While his girls had gone upstairs to shower and dress, he was lost in thought. He stood on the spacious patio smoking a cigarette. Elise came to stand against him, and he put an arm around her waist.
"A penny for your thoughts?"
He sighed deeply:
"I just can't understand why even the Angels would want me to destroy all this. Just to settle an old feud with their brother, my father? When I see all of this, consider that our daughters will be running wild in this garden. That I will sleep with you here in this house, make love to you. Then to me, this is more perfect than Heaven could ever be. And believe me, Heaven's City is really not a slum."
"I love you, Jon."
She kissed him and he saw a mischievous look in her eyes.
"But I don't just want to make love to you in this house. I also want you to fuck me right through the shower wall like you promised!"
This elicited a roar of laughter from him. A moment later he said:
"Bet on it, my little witch."
After spending a few minutes in each other's arms in silence, she asked softly:
"Just before your grandmother left, you spoke again in that strange language you also used when speaking to Raphael. What language is it and may I know what you had to say?"
"The language is Enochian; it is the original language of the Angels. I use it only when it is meant to protect sensitive ears, like the girls in this case. With her last words, Grandma pushed her thumb into a damn deep wound. I told her to give Grandpa a message. If the result of their high-stakes game is that I lose Cas then they will lose everything, absolutely everything. No mercy will be given."
Elise couldn't imagine anyone using Jules as a stake in anything. Let alone in a game where the survival of humanity, a group of Angels, Demons, and Jon's parents were at stake. What she did know was that if something happened to Jules in such a case, she would have exactly the same reaction as Jon. A moment later he said softly:
"I'm going to call on Maggie. I need her circle's ceremony room."
She nodded softly and asked:
"What for Love?"
"A few things Red. I want to release Fay and Hope's powers as they desire so much, I want to give Sam and Jules their first power, comfort. Those two little ones are special and can handle it even though they are barely eleven. They will be able to do a lot of good with it when next year the campus will be fully concentrating on underprivileged children. There will be a lot of them who could use some extra comfort. But I also want to take the full circle under my protection. As Maggie said, strange things happen in Baton Rouge, and it has never been worse here with the darkness of the black side. If I didn't it would continue to gnaw at my soul every minute of every day. That circle and the sisters we have met so far are pure light and want to spread pure love."
She stood on the tips of her toes gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and whispered:
"You are a good man Jonathan Drago, and no one can dissuade me from that opinion."
Fay and Hope walked into the garden freshly showered and neatly dressed. Hope asked:
"Dad, could you take us to Maggie please?"
He looked at them and asked:
"Would you like to continue your job with Maggie then?"
"Yes Dad, Maggie is good person, she has helped us tremendously. But also made sure that Sam could go to campus. We just don't want to let her down."
He looked at them proudly and suddenly saw that they were turning a little red.
"What is it, girls?"
The twins hesitated to answer, it seemed like they were afraid to say their next words. Elise said:
"Girls, you can say anything and ask anything. If there is something we don't want to answer or can't answer, we are going to say it clearly and also why it can't be done."
Fay said hesitantly:
"Daddy, could we get some allowance please like other kids? Then we can give something back to Maggie and drop our commission so that things will go a little better for her and the store too."
His heart just swelled with love and pride for his girls at those words:
"Of course you can but understand that it will be just as much as what is normal for girls your age. But I am so incredibly proud of you for wanting to do this for Maggie."
He looked at Elise:
"Are our youngest twins and you riding along?"
With a smile, she shook her head:
"You go ahead and ride with our oldest twins and take the Demon for a spin love. I still must help Jules and Sam. Yesterday was fun and games for Jules, but on Monday school really starts for her. I want her to be prepared and see to it that she packs everything in her backpack. I want to sit them both down and compare there levels in stuff like reading and math to see if we need to bring Jules up to speed. So You go have your chat with Maggie. I'll take care of the rug-rats around the house and prepare a light lunch by the time you get back."
He got a thinking wrinkle, squeezed his eyes shut a little, and asked:
"Speaking of little brats, where is Max?"
Fay and Hope giggled; he looked at them uncomprehendingly:
"What are you giggling about over there?"
