Carry On Wayward Son Part 10

"Zach. He's not a monster, Simon."

"Just a p.i.s.sed off angel who wants to become human. Right."

She touched his wrist, the muscles under her fingers taut. "I know you don't believe-"

"How can I, Claire?" Retreating, he paced into shadow, then stalked back to her. "What you tell me, what I see flies in the face of everything I believe. Everything I have placed my faith in. How can I reconcile that? It's hard enough with my gift, knowing I am more oddity than priest to many of the people who walk into my church-"

"That is not true." She stepped to him. "I saw how Regina looked at you. She trusts you, believes in you. As a man of G.o.d. I'm pretty d.a.m.n certain she's not the only one. I happen to be right there with her." He blinked, surprise in the clear green eyes. "I trusted you the moment you knelt in front of me in the Huntsville police station. And I trust you more now. I trust you to help me save my best friend, and two innocent people."

"Claire." He took her hand, squeezing it. She held on, relief spreading through her. She had taken a big chance, facing off with him, but she had to be certain she knew his frame of mind. Letting out his breath, he freed her, handed over the shotgun. "I don't believe the mouse runs around armed to the teeth."

He pulled a small pistol from an ankle holster, reached around and produced a long knife sheathed in leather. She started to laugh when he dropped half a dozen other weapons at her feet.

"Were you a Boy Scout as well?"

"Got it in one. Be prepared served me well. Now," he eased the plans out of her grip, knelt on the floor and unrolled them. "What trap is the mouse going to lead the cat into?"

Claire checked for any sign of Zach, then motioned Simon up the stairs.

"You have the sketch of upstairs?"

"Yes, Mom."

She smiled, touching his wrist. "Between you and Annie, I've racked up enough smart comebacks to last me the rest of my life. No-don't take it back. It's what I enjoy about both of you." She retreated before embarra.s.sment hit. "Avoid confronting him-he's stronger than you think, and more angry than the first time he blasted you."

"Right." Simon ran one hand over his sun-tipped hair. "I'm still feeling that one. You get them out as fast as you can. Let me deal with keeping him off your back."

They inched around the door, and Simon halted. Looking past him, she saw the reason. The shotgun, sticking out of the far wall like an abstract sculpture.

"Your angel?"

"A misunderstanding."

"Right." He leaned in, kissed her forehead. "For luck," he whispered. "Now get." Shotgun raised, he headed for the stairs.

Claire rubbed her arms, feeling a sense of foreboding as she watched him climb up and out of sight. The last thing she wanted to do was put him in the way of danger, but being her friend seemed to come with that condition.

Time to move. She could have a pity party later, once they were all safe. With ice cream.

Wiping her damp palms on her trousers, she moved down the hall, motioned for them to all keep quiet as she entered the bedroom. Holding out her hand, she waited for Regina and Hillary to join her at the bed.

"Simon is here." She kept her voice low. "We have a plan to get you out. But you have to be fast, and do exactly as I say. All of you," she looked straight at Annie. "Simon is risking his life to create a distraction for us."

Anger flashed in Annie's brown eyes. "Who hit you, Claire?"

"It doesn't matter. We need to go."

"What about Zach?" She took Hillary's hand, hearing the fear, the remorse in the girl's voice.

"I'm going to help him. This wasn't your fault, honey. You just happened to be the one he was sent to, that's all. I'm thinking it was destined-because of you, he met me, and I can give him what he's asking for. Now stay close to your mom. We have to move quietly, so I can hear what may be happening in front of us."

She looked at Regina, who nodded, holding on to Hillary's hand. Ready for a battle, Claire turned back to the bed.

"Okay, Annie, let's-"

"You're leaving me here."

"Not on a bet."

"You'll move faster without me."

"Yes, we will." Leaning in, she framed Annie's face with her hands. "And in spite of that, I'm not leaving you behind." She managed to get enough of a smile from that to be encouraged. "I can't predict what Zach will do next, and I won't leave you to face him on your own. So let's get you up, and get ourselves out of here."

Simon inched up the stairs, hugging the wall to lessen the inevitable squeaking from the old floorboards.

