by Alexie Aaron
“I’d like to see if I could spend some time with Brian. Can I drop you at your place? I’m sure your mother would like to see you.”
“There’s no driving in that snow, Mia,” Mike said.
“I’m not driving, I’m flying.”
“That was so cool. Um, I’ll take a raincheck. I need to be here representing Ma.”
Mia nodded. She packed up a few things to take over to Ralph’s. She needed to wash some clothes. What she actually needed was new clothes, but judging by the snow on the roads this morning, she doubted even a rabid shopper like Ralph would want to venture down Michigan Avenue today.
~
Mia dropped onto the balcony, and Ralph ushered her inside. “You’re going to freeze your wings off out there, Mia!”
“Mommy!” Brian called, running over.
Mia picked him up and held him away from her cold wet body. “Mommy needs to get warm and dry, slugger. What have you and Ralph been up to this morning?” she asked, setting him down.
“Writing Santa!” Brian exclaimed. “You can write him, and he brings you things.”
Mia looked over at Ralph. “His language skills took another leap.”
“Mia, you just need to correct him, and he remembers. Ted must have been like this as a child. You were more of a grunter.”
Mia laughed. “Me Mia, cave woman.”
“You still are. What’s in the pack?”
“My laundry. Can I use your washer?”
“No. I’ll wash them, and you play with your son. Where’s Ted?”
“I think he’s still in the Dark Vault.”
“Oooh, Bernard would love to get in there.”
“I’m surprised you know about it,” Mia commented.
“Your godfathers are complex and mysterious men, Mia,” Bernard said, walking into the living room.
“Handsome too.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” Bernard said and hugged Mia. “You’re wet. Get those clothes off. Ralph must have something for you to wear.”
“Ralphy Gee and I went shopping,” Brian announced.
“In this snow?”
“On the puter,” he answered.
“Computer,” Bernard corrected.
“Computer,” Brian parroted. “Auntie Judy called and said you need bigger, warmer clothes and indecent socks.”
Mia bit her lip trying not to laugh.
“Decent, Brian,” Bernard corrected.
“What’s the difference?” he asked.
“I’ll leave that for your mother to explain,” Bernard said.
Brian looked up at Mia.
Mia sat down on the floor before her son and took his hands. “Indecent means something that isn’t right to be seen in public. Decent means acceptable for the situation. My socks need to not have so many holes in them, according to Auntie Judy.”
Mia took off her boot and showed Brian that her big toe was sticking out of the worn socks.
“That’s indecent!” he said with glee.
Mia looked up at Bernard. He winked at Mia.
Mia took off her other boot, stood up, and walked them over to the closet. She put them on the rubber mat. Brian followed her around asking questions about everything she did. Mia patiently answered them.
Bernard and Ralph watched the two from the kitchen.
“She’s changed again,” Ralph said. “She’s all muscly.”
“Didn’t Judy warn you that she was going to be a bit different?”
“Yes, but I thought maybe taller.”
Bernard patted Ralph on the back. “She’s still beautiful.”
“You’d think she was beautiful even if she grew a tail.”
Bernard roared with laughter.
Mia and Brian turned and looked at him.
“Bernard is happy. He doesn’t have to go to work today,” Brian told her.
“I’m happy too. I don’t have to go to work until this evening.”
“Is Murphy coming over too?”
“No, honey, Murphy is in charge of keeping everybody safe at the place we are investigating. He needs to stay there, but he did ask me to tell you how proud he is of you, and he has something special for you for your birthday.”
“I’m going to be one.”
“Yes you are.”
“My daddy is a genius.”
“Yes he is. He loves you, Brian, very much.”
“Santa is going to bring me a sled.”
“Is he?” Mia asked, looking at Ralph.
Ralph nodded.
“Well, you better continue to be a good boy then,” Mia warned.
“Yes, Mommy.”
Mia walked with Brian to the guestroom. There, laid out on the bed, was a beautiful, sleeveless, moss-green knit dress with matching tights and a cardigan. “Oooh, so pretty and soft,” Mia said, putting her face to the material of the dress.
Ralph looked in from the doorway. He had tears in his eyes.
“Ralphy Gee said the dress has room for your angel wings.”
“Yes, it does. That reminds me…” Mia turned and spoke to Ralph, “Jake was showing the team a picture of the spring play that you directed, and the consensus is that you haven’t aged since then.”
Ralph beamed. “I wish I could take that as a compliment, but that play aged me into an old man. I’ve just been marking time since.”
“Oh you,” Mia said, hugging Ralph.
“Oh you,” Brian repeated and hugged Ralph’s leg.
He stooped down and picked the boy up for a proper hug. “Mia, you and Ted have made me the happiest man.”
“Nonsense, I’m the happiest man,” Bernard said from the hallway. “Why don’t you boys leave Mia alone so she can shower and then give us a fashion show.”
“Fashion show!” Ralph said with glee as he danced with Brian out of the room and closed the door after him.
After they left, Mia sat on the bed and let the exhaustion and worry overcome her. She closed her eyes and wished that she didn’t have to go back to the house. She opened her eyes and proceeded into the guest bath to start the shower.
