Some people are just born for the silver screen.

How come they'd never done this before? It was the most awesome idea ever. Falling asleep in Nate's arms had been great too, but his surprise... she loved him for it.

Grace couldn't hold back a grin. A tight, black pencil skirt with a deep cut at the back and a white shirt hugged her figure. Her high, red platform heels clicked on the tiles as she walked between rows of cubicles. Men peeked from behind the walls to watch her swaying hips.

She clutched the briefcase tighter, rearranged her glasses, and continued to the wooden door at the end of the hall. Her hair was caught up in a high ponytail; she wore blood-red lipstick and smoky eyeshadow. She'd never thought going undercover as a human could be this much fun.

Once Grace reached the door, the model-thin secretary stood from behind her desk and trotted around it to block the door.

"Do you have an appointment?" Pink bubblegum popped between her lips.

"Of course," Grace replied, her voice all honey. She sidestepped the secretary and entered the office without knocking.

The man inside was on the phone. He raised his eyes, surveyed Grace for a second, then excused himself and hung up. His pheromone levels shot through the roof bringing a smell of over-ripe peaches, and Grace fought the impulse to step back. Ugh!

"How may I help you?" His eyes twinkled with lust as he joined his fingers on the tabletop.

Showtime! "Oh, no." Grace dropped the briefcase on a nearby leather couch. "I'm here to help you."

The man leered at her and stood. "Let's see what you can do, my dear."

"Sit!"

Her voice cracked like a whip in the silent room. The man blinked, but obeyed the order. Grace walked to the desk and sat on the corner of it, her arms crossed over her chest. He was a weak human. She already had him under her control just by snapping at him. Angel powers ruled.

"You're the one who will be doing things. Like getting rid of your slutty secretary. Maybe even stop cheating on your wife with everything that moves. Though, I'm more concerned about something else at this particular moment."

"Who are you? Who sent you? " The man started to stand.

Grace fixed him with her stare and grabbed hold of his mind. "Sit!"

He froze halfway up, watching her warily, before easing himself back into his leather chair.

Grace suppressed an amused smile. Humans were so much fun. "I'm here about the business transaction you're about to make. Or, should I say the one you're trying to mess up? Robbing your partner and life-long friend?"

The man's eyes widened. She could feel his natural instinct to deny it, but she didn't let him. "How do you know about that? Who are you?"

"That is of little importance." She leaned in closer to him. "Why are you doing it? For the money? You're a rich man with a beautiful family. You were lucky to find a decent woman who turns a blind eye to all your affairs. Oh, yes, Karen knows."

"How-how do you-" Something growled inside the man. Grace kept her hold on him, daring the monster to come out and challenge her for control over him. The man's words were lost in a whimper. His jaw started shaking and he wrung his hands in his lap.

"She knows, but chooses to ignore it, as long as you're good to her. And you are. Whether it's out of guilt, love or commodity, it's not important." Grace locked her gray eyes on the man's brown ones. She could feel the Negru inside him squirming. She accessed his guilt center and pushed it to the surface.

"I love my wife," he blurted out. "But I can't help myself."

"That's bad enough. But cheating your friend?" She shook her head. "Why do you need more money? To turn your daughter into a stuck-up snob who will never find true love because no man will ever rise to her over-the-top standards? Do you want your son to become so reliant upon his trust fund that he never takes a job, never learns to contribute to society, never feels motivated to get out of bed in the morning?

They have enough as it is. You have enough, but you don't see it. Why do you need another house, another yacht? Material things don't bring happiness. Are they worth your childhood friend? The man who had your back all these years?"

The man's lips moved, but no words came out.

"If you pull this off, you will change. Alienate everyone, including your family. And, most importantly, you will get caught and lose everything."

Tears shone in the manager's eyes. Black steam rose from his skin as the feelings of shame and guilt rejected the Negru influencing him. The demonic shadow screeched, trying to hold on to the last bits of the man's depravation. Grace released him, letting him fight the rest of the battle alone. The vapor wheezed and disappeared into oblivion.

"You're right. This is not worth it. I don't know what I was thinking," he whispered. "I won't do it. I have enough. I should take better care of my family."

"There's a good man." Grace hopped off the desk and retrieved her briefcase from the couch. When she glanced over her shoulder, the man was shaking his head as though awakened from a dream. He was free. Both from her influence and the Negru's hold.

"Who are you?" he asked in a weak, trembling voice.

"Your guardian Angel." She winked and left the office.

The secretary stood, tugging at her extremely short leather skirt. She strode around the desk as though to cut off Grace's path.

Grace raised a hand to stop her. "Honey, the boss will see you know." Seconds later, the manager called for her.

The girl's jaw dropped. Grace fought a giggle and walked back to the elevators. She pressed the button, ignoring all the stares from the cubicles. Once the elevator arrived, she pressed the button for the ground floor and let out a long breath. Playing human was awesome.

