The Guardian Trilogy

by Robin M Helm

  “What should we do then?” she asked.

  “We should continue what we have been doing, winning the world for Christ. I also think that we should begin to make people aware of Gregory’s true nature. We must find a way to expose him for what he is – someone who is evil and bent on destruction, a person who is diametrically opposed to God and the things of God.” He leaned his chin on Elizabeth’s hair and hugged her to his chest. She turned her head so that her cheek rested against him.

  When she finally spoke, her voice was quiet. “Everyone who opposes him dies.”

  Michael and Gabriel exchanged glances and stepped closer to their charges, placing their hands on the backs of Xander and Elizabeth.

  “So far, no believers have openly opposed him. No believers have died yet, Elizabeth. God will protect us if it is in His will,” Xander said, trying to keep the anguish he felt hidden from her. He knew that it was not always God’s will that believers were protected from evil. There had been many, many martyrs for the cause of Christ, and he and Elizabeth could conceivably be among that number. But the blood of martyrs was never wasted; if God desired the ultimate sacrifice from him and his wife, there would be a purpose in it.

  She knew him too well, and she understood what he could not say. She knew that it was possible that they would die fighting Gregory.

  Elizabeth looked up at him with love in her eyes. “We are like Esther. God has preserved us ‘for such a time as this.’”

  “She was a very courageous woman. I enjoyed guarding her,” said Xander.

  Elizabeth tilted her head and smiled. “I remember now that you told me you guarded Esther.”

  “I did, and God preserved her. She took a risk to save God’s people, and He protected all of them. Our lives are in the hands of the same God that Esther served. We must trust Him,” he answered.

  Michael and Gabriel stepped back from them and appeared in angelic form underneath the shelter of the trees.

  Michael reached out and touched Elizabeth’s arm. “I will fight for you until a death angel pushes me away. Do not fear. You will not go until God calls you home Himself.”

  Elizabeth stood up straighter and calmly faced her husband and his brothers. “I am not afraid. I will say what Job said in Job 13:15, ‘Though He slay me, I will hope in Him,’ and as Paul said in Philippians 1:21, ‘For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’ If I die, I will be with Him in glory. What could be better than that?”

  Gabriel smiled at her. “I am happy to call you my sister and honored to call you my friend.”

  Xander took her hand and kissed it gently. “It appears that you have made friends in high places.”

  Michael’s green eyes softened as he looked at his brother and sister. “Elizabeth, even when you cannot see us, remember that we are always there. The three of us would be unbodied before we would allow harm to come to you. Never doubt it.”

  She took a breath. “Promise me something,” she said, looking at each of them in turn. “If there is ever a choice between saving my life or saving John David’s, promise me that you will choose him.”

  “Do not ask that,” said Michael quickly, the pain showing on his face. “You are my charge. I cannot make that choice.”

  “Please, Michael. Promise me,” she said, her eyes begging him.

  He turned his head away, but Gabriel touched her arm, saying, “Michael cannot promise that while you are his charge, Elizabeth. I will promise in his stead. Xander is well able to protect himself – at least most of the time. If Xander tells me to go to his son, I will do it.”

  She breathed more easily, and looked at her husband. “And you, Xander. Will you promise to choose our son over me?”

  His voice was strangled, and he looked away. Tears filled his eyes as he said, “Please do not ask it of me, Elizabeth. I would die for either of you. I cannot choose between you. You are carrying our second child now. Would you split me three ways?”

  She bit her lip, and then spoke softly. “Perhaps it is too much to ask of you, my love. I will trust you to make the best decision if the time comes. You will do what is right, just as you always have.”

  Dear Lord, he prayed, please do not let it come to that.

  Chapter 17

  “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou has established strength, because of Thine adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.”

  Psalm 8:2

  August 2010

  They had been back from the summer tour for a week and had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the afternoon. Though his wife suffered no morning sickness, Xander was a little anxious about her fatigue and the unusual heartbeat of the child. He had no wish, however, to alarm Elizabeth, so he had not pressured her to go to the doctor’s office on the day they arrived home. Instead, he, along with Michael and Gabriel, had watched her very closely, fully prepared to rush her to the hospital at the first sign of trouble.

  They had spent the week relaxing at home and playing with their energetic baby boy. He had reached each developmental milestone much earlier than was normal, but that was not wholly unexpected.

  Xander, especially attuned to any sound from the nursery, located next to his and Elizabeth’s bedroom, woke early to the sound of happy gurgling and a childish voice. “Dada. Dada.”

  Careful not to disturb his sleeping wife, he slid from the bed and pulled on the sweatpants and T-shirt he had left neatly folded on a chair nearby. Walking quietly, Xander, followed by Gabriel, went to John David’s room. His son greeted him with a toothless grin, standing up holding onto the rail of his crib. Seeing his father, the little boy began to bounce, bending his knees.

  Xander smiled with delight and reached for his sturdy son, holding him securely in his arms and looking into his eyes. “Are you calling me, John David? Did you say, ‘Dada’?”

  “Dada! Dada!” John David shouted, pulling on his father’s ears. Looking over Xander’s shoulder, the baby’s eyes grew round. “Oooooo.”

