Heaven on Earth (Fifteen-Year Edit)
“Heaven on Earth” (The Fifteen-Year Edit)
Rated PG-13
From the Tetragon (Seventh) arc
Summary: Fifteen years after the end of Made For You Part II, Ryan Matthew Chambers passes away, leaving his wife, his son, and his stepdaughter behind. His wife gets a special visitor.
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They came, they saw, they wept. They brought with them storm clouds of grief and cloying scent that were so thick her eyes could not stay dry in their unpleasant presence. They bemoaned the unexpected demise of Ryan Matthew Chambers and questioned the future of his empire. They gave their two cents on everything, eschewing good taste and subtlety. And when they were done with the spectacle, when they had done all of the damage they could do, they drifted back away, leaving her alone with her loss and the people that truly cared for her.
Harrison Chambers, the only son of the late Ryan Chambers, watched his mother as she stood at the great window in the den of the house she once shared with her deceased husband. The raven hair of her youth was now shorter and devoid of gray. She had a few creases on her beautiful face around her eyes, but she still looked as striking as she did when she had become Mrs. Ryan Chambers over thirty years before. Clad in a black suit, Daniella Chambers was perfectly coiffed. But her son could see the strain in the set of her shoulders and wondered when she was going to crack.
Harry turned, feeling the presence of someone at his back. Josephine Yuy, sporting a black Jennifer Barton original, hovered at his elbow anxiously. Her blue eyes were trained on the poised woman at the glass. Her expression indicated she was wondering the same thing.
“Is everyone gone?” Harry asked softly, not wanting to disturb his mother.
Josie nodded. As in ‘everyone’ he meant the gossipmongers and the irritants that, unfortunately for them, had made up an integral part of Chambers Oil. They had turned out in droves to catch a glimpse of the iconic Chambers family in their grief and it would have proved to be a mistake to turn them away. Members of the family still milled around, cleaning and trying to provide support where it was needed.
“She’s so strong, Harry,” Josie murmured. She pursed her lips together to battle back tears. “I don’t know how she did it, talking to all of those evil people.” She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. “If I had been my husband in that casket, I would have opened fire on all those sons of bitches and called it a day.”
Harry couldn’t help but sweatdrop. “Jos—I think you’d better throttle back a bit,” he suggested shakily.
Josie looked at him with wide-eyed confusion. “What do you—?” Then she gasped and sweatdropped herself. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
“You can’t take the Yuy out of the girl,” Harry remarked wryly.
Josie couldn’t fight a smile. “Dad would be turning cartwheels at that.” Her smile faded slowly as she felt a strange sensation in her chest. Harry frowned down at her as her lips parted and her eyes clouded.
“Josie?” Harry prodded.
“Excuse me,” Josie whispered, and left. Harry blinked at her retreating back, wondering what the matter was. Before he had time to call after her, his mother’s voice beckoned from inside the den.
Harry shifted toward Danie. She held out an unadorned hand. He walked forward and took it, clasping it firmly. Danie smiled at him tearfully.
“You look just like him, you know,” Danie told him, reaching out with her free hand and brushing his cheek.
Harry nodded. “I know, Mom. You’ve told me that a few million times since I was born.” He took his hand out of her grasp and placed it along with the other one on her shoulders. She is so strong, Harry realized with a slight jolt. Where was it coming from? He searched her face, trying to find her secret. Her eyebrows furrowed a touch.
“What’s the matter?” Danie inquired.
“I…” Harry shook his head. “I guess…I was expecting you to be different is all.”
Danie opened her mouth to speak but found that she was taken aback by the statement. She too expected this experience to be different. She expected that she would feel ripped apart, like she couldn’t go on. The truth was, she felt sad and a little hollowed out. But she could bear it. That was the surprise, the diamond in the ice. She could live with it. She wasn’t begging to be taken with him.
Only she knew the reason why.
Unable to look at her son anymore, she turned away from Harry and went back to the window. The day had been cloudy, which suited the occasion. She hadn’t imagined burying her late husband on a sunny day. That would have been cruel. The whole ordeal had been cruel enough.
