Jillian’s on her way up to the tent already. Sara is lagging behind with me, and Shen is – oh, there he is, with that attractive young lady with the notebook. I’m not in a hurry. We’ll get to Paxton eventually and I’d rather wait for all the other well-wishers to go so we can get a real moment with her. We may not see her again until Beltane in May. The business of death, tidying up the loose ends of a live well-lived; it can be all-consuming.
Jillian’s talking with her now. Their heads are together and their hands are on each other’s shoulders. I can see Paxton’s shoulders shaking, but she could be crying or laughing. When Jillian’s around, there’s no telling. As I get closer, I see that it’s a bit of both. Sara squeezes my arm and glances over to the side of the tent. Apparently she wants me to wait. I think we’ll be walking Paxton out to her car. In another moment, Shen catches up to us.
I see now why we’re waiting. Paxton is standing by the casket, her stillness unnerving, and so pale that she could be a cemetery statue herself. It doesn’t look like she’s planning to leave anytime soon. Jillian glances at the man standing a few feet away from Paxton but says nothing, for once. I share a look with Sara, who blinks in affirmation. That’s the one she met, then. The angel.
I am more than a little curious. Anecdotal evidence tells of angels appearing to one human being at a time, and otherwise invisible, unless, of course, said angels are about to smite a large number of sinners, in which case they like to make a dramatic entrance. To have an angel here among us looking, acting like a human – it’s hardly what I would have expected. For once, I wish I could see auras like Jillian. On a purely energetic level, I'm sure he's fascinating. And I can’t help but wonder how Paxton met him. What he’s doing here, on the other hand, is fairly obvious.
Well, it wouldn't be the first time a man gave up a holy calling for a woman. I should know.
Shen, Sara and I come closer to the casket. Paxton raises her eyes to us and gives us a wry half-smile – she's somber, but surviving.
"Thank you," she says, embracing each of us in turn. "Thank you for being here."
"We would have kept you company during the church service --"
"Shen, hush," Sara says.
"But I was late," he finishes, grinning at Sara.
Paxton's eyebrows shoot up and her smile grows. "You didn't go to church! Did you really?"
"For you, baby, I'd do about anything," Shen says. Paxton hugs him again, this time with fierce affection. The man behind her looks on with respectful amusement. I cough quietly and he looks to me, his face suddenly guarded. He could be hiding thousands of years of secrets behind those clear blue eyes and no one would know it – no one but me, that is.
I could try it – I've Found things on the spur of the moment more times than I can remember right now – but I doubt Paxton would appreciate it, it's almost impossible to Find a thing without knowing what I'm looking for, and it would be rude, besides. I'd prefer to start off an acquaintance with a celestial being on a good note.
Paxton sees who I'm looking at and she flushes pink. "I'm sorry," she says. "I should introduce you. Robert, this is -"
"Gabriel," the man says, and nods to me, but doesn't extend his hand.
She introduces the rest of us, and Shen is more or less well-behaved. I wonder if he notices anything unusual about Paxton's companion; I'll have to ask him later. Jillian can't take her eyes off the man, and Sara digs her elbow into Jillian's side to break the trance.
Paxton's attention has returned to the casket. During our brief exchange, the funeral director has discreetly removed the casket spray. Paxton touches the gleaming white of the coffin lid and for a moment it looks like she wants to lean down and kiss it. She doesn't, but she doesn't move, either. Sara looks at me, her meaning clear. Do something, Robert.
"Paxton," I say, and put my arm around her. "It's time to go, darling." Jillian has started to sniffle but is making an admirable effort to contain herself.
"I just want a few more minutes," she says, and I can hear the voice of a young girl in her words, maybe ten or eleven.
"No whining," Shen says sternly, and gives her a rude little shake. "C'mon, Pax. Let's get out of here." She jerks her shoulder away, but he doesn't let her go. Gabriel's posture changes slightly but it's enough to make me realize just how big he is. Shen notices, too, and he has the nerve to actually glare at Gabriel. There's a lot of history in that look, and I think Gabriel knows it, even if he doesn't know exactly what the history is.
"Sister," Shen says, more gently now. "Your mother is not attached to this place, to this body. She's attached to you. Wherever you go, she'll be there. There's no point hanging out here. And I'm hungry, so let's go get some Indian food and get drunk already."
Paxton slaps him, laughing. "Asshole," she says. Sara has kept her distance up to now, but she comes up to join us, as does Jillian. We stand together around Paxton, sharing the choice she has to make now. She knows it's time. The question is, how stubborn is she going to be about it?
Finally she nods, sniffs, and takes her hand off the casket. She wriggles out of our tight group with impressive diplomacy and goes to Gabriel. She slips off the coat she's wearing and hands it to him, but he just wraps it around her again, saying something that makes her laugh. She murmers something to him in response, and while I can't hear what she's saying, his reaction is very interesting. Except for a subtle line between his brows, his expression doesn't change, but his eyes do – while I watch, their color changes. They fade from limpid ocean blue to the turquoise of a Caribbean lagoon, and I glance over at Sara to see if she's noticed. When I look back at the angel, he is gazing at Paxton with eyes the color of opals, white and shimmering. There is a dangerous power behind them, and I can tell it's pulling at the reins of Gabriel's will. I don't think I'd want to be around if that power ever broke free.
"Jesus," Shen whispers, and while he doesn't look over, the line between Gabriel's eyes deepens. "Sorry," Shen says immediately. "No offense intended, man."
Still focused on Paxton, Gabriel shakes his head in response to a question she asks, then looks at us, his eyes still glowing with that disconcerting iridescence.
"It was good to meet you," he says to us. "Take care of her." It's not a request; it's an order, and we all know it. He turns and ducks under the tent, disappearing to whatever destination is calling him away. We may be the only people who notice him leave.
"Hey," Shen says, once Gabriel is gone. "Will we all fit in that limo, do you think?"
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