Chapter Twenty
Mia sat and looked at Brian’s Santa letters. They were drawings, more than they were notes to the polar elf. She looked at her young son and wondered if it was too early to teach him to write his ABCs.
“I think I need a child development book,” Mia said absently.
“Why not let the tyke learn at his own rate. Forget the books,” Roumain said behind her.
Mia turned around, and there he stood, wrapped in some kind of a fur coat. She turned back to see Ralph, Bernard and Brian sitting in the living room. They looked blurred to her.
“We are moving much faster than they, my Mia,” Roumain said.
“I’m not your Mia,” she snapped.
“Keep telling yourself that. Why so hostile? Here I am, your Jinn, here to give you your wish.”
Mia stood up and took Roumain’s hand. “How about your counsel instead?” she asked.
Roumain took in the very feminine attire and ached to touch the soft curves the knitted garment accentuated. If he had not promised Komal to behave, he would have done so. Instead, he guided her to Bernard’s den where he transported Mia to a familiar cabin.
Mia looked out at the frozen Wolf’s Head Lake a moment and then back at Roumain. “This place is full of good memories for me.”
“I know,” he said and patted the couch seat next to him.
Mia walked over and sat down. She raised her face to his, and when Roumain connected his forehead with hers, she felt as if a tremendous burden had lifted.
“What are they?” she asked Roumain. She didn’t wait for him to answer but told him, “They bleed and breathe. Are they still alive?”
“No, Mia, they are long dead.”
“But the blood was real.”
“It was a trick. It was your blood. He nicked your finger. Look,” he said, pulling off her glove. He held her hand out, pointing to the sm
all wound on her finger.
“It wasn’t Morrison was it?”
“No, it was Dr. Rose.”
“How was I so taken in? I read his history from my blood? Was the journal a fake?”
“No, the journal appears to be real. The real Morrison became enslaved to Rose not long after he finished the journal.”
Mia sat back, disconnecting herself from Roumain. She put her head in her hands and started to sob.
“Mia, all is not lost. Your gallant husband is, at this very minute, working out a solution to lock them in forever.”
“Aren’t there trapped souls in there that need to be freed?” she asked, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater.
Roumain handed her his handkerchief. “Use this. Don’t spoil the garment,” he instructed.
“Well?”
“I don’t know. I can only see what you have shown me. What did Stephen feel?”
Mia sat still for a moment and thought. “I never asked him.”
“Did he volunteer anything?”
“No. We were more concerned with getting out of there.”
“I’m sure Dr. Rose was upset you had your own way out.”
Mia grinned. “I bet he thought we would open up the hatch, break the seal.”
“What was in the note you left for your uncle?”
“I told him that the investigation had hit a snag, but I still wanted to have him to dinner soon. The truth.”
“Can I persuade you not to continue this relationship?”
“No.”
“He will disappoint you.”
“Haven’t you?”
“You are cruel to me, Mia.”
“No, truthful.”
Roumain smiled. “I believe you.”
“If you can, explain something to me,” Mia asked.
“Go on, child, ask.”
“What did I do to have the King of Purgatory so interested in me?”
“Altair wasn’t the only one watching you as you burned your childhood home down to free your misty mother’s soul.”
“I suppose that’s when I made my reservation with the Purgatory Marriott.”
“You could say that. You weren’t remorseful and still carry no guilt about your actions. You have never asked forgiveness from your parents for burning the house down.”
“I never thought I had to,” Mia said, rubbing her chin.
“Why aren’t you afraid of me, Mia?”
“I am.”
“I don’t believe you. You are a masterful liar,” Roumain said.
“As are you.” Mia sighed. “Can’t you read the truth?” she asked, tapping her forehead.
“Not always.”
“Here,” she said, taking his large hand and placing it on her jaw. “Ralph figured out that he could tell if I was lying by my grinding my jaw. Only he and Ted know this and now you. Ask me anything, but I warn you, it will be the truth, and it can hurt.”
Roumain kept his hand on her face more to have physical contact with the creature known as Mia than wanting the truth out of her.
“Do you love your husband?”
“Yes.”
“Do you like the attention you get from other men?”
“No.”
“Are you afraid of me?”
“Yes.”
Roumain took his hand away. “Look into my eyes, Mia.”
Mia did so.
“Do you see the boy there?”
“Yes, he is poor but happy.”
“I am fishing, trying to catch enough fish so my mother can feed my brothers and sisters.”
“Where is your father?”
“I thought he had abandoned us. Truth was, he was enslaved. Do you still fear me, Mia?”
“Yes. I fear and respect you.”
“This boy is no one to fear.”
“He did something that set himself apart. This is the boy I fear.”
“You are very perceptive.” Roumain broke the stare.
“Are you going to help me determine if there are souls to save?” Mia asked.
“I cannot, but I will send you someone who can.”
“Thank you.”
“You are so very welcome. Mia, take care, you are still vulnerable. Sariel has sealed your heart, Ted has promised to love you, and Murphy guards you, but you have to be careful. Leave your recklessness behind you here in this place of good memories. Gone are the days when errors don’t have lasting consequences.”
