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How does a priest have a kid? Can priests adopt?

I forgot 'priest' was predominantly used for Catholics and probably should have used 'pastor' instead.

"I'm just going to warn you, my family is a bit... Greek."

I zipped her up as she held those dark curls away from the catch, my nose catching the scent of sandalwood, poppy, and clean skin.

"It's okay. It'll just be weird to see you clothed in a room of people for once." I deserve the playful slap as she turns, those rich brown eyes glinting with mischief.

We met at a figure drawing class. I had decided I wanted to create something, something truly beautiful. She came in, tall and curved, laying supine, arm across her chest.

It took three weeks of asking, a week of begging, and a nice bottle of rose after a walk in the Park, but a few months along? It was going great.

"Really? Alexandria Antonopoulous? Always thought that was an Irish name."

I dodged the lobbed stuffed bull I had brought her from my trip to the Iraq. I grabbed her waist, about to go for the kiss before I backed away.

"What is it with you and this thing?" She smiled. The thing was a pendant she stopped wearing when we started dating, a gift from her grandmother. A silver circle with a lapis eye inlay.

"I don't know, it's just not my thing. Gives me the creeps." I hated lying to her. I knew exactly what the problem was, but talking about how your dad's the Devil is usually an engagement ring level conversation.

We went over the names. So many names. Being an only child I always loved hearing about families. All those minor squabbles and petty beefs, the little family rituals. It hadn't been like that with Mom, especially after we started moving ahead of the cults, madmen, and covers that wanted a piece of me.

I was nervous. Me. Nervous. We rode in the Uber across town, Ali checking her hair and makeup, me wishing I could smoke. It's a terrible habit, but the nerves were really rattling me, and my pack was digging into my side from my suitjacket pocket. I felt overdressed from my usual jeans and a t-shirt, but I wanted to make a good impression.

I fidgeted with a coin in my dominant hand, making the silver dollar dance across the knuckles of my left, vanishing and reappearing. It was my little bit of stress relief, and I knew I had to be on my best behavior.

"You're not even listening, are you?" Ali snapped, those eyes digging a hole in me.

"Aunt Thali and Daphne, married to Andrew and Phillip respectively. Your mother is Alexandria, but you're Ali to the family, your father is Theodore."

"That's better. Jesus, you need a cigarette. Get out a block down, smoke as you walk, I'll wait for you and spritz you before we go in." She never liked me smoking, but since she liked the rest of the things I did with my mouth she never really complained.

She must have seen the grin, as her hand came up to grip my cheek. "Don't screw this up, Gabe."

She kicked me out down the block and I started walking. I was about fifty feet in when I felt him come up on my left side, and smelled the scent of ozone.

"Hellspawn." "Watcher."

My Namesake had decided, from an early age, to keep his eyes on me. For that purpose he used the grigori. Most people don't even remember their existence, but the Watchers like it like that. The guy walking with me as I puffed away was sent down millennia ago to keep an eye on my Grandfather's flock, and make sure the Truce was kept between the City and Down Below.

"You are going to the house of Theodore Antonopoulous this night, are you not?" that voice, clear as a bell and twice as annoying. "What business does the Fallen have with one of our Father's anointed?"

I stopped in my tracks.

"You're fucking with me."

"Even if I were to have the means to, I do not find filth appealing."

"Christ, you're all so damned literal. Ali's father is a priest?"

For the first time since they started pestering me a Watcher smiled.

"Oh. Oh my. This will prove a pleasant diversion."

I'll give the Greeks one thing: they love columns.

The rowhouse of Father Theodore Antonopoulous was squeezed at the end of the block, and my wonderful girlfriend was waiting for me. I almost introduced my tail before I heard the flutter of wings and a loud pop just behind my right ear.

"You've had me waiting here five minutes too long. We're late!"

"I saw a pigeon." I said looking down at my shoes. "Hey, uh, did you fail to mention anything I should know before we go in?" I looked at Ali patiently, spritzing the little travel cologne she liked me in and handing it back for her to purse it.

"Like what? There's nothing surprising. I'm not gonna have a crazy Uncle or some big secret to spring on you!" She laughed, putting her arm through mine to walk up the stairs to the front door.

