Fallen 1: Berlin

Chapter XIX: Berlin's Weakness

Sage ran her hand over her shoulder absentmindedly as she recalled feeling Berlin's teeth sink into her neck and a cool sensation take over the pain. She didn't know what he did but what was disturbing was the fact that every time she thought about being on Berlin's lap and feeling his lips and his teeth on her shoulder her heart jerked up in excitement. She couldn't deny that she enjoyed being in his arms...as any other woman would. She couldn't deny that he was the most attractive man she had seen in a long time and also that he made everything he did look super sexy.

Berlin wasn't concerned about what happened to him nor was his siblings. In fact, Sage felt as if everyone was relieved it happened with the exception of Cairo. He kept on talking in encryption and he made Sage a little confused as to what he meant by his incoherent statements.

Sage didn't know for how long she was going to spend her time there but afternoon went and soon the sun was setting and no one seemed to care that she was there. In fact, they had all abandoned her and gone away to some secretive place in that house to talk about sullies. Though Cairo said that they were traitors, Sage couldn't help but think that they were more than that. She wanted to allow her head to stray to the thoughts she knew were going to render everything she thought was really false but she knew it was more than she could comprehend.

For one, she feared if she knew the truth about War, she was going to lose it. How was it that what he did to her was not in a dream? How did he enter and leave her apartment without her hearing him and when did he leave the rose on the floor near her bed? Why did Berlin react the way that he did when he caught a whiff of War's scent and why wasn't he bothered that his P.A. was in his house comfortably knowing fully well that other employees apart from Lucian did not even know where he lived?

Sage bit into her lower lip. How did she end up in that situation? All she wanted was a second chance to start afresh and do good. She wanted to ensure that her mother didn't worry about her so that she would get better soon. She wanted to earn enough to live a comfortable life. She wanted to catch up on the social life that she hadn't had for years because of responsibilities.

Sage thought Berlin was her answer to that and in the beginning, he was exactly that...but she couldn't help but have that sinking feeling at the back of her head where everything seemed too good to be true. In reality, it really was too good to be true because, at that moment in time, she didn't know whether she was dreaming or not.

So far, she didn't have to worry about Berlin throwing box files her way or causing her to cancel her plans because of work but Sage couldn't see herself having a sane mind at the end of the day. However, he had her confused with everything that was happening around her.

"Sage?" Lucian suddenly showed but and Sage did a little jump as she turned to him.

"Yes?" She got up from the couch she was sitting on.

"Are you ready to go home or would you rather spend the night here?" Lucian looked down at his watch as if there was nothing wrong with what he said.

Sage gasped in surprise. "Spend the night here?" She parroted. "Why would I spend the night in my employer's house? I am nothing but a P.A."

"Berlin wouldn't mind." Lucian shrugged his shoulders. "This house has about ten bedrooms--"

"How are you okay with this, Mr. O'Connor? I mean, are you like Berlin and his siblings?" Sage couldn't understand how everyone was acting as if the things that were happening were normal.

Lucian chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Heavens no. I am just like you. I am okay with this because I have been working with Berlin for a while now and this is quite normal for me. I can't imagine the surprise you must have felt when you learned that Berlin is not a normal person."

Sage slumped back on the couch and tried to take everything in. Berlin was not a normal person. What did a normal person look like? What was normal to begin with? "What do I do now, Mr. O'Connor? Does that mean that I will have to leave the company? I just started working there?"

"Why would you leave the company? You belong there more than anyone at the moment. No to mention War might still be after you and the only one who has the ability to protect you is Berlin and his family." Lucian explained to her.

"Why would War be after me? I mean, what did I do to him to make him come after me?" Sage asked feeling as if her heart was about to burst in her chest.

Lucian shrugged his shoulders again. "War doesn't need a reason to provoke Berlin and because you have a connection with Berlin, he will do everything in his power to use you against Berlin."

She couldn't believe that she became Berlin's weakness overnight. Was that the way she would repay the kindness he showed her to that moment?

"So..." Sage cleared her throat nervously. "What exactly is Berlin and his family?"

"You are not ready for the truth, Sage." A voice came from the door and both Sage and Lucian turned to the new voice.

