This story is now J/S, M/L and implied B/T.
I'm slightly nervous as I normally don't write long or multichaptered/part stories, and I've never done any of these challenges. I'm quite afraid this will be a flop.
A Quiver of Love
“Rank amateurs,” Charlene Cherub scoffed petulantly at the odd assortment of pathetically over eager recruits gathered in front of her. “Not one of you with any kind of experience?” she asked hopefully, but wasn’t surprised at the collective shaking of heads.
“We’ve written romance stories, though,” one told her happily.
“With difficult characters who required a lot of handling,” agreed another.
“And we always write them happily ever after,” added a third encouragingly.
“Please, cherubs, work with me here. This is the real world. Real people, not some two-dimensional characters you commandeer on paper. You can’t just erase a bad scene, delete a subversive sub-plot. You have to deal with the hand St. Valentine gives you and roll with the punches, come back kicking and fighting…” Charlene broke off her boxing jabs and stared at the bewildered cherubs in training before her. She shook her head at their undisguised enthusiasm. It went in their favour she supposed. There was plenty of time for them to become cynical on the job. She pushed past her reservations and leveled them with a stern, commanding look. After all, who was she to question the powers that be?
“Right – fall in then, look sharp. We haven’t got all day. We’ve a battle to fight – a war to win…”
“I thought this operation was all about love?” piped up one adventurous cherub, batting her eyelashes in obvious confusion.
Charlene sighed. “Well, of course it is – that’s what St. Valentine’s all about.”
“Then what war are we fighting?” another brave cherub asked in confusion. “War isn’t about love.”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” Charlene corrected with a heavy sigh. Yep, definitely rank amateurs every last one – fresh out of the Academy of Love and apparently not a bright light in the bunch. “What are we fighting? Despondency, apathy, fear, failure, insecurity…the list goes on. Those are the reasons that many humans fight against the strongest emotion of all…love.”
“Fighting against love – not for it?” a shudder of horror traveled through the little group.
“In comprehensible, I know, but humans are finicky creatures at the best of time. Throw in some of the obstacles I just mentioned and they can quickly get mired in a morose marsh of inactivity. Take this couple here…” Charlene drew an arrow out of the quiver on her back and shot it expertly at a fluffy white cloud that immediately shape-shifted into wide-screen TV. Impressed murmurs carried around the young trainees as they looked curiously at the humans working in some kind of office environment.
“There. You see those two?” another arrow delicately shot from Charlene’s bow pointed out a blonde haired woman and a dark haired man. “Sue Thomas and Jack Hudson. Three years in love and nary a kiss!”
Startled gasps flittered among the recruits. “With their hearts as our targets, this will be our finest battle. We must war against every single obstacle I mentioned before and the biggest one of all. Company politics. This isn’t going to be an easy task which is why there are so many of you, though I had hoped for some seasoned warriors…”
The cherubs looked on in horror as a thick gray mass began accumulating around the couple.
“Look, it’s sticking!” one cherub called in repulsion.
“If it gets any thicker, our arrows aren’t going to be able to penetrate it and they’ll never reach their targets!” exclaimed another.
“Good. I’m glad you understand the severity of the situation. At least they’re teaching you something useful at the academy,” Charlene said with evident relief. “I hope you are all good markswomen, because we won’t get a chance like this again. By Valentine’s Day next year, it will be too late and Jack and Sue will be lost in an abyss of darkness forever separating them. It is our job to bring this couple into the light of love.”
“What about the others?” a particularly romantic cherub asked.
“Bobby Manning and Tara Williams. Might be something there – but it’s in the early stages yet – we’re only allowed a gentle prod to see if the sparkle will turn into a sizzle. Dimitrius Gans, now there’s a success story. Happily married to the love of his life. I shot that arrow myself fifteen years ago,” Charlene added modestly. “And then we have Myles Leland III and Lucy Dotson…” she broke off, shaking her head sadly. “I’m afraid that’s one battle we lost. Still there’s no reason they shouldn’t find happiness with someone else.”
“So, our primary targets are Sue Thomas and Jack Hudson?”
“Affirmative – secondary fall out amongst the others is inevitable and may prove interesting, even enlightening, but stick to our targets, ladies.” Charlene began handing out quivers of arrows. “Handle these with care. You’ll only get one shot with each.” She picked up a pink-feathered arrow. “Romance – an important element in the human relationship. There can never be too much of this – so the point is sharpened to pierce deep and true.”
She plucked out a purple arrow next. “Respect – no relationship can last without it and since we want this particular relationship to be lasting, I suggest you make sure this one is firmly imbedded as close to the heart as you can manage.”
Next she drew their attention to a cheerfully festooned orange and yellow arrow. “Laughter – as necessary an ingredient as love to any relationship. This little baby will fly light and true, making our intended couple happy and carefree. I would suggest beginning your campaign with this one.”
Next she drew out a richly feathered red arrow. “Lust” she declared, “use sparingly and be sure to pierce only the fleshy parts. An invaluable commodity used to demonstrate love, it should never rule it.”
