As of late, Gabriel's been staying in sunny California. He was in a beaches, blondes and babes in bikinis mood. Right now, he was talking a stroll down the nighttime streets and munching on a Twix bar. He was staying in an area that was close to one of California's Universities, so there were college-aged students littering the streets. Some were on a late-night jog, others were just leaving the library and some were on their way to a party.
As a small group of young adults passed him, chattering about the paper they were working on and the books they rented from the library, some of the females met Gabriel's eyes with interest and he smirked back. He smiled when he heard them giggling. That was one thing Gabriel liked about being on Earth, about the Humans. He blended in perfectly.
There weren't Angels bowing to him every few seconds, he could walk by a crowd and they wouldn't stop talking to stand at attention, people didn't look at him like he was one of the most terrifying weapons in all of Heaven, nobody cowered before him. On Earth, Gabriel simply breezed by. He was a nobody, just a devilishly handsome face in the crowd, and he liked it that way. He enjoyed having a low-profile. Well, as low as it could get with him posing as a Trickster.
That was another reason why Gabriel was in California. Before he moved, his tricks had caught the attention of a few Hunters that noticed the bizarre things going on, of the X-Files way people were disappearing, only to be found with some wacky story that belonged on an 'I was Touched by an Extraterrestrial' forum board. Humans were easy to deal with and it was even easier to lie to them, but Hunters tended to linger when something wasn't right.
His shenanigans also attracted some unwanted attention from the evils lurking within this world. Demons, Witches, all kinds of parasites that wanted to leech off of whatever was powerful enough to create such chaos.
Gabriel was accustomed to moving around though. It came with his occupation. Raise a little hell, then get out of dodge. He liked seeing what each State had to offer too, what they were famous for and how they differed from the rest. Everywhere was a new adventure for Gabriel. He did get the occasional impulse to settle down in a place that he liked and he would. For a few months, a year was the longest he stayed in one spot, he'd hunker down in a nice neighborhood, get a job and maybe even make some Human friends.
But, of course, his mischievousness would get rowdy and he'd start stirring up enough trouble that even the goddamn Army was interested in figuring out what the hell was going on.
Gabriel bit the last section of his candy bar and crumbled the wrapper in his hand. He held on to it until he came across a trash can to throw it in. Gabriel was a bit of a housekeeper too. He never littered and he recycled too. Whenever he saw cans or bottles or other debris littering his path, he'd put the garbage where it belonged. He found a sense of responsibility by taking care of the Earth like that, keeping his Father's favorite creation clean and tidy.
Gabriel continued his walk back to his hotel. His gaze was pulled upwards and he slowed his walk until he stopped to stare up at the nighttime sky. That was another thing Gabriel truly loved about Earth. The planet got day and night, the sun and moon, there were an endless amount of stars to gaze at night after night. In Heaven, time seemed to be stuck in a cycle of celestial dawn to morning. The sight was picturesque and there were no words to describe its divine beauty, but it was nothing like Earth's daybreak or sunset, it's moon-rise and moon-set.
A particular star twinkled brighter than the others and it caught Gabriel's attention, making him smile. This one seemed to have a lavender hue to it rather than the whitish shimmer the other stars had.
And this star was getting bigger.
No…it was getting closer.
Gabriel's jaw went slack as he watched the colored ball of gas continue to graze Earth's skies, leaving a colored streak in its path. That wasn't a star at all, it looked like a comet and it was going to crash-land soon. He followed the comet as far as he could on foot, but it was concealed from his sight by tall buildings and lofty trees.
"Well, that's not normal." Gabriel mumbled to himself.
Since when did comets crash into the Earth? They weren't meteors. And this one was huge, bigger than any asteroid should be. He briefly wondered if an Angel had been found guilty of transgressing and was sentenced to fall.
In the time it took to form a thought, Gabriel was closer to where he predicted the anomaly to fall. He took a look at his surroundings to see where he was. Due to the vast amount of ginormous trees, he knew he was in Tulare County, home to the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park.
Gabriel could feel something lingering in this forest and he cautiously, Angel blade ready to be drawn, moved closer to the source. He let the beckoning feeling be his guide, changing course when it seemed to dull and picking up the pace when it got stronger. After a few minutes of walking and the alluring feeling getting stronger until a tree was separating him from the source, he stopped.
