Behind These Wings

Intermittent Harmony

"Archangelios, it is a pleasure to finally meet you."

Bile rose up Izzy's throat, corroding any words that may have been used in reply. She stood before this angel, eyes wide, heart pounding, absolutely petrified at what might happen in the next few minutes.

Why was he here?

His displeasure had been evident earlier but she had never thought He would go this far; endangering His own reputation wasn't really His style. Usually He adopted a low risk strategy, destroy everyone else but above all protect Himself, apparently such tactics weren't proving as effective as He had hoped. Unfortunately for Izzy, this new approach was far more damaging than she had been expecting.

Unable to supress her desire for answers Izzy met Englas' gaze. She knew that she shouldn't and that it was likely to cause her more problems in the long run but those murky eyes were her only hope at attempting to understand why Englas was here.

Facing a sleazy smirk and a nauseating wink Izzy found herself quickly averting her eyes, her attention shifting to his fingers tracing the feather tattoo on his wrist. Another bout of sickness curled through her stomach and it took all of Izzy's control not to retch in front of several members of public and the household angels.

No doubt now looking rather green Izzy felt the need to sprint from the room, preferably seeking a nearby bathroom but there was nothing that she could do. If she ran Englas would surely track her down, after all he was known for it. She had returned of her own free will and now she had to face the consequences of her actions. She had been warned and she should have listened.

She must try harder.

She must be better.

There had to be something more to give.

She couldn't allow herself to be taken back. Never again.

"Izzy?" Andrew's voice sounded in her ear, soft enough not to reach any other prying listeners but commanding enough to drag her from her thoughts. His concerned tone wrapped around her offering sanctuary when in reality she was completely exposed.

Managing to keep her collected façade in place and not display any of her inner turmoil in her features was a difficult, but doable task for Izzy. After all it had to be doable. No one could see what lay behind the mask.

No one.

"Officers, it would, of course, be an honour to house you. I hope you enjoy your time here." The words were like acid, corroding her throat as she attempted to utter them with confidence she didn't possess. Failing to stop the shaking of her hands as she was forced to look into the eyes the angel that haunted her nightmares Izzy hid them behind her back, clawing her hands together in an attempt to stop them from drawing attention to her anxiety.

Izzy wished nothing more than to lean back into Drew's strong embrace and to settle there, feeling safe and secure and forget about the problems that were becoming a little too real in her world but she knew that she couldn't do that. No lady of her standing should show such vulgar signs of public affection and, as she felt Englas' critical gaze trained solely on her, she understood that there would be no room for error anymore.

She couldn't remove herself from Drew's hold for it was his wish for her to be there and to defy him would be a cardinal sin but she froze within his grasp, ensuring that Englas understood that her position was not one of endearment but simply a show for the public. She was certain that Drew intended the gesture to be understood in this way and it was her lack of restraint that made it appear to be otherwise.