"Yeah well, I got to thinking." Adam sat up, leaning on his elbows. "You were right, I haven't been there for you. That's why I had to take my shot and do this for you."

"I never asked you to go on a suicide mission."

"It would have been worth it." He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it before laying back down again.

"I fail to see how it would be worth it for you to die without producing the child," Sam frowned, following the conversation with interest.

"You're both forgetting something," Adam smirked. "It worked. I know exactly where Bunny is."

I almost smiled over his usage of the nickname Bunny, it was the first time he'd done so. I was too distracted by his claim. "Does Lucifer have her in h.e.l.l?" How in the blazes were we going to get her back?

"Nope."

"Then where...?"

"We had it a.s.s backwards. It wasn't demons or fallen angels that did this to us, it was the other side."

"The other side." My jaw dropped at the implication. "Then you mean..."

"The angels have her."

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

"She's in heaven? Does that mean she died?" It was almost too awful to say out loud.

"No, that's not what it means at all," Adam was quick to interject. "She's alive and well, holed up with Nathanael and his flunkies."

"How do you know that's where she is? I mean, how did you figure it out?"

"Lucifer clued me in. He was actually pretty helpful."

"Are you sure we can trust him?" That crack from Sam about me being naive still stung.

"No, but I believe him. He'd have no reason to lie to me. If she's not there I'll go back and dip him head first into the lake of fire, and I'm pretty sure he knows that."

Even though technically we weren't any closer to reaching Bunny, I have to admit I felt better knowing she was with angels, no matter how screwed up their ethics were. "Nathanael... I knew he had it in for me, but to not only kidnap but erase her entire existence from the world... that's cold."

"That rat b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Sam spat out and Adam and I both shot him a surprised look. "To abuse the power of creation thusly..." he growled.

"Power of creation?" I wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded a lot more positive than dark magic as Adam suspected. "Is that how he did the amnesia thing?"

"It isn't often used because it's a pretty big deal, but occasionally the order comes down to do a cosmic reset and angels have limited abilities to affect the fabric of reality," Adam explained, and my eyes narrowed at him.

"And you didn't think to mention this to me before? We should have started looking for her there first!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't even think of it. His hands came up in supplication. "How was I supposed to know our kid justified s.c.r.e.w.i.n.g with the world like that?"

"The signs were all there," Sam muttered. "Mercy's right, we should have seen it."

"Okay, it doesn't much matter now. How do we get her back? Do we march right up to heaven and storm the pearly gates?"

"They're not keeping her in heaven, she's in Eden."

"As in the garden of?"

"Yep."

"Of course," Sam nodded. "It makes perfect sense. No man may trespa.s.s there. Remember the words of the prophecy, From her issue will arise a new race of man, free from Original Sin. She could abide there in peace and tranquility. An ideal place to raise the babe."

"But we can go there, right?" I insisted, already getting to my feet, a new sense of excitement pulsing through me.

"You bet your sweet a.s.s we can." Adam's grin stretched wide as he joined me. He looked to the window where the sun was just emerging over the tops of the buildings in the distance. "We'll have her back by lunch."

It turns out Eden is right here on Earth.

No dimensional portals, no magic spells, just in a valley in Northern Syria. Syria sounded exotic enough to me, and I wasn't sure how we'd get there as quickly as Adam predicted. The boys a.s.sured me it was easy peasey though, as long as you knew where to look. We took to the skies, flying super fast, but once again navigation proved too much for me to handle. Just because my body had enough Grace to make the trek didn't mean my mind could wrap itself around that level of speed. All it took was Adam's steady hand to lead the way though and they were right, it was easy to maintain the pace for hours. I didn't even break a sweat.

I wasn't sure I'd see the valley at first. Sam said it was hidden from human eyes, but I guess that proved just how far from human I'd become when I saw the green rolling hills plain as day, smack dab in the middle of the dessert.

The air felt palpably different as we crossed some unseen barrier. The heat of the sun diminished and a cool, sweet breeze blew through the trees. All kinds of trees. Not well suited to the desert, but there they were, huge oaks and sycamores dotted the landscape mixed in with towering redwoods and drooping willows. Four rivers bisected the valley, the water crystal clear and inviting, and there were all manner of wildlife ranging over the hills. It was like G.o.d's own private game reserve hidden away from the real world and I couldn't help but wonder if I'd find unicorns running free.

We slowed to a manageable speed as we approached, and I was struck by the strangest sense of deja vu. "I've been here before."

"You have? Without us?" Sam's face fell in disappointment.

"No, I mean, I've seen this before... maybe in a dream... oh!" All at once I knew where I'd seen those same rolling hills before. In the Ether. "This was Azazael's dreams.p.a.ce in the Ether. Remember, Adam?"

