Oblivion (The Watcher Chronicles #3) (21 page)

“But you didn’t even try.”

“I did, baby.  During those seven years with you, I tried to fight against my addictions but I just couldn’t.  I might not have been using but I sure did want to.  I knew I couldn’t be the person you needed me to be.  That’s why I decided to leave.  I wish I could have been stronger for you.  I wish I could have been the mother you deserved, but I couldn’t.  So I did the next best thing and found you a mother who could be all those things for you.  I loved you enough to let you go.”

My mother brings me into her arms.  “Never doubt that I love you, Jessi.  Of anyone in this world you hold my heart like no one else ever will.  I hope you can forgive me for being so weak.”

I hug her back tightly.  “There’s nothing to forgive.  You did the best you could.  I love you, Mom.”

“And I will always love you, Jessi.”

After a while and after more than a few tears, we pull away from each other.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of you and everything you’ve been able to overcome in your life.  I was so happy when you finally let yourself fall in love with a good man.”

“I asked him to marry me,” I tell her.

“I know. I saw it,” she smiles.

“Uh, how much of what happens down there do you see?” I ask, wondering if everyone in Heaven is a voyeur.

“We don’t see everything,” she assures me.  “God lets us see the happiest times of our loved ones lives so we can share in the joy.”

I sigh in relief.

“Do you get to see Dad in Heaven?” I ask, wondering why he told me he didn’t know where my mom was.

“No, I don’t think he even knows I’m there to tell you the truth.”

“Why not?”

“We’re not in the same part of Heaven.”

“It has different parts?”

“Yes.  And before you ask me to name them all, I can’t,” she laughs.  “I only know about the part that I’m in.”

“Will this be the only time I get to see you?” I ask.

“I’m sure if you really needed me He would bring me to you again.”

“Then I won’t say goodbye,” I tell her.

What daughter doesn’t need her mother? 

When I wake up, God is standing above me.

“Thank you,” I tell him.

“You’re welcome.”

I sit up feeling like a weight has been lifted from my heart.  Seeing my mother again helped fill in a part of my past, finally allowing me to close that chapter of my life.  My mother loves me.  That’s all I ever wanted to know.

When I look over at God standing a few feet away from me now, I see a troubled frown on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him.

“I feel I should help prepare you for something.”  He pauses and I’m not sure he’s going to finish his thought until he says, “In your final confrontation with Lucifer a sacrifice will have to be made.”

“What kind of sacrifice?”

“That will be revealed to you soon.”

“Are you seriously going to just leave me with that answer?” I ask in disbelief.

“I have to be careful with my words,” God says.  “I hope I haven’t said too much as it is.”

“So will I get a warning about this sacrifice or is it just going to be a surprise?”

“There will be a warning.  One of the archangels you have yet to find will be able to show you more.”

I sit there stunned and, I’ll admit, slightly pissed.  He drops a sacrifice bombshell on me and doesn’t say anything else? Ugh…

“Also,” God says, “tell Mason I would be happy to do what he asked.”

“What did he ask?”

“I believe he wants to tell you that himself.”

“Ok,” I say, not having a clue what Mason would have asked God to do for him but apparently I was involved in it in someway.

“I should go now,” God says to me.  “Lucifer is coming.”

“Do I offer him the crown now?”

“You will know when the time is right.”

God phases just as I hear the rhythmic movement of the rocking chair on the porch.

Chapter 16

I have no idea when I’m supposed to offer Lucifer the crown but I feel certain it isn’t today.  I run to my bathroom and grab a white towel to wrap it in.  I go back to the living room and hide it inside one of the cabinets in my entertainment center.  I grab my coat and walk out to the front porch. 

“So what was all the commotion in your backyard about last night?” Lucifer asks me when I come to stand in front of him.

“Were you here?” I ask, certain I would have noticed the devil in my backyard.

“Yes but I didn’t see you, just your neighbors.”

“Mason and I must have left by then.”

Lucifer looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer to his original question.

“I asked Mason to marry me last night.”

Lucifer grunts.  “Guess I should have seen that coming,” he says derisively. “Did he not have enough gumption to ask you himself?  Needed a woman to do the job for him did he?”

