::SANDS OF TIME - Book 2:: Note and Request on Pg 46 - Page 8

"I say this is the right time to strike!"

"Have you lost your mind Apollonia? Do not forget they are the Watchers after all. One wrong move and we stand to face judgement."

"So what do you suggest we do Adriel? We cannot let the Grigori walk scott free this time!"

"Not until we are certain that there indeed was an offence on Pia Grigori's part."

"Oh come on Arriana! What more proof do you seek? Is it not enough that she has consorted with Lucifer's minion?"

"We very well know that she had expressed a desire to awaken the vampire's long lost humanity before she fell, Cassiel. It is surely not a good enough reason to admonish her for that. Besides she's ripped of all her powers. Is it not a disgrace in itself?"

Despite the chilly night air the atmosphere was heated. The deserted ruins of an arena that was a part of a kingdom that once spoke a long lost tale of courage and valour had now turned into a war zone where a group of angels had engaged themselves in a verbal war over the fate of Pia Grigori, an angel born into a clan called the Watchers, who were dispatched to Earth to watch over humans. While the angels were debating on Pia's fate the skies above them thundered flashing the lightening and their unfurled wings beat furiously against the wind.

"She was a Watcher. Her duty entailed her to watch out for humans and not Lucifer's henchmen. She chose to consort with a vampire. Is there a greater shame for our kind?" Cassiel demanded Adriel who always nurtured a soft spot for Pia.

"We do not know if she has committed any such sin you speak of Cassiel," Arriana shot back furiously in Pia's defence.

"Besides should we bother about an angel who has been ripped of all her powers? She is of no harm anyways," Roland told in a lazy manner crouching down on a boulder, folding his wings back.

"She may be rendered a mortal but why does her clan go unpunished for her act? They have the nerve to walk holding their head high in full glory while their daughter has disgraced our kind," Apollonia spat back in outrage.

"She will never be welcomed into our folds anyways. So why should we bother about her?" Zoey chirped from a corner stretching her fingers before her examining the nails. She seemed to be least perturbed by this argument and she had been a silent spectator for a while.

"Well when it comes to the mighty Grigori, you can walk away with almost anything. Why should we alone bear the brunt all the time? Angel or mortal this calls for retribution. Besides a simple purgatory ritual and everything is pardoned," Apollonia replied back to Zoey throwing as much venom possible into her words while Evangeline agreed with Apollonia.

"Polly is right. We need to act before they get cautious," Eve spoke up leaning against a stone pillar.

"No we will not let that happen. Post the ritual Pia will once again be restored with her powers and she will be welcomed into our ranks but that should not be the case here. Pia Grigori must pay for her sins. We should set forth an example to others of our kind who wish to go astray," Cassiel told firmly while Apollonia and Eve nodded their heads in agreement.

"If Pia is indeed guilty of such an act, then I assure you justice shall prevail. But before we come to that conclusion we should be sure that Pia has indeed broken the code of conduct. Till such time I do not want any of you to take matters into your own hands," Adriel warned them firmly and took off into the night skies along with Arriana, Zoey and Roland.

"Adriel will never let any harm fall upon the Grigori girl. We have to act fast," Eve muttered under her breath.

"Damn that Adriel! We had a good opportunity to get rid of the Grigori clan once and for all but no, brother shall not hear a word against her," Cassiel cursed his own brother.

"Heavens forbid if Pia undergoes a purgatory ritual before we can prove her guilt, then everything shall be forgiven. No, we should not let that happen, NEVER!" Apollonia replied in a firm tone and shot a bolt of lightning at the skies.

Unknown to them all, a lone solitary figure perched on a tower top had been a mute spectator to this turn of events and right now all he ever sought was to save his clan from being dishonoured. He knew what had to be done. Taking a deep long breath, he unfurled his massive violet tinted wings and took off hoping he could undo the disaster his sister had doomed them to.

Where her kind was busy debating over her fate, the angel was sleeping peacefully in the vampire's house in his room. Unaware someone close to her is watching her, wants her safety and is here to make a deal with her.

Ryan Grigori, Pia's brother was watching his sister wretchedly while his massive violet tinted wings flowed in the air. He was here to save his clan, his sister and their family. He dived into her dreams to set everything right again and take his sister back with him to where she truly belonged.

Pia opened her eyes and was ecstatic to see her favorite flowers and the fairy fountain again. The sound of the water with the beautiful shades of blue, green, orange, red and yellow everywhere lit up her life all of a sudden. She giggled happily because it was always one of her favorite spot in heaven. She twirled around embracing the soft welcome of the air when she felt she is not alone. "Ryan?" She softly called the young man who had the same baby brown eyes as her but auburn hair. She experienced a myriad of emotions and her eyes were brimmed with tears upon seeing her brother after a long time. With a jolt she realised the beautiful sight before her was nothing more than a dream, a long lost reminder of what she once had, which was no more hers to behold.

"It's a dream. You brought me here, isn't it? But why" Pia's voice fell.

