."
...
"WHAT!?" Everyone shouts in unison, except Michael who only broke out in laughter.
"Dad, No!" Aclima exclaims with a look of shock. HE SHOULD HAVE SAID NO!
Without warning, Aclima suddenly pulls Adam away from Jophiel and to his room.
"Lieutenant! Guard the door!" Aclima orders as she pushes Adam into his room.
"Yes ma'am!" Lute replies. Once the door was closed, Lute stood in front of it, daring anyone to try and approach.
Back in the dining room, Jophiel was left standing, stunned that Adam had not said 'yes'. She, the very image of beauty, could quite possibly be rejected. NO! SHE MUST HAVE HIM!
Emily was about ready to break down into tears. Was Adam really going to leave her for Jophiel!? NO! JOPHIEL DOESN'T DESERVE HIM!
In his room, Aclima forces Adam to sit on his bed before rubbing her face in frustration.
"Dad! You can't seriously be considering marrying her right!?" Aclima ask in a loud voice. "You just met her today!"
"Why is that an issue?" Adam ask with a puzzled expression. "I met your mom just like that too."
"What?" Aclima ask, bewildered by his answer. Her dad met mom the same way?
"Yeah, you should know the history." Adam confirms. "Your grandma came to Eden and removed one of my ribs to create a wife for me. The next morning, I met your mother and the angels announced that the two of us would be husband and wife so ... yeah."
It suddenly all made sense to Aclima. Her father had no idea on romance because he was just assigned a wife. Much like his first wife as well, he was just introduced to Lilith and told that she was his wife.
"Oh my goodness." Aclima exclaims, realization dawning on her. "Dad, that's not how it works anymore! People don't just get married because they're told to."
"I know that ... for humans. I just figured that angels like to skip ahead." Adam replies. It made sense to him. Lucifer and Lilith practically got hitched within a week of them meeting.
Aclima shook her head in disbelief. "You can't just agree to marry someone you barely know. Relationships are about more than just being assigned a partner. It's about connection, compatibility, shared values, and love."
"Yeah and your mom and I had that. We just got married first." Adam replies. "Maybe it will be the same with Jophiel."
Aclima sighed, trying to find the right words to convey the complexities of modern relationships to her father, who seemed stuck in a different era. "Dad, I understand that's how it was for you back then, but times have changed. Love isn't something that can be rushed or arranged. It's about mutual understanding, trust, and genuine affection."
Adam furrowed his brow, contemplating his daughter's words. "But Jophiel seems sincere, doesn't she? Maybe there's something to her proposal."
"Dad, sincerity is important, but it's not the only thing that matters," Aclima gently explained. "You need to take the time to really get to know her, to see if your hearts align, if your dreams and aspirations complement each other. Much like we have!"
"You know what!? You're not allowed to marry someone else without my approval!" Aclima declares, pointing a finger at herself. "In fact! Forget Jophiel! We should get married!"
"You're my daughter! That's uhhh ... what do the winners call it ... incest!" Adam exclaims in disbelief. "It's supposedly bad!"
"You wanted me to marry Abel! How is this any different!? Besides, Seth and Azura are married and they're happier than ever!" Aclima retorts. "We've known each other the longest. Hell! I've known you longer than mom has known you! I know for a fact that we're compatible!"
"I LOVE YOU!" Aclima shouts, determination in her eyes.
Adam ponders her words. There are truth to her words, especially regarding compatibility and the depth of their relationship. Aclima had been his confidante, his rock, for centuries. They understood each other in ways no one else could. In so many ways, Aclima reminded him of Eve.
"I -" Adam was about to respond when Lute suddenly kicks open the door. After attentively listening to the conversation going on behind the door, she had to intervene.
"Sir! Don't listen to her!" Lute yells out. "I'm far more compatible than her!"
"Can it Lieutenant!" Aclima orders, angry that her moment was interrupted.
"With all due respect ma'am, fuck you!" Lute retorts. "Please Sir, I've been by your side since my creation. I WOULD DIE FOR YOU SIR! Surely, I am the better companion!"
"I LOVE YOU!" Lute shouts out with passion Adam has never seen Lute display before.
Adam sat in stunned silence, caught between his daughter's earnest plea and his lieutenant's unexpected outburst. Both Aclima and Lute were right in their own ways. Aclima, with her deep understanding of him, his history, and their bond forged over centuries. And Lute, fiercely loyal and steadfast in her dedication to him, always there to protect and support.
