“You can't be serious.” Daniel stared across the room at the man that sat and drank his coffee. The short walk from the rooms with the tapestries to the dining area felt hard, but were minuscule in comparison to what bomb was just dropped on him. “That's him?” Matilda smiled and nodded. The cowherd was now dressed lavishly, but what was even more impressive was the sheer look of content on his face at the woman seated by him.

“That─ is the guy that fucked us all over?” he sputtered. “The same,” she drawled. Daniel stared at the man for the first time, trying to get a good look at his face. His warm brown eyes, and dark hair perfectly complimented his fair skin. He was as beautiful as he was masculine, and his lightly tanned skin further accentuated its softness. It wasn’t just the fact that the man looked kind that unnerved him, it was that his face held some sort of─ familiarity to it. Where had Daniel seen him before? It was right on the tip of his tongue.

Matilda walked next to the man and smiled across at Daniel. “Trying to remember, but you can’t just yet─ can you?” He shook his head, feeling frustrated. Matilda had this way about her that she knew everything you were thinking, even if you didn’t say it out loud. It was seriously starting to piss him off. “Don’t you worry about that. It’ll come to you, just give yourself more time to find your footing.” She brushed herself off, staring down at the couple. “This whole discovering yourself nonsense doesn’t happen as quickly as most of us would like” she finished. And there it was─ her ability to not only piss him off, but calm him down in the next sentence. Damn her witchy ways. “Daniel?” the sincerity in her voice, and the oddness of hearing his first name from her made him squirm. He glanced at the couple as they both stood from the table and walked from the kitchen. “Yeah?” he said. “When you do feel something, it─” she trailed off, her voice shaky and quiet. “Just. Don’t be alone when it happens.” She said. He nodded slowly, failing to meet her eyes. Out of all the meetings he had had with Matilda, this had to have been the most awkward. He cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head, “I do actually feel something.” He said. Her eyebrows furrowed, “What’s that?” she asked. “Hungry. Can we eat?” Matilda cackled and slapped him across the shoulders. “Boy, I oughta whip you!” She flashed them out of the room and they were back in the small café.

After a few seconds the room finally stopped spinning. Daniel looked around the room and relaxed. No one had noticed that two people had just poofed into the room. Matilda’s eyes gleamed as she let go of his hand. “We haven’t left this room” she said. His eyebrows went up, “I beg to differ.” She laughed, shaking her head. “No, I mean to everyone else it looks as if we’ve been sitting here chatting the whole time.” “Ah,” Daniel said, “of course.” He was starting to think that nothing would surprise him anymore. But then something did. A hunger like he had never experienced in his life washed over him. He snatched at the drink in front of him and devoured it, only stopping to chew the tapioca pearls between gulps. In seconds it was gone. He looked at Matilda and whimpered─ like actually whimpered like a dog. She nodded and gripped his arm. In seconds they were seated in another place. More importantly, a place with a pile of food in front of him. Daniel didn’t care how, or when she managed to get them Chinese food, or wherever the hell this place was─ the food was shoveled in.

“So.” He patted his belly and let out a long sigh, “that was the guy that all of us are searching the universe for.” he stated. Matilda arched a brow, “do I need to repeat myself a third time?” He laughed at her exasperated tone. Damn, he loved this woman’s moxie. She was certainly the most entertaining person he had met. And Daniel had been on the force for over ten years. He could see why she was a family favorite. “I don’t like repeating myself, kiddo. But I will say this much, I’ve got a feeling that he has returned to the original Hell, or should I say the Christian Hell.” Daniel eyed her from across the table, “there’s more than─” he stopped himself, “you know what? I’m just going to stop questioning half of what you say and listen to the facts.” Matilda cracked a sly smile, “see now that’s how a real cop behaves. Smart boy.” She winked at him and grabbed his hand. They were suddenly out in a large clearing, surrounded by a dense growth of wood. “We really need to stop doing that,” Daniel said grimacing as he held his side. “Sorry about that, too many eyes and ears in the city.” She walked over to the center and flicked her wrist. A large couch appeared and she sat down. He just rolled with it and walked over and sat down. So, apparently Matilda is also capable of making things from nothing.

“So, why all the need for the theatrics?” I mean, let’s just go to my house or yours.” Matilda’s laugh made him realize what he just said. “Not like that” he said. “I know what you meant. If you haven’t noticed, I kind of like to see the lighter side of life.” “I had kind of noticed that, yes,” he bristled. He could only handle so much of this, it was starting to annoy him. “Oh, don’t bunch your britches. I have my reasons,” she snapped. He sat silently, knowing eventually she would talk. It really seemed like she was stalling a lot tonight, it wasn’t a bit like the women he knew.

After several minutes of silence, he decided to change the subject. “Where are we anyway?” She glanced at him and then over to the trees. “Oh, somewhere in East Texas along the Texas and Louisiana border.” “Really?” he asked, “how far east? I’ve got family in Gun Barrel.” “A little further than that,” she murmured. Her quiet nature was making him extremely nervous, all of her silliness was a way for her to hide what she was really feeling─ that much he knew. In his line of work, this kind of quiet usually meant something was very wrong. “Look, I know you don’t want to talk to me about whatever this is, but if we don’t do this soon, I’m going to pass out from exhaustion.” Despite her odd mood, she still managed that easy grin of hers. She reminded him a lot of his dad, the man had that same quality about him. The world could be falling apart and he would face it with a grin. Daniel learned a long time ago that his father’s easy nature was a mask for what he hid well beneath. Matilda’s dark eyes glowed in the sun, her tendrils bouncing in the breeze. “Daniel─” she began cautiously, “you and Celeste are destined to be together.” He blinked a few times, but managed to stay quiet. He needed to hear more. “You, like John, were an integral part of her life from birth. Daimono forged you─” she looked around searching for her next words. “So that you would be by her side. You were basically his right-hand.” She finished. He knew she was telling the truth, but she was holding something back. Somehow he knew that it was fated. The fact that they were drawn to one another instantly, how he never felt right with any of the girls that he had been with. There was some feeling of hope that he held onto─ that there was someone in the universe made just for him. He smirked at that notion, him a romantic of all things.

“I know this is all a bit much to take in─” “neh.” He interrupted. “I get it, it will all come back to me later and shit.” Matilda cracked up and nodded, “there ya go. Keep that outlook up and you may earn all your badges.” She sighed and they both sat staring at the setting sun. “You know, I actually was in the─” “boy scouts? Duh. Your type always is.” They shared a laugh and he nodded. The last of the light slipped behind the trees, bathing the area in twilight. “Guess my father was wrong about one thing,” he drawled. Matilda looked up at him. “I did make something of my life.” Her face sparkled and a hint of something gleamed in her eyes, “guess we all have something to prove to someone” she said.

* * *