With undisguised pleasure, Hope said:
"The little ones didn't take a shower. Instead, they went into that big tub of yours and took Max with them."
He rubbed his face and asked almost in a whisper:
"By taken, you just mean taken into the bathroom, right?"
The girls shook their heads, enjoying the helpless expression that had appeared on his face:
"Nop, taken in the tub."
Said Fay with undisguised pleasure. He face-palmed himself and muttered:
"For fuck's sake...Five women in the house and a dog who thinks he's a cat that seems to enjoy water. This really shouldn't get much crazier over here Pfff..."
The three of them had gotten into the Demon when Jon started the engine and the car came to life growling loudly, he heard Hope from the back seat:
"Jeeeeeez..."
He smiled contentedly and made his way to Lumière. Once there, he helped Hope to get out of the car and asked:
"Can one of you go ask Clair to come up to me for a few minutes?"
Fay made her way and he and Hope stepped into Maggie's store. The latter came to greet them with a broad smile:
"Jon, Hope how nice to see you. Didn't Fay come with you?"
The girl replied:
"Yes, she is but Dad asked to get Clair for a while."
"Jon, would you like a cup of coffee?"
"That would be lovely Maggie. But then in a moment when we can get a little private because I want to discuss a few things with you."
A minute later Fay stepped into the store with Clair. Jon said cheerfully:
"Good morning, Clair. I need you and Maggie for a moment in connection with the campus."
They looked at him for a moment not understanding and with his smirk he said:
"I gave Brother Frank two thousand of these cards last night."
He gave one card to Clair and another to Maggie:
"You know very well what this miserable covid has caused. A lot of good people have been hit very hard financially. I cannot allow children to go to school in worn-out or second-hand uniforms. And if their uniforms are already bad then their closet won't look much better. Hence these tickets. If a student from the campus comes into your shop and they have such a card with them, you give them everything they need to go to school. For you Maggie just the same. A student with a ticket like that, everything they need. On the cards, there is no limit."
He pulled out two credit cards:
"You can use these to pay the bill for those orders. There is one million available on each card. If this drops to fifty thousand, I will be notified, and the card will be replenished to one million. I also forbid you right up front to charge the clothes at a lower amount than the normal price in your store. I strongly advise you to stockpile a damned big supply because in about two weeks they will start handing them out. Before that, children may be sent here if they are really in need. In those cases, don't hesitate and send them home with a completely new wardrobe."
The two women sat staring at him with wide-open mouths until Clair finally got out:
"Do you want to repeat that amount again Jon, I think I didn't really understand something very well."
He looked her deadpan in the eye, brought his hands to his mouth, and formed a kind of bullhorn but spoke without raising his voice:
"A million, does it drop it keeps getting replenished to a million..."
Now he heard both women swallow. Maggie said softly:
"Jon that's a lot of money."
Fay and Hope giggled, and Fay said with undisguised pleasure:
"That's nothing. I think Daddy bought the campus yesterday for a billion dollars!"
Now she really had to shake her head:
"A billion with a B?"
He bent slightly toward her and looked her in the eye:
"Yep, but I didn't really buy the campus, just rented it one might say for the next twenty years, for starters."
Maggie let out a deep sigh:
"Jeez Jon, you and your dad take that light-bringing stuff very seriously, don't you? This is no more bringing some light into the lives of a few people this is like setting off a whole mountain of fireworks at the same time."
He shrugged:
"What can I say, Maggie, I'm a sucker for the Fourth of July."
He looked at the twins and said:
"Didn't you two have something to say too?"
They nodded so hard that for a moment he feared it would leave them with a sore neck. Fay spoke:
"Maggie, you have done so much for us, we want to give something back. Daddy wants to give us some allowance and that's why we don't want our commission anymore."
She got tears in her eyes, embraced both girls at the same time, and said:
"No girls, the commission stays as it is. If you do want to forgo it, use it to help your fellow students on campus. Do something good with it, my beautiful sweethearts."
A few minutes later he and Maggie were in her private room. She became serious again for she knew this was not going to be a social visit.
"What can I do for you, Jon?"