"I -" Adam was about to respond when Emily interrupts them. With the door wide open, she had heard everything that was transpiring and knew she needed to act. Flying into the room, she tackles Adam and looks into his eyes.
"Adam, I LOVE YOU!" Emily exclaims with tears in her eyes. "I love you more than any of them! Remember all the joy I brought you!? All the times we spent in Eden!?"
Caught in the whirlwind of emotions and declarations of love, Adam sat there, stunned, as Aclima, Lute, and now Emily vied for his attention and affection.
His heart felt like it was being pulled in three different directions. Each woman had a special place in his heart, each offering something unique and valuable. How could he choose between them?
"Hey!" Jophiel shouts as she enters the room. "Get away from him! I've spent over 13 decades watching him! He is mine!
"You what!?" Adam ask out loud. Flabbergasted by the revelation that a seraphim was watching him for over 13 decades. Lute was right!?
"I knew it!" Lute exclaims proudly. "See Sir, she is a threat!"
Emily quickly releases Adam and stands between him and Jophiel with her arms raised. "Stay away from Adam! His love belongs to me!" Emily shouts with a threatening pose.
"Step aside Emily! I know for a fact that none of you confessed to him before me!" Jophiel points out. "So he is mine!"
Lute tosses a spare spear over to Aclima and unsheathes her own rapier. Together, they come up to Emily side and focus their attention on Jophiel. Jophiel herself has her wings extended to its full length and her many eyes appearing over her hair and body.
All four were ready to clash when a sound of a portal opening up behind them can be heard. Turning around, they see Adam slip into the portal before it closes.
"ADAM!/DAD!/SIR!" They shout in unison.
"Look what you girls did! You scared the love of my life away!" Jophiel complains.
"Our life was fine until you showed up!" Aclima retorts, her spear still pointed at Jophiel.
"You're the one threatening Sir!" Lute backs up Aclima.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Sera voices bellows throughout the room.
All four women fell silent at Sera's domineering presence. Sera stepped into the room, her aura commanding attention. Her eyes bore into each of the women, one by one, before finally settling on Jophiel.
"Jophiel, your actions have caused quite the commotion." she began, her voice firm but not unkind. "Love cannot be forced, nor can it be claimed. It blossoms naturally, nurtured by trust and understanding. As the angel of love, you should know this most of all!"
Turning her gaze to Aclima, Lute, and Emily, Sera continued, "And you three should know better! You must understand that love is not a competition. It is not about who can declare their affection the loudest, but who can demonstrate it with sincerity and respect."
Aclima lowered her spear, her expression softening as she listened to Sera's wisdom. Lute followed suit, sheathing her rapier.
"I will not allow this situation to devolve into violence. Adam loves you all and would be heartbroken to see any of you hurt." Sera states in a stern voice as she looks on with disappointment. "I am going out to find him. When I return with him, I expect the situation to have been resolved with a PEACEFUL resolution."
"Michael. Watch over them." Sera orders as she leaves the house to find Adam.
"Sure Sera." Michael nods before going to the room with Vaggie. Entering the room, the four women that were just shouting at each other earlier have now settled down and there was an uncomfortable silence. Summoning a cooler with a snap of his fingers, he places the cooler in the middle and starts handing out beers to each of them.
"Alright ladies, let's talk."
"SETH!" Adam calls out as he bangs on the door of Seth and Azura's farmhouse. "AZURA!"
Within seconds, Azura opens the door and Adam quickly stumbles in. "Dad, What are you doing here?"
"You look like shit Dad." Seth states as he guides Adam over to the sofa.
Adam collapses onto the sofa with a heavy sigh, running his hands through his disheveled hair.
Azura and Seth exchange a concerned glance before sitting down beside their father, ready to listen.
"It's about love." Adam begins, his voice filled with uncertainty. "Jophiel, the angel of love, proposed to me today. And then everything just spiraled out of control."
Seth raises an eyebrow. "Proposed? Like, marriage?"
Adam nods solemnly. "Yes, exactly. But before I could even process it, Aclima, Lute, and Emily all started ... declaring their love for me. And then there was this whole confrontation, and I just ... I had to leave."
Seth could only smile at the news. He was so proud of his Dad being so popular with women! And it was nice to hear that his sister finally made her feelings known to him.