“Don’t talk about him like that in front of me.  If you can’t speak civilly about the man I plan to share my life with, don’t say anything at all or better yet leave.”

“At least he’s not human,” Lucifer shivers, completely seeming to ignore my ultimatum.  “I would have to seriously reconsider your intelligence if you had chosen a monkey to mate with.”

“But in your eyes I’m a monkey,” I remind him.

“Only partially.  You have the soul of a Guardian.  That puts you above a normal human in my estimation.”

I suppose that’s how he’s rationalizing his feeling for me now.  If I have part of the soul of an angel, I’m not completely human so he’s not degrading himself by being friends with one.

“Tomato, tamato,” I say to him.

Lucifer looks confused.  “What?”

“A tomato is a tomato even if you try to make it sound fancier.  It’s what you’re trying to do by saying I’m above a regular human because part of my soul comes from a Guardian.  You need to face the fact that I’m just a human, Lucifer.  You’re friends with a human.”

Lucifer grunts again but doesn’t say anything.

“I suppose he said yes,” Lucifer says, changing the subject.  “Is that the biggest ring he could find?”

I look at my diamond.  It sparkles even in the shade of the porch, trapping the ambient light within is multitude of facets and causing a dazzling shimmer.

“Big enough for me,” I say.

“Well I would hope so.  A 10carat diamond doesn’t come cheap in your world.”

I hadn’t even thought about how much it cost.

“How much does a ring like this usually sell for?” I ask.

“At least a million, I would say, if not more.”

I feel my mouth gape open and Lucifer chuckles.  Wow, I feel really bad now.  I only spent a couple of thousand on Mason’s ring and thought that was expensive.  He in turn bought me something that could finance a small country!

“I wish you hadn’t told me that.  Now I’m going to be paranoid I might lose it.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Lucifer tells me.  “A million to Mason is like a hundred dollars to a regular person.”

Lucifer sits silently.  I get the feeling he’s run out of things to say but doesn’t seem to want to leave just yet.

“Would you like some coffee?” I ask.

He grins wickedly.  “Are you inviting me inside your home?”

“Uh, no.  I’m not stupid.”

Lucifer laughs.  “No, I suppose you’re not.  Thank you for the offer but I should be leaving.  I have plans for this evening.”

“Dastardly plans?”

“Do I have any other type?”

“No,” I say, resigned to the fact that Lucifer may never want to be saved from his own egomania, “I suppose not.”

“I’ll see you later, Jessica.  Congratulations on your engagement.”

After Lucifer leaves, I go over to Mama Lynn’s to give Leah the good news about Remy.  She’s ecstatic when I tell her. 

“Do you think if I called to him now he would come?” She asks me.

“I don’t see why not.  My dad comes almost immediately each time I’ve called for him.”

“How do I do it?  What exactly do I do?”

“Just close your eyes, picture his face and call out his angelic name.”

Leah closes her eyes and says her dad’s name.

Remy appears instantly beside her.

It looks like Heaven has been good for Remy.  I barely recognize him.  His hair is cut, his beard and mustache are gone, the glasses are off and he actually looks rather handsome dressed in his grey slacks and white V-neck sweater.

Remy taps Leah on the shoulder.  She opens her eyes and throws herself into his arms.

“Hey, baby girl,” Remy says, hugging Leah tightly to him.  “I sure did miss you.”

I see Leah’s shoulders begin to shake and I know she’s crying.  Mama Lynn, Faison and I walk into the kitchen to give them some time alone together.

I tell Mama Lynn and Faison about my time with my mother.

“My goodness,” Mama Lynn says, holding a hand to her heart.  “I can’t imagine having to make a choice like that.  Only a true mother would do what’s best for her child no matter the cost to themselves.”

Faison smiles at me.  “At least you know now that she really does love you.”

I nod but don’t say anything because if I do I know I’ll start to cry.

“So what happened to you and Mason last night?  Where did you go?” Faison asks to lighten the mood.  She may look like innocence itself with her question, but I have a sneaking suspicion she knows darn well what Mason and I were doing.

