by Robin M Helm
Xander had barely arrived at her house on Saturday morning when he found to his chagrin that she was going shopping with her mother yet again.
I find it difficult to believe that there is anything left to buy in Spartanburg, he groused to his brothers.
Elizabeth does not really enjoy shopping. You know that, Gabriel said quietly.
“Elizabeth, why can I not go with you this time? I miss you. I hardly see you anymore. Our lack of time together has become so stressful to me that I am actually grateful when we have classes. At least I am with you there. Will you let me come?” asked Xander, kissing her goodbye at her door. Elizabeth had told him that he would spend the day with her father until she returned.
Elizabeth chuckled, “This will be a good time for some ‘male bonding’ between you and Dad.”
He pouted. “I much prefer to spend the time bonding with you instead.”
She shook her head with a smile, and Xander held her as he asked, “Why not, love?”
Elizabeth blushed and answered, “Because we are going to buy something for me to wear as a surprise for you.”
He frowned a little. “I think there will be enough surprises already. If it is for me, why can I not have a say in it? I am getting to know the words of ‘Amazing Grace’ extremely well, for you use it continually to block your thoughts from me.”
She hesitated, and then smiled shyly. “We’re going to Victoria’s Secret. Now do you understand?”
“No,” he answered. “Who is Victoria? And why would you prefer to spend time with her rather than with me? I am more confused than I was before.”
Niall, standing behind Lynne, snorted.
Xander, it is a lingerie store. Elizabeth and her mother are going to select what she will wear on your wedding night.
Oh... Oh! His eyes lit with understanding.
Elizabeth saw awareness dawn in his eyes. “I know neither Gabriel nor Michael enlightened you, so who is your informant?” she asked in a low voice, looking toward her mother to see if she was listening.
“My best man,” he whispered in her ear.
Their whispering had caught Lynne’s attention, and she grabbed her purse as she headed toward them, Niall following behind her.
“Let’s go, El.” Smiling at Xander, Lynne said, “You guys have fun. Lunch is in the ‘fridge for you. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Lynne walked between Elizabeth and Xander as she headed out the door.
Michael and I are really looking forward to this. Are we not, Michael? teased Niall.
Michael glared at him. I truly dislike shopping. Especially for clothing. And looking at lingerie has to be the worst type of shopping possible.
That reminds me, thought Xander. My groomsmen, future father-in-law, ushers, and I have an appointment early next month for fittings for our tuxes. Elizabeth wants them to match, so she is coming along to help us pick them out. My tux will not do after all, so I will have to be fitted as well. The three of you can ‘meet’ us at the store. Michael, Niall will need a warrior to guard Lynne while we are gone unless she decides to come with Elizabeth.
More clothing! muttered Michael while Gabriel smiled beatifically.
At least you are not having to eat – yet, thought Xander.
Michael’s face assumed a glum expression at the idea.
Elizabeth stood on her tiptoes to kiss her fiancé goodbye. “We won’t be gone any longer than necessary. You’ll thank me later. I promise.”
He surprised her by kissing her soundly in front of her mother. At Lynne’s amused look, he grinned. “Just practicing, Mom. Only two months until the big day, and I want to be sure to get this part right.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Somehow, I have no worries on that score. The rest of the day may collapse around our ears, but you will get that right, I have no doubt.” Lynne grabbed her daughter’s hand and pulled her to the car, chuckling.
Their angelic escort was right behind them.
~~oo~~
It was a cool, late September Monday, and Xander left his townhouse in Spartanburg early, anticipating having breakfast with Elizabeth before they went to classes. Gabriel flew over his Escalade as they wove through the morning traffic.
Lynne had taken the day off work to see to some wedding details, and Elizabeth was waiting for Xander in the parking lot at Converse when he arrived. She was driving her own car – a white Toyota Rav4 they had picked out together the previous weekend. Michael stood beside the car, waiting for her to get out. Instead, she lowered her window and smiled at him in excitement. He got out of his car, followed by Gabriel, and walked to her car, leaning over to kiss her through the open window.
“Hi, handsome,” she said as he broke the kiss. “Charlotte rode with me, but she’s already gone to an early class. Let me take you to breakfast this morning. You always drive.”
“Yes, I do, because I like to get to my destination in one piece. You drive entirely too fast, you know,” he replied with a stern look.
“Ah, but I have my own personal guardian angel – two in fact – to make sure that I’m safe. If I promise to slow down to your granny speed, will you agree to ride with me?” she asked, tilting her head to look up at him.
He thought a moment. “There will be a price to be paid.”
She laughed. “I’m betting that I can pay it fairly easily. What’s your price? Name it.”
“Two kisses, and an ‘I love you,’” he answered looking very serious.
“Well, come around and get in the passenger seat, and I’ll work on that,” she teased.
She watched him in the rearview mirror as he walked around the car. I am a lucky woman, and I don’t care if you hear me. She saw him smile as he heard her thoughts, and her stomach did a little flip.
He opened the door and settled himself in the seat. “Pay up, and I will not accept short, perfunctory kisses. I want real kisses if I am to risk my life.”
