A smile floated on his lips as he thought about his lovers. Living with Dury and Luc remained a novel experience. It still surprised Simon that their bond could be so strong, and that he and Luc had been allowed to come here in the first place.
"Stop thinking so hard," a soft voice said from behind him.
Simon turned to look at his angel lover. For some reason, Dury's hair was longer now, reaching down to his waist. He'd changed a bit in their time together, turning more confident, less uncertain. This—and Dury's general affectionate temperament—often determined an increase in sexual initiative from Dury's part, a fact which pleased Simon very much.
Judging by Dury's expression, though, this wouldn't be one of those times. "Duty calls?" he asked his lover.
Dury nodded, smiling sadly. "Luc is waiting for us."
Wordlessly, Simon took Dury's hand and kissed it. He knew how hard it was for Dury to fulfill his duties of Death Angel. Yet again, he could only give thanks to God that he and Luc had been allowed to help Dury through this.
Together, they left the small balcony at the superior floor of their home. Luc was, indeed, waiting for them in the foyer, absently leafing through a book. Simon mentally shook his head. Here or in the mortal realm, his lover never changed. He still lived and breathed letters.
As they approached, Luc lifted his eyes from the tome. The book evaporated and Luc gave them a sheepish glance. "Ready?" he asked.
Simon nodded. "What is it today?"
"A little girl," Dury answered. "Leukemia."
Simon's amusement over Luc vanished. He hated it when children died. Even knowing that they would be happy here, it still sucked. He wished he could do more, and it irked him that he couldn't.
Neither of them said a word as they descended from the heavens toward the mortal realm. The transition felt familiar now, no longer shocking Simon or unbalancing the equilibrium of his powers.
They landed in a hospital room, the white on the walls rivaling that of their home in the heavens. Somehow, the color—or absence of color—seemed different here, though, cold, unfeeling, lifeless. Simon shook himself and focused on the form on the bed.
She was small and frail-looking, obviously bearing the signs of a long-term disease. Next to her, a nurse stood, frozen in the middle of retrieving a syringe of medicine.
As they approached, the girl noticed them and let out a small gasp. Large blue eyes peered at them with frightening intensity. "Are you angels?" she said in a soft, barely audible voice.
Simon nodded. "Yes, baby. We are."
"We've come to take you home," Luc offered.
Dury led them to the bed and took the girl's hand. "Are you ready?"
The girl hesitated, and her eyes filled with tears. "I'm sad. I don't want to leave Mummy and Daddy."
"I know, honey," Dury replied, "but I promise you, you'll always see them from up above."
"Mummy doesn't want me to go," the little girl said, sniffing.
"She will understand, in time," Simon answered. He very much doubted that was the case, but he needed to say something to make it easier for the child to let go. "And she will know you are happy."
The girl wiped at her eyes, obviously trying to be brave. "Mummy said that I have to hold on, that I have to see my new brother. Will I get to see him?"
"Of course you will, honey," Luc answered. "Just not from here. But don't worry. Your brother will take care of your parents."
That seemed to convince the little girl. "It hurts…" she said. "Will it go away?"
Dury squeezed her hand, and Simon saw one single crystal tear fall on the child's pale arm. "It won't hurt anymore. I promise."
In moments such as these, Simon truly understood their purpose in the world. The girl seemed to trust them, finding comfort in the three of them in spite of the difficulty of the moment. And that made everything worthwhile.
They gathered around the bed, holding the girl for the longest time. "Would you like to hear a story?" Luc said.
The girl nodded enthusiastically. "Is it a happy story?"
"A very happy one," Luc answered. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a wizard. He was always busy with his potions and scrolls, and didn't have any friends. Locked up in his tower he sat, not even realizing how lonely and isolated he'd become."
"Poor wizard," the girl lamented.
"Quite so," Luc continued. "But one day, a prince knocked at the wizard's door. At first, the wizard didn't want to open, but the prince insisted. He claimed he needed the wizard's assistance for something very important. They needed to build a very complicated item, and it could only be created with the wizard's help. You see, a dragon was attacking the prince's kingdom, and the prince could not defeat it alone."
