Gabriel (13 page)

“
I never married anyone else, Maree Ann. It was always you, and it
will always be you who holds my heart.”

She tilted her head. “Can you
please just call me Maree? Maree Ann Mason died when she left New Mexico.”

“
Of course.” Robert kissed the top of her head. “I love you,
Maree.”

“
I love you, too.”

They stayed in each other's
arms for a few minutes. Gabriel moved behind Calla and wrapped his arms around
her. “Are you okay?”

The hair on Calla’s arms and
neck rose as his warm breath coated her skin. Unable to articulate she nodded.

“
You said you needed my help. What is it you need?” Maree asked
Calla.

“
We should probably go inside and talk about this,” Gabriel said.

“
Oh, of course. I’m sorry. Please forgive me for being so rude.”
Maree turned from Robert, clasping his hand and pulling him behind her. “Let’s
go inside.”

She walked to the rear of the
house and into the kitchen. Windows filled the wall facing the lake, and a deck
surrounded the back of the house. The sliding glass door stood open, and a
coffee cup and magazine sat on the patio table.

“
No wonder she didn’t hear us knock,” Calla whispered.

“
I’m sorry, what did you say? My hearing isn’t what it used to be.”

“
Nothing,” Calla mumbled.

“
She said that you must have been on the deck when we first
knocked,” Gabriel said, speaking a little louder.

Maree looked at the open
door. “Yes, I was having some cocoa. Would either of you like some?”

“
Yes, please,” Gabriel said.

Maree put a kettle of water
on the stove and then sat down on a stool. She motioned for Calla, Gabriel, and
Robert to join her.

“
You said you need my help. What is it that you need?”

“
We have some blood samples. Robert ran them through his machines
at the lab, but he was not able to find the reason the cells are replicating,”
Gabriel said.

“
Did you bring the reports and samples with you?”

“
Yes, they are in the car,” Gabriel said. He turned and looked at
Robert. “Are we going to do this here?”

“
Sorry, Gabriel.” Robert reached out and clasped Maree’s hand.
“Would it be possible for you to come to my house?”

“
Sure, why?”

“
I have some lab equipment there, and I have a friend who’s
dropping more off.”

“
Shouldn’t I at least take a look at the reports to see if I can
help?”

“
Yes, of course.”

“
I’ll go get them.” Gabriel turned and left.

Robert rubbed small circles
on the top of Maree’s hand. The kettle started to whistle, and Maree glanced
between the pot and Robert.

“
I’ll get that,” Calla said.

She poured the water into
mugs and added cocoa. She handed them out. She brought hers up to her mouth to
blow on it, and the aroma of chocolate brought on a wave of nausea. She set the
cup down and edged to the end of bar.

Gabriel came in and handed
the papers to Maree.

He walked behind Calla and
wrapped his arms around her. She leaned back into his embrace. She wasn’t sure
when she started to feel so comfortable with him, but she was glad he was here.

“
I’m going to take these outside. The fresh air always helps me
think better.” Maree picked up the folder, her cup of hot chocolate, and headed
out to the deck.

“
I’ll go with you,” Robert said, grabbing his cup.

“
Robert.” He turned to Gabriel, who continued. “If she is going to
be involved in this, you might want to introduce the idea of angels to her.”

Robert glanced at the open
door. “Yeah, there won’t be any more secrets between us.”

He headed out the door,
closed it, and joined Maree on the deck.

Calla
was holding the hot chocolate, but wasn’t drinking it. Gabriel asked, “Is
something wrong with the cocoa?”

“
No, something’s wrong with me. I love chocolate, and now the smell
makes me sick? I thought I was getting better, but I still can’t eat or drink.
This blows.”

“
It is possible that you may need to drink blood in order to
survive. At least until we can find something to counteract the poison in your
blood.”

“
How long can I go without eating?”

“
I am not sure, but I would suggest you take in nutrition sooner
than later. We do not know what will happen to you if you become starved.”

“
You mean I could become a blood-sucking monster?”

Gabriel grabbed Calla’s wrist
and pulled her into an embrace. “I will not let that happen.”

“
I know. I will be exterminated by you or your brother.”

“
It will not come to that, Calla. I will keep you and the humans
around you safe. Trust me.”

She wanted to trust him; she
needed to trust him, but that wasn’t going to happen today.

An hour passed before Maree
opened the sliding door, with Robert right behind her. “Robert has told me
everything. I never believed in angels, or God for that matter, so you’ll have
to forgive my lack of awe. I’m a scientist first and foremost. I have a lot of
questions, but for right now I only have one question for you, Gabriel. If you
really are an angel, how could your God let this happen?”

“
Let what happen?”

“
Let me and Robert be separated. Let those monsters out. Let
humanity face the danger of extinction. Allow Calla to be turned into one of
those things. Take your pick on which one you answer first.”

Calla glared at Maree.

“
You are angry, and I understand your pain, but this is not God’s
fault. Humans are given free will. If the Kematians hadn’t escaped, I wouldn’t
have found Calla, and you would not be aware that Robert still existed. We were
unable to defeat them the last time, but we did not know someone like you who
may be able to provide the answers we seek,” Gabriel said.