A floor down, the doors opened. Nate stepped in, wearing a black suit, light blue shirt and dark blue tie. He clutched his own briefcase. He made one smoking hot human.

"How'd it go?" he asked as soon as the doors closed and the elevator continued its descent.

"Problem solved, Negru dead, and a lot of fun for me."

Nate smiled. "I admit, I'm having a good time. I was trying to remove the cause rather than the effects of the Demon problem, but influencing humans and expelling Negri has its merits."

"We should do this more often." Grace glanced at Nate, taking him in. Dark colors looked good on him, and she wished he would wear them more often, not only as a disguise. She felt very in character dressed like this, and she simply loved the shoes. "You know," she said, "if we were in a movie, we could press the emergency stop button and get naughty." She grinned at him.

Nate shook his head, though there was a shadow of a smile on his face. "You watch too many movies, honey."

They reached the ground floor and headed for a back door. No one paid them any attention as they exited the building into a narrow space reserved for garbage pick-up. Three walls surrounded them, while the fourth was a distant iron gate.

"Time for the next job." Nate opened up his briefcase and pulled out blue overalls. "There's a construction site two blocks from here and some of the workers decided to do their boss in. I personally think that's wrong." He pulled at his tie, loosening it.

"I happen to agree with you." Grace pulled her own overalls out and began undoing the buttons of her shirt. She reached back, unzipped her skirt and kicked the shoes off. Behind her, Nate took off his blazer, and started unbuttoning his shirt.

Grace had taken her skirt off and was about to do the same with the shirt, when she realized what they were actually doing. She stood there, her bra and panties in full view, with Nate right behind her, and neither of them was concentrating on anything else but changing costumes. Nate had taken his shirt off and was undoing his belt. He stopped when he noticed Grace staring at him.

"What?" His eyes kept to her face.

Hers couldn't. Her gaze trailed to his lean body. The pecs, the six pack, the biceps, everything looked carved out of marble. Of course they would be, he was an Angel, but it still made her catch fire. She suddenly wished she could touch him, feel his heat under her palms. Or better yet, on her skin.

His gaze slipped from her face to her body, taking her in. His skin turned reddish in the blink of an eye, and his hands tightened around his belt.

Grace's heart went into hyper drive. She'd never seen him lose control like this, no matter what. He spun away from her, his knuckles turning white with the pressure of his hold. Her skin itched, and a violent rash spread up her arms as a thought formed in her mind. She knew she shouldn't and that she didn't look remotely sexy anymore, but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. She stepped toward him.

"Why do we have to sprout boils as if loving each other is wrong?" She raised a trembling palm and put it on his back. His body was so hot. She could feel his muscles tense.

"Grace, turn away and get dressed." His voice was low and raspy.

She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. He made a feeble attempt to resist her pull, but let her move him anyway.

"You didn't answer my question."

Nate stared at her for a few seconds. His hands unclenched from around his belt. He lingered as though unable to decide whether to push her away or pull her closer. "We're not married, Grace. We haven't even settled on a Journey. There are rules-" Whatever he wanted to say next died in his throat once Grace pressed her body against his.

She'd never imagined his skin would be this soft, yet so powerful, so comfortable. His hands touched her shoulders, then went down to her waist, under her open shirt. Grace gasped when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her even closer, crushing her against him. Her head spun out of control. Everything she'd seen in movies, read in books, fantasized about was nothing compared to the real thing. She never wanted him to let go.

"Oh, Grace." He buried his face in the space between her neck and shoulder. "So long...it's been so long." His warm breath sent shivers down her spine.

"Kiss me," she whispered.

His lips touched her neck and went up to her jaw, around to her lips. He touched them, but suddenly pulled back. "No, I can't do this. I'll lose control."

"Who cares?" She closed her eyes and lifted her chin to give him better access to her mouth.

"I care." He let her go and pulled away. Grace's eyes popped open. It felt like someone had thrown a cold bucket of water over her. Nate ran his hand through his hair. "I really care about you. I want to do this properly." His skin lost the reddish tinge, and was back to its white, marble perfection. He tilted his head and stared at her, but his eyes were once again fixed on her face.

Grace blushed and tightened the shirt around her, hiding as much of her body from view as possible. He was right. What had she been thinking? Her rash eased, but her skin didn't return to normal.

Nate hesitated for a few seconds, then picked his overalls off the ground. "Let's costume up and go to the next location. Trust me, you'll have fun at the construction site."

⚔⚔⚔

Grace took off her muddy boots and lay back on the bed. Nate had been right. Reviving the conscience of construction workers had been very fun. Even more so than messing with bankers, politicians and managers. It was good to go back to the simple things.

"You need a shower," Nate said, leaning against the doorframe. He rubbed his head to get the remaining cement flakes out of his hair.

She laughed. "You're one to talk. You're much dirtier than me."

"I'll fix that." He gave her a dazzling smile and pushed off the frame.

