Feather

by Laurie Lyons

"So now what?" he asked smiling down at her.

  "Now," Lucy bit her lip thinking. "Now we go back to my room and do more of that." Nathaniel threw his head back and laughed.

  "Hmmm, tempting but I believe you said that you need a new bag for your trip home tomorrow. The stores close in an hour." Lucy was going home to visit her mother Sandra for the short break she had between semesters and she had been harassing Nathaniel to join her.

  "You mean OUR trip tomorrow and yes, I do need a new bag. But after shopping, more kissing."

  "I'm still thinking about it and yes, more kissing later," he said kissing her lightly on the lips.

  They caught the bus into town. Lucy was an expert at not moving her lips while talking and they chatted easily over the loud engine. Lucy bought a new carry on bag and they were walking back to the bus stop when it happened. They were walking nonchalantly down the street, Nathaniel was whistling softly when Lucy glanced across the road. Roman was standing directly across the street from them. He was staring at Lucy. She stopped and waved at him, "That's Roman, the guy I told you about. Anastasia is crazy about him." She said quietly to Nathaniel not moving her lips and being sure not to look at him.

  Roman just stood there staring at her. Thinking that he most likely didn't recognize her, Lucy waved again. He looked irritated as he started to stride towards her. It was good that traffic was light because he didn't even look as he crossed the street; he just kept his eyes trained on Lucy. As he approached, Lucy saw that he wasn't just irritated, he was furious. Roman's hands were clenched into fists, his eyes were narrowed and his jaw tight. He also wasn't looking at Lucy. She was shocked that he seemed to be looking directly at Nathaniel with hate in his bright blue eyes. "Oh no," Nathaniel whispered, his voice full of dread. Lucy didn't know if Roman had ever had a near death experience that would allow him to see part of Nathaniel. That seemed the only explanation. Roman was only a few feet away when Nathaniel reached out and pulled Lucy behind him protectively.

  Roman stopped a foot away, he was incensed, just barely holding in his fury and he wasn't focused on anything or anyone but Nathaniel. Lucy looked up and saw that Nathaniel was just as angry. She had never seen him angry. His brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed to slits, his breathing came sharp and quick. Nathaniel's body was still relaxed though. They were almost the exact same height and build, one pale and blond, the other dark and tanned but Nathaniel's attitude gave the impression he had the upper hand.

  "You don't belong here," Roman snarled in Nathaniel's face.

  "That is none of your concern," Nathaniel said calmly. "Go about your," he paused, "business." Nathaniel clearly did not approve of whatever business Roman was in. Lucy assumed he wasn't just an engineering student.

  "Wait a minute here," she said trying to sound authoritative as she looked at Roman. "You can see him?"

  Roman's eyes went wide and his head snapped to stare at her. Lucy was frightened; he looked dangerous right now. "You can see him?" he demanded. Lucy nodded dumbly. Roman shook his head in confusion. "I knew it had something to do with her," he muttered almost to himself.

  Nathaniel changed the topic not wanting the attention on Lucy. "Name?" he demanded of Roman.

  Roman looked slowly at Nathaniel, gave a half smile, "Roman." Nathaniel snorted in response like he didn't believe him. "Name?" Roman countered.

  "Nathaniel," he replied.

  Roman laughed out loud, "Gift of God. How fitting!" His face sobered and he became angry again, "You don't belong here Nathaniel Gift of God. You will go."

  "It is difficult to explain," Nathaniel replied. "And none of your concern."

  Roman looked around them. People were starting to pay attention. He motioned towards a small diner two doors down. He turned sharply and began walking towards it. "Follow," he spat back over his shoulder at them. Nathaniel followed, pulling Lucy behind him.

  "What's going on?" Lucy asked not bothering to hide her lip movement. "How do you know him?"

  Nathaniel scoffed as he held the door of the diner open for her, "I don't know him."

  "Well then?" Lucy asked quickly. The diner was almost empty and Roman was sitting in a back corner booth glaring at them.

  Nathaniel put his hands on her shoulders and whispered in her ear,

  "That, my Lucy, is a Demon."

