I Thought You'd Be Happier to See Me

She didn’t even notice the tears before they glided down her cheeks; “But do I?” she whispered, feeling her lips quiver a little “I would have done so much worse than just lure Zachary away from his father if things had turned out differently” she whispered letting her tongue glide over her bottom lip. Then she looked back at him, not really wanting to have this conversation, so she did what was best. She turned it onto a completely different subject, even if it was still concerning her. “Why didn’t you come back after you left?” she whispered, licking her lips and trying to swallow the lump that was forming in her throat. “You could easily have tried to find me, but you didn’t, not until I asked for you” she remembered vaguely that she might have asked that question when he had appeared after she had prayed for him. But he had deflected; now that it was clear that his feelings were far more on his sleeve than usual, she wanted to know. “Because you standing here now, talking like this, and I, I was in love with you for so long, but you always treated me like a little girl, what is it, is the fact that I finally grew up? That I look like this?” she gestured to her figure and how she looked far more like her mother now than she had ever done before. Maybe she was just so confused that she took it out on him, but right now, she didn’t know what else to do.

Archie couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle as she mentioned that there was no stopping love like that. “Yeah, I got to admit, there might be a significant player coming in now that will end up sealing the deal”, he sighed, of course meaning how Sariel had acted when around Azrael, but what was more important was how Azrael had acted when Sariel had shown up.
He stepped towards her and let his hand find her cheek, moving it to look at him instead. "Maybe you should get a nice long hot bath, and then you can text your brothers tomorrow”, he pointed out, not knowing that Quentin was alive another night might be more a blessing than actually learning. He was still processing the fact that he was back; not having been there when he had died was still something he had to carry, but that night he hadn’t been able to go back, not after everything that was still so fresh in his mind.

She listened to what he said, not that she got any wiser at first as it almost just sounded like he was talking in circles, not really coming to the root of the problem. But then he did, and Sariel couldn’t breathe for a moment because it twisted so painfully in her heart. She had hoped to hear those words for so long; she had imagined it and known what feeling it forced to blossom in her chest and body. Which only made more tears glide down her cheeks because now she didn’t feel anything, at least not in the way she knew it should have. Affections toward Azrael dimmed because of the sealed bond. But then he told her something that made the tears stop because of the surprise that almost overwhelmed her. “W-what?” she stammered; he could break the bond; how? And why was she suddenly so relieved to hear it? Swallowing, she licked her lips. “How?” she wanted to know, not that she agreed, even though she knew she would, but not know, there was a time for this to happen, she knew that now and though it scared her – oh how she wished it could be right now, but if things should turn out better for Jasmine everyone needed to wait just a little longer.

He gave her a small smile and agreed; it wasn’t something that couldn’t wait. Besides, did anyone really know what Griffin was running around doing these days? The kid seemed more secretive than ever; there was a chance he already knew or had figured it out with that ability of his. “Well, I think that it would end up being worse for Quentin either way, so no, I don’t think he would be so foolish, and something seemed different about him as if he was doing what he did today because he thought he was still in hell” Archie couldn’t even begin to imagine what that would feel like, as he himself had ended in heaven where he had been taking care off, not corrupted as he had felt Quentin had been.
He looked up as she asked if he was coming; a small smile formed over his lips, and he thought about it for a moment. There was a part of him that just wanted to have a cup of coffee, but something told him that she might need him to join, so he nodded and silently walked over to her to join her.

Not that Azrael actually thought of it as the thing he should do, if his father had wanted him to go around and help the witches he would have guided him in that direction many years ago. But this was different because well witches were the embodiment of evil at least now, they hadn't always been. Rebekah had cursed herself and every single user of magic after her by the infliction of power. "I control souls, the mate mark is a soulmate connection right? With my father's blessing perhaps its a lot easier to break than most people think," after all Azrael was the archangel of not only death but also grief. "The mark got created after heavy sacrifice back in the day, leaving not the heart but the soul to search for someone to make it feel whole - but like with all magic, things get twisted over the ages, some are more lucky than others," Azrael explained and clicked his tongue a little bit, perhaps being one of the few who understood how the mark worked, he wasn't even sure Rebekah herself knew back then what she had done.

Elenora didn't like the fact that Quentin had ended up in Hell, no matter how cruel he had been or the fights they had been in - she didn't wish for anyone to not be able to go peacefully after the life they had. It was all very complicated, and her mind was filled up for to day with information, events that had acquired  and the thoughts on what would happen next. Nothing could really please Frederik in not knowing stuff right away, but hell, he had to wait. But right now a hot shower to wash the troubles and blood away, and then a cup of coffee to calm the nerves and the mind.