"General Sherman." He saluted the world's largest tree.
With a snap of his fingers, Gabriel instantly transformed into Dr. Sexy from Dr. Sexy, M.D. to keep his true identity concealed. Humans always trust doctors and an Angel would trust a medic. The last thing he needed was an Angel, fallen or not, knowing that he wasn't dead because he didn't want or need any of the attention from the rest of the family. He left Heaven and put himself in Archangel Witness Protection for a reason.
"Is there anyone here? I'm a doctor, I can help you!" He called as he moved around the tree, searching. That alluring feeling had simmered away, leaving him a bit confused and partially lost.
Nothing answered Gabriel's offer of aid, nor did he feel another presence or hear anything that sounded like it was wounded. The luring sensation hadn't resurrected itself either. He used his divine ability to quickly scan the entire Park, but other than a few stray Rangers in the park's station and the wildlife, he was alone.
"Guess not. Oh, well. Can't say I didn't try." Gabriel shrugged it off.
With another snap, Gabriel was back in the form of his true Vessel and he was about to make his way back to his luxurious hotel room for a night of fun with a popular Casa Erotica actress, Kandice Kink, straight from the dirty flicks. He was going to star in his own movie tonight.
As Gabriel was making his way to leave, he heard something. He stopped to listen, focusing. He muted the sounds of the nocturnal birds' chatter, of the smaller mammals scampering about on the forest grounds, the rustling of leaves as a calm wind blew.
The noise sounded again and it was clearer to Gabriel now. It was the sound of an infant Human gurgling and babbling in its nescient language.
Wait a minute, a baby? Why was a baby in a forest?
Gabriel turned to General Sherman again and inched towards the tree. With one hand on the trunk, he began walking around it to ensure that he didn't just hear a goddamn baby and that it was probably a newborn animal, not a Human.
Gabriel got to another side of the massive Sequoia tree where there was a cranny in the trunk, deep and tall enough for a child to stand inside. He wouldn't be able to get half of himself in there. Against all the horror movies he's watched within his time on Earth, he knew he had to poke his head inside the opening.
He got into a crouching position and slowly edged into the darkness of the crevice. At first, he didn't see or hear anything, but he was still worried about a tiny animal pouncing on and clawing at his face. The second he felt something touch his chin, he jerked out of the aperture and fell on his ass, Angel blade drawn and pointing to the opening. He was waiting for whatever was hiding in there to come out so he could smite it.
It took a moment, but Gabriel began to hear the burbling again and he saw a silhouette moving inside the cleft of the tree. He gradually lowered his Angel blade until it dropped in his lap as he watched what crawled out of the tree.
It was indeed a baby, a Human infant, that couldn't have been more than a year old.
The first thing Gabriel noticed about the child was its eyes, bright azure eyes that were absolutely darling. The next thing were the wisps of honey-blond hair that, due to its shade, would most likely transition to dirty-blond as the child got older. Its soft locks were being held back and hiding under a white headband.
It was a baby girl.
The child was slowly, but surely making her way out of the tree's trunk, chubby cheeks and a toothless smile trying to get closer to the still dumbfounded Archangel sitting on the forest floor.
Gabriel sat there in disbelief, unable to move. There was no way in Heaven or Hell that a Human could be born from a tree. He shook his head to get his ass in gear and stood, sheathing his Angel blade. He went to the baby and she was already reaching out for him before he could offer his arms to her.
Gingerly, he picked the child up and noticed that something was wrapped around her. He thought it was a dress, but it was a blanket, the softest blanket he's ever felt. The material wasn't satin, but it wasn't fleece either. It felt like a perfect blend of both. The blanket was midnight-blue and covered in stars, comets, zodiac signs and constellations. The child was garbed in a white chiffon dress, similar to one a Greek woman would wear, with a lace overlay, cap sleeves and it was so long that Gabriel didn't know if she was wearing shoes or not.
"Where did you come from, little one? Did some jack-in-the-box leave you out here?" Gabriel asked as he secured the girl on his arm, his other hand resting on her back.