  Lucy sat at the table staring down at the soda in front of her. No one had spoken since they had sat down. Lucy was waiting. She had no idea what was going on and she thought it was best that she keep her mouth shut, for now anyway. She was terrified. Roman sat in the middle of his booth seat so it would appear he was talking to Lucy but he ignored her.

  "What are you doing here?" he was still very angry but sounded more in control, like he had gotten over the original shock.

  "I don't know," Nathaniel said. Lucy assumed he saw no benefit to lying.

  Roman snorted, "I doubt that."

  Nathaniel shrugged. "Believe what you want."

  Roman leaned forward and pointed at Nathaniel, "You have to go back now!"

  Nathaniel's back stiffened, "I don't have to do anything you tell me to Demon."

  Roman's eye brows shot up in surprise, "Oh no? You don't think so?" Nathaniel shook his head slowly from side to side while never taking his eyes off Roman.

  Lucy was getting irritated. "Look, I need some answers here…"

  Roman interrupted her. "Little girl, the adults are talking. Please be quiet." He turned back to Nathaniel and missed the hateful stare Lucy threw in his direction. "You are breaking rules here pal, rules that are older than time itself. Your Guild stays up there," he pointed to the ceiling, "or things go awry. How long have you been here?"

  "Since the Spring Equinox," Nathaniel answered.

  Roman threw his hands up in exasperation. "That explains it," he leaned forward again, "your presence here is affecting this area. MY area."

  "How?" Lucy asked.

  Roman didn't even acknowledge her. He sat back and rolled his eyes in frustration. "It hasn't even rained since you've been here and yet everything is green and pretty isn't it? You have thrown everything out of whack. The seasons changed too early! People are in fine moods aren't they?" Roman pointed angrily at Nathaniel again, "You being here is affecting my job and that won't do my friend, that won't do at all. Whatever your purpose is here, get it done and get out. This is my turf. You have to follow the rules like we follow the rules."

  "I don't know my purpose here," Nathaniel replied clearly.

  Roman paused in shock as he took this in, "You REALLY don't know why they sent you? Who's running things these days? They just can't send you around without instructions! What kind of outfit is this anyway? They send an Angel down and don't tell him WHY?" He shook his head. "Whatever, I don't care, go back."

  "I can't," Nathaniel replied plainly.

  "Why not?" Roman shot back.

  Nathaniel sighed, "I don't know why I am here or how I got here or how I get back. I don't know why they sent me but I can only assume that I am here for a purpose. I have to figure out what that is."

  "So they know you are here. You didn't sneak off?" Roman asked warily.

  "Of course they know I'm here. They know everything," Nathaniel said as if that was obvious.

  "And no one has come for you?" Roman was still suspicious, looking for deception.

  "No," Nathaniel said casually, "but I'm sure they are watching."

  "Don't threaten me," Roman snarled. Nathaniel shrugged. "Your Guild is overstepping the boundaries with this little stunt," he gestured to Nathaniel, "and I assure you my Guild is not happy about it. If you want to start making threats remember that we could cause serious problems if we decided to break the rules."

  "Ok seriously," Lucy cut in, "what rules?"

  Roman sighed and rolled his eyes to look at her, "You again," he said with irritation. Then he changed his tone so it sounded like he was speaking to a small child, "You see little girl; I am sure your little buddy here told you all about the d
elicate balance that the world runs upon. I," he touched his chest with reverence, "have the vital job of keeping this balance. The two Guilds struck a deal, long ago. His Guild must stay up on their high horses and we stay down here in the trenches. Each side must do their job to maintain the equilibrium. Your little guardian here is throwing that equilibrium off. His sheer presence here on street level is pushing things decidedly in their favor and that just isn't fair."

  "And what exactly is your job?" Lucy asked not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

  Roman gave her a dazzling smile, "How would you recognize a good day if you didn't have a bad day to compare it to?"

  "You make bad things happen?" she whispered. Lucy felt like she might be sick.

  Roman sat back and opened his arms. "I provide a service to the human race," he said with his voice full of sugar. "I'm not a bad guy really, I have to do my job. I have no choice; somebody's got to do it. If I didn't, all of humanity would come crashing to a halt. Remember of course that it is free will. I can only provide the options, no more. And Angel boy being here affects everything." He sneered, "People are making different choices, they are less likely to lean my way and more likely to lean their way. The weather changes don't help either, When the weather is lovely, everyone is happy and content and again, less likely to follow my side of things. He has tipped the scales in his favor, and it is being noticed. Guys like me make the world go round little girl."

