On Broken Wings

~25~

"Aww! Gabriel, you're my masterpiece!" His eyes light up and he grabs a more delicate brush from its perch behind his ear. He looks down at a large glob of red on his chest and swirls the brush in the paint.

He steps forward, brush poised and eyes serious. "Do you trust me?"

I nod and swallow at the shift in the atmosphere. He comes so close I can feel his breath, and paints a swirl down the left side of my face. He repeats it on the right, and then begins painting me in earnest.

"Siri, play me my jams." Gabriel's phone lights up, and soon, a jazz singer croons through the speakers while he continues his new project...me. The beautiful song catches my heart, and I begin to sway as it draws near the end.

Almost of their own volition, my feet begin to move, sliding along the canvas drop cloth with swoops and spins that follow the phrasing of Julie London's sultry voice. As she cries her river of tears through song, I close my eyes and move along with her sorrow. Gabriel's gasp pulls me out of the moment, and when I open my eyes, he's furiously scrolling through his playlist. As the first notes of haunting guitar echo through our living room, tears spring to my eyes and Gabriel wraps his arms around me. We sway at first, and then he steps away as the first words of the song tumble from his lips.

"Well I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord..."

He motions with his hand for me to dance, and he squeezes a small puddle of blue and purple paint onto the floor in front of my bare feet. Understanding what he wants, I slide my toes into the color, letting the haunting song that calles out to my heart take over.

"Well it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth. The minor fall, and the major lift. The baffled King composing Hallelujah..."

Memories slam through me.

McCoy.

My stepmother.

"Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Halle-lu-uuu-uu-jah..."

As I dance, Gabriel occasionally adds paint to the floor, singing the whole while along with Jeff Buckley to Leonard Cohen's immortal ballad. My mind drifts back to that day in the park with Meg as I danced for the first time since fleeing my previous life. It was the first time I really knew who I was, and it was the first time my heart had felt free.

I spin and leap, letting the song dictate my movement, and remember the moment when I learned I'd lost a baby I never knew I had.

"It's not a cry that you hear at night, it's not somebody who's seen the light. It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah."

I fall to my knees, heartbreak spearing through me, stealing my breath and doubling me over as broken sobs are torn from me. As the song fades into silence, I feel a healing warmth move through me with Gabriel's arms wrapped around me and magnificent swirls of paint surrounding us on the floor.

"You're okay, Sang. You're safe here."

Gabriel keeps whispering into my hair, and soon, my tears dry up. I pull away, glancing up into his hypnotizing blue eyes, and let out a sigh that feels more like relief than anything else.

"I know I am. That was"--I struggle with finding the right word.

"Therapeutic?" he supplies. I nod and he pulls me into his lap. "I understand, Sang. You're an artist like me. It's how we express ourselves, and how we allow the world to see inside of our souls." He stands and sets me on my feet. "Look." He gestures to the drop cloth beneath us and I lean back into his embrace as I take in the result of his art meeting mine.

"It's beautiful."

I feel his nod behind me, and after a beat, he begins to chuckle. "Not that I intended it like this, but I finally have an excuse to take you shopping for some new clothes!" I turn around and raise an eyebrow at him. He tugs at the hem of my tank, and it makes a squelching noise as it peels away from my skin. "These pj's are ruined!" He's positively filled with glee, and I can't help but smile.

We're both laughing when the front door opens and Silas and Sean walk in.

"Um, Gabe?" Sean skirts the edge of the canvas on the floor and motions for me to twirl. "I know I suggested you paint her, but this isn't exactly what I meant."

I press my lips together but end up bursting out again with laughter. Silas shakes his head at us and snaps a picture with his phone that I am almost certain will soon be sent out to everyone. I sass him and strike a pose, flipping my paint-sodden hair out of my face. He grins and I hear a rapid-fire clicking as he takes several more photos. He turns his phone so I can see the screen, and my eyes are drawn to the painting under me. From Silas' height, it's even more extraordinary. Gabriel leans over my shoulder to see, and hums with approval.

"That's it! Everyone out!" He throws me over his shoulder and carefully steps away from the tarp, before handing me off to Silas, who doesn't seem to mind that I'm covered in paint. "I need to let this dry, and then I'm taking it to my workshop! I'm mounting this canvas and it's going on the wall."

Silas grins at me, and Sean and Gabriel start talking about where it's going to hang. "Have I told you about the red ship that crashed into the blue ship, Aggele?"

I shake my head and his grin grows wider. "The entire crew was marooned!"

"Oi, Si! Don't fill her head with those asinine jokes. Get her to the bath." Gabriel wagged his finger at me. "Don't wash your hair with the shit in there, Sang. I'll bring you some of the stuff I use to get the paint out without leaving pigment behind." He waves me off, and I smile as Silas begins to march down the hallway like an exaggerated soldier.

I giggle and salute Gabriel before we round the corner. This morning turned out to be much better than I thought, and my mood is much lighter now.

Who knew I could paint?

***