Sage's eyes widened when she saw Berlin in his casual clothes. She didn't know why she had never imagined him in anything but his expensive suits. Why did she think he slept in his suits too? "Berlin..."

Berlin placed his hands in his pockets and approached her. "Come on, I will take you home. We need to talk."

"Uhm--okay." She turned back to Lucian and smiled a little at him. "Thank you for everything, Mr. O'Connor."

"Good evening, Sage." Lucian looked a little uneasy though he didn't air out his concerns with his boss.

The first time Sage met Lucian, she could have sworn that he was a partner at the company but when she met Berlin, she learned what it meant to be in power. It was nothing like what she experienced with Robert. At that moment, she could tell that Robert was nothing more than a small fry at the bottom of the food chain. He was noisy, he lacked confidence in front of peers, and always complained about how parasites like her were draining his wealth.

With Berlin, it was different. It looked like he enjoyed what he did. He was always sure of himself. He didn't need to threaten anyone physically to intimidate anyone. He merely needed to stand in front of them and smirk. She saw it when he dealt with McGrady and the way he calmed down Mrs. Sinclair when her cargo was lost. He didn't use too much energy. In fact, he charmed his way through everything.

Sage collected her stuff and as they made their way to the door, Ottawa and Bucharest were there to bid her farewell. Ottawa smiled warmly at her and assured her that Berlin was going to take care of War so she didn't have to worry about him showing up again unannounced. Sage said her goodbyes and followed Berlin out. Berlin took her to his Ferrari and opened the door for her. Sage took a deep breath and entered the car. She discovered that arguing with Berlin about how she moved around the city was useless. She allowed him to have that one victory for the moment because she was still trying to put her thoughts into some form of organization in her head.

For almost ten minutes, the intensity of the silence in Berlin's car made Sage very uncomfortable. He told her that they needed to talk yet he was silent as he drove her home. She wondered if he wanted to scold her for trying to stick her nose in his family's business.

"Berlin, I'm sorry for trying to figure out your family--"

"After dropping you off at your place, I'll go and hunt down War. I will make sure that he won't bother you again so rest assured that you will not need to worry about him." Berlin cut her off.

Sage's frowned pensively as she tried to figure out what Berlin meant by hunting down War. Did he mean to call him up, meet up with him and talk to him or did he literally mean hunting him down like an animal and beating him up for provoking Berlin through her? Sage didn't know where the metaphor ended and where the truth started anymore.

"Are you going to beat him up?" Sage peered at him inquisitively and Berlin chuckled as he turned back to the road.

"What kind of savage do you think I am, Sage?" He asked her.

Sage inhaled in relief. "Okay, so you are just going to talk to him."

Berlin frowned lightly. "Do I look that diplomatic?"

"So what exactly are you going to do to him?"

"I'm going to send him home for a while," Berlin assured Sage.

"Oh." That didn't sound so bad to Sage.

If he was going to send him back home then it didn't sound so bad. Sage found herself resting back on the seat and staring up at the road ahead.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" She asked him quietly. "If you think I'm going to reveal your secret at work then you don't have to worry about it."

"My secret?" Berlin chuckled. "And what exactly is my secret?"

"I don't know. You are a demigod or something." Sage shrugged in confusion.

Berlin's laughter rumbled inside the car and it made Sage's cheeks turn pink with embarrassment. "I'm not a demigod...though there are demigods loitering around among humans."

"There are?" Sage's eyes widened in surprise. She was aiming at making her suspicions of him sound a little Ludacris but she was actually onto something!

"Yes. There are good and evil beings amongst you but you will never know because a veil has been pulled over your eyes to keep you from losing your mind. But that is not what I wanted to talk to you about. I am sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable today." Berlin turned his intense eyes towards Sage and she found herself doing breathing exercises so that she doesn't pass out.

Sage wanted to believe that somehow she was exploited and abused in some way but everything she felt the heat pulsing on her shoulder and was spirited back to the moment Berlin held her delicately in his arms and kissed her before sinking his teeth in her neck, she also recalled what she felt. She felt safe and taken care of.

