They had tea together, sometimes. When her husband wasn't with her and when he knew he could run no further without being caught, they would sit together and share a cup of tea like civilized humans. They would enjoy a quiet laugh over the thought, and then drink their tea.

Sometimes, he brought cookies. Cheap, store bought cookies with thin sugary icing, the kind that came in a bag and had a pleasant crunch to them. She would try to smile, but her face had become sculpted over the years; flat and featureless like fine marble. Her smiles looked half a step away from tears.

This time, he brought nothing but an umbrella, as it was raining quite heavily. She had nothing, not even a coat; it was summer, and the rain was like tepid tea. Her hair and clothing were dry, as though she hadn't just been strolling in the sudden violence of the storm. Rain did not dare fall where it was not welcome.

"So."

The clink of spoon on saucer set the rythym to their conversation. Her voice had never been anything but a song.

"Indeed."

Clink, slide, slosh, clink. It was a very carefully choreographed maneuver.

"You've been well? Tyler sends his regards, and says that I should arrange the best time to kidnap you for a family reunion."

"Don't be silly; I don't have a family to be reunited with. But yes, I've been well. I've been living in Paris, with a part time roommate. You'd like him, I think. His name is Toby."

Her eyes fell to the table between them; he was wearing nothing but black, stark, unrelieved black, and she could only tolerate the darkness for so long. Her eyes had grown oddly sensitive to variations of non-color.

"We are your family, Dei. If I had a feather for every time I've told you that, I wouldn't need my own wings. It's been twenty years, and we're still at least a little human. Don't you think you've repented enough?"

"Most dear, adored, and precious of gemstones, I can never repent enough." He was teasing her, but his jest fell sadly short. Her lips pursed a warning, and he shrugged. His smile was small, shy. "You always find me eventually, and if Tyler tried to see me, I doubt I could keep him away."

"Don't be dense. You know how he feels about you- if you don't make the first move, he certainly won't. He'll just assume you hate him for some reason or other- but I suppose you do the same thing, don't you?" She stirred her tea with a little more vehemence than necessary, still not looking at him. "Brothers. Honestly, I'm sick of being your go between. If I tell Tyler to stop being such a fucking coward, will you do the same?"

"I don't make promises I won't keep. But I'll make you a deal."

Green eyes met blue, and this time she refused to look away. "What sort of deal?" She was wary, having had enough of deals to last a century.

"Give me an incentive to visit, and I will. When are you going to spawn me a niece or a nephew, little sister?"

His sudden good humor startled her as much as his question; the spoon fell with a cymbal crash. She did not answer, and stared into her tea as though divining her own thoughts therein.

His hand stole across the table to furtively brush her fingers. She could feel his worry like a sudden drop in air pressure. "Opal? I'm sorry- I'm sorry. I'm sorry, just tell me what I did wrong and I won't do it again-"

"Stop that. You don't need to apologize, you never need to apologize. Not to me. Not to any of us. I...I was going to tell you, it's why I came." She let a moment of silence calm her mind with its familiarity. Blessed Shateiel.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing- nothing happened. But Tyler wants children- he feels he owes it to your father, and he knows you won't have any."

"Does he, now?" He was amused, but did nothing to deny the truth. "Is he still insinuating things, or has he finally grown up?"

Her warning glance banished his smirk. "Neither of you are particularly mature at your best, Dei. And you know it's true; we'd know otherwise." Her superior smirk vanished as quickly as it came. "But there's a problem with having children- we aren't human enough. Were he a normal halfblood and I a normal nephilim-"

They both coughed politely into their tea, choosing to ignore the absurdity of her statement.

"You see, your father was practically an Other. Given the proper training, he could have been a demi-god. Jubal passed on more than just his music when I was born; I've got the Mark, and it wasn't meant to go past Jubal. He was supposed to be the last, and the line was never meant to continue beyond him."

"It's a miracle you made it past infancy, given how badly Fate, Heaven, Hell, and all of your parents had it out for you."

"She rolled her eyes. "The point I'm trying to make, without the help of your commentary, is that we're infertile. There will be no nieces or nephews to entice you home, since we're human enough to be mammals but not human enough to get around that 'touch of death' thing the angels and demons have going for them."

He wasn't entirely sure what to say in response. "I'd say I'm sorry, but that hardly seems adequate."

She scoffed a tiny scoff; it was very ladylike and demure. "Please. I don't consider it much of a loss; unlike my mother, I can't get around pregnancy and childbirth. And I'm horrible with kids- wasn't loved enough as a child and all that. I wouldn't care, if it weren't for Tyler."

"Does he know?"

"Not yet. He'll be devastated, and I don't think I could bear that."

"I am sorry, though. Your children would have been beautiful, and I would've enjoyed spoiling them."

She found a very fascinating spot on the table to stare at. "Our kids would look like our fathers. Len and Leala's traits aren't transferrable."

"I take after my mother, Opal."

"She was tall, slender, and dark haired. Her build was similar to mine or to Jubal's, and your father had black hair, too. You and Tyler look more alike than you think." Her voice was low and lilting. It's music was soft, yet compelling, and he could feel the notes of it reverberate in his skull.

"We look nothing alike, Opal. Stop singing right now or I swear to you I'll either go to Hell or give myself a vasectomy."

Her anger was worse than her deceit, but hardly unexpected. "Hell would only keep you for so long before Lilith kicked you out. And don't try to pretend you haven't thought about it, Dei. Twenty years isn't so long that I haven't forgotten what happened that day."

"I seem to recall being completely and utterly insane at the time, which is what I'd have to be right now to take you up on this! Think for a minute, damnit! When he finds out- and he would, you know he would, how do you think he'll react? Do you honestly think he'd ever forgive either of us? God damn it, Opal, he's my brother, and I won't do that to him!" Once, his rage had been thunderous and violent. Now, he could rattle teacups, but would ultimately kill with venom.

She shook her head a little sadly. "I know you won't. But it was worth a try, you know? I'll have to tell him eventually; I promise I won't speak of this again until then."

"You won't bring it up again, ever, you mean." He scowled. "Twenty years ago is one thing, Opal, but now...there are too many other factors, and you know it."

"It may be my only choice, and if it's what Tyler wants..." She shrugged. "Would you argue with him?"

He bit his lip and stared at the fascinating tabletop. "You know I can't."

"Yes. I know." Her smile was a half step away from tears. "I know all too well."

Click. Clink. Two teacups settled into their saucers, the song ended save for the soft counterpoint of the rain.