"Yeah. I guess that's true." I knew I was stuck, but maybe it wouldn't be all that bad.

There was a crucifix in the foyer. Tasteful, but definitely a sign. I could also hear the chuckling as I hid my startlement and started to take off my shoes. Ali pinched me, making sure I knew that was a no-go before slipping out of her heels into a set of slippers with a fancy trimmed A on them.

"You're a guest. It's rude to take your shoes off."

"And you get slippers?"

"Of course. Why do you think I'd wear those heels the whole night?"

I snuck a kiss on her cheek just in time, as two older Greek women, one thin and waifish, the other more in the shape of my date, came to greet us at the door. Ali laughed, rushing to hug and be kissed and prodded by the women, as each looked over her to stare appraisingly at me.

They made small talk as I stood there, feeling a bit like a chicken on display. The thin one looked me up and down like one of those bobbing water birds while the more shapely one measured me like she was taking notes.

"Gabriel! These are my aunts, Thali and Daphne." Ali pulled me to them, and I was given what I've come to call the Once Over. Rapid fire questions, expecting few answers, and a general poking and prodding of my physical, mental, and spiritual development.

"What are you studying? Oh. Art is nice. Medicine, Law? Those are real lessons." "Where are you from? Ahh, no settled place then." "Alexandria had told us do little about you..." "Are you working? Ahh, must be nice to not work during college." "What is your birthday? Ahh, I see, a Capricorn."

Then the one I had been dreading.

"So, what does your father do?"

I froze, not sure of how to answer, before a man the size of a bear came to my rescue. He had his sleeves rolled up, wiping his hands on an apron that said φίλα τον μάγειρα across the chest.

"Let the boy breathe. Come now, Gabriel isn't it? I need assistance in the kitchen. My wife, she is late, but the work of food is done by men as well as women in my house!"

I felt my feet almost leave the floor as the bear that seemed to be Ali's dad dragged me into the kitchen, from the fire of the nosey aunts to the little frying pan.

Now the kitchen? I'm comfortable in a kitchen.

Kitchen work is one of the easiest things to get into when you're on the run. Not a lot of people care too much about things like your real name, age, or criminal record when it comes to scrubbing pans. After some dishwashing you move to prep, then prep goes to working on the line. I could handle my own.

The kitchen was abuzz with three men furiously preparing the meal. All of them were broader than I was, though Theo and Phillip were the big guys. They looked like two statues, Theo carved in the bronze of Greece, his brother-in-law pale as cream. Andrew was the odd man out, a short Black guy, his big belly covered in flour as he rolled dough, smoking out the cracked window and humming along to the Greek music out of a cracked old radio/cassette player.

"Take off that jacket! So formal! We have work to do Gabriel!" Theo bellowed, shoving a knife and vegetables into my hands and making me prep the salad. I got to laying waste to some cucumbers and tomatoes, and the uncles began chatting. They spoke in Greek, but one of the gifts of being me is the gift of tongues.

είναι αδύνατος, isn't he? *Your little cub wants a cat. But he's nervous... Look at him, I could floss with him, Phil

"I'll get stuck in your teeth."

The uncles stopped, turning to me. Oh, oh I fucked up.

Andrew broke the ice. "Oh come on now. That's funny. You assholes made me learn it before you'd let me date Thali, so he's just ahead of the game!"

The two giants glowered, looking between my scared ass and my powdery savior, then started laughing. Theo pointed the spatula he had been flipping cutlets with, grease dripping off the handle, and smiled.

"Oh, you'll do. You'll do nicely. Now, finish up those angoúri and we'll get this on the table before my Alexandria gets home from the presbytera meeting."

"Presbytera?"

I knew I screwed up as soon as it came out.

"Oh, did you not have a married priest at your Church?" Theo waited, giving me time to slide the cucumbers into the bowl and think.

"Well, I'm uhh, not really religious."

Theo's anger rang across his face, then faded, a goofy smile on his face.

"Oh, Ali is in trouble..." He chuckled, grabbing two bottles of wine between the fingers of his left and a platter of appetizers in his right. "But nobody is perfect, yes?"

[[Life happened, I'll be wrapping this in the morning]]

This was so nice... Hopefully you'll write more of it.