Our re-emergence into the world as found was far more dramatic that I had ever intended. We had slipped over a small garden fence and then through the tree line before spilling out onto the outskirts of a large housing development. The area where the hatch was located was one of the few pockets of undeveloped land which had not been developed into cookie cutter houses.
It shook me to the core. All the time we had been below ground and were being subjected to horrors, we were in such close proximity to people. We had been so close to perfect nuclear families living out their perfectly normal lives.
It started with a twitch of the curtains. I supposed we were a sight to see. Each of us probably looked like we needed a good wash and had gone through a few matches in the boxing ring. And my wings, which I had folded against my back, were slapping against my body with every step that I took.
A man who had stepped out of his front door with a newspaper tucked under his arm, paused with one foot raised in the air as his eyes fell upon me. He blinked and quickly pulled the paper from under his arm, his eyes looking between me and the paper. He mouth fell open, his eyes stopping on me in disbelief.
"Wait here a minute." I murmured to the group behind me, detaching the children from my legs.
Crossing the path, I held my wings close to my body and tried to put a warm smile on my face in an attempt to make myself look as unthreatening as possible. My sword had already faded from sight leaving me empty hands. The greying man, with slicked back hair, perfectly polished shoes and pressed business suit, gaped as I stopped a few feet away.
"Babe, you forgot your lu..." A woman called out loudly, her voice trailing off as she emerged from the house and her eyes fell upon me standing a few feet away from her partner. "Oh my."
"Can you help us? We have some injured people with us so we need to get help." I asked, looking from her to the suited man.
The woman, whose hair was vibrant red despite the number of lines on her face, took one look over my shoulder and gasped, her hand covering her mouth.
"Of course, dear." She murmured, her eyes flipping to the man at her side. "Bob, go and call Sheila, tell her we need food and medical help here urgently." When he just stood there, she swatted him around the head. "Hurry up."
Chastened by his wife, he hurried back into the house his newspaper and briefcase still in hand.
"I know it's a strange question, but what day is it?" I murmured, coming to stand beside the red head as several neighbours emerged out on to the street.
"It is Monday." She replied, her head turning to look at me.
"They had me more than a week."
"Who had you?" The woman asked, her hand resting on my arm. Her touch was gentle and feather light as if she was afraid to touch me.
Grimly, I turned my head towards her. I was sure the expression on my face told a lot more than words ever could as I felt her fingers tremble before they squeezed my arm. "Some really bad people."
"We'll get you all sorted now. Don't worry about anything at all." The older woman comforted me, her voice hushing into soothing tones which filtered through me. "Now you need to make a phone call – people have been looking for you."
When I frowned, the woman shook her head and pulled a phone from her pocket and placed it into my hand.
"Call now. You can ask me questions afterwards. I think you have some people who are very worried about you."
With those parting words, the woman wandered over to the other escapees.
I stared at the simple handset within my grasp. I smiled at the fact it was a simple phone, pre-dating colour screens and internet. It had been years since I had last used a Nokia 3210 but I used it with ease.
Dialling from memory,, I bit my lip as the call rang and rang. Just when I was sure the phone was going to click over to voicemail, his voice was thee. It filtered down the phone line and caressed my ears like a love song.
"Hello?"
"Lucius?" I asked, my voice wavering as I spoke.
"Savannah. Oh thank God. I've been so worried about you." Lucius voice rushed down the phone line. "Where are you?"
I glanced around and frowned. "I don't know. I have no idea where I am." Blue flashing lights and sirens announced the arrival of the local police force. "The police are here now so I have a feeling everyone will know where we are soon enough."
"We?"
"I found the kidnapped people." I closed my eyes before murmuring, "the ones who were still alive that is."
"Who was it?" Lucius asked. His voice soft yet there was steel behind his words. He wanted answers.
"I only recognised one man. He was the man from the shelter. Speak to my assistant – she'll remember." I raised a shaky hand and ran it down my face as once again the children rushed forwards and wrapped their arms around my waist, their faces nuzzling into my stomach.
