Fallen Angel

Chapter 82: Emily

Brannon and I sat on the large leather chesterfield lounge, Anton paced the floor by a bookshelf. Finding what he was after, he turned with the book and set it to the desk.

"What are your intentions for the future?"

Well, that was direct and to the point.

"We've already discussed this." Brannon said, sounding confused.

"I know that, I just want to make sure that you still want the same things or if anything has changed."

Brannon looked at me and I offered a shake of my head. I still wanted the island life, I still wanted to look after the layer as my duty to the underworld.

"No, still the same." Brannon said.

Anton nodded, opening the book and writing something in it. When he was done, he returned the book to the shelf and moved around the desk. Settling into a wingback that was similar to the one that we had sat on in the blinding white void, Anton washed his hand through the air. A small glowing version of the island layer appeared in front of us.

"So what you are proposing is a house on the western side so that you can have some form of darkness, is that correct?"

"Yes." Brannon returned firmly. "And a red sun so that Luca can visit."

"Of course."

The image span around, showing the western side of the island with a red ball glowing above it. One red sun, just for the vampire friend that probably hated me. He probably wasn't impressed with Brannon either, momentarily I wondered how Chloe was.

"Now you have submitted these plans for the house that you want."

A house emerged over the water, a long boardwalk connected it back to the island. The house seemed small and I wondered if he had misjudged the dimensions. I couldn't even remember if I had put dimensions on the plan.

"You've only allowed for a few bedrooms; don't you wish to plan for the long term?"

"Oh well, I suppose."

Anton laced his fingers over his torso, his leg crossed over the other as he looked at us. The glow of the image lit up his face, highlighting a man that was trying to be patient.

"You have so much opportunity here Brannon, do not be limited by anything."

"But I still have to build it."

The patient man was starting to crack, he stared at his son and waited for him to grasp the underlying message. If he didn't get there fast, his father might just lose the will to live.

"Bran," I said softly, taking his hand. "It's okay to ask for help. We both know that it would take us a really long time to build anything and I don't think your father wants us cutting down the trees. Just tell him what you'd really like and ask him to create it for us."

Because if I had assumed correctly, then Anton wanted to do this for Brannon. He adored his son and would give him pretty much anything that he asked for.

"Uh okay. So can you make something more suitable?"

I squeezed his hand.

"Please?"

Anton smiled, mostly at me. He knew.

"Of course son."

A pen and a note pad whacked to Brannon's lap, Anton waited. I picked them up and turned to face Brannon.

"Come on, living downstairs, bedrooms upstairs?"

"Sure, I guess."

I rolled my eyes and if I looked at Anton, I'll bet he did too.

"How many bedrooms Bran?" I muttered as I began to draw rooms.

"Lots."

That was not helpful.

Sketching out a rough diagram, I allowed for growth for those lots of children. The first level was filled with a lot of open areas, large windows that allowed for the gorgeous view and an overall feeling of space.

Brannon watched on, his fingers twitched and I looked up at him.

"Yes Bran."

He smiled at me and pointed to the lower level.

"Don't forget a nice deck around it."

"Okay." I said softly.

"And somewhere to hang out inside, like a games room or something."

I extended the area again and added a family room all the while feeling his intense stare. Glancing up, I saw he was frowning at the picture.

"Kitchen's a bit small, don't you think? And that dining room won't cover lots of kids."

Turning to Anton, I saw that he was amused as he leaned on one hand, watching us and saying nothing. Returning to Brannon, I passed the notepad and pen over.

"What's this for?"

"For you to do. If you're full of such grand ideas I figure it won't be difficult for you to knock out an amazing house plan."

Brannon stared blankly at me and as his father shifted in his seat, I turned to look at him.

"If I might be of assistance."

"Sure." I said, not waiting for Brannon.

Because it was likely that he'd be more helpful than Bran at the moment.

"When planning for the long term, think up rather than out. Plan your living area with as much space as you can and then build your sleeping areas up from there. When you plan the sleeping areas, allow for common areas so that the children may play in any of the areas. You should note that your children will be allowed to leave hell if they wish, it is only Brannon that is bound to this world and even then we could stretch the rules to accommodate a change of scenery if necessary."

As his fingers played in the air, changing the island scene before us, his eyes lit up with amusement.

"There was a time when I planned for a life in New York with Sarah and whatever children happened to join us. We had planned a fine house that would accommodate many children, we had mapped out our lives for what we hoped would be many years. But life changes, things got in our way and disrupted our plans. Some things could have been lived with and some could not. You will find that while you can plan for everything there will be the unforeseeable that will disrupt your plans. So with that in mind, plan a two level house with a few bedrooms and when it becomes tight, ask daddy to fix it for you."

Anton smiled and lowered his hand, showing off the building that was our rough sketch. It was everything that we wanted and I couldn't wait to get down there and get on with our lives.