As usual, he was up before there was any movement in the rest of the house. It was the time of day he enjoyed the most. A feeling that had been ambiguous lately. Normally, he sought a physical connection with his grandmother through nature this early in the morning. Lately, he could not shake the feeling that she and his grandfather were playing him. When he thought of Cas, their behavior gave him heartburn. Grounded or not! The sun was slowly rising, a nice cup of coffee, his favorite blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain with Kopi Luwak. Yes, he was a snob when it came to food and drink, coffee was certainly no exception and lit a cigarette. Sitting in a seat on the terrace, he enjoyed his life, which seemed to be getting better and better. He closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy the first rays of sunshine on his face. Two pairs of large wings announced the arrival of two Angels. Without opening his eyes, he said with a gentle smile:
"Good morning, Jo, good morning, Rae Rae."
They plopped down on a seat. Jophiel looked like a pile of misery and Azrael looked distinctly angry. The latter could wait a while, Jon thought.
"Can I get you a cup of coffee Jo? It's a special blend based on Blue Mountain, I'm sure you'll appreciate it with your exquisite taste for the best coffees."
She meekly nodded yes. He felt his temper rise, but after what Azrael had said yesterday, he held it in. Jo was in bad enough shape. He wasn't going to let his crappy temper make it worse.
"You too Rae Rae?"
"Yes please, I could use it after last night. I didn't sleep."
Jon went into the kitchen to get the two cups and a full pitcher and felt a headache coming on. There was no way he would be able to appreciate what Azrael had to say. If his general was angry, he would have to work hard not to explode. He gave both Angels their coffee and waited quietly for one of them to start talking. When after a few minutes neither of them made any attempt to say anything he asked:
"Jo, I heard what happened yesterday with Michael and I'm sorry that he hurt you so much. Is there anything I can do?"
She looked at him and he could tell that she was unsure or afraid to ask or say anything. So he said:
"Jo, Rae Rae kicked my ass yesterday and she had every right to do so. I hurt you, our little group, but that was absolutely not my intention and I am so sorry. I was so angry at Michael and my Dad, but also at Grandpa, that I shouted words that I didn't think about. My ban was never meant for you. It was for my father and his Demons and for Michael and his idiots. Can you ever forgive me for hurting you?"
The Angel burst into tears and Jon stepped toward to her and pulled her into his arms. As she lay with her head against his chest, the taps really opened. He let her cry because she obviously needed to. Elise had silently joined them and unleashed her new powers as the High Priestess of Light on the poor Angel. Almost immediately she calmed down and slowly stopped crying.
"Jon, what am I going to do, what are we going to do when humanity is extinct? We'll be useless then and Michael and his people would rather lose us than have us. Especially now that they know it's a matter of time for humanity. Who knows what he has planned for us? You can only see murder in his hate-filled eyes."
"Dear Jo, I told you yesterday that humanity will not die out. There is still time, and I could very well use your help here on Earth. I promise you that you will be able to use your powers as you have never used them before, and you will feel incredible satisfaction. A sense of fulfillment you have never known before."
She looked into his eyes pleadingly:
"Promise Jon? Promise you won't send me away like Michael?"
"Jo, I promise, and I will never send you away, ever. I'm not Michael honey. You should know me a little by now."
She slowly nodded.
"What do you want me to do Jon."
"Right now I want you to drink your cup of coffee and then crawl into bed for at least a few more hours and really sleep. Can you do that for me, honey?"
She just nodded. He focused on Elise now that this crisis was over.
"Thanks for the boost, babe."
She joined him on his lap with her cup of tea, gave him a loving kiss, and said:
"If Jo is your little sister, then she is my little sister, and family does everything for family."
The Angel got tears in her eyes again and asked quietly:
"Then do you still see us as your little sisters and brothers Jon?"
"Yes, Jo, that has never changed and as I said I am so very sorry that I painted a wrong picture with my words spoken in anger and hurt you. I will do my best to make it right. I promise you, little sister, I will make it right. You know me, Jo, and you know Michael and his weasels. Sometimes they crawl under my skin like a parasite and I explode. I also know by now that this should not be an excuse for my behavior and words. My sweet, sweet Red here taught me that."
This affirmation made a small smile appear on her face for the first time. Azrael still sat in silence. She smiled briefly when Jon and Jo had smoothed out the wrinkles. Then her face was thunderstruck again. So he said:
"Rae Rae, enough sulking, what's up?"
She sighed and said:
"Jon, you have to promise me first that you won't throw a tantrum and do something reckless."
"Rae Rae you were right yesterday that Elise is my anchor. I feel more and more every day that I am finding my balance and that my beautiful, sweet future wife will keep me there. So yes, I promise you I am not going to ignite in an uncontrollable rage."
Azrael nodded, took a deep breath, not entirely convinced by his words, and said:
"When I took Jo to Grandma's yesterday because she really needed Grandma and Grandpa, I overheard part of a conversation on the way back that I was definitely not supposed to hear."
He cut her off:
"Does anyone know you heard it? Are you safe from the Archangels?"
"Don't worry Jon, they know nothing. Grandpa made me invisible, remember? Just to be safe, I didn't want to risk getting caught and moved on… Fast."
