Siren

The sound of church bells ringing echoed in the courtyard. At the robust chimes that recoiled around the old building the flapping of birds wings followed in succession. In twelve years nothing had changed. It was the same building, the same ivory stone sign that rested beside the double mahogany doors with the large brass door handles that had read Saint Marks Perish. The writing reminded Eric of an old horror movie involving vampires and the Gothic lore that was behind them. There wasn"t anything particularly eerie about this setting only that there was something too calming about it. He remembered the very first time he had stepped foot into this church. He remembered walking to the second row of pews with his father dressed in a three piece suit that was an all over charcoal colour. He remembered sitting on the wooden bench like seat that had caused an ache in his coccyx within five minutes and he remembered the sight of the man that stood before them at the podium, bible open to give his sermons. He looked like a man people trusted, a soft welcoming face, pale green eyes that seemed to smile along with the thin lips and he was funny, not like the other priest"s that he had been exposed to, this man was good, golden hearted. Eric wasn"t psychic, he wasn"t even good at reading people but back then, he knew because there was always an angel on his shoulder, in a very literal sense. Sabreal had been there from the moment Eric was able to register the world around him as a child. He was the only one that could see the celestial being but he had never steered Eric wrong. It was the angel that had led him to this church with his father and as always Eric obeyed the guardian"s wishes for him, not once had he come to regret it. Starring up at the building that had been there for over eighty years now, Eric could still feel the warmth that the church had held inside of it. His vivid emerald like green eyes didn"t draw away from the stained glassed images of angels and Jesus. He was not a religious man per-say though he had his fair share of experiences it wasn"t something that he delved too deeply in, especially ever since Sabreal disappeared from his life. It was hard not to become cynical about it and believe that one was hallucinating when something was there one day and gone the next, like a fools dream that was purely a tease of some sorts. It had broken Eric"s heart when the angel vanished from his existence. He had no answers and he would have carried on with his life as if the celestial had never existed in the first place but it was a dream he had the night before that had led him to seek council in the priest that he had now considered a good friend, the man of God knew all too well what Eric had experienced with the angel that was once always by his side. He dropped the cigarette to the concreted ground outside of the partially rusted iron gates. Sweeping a large and calloused hand through short caramel brown tresses and fixing the black leather jacket to make sure that he held some respectful presentation about him. He made short work of the gate that needed lubrication and he was entering the large wooden doors that would take him inside that comforting and homely church that offered a perfect sense of serenity. It was like a wave of tranquility over him the moment his combat boot covered feet touched the holy ground. For a moment he closed his eyes and breathed it in. The was an enigmatic experience for anyone, even for those with little faith. There was a light and a love in this building that could reduce even Lucifer to tears. It was beautiful and offered a benevolent and amicable home to anyone, no matter religion, gender, race, s****l orientation. It was, for the lack of a better set of words, like heaven on earth. Eric knew the reasons behind this but there was something a little lacking in it. As a child he remembered how it had felt to be here and though it maintained the same aspects as it always had ,it gave off the sensation there was something missing from it. Eric slowly made his way towards the office door. He stepped lightly so that he didn"t disrupt those that were there in prayer. He was not always the most refined man but he knew respect and when it was due. Stopping at the door that had surprisingly been marked just as it had been when he had last seen it when he was only twenty-one, he couldn"t help but smile. The writing was a little faded now but the fact that priest Anthony Collins was still here, it made Eric elated. A good man like that deserved to live out long years, though he had suspected that the man would have almost been in his seventies by now this was a pleasant surprise and with any luck, he was going to have some answers. A gentle generic knock rattled the door slightly. It was clearly in need of repair. Once he heard the elderly man"s voice he made himself welcome into the office. It was almost too clean and perfect. Everything had it"s exact place so neatly put together as if he were expecting a housing inspection. Eric smiled as he looked to the old man, those eyes gave him away, Collins was still alive. This was good news. Eric didn"t know where else to go, this was truly his only option he had, anyone else would have thought he was crazy if he spoke of what he dreamed about and he knew that this man was his only lifeline. “Eric” The man smiled nodding his head slowly. “Hello, Father” Approaching the priest who was purely in shock at his presence, he wrapped the older male in his arms. The hug felt so long awaited. It was like holding heaven itself but much like the church there was an ethereal essence that was missing from him. It was alarming to Eric, brows furrowing in confusion. There was something very wrong here and it was hard for him to believe that this was