“So what is the plan dad?” I asked as we took our seats at one of the diners many booths.
“What plan?” He asked me his eyes sparking. He knew exactly what I was talking about.
“The fourth!” I groaned excitedly. I hated when he played dumb. The man could read my mind he knew damn well what I was talking about.
“OH yes that.” He went quiet and I kicked him softly under the table.
“Yes, that.” I directed. I was hoping that the conversation would lead towards the trip to Dallas but I wasn’t sure now that it ever would have if I never said anything.
“Oh yeah. So I called Mona and told her to prepare an apartment for you. Something close to downtown so that you won’t have to drive yet far enough you aren’t in the slums.” My father opened his menu and smiled. “This place brings back so many great memories.”
“That’s nice. So continue.” I asked placing my hands over mine. I already had a feeling my father was going to order for me as he did when I was a child.
“Ok, man you are pushy.” He flipped the page. “I have a flight ready for you and Adam this afternoon. Mona will have Mitch meet you at the airport and take you to the apartment. There are two rooms, and I expect you to use both of them.” He looked at me sternly. I had to hide the fact that I wanted to blush and I pushed a painful memory to the forefront of my mind hiding the encounter with Adam behind it.
“Of course, father of mine.” I rolled my eyes.
“From there the rest is up to you. You no longer need me to hold your hand. Just remember though that it is just you and Adam. The girls won’t be there to help you all you have is the fire.” He smiled as a pretty waitress walked towards the table to take our order. My father did just as I predicted, I was apparently getting a burger and onion rings.
“What do you mean up to me?” I asked looking around the small diner. Nobody was paying any attention to us.
“Nick already told you that he thinks that Adam needs to be the one to approach her.” My father pulled out a napkin from the dispenser and put it in his lap.
“That’s not the point dad.” I groaned. “What if it doesn’t work?”
“Then you will just have to figure out another plan.” He sighed and the waitress returned with our drinks. He smiled sweetly at the waitress and she blushed before walking away. “This is a big step up for Adam. He’s worked hard to get where he is and I will admit the boy has promise. He may wind up being selected to be a Protector.”
The idea of Adam being like the man that married my mother made my skin crawl. I couldn’t see him marrying an Angel or Demon to save them in some way. Not loving them only being there to mask their existence. As my mother said: the best way to not be Angelina Weathers was to become Angie Peterson. The thought of anyone doing that to him ripped my heart apart.
“I figured you would be thrilled by that news.” My father said taking a sip of his soda. “I mean becoming a Protector is a big deal. The boy definitely has some potential. He’s become quite good with melee attack.”
“I suppose to become Protector is some great human feat.” I said dryly.
“Not all Protectors are like your step-father. Your mother chose him because she needed someone quickly not because she wanted to. He was the best of the best. You know what though, he kept her safe.” My father nodded at me and I had to take a moment to agree with him.
“So is this some sacred thing amongst mortals? Do they ascend?” I asked rubbing my temples.
“In their own way, yeah. I wouldn’t know Protectors aren’t meant for demons. We have the ability to Claim, as you have learned, which in a way is I guess the same thing. We are sort of indebted to our Claimed ones. I love Mona just not in the way that I love your mother.” He coughed as if I wasn’t supposed to hear the last part of his sentence. I looked at him and raised an eyebrow as a smile spread across his face.
“Mona is a good woman.” I said taking a sip of my drink.
“She wasn’t always a good one.” He sighed. “She has her share of skeletons.”
“What about me?” I looked out the window at the couple sitting on a bench sharing a drink.
“I don’t know.” He said simply. “You don’t hold a truce to either side. If you did I would suspect you would have joined the Queen’s Army.”
“Why do you say that?” I looked at him, he appeared worried.
“There is so much bitterness in your heart.” He tried to smile but it failed him. “Not that I blame you for it. First, Wesley is taken from you then Aaron. It’s no surprise the pain hasn’t taken you over.”
“I will always love Wesley, there is no question about that.” I started. “He was my first love. And to only have him for the short time that I did baffles me. Aaron started out as nothing other than a toy and he turned into so much more. I care about him but I feel a sort of ease knowing the Claim has been relinquished.” Our waitress arrived with our food. She kept staring at my father and it was making me nervous.
“I don’t think we ever get over our first loves.” He said smiling at the girl as she turned to walk away. “It’s good to move on, away from everything. Find something or someone new to put all our emotions into.”
“I don’t want to Claim another soul daddy.” I felt a lump in my throat as I looked at my burger.
“Sometimes you don’t get that option. Unless you want to tell each guy that you date what you are and pray that they don’t say those phrases. You cannot control the souls you Claim all you can do is go with it.” My father grabbed the ketchup.
“So I cannot control it?” I groaned my food no longer looked appetizing.
“Not really.” Why did it seem that this was not affecting his appetite? Maybe because this was everyday life for him.
“That’s not very comforting.” I poked at the burger.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you honey. It is just something about your blood that you are going to have to accept.” He smiled at me.
“I get that now.” He had finished his food and was eyeballing mine. He didn’t even have to ask as I scooted the plate towards him.
“I think you and Adam make a good team.” He changed the subject on me.
“Huh?” I looked at him confused. Where had that come from?
“No really. I mean we are trusting you and him to go out on your own and bring back the fourth.” My father had already devoured my fries.
“Yeah, why is that?” I asked feeling disgusted. I had never seen my father eat so much in one sitting.
“We trust the two of you. If it was you and Wesley or you and Aaron I would be sending a chaperone.” He laughed. “We trust that Adam isn’t going to succumb to your devilish antics.”
“That’s great to know dad.” I felt a ping. They trusted Adam and me if only they knew the oddness that was happening between me and him at this time.
“You excited?” He pushed the plate away, nothing was left but a glob of ketchup.
“For what? This trip?” I took a drink of my soda.
“Yeah! You get to take time away from all of this. You get to go into the big city, see the lights. I bet if you called some of your old friends they would be excited to see you.” Was he seriously trying to make me call my friends from middle school?
“I doubt that they even remember me. But yeah, the big city sounds like fun.” He waved down the waitress and asked for our check. When she returned my father started laughing.
“What’s up?” I leaned over trying to see. He turned the ticket around and on the bottom of the sheet was the girls number and her name; Candy.
“Looks like your ole man still has it.” He laughed pulling out his credit card and putting it in the book.
“That’s just gross dad.” I turned my nose up. The idea that my father could get the number of a twenty something waitress made me feel queasy.
??
?Oh come on Dawn.” He pushed out his bottom lip. “I would be ecstatic if some guy gave you his number.”
“Yeah well the last time I received a number it turned into a relationship and the guy ran off with his ex-girlfriend to New Mexico where she decided it was time to kill him.” I felt the pain in my voice but at the same time I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.
“There are other fish in the sea.” My father smiled at Candy across the diner and she walked over and took the book. She was swishing her hips from side to side she thought she was hot shit right then.
“Tell mom that not me.” I pointed out. “Every time you come around she’s like a giggly school girl.”
“It’s in our nature. We spent so long together, it would be weird if she didn’t have some sort of emotional attraction to me. Besides for the father of a nineteen year old girl I look pretty damn good.” His ego was starting to show. I rolled my eyes as the book returned and he signed the slip leaving Candy a hundred dollar tip. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Thought you would never ask.” I got up from the booth looping my arm through my fathers and we walked out.