Chapter Text
noun. ren - dez - vous
: a meeting at an appointed place and time; a romantic meeting
Audrey had not considered herself a religious person for a long time. But as she stared at the test results in front of her, she couldn’t help but think that if God existed, he was surely laughing at her. The odds were so slim she couldn’t think of any better word than miracle.
Despite being a psychiatrist, an inherently person-facing career, Audrey had very little interaction with other human beings outside of her work. It was for that reason she was the only one who didn’t have any plans when the director fell ill and asked for someone to take his place at a gala that evening. The host was a rather important sponsor of the hospital, and apparently, they couldn’t afford to appear ‘ungrateful' by not sending a representative. And so, Audrey abandoned her couch and book for an evening gown and heels that she knew would leave her feet aching the next day. She called a taxi and resigned herself to a night blending in with the walls of the upscale hotel that was hosting the auction.
It was there, with a flute of champagne in hand, that she’d encountered him.
“The item isn’t here.”
A tall man in a form-fitting suit interrupted her solitude. He didn’t seem to be aware of it; he was occupied on the phone.
“I’m sure, Mikael. But if you have any doubts, you could always send Raphael.”
He spoke on the phone a little longer before finally hanging up. When he noticed Audrey, he put a friendly smile on his face.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin your evening.”
Audrey thought that the term ‘ruin’ was a little extreme, but went along with his attempt at small talk.
“Don’t worry, it was ruined long before you arrived.”
He raised a dark brow. “Don’t tell me your date abandoned a woman as lovely as you?”
“If someone brought me here on a date, I’d be the one to abandon them. No, I’m here for work. Like you, I gather.”
“Do you often listen in on other peoples’ conversations?” he asked teasingly.
“Only when I’m bored,” she responded in the same tone.
“Then allow me to entertain you.”
“Didn’t your boss say you could leave?”
He shrugged. “I’m not in a rush to get back. Besides, how could I leave such a stunning woman to wilt from boredom?”
His flirtations were obvious, but Audrey found she didn’t mind. She stepped closer, looking up at him through thick lashes.
“And how do you plan to save me from such a fate?”
Needless to say, they hadn’t spent much longer at the auction, abandoning the spacious halls for a smaller but equally luxurious bedroom. Not that Audrey had paid much attention to anything but the man in the bed — David, he’d eventually told her — with her. They’d parted ways amicably in the morning, and Audrey had thought that was the end of it. Part of her thought it was a shame they’d likely never meet again, but the rational part of her reasoned that she didn’t have the time for a relationship anyway. It, along with her deep-seated fear of rejection, stopped her from asking for David’s contact details. Which she was now severely regretting. Because she was, without a doubt, absolutely, one-hundred percent pregnant. And she had no clue what to do next.
How could this happen?
It was the question she couldn’t stop asking herself. She wasn’t on birth control, but the two had made sure to use protection. And, cautious as she was, she had stopped by a pharmacy the next day for a pill, just in case. As a doctor, she was more than aware that such measures weren’t infallible, but the odds that both would fail on the same night were ludicrous. Yet, no matter how hard she stared at the screen in front of her, the results stayed the same.
“Hey, Audrey, are you okay? You’ve been staring at that computer for a while.”
Audrey finally diverted her gaze to her worried colleague. She plastered a smile on her face. “Yes, I’m fine. Just some unexpected results.”
“Yikes. Good or bad?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
Audrey hadn’t ever seriously considered the prospect of motherhood. She’d never had a committed partner, and her own childhood didn’t exactly inspire faith in her ability to be a good parent. But she had always longed for a family…and a quiet voice in the back of her mind, a vestige of her old faith, whispered: What if this is it?
She spent the next two weeks alternating between trying to track down David and agonising over the decision she was yet to make. In the end, there was no dramatic, poignant moment. Just a quick observation that her stomach had developed a slight swell, a momentary flash of fondness at the realisation, and Audrey knew.
Any happiness at what was supposed to be a milestone was, however, quickly overshadowed by anxiety. Because now that Audrey had made her decision, it was time to let David make his. And she was not looking forward to that conversation.
During the weeks of internal debate, she’d managed to find an address, and with it, a phone number. Astrea was an unusual name for an agency, so it had both stuck in her head and been easy to find information on. Audrey didn’t give herself the opportunity to back out, dialling the number before her nerves could get the better of her.