  "What a hero," Lucy sneered at him. Then a thought struck her and she gritted her teeth. "It was YOU that attacked Dr. Hannon!" she snarled at him, barely able to contain her anger. "You could have killed him! You, you monster!"

  Roman looked at her seriously for a moment. "No," he said quietly, "no, that wasn't me. That is not my… style. That was Bael, my Guild Prime." When both of them gave him blank stares he sighed with exasperation and explained. "I am the Demon charged with the tasks of this area of the Guild. My Guild Prime is a higher order of Demon charged with making sure that I do my job correctly. Bael suspected that something was up a long time ago. So did I," he added hastily, "so it seems that he was trying to flush the Angel out; causing trouble near the girl so that the Angel would come to her rescue."

  "The rats!" Lucy exclaimed and Nathaniel looked at her with confusion. She shook her head.

  "Ah, Bael does enjoy using rats," Roman replied, "they are not my choice but he is a very old Demon and has his own…shall we say…methods?"

  "So he's like your boss then?" Lucy surmised and Roman didn't reply, "Your performance hasn't been up to par lately. Bael has been all over you since Nathaniel got here trying to find out what the trouble is."

  Roman stared at her for a minute but didn't react to Lucy's theory deciding instead on his own line of questioning.

  "Now what is your role in all of this my little peanut? I'm sure you have figured out that you are very unique indeed. I knew you had something to do with it. I sought you out. He wasn't with you at any of the parties but I could see him all over you. It was disgusting. I figured that I was dealing with a minor touchdown but here you are, walking down the street with him." He shook his head slightly in amazement. "What an extraordinary thing you are my little girl. You looked so pretty the night we met. It's a shame that we couldn't…" he reached out to touch her hand. Lucy snapped it back off the table and Nathaniel shot out and grabbed Roman's wrist.

  "Don't touch her," he growled. "She belongs to me!" Roman pulled his arm away as if it was on fire and glared at them. Then the truth dawned on him. He sat back in the booth and grinned with glee.

  "Oh!" he exclaimed. "So that's how it is! This… this is tremendous!" He looked up at the ceiling and addressed the Heavens, "An Angel, in love with a mortal? Classic! Really! How are you going to get him out of this one?" He looked at Lucy mockery in his eyes, "Do you honestly think that you measure up my little girl? Really? Do you know what the girls look like where he comes from? You are pretty girl, down right hot some days but compared to Angel chicks, you got nothing. Girl I gotta tell ya, he is going to drop you like a stone." Lucy looked down feeling tears sting the corner of her eyes.

  Nathaniel reached over and placed his hand on hers, "Ignore him," he said quietly. Lucy nodded. She felt his warmth radiate up her arm and into her heart. She closed her eyes. Roman didn't hear them; he was still on his tirade.

  "This is too good! This is too rich! Bael is going to have a field day with this one! This is fantastic!" Finally, he sat back and sighed as if tired now.

  Nathaniel leaned forward, "Look, I have no interest in interfering with your," he paused and rolled his eyes, "work. But I seem to be stuck here. I have not done anything untoward in violation of the agreements made between the Guilds." Lucy thought this sounded like he was talking about political peace treaties rather than the complex vying battle between Heaven and Hell. "You may go about your business. I promise not to interfere."

  Rage filled Roman's face. Lucy was getting dizzy with his rapid mood shifts. "What you are not understanding is that you don't have to do anything to screw things up," Roman almost yelled. "You're here and I don't like having to bust my ass so you can slum it with your little pet human girl here. You need to figure this out and quickly. Don't make me force your hand. As I said, Bael knows you are here and trust me, he would not take the time I have to discuss it with you. You have seen what he is capable of." he finished with his teeth clenched.

  "I'll do my best," Nathaniel said stiffly.

  "Good, you do that," Roman smiled again and spoke softly. "Because we mustn't forget what happened to the last guy your boss sent down here." He paused for effect, "and that was his very… own… son."