"Oh yeah, it does look like it, doesn't it?" he agreed. "It wouldn't be exactly here though, just a reasonable facsimile. I think we'd better fly lower now, you never know who might be about." Still holding fast to my hand, he brought me with him, and Sam followed suit.

"How do we know where to look? I didn't see any houses or settlements when we were up high." It didn't mean there weren't some sprinkled in the trees, but if we couldn't use height to our advantage, it could take a long time to search the entire valley.

"There are none," Sam replied. "Man didn't have houses when they lived here. There are no harsh elements to survive in Eden, the worst you'll find here is a gentle rain."

"So... is this like Club Med for you guys? Angels only? You can hang out and not be bugged by dirty humans?"

"No, 'tis a lonely place," Sam shook his head, but Adam disagreed.

"I don't know about that, I've spent a fair amount of time here. It's a good place to come and think, unwind. Sometimes being alone is just what the doctor ordered."

Something about the way Adam said that made me think he'd been hiding out in Eden after leaving me. I could picture him lying on a gra.s.sy knoll looking up at the sky. No need to eat or sleep, the gentle rain coming and going, and him just staring up at the clouds. Maybe that was an overly romanticized way of looking at it though; he'd more likely gone to Bangkok to let off a little steam.

"So, how do we go about doing this?" I asked, dragging my mind away from thinking of him going back to his debauching ways.

"We can't hide," Adam replied. "I say we split up. If anyone spots anything, then you sing out and we'll come find you. But no one acts on their own." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Okay, okay, I promise." I crossed my heart with a single finger. "Same goes for you then too. No more taking off on your own to play the hero."

We went our separate ways, staying low so as not to be easily spotted. I stuck to the trees, figuring they wouldn't keep her out in the open just in case someone discovered their hiding place. Apart from some interesting wildlife, I didn't spot anyone, angelic or otherwise. It struck me that Adam was right, it was a very peaceful place. Perfect for quiet reflecting should the occasion call for it. Not that I expected to pop over whenever I wanted peace and quiet. I wasn't even sure I could find the place again on my own.

Forced to go on foot when the trees became impossibly dense, I started to worry we'd been given some bad intel. Consider the source... I knew Lucifer had an unhealthy interest in the baby. What if it was all a ploy to keep us on a never ending goose chase while he did... whatever he planned to do with her?

The sound of my name being whispered through the trees drew my full attention, and my head whipped around, trying to pinpoint the origin. I could tell it was Sam, and I could tell there was an undercurrent of excitement to his tone, but the way it reverberated through the trees made it difficult to track.

"Merceline..." It came again, and I decided to stop listening and trust my instincts. Closing my eyes, I let my feet carry me where I needed to go, rising into the air when the trees thinned out. I spotted him crouched by an outcropping of rocks overlooking a meadow down below, but there was no sign of the baby anywhere.

"What is it?" I asked when I landed by his side and Sam immediately shushed me.

"They are near."

"Near where?" I peered below across the empty meadow.

Adam stepped out of a copse of trees, running towards us in a half crouch. "You're right, they're in there alright. Come on, this way." He turned and loped back in the direction he'd come. I followed without question, mirroring his actions as best I could until we reached the edge of the meadow and a cave opening became visible on the edge of the trees.

"Is that where she is? In that cave?" My heart slammed against my chest as a shot of adrenaline hit me. Were we really that close?

"Yep, that's it. Now we have to be quiet..." Adam started to say, but I didn't want to hear it.

"You actually saw her?"

"Actually, I heard her. She's got a set of lungs on her you wouldn't believe," he smirked, and I felt a pang at missing her first cries.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get her!" I started up out of my crouch, but they each grabbed a hold of my arms, pulling me back down. One or the other I could have taken but with both of them holding onto me, I had trouble breaking free. "Let go of me," I hissed, eyes narrowing in anger.

"Be at peace," Sam said, and I could feel him sending me calming Grace. I didn't want it though, I wanted that adrenaline to give me the surge of energy I needed to run in there and take my baby back. "Now is not the time for folly."

"I only saw one angel with her, but there could easily be more of them," Adam whispered at my ear. "We want this to go as smooth as possible, right? That means stealth is our friend."

I heard the logic in his words, but part of me wanted to charge off anyway. Instead, I forced a slow, calming breath, giving them a short nod. "Alright, what's the plan?"

"First we get closer to the mouth of the cave and see what we can see."

You know that scene in the Wizard of Oz where they're stalking the castle, trying to figure out how to get in there to steal the witch's broom? That's exactly what I felt like. Completely out of my depth, but pretending to move forward like I had a clue because I had to get in there. I guess that made Sam the scarecrow, Adam the tin man and me Dorothy by default. In a way all I wanted to do was go home, but with Bunny in my arms.

