His eyes glittered in the dancing embers as thoughts ran through his head. He turned his eyes to face her. She was so beautiful, even with all the bruises, all the swelling. He had went out and got her some food, which he placed in front of her. He hoped she'd wake up soon… He wanted to know more about her, why those people were chasing her and most of all, why she would or would not be afraid of him.

"Uhgn…" Her face twisted with pain as she slowly opened her eyes. Her whole body was sore and throbbing like the heart beat of hell. She looked over to him and gave a painful smile before sitting in a position to where it didn't hurt as much. "Thank you…" She said, smiling looking up into his eyes. "…I am eternally in your debt for saving me, yesterday." She said. She looked down to the food and picked up a piece of fish, gobbling it down like never before.

She hadn't ate in days, even weeks. She had been running and there was no time to stop.

The creature stared at her for a moment. "Yo-you aren't afraid of me?" He asked.

She looked up after finishing. "No… Why be afraid of something that is so kind and gentle?"

"But I… I can be dangerous."

"It doesn't matter." She smiled. "You are gracious in God's eyes, because you saved one person from heathens and devils. You saved me. People are afraid of what they don't understand, and what they don't want to know. People are afraid of you, because they don't understand who and what you are and they don't want to. It doesn't matter that you have a dangerous strength behind those hands of yours, because you use them to protect. And it doesn't matter the way you look, because those eyes say everything."

There was a short little wave of silence that cast over them. The creature could not look away from her eyes. Her words -- they were so kind. Why couldn't he have found her before everything happened? Why couldn't he have found her when…? He closed his eyes softly.

She pushed herself up, knowing the only way to relieve this pain was by walking it off a little bit. She stepped towards him and cracked her neck. "…My name is Amelia." She was only inches from him now. "What is your name?"

He looked up. "I don't have a name."

Amelia smiled and put a hand on his cheek. "….How about Gabriel? Archangel, Protector of the land… Guardian…"

He smiled softly. "It's beautiful."

She giggled. "…It's very nice to meet you, Gabriel."

He blinked. "…Gabriel…" He smiled and placed a hand on her cheek. "Why would someone… want to hurt you? A kind woman? Why, were they chasing you?"

She looked into his eyes, her own suddenly felt with a sadness that he himself might have felt. She pulled away for a moment and sighed. "…It's a long story." She said.

"I am here for a while." He answered. "I-I do live here."

She looked up and couldn't help but chuckle. She looked back down to the floor. "Alright." She said. He sat and waited for her explanation.

"…They called me a witch." She said. "A young child, a few actually, went missing about a month ago. They tried to find them, but all they could find was blood and body parts all over the place. Some of them thought that maybe coyotes got to them, wolves even. We have had problems with them before. But, instead of taking the logical explanation, they blamed me." She paused for a moment. "I don't go to church because most of the time, I was too busy taking care of my father. He was sick…" Her voice cracked. He could tell that this was painful to tell. "…That night, they busted through my door and held the gun to my father's head. They said I should be punished by the Right Hand of God for doing such a diabolical crime. I had no idea what they were talking about until they held up one of the crosses one of the young boys had around his neck. I told them, I told them I didn't do it. But they kept screaming… 'You wretched whore, the Devil's whore!' They did this, because I didn't go to church and because everyone else hated me. I was an expendable asset. If they needed anything, I would give it to them." Her eyes welled up with tears. "They killed my father, and when they aimed their gun towards me, I ran…"

He looked down for a moment. "I'm sorry." He said.

She couldn't speak for a moment. "Don't apologize. You didn't do this to me, and it's not your fault." She looked up into his eyes, a lingering tear running down her cheek.

He reached over and wiped it away slowly, fascinated by the tear itself. "Don't cry." He said.

She nodded and gave a smile, wiping the rest of them away. "I don't know how I could repay you," She said.

"You already have." He smiled.