Of course, he didn't expect to get an answer from the child and he was really talking to himself, but the baby seemed to be comfortable in his presence. One of her tiny hands was clutching the neckline of his shirt and the other one was pressed onto the skin of his neck. Her interest was switching between his face, then to something over his shoulder, but she kept her eyes on him this time.
Gabriel couldn't help but smile at the girl. Her eyes were big and bright and she looked so innocent, like a little Angel. Well, not any of the Angels he knew of, but a Human's notion of what Angels were supposed to look like.
"You're pretty cute." Gabriel cooed to the baby, unable to resist the temptation to stroke her cheek. And she smiled at him, all gums and drool. That just made him chuckle as he began to pace, lightly bouncing her on his arm. "And you're tiny…and soft…and all alone…and if I leave you here, I doubt anyone's gonna find you…or something bigger is gonna stroll by and probably eat you for dinner…or you're gonna die of starvation or dehydration or some sickness…or maybe you'll be raised by animals."
Gabriel stopped pacing. His smile had died when he began listing off all of the horrible things that would happen to this defenseless baby if he just stuffed her back in that tree. He still didn't understand why the hell she was in there or if she had something to do with that strange comet he saw earlier. Maybe it was a satellite that fell and he miscalculated where it would land.
Gabriel looked down at the little girl on his arm and she was looking over his shoulder again, but she looked up at him with those twinkling eyes.
"Damn you, guilt." He sighed, giving in.
Gabriel made the blanket around the baby into a sash going around his left shoulder and diagonally across his chest. He safely tucked her inside. He curled his left arm under the sling to support the child and he used his right hand to snap, teleporting them out of the labyrinth of the Park. He thought about going to the Ranger's station and dropping the baby off with them, but he decided to take care of the situation himself.
When Gabriel began walking, he heard the child's innocent giggles. He glanced down and saw her pudgy arms reaching up to him. She was smiling again too, wide and gleeful. He noticed the pair of miniature squares rooting out of her bottom gums, little teeth, and wondered how he missed them before. Nevertheless, the child made him smile.
"Don't get attached, cutie pie. I know I'm the handsomest guy you've ever seen, but don't get used to seeing this gorgeous face. I'm gonna find a nice Human family to take you in. I'm gonna leave you in a basket on someone's doorstep like a box puppy." He told her, trying to seem firm and unfeeling. When he looked down again, the baby was already staring up at him and she smiled when she noticed his whiskey eyes. He chuckled. "You're not supposed to smile at that, you little creep."
"Gabriel…is that you?"
The brunet froze, stiffer than a statue, when he heard the voice from behind him. The first thing he did, for some strange reason, was cover the baby with the blanket to prevent another from seeing her.
Someone knew he was alive and he didn't want to smite any of his family, but his options were limited if he wanted to keep a low-profile. He recognized that voice though, who it belonged to…but it couldn't be because was dead too. He was supposed to be dead.
"Balthazar?" Gabriel asked, turning to face the voice with furrowed brows. And as luck would have it, there Balthazar stood in his stylish club-wear. The only thing the dirty-blond Angel was missing was a glass of Scotch in one hand and a woman in the other. "I thought you were dead."
"Likewise." Balthazar replied, seeming to be just as stunned to see Gabriel as the Archangel was to see the blue-eyed Angel.
Silence settled between the divine beings, both simply staring at one another. Gabriel couldn't remember how long it's been since he last saw Balthazar, but he was honestly happy to see that he was unarmed. He and Balthazar had history together, a past that not many knew of or even remembered. Gabriel wondered why the Angel was on Earth too, but he couldn't bring himself to ask a single question at the moment.
Gabriel was pulled out of his trance when the baby squirmed about in the sling he made. He refused to look down at her because he didn't want Balthazar to know he had her. Why he didn't want him to know was something Gabriel didn't understand, but he wasn't going to question it now. He knew the baby was fine. She was either getting comfortable or she wanted his attention again, but nothing was wrong with her.
"I'm sure there's a bad joke about a pair of dead men meeting each other." Gabriel broke the silence with a light smirk; Balthazar smiled back. "What are you doing down here?"
"Other than playing dead? I could ask you the same."
"Yeah, well, I'm the oldest and you have to do what I say, so explain yourself, buster." Gabriel sassed, earning an eye roll from the blond.
