First Estate

"I detest someone telling me that," she told me. "I want to decide what the right time is; not someone in God's office."

"I understand completely," I agreed. "At the same time, I don't think you want to cut off your nose to spite your face. You want a baby, I want you to have one, so I don't think it makes sense to not do what we want because someone else wants us to do that, too."

She sighed. "I suppose you're right. I just hate to feel like anyone other than us is planning our lives."

She stopped making herself infertile and a month later, she was pregnant. It turned out to be twins, just as Raphael said, and she grew more beautiful than ever. There is something incredibly sexy about a pregnant woman to me. She didn't gain as much weight as she feared she would. Her belly did swell to alarming proportions and she sat on many chairs to ease the pain in her back. She continued to work throughout her pregnancy and the doctor took them at eight and a half months by c-section. There were two beautiful little boys in our house and they were a handful. One had hair like Mom's, that flame red in contrast to his dark skin. His name was Reagan and he was delightful. The other had that midnight black hair of his mother and aunt Boston. His name was Reynolds and he was equally amazing. They never cried except when they were hungry or wet, and spent most of their time asleep or smiling up into someone's face. One of our demon converts became our nanny. It was surprising to me that he was interested, but he took Greyson under his wing, too, and they all treated him like a big puppy. He had never had any children of his own and he adopted ours and became "Uncle Baran" and an integral part of our house.

They grew like weeds and although they didn't learn at the same rate that Greyson did, they picked up physical things faster. I think Mom spent more time with the kids than anyone. In spite of telling me how exhausting they were, she constantly had one or two on her hip, lugging them around everywhere she went. Greyson thought she was the coolest person in the world, mostly because Mom let her do anything she wanted, and the boys worshipped her.

God was pleased, according to Haniel, and I told him I was glad, because I was pleased as well. He told me that the twins were not the children of destiny, but that our next child would be chosen by God. He was very mysterious about that and it made me very uneasy. I thought about it for a month and the next time I saw Raphael, I took him aside and we had a long talk.

I explained to him that I was very uncomfortable with all this interference in our lives. "We need a break, Raphael. When Alith (our current Watcher trainee) is through, we don't want another one for a while. We're burnt out. We're tired of all this 'child of destiny' stuff, too. These are our children, for God's sake; not some grand scheme of the fulfillment of the ages. You know I never wanted this. I told you at the beginning that we just wanted to be left alone to live our lives in peace. I told Haniel the same thing. It doesn't seem like you guys up there are living up to your end of the bargain very well."

"I'm sorry, Parker. I didn't realize you were feeling pushed into a corner like that. I don't think Haniel knows either. We aren't used to dealing with humans. I know you have two priorities. Your family comes first and I understand that. God understands, too. I think he just wants you to be informed. I've never heard of him revealing his plans to anyone like he does to you."

"Well, there's an overload of information. I appreciate being kept in the loop. I don't like feeling as if my every step is scripted and neither do the girls. Well, Mariha might not care, but the rest of us are worn out. We need some time off just to breathe a minute. Let us just work and play and live our lives for a while without all these complications. We're not complicated like Watchers. I just want to come home from work, hold my kids and make love to my wife without tripping over a new demon or hearing about Reapers or children of destiny."

"I'll inform Haniel right away. If that's what you want, I think God will understand."

Apparently he did. We were left strictly alone for the next six months. I loaded up the whole troop and we went on a bus tour of the outback. We stayed on cattle ranches, watched crocodiles swim in the rivers, followed kangaroos around and spent a week at the beach. I think we were all needing something like that. I took Boston to San Diego for a week, Sagan to Hawaii and Mariha to Athens. I asked Mom if she wanted to go to Colorado skiing and she surprised me by agreeing to go. We stayed at Copper Mountain and it was a blast. I got up before her the second day and I was eating breakfast in the Hotel. When I looked up, Haniel was sitting across from me.

"Damn it, Haniel; I thought you were supposed to be leaving me alone."

"I am," he said. "You are here with the Nephilim Lilith and I thought it was important to speak with you. It is the Lord's will that she bear a child, Parker."

"Yes, I know. You told us that before. She's okay with that but she hasn't said anything to me about when. I'm not pushing her."

"Yes, but it is important for you to remember what you are. You are God's instrument and so is she. We're running out of time.. We spoke at some length about this the last time I visited you. She was receptive to the idea. Being around your other children has awakened in her a maternal desire. I suggested that she broach the idea to you and she became very upset and refused to consider the idea. When I attempted to reason with her she became... rude."