  "Enough Demon!" Nathaniel roared while slamming his fist on the table.

  "Stay away from Anastasia," Lucy added quietly.

  Roman laughed. "Oh no, little girl, I have no intention of staying away from her. I like her."

  "I swear if you so much as…" she snarled at him.

  Roman laughed again, "You'll do what?" he challenged. "Sic your little Angel here on me?" He leaned back opening his arms wide, "Well here I am pal, destroy me, go ahead, I dare you." Nathaniel didn't move. He glared at Roman. "I didn't think so," Roman continued, "you see pet, he won't lay a hand on me because he knows that would start a very ugly war, one that he's not too sure his side would win."

  "Oh we would win," Nathaniel said quietly, his voice full of confidence.

  Roman only snorted. "And I have no intentions of hurting Anastasia. She's lovely and fun and as I said, I am, deep down, a nice guy." He stood up, threw a ten-dollar bill on the table and looked at them. "My kind is not known for their patience Angel." Nathaniel and Lucy stood. Roman turned away from them and scanned the room. Several feet away, a waitress was carrying a full tray of food. She moved carefully making sure to keep the tray in line. Roman looked back at Nathaniel with a challenge in his eyes. He raised his hand and quickly pointed his finger at the waitress. The tray immediately began to tip forward. A panicked look crossed waitresses face as she struggled to keep the tray upright. The outcome seemed inevitable as the tray eased slowly forward and the plates began to shift and slide. The waitress gave a cry of horror. Roman looked back at them, victorious and mocking.

  Nathaniel lifted up his hand and opened his palm toward the waitress for a second. The tray slowly tilted backwards, the plates shifted back and the waitress straightened up under her now totally secure tray. "Nice save," a customer said appreciatively.

  "Thanks," the waitress replied smiling with relief.

  Roman looked at Nathaniel with mock disappointment. He raised one finger and wagged it back and forth tsking at Nathaniel, "No no no. Don't go doing things like that Angel. You promised," he chided.

  "Don't toy with me Demon," Nathaniel replied with an authority Lucy had never heard from him before. Roman laughed and sauntered out of the diner. He walked like a man who didn't have a care in the world.

  Lucy turned to Nathaniel amazed, "I don't mean to ma
ke light of this situation but I had no idea you could do that. That was cool," she said with appreciation.

  Nathaniel half smiled and shrugged. "I shouldn't have done it. He was baiting me. It was immature."

  Lucy flopped back in the booth. "Now what?" she asked.

  Nathaniel sat beside her. "Now you pack," he said calmly, "we have to get out of here."

  Back at Lucy's room she was finding it difficult to get anything done. Nathaniel of course had just wished for a bag and it was packed and ready sitting by the door. Their flight left at ten the next morning and Lucy thought it might take her until then to decide what to bring. The problem was that she couldn't focus on the task at hand. Lucy threw two shirts on the floor in frustration and sat beside Nathaniel on the couch who turned to her and waited. He knew of course that Lucy had questions, who wouldn't? She indeed had a lot of questions about their confrontation with Roman but one moment in particular stayed with her above the others and had to be dealt with first.

  Lucy decided not to choose her words carefully. "Was Roman right?" she asked. "Are you embarrassed to be with me?"

  Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Lucy, Roman is a Demon and most of what comes out of his mouth is a lie. I want to be with you and trust me if people could see me I would be screaming from the roof tops that I am the luckiest man in the world that Lucy Bower is in love with me. When I said to Roman that you belonged to me Lucy, I wasn't being flippant. I believe that you do belong to me, you are mine." He grabbed her face and kissed her deeply and all of Lucy's doubts left her sifting away like sand in a sieve. Nathaniel lifted his head and looked her in the eye, his intense gaze piercing into her. "Roman was trying to make you feel insecure, that's what he does. He finds the most core emotions in someone and twists them so they serve his purpose."

  "That's awful," Lucy replied.

  "That's a Demon Lucy. That is who he is," Nathaniel replied with a sigh. "And a young one at that. I don't know how dangerous he is but with all the pressure he is obviously getting from that Bael, he might be pushed to do something foolish. He could become very dangerous indeed if he fears his way of life is being threatened."