"Okay, so what was that conversation about?"
"That you proved a few days ago that you are still as angry as you were at the end of that meeting because you sent the Chief Huntress of Hell out with your Fiat to use as much violence as she wants. That you were ready so they could implement a strategy that would push you over the edge. That you would become so enraged that you would start the war, willingly or unwillingly."
To their surprise, he remained completely calm. He was even thinking without a trace of hellfire in his eyes or a desire to burn down heaven. He asked:
"Let me guess, this conversation was between three Archangels and an Elder; Michael, Uriel, Sandalphon, and who the fuck cares who number four was. This strategy wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that the people around me would stupidly be exposed to black magic and die one by one?"
"Yes, that's exactly what was said. I didn't get the rest."
"Question Rae Rae, Angels of Death like you can remove someone from the sight of Heaven and from my sight when I am on Earth, correct?"
She looked at him uncomprehendingly and replied:
"Yes, that is one of our powers, but you know that."
"Can you somehow pass these powers on to another person? Let's say the fourth person in this discussion, an Elder and Angel of Death like you, gives his power to one of the three village idiots?"
"Yes, but only for one-time use. It must be reactivated each time."
He stood up straight and stepped a few feet away from the seating area. He turned to Azrael:
"Those fuckers made the mistake I was waiting for. They thought they were smarter than Gabriel and no longer needed her strategy or advice. Rae Rae, I need Zelo. Make sure Jo doesn't freak out!"
Jo looked at the argument, not understanding, and Azrael took her hand:
"Jo, whatever happens in the next few seconds, stay where you are and don't panic. Everything is under control. Zelo is a Demon of Jon's group, just as we are Angels of his group. To him we are all brothers and sisters, so trust Jon".
Not really understanding, the Angel just nodded, knowing that she could trust Jon above all else.
Jon shot off a prayer:
"Zelo, I need you damn urgently, friend."
Less than two seconds later, the Demon appeared in the garden:
"What's going on Jon?"
Jon said:
"Come sit down and have a cup of coffee. That Angel next to Rae Rae is Jophiel."
The Demon smiled at her softly and said:
"Pleased to meet you, little sister, I am Zelo."
The poor Angel looked at the whole thing not understanding and Elise said as she poured a cup of coffee for the Demon:
"Jo, a lot is happening right now and at a very fast pace. Trust your brother, our home is a safe haven and everyone who stays here does so under our protection because we are all on the same side. As Jon said, there are no Angels or Demons under our protection, only Celestials."
Jon spoke:
"Zelo, I want you to go to my father. You must give him the following message, There is a warlock in Baton Rouge who was made invisible by an Angel a few days, maybe a week ago, and so I cannot find him from Earth without my secondary Throne. Tell him that this warlock is trying to kill his granddaughter. He can find him from the throne because this bastard will try to communicate with Hell at least once or even several times a day. I need this warlock, Zelo because he is exactly what I need to break this whole fucking mess wide open and end it once and for all! Just tell Dad I'll deliver him to the throne alive and well and leave him to his judgment after I have a talk with him."
"Absolutely, right away, Jon."
He started to get up, but Elise stopped him and said a little sternly:
"Zelo, drink your coffee first and enjoy it. This can wait a few minutes."
He smiled and said:
"Already our new Mother Nature Elise... How should we poor little Celestials address you? My Lady, or is Mama okay too?"
Those words made her blush a little, which made Jon grin broadly. Elise took Jo's hand and gently pulled her along:
"Come, Jo, you go to bed, you're almost asleep on your feet."
A few minutes later, Zelo left to return to Hell, leaving only Azrael and Jon on the terrace. Silently, they thought about the whole situation. Elise had just returned after putting Jo to bed, and only now had Jon been able to look at her. Each time he was struck by her beauty and she knew exactly how to get his motor going. She sat down on his lap and gave him a captivating kiss on the mouth. Something she hadn't done before because of the situation with Jo and Zelo. Suddenly Zelo reappeared in the garden, but this time he had company, his father, Lucifer himself. Lucifer did not look very friendly; he looked at Jon sternly and said angrily:
"Are my granddaughters hurt? Has anything happened to them? WHERE DA FUCK ARE MY GRANDDAUGHTERS?"
Before anyone could answer, Samantha, followed by Jules, charged at the Devil, who immediately got down on one knee to catch his granddaughters in his arms. Sam said:
"He wasn't just trying to hurt me, Grandpa. He wanted to hurt ten children. Daddy was able to save Katy and Danny, but it was almost too late. You have to help Daddy, Grandpa! The bad man wanted to hurt Danny!"
That last part betrayed everyone that she seemed to feel something for the boy. Overwhelmed with emotion and with watery eyes, he said as he hugged the girls tightly:
"I know, little one, and I'm going to fix this, it will never happen again, my word of honor."
The Devil held out his hand to Jon and said:
"Here you will find him. In the meantime, there is a ring of protection around your home. Fifty demons, warriors. They are invisible, but they are there, and anyone who looks at your house or the children the wrong way will disappear from the board. No risks! The same goes for the sisters and children of the coven. Each of them now has four bodyguards with standing orders! We need to talk when you deliver him!"