"That's the fifth time you've groaned in the past hour, what's up with you?"
"What do you think is up with me?"
"Come on, we're almost there."
"I was supposed to teach you how to teleport!" Jasper snarled at Angie from the backseat of her car. "You got frustrated the second time you couldn't do it so you just give up? Do you just give up when you can't refine a piece of art?"
"You have to act like a human in order to blend in with them," Angie retorted, avoiding the questions. "And besides, you're the one who didn't want to sit up front with me because you were mad! Just go back to your moaning and groaning back there. We'll be there within the hour."
Jasper snorted in reply and looked out the window at the trees passing by. "Have you been practicing your powers and fighting in your spare time?"
"I try…," Angie mumbled, turning off the highway. "Cordelia reminds me most of the time and I train with her."
"Thank the earth for Cordelia."
Angie grinned. "Yeah, she's great. She was able to warn me about my vegetables too."
"Huh?" Jasper blinked. "You mean the vegetables that we just planted yesterday?"
Angie nodded. "Those exact ones… Apparently, once I took a hold of those plants to put them in the ground, they turned poisonous."
Jasper choked on a laugh. "I told you that things like that might happen."
"But now I can't eat them!" Angie screeched, stopping a little too short at a red light. "Not even the animals can eat them! They're just for show now!"
"Who said you couldn't eat them?"
Angie turned around in her seat and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Excuse me? They are poisonous! I'll die!"
"The light is green by the way," Jasper said, making Angie turn back around and speed away from the light. "And no, you won't. First off, it's your own power. You won't die because of your power. Second, demons, even ones that transformed that way you did, are immune to poisons of all kinds."
"Well that's good to know, but why couldn't Cordelia tell me that so that I didn't freak out last night?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see you squirm," Cordelia laughed. "I was going to tell you but then you cut me off and your freak out was so funny and cute, I couldn't help myself."
"I hate both of you," Angie mumbled as Jasper chuckled along with Cordelia.
"Just be sure not to give any to non-demons."
"I got it, I got it."
It was another half hour of driving in silence before they got to their destination. Angie loved Seattle and had always wanted to live there, but she'll stick to her big ass house in her little town. She found that living where there was always noise and distraction wasn't productive to her art. Although, nothing was productive to her art as of now. She grimaced at the thought as she parked and got out of the driver's seat. Thinking about her art made her upset. She used to love creating art but since this creative block, it just stresses her out. Maybe she needed to go on a retreat. She knew a couple of places in Washington that were great for retreats.
"Earth to Angie!"
"Oh, hm?" Angie looked towards a huffy Jasper who was tapping his foot impatiently with his arms crossed.
"I need to inform you of something before we go in. I need you to pay attention."
"You have my full attention at the moment."
Jasper nodded and looked towards the entrance to the hotel. "Mother has the power to do pretty much anything, but we have to act the part that she has given us for this opportunity. So, it's only natural for us to be a couple on our honeymoon-."
"This is better than my real honeymoon so I can do that," Angie said, grabbing her suitcase and walking towards the entrance. "We went on a business trip for him and I was all by myself in Thailand throughout the few weeks we were there. Even at night I was alone, so this will be way better and it isn't even truly a honeymoon, so I'll act the part."
"Angie."
"Yeah?"
"You have led a sad life with that man."
Angie rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You don't think I know that?"
Jasper caught up to her before she could enter the hotel. His arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her in close to him. He bent down slightly and kissed her temple. He whispered in her ear, "If you would like, I can make this really seem like a honeymoon."
Angie scrunched her nose as she felt her whole body heat up and turn red. "I'll consider it."
Jasper threw back his head as he boomed out a laugh. "I was under the impression that you would have said absolutely not, but I can't say that I'm not pleasantly surprised with your answer."
As they strode towards the check-in counter, a thin man in a black suit looked up and smiled. "Welcome. Can I have your name?"
"Coldwell," Jasper said, squeezing Angie's waist.
The man hummed as he searched his computer for the reservation and grinned when he found it. "Ah! Congratulations newlyweds! You've booked the honeymoon suite. It's such a lovely suite and you can see out above all Seattle." The man bent down under the desk and handed Jasper a small packet. "The pool is open all night along with the hot tub and gym, although the honeymoon suite has its own jacuzzi that's lovely. The salon and spa are open until two in the morning. There is a breakfast buffet that is open to all guests from seven in the morning until 11 however, I see that you paid for the Diamond package so you don't have to pay for our restaurant that's open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The entrance is located just over yonder." The man pointed behind the two towards a glass double doorway. "Because of the Diamond package, the salon and spa are also free for you to use. If you have any questions, please call the front desk. Your room is on the 15th floor to the right."
