Whispers from the Heart

What I found wasn't a monster, but an angel. An angel with cold eyes and yet a warm smile. He scared me and fascinated me all at once…but I learned three things about this Angel: one, he was my father, two, he was a fallen, and three, he wanted to kill my brother.

STOP!!! TOMARE!!!! NO!! DON'T GO TO THE FIRST CHAPTER YET!!!

Are you still there? Phew! Good. There are a few things that need to be said before you read this story.

First, the general disclaimers: Godchild and The Cain Saga is the product of Kaori Yuki. All rights belong to her. All I own is this story's plot.

Okay, that's out of the way. In later chapters, we'll be dealing with child abuse and mentions of rape. There is no incest between Cain and Jizabel or Mary and Cain or Mary and Jizabel. There is some implied homosexuality, but Jizabel (the protagonist) is strait.

Everyone but Alexis is OOC. You can't have Alexis OOC without making him an idiot and that doesn't fit this story. Jizabel is especially OOC.

Now here's why a majority of the characters are out of character (maybe more are in character, but you'll be able to point them out): this is an alternate reality sort of story. Ya know how some stories are like, what if the Patriots lost the American Revolution or what if Julius Caesar was never assassinated and the like? Well this is like that.

This story follows these "What If's."

What if Jizabel was taken away from Alexis by Lenora and is raised by Neil instead?

What if Jizabel's sisters were never killed? (though we don't really meet them)

What if Suzette was also one of his sisters?

And the biggest "What If" of all is:

WHAT IF JIZABEL MET CAIN WHEN CAIN WAS A BABY AND BECOMES A MODEL BIG BROTHER?!?!?!

Now you know why Jizabel's OOC.

Yes, Cassian and Riff are in this story. You can't have Jizabel without Cassian any more than you can have Cain without Riff. It's not possible. They'll just be coming later. Mary will be in here too, but later like Riff and Cassian.

Rating: Older Teen

Genre: Family/Hurt/Comfort/Comedy(?)

Chapter 1

I remember her screaming at me to run. I remember running, trying not to trip on the dress Mother had told me to wear.

I heard her scream at him and I ran back hoping to save my mother from the monster that had captured her.

But what I found wasn't a monster, but an angel. An angel with cold eyes and yet a warm smile. He scared me and fascinated me all at once.

He was kissing mother.

"I'm sorry, Jizabel. Can you ever forgive me?" I couldn't understand what she was talking about.

"Hello, Jizabel," he said to me, "I'm your father."

I went with the man. I never saw my mother again. The man, Father, was someone I had come to both love and fear in the course of six months.

But more than Father, I had the fortune to meet Lenora, my stepmother, and had come to love her as a second mother. She had curly chestnut hair and the deepest blue eyes I've ever seen. Her beauty wasn't frail like my mother's, but stronger. She seemed to have a fire within that she had to hide, and only I could see it.

"Jizabel, you must keep it secret that we met," she told me. "If your father found out, bad things could happen."

I trusted Lenora and kept it secret that we met. One day, Father was gone and Lenora came over. In her hands was a bundle of blankets and she looked sad.

"Lenora," I said, "What's wrong?"

Lenora shook her head. "Nothing is wrong, Jizabel, my darling," she said. She had taken to calling me "darling" as though I was really her child. "Your father had…broken a very big law."

"Is he in trouble?"

"It's a complicated situation," was all she said. "Would you like to see your new baby brother?"

Brother? I thought. I stared at the bundle and carefully approached Lenora. I have a brother? I stood next to her and looked at the bundle. Lenora pulled the blanket out of the bundle's face and I stared at the baby.

He whimpered a little and raised his tiny hands as if stretching. A tuft of black hair was growing on his head.

He looked a lot like Father, but there was something about the baby that was entirely different from Father.

I reached out a hand and stroked his cheek. The baby opened his eyes and stared at me. His eyes were an odd, beautiful golden green color and he blinked at me. I blinked at him.

"What's his name?" I asked.

"Cain. A horrid name for such an innocent child," she said, stroking Cain's head.

"Why's it a bad name?"

Lenora swallowed. "Have you not heard the story of Cain and Abel?"

I have. And now I understood why it was cruel to call this baby "Cain."

"Then why can't you change the name, Lenora?" I asked. She shook her head.

"Alexis named him. It's already on his birth certificate. I can't do anything to change it." I stared at Cain for a moment longer and he stared at me.

"Then he'll be a different kind of Cain," I decided. "I won't let anyone remind him of what his name means, ever!"

Lenora smiled at me. "I hope you can, Jizabel. It'll be a difficult road. No matter what happens, Jizabel, can you have the strength to protect him and any of your siblings?"

I furrowed my brow. I'd have to be very strong indeed.

"Jizabel, you're the oldest son, you're job is to protect your sisters and your brother. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded.

"That means you need to have the strength to stand against your father."

I blinked, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Lenora shook her head. "You'll find out some day what I mean."

I took those words to heart. When it came time for Lenora to leave, I took another glance at Cain and he reached out for me. I reached out for him. His tiny hand grabbed my pointer finger and a connection was made between us. Though Cain couldn't talk, I could tell what he was saying:

Let's play someday, Big Brother…

I smile and nod.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Jizabel, my darling," Lenora said. "Be ready to leave."

"Leave?"

But she didn't answer. At the time, I didn't know that my life was going to go through another change the next day, but when Lenora came and I was not ready to leave, she ordered her maid to throw my clothes into a suitcase and for me to go to the carriage.

Before I did that, I ran to the library and grabbed the book I wanted to read. When I did so, I did as Lenora told me and waited in the carriage.

She came out a moment later, carrying Cain in her arms.

When she entered the carriage, the carriage lurched into motion at such a pace that I almost fell off my seat.

"Lenora, where are we going?" I asked.

She didn't answer me at first, but was busy trying to calm Cain, who was crying. I guess he was just as confused and scared as I was.

"Lenora?"

"Hush my darling," she said to me, smiling. "We're going to your Uncle Neil's home."

"Why?"

She didn't answer me again. "You'll know someday."

I frowned. But that was all the answers I'd get from Lenora. Deciding that, I began to read…

Uncle Neil was a strict man. Father's cousin. But he seemed to be one of the nicest people I've met since the Hargreaves came into my life.

I remember every first moment in his home in Manchester. He stared at me, and I at him.

"This is Alexis' first born?"

"Yes," Lenora said. "His name is Jizabel. Where are Jizabel's sisters?"

"They're old enough to go to finishing school—it's the least I can do for those girls. I'm still shocked that you're doing this, Lenora."

"I can't leave these children to him," Lenora shouted. I winced and looked at her. I thought she was mad, but her expression wasn't angry. It was more scared.

Jizabel! Run! Don't let him find you!

I winced again at the memory. Cain began to cry again and Lenora inhaled, falling to the ground.

"Please, Neil, keep us safe from that demon," Lenora begged.

"You need protection?"

"I'm pregnant," Lenora said. "With his child…if it's born in his house like Cain was…"

"Alright, alright, I understand," Uncle Neil said, helping her up again. "You can stay here." He glanced at me again and I gasped.

He smiled. "No need to be frightened, Jizabel. You and your siblings are safe here."

"Begging your pardon, Sir," I said, "but I am frightened."

Neil shrugged. "I'm not as scary as I look, believe me."

"I'll take your word, Sir."

And that was the beginning to my new life away from the demon named Alexis Hargreaves.

AN: I know that Suzette isn't Alexis' child, but in this story she is…hope you'll forgive me for so many huge changes…