"Did the wizard agree?"
"He did, for the prince didn't take a no for an answer. The wizard helped the prince build a beautiful statue, the statue of an angel. Into the statue, he poured all of his power and all the love he had for the beautiful things of the world. The prince imbued it with courage and strength, and together, the two created the most perfect being in existence."
The girl let out an "oh" of pleasure, and Luc continued. "Finally, when they were done, the angel came to life. Boosted by the power he'd been born from, he destroyed the dragon and saved the prince's kingdom. Then he blessed the prince and the wizard with long life and eternal love."
"So what happened after that?" the little girl asked. She sounded sleepy now, and Simon knew she was running out of time. Dury's hand on hers started to shine softly.
"After finishing his task, the angel wanted to leave. But the prince and the wizard cared too much for the beautiful angel, so he begged the angel to take them with him. The angel did, and they lived happily ever after, together, in the heavens."
"That's a beautiful story," the girl murmured. Her eyes drifted shut, and finally, she went limp in Simon's arms.
A clear, silvery sphere shone in Dury's palm. "Thank you," Dury said. His eyes no longer held sorrow. Instead, Simon felt only love and happiness come from his angel lover. "Thank you both."
As they walked away from the bed, the nurse regained the ability to move, glancing startled at the monitors that had now flat lined. Simon paid her no heed. The little girl may have died here on Earth, but she'd started a new existence, a painless one. And one day, when her soul was ready, she would return here, and hopefully lead a better, fulfilling life.
They left the mortal realm and returned to their own world. After reverently leaving the girl's soul in the keeping of the angels in charge with guarding the spirits, they made their way back to their home. The sadness that had overcome them during their journey down evaporated.
"You know," Dury said, "the story doesn't go quite like that."
Luc shrugged. "I took some liberties. Call it creative license."
"The ending is the same though," Simon continued with a grin.
Happily ever after. It didn't sound so bad. Maybe things wouldn't happen quite like in fairytales, but Simon was certainly willing to try.
THE END
About the Author
Scarlet Hyacinth was born in 1986, in a Romania still struggling under the weight of the communist regime.
As a young girl, she started studying the English language and fell in love with books. She grew up an avid fan of Karl May and Jules Verne, reading fantasy stories and adventure. Later, when she was out of fantasy stories to read, she delved into her mother's collection of book and of course, stumbled onto romance.
After a childhood spent devouring hundreds of pages of fantasy literature, Scarlet found her calling when a dear friend of hers—the same friend who introduced her to GLBT fiction—proposed they start writing a story of their own. As it turns out, the two friends never did finish that particular story, but Scarlet discovered she had a knack for writing and ended up starting to write individually. And so, between working on her dissertation, studying for exams and reading yaoi manga, she started wri
ting M/M fiction. The rest, as they say, is history, or rather, lots of hard work and sleepless nights. Today, she can only say with a smile that nothing is impossible and that no matter what others say, you can achieve your dreams if you work hard enough.
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
http://scarlethyacinth.webs.com
Also by Scarlet Hyacinth
Available at Silver Publishing:
Awakenings
Artie, the Good Witch (May 2011)
GUARDIANS
The Plot Bunny
BLOODKIN
Bed and Breakfast (Aug 2011)
Available at All Romance Ebooks:
The Three Horsemen of the Black Forest
LOVE AND LIES
Truth and Deception
Reborn
ELVEN JOURNALS
Unseen Paths
Available at Siren Publishing:
KALDOR SAGA
Enraptured
Over the Edge
Destinies in Darkness, Part One
Destinies in Darkness, Part Two
Mending Shattered Souls
DEADLY MATES
Moon's Sweet Poison
Wings of Moonlight
Spell of the Predator's Moon
Dragon's Bloodmoon
Award Winning Titles:
Deadly Mates 2: Wings of Moonlight
Best Shape-shifter Book-2010
Love Romance Café
Honorable Mention
Elven Journals: Unseen Paths
Best Gay Fantasy 2010
Elisa Rolle's Rainbow Awards
Honorable Mention
The Plot Bunny Page 15