The Lies Behind That Smile

Chapter Nineteen

Nikki and Ezekius waited in the back of the van as Sam and Josh escorted their Charges to the departure lounge. It was plain to see Josh was unhappy - the crease between his eyes had deepened the closer to the airport they'd driven but he'd kept his mouth tightly shut. Nikki knew this was killing him, the desperate need to protect them both and having to choose between them ripping him apart from the inside. It hurt to see.

"No." Zeke's voice rasped. She jumped, startled by the sudden noise. "It would be wrong. As much as you want to save him from this torture, you have to let him make his own decisions. Taking the choice away from him would be worse than making him choose. So no, you cannot leave them behind."

"I ... "

"I know what you were thinking."

Nikki clamped her mouth shut. She'd not quite reached that point yet but Zeke was right. Her musings had been wandering down that path and she was probably just about to ponder the merits of driving away and leaving the Guardians out of it all together. Shuffling closer she leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I can remember a time when my biggest problem was having no plans at the weekend," she reminisced wistfully.

Ezekius remained stoic but his tone took on a much softer edge. "You have a strength within you that will see you through. Hold fast to that and remember this isn't forever. You're a demon now. You're lifespan is essentially endless if you so wish. There will be times of trouble and hardship but, to coin a very human phrase, 'in the grand scheme of things' it's nothing."

A cold shiver caught Nikki off guard and she chilled at his sobering words.

"If that was supposed to be comforting--"

"No, it is merely the truth."

"Thanks," she replied in a flat voice.

In the silence of her mind she contemplated his words. He was right, her lifespan really was without expiration, but then, so was Josh's. Whilst not immortal in the literal sense they were looking at an inconceivable amount of time together, if they could make this work. And that meant no running away when things got sticky.

Thinking about it from a new perspective gave Nikki a fresh sense of hope. She'd spent enough time miserable, what was a few days or weeks hard work and stress for potentially an eternity with Josh? It was nothing; it was a walk in the park, now if she could just get Josh to see it her way. Peeking up at Ezekius, she caught his sly smile before he managed to hide it and yet again her gratitude for him swelled.

"You're no demon," she muttered, snuggling closer and closing her eyes, "you're an angel. My angel."

Taking Nikki's hand in his, he wrapped his fingers around hers and brought the back of her hand to his lips. "Go to sleep, your sentimentality is turning my stomach."

She smiled widely and let out a small chuckle. "My apologies, I'll try to keep it under control in future."

With a smile in his voice, Ezekius responded. "You do that."

* * *

Nikki came too when the back door opened and both Sam and Josh clambered in. Neither looked particularly happy but Nikki understood why.

"They're going to call as soon as they touch down." Sam informed them.

Josh twitched and fidgeted, the scowl on his face even deeper than it had been earlier. "We should go."

Blinking a few times, Nikki got her bearings and stretched. She'd been in a very deep sleep when they'd woken her and she was struggling to shake the disorientation that came with it.