Guardian Angel Trilogy

by John Davis

There was a silence between them. Seemingly forever, as both lovers continued to connect souls with their eyes.

  “Do you like what I've done with the place?” Jackson asked, turning momentarily and using his arm to show off the skills of mild decoration.

  “I like what I see.” she replied, her eyes never leaving him for a moment.

  “Do you love what you see?” he asked, his tone becoming one of seriousness.

  “Yes,” Alicia replied with a nod. “As a matter of fact I do love what I see.”

  “Enough to get married?” he asked.

  “Huh?” she asked, taken back by the near-ambush style in which he had asked.

  “Will you marry me?” Jackson asked once more, kneeling a bit while continuing his stare upward.

  “And, the quicker the reply, the better. This whole kneeling thing isn't as comfortable on the ole' gunshot wound as you might imagine.” he commented with a grin.

  Oh my God, he's serious!

  “Jackson, a Ring Pop? Seriously?” Alicia said, quickly adopting a case of the giggles.

  “Again, it's the best I could do.”

  “But you're serious? I mean, this is an actual proposal?” Alicia asked.

  “Hey. Do you have any idea what lengths I went to for this Ring Pop?” Jackson asked. “I called in favors. Massive favors.”

  “But you do realize there is this huge group of Ancient soldiers heading our way right?” Alicia asked.

  “My knee hurts,” he said with a smile. “I mean literally, it's hurting here.”

  “Oh my God, you're such a whiner.” Alicia commented.

  “So is that a yes, or a no?” Jackson asked.

  “Of course I will,” she said. “If we survive the coming battle and are lucky enough to actually round up a minister.”

  “Yea, about that.” Jackson replied, standing slowly back to his feet.

  As she turned, Alicia caught sight of a minister approaching the two.

  “Oh God, wow, you actually have a minister here. So, you plan to do this right now? Tonight?” Alicia asked, her tone abducted by the chill of nerves.

  “I've heard all about the army that approaches,” Jackson said. “And the first thing that came to my mind was marrying you. Be it one more night or a million, I want them to be by your side.”

  “You're damned romantic when you want to be, you know that?” she asked, placing the smooth touch of her hands into his own.

  “And I brought a Ring Pop.” he replied with a wink.

  “Yes...yes you did.” Alicia said, staring into the deep eyes of a man who held her very soul.

  “Are we ready?” the minister asked, approaching them slowly under the shroud of Christmas lights.

  “Yep, and if you don't mind hurrying,” Jackson said, turning away from the minister as he looked into Alicia's passionate stare for a moment. “I'd love to skip things along and get started with the honeymoon.”

  “Indeed.” the minister replied with a smile.

  As the two lovers began exchanging their vows under a veil of holiday bulbs, their silhouettes distinguishable to hundreds of survivors who had gathered below, people began to believe again. Finding hope in some type of future.

  For the survivors lucky enough to have made it this far, some had found love themselves. And the sight of a wedding brought out the best in everyone who looked on.

  Even Gretchen, who had lost hope long before this night, began to believe in a higher power once more. Some sort of fate beyond death.

  Easing her hand over with anxiousness, she slowly interlocked fingers with the hardened grip of Perk, who answered her gesture of attraction with his own.

  “You know, I always heard that weddings make women horny.” Perk admitted.

  Turning to him for a moment, her sandy-blonde hair rippling a bit in the cool breeze of air, she smiled.

  “Totally true.”

  And they weren't the only onlookers.

  Even the Ancients, who had started to mass their force for an all-out ground assault, paused for a moment. The distant colors of lights inside of a unusually dark city, some of them blinking, captivating those who intended to sack the humans' home soon enough.

  And though it wasn't visible enough to most of them, at least not enough to make out the act of a wedding ceremony, to one it was painfully clear.

  Queen Karie stood silent, her black robe swaying a bit as she stared on, knowing they would soon encounter the strongest opponent they had ever faced.

  Love.

  For it was the very emotion that brought strangers together in the wake of tragedy and strengthened the weak, making for a vicious opponent indeed.

  Chapter 3

  Days of Ruin

  As we braced for a battle that would surely come, the Ancients learned of our will to survive.

  For the first time since they invaded our planet, the race of the stars has felt humbling defeat. Their queen was nearly killed during the push for our last remaining city, Washington.

  Though we've only seen a few deaths among our own ranks in recent months, our losses have been heavy. Armor, equipment, weapons. We have the soldiers to continue the fight, though I fear we do not have the means to fight.

  The time for us to bring this fight to the Ancients has arrived. If we are to strike, now is our chance. Since they are so arrogant in battle, perhaps the Ancients will be taken by surprise. So it is with this in mind that I pray for strength. As we lead our finest soldiers into the teeth of superior defenses, the element of surprise now becomes our strongest ally. Your mercy – our only hope.

  -Alicia Lucard

  Not a single moment passed when Alicia didn't know it in her heart. Jackson was indeed the man of her dreams. There was a time not so long ago that her heart felt torn between the love of two, and her life had been in shambles because of the uncertainty and guilt which came attached to it.