"I am also sorry that a exposed you to the likes of War...more over I am sorry that you will not have a normal day after today." He sounded genuinely sorry.

"What do you mean I will not have a normal life after today?" He asked him.

Berlin sighed softly and said. "The fact that I have marked you will bring all sorts of people your way. They will be curious about you and why I marked you like so."

Sage touched her neck and shoulder instinctively and asked. "And why did you do it? Why would you mark me in such a manner?"

For a moment, Sage thought he was not going to reply because he took such a long time. As she was about to ask him another question, he turned to her and said.

"Because I wanted to get rid of War's mark on you. It irked me that he would treat someone under my protection in such a way. We have boundaries that should not be crossed no matter what but War crossed that line the moment he approached you. It was disrespectful to me and to you. It is the reason why he should be reprimanded for it." Berlin explained but only a tenth of what he explained made sense.

"So, does that mean I am not just your P.A. now?" Sage wondered loudly.

"Would you like to be more than my P.A.?" Berlin mused and Sage saw the laughter in his eyes.

Sage pursed her lips and turned away.

"Would you like to be my housekeeper as well? The last one quit by the way. Something about unexplainable activities happening at night." Berlin illustrated further.

Sage found herself chuckling. "I meant to say I am also your confidant."

"That also works for me so yeah, sure. Why not?" He answered and Sage giggled.

"Berlin, stop!" She exclaimed in laughter.

He sobered up and his eyes darkened. "I am glad you're laughing again, Sage. I know you were shaken by today's events but I am glad you were able to look past that and laugh."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Berlin dropped Sage off at her apartment building and escorted her all the way to her apartment. He made sure that there was no one in the apartment and that all her windows were secured before turning to her.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning--but if you want a day off to process--"

"I'll see you tomorrow morning." She interrupted him. "I can't afford to take days off especially when I was just employed. I don't want others to think that I am being favored. As it is, they already think I got the job through connections."

"Alright, but take care of yourself. Give me your phone." Berlin extended his hand towards her.

Sage reached for her phone in confusion and handed it to him.

Berlin placed his number on speed dial and handed it back to her. "If you ever feel uneasy, call me."

"You live on the other side of town." Sage laughed.

Berlin entertained a smile. Now that his guardian was awakened, he was able to move around that city with supersonic speed. If he ever got his wings back, he would be able to move around with a mere thought...like the way War, Seoul and the others moved from one place to the other. Just thinking about War and Berlin's blood had already thickened in his veins. When he told Sage that he was merely sending War home, she was at ease but she had no idea what that meant.

"Good night, Sage." Berlin walked out of the apartment and Sage followed him.

"Good night, Berlin. See you tomorrow." She closed the door behind him and locked it.

Berlin walked out of that building and channeled his wrath toward War.

Where the f**k are you, you detestable manwhore.

Someone is in a foul mood tonight. I wonder why that is so. I am at the waterfront. War's voice chimed in and Berlin got into his Ferrari before he made his way there.

He knew he was risking punishment from the Power for interfering with whatever mission War was given even if it had to involve Sage but at that moment, he didn't care. He didn't understand the connection he had with Sage but every time someone exploited her or disrespected her, he lost it. War understood the rules of the game and one of them was that none of the guardians were allowed to interfere with someone under the protection of another guardian. It was the reason why Ottawa, Bucharest, and Cairo could not do anything after Berlin had marked Sage. He was sure Cairo didn't like it but he had no choice but to accept it.

However, the Horsemen were a little different when it came to those rules. Somehow they had found a way to interfere without getting the Power to retaliate. Either way, Berlin was not going to sit down and allow War to get away with it.

Don't go after, War, Berlin. Come back home. Bucharest's cool voice echoed in Berlin's mind but he ignored it.

I don't understand why you would want to preach to a grown-ass guardian, Bucha. If he wants to get himself neutralized by the power, then let him! A new voice came through and Berlin discovered that it was Nebraska.

It wasn't loathing that he heard in her voice, it was disappointment and anger that Berlin would be so careless.

I understand the repercussions of my actions but War needs to learn his place. Berlin replied.