Azura's expression softens with sympathy. "That sounds intense, Dad. But why did they all suddenly confess their feelings?"
Adam lets out a weary chuckle. "That's what I'm trying to figure out. It's like everything just came crashing down at once."
"Start from the beginning." Azura encourages with a smile. "What happened with Jophiel?"
"I met her earlier today and offered her a bowl of grilled eel." Adam recalls. "Later, she proposed to me."
"Awww, that's cute!" Azura squeals. "I knew your cooking was always the best but to have the angel of love propose to you over it?"
"That's amazing Dad! How long have you two been together?" Seth ask with a small smile.
"Uhhh ..." Adam recalls. "About an hour."
...
Both Azura and Seth's eyes widen in shock. "What?!" they exclaim in unison.
"You only met her today!?" Seth ask. "As in literally!?"
"Yeah." Adam confirms. "But apparently, she has been observing me for the last 130 years."
"Dad NO!" Azura exclaims. "She is no good for you! SHE IS A STALKER!"
Adam finds himself caught in a whirlwind of emotions as his children express their concerns. He rubs his temples, trying to make sense of everything that had transpired.
"But what if she's sincere?" Adam muses aloud, his voice tinged with uncertainty. "I mean, she's the Angel of Love, right? Shouldn't I trust her intentions?"
"THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER HEAD!" Seth exclaims, exasperated at his father's idea of romance. "Dad, I love you but this is just -"
Azura shakes her head, her expression serious. "Dad, you can't base your decision solely on her title. You barely know her, and proposing after just meeting you? That's ... it's not normal."
Seth placed a comforting hand on his father's shoulder. "Well, first things first, you need to figure out what you want, Dad. Do you even have feelings for Jophiel?"
Adam paused, contemplating Seth's question. "I don't know." he admitted. "I mean, she's beautiful and all but I only just met her. Lute doesn't like her."
Azura nodded in agreement. "And what about Aclima, Lute, and Emily? Do you have feelings for any of them?"
Adam hesitated, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions. "I care deeply for all of them," he confessed. "But I don't know if it's romantic love or just ... love, you know?"
Azura places a comforting hand on Adam's shoulder. "It's okay to feel overwhelmed, Dad. Love is complicated, especially when you're caught off guard like this."
Seth nods in agreement. "Yeah, and it's not something you have to figure out right this second. Take some time to process everything, and then decide what you really want."
As the three of them talked, a soft knock was heard coming from the door. Azura heads over and open the door a crack. Peering through, she sees its her grandma.
"Grandma." Azura acknowledges with a nod.
"Azura." Sera replies with a nod. "I know my son is with you. May I see him?"
"Maybe." Azura says sternly as she narrows her eyes at Sera. "Only if HE WANTS to see you."
Sera was amused and proud. Here Azura was, ready to deny her if Adam didn't want to see her. Sera chuckled softly, appreciating Azura's protective nature.
But Sera wants to see her son and NO ONE IS STOPPING HER!
Azura suddenly felt a sense of dread overcome her. A new fear manifested in her that if she denied her grandma entrance, she will force her way in.
Sera's gaze softened as she looked at Azura. "I understand your concern, Azura. But please, let me talk to him. My son needs me."
Azura hesitated for a moment before stepping aside to let Sera enter. Sera nodded her thanks and entered the room where Adam and Seth were sitting.
"Dad, Grandma's here to see you." Azura announces as she steps back into the room.
Adam's eyes widen in surprise at the sight of Sera. "Mom?" he says softly, his voice filled with a mixture of emotions.
"Son, we need to talk."
Fortunately for Michael, he didn't have to share too much of his beer with the ladies. Apparently, they were all lightweights. After two or three bottles, all of them were crying their hearts out. Michael watches the scene unfold with a mix of amusement and sympathy. He had never seen these usually composed women so vulnerable before. It was a stark reminder of the power of love and the depths of emotion it can stir.
"I'm so sorry Lute!" Aclima exclaims as she and Lute hug. "I'm just jealous that you get to *hic* stay by his side all the time! It's why I instigate our sisters to challenge you so you spend more time at the training grounds and away from Dad!"
"It's alright, ma'am. *hic* I understand!" Lute exclaims as she tightens the hug. "I'm sorry too ma'am! Whenever Sir and I are together, I'm always trying to prove that I'm the better daughter by talking shit about you!"
