They were all arrayed around the big, mahogany, table. Audrey was looking at Nikola with stars in her eyes, and Jake was not meeting his eyes. Finally, Sadik broke the silence.

“I am glad that we are all here. And I hope we can get together more often,” Nikola send him a reassuring smile, clearly grateful for his efforts. Then, Jake bowed his head.

“I am sorry,” he uttered like he was a prisoner on death row. “For not listening. For getting in the lake.”

Nikola smiled, clearly not expecting for the boy to show such a level of remorse.

“It is ok…” Began Nikola, but Jake scrunched up his nose.

“It is not ok,” corrected himself, Nikola. The boy didn’t want empty niceties and, so, he wasn’t going to give them. 

“What you did could have killed you,” said Sadik, stern and unforgiving. Jake nodded. “Had I not been there, it would have. And Nikola was so distraught about you nearly dying that he went in a coma.”

Jake let out a sob and Eric hopped off his chair to hug him.

“Don’t cry. Dad didn’t mean to be mean. He was worried, too,” spoke Eric as he patted Jake’s back as the boy let out another sob.

“I forgive you,” said Nikola, and he meant it. “And I am being honest now. But you have to be more considerate of others, from now on.”

“I am sorry,” sobbed the boy harder. “I will be! I’ll be good and clean my room and go to school without a fuss and help mom when she needs me to.”

Audrey placed a hand over her son’s head, her eyes misty.

“Jake, don’t cry. You are breaking mama’s heart,” the boy let out a half-sob, half-hiccup and stopped altogether. Although his bottom lip trembled.

“Well, I guess this is a bad time to suggest we go play?” Asked Ivan, a nervous smile on his face. Eric perked up and Jake managed a smile. “No? Ok, come on. We can go to the pool.”

“Not the pool,” said Jake, shuddering. “Up front. I brought a ball.”

“Not the pool, then,” said Ivan, voice full of understanding. He wasn't very knowledgeable about what had happened. He hadn’t asked because it had seemed inconsiderate of him. Sadik had just told him that a child had nearly died and that Nikola had fallen in shock from the experience. He guessed that the lake was involved. For the child to show such a fear towards water.

They got out of the house and laughter rang from outside. Sadik smiled. Ivan was good with children and had babysat Eric more than once.

“Thank you. For what you did for my son,” Audrey’s eyes were shining with unshed tears and Nikola looked on uncomfortable.

“You can’t tell anyone,” he said, and she nodded fervently.

“I know something horrible will happen to you if I do. What kind of mother would I be if I endanger the one who gave my son a second chance at life? He…he told me that he saw an angel who looked like you, in a beautiful place. And that, just as the angel was leading him to some gates, Jake disappeared,” Nikola nodded. Uriel had told him much the same.

“The angel was Uriel, the Archangel. Jake was supposed to die that day,” Audrey let out a sob and her hands went to her mouth. “But, he now has many years before him. Just be careful and try to instill some self-preservation in him.”

“I must seem like a horrible mother,” Audrey sobbed, and Sadik looked between them. How had Nikola known about that? He didn’t seem to be lying. So, how? Where had he been, mentally, all these months?

“I can’t tell you more, for your safety. You shouldn’t have seen what you did. Neither you nor Emilia,” Nikola became silent, then, and Audrey nodded.

“I will stick to the story Sadik invented,” she said, and Sadik saw that Nikola looked relieved. “But thank you all the same.”

“I hear that you help in the soup kitchens?” The conversation took a turn to lighter topics, and Sadik let it. He was sure that Nikola couldn’t explain to Audrey what he could to him. She was a family friend, but a mortal. Her mind could easily be picked clean by the things that went bump at night.

They spoke until Ivan came back with the children. Now, both of them were sprouting grins. That was Audrey’s cue to leave. Nikola, Sadik, and Eric gave Jake a group hug and handshakes for Audrey. She was amused as Eric shook her hand wildly, and even more so when he placed a sloppy kiss on her knuckles and called her my lady.

Ivan lingered for about two more hours, more to check that Nikola really was ok than because he didn’t have anything else to do, and he, too, left. Sadik rounded up on Nikola.

“Ok, spill. What happened? Where were you?” Maybe his wording was a big strange, but Sadik knew that Nikola would understand, regardless.

“In Purgatory. It is a long story. Let me just ward our bedroom, and we can begin,” Sadik send the kitchen, where Eric was eating an apple, a glance. No, he couldn’t be impatient and demand to get the explanation in the living room. Eric was just a kid and, if he heard, could repeat.

“Ok. Wait, I am yet to show you the house,” Nikola grinned at Sadik’s oversight.

“That can wait for tomorrow. Just show me the bedroom, so I can ward it. I want to avoid keeping secrets from you,” Sadik got a serious look on his face. Could what Nikola kept hidden qualify as a secret? Was it a dire one?

He showed Nikola the spacious bedroom, and Nikola just stood in the doorway, taking everything in. He saw the icon, the one from his old office, hanging over one side of the bed. Furthermore, he got angry and took it down, stashing it away behind the big mahogany desk.

“What?” Now, Sadik was truly confused.