"Thank you!" Jasper smiled and rushed Angie away from the desk towards the elevators. "Geez, Mother really went all out with this."
"We're supposed to be on our honeymoon, of course she would," Angie mumbled, grabbing the packet from Jasper's hand and searching through it for the amenities sheet. "What kind of honeymoon would it be if she didn't get us the full package?"
Jasper pushed the "up" button and the elevator doors opened. "I guess I hadn't realized how much the honeymoon meant to humans now-a-days."
He hit the button for the 15th floor. The doors slowly closed and up they went. Angie looked at the ceiling of the elevator and sighed.
"Were you married in your human life?"
Jasper's face scrunched and contorted at her question. Angie looked at him, waiting patiently for his answer, then looked at the ground when she realized he was hesitant to answer.
"Sorry if that was too personal. I was just curious."
"No, it's fine," Jasper said. "I just don't remember. That's all. Although, I do remember during my life that the honeymoon was nothing more than to procreate."
"I mean, I guess it's still for that," Angie hummed. The elevator stopped, dinged, and then the doors opened. "More for fun sex than actually making babies."
As Jasper opened the door, he bent down and breathed gently on to the tip of Angie's ear. "I can certainly do the fun part-."
Angie's hand came in contact with his face and pushed away as she made a scowl. "I said I'll think about it. Damn, your demon side is showing."
Jasper laughed. "What can I say? I've been a demon for years. It's quite hard not to let it show."
Angie stepped from his grasp and went straight to the bed, not wanting to even look around the suite a bit, and sprawled herself on the bed. She could Jasper puttering around, looking at everything that the suite had to offer. Angie rolled over on to her stomach with a sigh. This was better than her actual honeymoon and now that she thought about it, she was growing more and more upset. Angie sat at the beach all day long, drinking cocktails while she wondered when she was going to be able to spend time with her new husband. When the sun went down, she would take herself to the pool where there was a pool side bar and she would drink the night away. She would go to her hotel room to sleep for maybe an hour or two then go down to the beach again. It was a cycle that she did for three weeks. Three lonely weeks and then the last day they were there, he had come back and they had quick sex before their flight. That wasn't a honeymoon.
"It wasn't a damn vacation either," Angie mumbled into the mattress.
"Hm? What was that?" Jasper asked from the kitchen.
"Nothing."
"Hey! Hey! Look!" Jasper plopped himself down onto the mattress beside Angie and she looked up to see he was holding a bottle of champagne. "Damn, this is really expensive champagne. Should we pop this open?"
"Mmm, I think I need to eat first," Angie said, hoisting herself up to sitting on the bed. "Maybe Asian."
"I think there's a Japanese place in walking distance," Jasper said. "But we need to be vigilant. We are on a mission. Any snatcher's we come in contact with we need to take care of."
"I've been meaning to ask, what makes it so that snatchers wake up from hibernation?"
Jasper hummed a moment in thought then answered, "It could be a lot of things. Most of the time, when the host has a traumatic experience the snatcher will wake up, but in the event of a whole bunch of snatchers waking up at once, usually it's something environmental."
"So, like, a gas leak or something in the water?"
Jasper nodded, "Yes. Could be."
Angie thought for a moment, then leapt to her feet moving towards the door. "Time to eat."
Jasper grinned with a chuckle and followed Angie to the elevator, closing the door behind him. They didn't get into character until the elevator doors opened up to reveal the lobby, then Jasper put his arm around her waist and squeezed tight. Angie squealed at the sudden squeeze and puffed her cheeks out in a pout. Jasper smirked and led her out the doors to the busy streets of Seattle.
"Do we need to stay in character when we're not in the hotel?" Angie asked as she squirmed in his arm.
"Yes, however, if you'd like for me to untangle you from my arm, we can always hold hands."
"That would be better. I tend to sway as I walk and I can't do that with you squeezing me."
Jasper let go of Angie's waist and instead, intertwined their fingers together and squeezed. He was holding on to her for dear life. Angie raised an eyebrow at him, but Jasper didn't give it any attention. She squeezed back and she could see the smallest of smiles appear on his lips, but as soon as he noticed her looking, his genuine smile dropped and then appeared his usual shit-eating grin. She huffed and looked away as they continued down the streets of the city towards a Japanese restaurant called "Tsukushinbo".
"Welcome!" A young lady dressed in formal attire greeted. "Table for two?"
Jasper nodded and she led them to the very back of the building to a booth with two windows that looked upon the streets of Seattle.
"Your waitress will be with you in a moment to take your orders!" She exclaimed, bowed and walked back towards the entrance.