nothing more then another dream. He remembered waking from his last about Sabreal though, he felt himself driving here and even though it had some peculiarity it felt real to him. “My word, you have grown. I haven"t seen you in..” Pulling back from the embrace, Eric stayed close to the man dressed in black all but the white collar that had shown what he was. There weren"t many priest"s like this in London anymore, especially ones that had such a thick and distinct Irish accent. He looked as if he had been the love child of d**k Van Dyke and Marilyn Monroe. Not like any priest anyone would have seen that didn"t follow some rough f*****g in a confessional booth. It was a twisted thought but it was almost impossible not to think it “Twelve years” “Please, have a seat. What brings you here? Have you heard from the angels?” Eric did as he was requested and took a seat in a hard wooden chair with a green and grey floral cushion that would have barely been enough padding to keep a child comfortable but he wasn"t here to complain about the seating, he was there because of the angels. Eric Matthews didn"t trust people. Ever. He found humans to be nothing but angry, jealous, devious, manipulative and deplorable. He had seen the horrors that the world had been submersed in and while there was always good in the evil it was not common and there was always the question of if it were truly real. There were two people that he trusted in the world. One sat before him, the other, someone that he would rather die then live without. Both of them knew about Eric"s gifts and his true profession and not the blue uniform and badge that he hid behind. Eric knew that when he had started seeing Sabreal there was something unusual about him. He knew that as a human he wasn"t supposed to see the angel, not the type of angel that Sabre was. He was no run of the mill angel, he wasn"t even supposed to be playing guardian but once Eric found out what he was, everything started to make sense and this was only one of two human"s that he was about to turn to in his time of need and understanding. “No. Actually it"s been ten years since I haven"t even heard a whisper from Sabre. Until last night that is. I had a dream about him and he sounded panicked but I couldn"t make out the Enochian. I can usually decipher it but it was scrambled. But he didn"t sound right father. I know Sabre...he wouldn"t come to me like that unless there was something seriously wrong. I was hoping that you might be able to get in contact with God and find out what"s going on” The disheartened look that formed on Collins" face spoke a million words. He hadn"t heard from God either, which had caused a curdling like sensation in his stomach. This was beyond bad, this was completely unnerving and downright terrifying, if there was something severely wrong in heaven which was clearly not a good sign. “I am sorry Eric but I don"t have any good news for you. I haven"t heard from God in a decade either. I have tried to contact some of the members of the Vatican but no one seems to be alarmed but I am afraid now that you have come to me with this that there is something very wrong” This was his worse fear. Eric loved his angel, he had come to trust and adore Sabre. Even without contact for ten years he was still present in Eric"s life, though it was not physical. It was meaningful never-the-less. “I am going to get us some answers then. Dante might be able to contact one of them, someone up there will have their radio on. I just..if heaven is in trouble then we are fucked...sorry father I mean we are” “f****d. You are right. If heaven is in despair, if God and the Seraphim are unresponsive then we have a reason to be fearful” It surprised Eric to hear the vulgar language come from the priest but there really was no other word for this position they were in. Screwed didn"t quite cover it, f****d was exactly what they were. This was disheartening it felt like the same pain one would experience in the death of a loved one. It felt so silent and so dark inside of his head. A feeling of pure dread and sadness shrouding him wrapping him like wet plastic. If Sabreal was dead, he didn"t know what he was going to do. Angels and humans weren"t supposed to be this close, Eric knew this more then anything. The celestials were supposed to do nothing but guide, no intervening, no conversations, nothing to give a human a feeling of friendship but Sabre was not like any angel that Eric had ever conversed with. Born a Siren, this was something he was used to, angels talking to him as if they had been friends for years, his name wasn"t unknown in heaven, Eric Matthews was the only human that was born with the ability to connect with all angelic spheres, not just the standard angels and the guardian"s but with Dominions, Virtues, Thrones, Seraphim and everything in between. He was able to find an angel on earth, whether they fell or were sent down, he had it in himself like angel GPS to find the celestial. He had always questioned if it was a gift or a curse-- more so the latter since for ten years he had heard nothing of them and he hadn"t been able to detect any either. He had hoped, as dismaying as it was, that they had found a new Siren, another one like him but more in tune with heaven, more open to the possibilities of the existence of heaven and hell and what it really meant for the afterlife. It was beautiful really, what being a Siren had bought with it but Eric"s faith was constantly slipping, maybe they had found someone new? But this discussion with the priest had left very little hope that was already dwindling. “Give my regards to Dante, and please do update me” Eric took that as his cue to leave. He offered a rather melancholic smile and made his way out with nothing more then “I will” and a shake