"I just so happened to be in the neighborhood when I spotted something bright, sparkling and possibly valuable falling from the sky. My initial thought was that one of our siblings had transgressed, but I didn't feel an incredible amount of despondency, agony or repentance. I was hoping to find something worth marketing." Balthazar nonchalantly elucidated his presence, knowing all too well how saucy the Archangel could be. Gabriel noticed that he didn't explain why he decided to fake his death, why he wasn't in Heaven, but he decided not to comment.
"And what of you? What brings you to this neck of the woods?" Balthazar asked. He looked around at their surroundings and motioned to all the trees with a wave of his hand, charmingly smirking. "Literally."
Gabriel casually shrugged. "I thought I was going to be watching a meteor shower tonight, guess not."
Balthazar hummed in acknowledgement, his eyes drifting to the sash tied around Gabriel's torso. He just noticed it and it captured his attention. At first glance, he thought it was some sort of one-shouldered backpack, but he noticed the designs and figured it was a blanket. Curiosity made his cobalt-blue eyes sparkle under the moonlight and he slightly raised an eyebrow in interest, wanting to know what Gabriel was hiding.
"Pray tell, what's that thing swaddled in your arm?" He asked, pointing to the sling where, due to the protuberance, something was obviously wrapped inside. "I could've sworn I heard you talking to it."
"What, this?" Gabriel motioned his head down towards the blanket, stalling as he thought of a cover for the child.
He casually set his hand inside the sling and over the baby's stomach. He didn't know why he was relieved when he felt her evenly breathing, but he wondered if she was sleeping because she was very quiet and she hasn't grabbed his fingers yet.
Balthazar nodded, his expression unreadable as he waited for an answer. Gabriel had one too and he smiled at the Angel.
"This just my puppy. She got tired from the long walk." He lied like it was easier than breathing and to him, it was. He knew most people believed him too. He just had that kind of charm. "And I was talking to her. There's nothing wrong with communicating with animals. They can understand us. Humans, not so much."
"You have pup?" Balthazar quizzed, eyebrow dubiously raised. Gabriel simply nodded. Balthazar huffed in amusement, taking a step towards the Archangel. "And it wouldn't be too much to ask to see your pup, would it?"
Gabriel smirked. "Won't believe it 'till you see it, huh?"
"With your reputation, one must see things before he believes them."
"Well, take a look-see." Gabriel removed his hand from inside the sash and the edge of the blanket fell over the opening with the gesture.
Balthazar kept his blue eyes locked on Gabriel's hazel ones as he closed the distance between them until he was toe-to-toe with the Archangel. He pinched one end of the blanket between his fingers and lifted it to reveal what was wrapped inside. He finally broke his stare with Gabriel and looked down.
Genuine surprise surmounted Balthazar's features when he met a pair of the brightest azure eyes he's ever witnessed. They were practically glowing with purity. And they belonged to an adorable Golden Labrador puppy that couldn't have been more than a year old, just like Gabriel said.
"Aren't you lovely…" Balthazar complimented almost mindlessly as he stroked the dog's soft head with his finger.
He was expecting Gabriel to be hiding something otherworldly, whatever it was that he witnessed fall from the sky. Now that he thought about it, maybe Gabriel was responsible for making something fall to Earth. Maybe he was beckoning extra-terrestrial life to visit the planet to abduct some Humans just for kicks. Who knew what zany ideas popped into the Archangel's imaginative head?
Balthazar escaped his thoughts and looked at Gabriel. The Archangel was smiling like the cocky bastard he could be and that made Balthazar huff.
"Balthazar, meet Isadora." Gabriel introduced the pair, another fib effortlessly falling from his lips.
"Such a romantic name." At that comment, Gabriel's smirk widened. Just from those few words, he knew Balthazar believed every word he said. The Angel gave the puppy another pat, then began backtracking as he spoke. "Well, I think I'll be taking my leave. It's Friday night, the city's alive and I'm almost late for a ménage à…what's French for 'twelve'?"
"Douze." Gabriel informed him and Balthazar stopped walking backwards, eyebrows lifting in delighted surprise as a grin grew on his face.
