He watched in stunned silence as his biggest problem resolved itself in front of him.
* * *
“Sun’s about to come up,” Alex mused. He lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling.
“You should have at least a little sleep,” Lorelei told him. Her head rested against his chest. “We will not leave you.”
Rachel sighed against Lorelei’s shoulder. “Fuck. Actually, that’s not true. I’ll have to go in a couple hours.”
“You never told us what happened with Lydia,” Lorelei noted.
“That’ll be part of it. Lydia gets judged. And so do I.”
“I still don’t see how you can be in trouble for this. You can’t just decide who you will and won’t fall in love with.” Alex scowled. “How are you supposed to control that?”
“There is what happens in one’s heart, and then there is what one does about it,” Lorelei said. “The notion that everyone is at the mercy of his or her heart perseveres mostly because it excuses irresponsible behavior. I’ve exploited exactly that for longer than I care to remember.”
Rachel nodded a bit. “I wasn’t supposed to fall for you,” she said, “and I damn sure wasn’t supposed to go to bed with you.”
“What about Lorelei?”
“Oh, there’ll be shit-talking and scandal and assloads of angels will be just fucking aghast,” the angel sighed, “but there’s not much precedent for someone like her.” Rachel’s words were matter-of-fact, but her glance toward Lorelei held affection and reverence. “I can defend my actions. I’m comfortable with what I’ve done with you both. I’m in love. That’s not going to change. And they won’t take me away from you, Alex. Don’t worry about that.”
“But?”
“But there are things that wouldn’t be a big deal to a mortal that mean a lot to an angel,” Rachel explained. “Censure by my peers. Looking like a jackass in front of everyone. Ostracism. I’ve never been what you would call popular, but it was…it was nice to have the guardians have my back once this whole mess got rolling. It’ll hurt to lose that. I’m not so hung up on the opinions of others that I’d do things differently to win approval, but it’s not like you just pissing off co-workers or classmates. These are angels, y’know?
“What scares me is that I could be removed from my post altogether. Being named as a guardian angel meant a lot to me. There are a bunch of posts that are ranked higher in the hierarchy, but guardian angels do serious work. It’s the real thing. If they take that away…I’ll be crushed. I’m gonna know forever that I was a guardian angel for a whole week and I fucked it all up, and everyone else will know it, too.”
“Even after all you have done?” Lorelei asked. “They would remove you after all that has changed as a result of your actions?”
“Like I said, this is all unprecedented.” Rachel sniffed and cuddled up to them more. “I gave up worrying about pleasing everyone with how I acted a long time ago, but this…hell, after the way I made such a fool of myself over Vincent for so long and then all the dead-end stuff I’ve had to do ever since because of those choices, I’ve felt like a complete loser.
“It’s been nice to feel like a winner for once. And I have because of you two.”
“Your involvement has been pivotal,” Lorelei said. “Who knows how this would have turned out had you acted differently?”
“God knows I’m grateful,” Alex huffed. “I know you’re not a loser. Not at all.”
Rachel smiled a bit. “There’s what God knows and then there’s what others decide to see and what not to see.” She rolled over him, kissed his chest and settled back against it. “Anyway. I’ll have to go face the music.”
“Do you have to go alone?” Alex asked.
She glanced at Lorelei, who looked at her with much the same question. “You wouldn’t see anything but me,” Rachel told him. “Lorelei might be able to see, or might not. It would all depend. They’ll gather on holy ground, though. Might fuck her up.”
“Have you any say in which site?” Lorelei wondered.
“I dunno. I might.” She fell silent for a moment. “You really want to come with me?”
“I love you,” Alex said simply. “You wouldn’t let me face something like this alone.”
“You dove into Hell for Alex and for me,” Lorelei agreed. “What sort of lover would I be if I did less for you?”
Rachel’s attention shifted to Lorelei. She was stunned.
“I am admittedly new to the concept,” Lorelei smiled fondly, “but I have had an excellent teacher, and what I have learned from him would seem to apply.”
Chapter 19:
Redemption
“I’m gonna lose my fucking job.”
“Huh. You and me both,” Rachel agreed.
“You will not lose your job, Alex,” Lorelei said. “For all anyone at your office knows, you are still recovering from being shot last week. It’s entirely understandable.”
The three sat on a simple bench in the courtyard of St. Mark’s Cathedral with Rachel in the middle. Each of the others held one of the angel’s hands. Rachel was back to wearing her simple white dress.
Alex turned to look at Lorelei, who passively watched her surroundings through sleek sunglasses. She wore her stylish skirt suit once again. “I thought you didn’t want me to have a job anyway?” Alex asked in a joking tone. “Doesn’t it get in the way of my constantly getting laid?”
A quiet smile spread under Lorelei’s sunglasses. “I have seen your office in your desires, Alex. It’s like a law firm on a television show. So many lovely ladies. I would hate to take you away from such a playground before you’ve had a chance to truly enjoy it.”
“Okay, stop. We seriously need to dial this back. No more girlfriends, no more flings. I’ve got more than enough of that in my life with you two, and things are still kind of up in the air with Onyx. And Molly, apparently. And it’s not like Taylor’s…Ugh. I’m good, y’know?”
“Can I just point out one thing in all this?” Rachel asked. “One thing. Then I’ll let it all go.”
“Sure,” Alex said, glad to have an ally in his struggle for self-control. “Absolutely. Speak up. This totally involves you, too.”
Rachel turned to him and said, “You got into this whole mess because of your conscience,” she smirked. “Thinking with your cock hasn’t gotten you into trouble once yet.”
Alex’s jaw dropped. Lorelei allowed a sly grin. “Thank you, love,” she murmured.
Silence held between the three of them. Eventually, Alex realized that the two women were watching something, though he saw only an unoccupied church. Rachel’s expression slowly turned grave. Lorelei maintained her poker face. “What is it?” Alex asked. “Are they here?”
“They have been here for some time,” Lorelei answered. “We are only now being approached.”
“Alex,” said Rachel, “close your eyes for a second.”
“Huh?”
“Please. Just a second.”
He complied. When he opened them again, he saw a woman’s hand pull away from his face. She was tall and blonde, dressed much like Rachel but seemed a good twenty years older. Like Rachel, she was beautiful. Also like Rachel, the woman had large, white wings that grew from her back. Boundless kindness shone in her eyes.
“Hello, Alex,” the angel said with a soft smile.
He caught an odd note of familiarity in her voice. “Do you know me?”
She tilted her head to one side a bit. “I did once, a long time ago, though you did not know me. I am Hannah.” She paused. “I am sure you have been told how little we angels can explain to a mortal, but I will say that it is very nice to finally speak with you.”
Hannah’s gaze turned to Rachel. Alex recognized the sincere, obvious respect Rachel held for the other angel, but also saw her nervousness. “Is it time?” Rachel asked.
“We have been ready for a short while,” Hannah nodded. “We were uncertain whether or not you simply meant to speak with Alex and Lorelei here before coming inside. After awhile the waiting became a bit awkward.”