Chapter 6: No need to imagine

After Tagas was done playing with the mother cow and the calf, he all but bounced to Harry and Arthur. Jumping over the fence that separated the enclosure of the two animals, and stopping before Arthur.

"Thank you," Tagas told the farmer, his hazel eyes twinkling with unspoken joy. Arthur blinked. Looking at the angel right now, he wondered how he had ever thought him a demon.

"You are so..." Arthur began, and then blushed and closed his mouth. He didn't know if Tagas would be insulted to be called child-like, so he kept his silence.

"Kind? Good-humored? The dream angel?" Tagas asked, his eyebrows wiggling. Arthur chuckled, and led them out of the barn.

"We need to weed the vegetable patch now," the farmer told the two. "But I think we have some time for a lemonade, before that."

Arthur then went back inside the farm house, to fetch the drinks. Harry turned to Tagas with a smirk.

"The dream angel, blue wings? Really now? I think you and lover-boy should get a room already. As adorable as the two of you are, I think your sweetness is rotting my teeth," Harry winked at Tagas, who barked a laugh.

"Things such as that are not allowed to angels without marriage," Tagas said. "And the only one who can marry an angel to anyone is an Archangel."

"So, ask your big brother to marry you. I am sure boss will be ecstatic at the prospect that his youngest brother wants to get hitched," Harry spoke, and Tagas blinked at him.

"Do you think big brother Lucifer would marry Arthur and I, if I asked?" Tagas asked. Michael would surely refuse him. Uriel would say no as well, because Tagas's love was fleeting. Gabriel could go either way. If he thought that there could be a prank to be had, he might just agree.

"He sent one of his demons to guard you, Tagas. I think he would give you the stars, if you asked him," Harry insisted. Arthur came back, balancing a tray with three glasses with lemonade.

"Let us go to the table, and we can drink there," the farmer told them, and the two went to the wooden table that was right next to the petunias.

They each took a glass, and drank deep. Tagas closed his eyes and hummed.

"Freshly made?" The angel asked. It didn't taste store bought. It was not nearly as sweet.

"Well, yes. You don't mind, do you?" Arthur asked, and Tagas was quick to open his eyes and wink at the man.

"Mind? That just goes to show how much you care," Tagas then took another gulp of his drink.

"If it is not too much to ask," Arthur began, feeling uncertain. "Do you mind blessing the rest of my animals?"

Tagas's eyes shone with mirth.

"I adore animals. I would be happy to," the angel told him, and he reached out towards Arthur's hand. He placed his own above the farmer's, and gave it a squeeze. Tagas smiled gently at Arthur, who blushed and averted his blue eyes.

"So, after we weed the garden, what next?" Harry asked, after which he drank some of the lemonade. It was very refreshing, and he found the citrus smell a pleasant treat for the senses, after having mucked a barn.

"Well, I was thinking we could go and pick some apples for a pie," Arthur said. "I make a good pie. It would be a good practice, for next month's pie making competition."

"Pie making competition? Can it be done in teams?" Tagas asked. He wanted to be a part of this favorite pastime of Arthur.

"Yes, teams of three. Normally, I team up with two of the neighboring ranchers. If you would both like, we can team up. The three of us?" Arthur suggested. Harry smirked then.

"Careful, lover-boy. One might think you want a slice of angel cake, topped with lava cake," Harry joked, and Tagas lightly swatted him on the arm.

"I am convinced that Arthur just wanted to include us," Tagas said, and Harry pretended to be chastised. Arthur looked between the angel and the demon, and gulped.

"I don't know what sort of hopes you both have, but I would have your friendship, instead," Arthur spoke. "With the finalizing of my divorce, I have no time for romance. I have to make sure that I get custody of my son."

"Divorce? But you look young, Arthur," Harry said. Arthur didn't look older than twenty-five. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-three," Arthur said. Then he sighed. "And she was my great love."

The farmer looked into his half-empty glass, and wished it had something else but lemonade inside. Something that would make him forget.

"We'll help you get back your son. No strings attached," Tagas said. He was disappointed that he was not going to be given a chance, but he understood that Arthur's plight was a great one.

"And how are you going to do that?" Arthur asked, not looking up from his glass.

"We will talk to your ex-wife. Make her see that she can't cut you out of your son's life. But you have to understand, you can't cut her off, as well," Tagas told him sternly. He had seen more than one animal grow up sad, once their mothers were no longer a part of their lives.

"Audrey called me a lair and a bastard, when I caught her in bed with my best friend," Arthur said, and then he looked into Tagas's eyes. "If you can return my son to me, then I promise you that you will always be welcomed in this house. The both of you."

"Well, this is a start," Harry said. He already had a plan. After all, with the power his boss had given him, almost nothing was out of bonds.

"Tomorrow, we will speak with Audrey," Tagas said. "But, for today, I will make sure to chase all the bad memories from your mind, my soul mate."

Arthur sighed again. He knew that the angel wouldn't give up easily. Still, he needed his son back. His life was simply empty without the best thing he had ever helped give life to.