"I had to. You left me with no choice," he said with a heavy voice. "I missed you. We missed you. But don't you miss your family? Don't you miss all the happy moments we shared in our abode?" Ryan spoke in a hollow tone, his voice laden with misery.

Pia's heart shattered into a million pieces when she heard the depth of sadness in her brother's voice. "Why do you even ask brother? Don't you know your sister well enough to realise that she longs to be back with her family again?" She went near him to embrace him but she couldn't. To her horror and dismay she realised she couldn't touch her brother anymore.

"You cannot. You are not an angel anymore but I am. You have lost all your powers Pia. This is just an illusion," he told her sadly and then it dawned to him that he was indeed in a dream and he had to pass on his message before it was too late and Pia woke up from her dream. He spoke with a tone of urgency in his voice ' "I don't have much time Pia because I intervened in your dreams to pass on a message to you. I have to be quick. You can be one of us again. You can get your powers back and we can save our family and honor again."

Pia become restless in her sleep and in the illusion of the fairy fountain alley she stammered, "I don't understand? What's with my family and honor? Is it about the dark angels?"

"Yes it is. They are after the entire Grigori clan. They are set to destroy us with the excuse of your sin. I have to save my family from this disgrace. But we also want you back. You still have one last chance to set everything right. Just do what I say."

A vulnerable and absolutely clueless Pia stammered again, "What are you asking for Ryan? I have lost my powers completely, you know that but still I will do anything I can to save my family. But it's inequitable. The dark angels are trying to misuse their powers to dishonor our clan. They are using the situation as an opportunity. We must fight against this injustice."

Ryan followed quickly, "Yes we must and that's exactly why I need your help. Not everyone among us agree with what they have to say and there are still chances that you might be saved and welcomed into our midst once again. You will have to undergo the purgatory ritual to get your powers back but to save our clan from being dishonoured, you have to forsake your ridiculous fantasy of trying to tame the vampire. If you sacrifice his soul to the dark angels you will get your powers back and you shall be pardoned."

Pia looked at Ryan with skepticism and astonishment. Her voice shook with the realization of the truth, "Do you mean I have to trade Abhay's soul for my own powers?"

Ryan prompted realising he had little time left now, "Yes you have to. It will set everything right again. You are not Florence Nightingale and resurrecting every monster from the darkness is NOT your job. Leave it, please. Haven't you seen and suffered enough? Stop being so stubborn for once, please."

Tears fell from Pia's eyes and turned into pearldrops on her hand. As she is still in the illusion of heaven her tears are becoming pearldrops like angels. She spat incredulously, "NEVER. I shall trade his soul with my death Ryan!! Do you have any idea what are you asking for? Abhay is NOT a monster. His humanity is buried inside him and I just need to dig down deeper. I'm so close to bringing him back to the light and I cannot back out now."

Ryan's voice become softer but he couldn't hide his disappointment, "You are in love with him. Aren't you?"

"It is not relevant if I love him or not but I would NEVER trade Abhay's soul for anything, not even for my powers. I will not let any harm befall him, not whilst I am alive. Why don't you realise it's a trick brother? They want to destroy our clan and Abhay is just a bait'"

She couldn't finish because Ryan stopped her, "So that vampire means more to you than us. What have you got yourself into? Mark my words Pia, you have dug your own grave and it won't be long before you realise you have made the biggest mistake of your life.."

"So be it... But Ryan, please.." Pia pleaded but the fairy fountain had vanished and Pia realized she is traveling through dark and light because Ryan has left the place. She cried and pleaded him to come back.

Abhay was already having a hard time trying to distance himself from Pia to keep a check on his unsettled emotions especially when they are living under the same roof. He kind of forced Pia to live here in order to save her from more accidents and save himself from more rescue missions. Even from outside the house he can feel she is restless and his vampiric hearing could strongly catch onto her sobs and he also realised that shewais calling someone. Without wasting a second, he ran to her room. He saw she was sobbing in her sleep and mumbling "Try to understand Ryan... please." The name hit his mind as instantly the thought of another man in Pia's life boiled his blood. But he checked his temper and shook her, "Wake up Pia. What happened?" The moment he touched her he became alert that Pia was communicating with someone in her mind. Pia jerked off from the sleep where her tears were no more pearl drops but normal salty water right that had wet the pillow. She looked around and saw Abhay still holding her with concern and a big question mark in his face. Suddenly Pia remembered what Ryan offered her, getting her wings and powers back in return for Abhay's soul. Her eyes swelled with tears and she hugged Abhay and cried copious tears startling him. Abhay didn't want to dig the grave that is called his heart now. But Pia was messing with his long buried emotions. He felt something extremely bothering, hurting him the moment she started crying embracing him. It was disturbingly NICE - her touch and at the same time confusingly hurting - her tears. He tried to pacify her but it didn't work. He asked her repeatedly what's wrong and who's Ryan? Pia hesitantly replied that she dreamt about her brother and she missed him. He stroked her hair gently and made her sleep again. After a while Pia drifted off to sleep again but Abhay watched her for a long time wondering what the hell is he going to do with this freaking angel!!!

