Chapter 3 – Trouble in Paradise

The day had come. Today was Castiel's first real flight. And Gabriel was considering something risky. Something he hadn't dared to do since Lucifer had forbidden him to on the day of his own first flight. He was considering taking Castiel and Balthazar to visit Earth. Gabriel sat on the edge of his bed, wringing his hands and flexing his wings, more indecisive than he'd been about anything in his entire life. The door suddenly swung open and Castiel and Balthazar pranced in. Balthazar was grinning proudly and Castiel's wings were quivering with excitement.
"Are you ready, Gabriel?" Cas asked breathlessly.
"You bet I am!" he replied, standing up.
"Where are we going to fly to?" the youngest angel asked.
"It's a surprise," said Gabriel, his golden eyes twinkling playfully but his stomach twisting in anxious knots. "Just follow me!"

Gabriel led them to a cloud in the least stormy bit of sky he could find and peered down. He wanted to make sure the conditions were easy to fly in because he knew the flight itself would be difficult. Below he could see some tall mountain ranges in what would later be New Zealand. Gabriel took a deep breath.
"Alright, boys," he said, turning to them. "This is gonna be new for all of us, myself included. So stick together and just follow me."
"Where are we going?" asked Balthazar.
"Earth," said Gabriel, a true genuine smile spreading across his face.
He turned back to the edge of the cloud and beckoned Balthazar and Castiel to his side.
"Are you ready, Cas?" he asked.
Castiel just nodded. His face was screwed up in concentration but a hint of a grin played on his mouth.
"Well, here goes nothing!" said Gabriel.
He leapt from the cloud, tucking his wings close to his body in a dive, then spreading them to control his descent. He glanced back and saw Balthazar following a bit clumsily and Castiel not far after, flapping his wings a bit more than necessary. Turning back to face front, Gabriel laughed jubilantly. He was doing it at last. He was going to visit Earth.

The descent was much longer than he had anticipated and by the time he swooped onto the mountain, even his wings were tired. Balthazar was panting and flexing his wings and Castiel had landed rather poorly and had to pick himself up off the ground.
"Not bad, not bad at all! Everybody feeling alright?" Gabriel said, breathless from the flight and excitement.
Balthazar and Castiel both nodded, still catching their breath. Gabriel looked around. He could see so far, the plains and hills and a darkish blur in the distance that might have been a forest. The mountain they had landed on was rocky but not high enough that it still got snow during the summer. Gabriel regretted that they couldn't have gone somewhere with grass but he knew that would have been too much for Castiel and was a project for another day. Balthazar and Castiel joined Gabriel at the edge of the mountain top.
"Isn't it beautiful?" he said.
"It really is," agreed Balthazar.
"I would never get bored of this," said Castiel.
They stood in silent awe for a while, just taking in the beautiful view. Gabriel sighed and realized very suddenly that there were tears in his eyes. He hurriedly wiped them away, but not before Balthazar had noticed. He had always had sharp eyes.
"You alright, Gabe?" he asked.
"I'm fine. More than fine. It's just... I've dreamed of visiting Earth since I was a fledgling. And now I have and... it's more beautiful than I expected," Gabriel replied.
"Do you think we could go see the humans?" asked Castiel.
"Maybe another day. For now, we should get back to heaven," said Gabriel. "You both ready for the trip back upstairs?"
"I think so," said Cas.
"Well if you need help, just grab my hand. The same goes for you, Balthazar," said Gabriel.
"Got it!" said Balthazar.
Gabriel stretched his wings to their full span and shot into the air. He checked on the other two briefly to make sure they had taken off alright, then led the way back up to heaven.

At last they came to the cloud they had left from and landed wearily. Castiel looked absolutely exhausted and Balthazar's wings were drooping.
"Good job, boys. You both did great," said Gabriel, ruffling their hair affectionately.
He turned around and found himself face to face with Lucifer, whose arms were folded across his chest and who looked very cross.
"Where have you been? You've been gone nearly five hours," he said, his tone carefully calm.
"It's not your business, is it?" said Gabriel.
"Not my business?" Lucifer repeated. "You were supposed to be back three hours ago! Michael and Raphael have been searching the skies for you three. I was the only one who had any idea where you'd really gone."
"And where was that?" Gabriel asked challengingly.
"Earth, Gabriel. You went to Earth, didn't you?" said Lucifer, taking a step closer to his younger brother.
"So what if I did?" said Gabriel. "Why shouldn't I take my charges wherever I please on a first flight? You certainly did."
"You knowingly took your younger brothers into dangerous territory! Earth is not safe for angels, the humans –"
"– are Father's creations!" Gabriel cut across. "Just like us!"
"Come with me," said Lucifer suddenly.
"Why?" Gabriel demanded.
"When did you become so willful?" Lucifer said.
"I've always been this way," said Gabriel. "We've just never disagreed until now. Lead on."

