He had woken up before dawn as usual and had quietly gotten out of bed, tucking Elise back in. Silently he had gone downstairs to make coffee and tea and to think about the rest of their Saturday. Again he stood in the garden, barefoot and wearing only sweatpants, feeling the still damp grass under his feet. Max was close behind him. He smiled softly at the dog/cat, gave him some cat treats, and said:
"Max, I don't know if you're having an identity crisis or if you're just playing around with the rules."
His eyebrows shot up as Max looked him in the eye and seemed to giggle like Muttley the dog he knew from the old cartoons. Suddenly, an elegant woman appeared in the garden. A heavenly white dress, a small tiara with white and blue diamonds that seemed to glitter like tiny stars, and a necklace with a crystal centerpiece that seemed to hide a real star. Amused, the lady said:
"Still enjoying the early morning barefooted and bare-breasted, I see."
"I am the son of the Lightbringer. I need it to bask in the light and warmth of his greatest creation he gave mankind. At least I no longer do it in my bare bottom, thanks to your unexpected visits. Good morning, Grandma, would you like a cup of coffee?""
He replied equally amused:
"Good morning, Jon, yes I would like a cup, but first I want to hug the stuffing out of my grandson."
He wanted to look at her with a sullen face, to show her that he didn't like the whole plan for the coup, but it failed miserably. He cared too much for his grandmother. After they stood there in each other's arms for a few seconds, Jon went to get two cups of coffee from the kitchen, and they took a seat on the rattan lounge.
"I think you are going to love this, Grandma. It's my new favorite blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain with Kopi Luwak. Took me a while to get it just right, but I got there."
She replied:
"Then this is definitely something you should offer Jo. You know her and her love of coffee."
Max suddenly lost all interest in Jon and walked towards the Goddess. His still small and short legs prevented him from jumping onto her lap. She lifted him off the ground and put Max on her lap, where he immediately made himself comfortable. Jon looked at him and said with a gentle smile:
"Traitor..."
She looked at Jon and asked:
"Since when does your father have Hellcats too?"
"Just ignore him Grandma and don't ask any questions. Max is just one of those secrets life seems
to throw at you. What brings you by?"
She smiled at him and the twinkle in her eyes was obvious:
"Can't a grandmother visit her favorite grandson for a while?"
"Grandma, you say that to David all the time as well, but it's still nice to hear. Maybe you should change your line to favorite grandson on earth and favorite grandson in heaven. David, Sara and I know that you and Grandpa do not play favorites between us, that you love all three of us just the same. You know I would love to spend a lot more time with you. That your duties as Mother Nature ensure that you are always busy and therefore often throw a spanner in the works. But there's obviously something else going on, so spill it."
"Well, what would be going on, Jon?"
"Okay, if that's how you want to play it, then let's avoid the elephant in the room. You know that I know somethings up, let's stop there and you can let Grandpa know the message got through. I don't have the whole puzzle yet, but I will put it together, you can count on that. But I'll also find the treacherous little traps and mysteriously pull his work out of his nose."
He looked at her sternly and saw in her eyes that his message had been understood, much to his grandmother's relief he saw. Which was another wake-up call for him.
"Can you at least stay a while? There are white witches in the house, and if I let you go without them being able to meet Mother Nature, I would inevitably end up in the hospital because my girls and my future wife..."
With those last two words, he heard someone gasp. He turned quickly to see Elise standing there with her eyes wide open, both hands over her mouth, and the youngest twins screaming from joy. Samantha had grabbed Elise and was jumping up and down, and Jules had run over and more or less fallen into his lap to hug him.
"Elise, Sam come join us."
He said happily. Elise dropped onto the couch next to him with Sam still in her arms. He planted a soft kiss on the girls' heads and a not-so-chaste one on Elise's lips. It only took a few seconds for the oldest twins to fly out; they had come running out when they heard the screams of the two youngest. But they were now looking at the Goddess with wide eyes. Jon said:
"Fay and Hope, please sit down."
When they had sat down on another couch, he spoke with a smile:
"Girls, this is my grandmother, the Goddess in your midst better known and revered as Mother Nature. Grandma, these are my girls and thank you for warning me that they were behind me."
He said with his familiar smirk as he looked into his grandmother's eyes, letting her know that he knew she had allowed this to happen on purpose. The four girls and Elise looked at the Goddess. Not quite sure what to do, should they kneel or what? The Goddess seemed to sense their thoughts and said:
"No, do not kneel, family does not kneel unless there is a ceremony."
She looked proudly at Jon and said:
"Jon my boy, what a wonderful family you have found."
"I know Grandma, for me, the impossible has become possible. All my life I thought I would never be able to have a family as a Nefilim, thanks to Grandpa and you messing with the DNA of Angels and Humans. Whatever this off-the-shelf plan is, I'm not giving it up!"
"Nor does anyone demand that of you, boy. The light of the Lightbringer shines so brightly in you that you could never become the Biblical Antichrist."
"So you just prepared a backup plan?"
"No, you did that yourself Jon, we just helped you and gave you the building blocks you needed on your way."
Anger showed in his eyes and he wanted to say something sarcastic. But the Goddess raised her hand and her first sentence sounded quite stern:
"Jonathan, you really need to get your temper under control, because then you don't listen and don't think. But luckily you will get some help from your beautiful future wife."
