The darker side (5/7)
The next morning the duo finds them in the evidence warehouse again and Neal is taken to a clean room with the arrowhead. Peter stands outside watching Neal through the glass window.
Neal is sitting with his eyes closed in front of the arrowhead. After some time he extends his hand towards it, probably to pick it up when he jerks his hand back like he burned it. Peter is inside in a second.
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I guess I am not supposed to pick it up.”
“Can you sense anything?”
“The angel is old and powerful. He works with a necromancer.”
“OK, that is helpful. That narrows down our list. Anything else?”
Neal does another attempt to pick the arrowhead up with his fingertips and crunches his face. Peter can see lines of pain start to form in Neal´s face.
“He is ginger.”
“He likes ginger? How do you know?”
“No, he has ginger hair, he is tall, broad.” Neal grits between his teeth. “But his face is not smooth, he…”
Sweat is forming on his face and his breathing is becoming labored.
“Neal, he is what?”
“He.. He…” Neal´s eyes are starting to roll.
“Neal, let go of the arrowhead!”
When Neal doesn´t seem to hear him, Peter knocks the item out of Neal´s hand and his eyes fly open, they are completely black again. Peter takes a step back as he can feel the pent up energy inside Neal.
“He is one of yours.” He whispers with wide eyes.
Peter looks behind him to see if anyone heard them and puts his finger over Neal´s lips.
“Let´s go Neal.”
Peter checks the evidence back into the vault and they leave the warehouse. Peter needs to think, the revelation Neal just made, it just can´t be. They need to go home; there they can talk without risk of being overheard. The minute Neal is in the car he slumps his head against the window and it doesn´t take long before he looks like he is asleep.
Waiting at a traffic light, Peter studies Neal, there is something about him, but he can´t put his finger behind it. While Neal is sleeping, his face radiates innocence. Something he has never seen in demons.
Now that he thinks about it, he looks like an angel sleeping. Peter is shocked at his epiphany, the blue eyes, the pale skin, Neal getting hurt by an anti-angel spell, it can´t be. Could that be the reason why the higher-ups sealed his file?
And more important, does Neal know?
When they arrive at the house, Peter shakes Neal awake.
Once Neal is inside, he slumps on the Ottoman that he sort of confiscated since he has been staying with Peter when he is downstairs. Peter makes them a late lunch and brings it to the living room, where he has to wake Neal again.
“Are you alright?” Peter puts the plate with sandwiches in front of Neal and sits down with his own plate.
“I´m fine. Just a bit tired.”
“What is your power anyway?” Peter asks between bites.
“Isn´t that a bit personal?”
“Just trying to make conversation. You don´t need to get offended.”
“Isn´t that kind of information recorded in my file?”
“No it isn´t, which is strange in itself.” Peter decides to play open card.
“I am clairgnosis, meaning I just know things. I can see things when I touch them, you have witnessed that yourself, I can feel and read auras and energies, feel spells and curses.” Neal sums up in order to get Peter of his back.
“Wow, that is quiet a list.” Peter sounds impressed.
“So what is your special power?”
“I can see souls.”
“Neat. What does mine tell you?”
“Well, now that you mention it. This is the strange part. I don´t see one.”
Neal snorts.“What are you trying to tell me? That I don’t have a soul?”
“No, I´m convinced you have one, but I can´t see it.”
“Oh. .. Isn´t that weird?” Neal seems a bit taken aback by Peter´s openness.
“Well if you mean, that this is a first. Yes, it is. I have never come across a creature whose soul I couldn´t see.”
Neal can see Peter studying him. Does he know what his real power is? Probably not. He just needs to be more careful around Peter.
“You look tired, why don´t you take a nap. You are still recuperating.”
“Good idea.” Neal agrees and makes himself comfortable on the ottoman. It doesn´t take long before Neal´s breathing evens out and he is sound asleep. Peter is once again stunned by the angel like appearance of Neal when he sleeps. He takes a plaid of the couch and gently lowers it over Neal. He picks up a book he is reading and before he knows it, it is also asleep.
When he wakes, it is dusk and he gets up preparing dinner. The noise in the kitchen must have woken Neal, because he enters the kitchen offering to help.
During dinner they discuss the case.
“So we are looking for a pock-mark faced, ginger angel. Their shouldn´t be too many of those around.”
“Yes, but you should be careful, as he works with a necromancer. We don´t know how powerful this creature is.”
“You are right. I will ask around discretely.”
Suddenly Peter remembers something and walks over to a brown paper bag in the kitchen.
“Neal, I forgot, but I got you something.” Peter hands over the bag.
Neal curiously looks in and his face brightens. He takes out a sketchbook and some pencils.
“Thanks Peter.”
“I didn´t know if these are OK, but the clerk told me they were good quality.”
Neal is already sketching and Peter can see the concentration on his face. He can also sense the happiness radiating from Neal.
Continue.