“I found that out in the demon court,” Mia said softly. “Why do you care about me, Roumain?”
“Purgatory is very crowded right now. Give me a hundred years to clear it out. Then we will have room to dance…”
Mia found herself back in Ralph’s kitchen, staring at the Santa letter in her hand. She put it down and picked up a crayon and began her own letter:
Dear Santa,
Thank you for giving me Ralph and Bernard.
Kind Regards
Mia Cooper Martin
She colored a candy cane border around it and set it under the stack of Brian’s letters. She got up and went to join the men in the living room.
~
Mia arrived back at the mansion. Her eyes watered as she saw that Cid had cleared an area in the yard and a path to the door. She walked quickly and was surprised by the door being opened for her by Mike.
“Thank you. My arms are full.”
Mike took the two large canvas bags from her. Mia wiped her wet boots on the rug and followed Mike into the kitchen. “Has anyone heard from Ted?” she asked the group assembled around the table.
The looks on their faces answered her.
“I brought food. Sandwiches for now and a casserole to heat up for later. And before you make your excuses, while Brian and I helped with the sandwiches, Bernard made the casserole.”
“You look beautiful,” Audrey said. “And I would still eat the casserole if you made it.”
Mia walked over and hugged the investigator. “That is why I love you. Brrrr, it’s cold in here.”
Mike, who had been unpacking the bags, handed her the matching long cardigan.
“Thank you. This is from Ralph and Brian, the internet, and one very courageous Federal Express driver,” she explained. “While we’re almost all together… The blood on my hand wasn’t Morrison’s. And Morrison wasn’t Morrison. It was Dr. Rose.”
Murphy looked over at Mia and shook his head slowly, taking in the information. The idea that he and Mia both were fooled by the entity frightened him.
“I take it your CI and you had a conversation,” Mike said, still emptying the bag. He had a stack of drawings in his hand.
“Yes. He is sending someone to help us determine if there are souls worth saving, but he didn’t say whom.”
“Or what,” Murphy added.
Mia put her finger on her nose and pointed to Murphy.
Mike looked at the drawings one by one. “The kid has an eye for color.”
“I’m sure Ralph was handing him the crayons,” Mia said. “When I would color with Ralph, he only let me use colors that wouldn’t clash with the others.”
Burt got up and poured Mia a cup of coffee. He handed it to her and took the stack from Mike. “They’re of us,” he said. He pushed the stack of printouts away from the center of the table. He placed them down one by one, identifying them.
“This is Audrey. I can tell by the bouncy red curls and the big smile. Here is Murphy, see the axe and the very correct posture. I’m obviously the round one. Although, he has given me a nice set of guns,” Burt said, pointing out the biceps. “The pretty man is Mike. Cid has a cape. This is Jake. He’s the eyeball in the box. This,” he held up a picture, “is Mia, Ted and Brian and Maggie. Mia is in the middle, but she has no arms?”
Audrey stood back and started moving the pictures around. “Oh my! Look, do you see it?”
Mia looked down and smiled. “He made a mural, how sweet.”
Mike got on top of a chair and looked down.
He got down and picked Mia up and had her look at the table.
There on the table was Mia, her angel wings extended outwards. Her missing arms were no doubt behind the others as her hands were on the outside of PEEPs. She had her arms around all of them. “I see my family,” she said softly.
“If this isn’t a good reason for a group hug, then nothing is. Come on,” Audrey encouraged. She held out her arms, and the group wrapped their arms around each other. Murphy looked on until Mia’s fingers encouraged him to join them.
“Mia, if this is your idea of an orgy, then yes, you can have one,” Ted said dryly from the doorway. He stood there dressed in black. His rich auburn hair tucked under a black cap.
Mia pulled away from the others and launched herself into his waiting arms. Ted smiled and swung her around.
“How did you get here?” Mia asked.
“More importantly, what do you have on?” Mike said, fingering the black, boiled-wool car coat Ted had tossed on the counter.
Ted smiled. “We stopped at Angelo’s. All that would fit was his driver’s clothes, but I’m thinking of keeping them. I think I look like Kato.”
Cid was about to point out the blaring discrepancies, starting with his being too tall to be Bruce Lee, but he let it go. He was happy to see his friend and wouldn’t spoil it with his pedantic observations.
“You said, we?” Audrey asked, looking around him.
“Orion will be here soon. We need to extract all of you from this house before I can fix it. You see, Thorn thought he was sending Dr. Rose and his monsters into oblivion, but instead, he created a dimensional pocket where they could still exist. This pocket of energy feeds Dr. Rose and the monsters within.”
“I need to see if there are any lost souls to save from Thornrose first,” Mia told him.
“It’s going to take me some time to fix the house,” Ted said. “But I suggest you leave as soon as possible.”
“I’m waiting for an associate of Roumain’s,” she explained.
“I guess that’s my cue,” a heavily-accented voice said from the hallway entrance to the kitchen. A tall black youth walked into the room. He was dressed casually in jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved tee. He had a tattered jacket under his arm. His hair was cut close to his head. His brown eyes sought out Mia, and he connected with her mind.