She blinked a little, not truly understanding what he meant, but she trusted him, which also meant that she knew that he would know if it was possible or not.
“And if you break it –“ her words came out barely a whisper; “what happens then?” she asked, not wanting to break away from Jamie, hoping that it would be different this time. That she would finally get her happy ending with Azrael, which she had wished for, for so many years. What if he suddenly realised that he couldn’t do it and retreated as he had done so many times before?
But then a voice told her that she would still be there if he did that. She knew how to handle him at his worst, and she had still loved him regardless.

It was first when he was standing under the shower with Norah that he could actually feel how sore his muscles were. Not that he had done much, but all the tension in not knowing had settled on his shoulders and lower back.
After a while, his arms wrapped around Elenora, pulling her back against his chest, and he closed his eyes as he leaned his head against hers. “I’m happy you’re my wife, and that everything turned out as it should for us”, he whispered, thinking that they deserved to be selfish in a time were people around them had a hard time figuring out what was going on. If anything, he just felt that they finally earned the right to be happy and not think about others than themselves.

...what happens then? It was a good question, not one for him to answer really. "You tell me, it would be a fresh start where you aren't bound by anything other than what you truly and and desire, not fearing the next time he gets himself in trouble will kill you in the process," not that Azrael actually would let her die, no, but that was a conversation for another day. "I can do it, if you want me to, I will do it for you," he pointed out. After all, his father had begged him to get back to work - mostly because well, Azrael got things done, and it seemed like his brothers and sisters had been absent or just plain busy - most of them at least.

Elenora closed her eyes and just leaned her head against his while exhaling. Just standing here in the moment. "So am I -" she whispered back, licking her lips a little bit. It was okay for them to be happy about being together, especially after what they had been through. Elenora placed her hands on top of his arms giving them a small squeeze. "I'm so grateful for everything we have," she whispered once again, because that she truly was. It wasn't everyone were as lucky as them, far from. "Seems like you are going to be stuck with me forever now," she chuckled a little bit - because that was the part she had gotten from Azrael's long spiral of information, it was that being embodiment of something as the positive balance of things was eternal. Even though she knew little to nothing about what had happened, she knew that another heavy burden had lifted from her shoulder, and that was the fact she had been human were Archie had come back an angel.

Something in the way he phrased it sounded like he needed to sacrifice something to actually do it. That was a thought that Sariel didn’t like; taking a step closer to him, she lifted her hand and placed it towards his left chest. “At what cost?” she asked, not even realising she held her breath waiting for his answer because there was a part of her that wanted to do it, but not before she had talked with Jamie; she at least owed him that, and maybe there were more than just Azrael coming back that would speak for the fact that she and Jamie had run their course. Two broken souls that had managed to heal each other. But still, she needed to know what it would cost Azrael to do it for her.

“It would seem so”, he chuckled, giving her a soft kiss against her temple. “Oh man, I was so looking forward to having my Jamie and Nigel phase when you weren’t around anymore”, he chuckled, only able to joke about it now when it wasn’t a possibility any longer. And even though many people would be scared of never parting from another person, he couldn’t picture anyone else he would be with. He had gone through so much to get back to her, and there needed to happen something extraordinary if he was ever going to part from her again, which he was truly happy for.

What cost, see that was the grand question as well wasn't it? "I would have to stick around more than I usually do, we would both have to step out of our comfort zone I guess," Azrael replied. While Azrael valued the freedom he had gotten over the last thousand of years, he also knew the world needed him. She needed him, and he couldn't just go into the old habit of isolating himself.  Azrael took a deeper breath in, then exhaled. "What will you do now?" He wondered keeping his eyes on her, because it wasn't him to decide what they were going to do, it was all her. "Now, it seems like my work for tonight has just getting started, but you know how to find me when you are ready, okay?" He leaned in to place a kiss on her forehead, then letting the back of his hand trace over her cheek as he took a step back.

Elenora chuckled a little when he joked to the mention of the Jamie and Nigel phase, "oh yeah, defeat your enemies with a fine main course, a chilled glass of  good wine, then knock them over with a killer dessert, -" she teased back with a lighthearted laugh. Oh well, she knew what Archie was capable off if it came down to it. Elenora took a deeper breath in and just chuckled a little, finding how the nerves that had been burning from the pressure and stress that had happened at the factory was now vanished for the night.