“Happy to oblige,” she said, turning toward him and leaning to take his face between her hands. Elizabeth kissed him eagerly, and pulled back a few inches. “That’s one.”
“Say it,” he whispered.
“Say what?” she asked innocently.
“You know what I want to hear, and you promised. Say it,” he insisted in a low voice.
“I love you.” Elizabeth moved toward him for the second kiss, but Xander held her back for a moment.
“I love you more. I win,” he said just before he took her into his arms.
That was tricky. You know I let you win, she thought as she kissed him.
I know you did, but I still love you more, he answered, enjoying his prize.
~~oo~~
The morning news was on the television in the restaurant, droning in the background as Xander and Elizabeth slid into their booth, Michael and Gabriel following them to stand beside their charges. They had been at the diner fairly regularly for the last two months, and it was only a moment before a waitress appeared to fill their coffee cups and take their orders. They wished her a smiling “good morning” and ordered their usual meals.
“I have a surprise for you this afternoon,” he said once they were again alone at the table, his blue eyes twinkling.
“Oh, I love surprises. What is it?” Elizabeth asked, leaning toward him, her face wreathed in delight.
“If I told you it would not be a surprise. At least that is what you have been telling me over and over for the past two months. I need your cooperation, however, so I will have to tell you, I suppose,” said Xander with an exaggerated sigh.
Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. “So…tell me.”
After a pause for effect, he showed his excitement in his reply, “I have several houses for us to look at this afternoon. I have taken into consideration all the things we have been talking about, and I contacted a real estate agent to line up showings for us. I hope that we can find something we both like fairly quickly. I want us to have a real house when we are married – not my small townhouse.”
“Yes. Is that all right?” He suddenly realized that he should have asked her about her plans before he made the appointments.
He was relieved when she smiled and replied, “Luckily for you, I have the afternoon free. I’ll text Mom and let her know what we’re doing. She’ll be ecstatic.”
“I hope so. Charlotte can drive your car home, and I will take you back to Bethel after we look at the houses, if that is all right with you,” Xander said.
“Charlotte is on the short ‘approved’ list to drive my car, so I suppose that will work,” she replied.
Looking over Elizabeth’s shoulder, Xander’s attention was drawn to the face on the screen. Gregory Wickham was with a lovely woman, holding her arm possessively. He was amazed to hear the lady being presented as the wife of his nemesis.
“Have you heard that Gregory is married?” he asked Elizabeth, nodding at the screen.
She turned quickly to look at the couple, dressed to the nines for a charity function and pausing to talk to reporters before they walked into Lincoln Center.
“Married? You’re kidding! When did that happen?” she asked, stunned.
“According to the report, they married quietly last week after a long courtship,” Xander answered.
They fell silent, riveted to the television, watching a much more mature Gregory than they had known as he smiled at his blonde, blue-eyed wife while they charmed the nation together.
~~oo~~
Each day seemed to bring a new revelation concerning Gregory Wickham, and Elizabeth, Xander, Jonathan, and Charlotte were frankly astounded at the false life he had built in a few months. In fact, Xander suspected that his plans had been laid for years, and Lucifer had waited only for the right time to implement them. Lucifer’s human servants must have had everything in place, ready for his commands.
It seemed that Gregory had been the darling of the media from the moment he had burst onto the scene, garnering national attention in every major news outlet – both in print and on the small screen. He had gone from political obscurity to having the star status of a savior virtually overnight, and it was a foregone conclusion that he would be the next senator from Massachusetts. Gregory Wickham was well-educated, brilliant, talented, knowledgeable, extremely wealthy, and extraordinarily handsome with a beautiful, intelligent wife who added the full support of her well-connected family. He had absolutely no baggage, for reporters could not find a single woman who had ever dated him, except for his wife. He had no friends from college and no record of saying or doing anything controversial, and his oratorical skills were unmatched. His ability to mesmerize an audience was remarkable; he was universally hailed as the only answer to the country’s problems and possibly the best hope for the future of the world.
The Wickhams traveled in the highest circles of society, though they were very active in work for the homeless and other charitable endeavors. Mrs. Wickham, formerly Anne De Bourgh, handled their obligations to the less fortunate by hosting fundraisers and serving as the head of The De Bourgh Foundation, a non-profit organization which awarded grants to charities and individuals who sought to improve the living standards and promote the health of the poverty stricken peoples of the world.
Gregory’s political platform was deliberately vague – a blend of promises of peace, equality and fair treatment for all people, and economic security for the masses. He received the unqualified support of the wealthiest as well as the poorest in society, for both stood to benefit greatly from his election. The financial burden of implementing Gregory’s proposed “New Order” would fall on the middle class, though he never presented a plan showing that particular aspect of his program. His smiling, beautiful face was on the cover of nearly every magazine, and people believed all the lies he uttered. He was a great favorite on the west coast and was heavily funded by the elite of the entertainment industry. Friendships with the rich and famous came easily to him, and pictures of the Wickhams with celebrities were commonplace in various media outlets as they attended charity fundraisers, premiers, galas, and sporting events.
The people of the United States were very impressed with Gregory Wickham.