She was at once relieved and discomfited to hear a voice that was distinctly not David’s answer, “This is Astrea Detective Agency.”
“Hello,” she began, wishing she had thought of a script beforehand. “I’m looking for David.”
A slight pause. “He’s not here right now. Maybe I can carry a message, or tell him to call back?”
Audrey bit her lip, pondering what to do next. “Thanks, but I think it would be best if I talked to him in person.”
“He’ll be back in around an hour if you want to drop by then,” the man offered unexpectedly.
“If that’s all right…” Audrey said, uncertain about such a last minute visit.
The man assured her it was no problem, then ended the call. She belatedly realised she hadn’t asked him his name, or given him hers. But there was nothing to do now except prepare and catch a taxi. She grabbed a coat on her way out, more to hide her stomach than because of the cold. Though the bump was small and David likely wouldn’t notice it, she didn’t want to risk him running away screaming before they could even talk. The humorous visual put a little more spring in her step. Soon enough, she arrived at Astrea. The sprawling manor loomed over her, and was no less intimidating than the scowling man that came out to greet her.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Audrey. I’m here to see David.”
The man looked her up and down, his gaze sharp. A scar bisected his cheek. With dark hair, eyes, and skin, he easily blended into the shadows of the gothic house.
“David isn’t here.”
She tried to hold back her exasperation. “I know. I talked to someone on the phone, and they said I should come by around this time.”
“You probably spoke to Mikael. You can wait in his office – second door to the right.”
He didn’t bother introducing himself or sticking around any longer, disappearing around the side of the house.
She followed his directions to an austere looking office. It perfectly matched its owner, who looked as though he had stepped straight out of a canvas. He was a picture of Renaissance beauty: fair skin, well balanced features, and long, golden locks that brushed the shoulders of his fine clothing. He looked up as she entered.
“Can I help you…?”
For the third time that day, Audrey said, “I’m here for David.”
Recognition flashed in his eyes. “Yes, Raphael told me you’d be visiting. Take a seat.”
So it was Raphael I spoke to on the phone.
“My name is Mikael. I am the director of this agency.”
Mikael held out his hand and Audrey, struggling to suppress the nervous trembling that overcame her, shook it.
“Nice to meet you. I’m sorry for dropping in like this.”
“Not at all. Would you like some tea? Coffee?”
Audrey politely refused, but Mikael brought her a glass of water anyway.
“David should be back any minute now.”
True to his word, David showed up just as the clock ticked over into the next hour, striding into the room in an impressive display of punctuality. He paused somewhere between the door and the desk. Just like when they first met, he didn’t notice Audrey straight away, occupied by his conversation with the boss. It helped that her figure was hidden by the high back of the leather armchair she was seated on.
“I didn’t find anything new. Everything was exactly as Fel said.”
“I see.”
“Is that all? Or do you have any other assignments for me?”
“No assignments,” Mikael said. “But you do have a guest.”
Audrey took the cue and stood on slightly shaky legs. She attempted to smile in greeting, but it probably looked more like a grimace.
“Audrey?”
At least he remembers my name.
Mikael graciously left the room, closing the door to his office with a soft click.
Hands in his pockets, David strolled closer, stopping a chaste distance away.
“What brings you here? Cursed item? Haunted house?”
The odd question caught her off guard. “I–What? No.”
What kind of agency is this?
“You know, I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately, little witch.” David rid her of the need to ask about the strange endearment with his next sentence: “And here you are, like magic.”
“I came here because we need to talk.”
Most men would have felt dread at those last four words, but David was unfazed.
“You might want to sit,” she added.
“Believe me, Audrey, there is very little in this world that can surprise me.”
Suit yourself. She didn’t see any point beating around the bush any further. “I’m pregnant.”
The good humour was wiped off his face. “That’s not possible.”
“Not probable,” she corrected. “But protection isn’t always effective. And I wouldn’t have come here if I wasn’t sure.”
David leaned against the desk, as though trying to absorb the steadiness of the sturdy wood. His expression was scarily blank, nothing like the cheerful man from earlier. When it seemed as if he’d never speak again, she stepped closer, placing her hand on his shoulder in an attempt at a comforting gesture. Their eyes met, and for a moment, it felt like David was gazing into her very soul. He abruptly pulled back, leaving her hand hanging in the air. Audrey followed his lead and moved away.