“Mom?” Harry asked.
Danie closed her eyes and lowered her forehead to the glass, basking in its coolness. “I’m human, darling,” she finally said. “It could be that it’ll hit me differently. Grief works in mysterious ways.”
When Harry spoke again, Danie could hear the hesitation in his voice. She had to steel herself to keep from buckling against it. “I thought maybe…you were still mad at him or something.” Pause. “After all…you did tell him not to go out that night and he disobeyed your wishes.”
Danie raised her head and opened her eyes. “I couldn’t possibly be mad at him. The asshole who decided that he was going to get behind the wheel after downing several gallons of liquor is to blame. If it hadn’t been Matt, it would have been someone else.” She turned again. “I wish that he had stayed home but he didn’t.” She pursed her lips together as the tears came flooding back. “I couldn’t keep him…”
Lip trembling, Harry stepped forward and took her into his arms. He embraced her tightly, thinking it was grief that had prompted her last statement. What he didn’t know was that really was a rare moment of truth, a crack in the shield Danie had thrown up over the circumstances.
“Don’t worry, Mom,” Harry murmured against her hair. “You’ll be together again one day. He’s up there, somewhere, waiting for you.”
Danie raised her eyes to the sky. She closed her eyes and found herself wondering about Paradise. It had been on her mind more and more since Matt had passed. Yes, there was someone waiting for her. But the man was not Ryan Matthew Chambers.
* * *
Meanwhile, outside the house, Josie traveled across the backyard toward the line of trees that separated the tree grove from the rest of the yard. As the feeling in her chest grew stronger, she moved toward her destination. Her black heels sunk into the wet, soft ground, and the female in her should have been mortified by the mud caked on her new shoes. But her heart was racing, about to leap out of her chest.
He’s here, her mind prattled. He’s here, he’s here…
She burst through the rose bushes her stepfather had planted for her mother and skidded to a stop in front of the gazebo under the cherry blossom tree. She saw two familiar figures amid the pink and white.
“Dad,” she said breathlessly.
Heero Yuy turned away from his twin at the sound of Josie’s voice and smiled softly, love and pride in his eyes. Before he could say a word, she rushed forward and glomped him.
“Jos—not so tight…” Heero grunted.
Crys Winner chuckled at her niece. “I guess she missed you more than you thought, Heero.” She watched, warmth building in her heart amid the grief.
Josie disentangled herself from her dead father, eyes brimming over with moisture. “Well, I haven’t seen you in five years. I can’t help it.” She wiped her tears away. “I’m guessing you’ve heard about Matt…” Heero nodded, saying nothing.
“We were just talking about that,” Crys informed Josie, voice meaningful. Heero glanced at his sister but said nothing again.
Josie looked to her father again. “Oh! Have you seen Matt yet? Did he become an Archangel like you?”
“Josie,” Heero began after a moment, “Matt…is not an Archangel.”
Josie gasped, hand over mouth. “Oh no—does that mean he’s in Hell?” Heero and Crys looked at each other. Josie noticed this and added, “What is it that you’re not telling me?”
Crys nodded imperceptibly at her twin, and Heero looked at Josie. “Matt Chambers is already in Paradise. He chose to go through with another.”
Josie stood in stunned shock for several long moments as this sank in. “But how could he…?”
“There’s something you don’t know about the accident, Josie,” Crys explained.
“What do you mean?” Josie demanded.
“When Matt Chambers got into the car with Deborah Cole, he hadn’t just meant to take her home,” Heero revealed.
The blood drained from Josie’s face when she realized what he meant. There had been whispers about Matt’s close relationship with his accountant Deborah Cole, a longtime friend of Jessica’s, but nothing had been proven as Matt seemed devoted to his wife. “Are you saying…Matt cheated on Mom?”
Crys shook her head vigorously. “They had never gotten that far. They never went past their feelings for one another, but those feelings were strong enough that Matt had to make a decision.”
Abashed, Josie slumped onto the bench next to her aunt. “Well…wow. I can’t…” She lifted her gaze to Heero again. “Dad, did you talk him into this?”