~~oo~~
Xander and Elizabeth picked up take-out to eat at his townhouse after viewing several suitable homes in the Spartanburg area. They had prayed about it together and decided to hold off on a decision until they looked at a few available houses in Bethel. Because they expected to be traveling most of the time, both of them felt that it would be pleasant to live closer to Elizabeth’s parents so that they could spend time with them more easily on the rare occasions when they were home. The realtor had promised to set up showings for them within the next few days.
They sat together on his new couch and placed their food on the matching coffee table. In the previous week, he and Elizabeth had done a little shopping of their own, and he was very pleased with their purchases. The idea of making a home with Elizabeth was already quite appealing to him, and it seemed to get better the more she was involved in his life.
After they had finished eating, they gathered up the containers, took them to the kitchen, and disposed of them in the trashcan under the sink.
Michael and Gabriel stood against the wall between the two rooms which were separated by a bar.
Elizabeth’s face took on a dreamy quality when she turned to face Xander in the small kitchen, and he smiled when he heard the words of “Amazing Grace” being sung in her mind.
He smiled, pulling her into his arms, and asked, “What are you blocking from me, love? You know that you can tell me anything.”
“I’ve been thinking of something for a while, and it’s a little embarrassing,” she said, putting her cheek against his chest and looking down so that he could not see her face.
“I hope that you can share it with me. I particularly like that expression on your face, and I would love to know the thoughts that put it there,” said Xander, holding her close.
Her voice was so low that he barely caught the words. “I want to be kissed by an angel.”
He pulled back a few inches and used one of his hands to tilt her face up to his. “You have been kissed by an angel many times. What do you mean?”
“I mean, I want you to be an angel when you kiss me. I want to know what it’s like to kiss the angel that saved my life by flying me out of the gorge. I was angry with you, but I still recognized that you were beautiful in an otherworldly way,” she said as she blushed furiously.
Xander was surprised at her admission. “You really want to see me in my other form? You were not frightened?”
She laughed a little nervously as she said, “I have dreamed of it. I know Michael must think I’m weird when he watches those dreams in my mind. Will you let me see you? Is it allowed?”
“Really?” He was ridiculously pleased. “For as long as I have loved you, I have wanted you to know all of me and accept me as I am. I will happily morph for you. And Elizabeth – remember that I have never kissed anyone while in that form. I wonder what it will be like as much as you do.”
He released her and stepped back a few feet before assuming solid angelic form, never taking his eyes from hers. The transformation was accomplished in less than a second. Xander had never willingly let a human being see him in the form in which he had lived in for ten millennia, and he had no idea what Elizabeth’s reaction would be. He smiled as she looked at him, hoping to ease the shock she likely would experience upon seeing him as an angel, but he could not know that the radiance of his face would further stun her. The light he exuded chased the darkness from every corner of the room and reflected back to him from her glittering eyes.
Xander heard her mind go completely blank as her eyes widened and her mouth formed an “O.” Elizabeth moved further back so that she could see all of him in his glorious form. He glowed softly, his arms bulging from his sleeveless tunic. His golden armor gleame
d under the kitchen light as he watched her eyes move from his feet slowly up to his face, taking in his muscular legs and molded breastplate. Because he was not in battle, his helmet had not appeared, and his shining hair fell in loose curls around his neck. His shield and sword hung at his waist, and his shimmering, white wings were pulled close to his back. He suddenly realized that Elizabeth had never seen him so unclothed; he had neither completely removed his shirt around her nor worn shorts above his knees, and now he stood before her in a short, guardian tunic.
He could tell that she was breathing faster even as he heard her heart rate quicken. The flush across her skin was lovely, but he was unable to read her jumbled thoughts.
After a few long moments, he began to worry. Why is she not speaking? Have I frightened her?
Gabriel reassured him. Give her some time, my brother. To her knowledge, she has met Xander only once, and the circumstances were not pleasant. Let her adjust in her own way.
I have seen her dreaming of you in this form over and over again, brother, thought Michael. Trust me on this. She is not frightened of you, although perhaps she is overwhelmed at this time by her own feelings. Not many humans are able to live out their fantasies, but she is living one of hers now. She likes your angelic form – very much. Michael chuckled. Expect her to ask you to change into this form often.
I certainly hope you are right, thought Xander as he watched her, waiting for her to move. She has yet to even blink her eyes!
“Elizabeth?” Xander extended his hand to her.
She was still unable to speak, though he stepped closer to take her hand and held it in his, lightly stroking it with his fingers. When he touched her, he was surprised to find that her hands were moist. As he stroked her hand, her breathing became even faster and shallower, and she glanced around the small room as if she did not know where to look.
“Are you afraid of me?” he asked, concerned.
Elizabeth cleared her throat, glanced into his eyes, and quickly looked away. “No, not at all. I just don’t know what to do. You are so beautiful that I don’t know how I should act.” She turned her eyes back to his. “Can I touch you? You are holy, and I am not. When I look at you, I am confronted by my own sin. Can you ever forgive me?” Her voice broke on the last word, and she caught her breath, looking at the floor.