She cleared her throat. “I know this is a surprise, and you need time to think about it. I didn’t come here to pressure you or force you into anything. I’ve already made my choice. I just wanted to give you the chance to make your own.”
David didn’t respond, lost in thought. Audrey pulled her business card from her wallet and gently pressed it into his hand.
I’ve done what I can. The rest is up to him.
After Audrey left, David didn’t move for a long time. It was long enough for Mikael to return from whatever task he had occupied himself with. He warily eyed his subordinate, who seemed to have become a statue.
“David? What happened?”
The question jolted him out of his frozen state.
He answered somewhat hysterically, “A miracle more astounding than the raising of the dead.”
Mikael stared at David, clearly thinking he’d lost his mind. David groaned and put his face in his hands.
He heard footsteps come down the hallway, then Raphael’s concerned voice.
“What’s going on?”
“And what did that woman want?” Cassiel added gruffly.
“That’s what I’m waiting to hear.”
The expectant stares of the angels and demon drilled into his head.
David decided to answer all their questions in one go. “She came to tell me she’s pregnant.”
An incredulous silence hung in the air, then shattered all at once.
“That’s impossible.”
“Are you sure?”
“I told you not to mess around with mortals.”
“Enough!” Mikael’s voice cut through all of the chatter. “Are you sure it’s yours?”
David winced. “Yes. I looked at her memories.”
Mikael took a deep breath to ground himself.
“What now?” Cassiel asked.
Mikael answered honestly, “I don’t know. This had never happened before. Or if it has, it wasn’t made public knowledge. We’ll have to do some digging. Discreetly, of course. It’s best if Somnus and Furius don’t find out.”
Raphael was doubtful. “Do you really think we can hide it from them forever?”
“No. But we’ll try for as long as we can.” Mikael turned to David. “The main question is: what are you going to do?”
He was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Felonia, who took one look at their expressions and sighed. “What now?”
“David got a mortal pregnant.”
David braced himself for a scornful look or cutting remark, but Felonia only said, “Tough luck.”
“That’s an understatement,” Cassiel muttered.
Felonia didn’t bother asking what David planned to do; she had known him the longest, and knew there was no way in hell, heaven or earth that he’d abandon either the woman or child. What she did want to know was whether he planned to reveal his demonic nature. Mikael and Raphael thought it was a bad idea. Cassiel agreed, but acknowledged that Audrey would eventually find out anyway, if not from any otherworldly characteristics inherited by the child, then due to David’s slow aging. In the end, they decided to table the discussion for a later date.
Each of the immortals headed off, silently agreeing to give David some space and quiet to think. Mikael was the last to leave. He took one last look at the demon, who had now melded with the chair, and resigned himself to working out of his bedroom for the next few days.
Audrey expected that David would need at least a few days to think things over, so she was surprised when he contacted her the very next day.
They arranged to meet at a cafe not far from the hospital so she could head to work straight after.
If David was nervous, he didn’t show it, greeting her with an easy smile. “It’s good to see you. How have you been?”
“Good, thanks. How about you?”
“Good, good.” There was a brief pause, but David didn’t let it stretch out into an awkward silence. “I want to be honest with you. I never thought about having children before. I was told it wasn’t possible.”
“It looks like this really is a miracle, then.”
David smiled crookedly. “Oh, you have no idea. Anyway, I haven’t given much thought to being a father. The only thing I know is that I don’t want to be anything like mine.”
That makes two of us.
“What I’m trying to say is that I want to be involved, in whatever capacity you allow. I might not know what I’m doing, but I swear I’ll try my best.”
Finished with his monologue, David leaned back in his seat. The tension was obvious now, running through his back like a wire. Audrey tried to ease it.
“Well, that’s one more thing we have in common.” At his look of confusion, she clarified, “We both had asshole fathers. And we have no idea what we’re doing.”
David grinned, and she smiled back.
“Why don’t we start over?” she suggested. “I’m Audrey, and I work as a psychiatrist at Goodlam Hospital.”
“Nice to meet you, Audrey.” Instead of shaking her hand, David gently pressed his lips to the back of it. “My name is David, and I’m a lawyer at Astrea Detective Agency. I’m looking forward to getting to know you.”