He used the slow climb to run the banis.h.i.+ng through his mind, so it would pop out fast and ready when he needed it. Not telling Claire he still planned to use it had guilt scratching at him, but they couldn't afford the time for the argument he was d.a.m.n sure she'd lay on him.

He shrugged off the nagging sense that this Zach was more. Angels and guardians were for bedtime stories, and blasphemous or not, he always considered them a symbol rather than fact. Now he was about to find out the truth.

Pausing at the top, with the wall still hiding him, he listened for any sound, any movement. And heard nothing-which scared the h.e.l.l out of him. He should have heard the walls settling, the wind outside pus.h.i.+ng against the house. Something, d.a.m.n it, instead of this bubble of unnatural silence.

Swallowing, he took a fast look around the corner, saw nothing. With a final check of his shotgun, he made his way into the hall, and toward the first door.

Once Claire got Annie upright, accompanied by a soundtrack of low-pitched cursing, she led them to the door and stopped, listening for anything. She didn't feel Zach nearby, and Annie's sapphire stayed quiet.

Leaning in, Claire whispered to Regina. "Can you watch Annie for me?"

"I don't need-"

Claire held up her hand. "You move and fall, you make a noise. You try to keep from falling, you make a noise. Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Annie bit her lip. "You really have been around me too long, Miss Sarcasm. I'll stay put-but I hear anything resembling a struggle, I'm moving."

"I never expected anything less."

With a smile she started down the hall. It faded as she turned away from them, putting out every feeler she had. There was Simon, strong and edgy, just at the top of the stairs. And the three behind her. But she didn't find Zach. She couldn't feel any of his power, or even the echo of his presence.

He can't be gone-he is as trapped as we are- Moving across the living room, she headed for the last place she saw him-and froze when she heard a voice. Simon's voice.

Floating down the stairs, it carried words in a language she had been created knowing. And the words caught her, wrapped her in dread.

"I invoke the power and authority of G.o.d."

"No-heaven above, Simon, no-"

She hit the stairs running.

"I invoke the power and authority of G.o.d. This angel in your service-"

"You think that will work on such as me, mortal?" The voice caressed the back of Simon's neck. He froze, needing to know exactly where his target stood before he could bring up the shotgun. "My brothers laugh at me, wonder why I want so badly to be one of you. This is the reason-to think for myself, act on a hunch, be an individual. No matter the consequences."

He grabbed Simon and threw him against the far wall. Simon slammed into the plaster right side first, let out a low cry when impact blew out his shoulder joint. Again. Clutching his arm and fighting to stay upright, he watched his shotgun spin across the floor, out of reach, pretty sure it wouldn't help him even if he had it.

Zach trapped him against the wall. "You are not protected by Claire's appeal." The nimbus of power around him nearly blinded Simon. "You can see it. My essence." He leaned in, forcing Simon to close his eyes against the fierce white glow. "I have heard of you-those sensitive enough to see through the veil of illusion, to see the real under the mask."

Fingers slid down his cheek, hot with that pure power. Simon swallowed, feeling helpless, utterly helpless for the first time since he was trapped under a broken Jeep in a blasted out village half a world away. The same shoulder that kept him from fighting his way out from under that Jeep throbbed with every breath.

He let out a gasp when Zach freed him, opened his eyes in time to see the other man clench his fist. Simon tensed, ready to defend himself- Claire burst into the room, and with a wild cry, body slammed Zach. They crashed to the floor.

"Get out!" Her fist plowed into Zach's gut. Simon flinched, and admired her technique. "Simon-get out of here! Get them out of the house!"

He felt like a coward for leaving her. But she seemed to be holding her own-she was beating the c.r.a.p out of Zach.

It took him too long to get down the stairs, his shoulder screaming with every step. He stumbled into the living room, found Annie arguing, as usual, with Regina.

"Out. Now." Annie glared at him, dialed it down to a scowl when her gaze reached his arm. "Claire's giving you a window, so take it."

"You did not leave her alone up there-"

He caught her arm before she could storm past him. "You'll be about as much use to her as I am." Annie bit her lip, pain shooting across her face. He slipped his arm around her waist, turned to Regina. "Now go," he gentled his voice, managing a smile for Regina's daughter. "I have friends waiting outside for you."