“That’s all?” she wondered, but then remember what it meant for him to not have his solitude. “That is a big sacrifice for you,” she said with a small smile as she finally understood what it would eventually mean for him.  
“I’ll have to think it through, but you’ll hear from me soon,” she said with a soft smile, knowing that her words were true before she had said them. And then nodded again as he told that his work for tonight was just getting started, her eyes closed as his lips found her forehead. “Okay” she whispered holding her breath for a moment knowing that soon she would be home, and she had to think all of this through. She knew that things were going to change and even though she knew it was for the best it was still hard to acknowledge.

“You know it” he laughed with her and then took in a deep breath filling his lungs with much-needed air. Things would turn out for the better, he was sure of it. And as long as they stuck together all of them, one way or another it will all, just turn out fine.
Which also meant that he might need to go past Nigel tomorrow and tell him everything, might be nice to just sit down with his brother for a one on one, Nigel always seemed to have the right answers, especially for a man that could say so little. But all of that could wait another day.

"You want me to teleport you home?" He asked not before actually touching her upper arm and teleported her out front, seeing the car letting them know that Jamie was home. He looked to her and gave her a warm smile. "I'm only a prayer away," he reminded her before he then again let his hand find her cheek, before teleporting himself away once again.

"That I do," she chuckled a little bit. Giving them the time they needed before stepping out of the shower again, getting dressed into one of her bathrobes while walking out to put some coffee on. "Maybe I should go to my father's bunker tomorrow, see if he has anything on what happened tonight with Ethan and I," she tiptoed up to get the best mugs, and placed them on the counter. It wasn't like she had much contact with her biological father, he was always busy, out and about fighting evil as he called it, a part of herself she had put aside, so she didn't want to much to do with that part of his world. Even though she knew she was good at the job, it wasn't for her, not anymore. "Even though I don't feel that different, if anything I just feel like - you know a door unlocked and all this energy is just buzzing around," now perhaps it was a good thing Elenora was used to having powers that took a great tool to hold and operate, making these seem less overwhelming - at least for now.

She nodded when he asked if she wanted him to teleport her home; if she was being honest, she didn’t even know where she was; she had just guided Jamie to drive and were too. But now that things had quieted down, she wasn’t sure how she would find her way home from here. Her eyes closed, and as they opened, she stood in the dimmed light from one of the lampposts, the warmth was still on his cheek after he had told her that he was only a prayer away, and then he was gone. Blinking away a couple of tears, she let herself stand there for a moment longer before she walked back inside, knowing that it wasn’t time to take the talk, but one day it would happen, maybe sooner than both her and Jamie were ready for, but no matter what things would turn out all right, she knew that.

Archie came out a little later than her as he saw how she tiptoed to get the mugs she wanted; now, he was just about to walk over and get them for her when he remembered that it would only earn him a light punch and a; I’m more than capable doing on my own, which was why he just stayed where he was, at least for a moment longer, before walking over to the kitchen island and sitting down. He nodded when she tried to describe how she was feeling. “Maybe it would be a good idea to talk with your father; if anything, it might be better to talk with someone that knew what was going on over a cup of coffee instead of a worn-down factory after being kidnapped by your insane brother”, he mumbled, filling his lungs with air for a moment closing his eyes feeling extremely tired for a moment, before letting out a small breath, reminding himself that everything would end up turning out fine.

She made the cups of coffee rather quickly, not really thinking to much of it, it was becoming quite the routine in the morning. Especially since she woke up whenever the sun did, and she didn't want Archie to feel like he had to get up just because she woke up - so, Elenora had started insisting on making the morning coffee. At least in these spring and summer times. But it also sharpened her mind to focus on her thoughts. "Even just hearing those words makes our lives sound insane," she sighed a little bit, knowing it was just casually how their lives sometimes ended up being. Elenora took out the milk and added some milk in their coffees, then putting it back so she could place the cup in front of Archie. "Hey, we will be fine, you said so yourself. We just need a good nights sleep and a hand in what is going on - we've made it this far, this too shall pass," knowing perhaps Ethan would have a harder time accepting what he was or could be than she did, maybe it was because she felt like things suddenly made more sense, where she knew Ethan saw himself as cursed with the negativity and darkness. Who wouldn't find themselves feeling more cursed than blessed with that though?

He chuckled as she mentioned that his words made their lives sound insane. “Is there anything sane when you lived in a world of the supernatural?” he asked, not believing there would be a dull moment when you emerged yourself in a world where things many thoughts were impossible were possible. As soon as people had access to, what many would think of as superpowers, it was bound to happen that things would become a little insane. The question was just how they handled the insanity.
He took the cup and looked up as she told him that they would be fine. He nodded; he had meant it when he had said it and gave her a soft smile. “And I’m sure that Ethan will be able to get through this as well, especially when he has a girlfriend like Zoe”, he added, knowing that she played a big part in the man becoming more confident than the next. “Another thing, now when we are talking about couples and all that, I still can’t get over the fact that Ethan never ended up with Evelina” he shook his head with a laugh, of all the people he had thought would have ended up together when he came back, it would have seemed that he had been wrong almost about everything. Which only underlined the point about him just sticking to what he was good at, which was cooking.