"As far as I'm concerned, I never saw you tonight." While Balthazar's words were as stiff as a corpse, he didn't lose his grin. Whether it was from seeing Gabriel again after all the time that's passed or if it was a lingering smirk from that French comment, no one knew for sure. Perhaps, it was both. "You don't tell anybody I'm alive and I'll keep thinking you're dead, vice versa and all."
Gabriel's brows pulled together and his eyes squinted in confusion. Balthazar instantly lost his grin, wondering what made the Archangel suddenly become so serious. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused. When Balthazar caught on, his smile returned.
"No, you don't."
And in the blink of an eye, the Angel was gone.
Gabriel sighed and looked down at the golden puppy still cradled in the sash. She yawned, but looked up at him and Gabriel smiled when he felt her tail wagging within the blanket. With a snap of his fingers, the puppy was transformed back into the orphaned child.
And of course, she was smiling up at him again.
"Alright, let's find a Brady Bunch for you."
Gabriel spent a moment's thought scanning California for the best suburban neighborhoods with middle-class families, acceptable schools and low crime rates. He was walking down the street of a cul-de-sac and he was taking note of all the bicycles or other toys littering most of the front lawns, but he spotted one without any playthings in the grass at all.
He looked into the window of the house and watched as a man and woman, both looking to be in their mid-30s, exited their kitchen with plates of food. The woman was a beige-blonde with chocolate eyes while the man was a brunet with sky-blue eyes. They set their dinner on TV trays placed a few inches in front of the sofa and began watching whatever was flickering on the screen. A few minutes passed and the couple began talking while a commercial played. Gabriel could literally feel how much the pair loved each other and he pretended to gag, much to the baby's delight because she giggled at his silly expression.
The woman turned her attention back to the TV when a Huggies commercial played and the man followed her gaze. His expression went from curious to sorrowful longing and he didn't notice when the woman turned to stare at him. Her expression displayed a depressing sense of liability. Everything clicked for Gabriel when the commercial ended and the man immediately took the blonde's hands in his own and said what had to be words of comfort, but they made tears fall from his partner's eyes.
"Well, cutie pie. It's been fun." Gabriel told the baby as he got her settled in the basket he manifested. He was tucking her in with the blanket she came with and she was simply watching, but, unknown to Gabriel, her eyes were not on him. They were staring in awe at something behind him, attachments that were disastrous to Human eyes.
Once the child was smugly tucked in, Gabriel looked down at her one last time. Her eyes lingered behind him for a second, then she looked into his eyes and she began to smile again, but the gesture was interrupted by a yawn.
"I'm pretty sure these Humans are gonna take good care of you, but I'm gonna check-in just to make sure they're not sadists or something." Gabriel had mindlessly began stoking the child's cheek with his finger as he talked to her, something he felt was normal. With a slight frown, he slowly withdrew his finger from her face as he realized he was becoming attached. He couldn't allow that to happen. "Happy trails, little one."
Gabriel knocked on the door and rang the doorbell three times before teleporting down the street. He watched as the door opened and the man looked for someone, then his eyes drifted down to the child in the basket. Even from his position, Gabriel could see how wide the man's eyes were. The brunet kneeled down and picked the basket up as if it were the most fragile thing in all of creation. Gabriel watched as the man smiled at the child and he softly talked to her as he brought her inside his home.
For some reason, Gabriel lingered. He didn't move from his spot, but he was watching the house with all of the concentration he had. He was waiting for something to go wrong, to hear the baby's screaming cries, so he could burn that house to the ground and smite those Humans for daring to hurt her.
And he scolded himself for getting attached when he knew it was a stupid thing to do.
Gabriel knew exactly what he needed to get back to his old self. He remembered his earlier plans and he knew that after he got tangled in the sheets with Kandice Kink, he'd forget about that baby girl. He wouldn't think about her tomorrow or the next week. She'd be off his conscience before morning.
Gabriel teleported to the entrance of the sumptuous hotel he was staying at. He walked up the steps, entered the lobby, gave the concierge a passing smile and took the elevator to the 12th floor where his room was. After remodeling his suite to look like the romantic setting he saw in one of the magazines he had on an end table in the living room, Gabriel went to the wall mirror and ran a comb through his hair.