of his hand. Dante was not going to like it, Eric knew it already that his friend and partner was not going to be impressed with Eric trying to get in touch with heaven. He understood perfectly well why Dante was not going to be pleased. After he hadn"t heard from Sabre in a month Eric had started a downfall of depression and alcohol. Not a good combination and if it hadn"t been for Dante, there were high chances that Eric would have lost his job and his life. Dante Poe was one of those people that Eric met and couldn"t let go of. He had what they officers and detectives at the precinct had called “Johnny Depp swagger” he was intoxicating, he drew people in and it was almost like magic how honest others were in his presence. Of course Eric was well aware that his partner was not all that he seemed to be. They had met in the academy and Eric recalled looking at Dante from across the room of the exam. He remembered him above all over people because of his eyes, so dark brown that they almost looked black to him they were only made more pronounced with salt and pepper hair that looked like it was thicker then a duck down quilt. It was easy to tell that there was something different about Dante, his aura, it was something that was not so easily explainable. For someone like Eric, people who seemed as if they were unusual were just as valuable as a truck load of gold. Friendships were always few and far between and he had completely dismissed the idea of relationships too. Dante was a savior, and he didn"t even know it. Eric already knew the words that were going to come out of detective Poe"s mouth. They"d been close and the very thought of them fighting or bit talking for a day was practically crippling. It been obvious when Eric told Dante about Sabre that there had been jealousy there. What ever that jealousy was exactly was a mystery though. Of course Eric had contemplated that Dante was emotionally attracted to him, possibly even physically too, a man like Dante, he wasn"t specifically a man that showed interest to those of the same s*x so Eric had considered it but not taken it seriously so he brushed it off as nothing. Taking the badge from the visor of his BMW and placing it around his neck, Eric stepped out of the car and made his way into the seventy seventh precinct of the Police Department of London. If Dante wasn"t there then he was at the pub, drinking. The latter was more likely but on the off chance something came up of interest, Eric was checking the office first. He smiled and nodded his head at a few of the other detectives that had been working the late shift, getting ready to head home to their families. He"d imagined the sigh of relief that left the lips of worried lovers, the bear like hugs of thankful children and "thank God" phone calls of concerned mothers and fathers. He didn"t know what it was like, any memory he had of his parents were faded and he could barely piece together their faces. He didn"t have relationships, even s****l ones so children were out of the question. As much as he enjoyed his single life, there was a lot he knew he was missing out on. "Anyone would think we don"t actually do anything around here with the amount of cops in the precinct itself" Eric pulled off his leather jacket, hanging it on the coat rack and closed the door, leaving nothing but small slats in the blinds on the doors window to the outside. There was no way he was going to discuss Angels and heaven where he could be heard. He didn"t want to be seen as crazy after all. "With the weather outside its really no wonder they"re all here. I"m surprised to see you so early, when you called this morning you made it sound as if you weren"t coming" The northern Scottish accent didn"t bother him. Maybe he was so used to it he didn"t even hear it anymore. Most complained they didn"t understand a word of it, but Eric had no problem with grasping the otherwise illegible language. "Yeah, well, change of heart. And I also need a favour, one you aren"t going to like" Eric saw no point in trying to sugar coat it. Dante didn"t like bullshit, it was one of the reasons he was such a good cop. The slightly younger male also knew that he wasn"t going to get anywhere by extending the truth or tiptoeing around the real reason he was at work. "What do you want, Eric?" Taking a seat on the other side of the desk. Eric knew what was going to be said already. He was the one that went into a deep dark depression, drinking to the bottom of every bottle, taking pills, on the verge of suicide but it had been Dante that had seen it all, the destruction that Eric created was excessive and he knew that and it was obvious that Dante was going to lose his mind. "Sabreal" "No" The reaction was instantaneous. He didn"t even get out the last couple of letters without the overlapping of the strict and abrupt negative response. Eric felt as though his heart had dropped to the put of his stomach. In spite of his prediction, he still found himself shocked at the sheer aggressiveness of the response. Eric had full intention of protesting, he had the argument planned out in his head, the exact words he would say as a defense. Yet all that bravado was gone in a moment as quick as a thunder strike. Every word that he silently rehearsed in his head was vaporized and he"d forgotten what he was going to say. "I saw you die inside after he left. Everything that was you left your eyes and there was nothing. I watched you fall deeper into the abyss because he left you, made you feel abandoned. The longer it went on the worse it got a finally you"re in a good place. I"m not contacting him for you" Eric knew that Dante was right. Everything he said was true and yet, there he was sitting, trying to find a way to convince his best friend to reach out to the very divine