At one point I heard a tiny cry on the breeze and I froze, emotion welling so thick I nearly choked on it. She really was in there! The three of us crouched near the entrance to the cave, and I could see a blonde angel sitting cross legged on a woven blanket, rocking a bundle wrapped in a pink fuzzy blanket. He crooned softly to the baby, his face full of joy, and I spared a moment of thankful prayer she'd at least been taken care of by someone who didn't treat her like an abomination the way Nathanael thought of me.

There were baby supplies scattered around the cave. Diapers, bottles - synthetic materials looking horribly out of place in the primitive setting. I recognized the collapsible playpen and the fat stuffed penguin right away. "They stole our stuff!" I gasped in outrage.

"They stole our baby, and you're mad about the stuff?" Adam snorted.

"Shhh!" Sam chided us and we fell silent. "I'll approach him first. There may be more of them deeper in the caves." I wanted to protest that I should be the one to go get her, but he was right, best to let him approach. The angel might not freak out as much.

"Samael?" The angel's eyes stretched wide with surprise, but not suspicion when Sam stepped into the cave. "How came you here?"

"I had to see it with my own eyes. Is that the prophesized child?"

"She is," he smiled beatifically. "Can you not see her light?"

I couldn't see much, but I did see a shock of dark hair atop a round pink face, a warm golden nimbus marking her as more than human.

"I see it," Sam smiled, moving closer. "May I hold her?"

The angel held the baby protectively in his arms, rising to his feet. "I'm not to let any touch her until Nathanael returns. There are those that seek to corrupt her."

"Surely you don't think I am among those who would corrupt an innocent child." Sam's voice was pitched low and soothing, but the other angel took a step backwards.

"You are among the Fallen, you are not to be trusted."

"And you think you follow a better path? Ripping a child from the arms of its mother?"

"Nathanael never said..."

"No, he never does," Adam called out, rising and entering the cave. Not to be left behind, I followed, wondering when the unseen signal was given that it was time to leave our hiding place. "How could you let this come to pa.s.s, brother?" Adam said sternly.

"Adamiel, and..." His eyes widened when he recognized me. "It's you."

"Yeah, it's me." I stepped into the cave, my eyes on the bundle at first until I realized I recognized the guy. "Hey, I know him. I know you. You were at that angelic jamboree, the meeting out near Seattle, right?" He'd been among the circle of angels I'd met that day.

"Yes, I am Davael," he smiled sunnily.

"It's real great to see you again, Davy, but I think you have something that belongs to me." I took a step closer, moving slowly.

"I can't allow you to take her." His face clouded with what looked like genuine regret. "Nathanael was most specific."

"Be reasonable, Davael. There are three of us, and only two of you and I think the baby's actually on our side." Adam circled around to his other side, advancing slowly. "There's no way this doesn't end with my daughter returned to her mother. So how about you hand her over nice and peaceful like so she can continue her nap and maybe I'll forget about your involvement in this?"

"I... I..." Davael's head toggled back and forth as all three of us advanced on him, but I'm the one who lost my patience and broke ranks first. Rushing forward, I delivered a swift boot to his crotch. I was willing to bet he'd never been kicked in the jumblies before, and Davael predictably doubled over, allowing me to pluck Bunny from his arms without a fight. Hey, war is h.e.l.l. And we were definitely at war. Between G.o.d sending the Angel of Death to kill me and then kidnapping my child, we were definitely on opposing sides.

I heard Adam make a commiserating sound as Davael crumpled to the ground, but mostly I was absorbed in seeing my daughter for the first time. As much as I wanted to pull open the blanket and inspect her all over, I contented myself with gazing into her sweet face, laying a kiss to her soft forehead while her shock of dark hair tickled my nose. So beautiful...

I became aware of Adam standing by my side, and I shifted my hold on her so he could see her better. "Adam, I would like you to meet your daughter, Eve. Evie, say h.e.l.lo to your daddy."

There were no cracks about the name I'd picked, nothing but wonder in Adam's face as he laid a hand to the top of her head. "We did this. We made her," he said in amazement.

"Yep. Whatever you can say about our trainwreck of a relationship, we at least did one thing right," I sighed, my heart melting when she snuffled in her sleep.

"As much as I hate to interrupt the family reunion, we should continue it elsewhere. It's not safe here," Sam insisted, herding us to the mouth of the cave. Right on cue, Davael wheezed, fighting his way to his knees, giving a curious whistle.

"He's right, we'd better get out of here." Adam's eyes lost their dreamy cast, hardening as he looked to the mouth of the cave. "Before it's..."

"Too late..." Sam echoed as Nathanael descended into the center of the meadow outside, flanked by half a dozen other angels.