  “What do you see, son?” asked Xander, looking behind him. Gabriel was there in angelic form, and Cahal and Kenward stood at either end of his crib. There was a mobile of butterflies hanging from the ceiling. “Do you see the pretty butterflies? Are they sparkly?” He turned to see what John David saw, and the baby twisted in his arms, keeping his eyes locked on Gabriel.

  “Petty. Oooooo,” he said, pointing to Gabriel. “Unca.”

  Xander heard his son’s thoughts and looked into his mind to see what he was seeing.

  Does he see me? Is it possible? asked Gabriel in astonishment.

  “Do you see Uncle Gabriel, John David?” asked Xander. “Is he shiny? Is he pretty?”

  The baby nodded his head vigorously, dark curls bouncing, and pointed again with his tiny finger. “Unca. Petty. Oooooo.”

  How can this be? Gabriel was bewildered.

  Xander was thoughtful. I do not know. Perhaps Elizabeth’s and my children will have a foot in both worlds. I have noticed that since Elizabeth has become my wife, she sometimes sees the glow of angels and senses the presence of demons more acutely than she did before, and her sensitivity to the spiritual world seems to be increasing. Now that she knows you are there, she looks for you. Maybe our children will be born with those abilities, and seeing you will be natural for them from an early age.

  Gabriel reached out his hand to John David, and the baby placed his small hand in the much larger one offered to him, looking solemnly into the kind, dark blue eyes of his “uncle.” The archangel smiled at the child he loved, but he was unable to speak for a moment.

  Gabriel quickly assumed human form and took the baby from Xander, kissing his forehead. “You are precious.” He turned to face Cahal and Kenward. “What do you see, John David? Do you see the big men?”

  John David’s blue eyes rested first on Cahal, and then on Kenward. He nodded his head, his blue eyes serious, as he pointed first at the guardian, and then at the warrior. “Uh huh.”

  Kenward
smiled at him, but Cahal was uncomfortable and looked at the wall directly before him, all expression carefully kept from his handsome visage.

  Xander placed his hands on either side of his son’s face and looked into his sparkling eyes. “You must not tell anyone about the big men, John David. You must not talk about the shiny, pretty angels. Can you keep the secret?”

  “Mama?” whispered the little boy, looking somberly into his father’s eyes.

  Taking his son from Gabriel, Xander hugged him, whispering into his ear, “Mama knows. You can tell Mama, but not Anna. Do not tell anyone else but Mama. Do you understand?”

  John David nodded slowly. “Mama.”

  Michael had heard the entire exchange from his position by the sleeping Elizabeth. He summoned Cahal and Kenward to watch her, nodded to them, and strode into the nursery.

  As he entered the room, John David smiled at him like a ray of sunshine. “Unca Mike!”

  Xander could tell from his brother’s thoughts that he was overcome with the idea that John David was happy to see him and was not afraid. Elizabeth had been the only human in history who was comfortable in his presence in angelic form. Michael knew that Elizabeth loved him, but John David was delighted to see him. There was a difference in her love for and acceptance of him and in the child’s happiness. Quite simply, no one had ever been that overjoyed to be with him. In that moment, something changed inside Michael. He had never felt any vulnerability before, but this child had touched his heart. He would unbody legions or even kill humans if it was necessary in order to protect Elizabeth, but he would cheerfully die himself for John David without any thought of his own safety.

  Michael took human form and stood before the little boy. John David immediately reached out his arms for him, and the last remnant of any barrier in Michael’s heart melted away.

  The massive angel took the small child into his embrace and spoke into his mind words that he had never said before to any human being. I love you.

  In answer, John David pulled on his uncle’s blond hair and looked into his green eyes with a grin. He touched Michael’s face with one small hand, patting his cheek gently, and replied with his first sentence, spoken directly into Michael’s mind. Love Unca Mike.

  He spoke his thoughts to me. He loves me. Michael looked helplessly at Xander and Gabriel.

  Now you have some small understanding of how I feel about Elizabeth and John David, thought Xander.

  How do you bear it? How can you live with knowing that they could sicken or die? asked Michael.

  Xander spoke softly. I bear it because I must, and I thank God for allowing me to love them in this way. I would not exchange loving them for going back to the time before I had these feelings. I am glad that you and Gabriel love my wife and my son. You will be even fiercer in your protection of them. Now, let us remember that John David can see us in angelic form and possibly hear our thoughts as well. Be careful of what you think and how you look until we know how far his gift extends. We know that he can speak into our minds, but we do not yet know if he can hear all of our thoughts.

  Elizabeth walked gracefully into the room, smiling at her husband and his brothers, a little surprised to see John David in Michael’s arms rather than his father’s. Cahal and Kenward followed behind her.

  Xander watched his son closely. I wonder if he can hear human thoughts and speak into human minds.

  John David reached for his mother immediately, opening and closing his hands. “Mama!” he crowed.

  “Mama? You’re talking now? My smart boy!” His developmental leaps had ceased to shock her. She took him, kissed him, and felt his diaper, and then she glanced at the three brothers, eyebrows raised. “What have you guys been doing? He’s wet. There are three of you. Surely someone could have changed him.”

