Cupidean Roundtable

He maneuvered through the crowded foyer as people milled about, all with slips of paper in hand. He gave them all smile as he past them. Just as he was almost through the crowd, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around to see a young man in his mid teens standing there, clutching a slip of paper.

"Hey Jay," Coop greeted.

"Do you have a minute?" Jay asked. Coop checked his watch and nodded, leading the boy to a more private area.

"What's bothering you?" Coop questioned.

"Well I have this really big match to make today and I'm scared. I'm still new at this…what if I mess up," Jay explained, blushing slightly.

"Just take a few deep breaths. Don't worry about how big the match is. Just focus on showing them that they're meant to be," Coop assured him.

"You sure? Will it actually work?" Jay queried, sounding doubtful.

"Of course it will. Believe in yourself and it will be fine," Coop reassured, standing up.

"Good luck kiddo. I have to get going," Coop excused himself and headed upstairs. He slipped into the room just in time to see everyone else taking their seats. He shut the door and joined them.

"How's everyone been?" an older looking man addressed the small group of six.

"Pretty good. But today's a busy day so let's get this shindig started," a woman in her mid-thirties answered.

"Also in rush, Karin," Coop chuckled.

"Well it is her favorite day of the year," Andrew teased, nudging Coop in the ribcage. Karin just stuck her tongue out at him.

"Michael do you have the chips?" Karin asked the man seated to Coop's right. He nodded and pulled out a box of poker chips.

"I've got the cards," Samuel, the older man, announced. The pair distributed the cards and chips with skill and ease.

"Alright, you know the drill," Michael commented. Everyone pulled several slips of paper from pockets and placed them on their chips. Each laid his or her ring atop the chips and the papers disappeared, names and places replacing the values of the chips.

"Cathy you start the bidding," Sam addressed the woman to his left. She tossed a couple chips in and everyone followed suit. The set of six sat back and stared at their cards for a while. The slender objects seemed to jump in the players' hands, rearranging themselves of their own volition.

"Would someone please go, already?" Karin groaned. She wasn't known for her patience. Coop turned to Sam. He surveyed the cards that were lying on the center fo the table. He laid his five cards down. Within his cards alone, he had two pair.

"Full house," he stated, sliding a third three from the line up.

"Anyone beat that?" Sam asked. Everyone else turned their cards over. Karin managed two pair from her combination. Everyone else just shook their heads and pushed the chips towards Coop.

"Why thank you," Coop chuckled as he concentrated on what his next bet would be.

The game progressed as usual, the pot moving back and forth between Karin and Coop. At the end of this round, the two were arguing rather boisterously about who won the round.

"I had the higher pair," Karin stated in annoyance.

"No you didn't. My three queens clearly beat your pair of nines," Coop countered.

"Oh for Christ sake just split it in half," Andrew grumbled. Before either Coop or Karin could speak, he pushed half to each of them. Cathy checked her watch and cleared her throat.

"We have time for one more round before the Boss man is going to get cranky," she announced. The group let out a collective groan.

"Everybody all in," Sam announced and everyone pushed their chips into the center of the table.

Sam dealt the cards and they began to fidget between fingers. Everyone was on edge as they arranged and rearranged cards. None of them noticed the door open. Jay was standing there, beaming broadly. He hoped they wouldn't be mad at him for interrupting their game. Everyone knew they played. Coop felt the presence behind him and glanced over his shoulder.

"Don't mind me. I'll just wait," Jay said softly. Coop returned his attention back to the game at hand. His face conveyed no emotion, which is a rather difficult feat for a cupid. He locked eyes with Karin and they narrowed. This was a cut throat game. Whoever won would get to dole out who got which matches and get the day off from work. They both let the other four lay their cards down first. Slowly, Coop and Karin set their cards down. They had the exact same hand.

"Not again," Andrew groaned.

"Just split the pot," Cathy stated and pushed half the pile to each of them. Coop examined the people had been given. He was about to hand them out when one in particular caught his eye; Rachel Halliwell and Gabriel Hennessey. He slipped it up his sleeve and passed out the rest.

"Guess I'll see you downstairs," Karin remarked to him.

"Guess so," Coop answered as the rest of the group teleported out of the room. Jay sat down next to Coop and tapped his fingers on the table.

"How did it go?" Coop questioned.

"It was great. Your advice really helped," Jay answered.

"Glad I could help. Not to cut this short but there's something I need to do. I'll see you around a little later," Coop said and once more excused himself from the young man's presence. He took a deep breath and disappeared himself. He reappeared in a park. He looked around until he saw Rachel seated on a bench with a young man. He moved towards them slowly. He reached the bench and just sat down. Rachel looked over and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" she snapped at him.

"Can we talk for a minute?" he asked her. She groaned and rolled her eyes.

"I'll go get some water," Gabriel mumbled and left father and daughter to talk.

"Thanks for ruining my date," she hissed at him. He still couldn't get over the fact that she was almost eighteen.

"It's not ruined," he answered, toying with the poker chip in his left hand.

"What are you talking about? He's going to think my parents spy on me," she countered.

"I just…I'm doing my job," he told her.

"Dad…are you…why you?" Rachel moaned.

"It's how the game is played, sweetheart," Coop murmured as he saw Gabe moving back towards them. He slipped the chip into her hand. She looked down at it. She knew what it was and what it meant. She suddenly couldn't keep from smiling.

"Thanks, Dad. I love you," she whispered as she gave him a hug.

"I'll see you at home," he told her and got up.

"Have a good afternoon," he told Gabriel. Gabe merely nodded and sat down. Coop started to walk away when time began to slow and his ring glowed.

"Gabriel, you're young but you understand the ways of the heart. Treat her with respect and love her with all your heart," Coop whispered in the boy's ear in the pause of a heartbeat.

"Rachel. You're my first baby girl. But you're growing up before my eyes. Trust your heart and your instincts," he murmured to her before time resorted to normal and disappeared. She turned to look at the spot her father had been. She had heard his voice. She reached for Gabriel's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"You alright?" Gabe asked, scooting a little closer to her.

"I've never been better," she responded, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So what did you Dad want to talk about?' he queried.

"Um….just wanted to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day. He gets really into it," she explained. She hadn't told him yet that she was part Cupid and part witch. Today was not the day for it. But she knew that she would know when the right time was to tell him everything. She could feel his heart beating a little faster as her head used his shoulder for a pillow. He slid his arm around her waist and gently kissed her cheek.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rachel," he murmured.

Back up in the clouds, Coop was watching on intently. He felt someone stop by his side and looked to see Karin.

"I figured you'd find out," she muttered.

"She was your match wasn't she," Coop commented and Karin nodded.

"She's just growing so fast I can't keep up. But I know she's got a good heart and good instincts. And he's a good soul too. They're young but young love is still love," he sighed.

"It's alright to feel like you're losing a piece of you. She's a part of you and she's changing and going her own way. But you've done well to guide her," Karin assured him. Coop smiled and nodded in agreement.

"You know, you cheat," he commented as they wandered back inside.

"I do not," she protested.

"Sure you don't. It's just a coincidence that you had the same cards as me at the end," he teased.

"I just wanted you to see that some matches are more personal than others," she countered.

"Thank you," he said with a genuine smile.