A Little Piece Of Heaven

October 31st 1941

Raven had been holding her breath for the last half an hour it seemed.
She had never seen a room like this, an expanse of white and gold that was lined with people in furs and jewellery that almost seemed to meld into the background. The smell of perfume and jasmine filled the air as a hum of chatter and laughter filled the immense space. It was exotic and beautiful, these were the elite of Washington society and they knew it, senators and politicians mixed with movie stars and gangsters. Anybody who was anybody was here and so was she because of Jimmy.
“Relax, nobody is going to bite you.”
She couldn’t help returning his smile. In the six months she had known Jimmy Sullivan there had been a lot of smiling, he wasn’t worried that she was a fighter, the lithe figure and long black hair hiding an experienced street kid who kept a knife in her boot. In fact it was this that had led to their meeting when three men had tried to jump Jimmy in an alley. Between him and Raven they had all taken a severe beating and he had asked her out on a date. It hadn’t been the response she had been expecting but it was impossible not to be drawn to the tall, handsome man.
They had shared life stories, her childhood growing up in local area and how she worked doors and waitressed for a living. He had told her of his childhood abroad with his four best friends and finally admitted that he worked in government as an advisor. Advising what he couldn’t say, it was somewhat confidential but it had opened up a new world for her. Jimmy was kind, attentive and most of all he let her have her freedom. Raven hated to be tied down.
“Do I look ok ?”
She smoothed down the crushed silk dress, the pale violet setting off her creamy skin. His eyes took on a somewhat more hungry gaze as he looked her up and down. Sweet natured yes but something of an animal between the sheets and she had never had a man better. Jimmy finally nodded.
“You are the most beautiful woman in the room.”
“Liar.”
Raven loved how he didn’t care that the room as full of the most important people in the country, he simply swept her into his arms and kissed her like his life depended on it. Tonight was important, tonight she would meet his friends properly and she wanted it to be perfect. So far she had only met Johnny and his partner Stefanie, both of them Nobel prize winning scientists and worked with Jimmy on god knows what. She had liked the short man, his enthusiasm infectious and his ease in teasing Jimmy to the point of a headlock had made her laugh. Stefanie had been gracious and welcoming, she knew what it was like when you first met “this lot” as she put it.
“Put her down James, it’s quite obvious the Congressmen are getting jealous.”
Johnny winked at Raven and kissed her cheek as Stefanie handed her a glass of champagne. His tie was already crooked but Stefanie was a vision in black, her blond hair piled onto her head to fall in tendrils to her cheeks. Nobody would ever believe quite how brilliant they both were and their connection to Jimmy and it’s implications.
“You’re the jealous one gnome, any sign of the boys ?”
“Shadows and Gates are here, Vengeance is scoping out the security. I do believe Claire and Dani have gone looking for Lilith.”
Jimmy grinned, it had been nearly a year since his little band of reapers had been under the same roof and he looked forward to immersing himself in the chaos and power that always came along with it. The war had been foretold of course and America would soon enter under the timing that he had established. This was why he had recalled Syn and Zacky to work with Matt here and let the girls run loose in Europe. After more than fifty years together every relationship needed a break. To have found someone he could love had been a bonus, how he would explain what he was he hadn’t decided yet.
“When we hear screaming we will have found Lilith.”
Raven blinked, unsure what to make of this exchange and then her eyes widened at the three men working their way through the crowds towards them. The one in the middle was tall and well built, filling every inch of the tux in the most attractive way possible. He had an easy smile on his face, dimples breaking up the air of intimidation around him. At his right shoulder was a slightly shorter man, movie star good looking with the sharpest cheekbones Raven had ever seen, his smirk was amused and she noticed he looked her up and down. The other man was calm and intense, his green eyes appraising her coolly as he straitened his bow tie. The tall man shook Jimmy’s hand warmly before pulling him into a bear hug. He then noticed Raven and smiled broadly.
“You’re way too pretty for him.”
“Thanks Matt, Raven this is Matt Shadows. He handles removals and administration on the west coast. The gentleman to his right is Synyster Gates, sassy bitch and the sensible one is Zacky Vengeance. My dearest friends and business partners. This is Raven, hands off and yes, too pretty for me.”
There was a round of laughter and hugs, Raven almost instantly caught up in the camaraderie and affection between the men. Syn was adding healthy shots of vodka from a hip flask to every glass they had. She let Stefanie pull her to one side, glad to leave them to catching up and take a moment to take it all in. She looked at the other woman and inclined her head towards them.
