There will be coal in my stocking . . .

I don't know why this pose made me think of Paris & Seraphina

So, Christmas Challenge ?  I know I will be playing around with doing my Christmas Novella (It will not take 3 years . . . I kind of promise). I thought I had something and I just couldn't get it down. . . so I'm back to the drawing board.

Are we really just on Chapter 6 and Beyond
I'm on a roll here because I have the next 5 chapters all plotted and written out. They just need to be cleaned up. I'm pushing for Bellum III  (I know it just keeps going) to be just 10 chapters. Which is odd because I'm in no rush to stare at a blank screen wondering where my next idea will come from.

Bellum Recap
Helios Thantos and his band of Angel mercenaries (yeah I said it) have arrived in New York City and Helios is planning something. After a year of isolation Helio's summon the newly appointed leader  of the Demons Paris Prince.

Helios makes it very clear he wants Paris and his people gone, but they aren't backing down without a fight. . . until Helios begins killing Demons,  terrorizing their livelihood and threatening Paris' every move.

Fed up with Paris' pacifism fellow Brotherhood member Callum gathers followers to start a Resistance, by making weapons out of the only material that can hurt them . . . white gold.

Just when Paris has lost everything including the woman he has just proposed to an unlikely ally walks (back) into his life,

Seraphina Grigoi has been loyal to Helios since she became his first female recruit; quickly becoming his bodyguard and lover. Her faith in Helios begins to waiver and there is talk of an uprising in the SGI. She reaches her tipping point when Helio's kills Hippolyta the woman she loved from a distance.

Added to that the reason for Hippolya's deah is Ariel, Sera's youngest and closest sister. The bond between them is broken and far from repair

Paris decides to pretend to agree to Helio's exit strategy for the Demons, while secretly trying to take him down, now that he has Sera as an informant.

The Brother's don't fully trust her but she's remained loyal, helping them destroy Helios' cars and weapons.  However it doesn't help that she and Paris are having an affair . . . or is it something more ?

Chapter 5 Recap

After Helios takes a large amount of The broherhoods profits in retaliation for them blowing up his cars, Sera and Paris track Heliosto Long Island. Helios is up to something and he is not working alone. What's in Long Island ? Why does Helios need the money ?

After leaving a voice mail on Isobel Charter's phone,  Paris is off to Boston (finally, I know) to get legal closure on inheriting Father's assets and maybe some personal closure . . .

This Section from Bellum 1 Chapter 6 comes up

 I survey our surroundings one more time and stop midstep to face her. Before she can say anything else I kiss her and can't believe I've gone all day without doing it. She relaxes and brings her arms around my neck, balancing on the tips of her toes.

"Isobel, this may not be the best time, but I want you to go to Boston with me next month. I need to sign some legal papers to transfer the company to my name. It'd be for the weekend. . . "

"Are you sure. I' mean with all that's going on."

"It needs to be done. Might as well get a respite out of it."

"Oh, A weekend in Boston. Can we take selfies where the Boston Tea Party happened. Maybe visit Paul Revere's house ?"

"I suppose. Although you know how I feel about history."

"How ?"

"You know. . . been there lived that."

Also this section from Bellum 1 Chapter 8 comes back.

She finally takes her eyes from me and walks slowly around the room, lowering her heart rate.

“The ring ?”, she asks

“Oh, no that’s not until Boston--”

“My ring”, she says with a confused look.

“Oh, damn. right. Sorry. I thought you meant. . . um. ..”

I reach into my pocket and pull out the ring I had taken when I ‘d tried to kill her. It’s made of old very tough gold. I figure it probably belonged to a relative from home. Angels then had thinner hands.

“What’s in Boston”, she asks. But she seems unsure if she should. Like she's trying to make conversation.

“Oh, um. . .It’s where I am proposing to Isobel. I needed to go up there for legal reasons and the timing just seems  . . . right.”

“Is Boston special ?”, she asks.

“You remember”, I said, “All that Colonial American shit went on.  Isobel took this course in The American Revolution last year and talked about it for weeks. I think it may inform her decision about our  .. . conflict. Anyway, it’s a rather historical city and I thought I might…”

I made sort of a vague gesture. Then I started to ramble.

“I thought maybe  I’d do it at midnight. . . right in the middle of Quincy Market. You remember when they built that don’t you ? Just before midnight in case bells ring or something. Yes. . . that way when she says yes the bells will ring and I’ll pick her up and people will clap. . . maybe ? Girls like that ? Right ?”

 Chapter 6
Bellum II PlayList 

+1+Stay With me - 30 Seconds From Mars
+2+Sweater Weather - Alexi Blue
+3+ Am I Wrong - Nico & Vinz
+4+ Cavalier - James Vincent Morrow (New LiLe SVH poster boy)

Chapter 6