There was a knock at the door and Gabriel set the comb down as he headed for the door. His hand was on the knob when he paused. He looked at the romantic setting, but he just didn't feel in the mood yet. Something was still missing. He clapped and all the candles in the suite lit. He breathed in and smiled as the scent of honeysuckle greeted his senses.
"Kandice, right on time." He welcomed as he opened the door, but nobody answered him. Confused as to where his sexy co-star was, Gabriel looked down each end of the hall to see if he'd find a retreating form, but he didn't spot anyone.
"Down here!" A child's voice called, then a tiny hand was thrust up into the air and began waving to catch Gabriel's attention. He looked down and saw a little girl attached to the hand.
She was wearing a frilly lavender nightgown that fell to her ankles and turned into a bunch of ruffles at the end of the skirt. Her light hair fell to her stomach in loosening waves and looked a bit matted as if she was just awoken. She rubbed her eyes.
"Hiya." She waved again, this one slower than the first. She had to be tired. It was close to midnight.
"It's a little late to be selling Girl Scout cookies, missy." Gabriel sassed and the girl saucily raised her eyebrows.
"Do I look like I'm selling cookies? Do you see any cookies around here?" She pivoted as she motioned to the empty hallway of sumptuous hotel rooms with her hands. Gabriel huffed, amused at her confidence.
"If you're not trying to scam me into buying cookies, why are you here?"
She shrugged, humming 'I dunno' and Gabriel's expression deadpanned. "He brought me here and told me to stay with you."
"He who?" He questioned.
"Him." She sassed back, as if it were obvious.
Gabriel thought for a moment. He wondered if the kid was just one of the other guests staying in the hotel, but there weren't many children or families booked in the building to begin with.
He mentally checked off the possibility of the child being a Nephilim off the list too, but he wasn't stupid enough to let something like that happen. He got his groove on every now in then, just like he was planning to do tonight, but he wasn't reckless and it took a certain type of woman to get him to draw his pistol. Usually, that woman was someone he conjured from a movie or some kind of lesser deity, but he wasn't picky. He's given a few lucky Humans the nights of their lives.
But if he did just so happen to knock someone up, he had a Plan-B. He'd simply relocate the woman and their half-Angelic child to another dimension where they would never be seen or heard from ever again. He remembered how Heaven would be alerted whenever a Nephilim was born, similar to how everyone would lose their goddamn minds when the alert for a Cambion sounded, and he did not want any offspring of his to be hunted, so transporting them to another world was the safest option.
"I like your pretty wings." The child's awing voice pulled Gabriel from his thoughts.
He looked down at her with wide eyes, stammering. She couldn't have just said what he thought she did. That was impossible. As if he thought she was lying, he looked over his shoulder to see his gilded wings folded behind him.
"What?" Was the only coherent word his mouth could form.
"I think your wings are pretty and I like them." The girl slowly repeated, shaking her head as if Gabriel was a moron.
"How can- what- you can see my wings?"
"Uh, yeah. They're giganta-normous. You gotta be blind to miss 'em." She laughed a little and Gabriel's ears twitched. Her giggle sounded familiar to him. "I know what you are too."
"Oh, yeah? What am I, Miss Smarty Pants?"
"Your name is Gabriel and you're the third Ark-Angel and the Messenger of God." She told him matter-of-factly, her tiny hands shooting to her almost nonexistent hips as Gabriel gaped. "Take that, Mr. Not-So Smarty Pants."
Gabriel didn't know what the hell was going on right now. How could this child know that he was a divine being? How could she see his wings? He kept them cloaked for a reason, to prevent thousands of Humans from getting their eyes burned out every day. And how, in his Father's name, did she know that he was the third of four sons, the Messenger of God?
"Come on, get in here." Gabriel moved to the side and waved the child into his suite. In an act of paranoia, he scanned the hallway again to ensure that nobody had seen or heard the conversation.
With a snap, the romantic room from the home décor magazine was gone and his opulent suite was back. The girl had made her way into his kitchenette and climbed in a chair at the dining table. Gabriel hoisted her up to sit on the tabletop and folded his arms over his chest.
