Does Your Soul Remember Mine

Epilogue

This funeral was more joyous than his last… if you could ever call a funeral joyful, that is. Tony had said that he didn't want anyone to feel bad for him, he'd lived a life longer than most and happier than most and Elyse knew it was true. Tony's casket was carved with intricate designs that would've taken a person weeks to do by hand, but in this day and age, a computer could carve a beautiful work of art into the wood with only the flick of an artist's stylus on a tablet.

“This funeral is beautiful!” Said a friend from their local church. “I am truly sorry for your loss.”

Elyse smiled politely but she could see in his eyes that the man didn't truly sympathize with her. Tony and she were so very wealthy and she was a young-looking woman married to an elderly man. To every on looking, judgmental eye, she was a trophy wife for him and he was a gold mine for her gold digging ways. Little did they all know that the fortune brought into Tony's home was from her and that she and him had been married for over eighty years.

At least in this life anyway….

She stepped up to the podium for her speech, looking out into the room full of people, some of them just wanted to rub elbows with the young billionaire widow, while most of them were tried and true friends that would mourn Tony just as she would. There weren't enough chairs for everyone, she noticed, the turnout was grand. Everyone loved Tony, who wouldn't? He was kind, heroic, and could make anyone laugh. The memory made her smile to herself as she started to speak.

“Tony made it to heaven and today we celebrate the life that brought him there.”

For the second time….

“He never took a day, an hour,… a moment for granted. He traveled the world, helped those who were less fortunate than us, and spent every vacation and holiday on missionary trips. Some official… some unofficial.” She heard hums of approval. Most people had heard of the daring… sometimes vigilante… adventures in Tony's younger days. They just didn't know that Elyse was there by his side every step of the way. Anyone who heard of the woman he traveled with would assume he'd spent his life trading out young girlfriend for young girlfriend.

Taking a deep breath, Elyse dove into tales, speaking of them as if Tony had told them to her but really, they were all firsthand accounts. She had her audience on the edge of their seats as she had her slideshow of pictures displayed to go along with each story. Tears rolled down her cheeks but got lost in the creases of her smile. She couldn't be sad… she could miss him, and… oh… did she miss him, but she couldn't be sad.

When everyone had left and Tony was buried, Elyse stood at his gravestone for a time. “Any word from Constantine?” She asked the tall, fair skinned, blond haired angel beside her.

His wings bounced as if he was controlling a laugh. He had been Tony's guardian angel, as a thank-you for her help that day Tony became possessed, he had allowed Elyse to see him whenever she wanted to. He had the privilege of taking Tony's soul to heaven but had returned to say his goodbye to the young-looking ancient widow during his ward's funeral.

Elyse knew Constantine was in heaven, so she had asked him to bring her former guardian a message for her when he went and was hoping he would have brought her back a response. With a smirk, she said, “What's so funny?”

Tony's angel looked at her with sparkling blue eyes that would have made the oceans jealous. “I think I'll let him tell you himself.”

And with that, he disappeared. For a moment, she was confused, until she saw someone leaning against a tree in the distance, behind where Tony's angel had just disappeared from.

Her heart stopped beating… or maybe the world had stopped turning and her heart had simply stilled as a result of time's failure to pass. She didn't even notice her feet had been carrying her to him until she was by his side. “Constantine?”

The bronze skinned-green eyed man had hair so black that the sunlight reflected blue off of it and a beautiful boyish face. “Hey.”

Elyse hugged him as tight as she could, giggling. “Hey??? That's all you have to say to me is HEY?!?”

Constantine was laughing when she tried to pull away… tried, being the opportune word because he held her close. “Do you remember how we always wondered why Anthony's soul would have ever agreed to be reincarnated with such a big risk?”

Elyse nodded. “Yeah. We even talked about it over the last eighty years but neither me nor Tony could ever figure out why he would do that.”

Constantine's smile grew wider. “The devil wanted him reincarnated and, I guess, Anthony's soul had made a deal with God. If he agreed… knowing that demons would try to use and corrupt him but believing that YOU would be there to stop it… then I could come back to Earth if ever I died.” He shook his head in bewilderment. “Even in death, he never lost faith in you. He risked everything because he never doubted.”

Elyse covered her mouth with her hand. Leaning into him she used her free hand to stroke his face as if she couldn't quite believe all of this was real. The light dimmed from her eyes and panic filled her when she noticed how he was leaning against the tree. His back, covered by a normal human t-shirt, was touching the tree. “Your wings! Their gone!”

Constantine gulped and pressed his lips together, slight disappointment riddled his voice. “Yup… that's the other part of the deal Anthony made. No more wings.” He locked her questioning eyes with his own. “But it's worth it because I'm not here as an angel, I'm here with the same kind of immortal body you have, and Tony's angel said he would watch over us while we wait for the world to end… together.”

Her heart swelled inside her chest so full she thought she would burst and was giddy with excitement. Being in his arms, comfortable under the shade of the tree, she wished that moment could last forever.

At least I can be sure there'll be more moments like this to come….

He nuzzled her hair. “About your message. I have a response.” She felt his cheek brush against hers to whisper in her ear. “I'll always love you too.”