Grace sat up, worry gripping her. "You'll be back, won't you?" She'd felt so safe in his arms the previous night. His presence had managed to keep the nightmares away. She was tired and in no mood to dream of blood, bodies, Blackwing or fire.

Nate heaved a sigh. "This is so wrong. I can't believe how many rules I'm breaking for you. But, yes, I will be back. I can't stand to think you're alone in the dark, having more gruesome nightmares. Besides, I kinda like holding you."

She put her hands on her hips. "Kinda?"

"Okay, I admit, I like it a lot." He walked to her and planted a kiss on her cheek.

Grace giggled. Even if he was mildly annoyed with breaking the rules, he still did it, and it meant a lot to her. They were finally finding some middle ground, a place where they were both comfortable and could be themselves. And she loved him so much more when he wasn't anal and preachy.

The door swung open, making them both jump. Faith stood in the entrance, her huge suitcase by her side, a broad smile on her face.

"I have so much to tell you," she said, but froze. She stared from Grace to Nate and then at their outfits. "Um, hi Nathaniel. I didn't expect to find you here." Her gaze wandered to Grace, eyes wide and burning with unasked questions. "I'm back," she said unnecessarily.

Grace hopped off the bed and threw herself at her best friend, giving her a tight hug. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you, too." She smiled and glanced at Nate. "Why are you guys dressed like that?"

"I've decided that Grace has had enough of killing Demons for a while. I thought she might find it fun to dress up." His tone was much colder than the one Grace had gotten used to. Wow, he actually was different with her. The thought sent her into a mental happy dance.

"That sounds exciting," Faith said, her tone filled with anticipation.

"Oh, it was," Grace assured her. She glanced back to Nate, expecting him to continue the story, but he just stood stony-faced and serious. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but couldn't do it with Faith there. Which was also weird. Faith was her best friend, Grace used to tell her everything.

"I'll be going. Let you girls catch up. See you tomorrow, Grace." He threw her a glance that clearly stated she shouldn't tell Faith he'd spent the night there, then smiled and closed the door behind him.

Faith turned to her, her eyes sparkling. "I'm so happy, Grace!" She gave Grace another tight hug that almost smothered her. "You were right. Azriel and I couldn't get enough of each other." She let go and bounced back to her suitcase.

Grace sat on her bed and unzipped her overalls. Was Nate mad at her? The last smile said no, but why the cold behavior?

"We talked and talked. I'd never imagined we had so much in common."

"I'm glad you had a good time."

"A good time? It was awesome! And the island was so lovely - quiet and peaceful. Almost deserted, actually. It would be an ideal place for a honeymoon. Speaking of which. Here's the best news." Faith shoved her hand in Grace's face. Her nails were bright pink.

"Nice color. And your manicure is pretty. But I don't-"

"No, silly. The ring!" Faith said, pulling her hand back a little. A delicate gold and diamond ring appeared in Grace's line of sight.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Oh, Fay, it's so beautiful." She grabbed Faith's hand to get a better look. "So, it's official, then?"

"Yes! He proposed - it was so romantic. He left a petal trail to our cabin, filled it with candles and more petals, and we had champagne and seafood. Then, he got on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my existence by his side." Faith clasped her hands and looked upward as though reliving the moment. "And he kissed me. Really kissed me."

Grace couldn't help smiling for her friend. It sounded insanely romantic. She wondered how Nate would propose to her. If he proposes. Ugh, why did her inner voice have to ruin all the fun? "What do you mean really kissed you?"

"Not just lips brushing lips, but..." Faith blushed violently and looked away. "I can't explain. I'm too embarrassed. But it felt wonderful." She swooned and dropped on her bed. "It's going to be the most beautiful wedding." She sat up, her brow furrowed. "You will help me plan everything, won't you, Grace?"

"Of course! You're my best friend, my sister." Grace came over and gave her a hug. "When's the big day?"

"In one week."

"One week?" Grace yelped. "That soon?"

Faith blushed again. "Yes. We don't see the point in waiting. And it's not going to be something big. So, will you help me?"

"Yes, of course, I'll help. I'll have to see about my job, bu-"

Faith rolled her eyes. "Your job. You've been working non-stop for years. You could use a week's vacation. I want to spend as much time with you as possible. I'll be moving out after I get married, after all." Her face turned red again, and she busied herself with her suitcase.

Grace watched her unpack and listened to her chat about other details of her Journey. Moving out? Of course, it was only natural that Faith would live with her husband. But she'd never thought much about losing her roommate. She'd lived with Faith ever since she was created. Tears threatened to emerge. Everything would change. But as long as Faith was happy...

Her lips stretched into a smile. It didn't have to be a bad thing. She could get used to sharing her place with Nate. And maybe she wouldn't have to wait long until she moved in with him. After the night's events, she'd noticed just how much he liked touching her. She was grateful that Faith was too excited to notice her punch-drunk expression.