“Are they always like this ?”
“Worse. They have been friends a very long time and tend to get overexcited.”
Raven giggled and raised her glass to Stefanie as the lights around them flickered and dimmed before returning to brightness. A few people murmured and then went back to their drinks as Syn sat down next to Raven and nodded to Stefanie.
“Looks like the girls have found each other.”
Stefanie sipped her drink and smiled at him.
“Are you and Lilith…..talking ?”
“No.”
His lips set in a pout and Raven was about to ask about it when Jimmy tapped her shoulder gently. Jimmy’s face was happy, a wide smile that made it impossible not to wear the same and she rose to look in the direction he was pointing. The door had opened and three women were coming across the room arm in arm. It made quite a sight, a blonde with a sweet smile, a stunning redhead in purest white and a dark haired woman in scarlet who was already sending a deathglare at Syn.
There was another flurry of introductions, the blonde introduced herself as Dani in the most lilting Irish accent, Matt’s arm immediately going around her waist. The redhead was Claire, warmly greeting both Raven and Jimmy before gravitating towards Zacky, clearly delighted to see him and eager for his kiss.
That left Lilith, her smile a little more guarded but she warmly hugged Raven and remarked to Jimmy that it was about damn time. She briefly glanced at Syn who stalked off towards the bar. Lilith pouted after him which reminded Raven of his earlier response. Claire sighed and punched Lilith on the arm.
“Will you two knock it off ? We haven’t been home in months and you both need to get over it.”
“I will when he stops being a fucking bitch.”
Raven smiled into her glass and tried not to laugh, feeling a little better when Claire and Matt immediately started giggling. Zacky rolled his eyes, this had been going on too long and Syn and Lilith’s little spats usually ended up getting bloody. The last one had resulted in some serious clean up and a small thing called the Russian revolution. After that Jimmy had refused to let them near war zones together. They were adorable but still the very essence of chaos and getting more powerful every year. Hence this new plan to prepare for the forthcoming conflict rather than just let everyone loose.
“So you all grew up together ?”
Lilith looked towards where Syn was now ordering shots before smiling at Raven’s question.
“Sort of, feels like several lifetimes. Jimmy is a good man though, don’t let the big lump tell you otherwise.”
Jimmy kissed her cheek and hugged Raven a little tighter. He could feel his power increasing now they were all here, the energy pooling in his fingertips. So much trouble and heartache was coming, the war in Europe already reaping souls at a terrifying rate and the energies were struggling to keep up. Johnny was inventing new weapons to end it before humanity wiped itself out but it would be a close run thing. He needed to talk to Claire and Lilith to find out just how bad it was over there.
“How’s business Matt ?”
Matt grinned, his hand resting lightly in the small of Dani’s back and promising many nights of pleasure to make up for her absence from him. She had worked with Claire in London while Lilith had amused herself in the fighting, missing him every moment. Matt was amused at Jimmy’s description of his work as he actually fronted a powerful mafia family. He had come to enjoy his work and having his buddies close by while Jimmy moved the pieces of government to suit their will. It was exactly as he had been promised, power and wealth beyond his dreams and he had never regretted a day of it.
“Very good. We have cleaned up over there and may head this way.”
“I will need to see more of you over the coming months, we are about to get very busy.”
There was a loud crash as a drinks table at the far end of the room tipped forward, Syn and several others forced to jump backwards to avoid flying bottles and broken glass. Lilith smiled to herself, the others glaring at her as he strode back over, clearly very pissed off.
“You fucking bitch, is this how it’s going to be ?”
“I don’t know BRIAN, you tell me !”
Raven was puzzled at the sudden fury and let Jimmy stand a little in front of her as Zacky and Claire tried to calm the situation down. Waiters were picking up the broken detritus and several people were now looking in their direction. Lilith and Syn continued to glare at each other, both hearing Claire telling them to grow up in their heads before she soundly slapped his face. There was a sudden silence, even the band pausing as Syn rubbed his cheek thoughtfully.
“Sorry Jimmy, guess we need to go sort this out.”
Raven wished she had a knife somewhere close to hand but the stilettos were not as accommodating as her boots and she was forced to watch in amazement as Syn moved almost too quickly, Lilith soon over his shoulder and struggling as he headed towards the door. Johnny had to sit down, the helpless laughter giving both him and Stefanie hiccups as Zacky quietly remarked that he wasn’t sharing a room anywhere near those two for the next week. Claire smiled apologetically at Raven and nodded to Jimmy.
“Has he explained to you yet exactly what we are ?”

Notes