Just because you have awakened as a guardian, it doesn't mean you have the strength to take on War. Ottawa chimed in. War literally gathers power from all the chaos that is happening around him. Do you know how many wars, civil and tribal disputes, domestic violence, and conflicts are happening at this moment around the world? Do you know how many he has already set in motion as we speak?

Berlin knew exactly how War gained power but he was a guardian and though many believed that guardians and the horsemen were at an equal standing, guardians were far superior to them because they passed judgment while the horsemen were designed to follow orders. At that moment, War followed the orders given to him by Seoul like the good little hound that he was.

You underestimate a pissed-off guardian, Ottawa. Berlin replied grimly and severed his connection to his team.

Twenty minutes later, Berlin arrived at the waterfront where War was waiting for him. Berlin got off his car and stalked forward with boots crunching hard against the gravel underneath. The evening breeze was chilly and Berlin smelled and taste the salt in the air. The guardian inside him expanded and sought out War.

"With your foul mood, I guess you found my little present inside your P.A., didn't you?" War purred from behind Berlin and Berlin stopped as his body expanded while the fires of judgment crackled underneath in his clothes.

"You were out of line," Berlin replied but he stood so still that if anyone saw him, they would think he was a statue. The anger that simmered within his veins made him volatile to the point that if he reacted without thinking, he would only get hurt.

War hummed lightly and moved around Berlin before he stood in front of him and smiled. "I like your P.A...and I want her for myself. Could you give her to me?"

"She is under my protection and you were out of line when you pursued her."

"How could you protect her when you can't even protect your own team?" War smirked then adjusted his blood-red tie and said. "I was doing her a favor and besides, she is part of the mission. You should know more than anyone that everyone is at our disposal provided they are part of the mission or have you been sitting on this rock for far too long that you are forgetting the codes of conduct?"

"Sometimes, I think you are making this up as you go along. You and your siblings think you could get away with a lot of things but you forget one thing, War. You are nothing more than hounds created to do a guardian's bidding." Berlin assured War and felt contentment when he saw the anger that shone in War's cherry eyes.

"I warned you about crossing me, Maxiel--"

Berlin took a step forward toward War and grey clouds gathered above them.

The sheer panic that had registered in War's eyes suddenly dissipated and an arrogant smirk spread across his lips. "You can't touch me, Maxiel. Not without consequences."

Thunder rumbled as Berlin smiled grimly at War. "I can handle a little lighting, can you?"

Before War was given a chance to reply, Berlin's hands shot forward and grabbed him by the neck. Lighting struck so close to Berlin turning the gravel into a small pool of black liquid. The warning went on unheard to Berlin because his guardian giddily bounced around his head. He was happy because of all the pent-up energy he had after awakening.

"Maxiel! Stop!" War tried to fight Berlin off but he tightened his grip on War's neck and allowed the fires of judgment to scorch his skin. His eyes turned black at the veins of fire crackled in his arms and neck.

Lighting struck around Berlin and it got so close that at one time, he felt the hairs on his skin raise.

"You can't do this! You are not in the position to do this!" War exclaimed.

"Well, I will give you the opportunity to go and tell that to the Power, yourself." Berlin squeezed War's neck.

Guardians and the Horsemen didn't die. When Berlin told Sage that he was going to send War back home, he meant that he was going to use the fires of judgment to take him back to the Power but it was not without consequences, especially since he was a fallen guardian. War would obviously return in a day or two but he would go through what it meant having the fires of judgment corrode through his insides during that time.

"Is it all worth it? Is it worth it for one measly human female?" War choked out.

"Would I be doing this if it weren't?"

"f**k you, Maxiel!" War exclaimed at the fires turned him into a crisp black stone.

Berlin sighed and dropped the corpse just as his punishment began. Lighting struck him through his back and ignited each part of his body with fires so hot, that he thought he was going to lose his mind because of it. They crippled him and passed through his flesh, bone, and blood, heightening his senses so that he felt the pain a thousand times over.

Berlin threw his head back and cried out into the night as his ordeal continued throughout the night. Was it worth it? War had asked him and every time lightning went through him, he thought of Sage and somehow it lessened the pain he felt. She was worth it even though she was a measly human female. Though she was his weakness, she was worth it.