A gentle breeze trickled through the baggy coat wore by Edward Barq, as he lay on the green grass. There were no clouds, and he couldn't even see the moon. For the first time in over a century, he didn't have to worry about the devil on his shoulder.
He heard a soft whoosh behind him. Then, a woman walked up next to him and sat.
"Hey Fayrouz. Want a cig?" he asked her half-jokingly.
"Sure."
They stayed there for a little while. Then he asked:
"Angels can do that?"
"I'm a poor example of one," she chuckled. Then she lit it with her finger and slipped it between her lips. "We have not spoken since I raised you from perdition. Are you alright dear?"
He barely turned his neck and looked at her. "Good enough."
The stars shone brighter than ever before.
"I…" She paused. "The angels' heaven is quiet. Why not go up there? You know you are permitted."
"Don't really care much. It's nice down here."
She tilted her head. "Truthfully, I am not fond of stargazing anymore. Before I… before we fell out, I would look up and see all the beautiful things in the world. I was amazed." She stopped.
"What changed?"
"The stars are angels. Some angels are even parts of Heaven. And they are all each little slices of that new god. But I am an archangel, still. I have seen their true colors. They are scared in His absence. And they are ruined."
Eddie sat up. "Do you think all this would be happening if I hadn't tried to kill you? I mean, all that time ago?"
"Maybe. I really don't know. I'm scared too. I should not have ended up there anyways." She took off the swirly brimmed hat he hadn't noticed before and placed it between them. It had two feathers stuck in the top, and one seemed to be oddly radiant. "After I found out they were all true, I adored them. But I had a falling out with Michael and was punished."
"You aren't alone, Eve. Remember Jesse Robinson? My mentee?" She nodded. "He was a demon. Made me a deal and reeled me into this mess. I've done bad for Hell. Wasn't worth it for all the soda in the world."
It was silent again.
She spoke. "I used to watch the moon in the morning as a young lady. I would try to catch it slowly moving against a tree in the morning. Never did have the attention span." She cleared her throat. "Now all I can think about is standing on it after blowing my brains out, rescued by an angel. The first thing I heard after the ringing was that I was a mistake."
"Huh?"
"There are a couple Heavens. I should have gone to Hell anyway, but someone saved me, and placed me with angels rather than souls. I stood next to the 'Big Four.'" She made finger quotes. "Call themselves the Presences. They argued about what to do with me. Then I was Michael's Red Right Hand because the damn fools could not stop bickering for long enough to see Hell had come to Earth and they needed someone to lead."
He pursed his lips. "Sounds rough. I don't really know what to say, honestly. Worst thing I did was make diet coke."
They shared a laugh at that. She moved closer. He put his stovepipe hat next to hers and they sat, still. It had a bit missing from the top, as if a hound had used it as a chew toy before deciding it was acidic.
"I've done things, Eddie. I know you have too with your little companies, but. I mean biblically. Nazi stuff. 'Just following orders' stuff."
He took fake offense to that: "Hey, I did bad things of my free will. That just means human beats angel." They laughed again.
"Try telling that to Lucifer. He'll pull your ass straight back to Hell." She lightly punched his shoulder, smiling.
"Hey, why you down here anyway? Shouldn't you be upstairs?"
"My connection to Heaven has been severed."
He cocked an eyebrow up. "I'm sorry. It's been what now?"
"Did I not tell? Everything I have done in the past couple decades has been in defiance. I am banishéd. I retain grace, but I am hardly graceful."
"Even if you can't be in Heaven, you can see the stars still. And if you don't like that, there's plenty of grace to be had in air and water and land and stuff."
"Sure. But what of my purpose? I have no orders left to follow and no one left to defy. I am a vagabond."
He thought to himself for a moment. "That just means you're human again." He spotted Saturn in the sky. "And we all have someone to watch over us. Even the fallen angels."
She smiled. "Thank you, Eddie. I have something for you, by the way." She pulled out a large, leather book, inscribed 'Barq + Evelyn.' "The seraph Metatron gave it to me when we first met. He told me simply that I would know when to read it."
"Thanks." He grabbed the book and gazed at her eyes, almost enamoured. Then at her lips. Then cracked a grin. "You know you haven't taken out that smoke since I gave it to you."
"Oh." She let out a nervous little giggle before tossing it away.
There was a little awkward silence between one another. Then they embraced each other. A tear ran down Eddie's cheek.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's always gonna be okay." She rubbed his back with all the love an angel can give.
They hugged for a few minutes. When time came to let go, they stared at each other for a second. Then they kissed. It was just as awkward.
"Looks like somebody forgot how to kiss after all that time away," Ed teased.
"Shut up, you plebeian."
They hugged for a little while longer. Then, as if on cue, rose to their feet.
"Let's go to my place and rest up. I think we've both had enough of those stars."