“
But why were Robert and I separated? We lost a lifetime of
happiness together, and for what? That doesn’t sound like the loving God I hear
others preach about.”

“
The Almighty loves all his children, and the lessons you learn in
this life are to prepare you for the next.”

“
That is not an answer. That is a philosophy lesson.”

“
Welcome to my world,” Calla said.

Chapter Nine

Gabriel and Calla arrived at
Robert’s summer place. The cabin bordered the Grand Traverse Bay, and a cool
breeze blew off of Lake Michigan. The harsh seasons of northern Michigan had
weathered the cedar siding.

Robert and Maree pulled
behind them. She had packed a bag and planned on staying indefinitely. Robert
carried her suitcase, and Gabriel held the foam cooler in one arm and the vinyl
cooler over the other shoulder. Robert took everyone around the house and gave
them a quick tour. Gabriel walked to the refrigerator and put the blood from
the vinyl bag and the foam cooler in it.

Gabriel was surprised how
well Maree had taken all the news. She insisted her scientific nature would
need more convincing before she could really
believe
in angels. It was still hard for him to understand how much
things had changed. There was a time when the word
angel
was met with great reverence, but now it was all about proof.
Free will is a wonderful thing.

Sam had been by and used the
spare key that was under the flowerpot on the front porch, to get in and
deliver the items Robert requested. Gabriel saw them when they stopped by his
room. Robert had said the rest would be downstairs, in his lab. When Gabriel
asked about the lab in the basement Robert's only response was something about
never really being retired from the government.

Robert returned to his room
to help Maree get settled in.

Calla and Gabriel headed into
the kitchen and sat down at the table. She turned to the side to face him.
“Robert and Maree look really happy.”

“
Two souls separated and now reunited. I can relate to that,”
Gabriel said.

“
Can you see their souls?”

“
Not in the sense humans refer to souls. It is more like their
auras are in perfect sync.”

“
I still find it odd that you refer to us as humans, but the longer
you’re around me the better your comprehension of the English language has
become.”

Gabriel laughed. “There was
never a problem with comprehension. It is all the slang and sarcasm that is
difficult to understand. And I call you humans because that is what you are. It
is not meant as an insult, but a fact.”

“
Okay, but before I met you all people were humans, at least they
were to my knowledge. Are there other beings on Earth besides angels and
Kematians?”

“
Mmm, that is a very good question,” Gabriel said.

“
I take it that’s all you’re going to say about it. I’m on to you,
Gabriel. I’m beginning to understand ‘angel’ evasiveness very well,” Calla
said, folding her arms across her chest. “I won’t push this subject any further
right now, but don’t think this is the end of the conversation.”

“
I would not dream of this being the end of it,” Gabriel said with
a grin.

Calla laughed. “You’re giving
sarcasm a try. Nice. You are catching on.”

“
I have a good teacher.” His smile wavered as he gazed behind her.

Calla turned to see Robert
and Maree enter the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

They sat at the table like a
couple of school-kids. Their laughter filled the room. Robert turned to Maree
and reached in his pocket. Gabriel knew the ring he was reaching for he had
been carrying for decades. Love radiated from them, and he hoped someday Calla
would look at him the same way.

“
I will love you, forever,” Robert said, and he placed the ring on
her finger. “Maree Weiss, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“
Yes, yes.”

Calla and Gabriel excused
themselves and went onto the deck.

“
Do you think we’ll ever be that happy?” Calla asked.

“
I already am. I cherish each day I have you in my life.”

“
I feel kind of bad for them,” Calla said.

“
Why?” Gabriel asked as he leaned into her and pulled her to an
embrace.

“
They’ve lost so much time. All the possibilities that could have
been are gone. I’m glad we’re younger.” Calla lifted her chin as she giggled.
“I mean at least I’m still young. We have a lifetime together, the chance for
decades of happiness, and a family.” Calla sighed.

Gabriel clutched Calla
tighter pulling her closer.

That
I am not certain of, my love.

****

Gabriel woke and sat up. He
had slept on the couch, while Calla slept in the guest room. The sun shining
through the living room wasn’t what had woken him. It was the sound of feet
tapping across the wood floor in the kitchen. He went to investigate the noise
and found Maree pouring a cup of coffee. She filled one and handed it to him.

“
Good morning.”

“
Good morning,” Gabriel said, taking the cup.

“
Angels drink coffee?”

“
Yes.”

“
Robert went into town and will be back later. I’m going to go
downstairs and look over the data while I rerun the tests, so I can compare the
results with Robert’s. Gabriel, would you mind taking the samples down to the
lab?”

“
I do not mind,” Gabriel said as he opened the refrigerator,
removing the vials.

They headed downstairs. The
corner of the basement with all the equipment was covered with sheets. Gabriel
pulled the covers back while Maree opened the shades so she could crack the
windows and allow dust to escape. She walked around and turned on printers,
computers, and a centrifuge and plugged in several microscopes, some of which
were connected to computers.

Maree grabbed the samples and
went to work. Before long the printers began to hum, spitting out page after
page of paper. Maree remained silent as she studied the results and applied
more blood to the slides. Gabriel stood by and watched.