Glancing up, I watched as a stern looking man dressed in standard issue police uniform detached from the small group of black clad men and women to approach me. He was older, looking to be in his fifties if the lines on his face and the shock of silver hair were anything to go by. He was a man who had seen many horrors and it was clear the man had an inkling of what we had faced.
The children, catching sight of the grim look on the man's face, squeaked and burrowed their faces into my stomach once more. I winced as my flesh was still tender. The doctor had removed a section of my skin from the precise spot where the small girl nuzzled her face and no matter how much healing my body could do in a day, it wasn't enough to take away the painful sting as the scabs ruptured and the wound opened once more.
Even as I felt the pain, I stroked the back of the small girl's head and held her to me. Comfort was the only thing I could offer her.
"I have to go but we'll discuss this later. We may have escaped and the man who hurt me may be gone, but this problem is so much bigger." I whispered before ending the call.
I had no doubt Lucius and the others would be here sooner rather than later. He wouldn't stay away and I didn't want him to.
"Miss Holmes, I am Superintendent Shipper. I am pleased to see you alive and well." The older man said, coming to stop a safe distance away. His eyes fell to the children still clinging desperately to my waist.
"And I'm glad to be found." I murmured before pulling the children around from my waist so that they were facing the police man.
Sensing the fear in the children, he smiled softly so that his entire face transformed. He dropped down into a crouch so that he was at their eye level. "Hello, I'm Mark."
"I'm Keir and this is Miki." The boy stated as he looked directly at the policeman and shook the outstretched hand. His back was straight and his chin lifted, he looked so much older in that moment.
"It's nice to meet you Keir." Mark replied, his eyes warm even though a touch of sadness lingered within their depths. "I want to help you get home. Can you tell me where you live? Or your parent's names?"
Keir shook his head, his dark hair falling over his eyes, as he looked into the old man's face. His bottom lip trembled before he uttered words which broke my heart.
"My parents are gone. They got shot by the bad man."
I pulled little Miki into my side as the police officer solemnly nodded his head.
"I see. Well, I want you to come with me. You can tell me about the bad man who shot your parents and then maybe we can find them so they are unable to help anyone else." Mark said slowly, before tilting his head to the side so he could look into the boys lowered gaze. "Do you think you can help me with that?"
"No, but I can show you." He turned his head and looked up at me. "She locked him up with the sleeping lady."
I closed my eyes and cursed the fact that I wasn't a cold out and out killer – that I hadn't had the strength to run the evil git through with my sword when I had had the chance.
"What does the boy mean?"
I opened my eyes and only just stopped myself from cussing. "One of the guards, he tried to tranquilise me again, I knocked him out and locked him in the cell with the body he had just brutalised."
"Can you show me? Can you take us there?"
I shivered and felt horror sweep through me. It was too soon. Far too soon to relive the horrors but if I didn't, who would?
"I can try. I wasn't keeping track of the way out." My hand shook ever so slight and the man caught it but tactfully didn't comment on it. "I just wanted to get us all out."
He kept me talking for another twenty of so minutes, the number of people gathered on the street getting larger and larger though only the police officers had attempted to mingle with the escapees. It was only when a group of women arrived on scene with food and drinks that the invisible wall broke down and people started to mingle with one another.
"Thank you." He said instead, rising to his feet and allowing Keir to cuddle into my side once more. "Some ambulances will be here shortly to take a look at you all so we can see who needs to be taken to the hospital. We want to get statements from all of you as well."
I nodded my head before looking past his shoulder as a car roared around the corner. There were no flashing lights or sirens to announce its arrival just the high powered rumble of its engine. It screeched to a halt and then doors were being thrown open. Lucius, Castiel, Binah and even the power twins spilled from the car. They were dressed in ordinary clothes but looking no less impressive. Each one of them appeared to be scanning the gathered crowd, their eyes searching.
Lucius didn't need to search. Those blue eyes quickly snapped to me like they were magnetised. Without another word to the policeman standing before me, who had stopped talking about the same time the car had screeched to a halt, I pulled up the two children into my arms and ran. I was sure I looked like an odd sight, a winged woman running full pelt with two kids clinging to my neck, but I couldn't bear to cause the orphaned children any more distress and yet I couldn't wait a moment more.
