Title: Gabriel Wept
Rating: K
Word Count: Drabble ~ 1050 Words
Author Notes: Not beta'd. I took some liberties with the story between Michael and Lucifer.
Summary: The first thing Gabriel did when he fell to earth was cry. One-Shot. Complete.
Gabriel had thought long and hard about what he was about to do. He had taken refuge in the idea that, should he suddenly disappear, all differences would be put aside and a search would bring both sides together. He knew he was being childish; they would never stop their stupid war for him. He might have been God's greatest messenger but he was still their younger brother. Michael and Lucifer would still fight even with him gone. Father would still look on from the outside, too self-righteous to take a side. Their family would still be divided; the world would still suffer because of it. But he still hoped.
It was that hope that pushed him over the edge. It was the love he held for his family – every last one of them – that drove him to the painful process of falling to earth. Few had done it before, none had ever come back, and he had heard the tales many times. It didn't stop him, however, not even as the gory images popped into his head as he fell through space. The words in his mind coupled with the velocity of the fall, conjured up the stories and played them in his mind's eye. The devastating crash to earth, the craters in the ground, and the sudden gravity pushing down on his once weightless body – he expected it all.
What he hadn't expected was the grief and remorse he felt as he pushed himself up from the ground, a weight pushing down on his chest. He was not expecting to fall on his knees with a crash, or the popping of his ears nor the blood that suddenly crawled its way up his throat and made him choke. He didn't expect to be too weak to stand or have to crawl to find shelter out of the blazing sun. He was not prepared for the wave of emotions he felt or the pain that radiated through his entire body. He didn't expect his wings to be scorched and fractured or the pain that it caused him to use his God given powers.
He spit the blood out, his teeth raddling as he pushed the blood through his lips, as he lay back on the cold ground. His wings, although not corporeal, ached as his back touched the dirt, stinging them. He felt his chest rise and fall, pumping more blood up his throat and filling his mouth. The blood, pooling behind his lips, spilled out as he gasped for air. He was in a horrible pain and yet, it was nothing compared to the pain of leaving home.
It took him a moment to realise that he was crying, the tears falling down his face and mixing with his blood as it made its way down his chin. One hand reached up to his face, wiping a trace of the tears for him to see. A single tear, something he had never before seen, on his finger was all it took to shatter any prior emotional walls until finally, Gabriel could do nothing but weep.
He wept for Michael, the oldest and most faithful of them all. The sacrifice he had to make, being the one to damn his brother to hell for saying something everyone was too afraid to speak out loud. For taking on the role of their absent father and having the future of not only his kind but of all beings resting on his shoulders - shoulders too young for such a responsibility. For being able to look his brothers in the eye and convince them that war was the only solution, death to their brother the only option. A war he, himself, wanted no part off.
He wept for Lucifer, the rebellious and most beautiful angel ever created. Fashioned to question and wonder, his very being screamed out betrayal at the making of new less perfect beings called humans. The good intentions he had were nothing compared to the threats he made. The anger – so tangible and alive – that created a rift never before seen. The pain he must have felt in his cold heart, as his family turned their back on him, which drove him away from heaven. The harsh emotionless words he spewed out, trying to hurt others as he was hurt. The sadness in his eyes as his brothers and sisters each turned away from him, showing their allegiance to another.
He wept for his father – so mighty and torn apart. His precious sons, waging a war in the name of peace in a world created out of love. Watching his creations tear each other apart, craving his attention and demanding his support. Retreating far into himself, leaving his home in shambles, ashamed of their weaknesses. His father's reckless abandonment of his children, who he said he loved, at a time where they needed him the most. The impact of his choices weighing heavily on his shoulders as he turned away from them and hid.
But most of all, he wept at the pain of leaving home, the harsh reality of life falling on a being such as himself. Having to leave his brothers and sister whom he had been with since the beginning of time. Being alone for the first time ever in a strange new world full of beings far below his capabilities and understanding. At the cowardice he felt, consuming him until he had no choice but to leave home. For all the lost memories - replaced by grim images of fights caused by a childish war for attention. For his false reasoning, his wonder and his faith - Gabriel wept for it all.
And it was then that he made himself a promise. One day, when salvation came for his family, he would do everything in his power to ensure that it would bring peace to his home. Then – and only then – would he return to the heavens and stand by his brothers and sisters. Then, he would have no shame of calling himself an angel. Then, he would be proud to be his Father's creation. Then, he would once again be Gabriel the archangel, God's greatest messenger.
All he had to do now was wait for that time to come.
The End.
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