“Josephine,” Heero said in a warning tone.
“Well, I was just wondering,” Josie protested. “Besides, I know you still love Mom. Anyone within a thirty-mile radius could tell the last time you came to visit.”
“Matt even noticed,” Crys pointed out.
“And he told me so,” Heero responded, “which is why he asked me to take care of Danie and apologized for the role he had in the suffering I went through while I was alive.” He paused and eyed his daughter. “And I didn’t suggest he go through Paradise with Deborah Cole. I couldn’t. It would have been sinful and I would have been banished to Hell.”
“That’s right. Isn’t adultery a sin?” Josie queried.
“Technically they didn’t commit adultery,” Crys pointed out. “But Selene threw in her weight to sway the other Heavenly Guardians on the matter—especially since the fact that Matt had feelings for Deborah meant that someone made a mistake somewhere.”
“So Dad was meant to be with Mom?” Josie wanted to know.
Crys shrugged. “If you want to think of it that way…”
Josie smirked at Heero. “I wouldn’t be the only one…”
Josie expected Heero to make a smart-aleck comment, but he didn’t. Instead he looked at her seriously and asked, “How is she?”
“She’s fine, really. Better than I had expected.” Josie quirked an eyebrow. “Does she know about this?” When another meaningful look passed between the twins, Josie shook her head. “I’m guessing she does.”
“She doesn’t know everything,” Heero replied. “Selene visited her after the decision was made and told her what she could be told. She knows, at least, that Matt has already passed through and is not waiting for her. But he loves her very much.”
Josie sighed. “That explains why she’s been taking this so well. According to what I heard from Harry, she took your death much worse.” She looked at her dead-but-not-so-dead father. “I’m sure you are going to see her.”
Heero nodded. “After everyone leaves.”
“Smart. I don’t think Harry would like it if you suddenly appeared. He…well…” Josie trailed off with a wince.
“I am fully aware of how Harrison Chambers thinks of me,” Heero told Josie. “But it’s not my job to deal with that. It’s his.” He paused again. “You should get back to the wake.”
Josie pouted. “Don’t tell me you’re trying to get rid of me already. It’s been five years, Dad!”
“I’m not trying to get rid of you.” He pointed to the sky. “But it is going to rain. I’d rather you get inside before it starts.”
“Oh. Well—thanks for the warning!” Josie hurriedly hugged Heero. “See you later!”
As Josie sprinted off, Crys stepped up to her twin. “I’ll see you after this ends. Stay out of trouble, all right?”
Heero agreed, and Crys rushed after Josie, calling for her to wait. Heero smiled faintly as Josie paused to wait on Crys, and they headed back to the house hand in hand like two schoolgirls. He made sure they got back inside safely before making himself scarce. He didn’t want to be seen…yet.
* * *
“All of you,” Danie said in frustration. “Stop this. You can go home. I’ll be fine.”
It was raining outside, but the heaviest of it had ended minutes before. Her family—her sisters, cousins, and their husbands, her children—sat in the living room, watching her. She felt as if they were expecting her to collapse any minute. She understood their concern, really she did, but she wanted a moment alone. She hadn’t had one since Matt had passed away, and she felt hemmed in. She desperately needed to breathe!
Jennifer spoke from beside her husband. “You just lost your husband, Danie. We just want to give you all the support you need.”
“And you have,” Danie assured her. “You’ve done more than I can ask. And now I ask you all to leave me and let me rest.”
Moira-Selene stood and stared at her sister. “But if you need—”
“If I need anything, I will call you,” Danie told her. She let her gaze travel across them, across their tired, anxious faces. “I love each and every one of you. Thank you for your hands and hearts. Matt would have appreciated you being here.”
Harry rose to his feet as well. “Mom, I can stay. I mean it.”
“You will do nothing of the kind. Have you no trust in me?” Danie chided. She walked to him and kissed him on the forehead. “I am a widow, and I will not lean on any of you like a crutch. Matt wouldn’t want me wallowing in sadness. Yes, this is a lot to bear. But I have to learn how to take some of it on my own.” She shook her head at her son. “No arguments. Go home. All of you. I’m officially kicking you out.” She mustered up a smile. “But I still love you.”