"It's just after four and already this place is buzzing," Angie mumbled, looking at the menu that had been sitting on the table waiting for its next customers.
"It's Sunday, Angie."
"So? People have like, church or something on Sunday's, right?"
Jasper cocked an eyebrow as he looked over his menu at her. "Not everyone goes to Church at four. Most people go in the mornings. Also, many people just don't go to church. People like to go out. Maybe you need to also get out more?"
Angie's face reddened and she brought her menu closer to her face. "I don't need to get out more! I get out enough!"
Jasper's menu met the table with a 'plop' and he stared at her as though he could see right through that menu and her. "Angie, when was the last time you did something like this?"
"W-what do you mean?" Angie gulped and eyed the demon over her menu. "Go to a restaurant?"
"With company that you actually enjoy?"
"Uh," She thought for a moment then her face turned a darker shade of red. "You remember that day when I fought my first snatcher?"
"Hello! Welcome!" The waitress interrupted which made Angie breath a sigh of relief. "What can I get you for a drink?"
"We'll take your best sake," Jasper beamed at her.
"My! You've got it!" The waitress beamed right back. "Anything else?"
"A green tea lemonade please," Angie replied, diving her nose right back into her menu.
The waitress hummed in response and jotted the drink down. "Are you ready to order or should I give you a few minutes?"
Jasper looked at Angie then sighed when he knew he wasn't about to get an answer from her. He turned back to the waitress with another beaming smile. "I'll have the chirashi."
The waitress scribbled his order and looked towards Angie who looked frantically to find something. "I'll have the nami sushi."
"Okay!" The waitress scribbled her order down and closed her little book. "I'll put your orders in and get right back to you with your drinks!"
Jasper smiled at the waitress as she left then turned back to Angie with a more serious look. "Angie."
"What?"
"Are you serious?" Jasper sighed as he put his menu back behind the salt and pepper shakers. "The last time you did something like this was with me some time ago? Don't you have friends?"
"I do!" Angie exclaimed as she followed suit and put her menu back. "They just live in different time zones and it's hard to even call them let alone meet up for coffee or something!"
Jasper leaned his cheek into his hand and sighed again. "So, you really only have me to hang out with, huh?"
Angie hesitated, but nodded ever so slightly. "I mean… I have acquaintances back in town and I do go out by myself sometimes but… I'm always impatient when it comes to waiting for you to show your dumb face in my house."
Jasper snorted. "My dumb face? That's nice of you to say to your partner! Thanks!"
Before Angie could apologize, he waved his hand at her.
"No apologizing. You're a demon. You need to stop being so polite. It's making my stomach hurt."
"Here are your drinks!" The waitress interrupted again and set down the green tea lemonade in front of Angie and the sake in the middle of the table with two sake cups. "Your dinner should be out momentarily!"
Jasper nodded in response and poured the two of them a cup of sake each as the waitress sped away to help another table. He pushed one cup over to Angie and picked up the other and raised it in a toast like manner.
"To your first mission as a hunter."
Angie raised the cup and clinked it with his. "To a fake honeymoon that's better than my actual one was."
After they downed their drinks, both of their cups hit the table and Angie's chest tightened. She squeezed a hand at her chest and looked around the room. There were multiple people that were coming up as having a snatcher attached to them. One was the hostess who had seated them. Another was a middle-aged man that had just come into the restaurant by himself. The last was a younger woman, maybe beginning college aged, who was sitting at the bar by herself. Angie gulped then frantically looked at Jasper with wide eyes.
"We take them all," He said, downing another cup of sake. "Then we can eat."
"I've only ever fought one at a time! You did most of the work too!"
"You've got me, Cordelia, and my sword Arthur," Jasper reassured, standing up from the booth and getting ready to grab his falchion. "You'll be fine so… whenever you are ready."
Angie pursed her lips and gave a once over of the room before getting up from her seat with a groan. "It's now or never I suppose."
Time stilled. Everything went gray. The waiters and waitress vanished and so did all the customers which left the three targets who had transformed into their black shadow forms already. Cordelia flew from Angie's chest as did Arthur from Jasper's. They were then separated by an incoming snatcher who was the biggest of the three.
"Remember to use your powers!" Jasper yelled to her as he took on another one by himself.