"I assume you have a bottle of tequila around here somewhere since Rae Rae apparently visits regularly."
She went to a cabinet and pulled out the bottle and a large glass. Set those on the table and watched as he slowly took the bottle in his hand. Turned it slightly and looked at the label with a sad look. He read, Barrique de Ponciano Porfidio, He muttered:
"Two thousand dollars for the bottle, and then she calls me a snob..."
He chuckled for a moment, looked at Maggie and said:
"Bet this bottle and what she leaves here in little crates is right out of my own stash. I had around a thousand of these bottles, I wonder how many are left. I think I'm going to have to put her over my knee for a while one of these days."
With those words, Maggie got a warm smile. He asked:
"How long have you known my little thieving sister?"
"Almost ten years. After my mom died. She was stuck for some reason and Rae Rae had to guide her to Heaven. My mom begged her to make herself known to me and let me know that all is well, that she is in Heaven. That and the fact that my mom was a protégé of your grandmother persuaded her to make herself known."
"Yep, that sounds like Rae Rae. Tough husk in tight, little-concealing, leather but a gingerbread heart."
He set the bottle unopened on the table and his face turned serious.
"Maggie there's going to be a lot of changes in the near future. I hate black magic and am going to give that whole mess a serious bitch-slap. I am currently juggling so many balls at once and none of them are allowed to fall. The Celestial side I have under control, for now. The more worldly stuff I don't. You've mentioned that a lot of your sisters have been hit hard by this covid shit. Is there one particular sister who is really deep in the shit?"
Without having to think, she replied:
"Liz, Elizabeth Bush. Twenty-five, smart, a heart of gold but life apparently won't give her a break. Young pregnant, a ten-year-old son, the father you could tell from a distance was bad news. From the moment he knew she was pregnant he immediately enlisted in the army and left without a word. Not much later, he was killed in Afghanistan."
He interrupted her for a moment:
"Poetic justice I call such a thing. Maybe I should have a word with my friend Zelo, have a chat, ask the douche-bag why he abandoned and hurt your Liz."
She merely nodded and continued:
"That was just the starting point of the misery Jon. Her parents were both of those religious fanatics and so she was kicked out the door. At fourteen, three months pregnant, alone on the streets. Still, she fought her way through that misery but with no degree, only rotten jobs, minimum wage, working very hard to support her little son, and on top of that COVID. They were evicted, we helped her find shelter. It is almost impossible to offer her financial help because she usually refuses. Always says there are people worse off than herself. They now live at a trailer park, but..."
"That will also come to an end because the economy is not recovering fast enough. Does Liz have a cell phone?"
She nodded. He took a deep breath:
"Okay, here's what we're going to do. You call Liz, tell her to pack the stuff she wants to keep, and be ready to move today! Just the stuff she wants to keep. Abandon everything else because she will get everything new starting with a completely new wardrobe. She will be my personal assistant. Before I bought the house where we now live with the girls, I had bought another one for Elise and Jules. Of course, that was before we are where we are now, when I still had my head up my ass. Liz gets that house. No more worries about a roof over her head, no rent and all that other stuff. Yeah?"
"Understood Jon, I'll call her later. This wasn't all you wanted to discuss I take it?"
"No, your ceremony room, what does it look like? If I stand in the middle, do I have at least five feet of clear space to my left and right?"
She nodded:
"I'm going to need that space as soon as possible Maggie. It is important that you prepare it for a ceremony where I can be present as the Prince of Light. Your full circle must be present as well as every kid from your children's circle. I'm going to release Fay and Hope's powers, give Sam and Jules their first power, comfort. And something else. Doing so will release a tremendous blast of blessing that I want you all to receive. Not only for the positive effects of that blessing but it will also provide protection in the future. I am also going to take the full circle and the kids circle under my personal protection. I'm not taking any more chances because I have no idea what's going on in this town, but I'll fucking find out."
She looked into his eyes tightly:
"You are going to make Elise the High Priestesses of Light."
He nodded silently and Maggie continued speaking:
"Good, you will need her, and you know very well that there is no better woman for you. Who can stand by you and soften your temper."
