The Fire in the Monster

What Remains is only Ash

He wished that morning would never come, but it came all the same.

Sam had not slept, carrying Mika to her bed and simply watching her sleep. After what happened, after the fear enthrallment, he hadn't dare to hope he'd ever get to touch her again, kiss her again, or even be near her. Watching her while she dreamed felt like an unbelievable privilege and gift.

He was so tired of all this bullshit, so tired of nothing ever going the way it should. Mika, his brothers, and even Sam himself had been forced to endure too much these past few years. They came to the human world to be free, but what had that freedom cost them? He wondered if the price was too high for some of his brothers. For him though, with Mika softly snoring in his arms, any price was acceptable. He'd suffer anything if she waited for him at the end of his trial.

And yet, it seemed that so often fate has thrust them into positions that had them the other way round. She was the one who was forced to sacrifice, to survive. And as the sun rose, he cursed it for bringing the light of day. This morning, she would be forced to pay again, unless he did something utterly stupid and reckless. So, Sam opted for stupid and reckless.

He slowly pulled himself from the bed, careful not to wake Mika, and he went downstairs to the study. Pulling out the card Raphael had left, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

Raphael answered on the third ring. "Good morning, Babygirl; so thrilled you called. Shall I come pick you up?"

Sam felt himself flush at the pet name and must have growled unconsciously, because Raphael spoke again before Sam had a chance to reply. "Ahh, not Mika, after all. I really should have guessed it would be you that would call me this morning. I just didn't think she'd allow it."

Sam swallowed hard. "She can't allow or not allow something when she doesn't know it's happening."

Raphael chuckled. "Fair enough," he said, "but what do you expect to accomplish with this phone call? You can threaten, you could even kill me, but it wouldn't change the fact that a debt is outstanding. Someone will always come to collect, most probably someone far less nice and far less handsome than I."

Such a smug asshole. Sam grit his teeth and forced a reply, "That's not why I called, Nephilim. I need to see your boss, find out what it will cost me to pay it for her."

There was silence on the end of the phone, and Sam waited. After a few moments, Sam began to wonder if they were disconnected, but Raphael finally spoke. "You say 'what it will cost' you, not 'what it might cost' you. What if her price is a bad haircut and yours is a thousand years of soul flaying?"

Sam cringed. "Man, that's graphic."

"Well," Raphael replied, sounding annoyed, "graphic or not, it's a valid point, so..."

"Has anyone ever had their price be a bad haircut?"

"Ah... no, not that I'm aware of."

"Then that's your answer." Sam pressed his lips together. "We both know the price is going to hurt real bad; it's going to be horrible. She's had more than enough horrible. I'm taking this one. And if I survive it, I'll spend the rest of my life making sure she never has to be alone or deal with any of that shit again."

A brief silence fell over them again, before Raphael sighed. "Very well. I'll pick you up in 10 minutes."

Sam hung up the phone and went to sit on the porch.

---

Raphael arrived in a little under 7 minutes. Sam rolled his eyes as the solid white Ashton Martin slowed to a stop in front of him. Of course, Raphael WOULD drive a little sports car that cost as much as a house. Sam reached for the door handle, and finding it locked, he looked in and motioned for Raphael.