"If you don't stop attempting to reason with me I'm going to become rude," I told him.

"Nonsense; this child is needed, Parker. The Reapers will form the right hand of God in the destiny of humans. We need her child. This is destined to be, young Nephilim. The time has come for this to happen. Please speak with her and discover her emotions. Persuade her that this is necessary."

"Haniel, I'll do my best. If she wants this, I'll support her decision. If she doesn't I'll support that, too. You bugging me doesn't help."

"Of course; my apologies, Parker. I really do care for you, you know."

"Yes, I know. You're not a bad guy yourself, Haniel."

When I looked up, he was gone. That conversation played in my mind and made me feel awkward around Mom all day. I kept noticing the blush on her cheeks, those huge brown eyes and the way the flame of her hair whipped around her as she made turns on her skis. I noticed how athletic she was and how beautiful and young she looked. When she came out of the shower that night, I noticed how her silk pajamas clung to that sleek figure.

We lay on my bed and watched a movie and drank wine. I noticed how she snuggled up against me and put my arm behind her head. It was just her and me, just like it had been for so long and it felt so good. She giggled up at me about some silly joke in the movie and I noticed she had a drop of wine on her lip like a ruby. It was as if that little drop drew me like a magnet and I had to kiss it away.

"Parker? Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," I told her. "I'm just noticing how beautiful you are. Mom, Haniel dropped in today and talked to me about you having a baby. He says that the time is right and I want to know if you're interested. "

She cried a little. "I thought I didn't," she said. "I really didn't want anyone in my life besides you, Mariha and the girls. Now I think I do. I love Greyson and the twins and I want what Mariha and Sagan have. It's just so weird because I'm in love with you and you're my baby."

I bent down and kissed her again. She returned it this time and I rolled on top of her. It was like making love to a tiger. She was so strong and so firm and muscular that she drove me wild. I fucked her like no one I ever fucked in my life. She was fierce and athletic and she came like a bomb. I fucked her until her voice was hoarse from screaming and then slow and sweet nearly all night long. When I woke her up the next morning, I pulled her up on her hands and knees and pounded her again. She came mindlessly and so many times she finally begged me to stop. I never thought I'd hear her give up and beg, but I think the emotions were just too strong for her.

When I told Sagan she wasn't surprised. "I knew it was going to happen. I'm very happy for her. She deserves to be happy, Parker. She deserves to be as happy as the rest of us are. She asked me over a month ago and cried like a baby. We made love a dozen times, but she didn't want me to tell you. She thought you disapproved and she wasn't going to say anything but I could tell she was unhappy. Make it happen, Parker."

It took several times to get her pregnant and I discovered a creature I hadn't known existed. She really was like a big sleepy cat. She was so indolent most of the time but she became positively energetic. In nine months, she had twin girls, Landreth and Lexington. The total of the Reapers was now five and if Sagan had the 'child of destiny' and Boston had a child, we would have the seven. Boston didn't seem likely any time soon and Sagan wasn't interested, child of destiny or not, for the foreseeable future. She was very happy with the boys and wanted to enjoy them every minute she could. There were a whole crowd of little people crawling or toddling around our house and it was a circus. Boston felt like she was crowded and we built on to the already huge house so that each of us could have our own wing. We built a huge nursery and an apartment joining it for Baran.

I hired a cook and a housekeeper, too. The girls all kept busy looking after kids, even with Baran zipping around like a bee. We tutored them all at home. School seemed like a very complicated explanation. We could have adjusted them, but it seemed useless when we had a great deal of the knowledge of the ages at our disposal. Mariha and Mom were very patient and wonderful teachers and the kids all soaked up knowledge like sponges. It was amusing to drop in at the school room and see an angel, a demon and a Nephilim kneeling by a table explaining something to a little child or two.

We got a visitor when Mom's twins were two in the form of Michael.

Chapter Twenty Two

Michael made polite conversation for a while and it seemed like he wanted to tell me something but didn't quite know how to broach it. It wasn't as if he just popped in for tea every now and again. I thought it must be something important. Finally, I just asked him.

"Michael, it isn't that I'm not happy to spend a hundred years of so talking to you but it seems like you have something to tell me. Why don't you just take the leap and trust me not to freak out?"