The last words made Hope and Fay gasp for air, having missed it in their rush to get out after the little ones screamed. The Goddess continued with a gentle smile:
"What you have here is all real. You know only too well that your grandfather would never, ever limit or direct human free will. Let alone make someone think or feel something that is not real. Have we steered you in the right direction? Of course, we have. What are grandparents good for? But we only showed you suggestions, you made your own choice, free will. It was your choice to drive from Bangor, and that's how you found Elise and Jules, saved this sweet girl, and gave her the father she absolutely needed and craved, and you gave Elise the man of her dreams. They may not have known it literally, but you were the man they had been dreaming of for years. That mysterious man in their dreams who they never saw clearly, but who they instinctively knew was the man who would make everything better. The man they both so desperately needed. You found Maggie's clothing store on the Internet; you were drawn to the name Lumière. How could you not be drawn to that name, to the light? You went to her store and gave Samantha, Hope, and Fay the father they so desperately needed. In Elise, you gave them the mother they had been craving for years, ever since the woman who should have been their mother abandoned them. You and Elise together gave these girls the family, the warm nest through which they now shine again, radiating light and warmth. Away from the darkness. We had nothing to do with it, Jon, you and Elise did it on your own."
He knew his grandmother was right, his grandfather would never do such a thing.
"My Lady, may I ask you something?"
Elise asked shyly.
"Of course darling, but only if you call me grandma. And you girls too, yes?"
The five nodded vigorously. And Elise asked:
"Why all the trouble Grandma, a coup?"
She laughed a little before answering:
"Because our Jon here is a bullhead, always has been. He had to find out for himself. He was so mad at his family that he couldn't see his own feet when he looked down. And before you ask, what's the point? When we realized that humanity was going to destroy itself, the four of us put our heads together. What should we do to give humanity a chance to survive? If we have to save a group of people, which people should it be? Questions like that. His grandfather and I want to pass on the torch. We have clearly failed, failed miserably, and we are too stuck in our habits and ways of thinking. Only new blood can save everything. What we want now is what all grandparents want, to spoil their grandchildren."
Elise nodded and thought. Samantha asked the next question without hesitation:
"Grandma, if you are Mother Nature, can you please take care of the flowers Daddy wants in this garden? He says he wants lots of them because he loves flowers."
The Goddess smiled and winked at her:
"I know he does, and for you, baby girl, anything."
She closed her eyes for a moment and Elise could clearly feel her enormous powers at work and had to gasp for air for a moment. Flowerbeds appeared all over the garden, with many different varieties and a multitude of colors. But also a large rose bush with blue and red roses. She looked at Jon for a moment with a smirk and Jon laughed. The roses were clearly a reference to heaven and hell. And Elise immediately saw where Jon got his famous smirk.
"And you my dear Jules, do you have a wish?"
She just nodded but did not dare to speak.
"Ah, a secret wish for the young lady. Come, give me your hand, then I can see this wish without words and I can tell you if I can fulfill it."
She jumped off Jon's lap, walked over to the goddess, and gave her her hand. The Goddess kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear:
"Don't worry my love, my help is not needed. Love will take care of this."
Jules flew around her neck and said softly:
"Thank you, Grandma."
"And you Hope and Fay?"
The girls looked at each other for a moment and Fay replied:
"The park by the campus. Can you make it nicer, please? We have heard from the other children that it is kind of a safe haven, but it should be nicer, more cozy, to make them feel at ease in a green oasis."
Again the Goddess closed her eyes for a few seconds, winked at the twins, and said:
"I'm sure you children will appreciate this. I put some extra incantations on it to make it even safer for all the children who come there. To keep evil, darkness and people with bad intentions away. Now it will truly be a safe haven. Just make sure your father doesn't know about the hidden nooks and crannies."
Jon blushed:
"O no, nop... no... no... no... Make those immediately disappear again, Grandma!"
The Goddess laughed out loud, stood up, and said:
"Thanks for the coffee, Jon. You six have a lot of work to do. Oh, Jon, when you encounter certain winged idiots, keep your temper in check. There is a group of our children who need help, who need you, and who are waiting for a new leader. They are not all lost causes."
At these words, he became angry again and switched to the original language of the angels:
"You shouldn't have brought that up, Grandma! I know that, and you two could have fucking sent Cas down here before this shit hits the fan! Where I could protect her from Michael and his snakes! I didn't want to say anything, because I damn well understand that for some reason I have to solve this whole puzzle on my own. But understand this well and you can also pass this message on to Grandpa. You are playing a high-stakes game with Casiel as the ante. If I lose Cas, you lose every son and daughter and everything in Heaven, not even ashes will be left! Grandfather threw it in my face at our last meeting that I was destined to become the Antichrist. You just said that I could never become the Antichrist. Believe me, you are absolutely wrong, and I will burn it all down!"
The Goddess looked at him sternly for a moment and said nothing. All six received firm hugs and kisses from the Goddess, and she left. But first, she gave Max to Samantha. It was only now that the girls became aware of their new pet, and you could just tell that they were going to be overly enthusiastic about the cat/dog. Elise was more or less in shock because of two things. She had met and talked to the Goddess herself. And Jonathan's statement in an unguarded moment that she was his future wife. As if he could guess her thoughts, he took her in his arms and said:
"I'm sorry, Elise, I would have done it differently. Down on one knee with a ring and all, but for some reason, Grandma had other plans. Grandpa might know why because sometimes she works just like him in damn mysterious ways."
"Do you really want me to be your wife? Not just a marker that says so?"
She asked with tears in her eyes.
"Absolutely Elise, I can't imagine my life without you anymore. You shouldn't say anything for now. Please give me some time and the chance to save some of my resolve."
She gave him a rather hot kiss on the mouth and then said:
"Jonathan Drago, take as much time as you want. I know that you want me and you know that I want you."