They all rose and hugged her, one by one. Pacifying words were given along with promises for future gatherings. When Danie finally closed the door on the last, and silence descended upon her house, she inhaled and exhaled deeply. It was over.
* * *
After tidying up a bit, she ran herself a bath in the guest bathroom. She wasn’t able to use the master bed and bath yet. It felt wrong, especially with Matt not sharing them with her. After shedding the black suit, heels, and her undergarments on her path through the guest bedroom to the bath, she submerged herself completely into the water.
I could end it here, Danie thought. I could end it right here, right now. She could feel her lungs begging for air, her head growing light from the lack of oxygen. But something inside of her didn’t care, and kept her under. They would understand, wouldn’t they? I wonder what Paradise looks like…
Danie…
She said his name aloud without meaning to, and sucked in water on the second syllable. As she choked and flailed, she felt a hand on her arm hauling her up to the surface.
She inhaled lungfuls of air as her heart raced and she got her bearings back. It took a couple of heartbeats before she registered the grip on her arm was still there.
“Fucking holy shit!” Danie cried and jumped nearly a foot in the air. She brought her knees up to her chest to mask her nakedness from her new visitor.
Her visitor looked down at her sternly. “What the hell was that, Danie? You almost got yourself killed.”
“I should ask you the same thing,” Danie snapped. “How the hell did you get in my house? The door’s locked.”
Heero glared at her. “I’m an Archangel, Danie. I exist on a plane beyond your comprehension. You think locks mean that much to me?”
“They could. How the hell should I know? It’s not like you came with a guidebook or something. I don’t know the rules for Angels, much less Archangels.” She fumed at him. “And I would appreciate some privacy, thank you very much.”
Heero was bemused. “Privacy?”
“I’m naked,” Danie reminded him tersely. “I would at least like to get some clothes on.”
Heero sighed then. “I won’t take advantage of you, Danie. I promise.” He held up a hand. “You have my word.”
Danie examined his face, his eyes. She finally relaxed in the tub, seeing that he meant what he said. She leaned into the back of the tub and exhaled. She tried to suppress the feeling of awkwardness that rose from being naked around a man she wasn’t married to but found that she could not.
“It feels strange, doesn’t it?” Heero asked.
“A little.” She turned to look at him. “So how much longer are you here?”
“Due to the circumstances they gave me an extra day,” Heero answered. “So a little over two days.”
Danie nodded. “I see.” She placed her left hand on the tub’s edge. “Kill any good demons lately?”
Heero raised an eyebrow. “That was a sad attempt at small talk, Danie.”
Danie eyed him indignantly. “Well, what do you expect me to say? If you have any suggestions for topics for discussion, then I would love to hear them.”
“Who said we had to say anything at all?”
Danie turned to gaze at him. It was her turn to be bemused. She looked down at her hand as he covered it with his own. Something—equal parts love and lust—shot through her as their skin touched. As her thoughts stumbled around in her overwhelmed brain, her heart clenched with remorse. This soft touch could have been mine, years ago… Her eyes filled with tears as mirth, irritation, and unease fled the room. The grief she had been holding inside of her for far too long rushed up like a wave and poured out of her. Deep, heart-wrenching sobs rocked her body, and she barely felt Heero reach inside of the bathtub and lift her out.
Several minutes later, once the wracking sobs had quieted, Danie shivered. She was still naked and vulnerable to the chill in the air. The late October air had cooled the house, and she hadn’t turned on the heat before taking a bath. Suddenly, after a sound that reminded her of shaking out a bedsheet, she felt something surround her. Soft. Like feathers.
She gasped and opened one eye as a downy black feather fell to her chest, covering a breast. The other eye opened and she took in her surroundings. She was startled to find herself encased in a cocoon of feathers and there was no clue as to which room she was in. Awed, she lifted a hand to touch the wall of black fluff. It was like touching goose feathers. So delicate and smooth.