"Alright, kid. How did you know all that stuff about me? And how can you see my wings? If any Human saw them, their eyes would burn outta their heads. Yet yours are still…un-gooey." Gabriel waited for an answer, but he realized that the girl wasn't paying him any mind. Her focus was on the small mountain of candy sitting in a bowl on the counter like a decorative centerpiece. Gabriel, seeing an angle, retrieved the bowl and plucked a chocolate truffle from the bunch as incentive. "Candy for answers. Start talking."
"I dunno how I know, just do. It's all in here." The girl easily answered, tapping her head with a finger. Gabriel frowned.
"That doesn't make sense. How do you know things, but you don't know how you know them?"
"How do you know you're an Ark-Angel?" She countered.
"Uh, hello. I have giganta-normous wings." For emphasis, Gabriel flapped his golden wings and to his surprise, the child's blonde hair was gently blown back behind her shoulders. She even giggled.
"That doesn't prove anything." She persisted, trying to stifle her smile.
"My Father specifically made me into an Archangel."
"Well, maybe He was a fibber. Maybe you're not an Ark-Angel at all. Maybe your Dad was an Eagle and your Mom was a person and that's why you have wings." The girl stuck her chin out as she waited for Gabriel to retort, seeming to have an endless amount of comebacks.
However, the Archangel didn't say a word. He was momentarily stunned into silence. Was he being out-sassed by a 5-year-old? And did said 5-year-old just call God a bird?
"You're a cheeky little thing. I love it." He smiled at her. "Alright, putting the whole Angel-vision thing aside, what's your name?"
"One answer for one candy. You owe me." She stuck her hand out and with an eye roll, Gabriel gave her the truffle. She unwrapped it and bit one half of the chocolate circle, her little legs beginning to joyously kick. "I thought my name was Isadora, but He told me my real name is Aziza*. I don't think I have a last name."
"That's not possible…" Gabriel muttered, a disbelieving expression on his face. Isadora was the name he gave to the baby he turned into a puppy when he was lying to Balthazar. She couldn't be the same child that he found because it was an infant. Humans grew by years, not by hours, and this child was at least 5-years-old. Besides, he left the baby with that suburban couple. There was no way she could've found her way to him. "Do you…what's the oldest thing you can remember about your life?"
"Well, first, it was really dark, but it was warm too. I think I was sleeping. Then, everything was like, boom!" She threw her hands out to emphasize the explosion. "And I started seeing light cracks in the dark, then saw all the stars in the sky, then everything went white. Then, I remember that I was with some other people, but He came to get me. He said I didn't belong with them and that they wouldn't know how to take care of me, so He was gonna bring me to His son 'cause His other sons were in places that He couldn't go to and He didn't want something bad to happen to me."
"His…sons." Gabriel repeated, feeling some tears prickle at his eyes. It couldn't be Him…it just couldn't. "Father…God talked to you? You saw Him?"
Aziza didn't answer, just stuck her hand out in a silent demand for her payment. With another eye roll, Gabriel got her another piece of candy to eat and she nodded in affirmation at his questions.
Gabriel set the bowl of candy down and took a step away from Aziza. She was watching him and looked concerned, but she didn't say anything. Gabriel was trying to take in the overwhelming information he just received from the child. His Father, the almighty God who abandoned Heaven and His children, had come out of hiding just to bring Aziza to His son, to Gabriel. His Father was in this very building, so close to him, and he didn't realize it until it was too late.
A bombardment of questions attacked Gabriel's mind. The Archangel wondered if his Father had been watching over him since he left Heaven. Why did God decide that he was the best candidate to care for Aziza, to be her Guardian Archangel? And what was she? Against how she looked, she couldn't be Human, but he still detected that she was. Maybe He warded her for protection. That still left the question of what she could be. She had to be something important and ethereal if God risked being spotted by one of His children to deliver her to Gabriel. He could've dropped her off at the portal to Heaven and had Michael look after her.
His eldest brother had taken the backbreaking weight of managing Heaven onto his shoulders when God left. Michael had little to no paternal skills because he was sculpted into the perfect warrior, but when given a task, he followed through without making any mistakes. If God dropped Aziza off with Michael instead of Gabriel and she told the first Archangel what she just told Gabriel, Michael wouldn't have let the girl out of his sight for a nanosecond. He wouldn't have interrogated her, but he probably would've asked her something of the same questions that Gabriel did. After that, Michael simply would have protected the child because it was obvious that his Father deemed her important and Michael was always the loyal son.