Angie nodded in determination and brought her hand up towards the bigger one. She focused on what she wanted it to do, but instead of stilling with time, it howled in pain and crumpled to the ground, twitching and spasming. She didn't have time to wonder about her power as the third snatcher threw its fist at her, but she was able to defend with Cordelia. She redirected the hand and thrust her palm forward. The snatcher was forced backwards and was stunned for a second, but shook its head and came charging back for more. Meanwhile, the bigger of the three's pain subsided and it started to get up from its spot on the floor. Angie focused on the one getting up and in a quick flash, they switched places and the one charging rammed the bigger one head on. They crashed to the floor with their shadowy limbs all tangled together in one big heap. Not knowing where to thrust Cordelia, she picked a spot and shoved her weapon into the heap. One shadow cried out in pain while the other untangled itself and snapped its jaws at Angie who nearly got her arm ripped off by the bite. It went to snap at her again but stopped right before its jaws closed. Drool that looked like grease seeped out from its mouth and it groaned.
"No biting!" Jasper yelled from atop its head where he had plunged Arthur. Jasper ripped his sword from its head and the wound spurted more grease-looking liquid. Jasper jumped off the back of it and shoved Arthur into its chest, breaking its core and destroying it.
"We are not finished yet," Cordelia reminded her who was still shoved into what she could now tell was the shadow's side.
"Right." Angie pulled Cordelia from the shadow and drove her into its chest instead. It screamed out in pain. It stilled for a moment, then shattered like glass.
Jasper slapped her on the shoulder with a grin. "See? It wasn't bad, yeah?"
Angie snorted with a roll of her eyes. Cordelia went back to rest in her chest as well as Arthur in Jasper's. Angie resumed time and sat back down at their booth. "I'm starving."
Jasper bellowed a laugh as he followed suit and sat back down on his side of the booth.
Once their food came out, there was silence between the two. It was a comfortable silence, but a silence nonetheless. Angie looked around at the three people who had snatchers attached to them as she ate and noticed that they all had a little pep to their step now. On her lips, a small genuine smile made its way, but only showed itself until she started to stuff her face again.
When they both had their fill, somehow the bill had already been paid for but Angie left with Jasper without thinking twice about it. They held hands again as they walked along the streets back to their hotel. Angie was exhausted from the day and it was only 5:30 in the afternoon. She would sleep for a little bit, but then would hop to an ice cream parlor for a cone then make her way to the hotel's spa for a nice massage before really going to bed for the night.
Once the door to their room opened, Jasper gave a loud groan and threw his head back dramatically.
"What's wrong?" Angie asked, making a face at the demon.
Jasper pointed to the desk that was half way between the living room and bedroom. There was a stack of paper sitting neatly in the corner of the desk with a pen on top. "Mother has come and given me a stack of paperwork to do! On our honeymoon!"
Angie rolled her eyes and elbowed Jasper in his ribs. "It's not really our honeymoon, dummy."
Jasper hunched over with a groan and slumped his way to the desk where he plopped himself in the chair and angrily clicked the pen out and started with the paperwork. Angie giggled at the sight. She closed the door behind her and ran across the suite, jumping on the bed with a relaxing sigh.
Although, she couldn't sleep just yet. She tossed and turned for a bit, not knowing what was wrong. She let out a low grumble as she sat up with a pout and looked over at Jasper. He was diligently working on the paperwork that he had received. She hadn't realized that demons did paperwork, but there had to be some sort of organizational method even in these circumstances, right? She laid back down and stared up at the ceiling. Suddenly, Jasper's voice came into the forefront of her mind.
'You have led a sad life with that man.'
Angie frowned. She had lived a sad five years with that awful man. They were all lovey-dovey for the first year of their marriage, but then things went downhill…. Okay, maybe it wasn't lovey-dovey, but they did stuff as a couple and got along! Well, maybe it wasn't a year long, but it was at least eight months! They would cuddle, hold hands, watch movies together, sleep in the same bed and fall asleep spooning. That had been gone for a while and well… she felt a little lonely if she was being honest with herself.
Angie got up from the bed and walked over to Jasper. She looked over his shoulder at the paperwork and huffed when she couldn't understand anything.
"Can I help you?" Jasper asked, pushing away from the desk a bit and turning towards Angie.
"Actually, yeah." Without hesitation, Angie straddled his lap with her arms curled around his neck and squeezed gently, putting her head on his shoulder.
"This is a very compromising position, Angie," Jasper snickered and wrapped his arms around her back. "Is this a yes to my proposal of making this seem like an actual honeymoon?"
Angie grunted and shook her head lightly. "Still thinking on that but… cuddles would be nice."
Jasper smiled as softly as a demon could and nodded. "I can do that as well."
He lifted them both up off the chair and laid himself down with Angie still in his arms next to him. She got as close as she could and laid her head on his chest before closing her eyes and attempting to sleep.
"I'll wake you up in about two hours. How does that sound?" Jasper asked in a whisper, combing his fingers lightly through her hair.
"That would be nice… or you can just wake me up in three with a cone of chocolate ice cream?"
Jasper snorted through his nose and beamed a smile. "I could do that too."