  Gabriel and Michael immediately morphed back into angelic form.

  She crossed the room and laid him on the changing table, expertly replacing his wet diaper with a clean one. “Who’s hungry? Auntie Anna is already downstairs cooking breakfast, and there is cereal and fruit for you, little man! Yum!”

  As she picked up their son, pressing her lips to his soft cheek, Xander stepped up behind her, enveloping them both in his strong arms and kissing Elizabeth’s ear. “I love you both so much. My heart overflows,” he said, his voice husky with emotion.

  She turned her face to catch his lips with hers. “My, my. So serious. What’s been going on in here?”

  John David grabbed her chin. “Eat!” he demanded. Now! he said loudly into his mother’s mind.

  Elizabeth caught her breath and looked at her husband in amazement. Did he just do what I think he did?

  I suppose that answers one question, thought Michael.

  Xander caught his wife off guard by lifting both her and their child up in his arms and heading for the door. “We will talk later. Our son is evidently hungry.”

  “Yum!” answered John David, laughing as his father bounced him and Elizabeth in his arms with each step.

  Elizabeth cuddled closer to her two men, allowing herself to enjoy the warmth of their bonds of love.

  Cahal and Kenward awaited them at the bottom of the stairs, and the archangels walked behind them, now even more mindful of their safety.

  ~~oo~~

  Later that day, Anna took charge of John David after lunch while Xander and Elizabeth went to Dr. Neal’s office. After a short wait, the nurse called them back to an examination room, and Michael and Gabriel stationed themselves at the head of Elizabeth’s bed. Alexandra saluted them as she followed Dr. Neal into the room, and they nodded their acknowledgement. Because Dr. Neal knew that Xander would stay in the room during the visit, she had dismissed the nurse to tend another patient.

  “Hello,” said Dr. Neal, looking first at Xander, and then at Elizabeth. “How are you feeling today?”

  Elizabeth started to say that she felt fine, but one look at her husband’s face made her change her words. “I’m tired. I think I’m always tired, Dr. Neal.”

  The doctor continued to ask questions as she checked Elizabeth.

  Knowing that the Darcys would be leaving for another Global Tour in a few weeks and that they would be gone for three months, the doctor had elected to do a transvaginal ultrasound. As the images appeared on the screen, Dr. Neal looked closely at the pictures, and then reached for her Doppler instrument.

  “I think you are far enough along to hear the heartbeat,” she commented, running the device over Elizabeth’s abdomen.

  “Listen to that!” exclaimed the doctor.

  The double thuds filled the room, and Xander could hold his tongue no longer. “Is anything wrong with the baby’s heart, Dr. Neal?”

  “No, both hearts are very healthy,” she answered, glancing back at him and smiling.

  Elizabeth’s face registered her shock. “Our baby has two hearts? Can he live like that?”

  “Your baby doesn’t have two hearts,” replied the doctor, chuckling. “Each of your babies has one heart. You have two babies, Elizabeth – twins.”

  Dr. Neal was the only one in the room whose mouth did not drop open. Had she been able to see the angels as well as the humans, she surely would have laughed aloud.

  Xander stepped closer to the screen, peering at the tiny, moving images. “Two babies,” he said in wonder. He looked at Elizabeth, his face wreathed in a breathtaking smile. “Elizabeth, we will have three children!”

  His joy was tempered as he remembered that they would soon leave for an international tour with a grueling schedule. He straightened up and looked at the doctor. “Dr. Neal, will she be all right to travel?”

  Elizabeth sighed audibly. “Xander, I am healthy, and this is a short tour. I have already had one baby, and I know what to expect. I will take care of myself. Please stop worrying. You will be gray before you’re twenty-five at this rate.”

  Dr. Neal laid aside her instruments and looked at Elizabeth, asking, “You’ll be back in mid-November?”

&n
bsp; “Yes, a week before Thanksgiving,” she answered.

  “You’re a little more than two months along now, so you’ll be back before you begin your sixth month. You should be fine. I would like a copy of your travel schedule so that I can contact doctors and set up an appointment for each month you will be away, and I would like to have you back in here as soon as you return. Since you’re carrying twins, no more touring between the time you return and their birth. Understood?” Dr. Neal replied sternly.

  “Not even weekends?” asked Elizabeth. “Not even if we stay within a few hours of here?”

  “Depending on how well you feel, you can travel two hours by car through the middle of January. After that, you will probably need to stay in the immediate area. If you carry to full term, you will be much larger with twins than you were with John David. You need to rest as much as is possible,” said the doctor to Elizabeth. She then turned to Xander. “I suppose you will make certain that my instructions are followed?”

  His smile was a determined one. “I will make arrangements as soon as we get back home. We will take no chances with her health or that of the babies. We will be at home most of the time after we return from this tour, and we will come back in the middle of it if there are any difficulties. I think it will work out well for everyone concerned,” he replied, thinking of Charlotte and how she would also be nearing the end of her pregnancy by the time Elizabeth was unable to travel.

  Very fortuitous that Charlotte and Elizabeth became with child so close together, thought Gabriel, smiling.