“Getting matches,” I tell her.

The confused look on her face makes me want to laugh.  I cover my mouth to prevent it.

“Oh my god!”

Faison grabs my left hand and stares dazed and amazed at the giant rock sitting on my ring finger.

“Is it real?” Mama Lynn asks, her eyes as large as saucers.

“As far as I know, it is,” I answer.

Both Faison and Mama Lynn seem to be at a loss for words, an unusual state for either of them to be in.

“So have the two of you set a date?” Mama Lynn asks.

“No, we haven’t talked about the wedding yet.  But I was thinking about asking my grandfather if we could have it in his home.  I think it would make him feel more like a part of the family.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Mama Lynn says.  “We really should have him over for dinner soon.”

“Why don’t I call him now and give him your number so you guys can set a time for that?”

I call my grandfather and let him know about the engagement.  He offers his home for the wedding without me even having to ask.  I give him Mama Lynn’s phone number so she and he can arrange a time for him to come over for dinner.  It’s one less thing for me to have to worry about.

A little after I get off the phone with my grandfather, Mason sends me a text.

Found Faust.  He wants to ask you for a favor before he’ll hand over Balaam’s staff…

Why me? He doesn’t even know me.   What’s the favor? And why didn’t you come get me before going to see him?

I’m not sure why he wants to speak to you.  I don’t know what the favor is.  And I thought I might be able to get the staff without disturbing your time with your dad.

I appreciate your thoughtfulness but next time take me with you.  We’re a team.  Please remember that.

Am I in trouble?  A bad kind of trouble…not the good kind?

No, you’re not in trouble.  I’ve spoken to my dad, God, Lucifer and my grandfather while you’ve been gone.  And someone else I would like to tell you about in person…. 

You’ve been rather busy, Agent Riley. 

On my way home from Mama Lynn’s.  Meet you there.

When I get home, Mason is sitting on the steps to the porch.  He watches me walk over to him and a slow happy smile spreads his lips.  My heart aches at the sight of him and I feel proud that I’m the one who can make him feel such joy.

I sit down next to him, grab him and kiss the dog out of him.  When I’m done, I let him breathe again.

“Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?  I thought I was in a bad kind of trouble not the good kind.”

I loop an arm around one of his and snuggle in closer to his side.  “I love you.  Isn’t that reason enough?”

Mason smiles.  “It’s all the reason I’ll ever need.”

He kisses me tenderly on the temple.  “Now, tell me what happened during all these conversations you had today.”

“You can tell Joshua and Nick they can stop looking for my mother,” I tell him.

“Why?”

I tell Mason about my visit with my mother.  I cry a little but they are happy tears.

When I tell Mason about Lucifer’s crown, he looks troubled.

“God shouldn’t have placed that burden on you,” Mason says.  It’s the first time I’ve heard him say anything against something his father did.

“He must think I can handle it.  From what He said, He thinks Lucifer will listen to me.  Why would he listen to me?  I don’t know because I don’t think Lucifer listens to anyone but himself.”

“Which is exactly the reason my father shouldn’t have placed you in such an awkward and possibly dangerous position!”

“Listen,” I say, trying to soothe Mason’s ire, “He wouldn’t have asked me to do it if He thought I would get hurt.  I got the feeling He thinks I might have a good chance of persuading Lucifer to accept it.”

“I still don’t like it,” Mason grumbles.  “I don’t like anything that places you in danger.”

“Lucifer won’t hurt me.”

“You keep saying that but how do you know he won’t?  The Lucifer in the alternate Earth tried to kill you when he learned what you are.  What makes you think our Lucifer won’t do the same thing?”

It was a good question.  One I actually had an answer for.

“Because our Lucifer cares about
me
, Jess the human.  The other one didn’t know me at all.”

Mason sighs deeply and shakes his head, looking down at the ground.  “Only you would make friends with the devil and think you’re safe.  Jess, Lucifer was best friends with Michael.  He loved Michael.  But that didn’t stop Lucifer from trying to kill him during the war.  I fear you’re deluding yourself if you think he cares for you enough to never harm you.”