He snickered for a moment:
"Are you sure Maggie that sometimes my grandmother doesn't come along when Rae Rae visits you? She just said the same thing this morning after she told me to keep my trap shut for a while before I put my foot in it again."
She laughed softly and asked:
"So, the end game is set?"
He rubbed his curls wearily for a moment:
"Yep, I thought I clamped down on those idiots above and below by blocking their hotly loved war until humanity would be extinct. So, they wouldn't be able to unleash the carnage from the worst nightmare on humanity when they start fighting on Earth. Their blood-lust is unfortunately unquenchable and now Michael is trying to force my hand."
"Casiel?"
She saw the sadness and pain appear in his eyes at the mention of that name. He merely nodded.
"Hence those many balls you are juggling now. Let Elise, let us help you, Jon. You may be a celestial, the Crown Prince but you cannot do this alone. Even if we only serve as a sounding board or to bristle. Have you ever talked to your group about what you need?"
He shook his head:
"No, Maggie. My little group of Angels already have misery enough in Heaven with the Archangels and Elders. My little group in Hell also has misery enough with the Elder Demons. When they came to visit, I always tried to keep it lighthearted, and fun so they could relax for a while, not have to think about the misery."
"That's not all you did Jon. I heard stories from Rae Rae. You were always there for them, the shoulder they could cry on, the one who could cheer them up. Please stop eating everything Jon, lean on us, the people you want to protect, because we want to protect you too. If you keep devouring everything you are going to lose track with all the consequences."
"I know Maggie. I am already playing 3D chess with three opponents. From one, I know what the absolute goal is, totally scorched earth. The second sits observing everything, analyzing, and waiting for an opportunity to pounce. The third one makes my thinking go round and round and I don't immediately see their end game."
"I assume the first opponent is Michael. The second is your father. Then who is the third one? I thought there were only two camps."
"Indeed, me too Maggie. If there were only two, I could have kept everything under control. The third is the wild card and I don't know what their end goal is. There is a neat solution, so no blood must flow but to achieve that I need the help of two players, not one. Michael is out of the question, he is a zealot, fixated only on war and blood. The only party left would be my dad but that too is out of the question. Michael and he hate each other so much that it is impossible for them to work together even if their existence depends on it. And my father is so preoccupied with his counter-reaction to an attack by Michael that there's no way he could be diverted from that strategy. At least not in record time. I just feel like I need to come up with a solution particularly fast because something inescapable is upon us. Unfortunately, I simply don't have the time to convince my father to change strategies..."
"Who's in the third camp?"
"Not really a camp, just four participants. My grandfather, grandmother, Uncle J, and Auntie M. However, these have again presented me with an impossible choice. To achieve what they probably have in mind, I must choose between two impossible choices. Either I sacrifice my life with Elise and our girls. Or I sacrifice my Angels and Demons, including Cas and my mom and dad. Their stakes are sky-high. They could have sent Cas to me a long time ago because they know I can protect her better than they can in Heaven. However, they didn't, so she is part of the stakes. I have already sacrificed everything Maggie and now that I have just found something for myself, to finally have the chance to be happy. To have a family which as a Nefilim I could never really have, I am asked to sacrifice even more. I refuse to sacrifice anymore but just don't see the play I can make to regain the upper hand. And to complicate matters completely, a joker has also come into play, making everything completely unpredictable, fucking Gabriel!"
"Talk to Elise Jonathan, you need it."
He breathed deeply:
"I do indeed need to dare to lean on her, to allow myself to lean on her, to open up completely. However, I am shitting myself. She didn't ask to get into this. I'm afraid of losing her, of losing the girls, of being all alone again tomorrow. This time with a wound in my heart that will never be healed."
He looked at the bottle of tequila again. Got up to leave and said:
"I need your Liz, get her and her boy to the house as soon as possible. If she doesn't have her own transportation send a cab, Uber, or a damn helicopter I don't care, I need her this afternoon! And if you see Rae Rae tell her to stay away from my private stock, I know very well what to do with little thieves."
With that, he turned and walked back into the store toward the exit. Fay and Hope intercepted him and pressed another big kiss to his cheeks. He regained that pleasant warm feeling and immediately felt a lot better.