She let out a small sigh when Archie mentioned Ethan. It was still weird having been able to feel so much power through one touch, like everything for a moment was just in perfect harmony and like everything was possible - the most dangerous feeling of all. "Yeah, he will be okay. I just think we reached our full potential, not something major or - well, you know what I mean," she shook her head a little bit picking up the still rather warm coffee and blew on it to cool it down. At least the transition hadn't been needing a death, or a painful transformation - even if she perhaps should put this on the list of traumatic events that could cause such outfall as well.

Another thing, she pressed her brows a bit together, then couldn't really help but laugh a little bit. "It's because Ethan is an idiot, who doesn't know when to be truthful about what he wants - if he just had spoken up about his feelings earlier or both of them had, things might have looked differently. But not everyone is that good at just going after what they want," she ran her index finger slow and teasingly over his nasal spine with a light laugh, then took a sip of her coffee before placing it on the counter yet again as she walked around the kitchen isle and placed herself next to him.

He narrowed his eyes a little when she mentioned that it wasn’t something major, then let out a small laugh when she added the, you know what I mean, part. Shaking his head a little, he let out a soft sigh, finding it hard to believe that this was in the ballpark of not something significant. And even if it sounded insane to think that this wasn’t something that was huge, it wasn’t the most insane thing that had happened of late.

His nose scrunched as her finger ran over the spine while telling him Ethan was an idiot. He wasn’t sure if he would go that far, but it had been clear that there had been so many things at stake that both of them hadn’t been able to confess their feelings. Well, it was understandable given Evelina having two kids, it was an enormous responsibility, and now Evelina was a mother again, with a man he had heard of. By the stories that had been told about Dion, he still found it rather wild to think that those would end up together. But sometimes you shouldn’t disregard people’s potential; sometimes, the most odd couple were the ones that worked the best. “Oh well, maybe in another alternate universe”, he chuckled, sipping a little coffee, closing his eyes as he let out a soft sigh.

Elenora took a sharper breath in and made a small shrug, "what is meant to be will find its way, even find the most sneaky and unexpected ways - speaking from experience, I'm so happy fate was in my favor," she leaned in and placed a tender  kiss against his cheek, then sitting back taking a few more sips of her coffee, till it was empty. "Okay, maybe we should just allow ourselves to collapse, I have a feeling we will be busy tomorrow," she confessed with a small sigh, it was just a gut feeling, but her gut feeling was rarely wrong. One thing was the entire Quentin thing, then there was the new her and Ethan thing, all the people they needed to speak with. Almost giving her a headache to even think about it.

”Oh, I’m so going to hear about it if they end up together, aren’t I?” he said with a slight smile on his lips, even though he could feel the heaviness form in his heart. Maybe that had been the reason why he had been so reluctant to get children, not that he thought that he and Elenora wouldn’t go the distance. However, there was still such a huge responsibility when you got children together because then it wasn’t just about you then. You suddenly had an entirely other being to care for and think about.
“Yeah, sounds like a good idea” he nodded before placing his cup in the sink, and with a quick movement, he grabbed around her, making quick work of getting her legs around his hips and then he started walking into the bedroom. “Better get you off to bed”, he hummed with a small smile.

"Oh you so are," she teased with a lighter giggle. It wasn't like she had known them for long. It was a mess really, Evelina and Dion ending up together in the way they had, suddenly having a child in their lives they had to redirect their thoughts towards. Even if Evelina and Ethan were to end up together, it would be a lot of responsibility for Ethan as well, even if he loved and cared for Evelina's children. She shook Ethan's messy love life out of her mind for now. Nora had always admired Jules for being able to raise Annika on her own, even if Jules claimed she had no idea what she was doing, she just went with whatever felt like was right and took one day at the time. Once again Nora shook the thoughts out of her mind, while letting him finish his coffee and place his cup in the sink.
Then Archie grabbed around her, lifting her up and her legs locked around his hips per instinct, while letting her hands interlock behind his neck. Elenora hummed in agreement. Even if a part of her tried to fight off the tiredness to get further on this discovery of what had happened tonight, the other part of her knew she needed to rest to be able to deal with the storm waiting by the finish line. But right now, she zoned in on being in the moment, leaning her forehead against his before placing a soft kiss on top of his cheekbone while he walked them into their bedroom.