There were so many things that Gabriel wanted to ask his Father about this child and why he abruptly deserted Heaven without a word of explanation. At least now, he knew that God was still alive, but he wondered what He was doing hiding on Earth when there were other universes for Him to disappear to. Maybe He was performing miracles, helping His favorite creations.
Gabriel took in a breath and wiped at his tear-filled eyes. So many questions with no answers. He looked at Aziza and her brows were still threaded together in concern. She looked like she wanted to hop off the table and hug Gabriel. He gave her a weak smile as he regained his place in front of her. She fished around the bowl of candy until she grabbed a 3 Musketeers bar and held it out for him to take. His smile was more convincing as he took the candy, opened it and broke it into two pieces to share with her.
"Did He say anything else?" He asked. Aziza nibbled on her candy for a moment as she thought, looking up at the ceiling. A light-bulb seemed to go off in her mind.
"Oh! He gave me a letter and He told me a story."
Aziza stuffed the candy bar in her mouth like a squirrel hoarding acorns and took a napkin from the holder on the table to clean her fingers. She bent over, and she would've tipped off the table if Gabriel hadn't grabbed her shoulder, to dig into her frilled sock. She pulled out a piece of paper that was folded down into a square and gave it to Gabriel.
"What story did he tell you?" Gabriel asked as he took the folded letter.
"He said it wasn't finished yet, but the Angels were gonna tell me the endingg. He asked me not to tell you or anybody else. I pinky promised."
Gabriel accepted that answer, nodding in understanding. Pinky promises were sacred, especially to kids, and shouldn't be broken unless someone wanted their little finger to get cut off. As he began unfolding the note to read it, Aziza sat crossed-legged on the table and pulled the candy bowl in her lap to indulge in the sweets at her leisure.
'All men live not by care for themselves, but by love.
And all men live not by the thought they spend on their own welfare, but because love exists in man.
Though it seems to men that they live by care for themselves, in truth, it is love alone which by they live.
What was once left fragmentary will pursue its ordained path to culmination.
Do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the Soul. Rather, fear he who can destroy both Soul and body in Hell.
The Star will rise above the horizons, perched in the wild, blue yonder like a shining beacon; they will flock to his light and accede to his word, the bidding of a Serpent that cannot be domesticated without Her flowery touch.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints and by love, one will be conquered, be it the Earth or a son.
For he is a servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
She is the key that will hallmark the momentous coda.
For She is a reflection of Her beloved and She will ensure his plans are accomplished.
Peace, I leave with you.
My peace, I give to you.
Let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.'
Gabriel knew his Father's perfect handwriting better than he knew how many feathers were on his wings. It was Monotype Corsiva, an elegant calligraphy to transcribe life. And his Father had written a prophecy in His signature complexity.
Gabriel would have to read over the letter a billion times before he'd be able to make perfect sense of what his Father was telling him, but he understood that Aziza was important and it was likely that she was the 'Her' in the letter. He would have to study each line and probably grab a few first-edition Bibles to decode what he was sure were verses.
Either way, Gabriel knew that this child was now his top priority and he would defend her, Grace and wing, against everything.
Aziza:
Arabic meaning 'Powerful, beloved'
I was pulled into the fiery pits of the SPN fandom after seeing so many Tumblr posts that I didn't understand about these two could-be underwear models, this adorable blue-eyed man with black hair, Jeffery Dean Morgan in all his orgasmic sexiness, Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas and this kick-ass Impala. I had no idea what this show was going to be about, but I fell in love with it.
Thanks to Netflix, I've been binge watching. I'm currently on the early episodes of Season 12, but this is loosely taking place in Season 5. My memory might be a little rusty on the earlier seasons, so feel free to point out anything I get wrong.
If anyone's interested, a Pinterest board will be up on my account {l0v3m3n0tr3b3l} with the same name as this story within the next few days/chapters.
To my readers of Tears On The Runway, I've obviously been having a hard time continuing that story, so hopefully working on a new one will get me inspired. I won't leave it unfinished.
This is my first ever Supernatural fic and it's me coming off the bench after a long absence, so go easy on me in the feedback :)