"Make sure He understands we'll be there for as long as Es needs us, Michael. She didn't deserve what's happened and her reaction to Charisma and Brianna shouldn't have been unexpected."
"I'll do what I can," he offered without looking at them again. "Take care of her... and yourselves. I'm sure I'll see you all again soon." And without another word he walked off in the direction he'd come from, disappearing into the mist.
They waited for him to be swallowed up and remained silent for several minutes beyond that. At Amber's nod, they took seats around the table and settled in to wait.
************
"I don't like it," Kay said above the protests that were given by the rest of the family gathered in Esmeralda's living room when Charisma finished explaining Esmeralda's request to them. "She's too unstable - this is a very dangerous time for her to be left alone."
"We don't have to like it, Doc," Charisma said with barely a bite in her tone. "But we should respect her wishes."
"Even if it puts her in harm's way?" Kay ground out.
"Even then," Brianna suddenly spoke, causing all eyes to turn towards her. "Es is going to have to find her own strength... her own will to live. We can't do that for her. If she really wants to die, she'll find a way." She felt Charisma's indrawn breath, but refused to meet her eyes. Instead, Brianna stared at Kay and willed her to see what she was unable to say aloud. Finally Kay nodded.
"All right. I'm not happy about it, but Brianna's right." She turned to Charisma. "Should we try to rouse Ruby... let her know what's going on?"
"I don't think so. Es was fine with her staying in the house as long as she was sleeping. Maybe we could leave her a note to call one of us...?" looking at Brianna.
"I think that's a good idea," writing a brief note and adding both their numbers at the bottom. Then Kay snatched the missive out of her hand. Brianna glared. "Kay! What the he...?" cutting herself off abruptly when she remembered Adam was still in the room and listening.
"I know where Ruby's room is. Be right back," she added, heading up the stairs.
Meanwhile, Patrick and Okasa had gathered everyone's outerwear together and brought it into the living room, and they started sorting it out so they could leave as soon as Kay was ready.
When Kay reached Ruby's room, she hesitated, then quietly opened the door and let her eyes adjust to the dimness she was surrounded by. She guessed the older woman had finally fallen asleep, so she tiptoed across the floor and propped the note in front of the clock, sure it was the best way for it to be noticed. Then without making a sound, she retraced her steps and closed the door silently behind her. When she arrived back in the living room, it only took a moment for her to don her outerwear, and then they left Esmeralda to her grief.
************
"Oh Es," Amber said as she gently pushed the blonde hair away from Esmeralda's swollen face. "What have you gone and done, hmm?" Esmeralda didn't respond at all and Amber surreptitiously checked to assure herself that Esmeralda was still breathing. When she found a faint pulse, she released the breath she'd been holding and sighed. This was a lot harder than she'd expected it to be, and she'd expected the worst. She looked around at the other Angels who were in the room as well. Ruby gestured for her to continue talking, and Amber rolled her eyes, but resumed her one-sided conversation as a single tear escaped its confines and slid down her cheek.
"You know you put heaven into quite a tizzy - I know you knocked Michael for a loop with what you said to Brianna and Charisma. He was scandalized by it." Amber chuckled. "It was kinda funny to see, actually." She gazed around the room again, then jerked her head, waiting for the others to join her.
One by one the Angels stepped close, until they were right beside the bed, and they reached out to one another and held hands. Amber remained sitting on the bed beside Esmeralda, but she offered one hand into the circle. Ruby and Opal, one on either side of her, took it so the chain would stay unbroken. And they waited for Amber to continue.
"We're all here for you, Es, and we're not going anywhere. We told Michael we'd give up our wings before letting you go through this alone." She paused and swallowed hard - Amber had never realized how difficult it was to keep up a running discussion by yourself. She took another deep breath.
"I know you're hurt, Es. I know you're dying inside. It's killing me, and she was just my sister. And I know that us being here doesn't really help take the pain away, but we're at a loss to know what to do - for you... for us... for them. So we need you, Es. We need you to wake up and give us some sort of direction - to tell us what we can do for you." A pause. "Please, Es."
Esmeralda's eyelids fluttered and slowly her eyes blinked open. She looked at each Angel and they met her eyes unflinchingly, despite the depth of sorrow in them that made them ache for her. Finally, she let her eyes hold Amber's eyes, not closing them even when Amber gently cupped her face.
"What are you doing here, Amber?" Esmeralda asked. Amber frowned.
"Where else would we be, Es?" She tilted her head. "You really think we'd leave you alone at a time like this?"
"I expected you to have been called home," Esmeralda replied quietly. She had anticipated that ending, anyway. She had wanted nothing more than to return to sleep in the hope that she would once more find Saphira in her dreams. Less than twenty-four hours had passed since Saphira had left and all Esmeralda wanted to do was join her. And she was honest enough to know that the women currently surrounding her and offering her their unwavering strength and support would do their damnedest to make sure that didn't happen.
"We did. And we told Michael we weren't staying." Esmeralda couldn't stop her involuntary reaction - her eyes widened and her brows went into her hairline. Amber gave her a tiny smirk and nodded. "It's true. We told Michael we'd give up our wings before we stayed there."
"Why?"
Amber glared. "Because I'm selfish, Es. Because I can't watch you just give up and die... no matter how much you want to right now!" She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Because I promised Saphira I'd keep an eye on you."
Eyes that had been a flat gray suddenly burned with a fire that made the green flash. "You promised Saphira?? You knew...? She knew...?" Esmeralda jerked away from Amber's touch and scooted up until she was partially sitting against the headboard.
As glad as Amber was to see the spark back in Esmeralda's eyes, she was a little afraid to see that kind of anger turned in her direction. She felt Ruby and Opal squeeze the hand they held in support, and she forced herself not to flinch under the weight of the accusing stare Esmeralda was directing at her.
"No, Es - I didn't know about this." She blew out an unsteady breath. "I made my promise to Saphira a long time ago."
Now Esmeralda sucked in air, clenching her hands together until the knuckles turned white. "When?" her voice soft and broken.
Amber placed a gentle hand on Esmeralda's foot - the only place she could reach in their current positions - and didn't move even when she felt the shudder tremble through Esmeralda's frame. "When she left the first time... when she was banished."
"This isn't the same thing, Amber."
"I know, Es," Amber agreed with a nod. "This is so much worse. But that promise didn't have a time limit, and it's my privilege to look after you."
"I'm not a child, Amber! I don't need 'looking after'!" Her voice dropped to a bare whisper and Amber had to focus on Esmeralda's lips to hear her words. "I just need Saphira."
Amber tugged her hand from Ruby's and Opal's grip and they clasped their hands together when Amber slipped from them. She crawled up the bed and took Esmeralda in her arms, holding tight when she struggled against Amber's embrace. It went on for several minutes before Esmeralda collapsed into the warm body holding her and Amber just held her as she cried.