Nodding, Regina took Hillary's hand and moved to the door. Simon held his breath; the latch clicked, and she pulled the door open. Holding tight to her daughter's hand, they stepped through the open doorway-and stumbled backward. Like they'd run into a wall.

"We can't-" Regina wrapped her arms around Hillary. "It's blocked."

"Let me." Simon eased Annie to the wall, then reached out his good hand to Hillary. "Want to go for a walk?"

She nodded; his fingers engulfed her small hand. Pulling her in tight against his side, he moved to the threshold, and stepped into the same thick, resistant wall. But like before, he kept going through, Hillary clinging to him.

Eric and Theresa ran up the sidewalk. Crouching down with Hillary, he smiled at her. "My friend Theresa will stay with you. I'm going to go back, get your mom and Annie."

"Thank you, Simon." She wrapped both arms around his neck, kissed his cheek. The simple act sent a surge of warmth through him. "I like you." Patting his cheek, she turned and held out her hand to Theresa. "I remember you. Can you tell me more about the rats?"

Theresa's surprised laughter followed him, fading as he stepped through the resistance. It let him go with greater reluctance, left him gasping for breath on the other side.

"Simon." Regina touched his left arm.

"Okay. Your turn. We need to hurry-Claire can only distract him for so long."

She gripped his hand, let him pull her through. It took the last of his fading strength. By the time he forced himself back inside, he knew he looked bad. Annie simply reinforced it.

"You look like h.e.l.l."

"Good to know. Let's move-"

"I won't go without Claire-"

"I won't leave her to him, Annie." He wrapped his good arm around her waist. "But she has all she can handle without worrying about you on top of it."

"Yeah-rub it in. G.o.d, I feel useless."

He hauled her up, started for the door. "Right there with you, sweetheart."

"Zach-" Claire ducked as his arm flailed out. "Stop-d.a.m.n it-"

His elbow found the corner of her mouth and snapped her head sideways. Hitting the floor she rolled away from him, the side of her face throbbing. She felt more than heard him behind her and flung her fist out. It hit something bony. They both gasped, too exhausted for any other reaction.

Claire didn't expect him to fight back. But now that he knew hurting her wouldn't bounce back at him, he went after her with a vengeance. Wherever he learned to punch, they taught him almost as well as her sensei. She could barely dodge and block his blows, and she was one of the best in her cla.s.s.

Crawling away from him, she shook her head, watched blood fly, leaving a red arc on the wood floor. She wanted to give Simon as long as possible to get free of the house, but she didn't know how much longer she could hold Zach off before one of them was seriously hurt.

One hand clamped around her right ankle and yanked. It would have ruined her, before the man trying to beat her to h.e.l.l hadn't healed her leg. Sliding across the floor, she twisted around and up, leading with her fist. It plowed into Zach's left cheek and knocked him backward.

Before she could take advantage he pushed off the floor, whirling away from her. With a harsh breath she got to her feet and went after him.

Annie couldn't breathe.

The air pressed on her, dragged at her. She closed her eyes. Simon's arm was solid, real, something she could hold on to as the pressure dragged her under- "Annie." The low voice pulled her back up, hands warming her iced skin. "Open your eyes, blondie. I need you to open your eyes." She wanted to, wanted to look into those clear blue eyes. That desire won out, and she pried her lids apart. "There you are."

"Hey-handsome."

He leaned his forehead against hers, let out a shaky breath. "Don't do that again."

"Okay." She inched her hand up, touched his sun streaked hair. "Why don't you-come and sweep me off my feet." He lifted her, so carefully it made her heart ache. With a choked sigh, she pressed her face into his throat. "I'm okay," she whispered, felt his arms tighten in response. "I'm okay."

Lifting her head to tell him to examine Simon, she let out a curse. He was heading back inside.

"Simon!" He turned at her raw shout, long enough to shake his head before he kept going. "d.a.m.n it-Simon-"

"Hang on." Eric strode up the sidewalk, blocked him just before he stepped inside. "I'd like to take a look at that shoulder."

"And I'd like you to get the h.e.l.l out of my way. Now."

"Simon." Annie touched his wrist. "You can't help her like this."

He backed away, the anger on his face startling her so much she couldn't talk. "Watch me."