Sometimes ignorance is a bliss

The time: early afternoon. Drayce tossed and turned in his bed for what felt like an eternity. He tried to rest as Fiona suggested, but his mind flooded with anxiety, uncertainty, dread, even a little fear. He had come this far, and if Fiona delivered on her promise, he would know exactly what happened to Phoebe in a matter of hours.

Drayce also thought about the journey getting here. To think, not long ago, he had no clue of the existence of demons or angels. Now they were his everyday companions.

He reminisced his time with Fiona. How they met; the 'fun' they had in the shower and with Stacy and Anariel; the 'not quite as fun' times in the park and in Penny's apartment. While not always pleasant, those were among the most vivid moments of his life, and no matter what happened tonight, he could never forget.

Drayce found himself unable to sleep. He drifted into his kitchen, made a pot of too-bitter coffee, and sat at the table piled high with Phoebe's case files. He sifted through the files and photos one last time, more to pass the time than make headway. He had wasted too much time like this already.

If only he had met Fiona sooner...

Hours passed inexorably. Drayce became stir-crazy and impatient the later it got. Sunset encased the apartment windows in darkness. Drayce retrieved the jar containing the priest Gabriel's heart from the refrigerator, along with the vial of virgin's essence, and the angel feather. He eased into his living-room couch and placed the items on the coffee table, compulsively staring at them as he awaited Fiona's arrival.

Drayce's heartbeat skipped at the familiar noise of his walls vibrating. She had finally arrived! A glowing gateway appeared in his living room and admitted the superbly sexy succubus Fiona, dressed in her short black summer dress, knee high boots, thigh high stockings, and leather jacket.

"It's about time!" Drayce growled impatiently.

"I needed the rest," she yawned, staring at the coffee table. "I see you're ready to go."

"Yes. So, what's going to happen? Anything I should know about?"

Fiona sat on the couch next to him. She crossed her legs languidly. "It's quite simple, really. I perform the ritual and you ask Phoebe who killed her."

"What?!" Drayce shouted. "Ask her? Phoebe? She's dead! You said yourself she was gone no matter what."

"Yes, that's true. Since she's gone our ritual will bring her back."

Drayce looked at Fiona with contempt. "Do you mean to tell me, after all this time, this ritual is to desecrate my wife's grave and resurrect her from the dead?"

"You're over-thinking things," Fiona laughed. "Let me be clear: we're not 'resurrecting' anyone. Not even an Aspect could accomplish such a feat."

Fiona turned to Drayce and grabbed his hands. "Look. When Phoebe died, her soul became one with the planet. Over time, a soul will separate into smaller and smaller fragments until nothing is left. Fortunately, Phoebe's death wasn't that long ago, so her energy hasn't dissipated yet. This ritual will summon those fragments back together to form an apparition we can speak to."

"By apparition you mean... ghost?"

Fiona nodded. "More or less, yes."

Drayce collected his thoughts. "Will it... will it really be her?"

"Yes. However, you won't have much time to get the information you require. The ritual consumes the soul energy of the one summoned at an accelerated rate. I estimate five to ten minutes before she's gone forever."

Drayce's heart ached at the thought of 'gone forever'. It would be goodbye forever this time. In the back of his mind, Drayce wondered if he would have the strength to see her fade into nothingness.

Fiona stood from the couch. "Are you ready? We need to go where she is buried, so I will let you drive us there."

Drayce collected the reagents from the coffee table. "Before we go -- I just wanted to say thank you, for everything."

Fiona shook her head. "You may not be thanking me after tonight."

He looked at her, puzzled. "Why?"

Fiona paused. "Nothing. Sometimes ignorance is a bliss."

*****

A dour rain pounded them on the drive to Evergreen Cemetery where Phoebe's body was buried. Drayce and Fiona stepped from his car and walked through soggy grass to Phoebe's grave, their path occasionally illuminated by bright flashes of lightning.

"Is this storm going to be a problem?" Drayce asked, pulling his trench coat over his head.

Fiona was completely unconcerned with the storm. Her long hair and thin black dress, completely soaked, blew wildly in the savage wind. "Actually, it will be beneficial. Lightning will hide our presence here. How much further?"

"It's just over there," Drayce pointed.

The storm's fury mounted. They stood before the headstone marked "Phoebe Knight". Fierce gusts slashed at Drayce's clothing as if some cautionary force was trying to warn him away. He braced against the storm, lest he tumble over from the wind's wicked power.

Fiona knelt to gather the pile of dead flowers Drayce had left and toss them to the wind. "Let's get started, shall we?"

Drayce nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"First, I need you to place your wedding ring on the headstone."

"My wedding ring?" he protested."

Fiona scowled through her wet blowing hair. "I require something with a strong emotional attachment to her. Your ring is the obvious choice. Without it, we cannot proceed."

Drayce gazed at the ring on his finger, the symbol of the happiest moment in his life. He briefly pondered over how much he had to give up in order to find the answers he desperately sought. This was all that was left of her.

"Drayce. The ring," Fiona demanded.

Making his decision, he slowly twisted the ring from his finger and placed it on the headstone.

"Good. Now hand me the heart."

Following her instructions, Drayce handed over the small jar that contained Gabriel's heart. She unscrewed the tight lid and held the raw bloody organ in her left hand. It seemed to smoke slightly.

Fiona chanted demonic words. Her bloody hand glowed in a faint purple light. As she channeled her magic, she squeezed the heart, drawing a pentagram-like symbol on the ground with congealed blood. The blood eerily stayed in place, never washing away despite the fierce storm.

"Now, the feather and the essence," Fiona commanded, holding out her demanding right hand.

Drayce passed her the items. Fiona grasped the vial in her bloody hand and dipped the angel's feather in the virgin's essence with the other. The feather sparkled and shone brightly, illuminating the dark cemetery in uncanny light. Holding the feather high, Fiona shouted more demonic verses as loud thunderbolts crackled.

☆