"Yes, I do have something important to tell you about. I'm afraid you're not going to like it. This makes me hesitant but I suppose you're right. How much do you know of the original 200 Watchers that began the Nephilim wars?"

"I don't know much. I know a couple of names, that they made a pact and that there were 200 of them. That's about it."

"That is all accurate. We imprisoned them in Tartarus for 70 generations. That time has come to pass. According to God's word, it is time for their release. Many of them have repented of their madness. Seven have not yet reformed but according to the word of God, they must be released."

"What will they do?"

"This has not been revealed to me. I have some information. They will attempt to suborn humans to their will. They will attempt to create an army of Nephilim. They will succeed and there is going to be war. It will pit humans against humans, Nephilim against Watchers and the Reapers must fulfill their office. They will restrain the rebels and administer God's wrath and salvation upon mankind. We need the last two Reapers and most especially the Child of Destiny."

"Oh, my God; here we go again with the 'child of destiny.'"

"Yes, Parker; I know you do not wish to consider this matter. I have spoken with Sagan and Boston. They are amenable to God's will."

"When did you do that?"

"Just now; I allowed no time to pass while I was consulting with them."

"I see. Well, when is all this going to happen?"

"The rebels will be released in seven days. The war will begin in 21 years. The Reapers must be mature and prepared to act out their roles. We must begin to train the Reaper Greyson immediately. She will assist us in the training of the others. It would have been better if the children of the Nephilim Lilith had been of a similar age. Her reticence has delayed our timing."

"So this isn't all scripted out?"

"No, God will allow no compulsion concerning you or the other elect of this house. Your cooperation is essential. There is no doubt concerning the final outcome, but the details are malleable."

"I'm willing to cooperate. What do you need from us?"

"We need to accelerate your training schedule. We need to place multiple students with you. The beings you have already trained will help you with the new placements. With the release of the rebels, you will be in danger. We are certain that they will attempt to interfere with the work of the Reapers. You are under the blessing of God and cannot be killed, but you can be imprisoned and harmed. You have seen this with the Watcher Mariha and the Nephilim Lilith. Your students are your corps of protection. The Watchers you have influenced are eager to protect you and your mission. The former demons are equally eager and the humans are your power base as you align world forces with the Child of Destiny and against the rebels. Our plan involves you and your family revealing themselves to the Nephilim created by the rebel angels and suborning them to our cause. We believe you cannot fail at this task. You are the most powerful living Nephilim and perhaps the most powerful ever to live. We believe a majority of the rebel force will follow you and not the rebel Watchers."

"You say, 'we believe.' Just who might 'we' be?"

"I am heaven's General, Parker. I know whereof I speak. We is the council of Archangels and Elohim. It is the princes of the Elements, Principalities, Powers and Authorities. It is the Remnant of Acumen and the Anointed."

"Really? I don't know who all those guys are but they sound impressive. Isn't there a prophet that could predict something?"

"No, Parker, there isn't. The Son himself doesn't know the mind of God about this, but we believe our predictions based on all available information are correct."

"This seems like a lot of work for us. Listen, Michael; you're talking about my kids and my family here. What are you going to be doing; standing around cheering us on?"

"Yes, I'll be doing that and all of heaven will be doing that. All our expertise is at your disposal. We aren't called angels for nothing. We will serve as your messengers, advisors, sergeants at arms, logistics support and anything else you might require. We will also form the armies of the Child of Destiny when we are required. You have only to ask and we will strive to serve. You have 21 years. May I send the first group of students?"

"I suppose we better get started. Give me three days with just my family. No students, no prophesies, just normal human lives. Then we'll get busy, okay?"

"This is acceptable. You will be blessed for your efforts, little Nephilim. God has great things in store for you. Never doubt that God is good. He will send his messengers and they will lift you up."

"Oh, I don't doubt; I just don't like any of this. I never wanted any of this."

"I am aware of this; as is God. It is this lack of desire that uniquely qualifies you. If you desired it, we would be searching for another vessel. Those who desire power are those to whom the least should be given."

"You're a smart guy, Michael."

"Yes, I am an archangel. The archangel, some would say. I will be Watching over you, Parker."

He was gone and I heard the sound of children laughing in the kitchen. Sagan came in and I held her tightly.

"Is everything okay, Parker?"

I kissed her on top of the head. "Yes, I think everything is going to be very okay."