  Much of her life had been that way, in fact. Alicia had made the journey through life thus far, torn between things others had deemed important. No real purpose or solid goal awaiting her at the end.

  Still, as she lay in bed looking onto the face of her lover. Not a speck of her heart, her very soul, spoke of uncertainty. Alicia was the happiest she'd ever been, even in times of such despair against humanity.

  It seemed unfair. While others continued to grieve with loss for the loved ones, Alicia had found her soul mate. She wanted to feel guilty about it, she truly did; but Alicia couldn't get past the happiness each day seemed to provide now that she'd met the love of her life.

  As Jackson continued to sleep soundly, Alicia gazed to her husband with all of the love in the world. Simply enjoying one of the few moments in her life when nothing else seemed to matter. Just him.

  They had been married for nearly a year, and every second of it had been welcomed bliss. Everything she could have wanted – could have imagined.

  He had felt the same, though his journey to her had brought much more loss. Alicia had fought alongside what little remained of the United States Army, while Jackson had proudly been a member of the Rise of Allies.

  They shared the same goal – kill the Ancients out and survive. Though both sides had done things differently. The United States Army had continued to rely on its politicians and laws of old, even going so far as to attempt a deal with the Ancients.

  The Rise of Allies had taken a different approach. They would never deal with a fleet of murderers, and continued to kill the Ancients any chance they could. Deals be damned.

  Somewhere along the way, the surviving United States Army had splintered, and Alicia was a part of the separation. Her side of the fence much like the Rise of Allies. No more nations – but rather a single force fighting for humanity.

  “You always stare at me like this?” Jackson asked with concern, having opened his eyes a bit. “Am I snoring or something?”

  “No dear,” Alicia replied with a smile. “I mean, no, you weren't snoring.”

  “And?” he asked with a gr
in of his own.

  “I watch you sleep sometimes, I admit it. Sue me.”

  “I would if the last courtroom on earth wasn't being used as a bed and breakfast.” he replied with his infamous wink.

  It had been the first thing she'd noticed about him, adding to his already overpowering charm. Jackson had never been a ladies' man, but had immediately clicked with Alicia. They understood each other in a way that was hard to explain.

  Each of them had a sarcasm that the other seemed to understand. While Jackson came across as a wise-ass to others, Alicia took it as charm. They had a relationship that was impossible for most others to understand. Men openly hit on Alicia regularly – men with a history of wooing the ladies. Only to be turned down stone cold. She would have none of it – seeing through their bullshit lines and exposing them for being pathetic.

  Jackson also had a fair share of ladies with an interest in him. He was more civil in turning them down, but never once did he question his love for Alicia or find himself flirting with the idea of being with another.

  Simply put, they completed each other – which meant everything now that the world was a shell of its former self. A comfort in times of loss.

  Though he had just opened his eyes moments before, Jackson was the first to notice a blur blowing across the window outside of their small home. Then a second, this time catching Alicia's attention as well.

  “What is it?” Jackson asked, easing himself up as Alicia pulled herself closer to the window.

  “People. Lots of people heading for the end of our street.”

  “Do I need a gun?” he asked, though it was pointless. He'd take his sidearm regardless.

  “No, I don't think so. No soldiers that I can see, just a mob of people.”

  “Well let's go see what all this fuss is about.” he replied.

  “Yea, let's,” she responded. “Bring a gun.”

  “But you just said?” he questioned.

  Receiving a look from the love of his life, Jackson simply replied with a grin.

  “I'm already on it baby.”

  As she opened their door, several more citizens ran past. This time escorted by a handful of Rise of Allies soldiers.

  “What is going on?” Alicia asked, staring into the crowd which seemed to slowly approach them.

  “We have some survivors coming in.” a soldier replied, slowing long enough to answer her burning question.

  Sure enough, a group of nearly twenty survivors, each of them starved and bewildered, made their way to the front gates of the city. Soldiers within the Rise of Allies rushing out to help them find a safe spot to rest.

  “It makes no sense,” Alicia commented. “Why are the Ancients letting them walk through? How are they making it to our front gates so easily?”

  “My guess is they understand how little of a threat these people are. Too weak to fight and too starved to be considered a source of food.” Jackson replied, quickly holstering his pistol in order to aid the soldiers in helping those in need.

  “Maybe the Ancients know how much of a strain these hurting people will put on our own resources, huh?” Alicia commented.

  Her question went unanswered.

  “Jackson,” Alicia said, turning to her lover and husband of nearly a year. “Jackson, are you alright?”

  It was obvious that he wasn't, however, as tears fell down his face full stream.

  “Jackson?” Alicia asked, this time in a much more concerned tone of voice – realizing the seriousness of his emotion.

  Jackson began to sprint toward the mass of people staggering in, making sure that his eyes truly did not deceive him.

  His wife Katie, whom Jackson had long believed to be dead, stood directly in front of him.

  “Jackson?” the bewildered woman asked.

  His embrace was enough to answer her direct question, as well as the questions of Alicia who slowed her run to them. Learning with her own eyes that Jackson's first wife had indeed survived – finding the arms of her husband once more.