"I've always been jealous of your relationship with him." Lute sniffles, her eyes watery. "You're his daughter, his blood. I could never replace that. I'M JUST A FEATHER! I wasn't even created by his hands!"
Emily, wiping away her tears, joins in the embrace. "Adam means the universe to me." *hic* "But I don't want to lose you two! You're like my sisters! I wish I could bring joy to everyone!"
"Me too Emily. I don't want to lose you two too." Aclima announces. "Emily, you're like the best younger sister I've ever had. You remind me so much of Hannah! And you Lute, I may be jealous but I know my Dad is safe with you by his side!"
"You're the best ma'am!" Lute cries out. "You could always talk to Sir for hours on end about your adventures on Earth and I can't help but be interested in them too!"
As the tears flowed freely, the weight of their emotions lifted slightly. It was as if a dam had burst, releasing pent-up feelings that had been festering for too long. Each woman found solace in the arms of the others, their shared love for Adam uniting them despite their differences.
As the three embraced and shared their feelings, Michael had to deal with an inconsolable Jophiel.
"Why Michael!? Why won't he love me!?" Jophiel chokes out between sobs as she hugs Michael. "I didn't mean to cause such chaos. I just wanted to express my feelings."
"By proposing marriage?" Michael ask, unamused.
"HE WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY 'YES'!" Jophiel shouts. "This is the first time I ever felt love and I didn't want to lose that feeling! And now he ran away!"
"There, there Jophiel." Michael says as he pats her back. "Look on the bright side, he didn't say 'no'."
As Vaggie watches, she can't help but ask the obvious. "Why don't you just share Dad? Dad always said that sharing is caring."
All four women look towards Vaggie with bewilderment, as if she just said the most outrageous thing. Hearing it, they suddenly sobered up.
"Share him!?" Aclima exclaims, incredulous. "Are you serious, Vaggie?"
Vaggie nods earnestly. "Yeah, why not? Dad has enough love for all of you. And you all clearly love him too! Honestly, what changes if you all become his wife? We all live together, sleep in the same bed almost every night. Sounds to me like nothing changes."
Plus they will finally stop bugging her on who is the better mother figure. She has told them time and time again that she doesn't see any of them as her mother figure. She needs ONLY DADDY!
The other women exchange uncertain glances, trying to process Vaggie's suggestion. It was certainly unconventional, but in a strange way, it made sense. Adam had always been a source of love and comfort for them all, and maybe sharing him wasn't as outrageous as it initially seemed.
For Emily and Lute, this surprisingly made sense to them. All their conflict would mostly be resolved and they could finally kiss Adam on the lips like they always dreamed of.
But for Aclima, she knew what could change and seeing Lute and Emily expressions tell her that they were still oh so innocent. Smirking to herself, Aclima intends to keep that one aspect of a wife to herself.
"But wait!" Emily turns to Michael with a puzzled look. "Isn't polygamy against the rules?"
"No, it isn't. Sure, its frowned upon but it's not against the rules." Michael explains. "Cheating is against the rules but its not cheating if all of you are his wives."
"That's ... actually not a bad idea," Emily admits tentatively, wiping away her tears. "I mean, we all care about him deeply. And if sharing him means we can all be happy, then maybe it's worth considering."
Lute nods in agreement. "Yeah, I can get behind that. As long as Sir is happy, that's all that matters."
Aclima, though still hesitant, couldn't deny the logic behind Vaggie's suggestion. "I guess ... it's worth discussing." she concedes reluctantly.
Jophiel, still sniffling, looks up with hopeful eyes. "You mean ... you would be willing to share him with me?"
"NO!" All the other women shouted in unison.
"We're not trusting some stalker!" Lute exclaims with a look of disgust.
"You tell her Lute! We were here first!" Aclima supports Lute with a proud look.
"I'm sorry Jophiel but I don't trust Adam with you." Emily apologizes with a bow.
"I don't care! I'll have him all to myself than!" Jophiel declares. "Just you wait and see! When he comes back, he'll accept my proposal!"
Now more than ever, Jophiel is fueled with spite. Ready to take Adam for herself and watch these women cry their heart out in misery.
Michael lets out a big sigh as he thinks about all the nonsense he has to deal with.
"I need more beer."