To Assassinate an Angel

Chapter Ten - What this world needs

       

Wednesday 4th December 2007

Noon

Holiday Inn

Pierre and Pat's Room

Hey there, Delilah...

"Pierre, your phone!" Pat yelled from the bathroom.  Pierre rolled off the bed and crawled over to the chair where he'd tossed his jeans.  Rummaging in the pockets, he found his phone and flipped it open.

"Pierre speaking...Jason?  What is it now?" He groaned and got to his feet.  "Fuck...no.  Jamieson is going to meet me in Paris?  What the hell for?  He should be concentrating on Canadian politics...keep his nose out of our business." He sighed.  "Sorry.  I know he wants to help...but, I've got it all sorted...yeah...I dealt with him." He scratched at his right leg, glancing at Gabriel who was sitting on the end of the bed, watching him.  "Oh...he wants to increase Quebec's ties to France?  Jeeze, what good will that do...Quebecois is so much different to French." He flopped back onto the bed.  "Hah, sure...it's not about language, eh?  Whatever, politics don't really interest me."  He smeared a hand over his face.  Gabriel lay down next to him, kicking his feet absently.  Pierre pulled a face at his nephew only half-listening to his brother.  Gabriel giggled. 

"Huh?  Sorry...look, I need to go, Jase.  Yeah.  In Paris.  I'll be nice, don't worry." He hung up, rolled over and grabbed at his nephew tickling his sides.  Gabriel let out a peal of laughter and grabbed at Pierre's hands trying to push him away.

"Stop!  Tonton Pierre...I'm tickly there!"

"Tickly, eh?" Pierre chuckled and stopped flopping on his belly.  "I am too...but only Pat knows that."

Gabriel heaved an exasperated little sigh, changing the subject abruptly as only an observant eight year old could.  "Who's Jami...Jami...son?"

Pat, who walked out of the bathroom, rolled his eyes.  "He's the Acting Prime Minister of Canada." 

The little boy frowned.  "Why is he acting?"

"No, kid...what it means is that he's Prime Minister until they re-elect a new official one...to take your Daddy's place."  As soon as those words left his mouth, Pat wished he could take them back.  Gabriel screwed up his face and almost instantly burst into tears.  He rolled over and buried his face against Pierre's left shoulder blade, sobbing desperately. 

Pierre glowered at Pat.  Nice move, fucker.

Pat shook his head.  I forgot to take my foot out of my mouth...

Pierre ignored him, shifting so he could pull his nephew into his arms.  He just held him, knowing for a certainty that words would do no good.  No harm either, yet there was no point in saying anything.  They hadn't spoken of what happened to Jonathan.  Pierre still had not gotten around to bringing up the subject, and what with everything that was going on, he didn't need his emotions to get all out of whack as well.  He had enough to deal with. 

However, Gabriel was another story.  He was only a child and Pierre knew that where he was concerned, the sooner they talked about Jon and Angela's deaths the better.  Sure, the kid was holding up pretty well, but only because they were keeping busy.  However, there were some slow, boring times coming up and Pierre knew that those times would probably be the worst for his nephew. 

Sighing, he squeezed Gabriel gently, and then looked up at Pat.

"What time's the flight?"

"A late one...10 PM...sucky time, but it was the only one that was relatively decent, with arrival times and that."