Lucius slapped the keys to his car against Castiel's chest before jogging to meet me halfway. Regardless of the fact that I had children in my arms, he pulled me into his arms hugging me tightly. I relished the warmth and comfort of his hold, longed to wrap my arms around him. Pulling away, Lucius looked down at me his gaze drinking me in before he leant forwards.
I forgot how to breathe.
As his lips pressed against mine, all thought fled and I could only concentrate on the sensations. Warmth flooded through me, radiating outwards from the point where our lips met. My eyes were wide for a second as I stared at the face I loved so much, disbelief that it was really happening, and then I allowed my eyes to close.
It was brief, a kiss filled with relief and desperation. It was a kiss which told so many things. My heart felt whole for the first time in what felt like forever. And I felt safe. It was amazing how much a simple touch of lips could undo me – strip me down to the bone so thoroughly that I felt exposed and cherished at the same time. It was the magic of Lucius Satani. There was no doubt in my mind that another person couldn't invoke the same reaction within me.
I sighed against his lips pressing closer, needing to hold him closer but unable to with the two small people wrapped in my arms.
Lucius broke the kiss but did not pull away. He just leant his forehead against mine in a gesture of intimacy. I opened my eyes and drew in a hasty gulp of air. He was so close that all I could focus on was him.
"I missed you." I murmured, staring deep into his eyes.
"I thought I had lost you. I even summoned the wonder boys to check you were still alive."
"Wonder boys? Do you mean Gabriel and Zeke? Are they here?"
His fingers brushed strands of hair out of my eyes before he smiled sadly at me. "Yes and no. They had to return. They only came long enough to tell me that you were still alive and not to give up hope before they had to go back."
I closed my eyes breathed deeply. It wanted to see them but it was the news they could give me which was most appealing. I need to know about my son – I needed news soon. I felt complete with Lucius yet there was still a small part of me that was missing. I knew he was safe and was being cared for but it would never feel right until I could hold my little boy in my arms again.
Two gigging children drew my attention back to the present. Despite being caught between Lucius and me, both kids appeared relatively happy. Keir had even taken to wrapping an arm around Lucius' neck while the other remained wrapped around mine. It kept us wrapped up together in a strange group hug.
Tickling the boy, I looked up at Lucius and smiled. He was staring at me in a way that he hadn't before. I smiled and shook my head.
The sound of more sirens and flashing lights brought reality crashing back. The ambulances, which had roared onto the suburban streets, pulled to a stop a few feet away. Immediately the paramedics hopped from the vehicles to start attending to the patients. I watched them for a few moments, a young woman immediately honing in on the battered white haired man.
"Reality has come knocking it appears." Lucius murmured before pressing a last kiss on my lips. "Do what you need to do. I'll be here with the kids."
I almost laughed out loud. The way he uttered those words were utterly domestic. It couldn't have been any further form the man I had met on my first day of Satani media.
Still, I transferred Keir and Miki to his hold, both of the young children accepting the transfer with ease. Both children, although still haunted by the events they had endured, were resilient. They smiled at the gently teasing from Lucius. Castiel appeared to have captured the small girl's attention as she removed her arms from Lucius' neck and held her arms out to him.
The normally stoic man stepped forwards and took her into his arms. Uncomfortable was the only word for the look which crossed his face. Raising her little hand, Miki pressed one hand against the fallen angel's cheek. He closed his eyes and leant into her touch. It just about broke my heart. He was such a broken man. He needed this, the simple touch and comfort of another person – getting him to accept that was another matter.
Shaking my head, I left them to comfort one another and instead turned my head to the other escapees. Just in time too.
Caspar was waving the paramedic away as she tried to treat his wounds. The woman was trying to be patient but I could see her faltering fast. The man's jaw was clenched in such a way that I doubted he would be giving in any time soon.
"I've got to go." I murmured just as more vehicles turned into the street. I could have groaned aloud. It was the last thing any of us needed. "Who called the media?"