"Uh, I don't feel so well," the young woman sighed. Amanda, one arm wrapped around Nick, hung off his left side. He fumbled with his wallet while trying to pay the cabby. Eventually, he found the singles to give a decent tip and handed it to the man.

"You have a good night now," the mustached driver said with a wink and the cab slid away into the quiet night.

Nick put his arm around Amanda's waist and half carried her as they staggered down the long drive together. "You have a good birthday, how many has it been?"

"Three hundred, twenty-seven...Or was it...three hundred seventy-two?" She paused and hiccuped. "Out drunk by a human."

"You try," the baryan said as he pushed a dish towards Nick with one of its prehensile tentacles.

The young man eyed the bowl. The food inside, that looked deceptively like green linguine, was still wiggling. "I don't think so Pham. How many Earthlings have you fooled with that baryan delicacy bit?"

Nick flicked on the switch and the yellowed light fizzled to life with an electric hum. He pounded on the wall causing the bed to fall out of its niche. The young man closed the door so he had enough room to breathe and sat on the bed to take off his shoes. "Five days down, twenty to go," he sighed.

The old man tapped the pipe out against the side of his boot as he shook his head. "And what made you think that what you did would be a good idea?"

The young angel's wings drooped. "I, I didn't..."

"Exactly," the elder seraph interjected as he stood. "Come, let's see if we can fix it."

Nick did not smoke, but it was a special occasion. He lit a match, took a few long pulls on the cigar to catch the flame, and dropped the half spent match. The flame hit the concrete and the gasoline went up with a low "whoof." It followed the trail he had poured; a vibrant yellow-blue snake seemed to dance in the gloaming.

The whine and snap-crack was unmistakable. Nick dropped his bag of groceries as he threw himself towards the closest car, rolling the last few feet to relative safety. A glass window broke with a pop, followed by the ping-tink of bullets puncturing the car's body.

Marah sat with her back to the tree and her head cradled in her hands. Unwanted tears streamed down her sweat and soot grimed cheeks. Nick rested a hand on her shoulder. A single deep sob escaped her but she managed to reign her sorrow in. The young woman looked up into the man's red rimmed eyes. "I, I'm," he began.

She shook her head. "No, no. Don't say it."