Wings and Tears: Part Seven

 

            The address to the hotel was printed on the card. Michael opened the door with the brass number 18 nailed to it. He looked at Solo and the two of them entered the room. The room was empty of furniture. There was no bed, no television, no table and no chairs. Lorelei was standing in it, however, her back leaned against the wall to their right.

            “I wasn’t sure if you two would come.”

            “Mom!” Solo exclaimed and rushed to hold her. “I’ve been so worried about you!”

            She smiled and held him back. They hugged for a minute. “I’m so proud of you. You know that don’t you, Solo?” She moved and held his head in her hands. “I love you. I always have.” She was sad; her eyes were a little glossy.

            “Mom? What wrong?”

            “I’ve seen the future, Solo.” Her arms dropped. She stood and walked away from him towards Michael.

            “Don’t talk like that Lorelei.” Michael said, his voice was a little panicked.

            “Why? Because that’s what she said to you? I was told what really happened to her, you know. I was shown the future and the past. I know what I have to do. It’s so clear to me. It really is.” She stood in between the two of them. Solo took a step closer, but she held out a hand and motioned for him to stop. “I’ve already taken the steps I needed to. Only one more thing remains.” She looked back at her son, her eyes were filled with tears. “I really do love you Solo. I love you so much.” She turned back to Michael, looked at him for a weighty moment. “Don’t blame him Michael. I’m the one that did it. I’m the one that told him he would never have to go back. Please don’t blame him,” she said it with a distant voice.

            “Who?” Michael asked, knowing she wasn’t talking about Solo, but someone completely different, but he didn’t know who.

            Lorelei pulled a small vial from her simple black robe. It was filled with a yellow liquid. She took off the stopper.

            “Lorelei.” Michael said.

            “This…this is the poison that killed my mother,” she said vaguely, and before any one could stop her she lifted it to her lips and drank the entire dose.

            “MOM!” screamed Solo and he rushed to grab her as she fell to the ground. “MOM!” he yelled again. “NO!” He held her. She smiled at him sweetly, and raised a hand to touch his face.

            “Just…just like Duo,” she said weakly. Her hand dropped and she winced.

            Solo looked down at her, his mouth slightly open. He held back tears and shook his head in shock. “Mom,” he said again feebly. Her body convulsed in his arms and then her essence left her. Solo gasped as his mother’s being entered him. Michael felt it as well, in fact every angel in existence felt it. “NOOO!!!!” screamed Solo. “NOOO!!!” His voice shook and tears finally came from his eyes. He shook her body. “No!” Michael came forward and tore Solo away from her body. He pulled the young one close to him, enveloped him inside his muscular arms. Solo continued to sob into Michael’s chest, “Mommy,” he called out helplessly.

 

~~

 

            The smell of burning flesh filled the night sky. A day had passed from her death, and now the funeral pyre burned her body. Flames ate away her pale flesh and her red hair. Solo watched with his arms around Michael’s arm, clutching to the archangel for comfort. His tears soaked Michael’s white shirt.

            The other angels stood around the fire, watching the it consume Lorelei. The fire cracked and her skin blackened. Each of them now had a part of her inside them. When an angel dies they have no soul, but the essence that made them sentient flows into the surviving angels. There was no soul to look forward to seeing some time later in a perfect paradise, but there was comfort for Solo, however minimal, in knowing that his mother was literally part of him now, literally was inside of him.

            A soft hymn started in the voices of the angels. Michael joined in the song. Solo closed his eyes and listened to the angelic voices sing farewell to his mother, even though they all knew that there was nothing there to receive the message. Solo breathed in the smell of the fire, of his mother’s burning body. His body shock with grief again and Michael moved to hold the small boy. The song continued with the other angels, but Michael bent his head to whisper another song for Solo. The archangel sang the lullaby that he and Lorelei had made up to sing to Solo the first decade of his life. Solo relaxed and listened to Michael’s soothing voice. Then he realized that the other angels had caught on and had surrounded him. The choir of angels sang Solo’s lullaby, and it comforted him.

 

~~

 

            “Dad?” Solo asked, waking up Duo.

            “Solo!” Duo exclaimed and sat up. Solo stood by the bed. Heero woke up as well and reached out to turn on the light by his side of the bed. The light showed them Solo’s small body, still dressed in the pure white angelic clothes. The smell of the funeral fire clung to him. His eyes were still red from the crying.

            “What happened?” Heero asked.

            Duo stood and brought his morning son into his arms. Solo wrapped his thin arms around his father and started to cry again. Heero sat up and looked at them worryingly. Solo’s tears wet the white shirt his father wore to bed. “Solo?” Duo asked, his voice thick with his concern.

            “She…she…killed herself.” Solo sobbed out.

            “Oh God,” Duo exclaimed and held his son tighter.

            “She died in my arms. She said I was just like you and she died.” Solo’s voice shook with his body.

            Duo bit his lip. “Oh God,” He repeated, this time in a whisper. Heero carefully stood from the bed and placed a hand on Duo’s back. Duo turned his head to look at Heero. Solo still clung to his father, sobbing with his grief. Duo’s eyes were grieving as well. Heero bit his lip.

            “Solo?” Heero asked. Solo looked up at him, “Do you want to sleep in here with us tonight?” Solo nodded miserably.

            “Ok, ok. Come on.” Duo helped his son into the bed and Heero went around to lay back down on his side, and flipped off the light again. Duo got in the bed after his son, and then reached out to hold Solo again. Heero rubbed the teen’s sobbing back reassuringly. Solo, exhausted, cried himself to sleep.

            “Thank you, Heero.” Duo whispered over Solo’s head, breaking the silence in which the two of them had been listening to Solo’s breathing.

            “For what?” Heero asked, a bit surprised.

            “For…everything. I love you.”

            Heero smiled at him, reached over Solo to touch his face. “I love you too.” Duo kissed his fingers then closed his eyes to fall asleep, only he didn’t. He listened to Heero’s breathing, waiting for him to fall asleep. Then he opened his eyes, looked down at his son’s red hair. Hair that was just like his mother. Duo’s eyed looked up to the ceiling.

            “Lorelei,” he whispered and thought about the mother of his child. Lorelei and he had been together since they were born. They had been so utterly in love. Duo’s father had once told him that that was the only virtue they never perverted, until Duo had come to Earth. He had betrayed Lorelei, in almost every way that counted. Now she was gone, forever, and he didn’t even have the reassurance that she was ‘inside’ of him. He had hurt her and now she was dead. He felt the pain in his heart and clutched his son’s sleeping form tighter. “Lorelei,” he said again and shocked himself as his salty tears dropped to the bed. For the second time since he had met his son, he cried, and he hated himself for it. He hated crying. REAL MEN DON’T CRY! his mind screamed, but it couldn’t stop his tears. Quietly, he cried. Quietly, he mourned her. And then he, like his son, cried himself to sleep.