He held his hands out for Balthazar and Castiel to take as they followed Lucifer to where God, Michael, and Raphael waited. All of them looked relieved to see the three angels trailing behind Lucifer.
"Where have you three been?" asked God, walking to them with open arms.
"They were on Earth, Father," said Lucifer, the anger apparent in his voice.
"I see no problem in that," said God. "I do however wish you had told me where you were going, Gabriel. We've all been worried sick."
"I'm sorry, Father, I just... I didn't think that we were actually allowed to go to Earth and... I didn't want to make you angry..." said Gabriel, sounding uncharacteristically sheepish.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" God asked in mild surprise.
"I...well..." Gabriel glanced at Lucifer, not really wanting to rat his brother out, but also furious at him now that he knew he'd been lied to. "I wanted to go to Earth on my first flight, but Lucifer said it wasn't allowed."
"You said that to him?" said Michael disgustedly.
"Yes, I did," said Lucifer, sounding almost proud of it. "I wanted to protect him. But it seems he was determined to corrupt himself and dragged his charges along with him."
"Protect him from what exactly?" Michael asked, though he looked almost as though he knew the answer.
"The humans! They failed our Father, they gave into temptation! And now Gabriel has gone and done the same. Earth was to you as the fruit of the Tree was to them," Lucifer hissed, turning on his younger brother with a venomous glare.
Gabriel took a deep, shaky breath, trying not to let the sting of his brother's words break him.
"Balthazar, take your brother and go," he murmured. "Go home and wait for me there."
Balthazar nodded and wordlessly took Castiel's hand, leaving the room, but not without looking back at his older brother sadly. When the two young angels had left, Gabriel turned back to Lucifer, his face suddenly showing all the anger he had held back while Balthazar and Castiel were still present.
"You lied to me, Lucifer! You told me I wasn't allowed to go to Earth, let me think that it was because Father forbid it. But no, it was you, all you! It was just you and your stupid prejudices, your stupid, biased opinions! What makes you think you're so much better than the humans, eh, Lucifer? Answer me that!" Gabriel snarled.
"Gabriel, please," said God calmly. "Let me handle this."
He turned to his second oldest angel, miraculously calm but obviously saddened.
"Lucifer, I commanded all of my angels to love humanity as you love me, to devote yourselves to them. Why do you refuse?" he said.
"How could I love such creatures more than my own Father? How could I love these flawed beasts that forsook you? How can you even ask that of me?" Lucifer pleaded.
"Because I asked you to, my son. You should love them because you love me," said God.
"I couldn't do that. I never could, you know that. They betrayed you, Father, they disobeyed you and fell into evil and darkness and sin!" said Lucifer desperately.
"Father commanded us to love them, to watch over them! And you lied to Gabriel, telling him that Earth is dangerous, forbidding him to go there! Did you seek to drag him down with you?" Michael suddenly shouted, striding forward so quickly it was as if he materialized in front of Lucifer.
"I sought to keep him safe from the foolishness that the rest of you were succumbing to!" Lucifer retorted. "But it turns out he is more a fool for those humans than any of you are!"
"Please, Lucifer, I didn't even meet any humans, we were just in the mountains..." said Gabriel.
"Keep out of this, Gabriel!" snapped Lucifer.
"You brought me into this in the first place!" Gabriel shot back.
"Lucifer, I think you've done enough damage to Gabriel already, back off," said Michael dangerously.
"Excuse me, 'enough damage'? What am I, some sort of toy that he's played with a bit too rough?" said Gabriel.
"Keep out of it, Gabriel!" Michael said impatiently.
"All I have ever done is try to keep our family safe, Michael. I tried to protect Gabriel from the dangers of Earth and I have done nothing but love our Father. Why should I be ostracized for this?" said Lucifer.
"That's just it, Lucifer, there are no dangers on Earth! Or at least none that could hurt an archangel! You've tried too hard to shelter Gabriel and forget that he's not a child! And most importantly, you forget Father's orders!" Michael said.
"I do not forget his orders. I remember them clearly. I remember when he told us to love him and devote ourselves to him, and I have followed that order every single day. But I will never submit myself to the devotion of those failed, broken experiments," Lucifer hissed.
Michael opened his mouth to speak again, but God stepped between them with his arms raised and none of the archangels dared say a word.
"ENOUGH, my sons!" he shouted, his voice suddenly powerful and angry. "That is enough. Michael is right, Lucifer. You have directly defied my greatest command. I created the archangels to guard the Earth, including humanity, and you disobeyed me. My son, I have but one choice. You shall be cast out of heaven and into hell, where you shall rule over the dead in humanity who have fallen from my commandments as you have, and there you will remain for all eternity until the great apocalypse comes and the world falls."
Lucifer's eyes widened in horror and he reached out to God.
"No, Father please," he begged. "Please don't do this!"
"I am sorry, my son," God said sorrowfully.
He placed a hand on Lucifer's forehead and a bright light began to grow from his palm, engulfing the archangel. Gabriel's heart suddenly leapt into his throat and he lunged toward his brother only to be held back by Raphael.
"Lucifer!" he called desperately.
But it was too late. The golden light faded away and Lucifer was gone.