“Now last of all, we have Love.” Charlene held the golden arrow reverently, her eyes alight with excitement. “This little beauty must be weighed and measured and expertly wielded at just the right time or…” Her lips tightened and bright red splotches of colour appeared on her cherubic cheeks. “It doesn’t bear thinking about. Accuracy. That’s what I want to see from you ladies. Understood?”
“Yes m’am,” energetic and enthusiastic replies echoed across the horizon. “Right. Then get on with it. I suggest you start off with a simple reconnoitering mission. Off you go.”
In a flurry of wings and stray feathers and sparkly loop de loops, the newest cherubs hurled earthbound. No one was ever clear how it happened. Someone pulled up too abruptly over the bullpen perhaps. Someone else might have jigged instead of jagged. Or several inexperienced cherubs might well have been feathergating. In any case, whatever the reason, the results were still disastrous. There was a pile up and several quivers full of promise upended prematurely, heading haphazardly for the unsuspecting humans below.
x
Charlotte Cherub, otherwise known as Charlie was an..odd duck. She didn't quite fit into any of the normal Cherub ideals. She didn't have blonde, curly hair and sky blue eyes. Instead she had a somewhat square face, chestnut brown long hair with (natural) streaks of red and green eyes. Other people speculated she had Leprechaun blood in her, but she laughed that off. She didn't look like a cherub and certainly did not act like one half the time. In the academy she had barely paid attention and really did not see the whole appeal of Valentines day. It seemed stupid, she thought to herself sourly, that we should have to put humans together. They should be more than capable on their own. However, Charlie liked the challenge presented. All the other cherubs prematurely fired one or two arrows, but she had saved them all.
Instead, she went and decided to research her couple, John and Sally -- no, Jack and Sue. Better get their names right. Charlie rolled her eyes and made her way towards the 'library'. It was called the 'library' for lack of better term. There were no actual books. It was filled with look-throughs, as they called them. A look-through was a rather ingenious invention that made a cherub's life a whole lot easier. The more practical ones, such as Charlie would research their couple and the not-so practical ones could see what disaster they had created with a misplaced arrow and monitor their progress, or lack thereof. The look-through was like a window that would follow around either one of your subjects, (targets seemed like a rather misleading word) and was very handy. The look-through saved whatever it saw and was able to recall it instantly, so Charlotte grabbed a purple one that had Washington, DC on the cover. She opened up the look-through and spoke clearly, "Sue Thomas and --" she looked down at her notes written in glossy pink ink, "Sue Thomas and Jackson Hudson, please." It took a moment, but she saw the office where these humans worked at. Sue seemed to be working on something separately with that blonde, the other sidesubject...Tammy or something like that. Jack was involved in deep conversation with that success story of Charlene's and everybody else in the office was crowded around them, listening intently. This is rather boring, she thought and wondered what to do first. After a few more minutes of watching the humans talk, Charlie told her look-through to go back to the first time Jack and Sue (she had gotten it right this time!) had met. As she watched the look-through flash it's LOADING sign at her she saw a sight that horrified her. Chrissy Cherub walked with her gaggle of friends and declared that she had an idea.
"Charlie!" she called out and flashed her perfect smile. "You were assigned to the Washington, DC case right?"
Charlie nodded slowly. Chrissy had that look on her face, which made Charlie very nervous. Chrissy was the equivalent of Cherub Royalty and Charlie couldn't stand her. Sure, she was told she had leprechaun blood, and what do they tell Chrissy? Fairy blood! Charlie couldn't stand Chrissy. She was just so..fake.
"Good, I'm glad I caught you!" she continued. "I have an idea. I was talking to my mumsy dearest, and she said she had worked on Jack's parents. She was successful, of course. Anyway, she said that there was a reason Jack hadn't gotten together with this Sue yet. He's still attached to this Allie girl, who he would have married. I thought that was rather sweet, and this Sue is pretty enough. I'm sure she could find somebody else. So our new mission is, and I've convinced everybody else working on this case, to put the childhood sweethearts back together! Jack and Allie! Doesn't that sound fabulous?"
Charlie looked at Chrissy dumbstruck. You did not want to cross Charlene. This was insane. Sue and Jack seemed like a fine match, and no. For once she wasn't going to conform and go along with what Chrissy wanted.
"Go ahead Chrissy. Do what you like! I won't take part of it. I'm gonna get Sue and Jack together, no matter what."
Chrissy sighed and turned to her friends. "I knew Charlie wouldn't go for it. She's such a loser. Must be that leprechaun blood." Chrissy turned around. "Guess what Charlie?" she asked mockingly.
"What?" Charlie asked, trying to instill every ounce of anger management she had.
"Game on."
Chrissy than left with a laugh and her group of friends glared at Charlie before following. Chrissy was right. After that, she had to win. Chrissy wanted a game? Charlie examined her orange/yellow arrow.
Game on.
x
notes: I hope Charlie is likeable. I also hope people like this one. If you thought it was bad, tell me so. (Maybe I'll switch prompts.
tbc