  “The children?” Jackson asked with panic.

  “I'm sorry,” the woman replied as she began to cry. “I'm so, so sorry. I couldn't protect them.”

  Jackson answered with a heavy cry of his own, firming his hold around the neck of a woman he thought dead for so long.

  -

  It's funny how a singular event can change the direction of a human life. As Jackson sat on the front porch of their small home, nightfall settling in – as did a cool rush of air; he thought about so many different things.

  The memory of his three children, all of them having fallen to the grasp of the Ancients. His wife Katie, and her ability to survive without him for so long.

  And of course, Alicia. Their love had grown stronger by the minute since first crossing paths. Both fantastic soldiers and even better lovers, Jackson and Alicia shared something so rare that those around them remained hopeful. One day, perhaps, they could find a love as true. As genuine.

  Jackson had grown used to being on his own. A gun in his hand and Ancients lining up to be shot. That was his idea of a good time. Knowing that his love was now for two women, it was undeniably painful.

  Much worse than battling a supreme life form in the Ancients. He now found himself battling...himself. The classic scenario of two clear choices standing before him, neither of them easy.

  Long ago, Jackson had promised himself to Katie. Married before a large group of family and friends in the grandest of weddings. He felt a commitment to her. An obligation to be true to his word.

  Still, the thought of Alicia plagued him. Jackson had fallen for her with no expense spared. He had thought his wife to be dead, however, allowing himself to love once more.

  His previous life coming back to him as his current life fell crashing to his feet.

  “You alright?” Alicia asked, stepping out onto the porch and cautiously approaching the man in deep thought.

  “I don't know what I'm supposed to do here.” Jackson admitted.

  “Yea, you're in a bit of a pickle.” Alicia responded.

  Her joke went without reception, however, which was very unlike Jackson.

  “Everything I told you is the truth, I swear it. All of the feelings I have for you, they are real,” he admitting before pausing, turning his attention to Alicia. “But I thought Katie was dead. I truly did. If I would have known she was still alive...”

  “I know that. If you thought she were still alive there would have been no you and I.” Alicia replied.

  “If I knew Katie was out there, I would have been out there looking for her.” he admitted.

  “You should be with her,” Alicia replied. Her voice slowed a bit, changing to one of true concern. “You need to be with her.”

  “But I don't know what I'm supposed...”

  “Listen, meatball, I've been in your shoes. Two people nearby to love, it's torture. I'm doing you a favor here by making your decision for you. You'll thank me later,” Alicia said. “She loves you and obviously the feeling is mutual. You guys have a long history together. You need to be with her.”

  “But I also love...” Jackson began to reply.

  “I know, you also love me. Yada, yada. I've been here before, remember?”

  “Yea,” Jackson said with a bit of relief. “What about you? Are you going to be alright with things that way?”

  “Me? Seriously?” she replied with a line of questioning all her own. “I'm sorry, who are you again?”

  Her suggestion brought smiles to both of their faces after such a turmoil-filled day.

  “Seriously, I'll be fine. Go be with your wife and have your ass ready to report for duty in the morning.” Alicia said.

  “Alright,” Jackson said, nodding a bit. “Thank you. I,” he paused for several tense moments. “I'm sorry.”

  “We work together Jackson, seriously, you're beginning to sound a little desperate.” Alicia replied jokingly.

  “Alright,” he replied with a grin, turni
ng to enter their home once more. “I always loved your sense of humor.”

  With his confession, Jackson slowly entered their home once more to check on his wife. Katie.

  Turning to soak in the lights of the world's last remaining Guardian Angel grid above, Alicia began to cry heavily. No one left to fool with the sight of a fake smile. It felt as if she were dying inside. Wounded by a sword thrust into the heart.

  As her tears flowed heavily, so did the rain. Beginning with a sprinkle, it quickly turned into a downpour. Falling all around Alicia as she continued to sob, asking God above for answers.

  For so long now, it seemed as though life had taken from her. Rarely giving back. Jackson had been the bright spot of her day, now taken as well by whatever God above that continued to torture her soul.

  Perhaps it was her punishment? She'd pushed Jackson into the same role not so long ago. Now Alicia had no choice but to deal with the emotions he'd dealt with. Watching her love another.

  There are a handful of moments in a person's life when they truly begin to question everything. Their purpose. Their reason for existing.

  As the cold rain continued to fall to the ground in sheets, Alicia wept hard. Feeling completely lost during one such moment, feeling as though what little faith she had left was forcefully being put to the test.

  -

  The next morning, Alicia was the last person to arrive. A large town hall building in which the military-trained met each morning, her tardiness very unusual.

  “We were beginning to worry about you.” the commanding officer commented as Alicia took a new seat.

  “About who, me? I feel brand new.” she replied.

  Alicia had taken a seat across the room from Jackson, which was strange. They normally sat beside one another.

  Alicia had felt it was best for them both, particularly her, in getting over a love that was so strong a short time ago. Being so close to his body would tempt her to stray from the path of right. Having decided, for once, to put the needs of others before her own.