being that had left his heart and soul shattered ten years ago. It was hard to hold a grudge against an angel. Eric was a tool to heaven. The only human out of nine billion that had those gifts. He recalled when he was younger having to locate fallen angels on earth so Sabreal could report back to heaven. He remembered only ever hearing thanks from his guardian and no one else but still continued to do as God asked him too, though not personally, through the grapevine method. Still Sabre had been all that really seemed to matter to him, it was the angels approval he wanted, his kindness, his friendship, his love and now after a decade Sabre needed his help again, Eric sincerely had no choice in the matter. "I get that you hate him Dante, but whether you like it or not, he"s going to be a part of my life. A part of everything that I do. I f****d up. This is bigger than you and me!" Eric so easily lost his cool when he felt the need to get defensive. Expecting Dante to know about the dream and what Father Collins had said was ridiculous, unreasonable and still his anger was difficult to keep under wraps when it came to Dante"s personal opinion about Sabreal. He wasn"t expecting a red carpet welcoming committee but he was expecting him to have some sort of mutual understanding that Eric wouldn"t have been asking this if there was nothing of importance to it. "Then if it is so urgent perhaps you should speak to the priest. I"m not getting involved again" There were probably others that could have aided him but there was also that high probability they were fake, looking to make a quick, and dishonest, buck. Dante was his go to guy because he was a reliable medium psychic, he had the answers and the means to contact Sabreal, it wouldn"t have been as clear if the angel was right there with Eric nut even a cryptic message would have better than the current situation they were facing, and Dante was involved despite his protests. "I did that. He hasn"t heard from God in a decade, Dante, if I thought I could get help from somewhere else, I sure as s**t wouldn"t be here practically begging for you to do something " What ever barrier was keeping Eric for hearing it speaking to Sabreal was a veil that a good medium could pierce like and veil that separated any two planes of existences. Eric had no idea if Dante was going to be able to do it but he was grabbing at short straws, if his best friend wasn"t going to help him than he was going to have to go through the revenues to find a good and real medium psychic, there was no one or nothing he knew that could breach the barrier between Earth and heaven, not even a fallen angel had the means and even though Eric was very much able to find one he"d come to discover that fallen celestials tended to be sore and gave no information at all or it was completely false. They served him no purpose in the end. The brunette had no reason, what so ever, to believe that suggesting the alarming destruction of the world"s future was going to sway Dante"s decision making but asking the medium, who was also his partner at the precinct, to consider using his abilities strictly for Eric selfishness wasn"t going to pass. When he watched Dante move his gaze back to the paperwork, that Eric should have been there assisting with instead of beseeching, he knew it was over. Dante"s hatred for Sabreal clearly out weighed all logic and personal emotion. "You know what!.. " Eric walked to the door he"d entered through, pointing at the raven haired male focused on the annoying work of a detective, other hand gripping tight of the brass door knob. "f**k you. I need this, the whole damn world needs this, hating him should be the least of your concerns" It was not unlike a tantrum of a child, the way Eric stormed out; feeling sore and battered like he"d been kicked while he was down. He"d have to think outside the box, that was apparant, if a medium could perforate the hindrance that partitioned heaven and Earth then there was a way he could do it too. Eric didn"t have much time to contemplate but he did have resources that could guide him indirectly to achieving answers. The interesting thing Eric came to find about being a Siren was that he met a variety of exotic individuals. Dante was the only medium psychic that was reliable but there was occult specialists, reapers, witches and as there were angels, there were demons and he knew quite a few of them too. Information was a valuable thing but not as valuable as Eric was. He could find holy relics, he knew which were real and which were a reproduction of the original. As far as religious history was concerned, he knew where to find the objects that had been considered myth. He had all walks of life, both human and supernatural, approach him offering something more than life as a Siren. Though just because he had the capability, it didn"t mean he would ever indulge in it. Eric Matthews could have been living the life of luxury, he could have had anything and everything he wanted, including Sabreal but if nothing else he was a man of morals. As much as he could be tempted, the man never gave in and didn"t ever intend on it either. There were many that could have taken him, interrogated him, beat him to give answers but those words would never fall from his lips. Even if Eric had to die as the only Siren in existence, taking with him to the grave the answers, than he would. No one, not even Sabreal himself would ever know what Eric knew. However the temptation was there, offer up the location of the Holy Grail, the true Ragyndrudis Codex or the Sword of Michael in order to get to heaven or to gain a line of communication with any angel, it didn"t matter which one as long as it was heaven bound and serving. Even with that seducement, he would forever take the high road.