The morning sun heralded a new day and a new concern in Pia's life. Entire day she kept pacing up and down thinking about Ryan's deal. Her mission to decontaminate a monsters life and bring out the buried humanity inside him had indeed led her to danger along with her entire family and clan and not to mention Abhay. She won't let it happen. She decided to leave Abhay's house forever. It's the right time since he isn't at home. With whatever clothes Abhay had brought from her house and all the belongings she had, she packed with a rush and left Abhay's house with tears towards an unknown destination. It was impossible to leave without saying a goodbye. She wrote a small note,

"People always leave and so did I, for the better."

The thought of never seeing Abhay ever made her heart bleed, leaving her in an agonizing pain that was impossible to survive but she has to. For her family, for her clan and for her love Abhay. She would rather leave everyone behind than be the root cause for their suffering. She alone was answerable for all her deeds and if anyone had to be punished it should be her. She would suffer alone for having wrought misery on those she loved. She got into the first bus she got for Louisiana and started towards there. Pia had absolutely no idea what she would do there, why she is going there but she has to leave. She had some money on her that would suffice for the time being but she had to get a new job. She choose a public transportation so that Abhay will not be able to follow her or try to stop her in public.

Pia felt this was for the best but her heart was left unattended to where Abhay is. She remembered how Abhay saved her everytime and inspite of hating her he was always there for her. She wished she could see him again, touch his face and lose herself in the oceanic depths of his hypnotic blue eyes. She shut her eyes and mind. She has to stop thinking about Abhay now.

Meanwhile, far way Abhay was feeling something was going drastically wrong. He returned to his place as soon as possible and found Pia's note. He screamed in rage, "Stupid angel!!!!" But more than rage it was frustration or to be more precise pain - the pain of losing someone he cherished. He was worried where she could have gone and he could feel her grief. He could feel she is in despair and something is bothering her. Abhay is NOT supposed to feel like this about her but he did. His disconcerted feelings for Pia rose and reached to a peak as he realized she is all lonely and miserable. Any danger could easily hit her now. Ignoring all his mystifying emotions he ran to follow the trail for reaching Pia. He took the car and drove as quickly as possible. Abhay himself wasn't sure why he wanted to save Pia from every means but he just knows he has to. It's like digging deep into his own grave. He never wanted Pia to dig down his heart to bring out the buried emotions but now he himself is determined to get her back. He just can't see Pia in danger. If something happens to her.. He dreaded and diverted his mind back to focus on Pia's whereabouts.

It was already midnight in Louisiana and the owner for the resort sleepily eyed Pia with suspicion seeing her all alone in this place asking for a room. Pia signed the register and finally entered her room. She sat on the bed and burst into tears, "I have to keep Abhay and my family out of everything. It's my fault" She wiped her tears and went for shower. Tomorrow is a new day and she would start her new life ALONE and that's the biggest truth of her life now. When she came out in the bathrobe a strong hand grabbed her hand and pinned her to the wall taking her completely off-guard and scared the daylights out of her. She was speechless seeing the face as she mumbled with shock, "Abhay? How did you find me?"

Abhay was beyond angry though in his mind he was actually relieved to see her safe, "You freaking stupid angel. What were you thinking? I told you to stay at my place and when I say something you do it."

Pia gulped hard seeing Abhay so furious but the concern he had for her was melting her heart at the same time, "Abhay.. Abhay.. (she stammered) I had to.. You are not supposed to find me and let me go."

"I don't give a damn what you do but when I told you to stay at my place it was for your safety. I don't want you to endanger you for my sake. If anyone is going to let you in danger that has to be ME because you messed with me and I loathe angels!! You seriously thought I won't be able to find you. Wherever you go I will always know."

Abhay was pinning Pia's hand too hard that it was hurting her. She felt tears in her eyes but she didn't let them fall. Her entire effort of keeping everyone safe had gone astray. "You are not supposed to follow me. I can't let you in danger and I will never trade your soul either." Pia shouted with rage. Abhay left her hands with a jerk but she fell half of the side table and half on the floor getting off-balance. Abhay immediately rushed to her aid as his intentions were not to hurt her. "Pia.." he shouted and quickly helped her sit on the bed. Pia's lips were bleeding after getting hit on the table. She tried to touch it Abhay didn't let her. The way he was eyeing her lips made Pia have battling butterflies in stomach. He slowly touched her bottom lip and muttered, "Perfect place for healing" and kissed the corner of Pia's lips to heal there first. Pia closed her eyes completely ignoring they were fighting few minutes back!! He kissed her bottom lips this time healing there and again even after they were healed. It was passionate poison - her blood, the essence of her lips made Abhay feel something he hasn't felt in years. The intoxicating, welcoming taste of her lips were absorbing him and Pia lost herself to the feel of his touch by closing her eyes and let Abhay take the lead. Abhay mumbled kissing the corner of her lips again healing there, tasting the blood, "What were you saying? Trade what?"

Pia mumbled, "Trade of the souls.. your soul..."