“Are you all right now?” Heero inquired, and startled her again. She stared at him wordlessly as he tried to steady her with gentle, warm hands. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. You shouldn’t have kept that inside of you for so long.”
Danie looked down at her trembling hand—the same hand that had reached out to touch his feathers and the one that he had covered with his own in the bathroom. “What do you mean? Matt’s only been dead a week.”
Heero took her hand again. “You weren’t crying over Matt, Danie. At least…not completely.”
“So,” Danie began shakily, “you’re saying that I was crying…for you?”
Heero shook his head. “No. You were crying for us.” When Danie opened her mouth to speak, Heero added, “You’ve been denying it for years, Danie. Once I died and your feelings returned, a part of you wanted to grieve for what you could’ve had, but the other part didn’t let you. It was almost adulterous. So you suppressed it.”
As she took this in, Danie blinked at him. “Okay, you’re gonna have to stop that mind-reading shit. It’s scary.”
Heero rolled his eyes. “Danie, it’s not like a broken VCR I can take back to the store. It’s there whether I like it or not.” Danie narrowed her eyes at him as he paused. “Not to mention…Josie kind of told me a few things during visits.”
Danie fumed again. “What?! No honor amongst mother and daughter, I tell you…”
“Well, I am her father,” Heero reminded her. “Honestly, she wasn’t eager to provide the information.”
Danie’s eyes went wide. “So you beat it out of her?”
“I didn’t ‘beat’ it out of her. I have more finesse than that. It just more or less…revealed itself.”
Eyes narrowed again, Danie crossed her arms over her chest. “Heero Yuy. You sneak. I don’t know what the big deal was. You know what’s gonna happen when I die anyway.” She stopped and thought of something for a beat. “Ooh! Hey. Do you know when—?”
“Don’t even finish the question,” Heero interrupted her sternly, “because even if I knew I’m not telling you. That would be breaking the rules.”
It was Danie’s turn to roll her eyes. “That would be breaking the rules,” she mimicked, copying his tone exactly. He merely sighed. “And you being here with me naked as a jaybird and covered in your feathers—no pun intended—breaking some sort of cosmic rule?”
“You’re not married anymore,” Heero reminded her. “Remember?”
“I’m not…” Danie’s sentence fell off then as she processed this fact. “Oh yeah. I guess you’re right.” She chuckled nervously. “What a predicament!”
Pause.
“Danie,” Heero warned. “We can’t do that.”
Danie sent him a fulminating glare. “And what did I tell you about that mind-reading—?!”
“Well, you can’t just expect me to ignore your bestial urges, even though I can’t feel them any longer. You broadcast them quite enthusiastically, whether you mean to or not.”
Danie pouted. “I was just wondering is all. Just a thought. I know we can’t. Not until…you know when.” She muttered under her breath, “And you know when because you won’t tell me. The silly little human doesn’t get to know when she dies. Doesn’t even get a hint.”
There was another silence during which Danie did not control her thoughts. As he listened, Heero smiled faintly and reached out to take her chin in his hand. He liked being able to know what she was thinking. It nearly made up for the seventeen years of heartache he had to endure as a human walking the Earth. It was only second to the possibility of spending Paradise with her.
He looked his Heaven in her eyes and said, “Yes. You can, Danie.”
Danie’s heart stuttered. Her breath hitched. “How did you…?”
Heero’s eyebrows arched. Really?
Danie pinkened. “Stupid question, huh?”
“Definitely not your best.”
“Oh ha ha,” Danie said dryly. “Heero the Archangel made a joke. Cue the canned laughter.” Heero stared at her and said nothing. “Okay, fine, fine. I’m kidding. So this won’t hurt or anything?”
“Nope,” Heero replied. “Not one bit.”
Danie’s mouth curved. “Good. I’ve been wondering what it would be like.”
Heero brought her closer. “Yeah. I know.”
She growled and Heero didn’t suppress his grin. Danie decided then that he had a totally dazzling, heart-melting, gut-stirring smile. So she forgave him a little.
And kissed him right on his smiling mouth.
