iCarly: iMake A Decision

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Insert standard disclaimer here.

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Chapter 4: Earth's Angel

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"Wait. Too, too much is happening. How'd you get in here? And, and why are you keeping on with this-*"

"I don't have time for this," said Maggie. Suddenly, she reached out and placed the tip of her finger on Carly's forehead.

And suddenly, Carly knew.

She saw the high, unreachable reality the angels came from, saw as much of it as she could understand, and understood there was so very, very much more she couldn't. She understood that Griffin and his aunt were of the Dominions, those hosts of angels charged with regulating the mortal world and those spirits in it. She saw Maggie's and Grif's journey to this world, the one she called home, years before, saw the wonder with which they saw humanity, the Light—and the Darkness. Saw the reality of the angels' everyday life, how they had to blend in with others, lest humans come to worship them as gods…and why that must never be.

She saw Grif's attempt to blend in with human society, his theft of Spencer's bike, his collection of "folk art" and of other collections he'd made over the years.

She saw the various times he'd done something she found odd, but explained away in some ordinary terms. How inadequate those terms seemed now.

The router…technology so far beyond anything humans could understand it may as well be called "magic." Except, of course, it was neither magic or technology.

The dirty bomb…his passing his hand over it, and time slowing down almost to a stop for the timer mechanism within…

….and what had happened immediately afterward, what could have happened to the men responsible. She gasped when she saw the power the angels wielded…and the power that could be wielded, when they so chose. The battle he'd fought, with himself, and his own desires for justice versus his desire for vengeance…

…And somehow, during all this massive sensory near-overload, she could sense Maggie gently probing her mind, seeking information about where Grif could be, here and now….There. That building, from which they'd admired the view, once. She couldn't sense him, but she could sense a spot where she could sense nothing…

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"You're saying a lot, but not imparting a lot of information," I say. Even as I say it, I realize I'm stalling for time. That thought itself is almost funny. Time? Since when did I need that?

Since I encountered something I'm having a hard time processing, that's when.

He nods. "That's as it should be. You need to figure as much of this out for yourself as you can. I can't just take you by the hand and walk you through all the steps. You wouldn't want that, anyway, now would you?"

"No…" But I'm cautious. It wouldn't be the first time one of my sort was promised everything he'd ever wanted…in exchange for everything he was.

My reflection looks around. "She's here."

I look around. "Carly?"

"And Aunt Maggie. Evidently, she used Carly's connection with you to find a spot she herself missed." Even as he spoke, I see the thunderflash as they materialize into the here and now. "Gryphon!" Aunt Maggie turns towards me.

I shoot a quick glance at my double, but he seems to be unperturbed. Could it be that Aunt Maggie can't sense him?

"Gryphon!" She runs over to me, looking me over with concern. But then, she stops and puts her hands to her mouth, an expression of wide-eyed shock on her face. "No. You've been…contacted."

There's no point in trying to deny it. "Yes, Aunt Maggie. I have." Carly is standing nearby, looking stunned. "G-Griffin?" She's looking at me, but over my shoulder. What is she seeing? Oh, right. The wings.

I go over to her, my wings fully unfurled, golden triangles of light springing from my back and shoulder blades. I can sense her fear, not just at the storm outside, but also the storm within. The fear of me, of what she now knows I am. I see the evidence of her tears on her face, and something inside me twists. I wish I could wipe away every single one.

Maybe I can.

Ever so gently, with the storm and the rain raging around us, I gather her into my arms, wrapping my wings around her protectively. "You don't need to cry, Carly." I hold her head close to my chest. "There's no need to be afraid.

"Just believe."

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We stand there a moment. She collects herself, noticing that the rain does not make either Aunt Maggie or myself wet. She herself is soaked, so I take off my jacket and wrap it around her. She stares at my wings, glowing in the darkness, against the stormclouds overhead, her eyes going wide. "Grif? I…you…you…really are…"

I glance over at Aunt Maggie. Just beyond her is my double, also unaffected by the weather. She doesn't appear to see him, or perhaps she's not concentrating on him. She's looking at me, an expression of fear on her face. I've never seen Aunt Maggie afraid, and I know she's not afraid for herself.

She is afraid for me.

I know what I must do. The only thing I can do. Really, the only thing I could ever do. "Carly?"

"Yes?" I can sense her mind is almost shutting down from all the shocks she's received tonight. I bend down and kiss her, and this seems to restore her senses somewhat. She puts her arms around me, and we share a deep, deep kiss.

Finally, I look up. Aunt Maggie has been standing there the whole time. Now her face looks to be more sorrowful than before. I hate that; I would never cause my aunt pain or sorrow, but some things are beyond even our control. "Aunt Maggie, I've decided."

"I know. But Grif….this is too much of a job for you."

"What?" asks Carly, looking from Aunt Maggie to me. "What job?"

I look at her, still there in my embrace, wearing my jacket. "I've decided what my role here on Earth will be, Carly." I turn to Aunt Maggie. "You know there are souls in Darkness, down Below. Many—most—deserve to be there. But some…do not. Some entered into Darkness because of an…imbalance in their lives, one that could have been corrected, had they tried, had they known." I turn to Carly. "Carly, you know about the Darkness from your mental contact with Aunt Maggie, don't you? How there is nothing there, no potential, no Light, no hope?

"I will be a conduit to that Light, that hope. Those souls in Darkness, who can be salvaged, I will bring here, to the Earth dimension, to try again. And those souls here, trying, struggling, I will help."

"Gryphon…you realize this will result in a reduction of rank for you, do you not?" Aunt Maggie is, as always, pragmatic. "You will no longer be…what you are now. And, and, Gryphon….I cannot help but believe it is simply too big a job for you. Even the Host of the Seraphim do not readily descend into the Darkness."

"Wait," says Carly, "you're talking about…going into this awful place, this dark place I saw? Grif, you can't!"

"I not only can, I must. I'm the only one of us who can. You see," I say to Aunt Maggie, "that I now have connections to the Darkness. No other angel has those. I can use those…to find the others. It is…." I see my double turning away. He vanishes slowly, but not before giving me a "thumbs up" sign. "It is…my destiny." I know that sounds hopelessly trite, and perhaps a bit arrogant, but it is the only way I know how to put it.

"This world needs a guardian. I will be that guardian, Earth's angel. The souls in Darkness need liberation. I will be that liberator. Those souls here, seeking the Light…they will need guidance. I will be that guide." I turn her face up to look at me. "Will you stand by me, Carly Shay? You don't have to, and I would totally understand if you decided not to. But it's important, and I must know. Will you accept me? Will you have me?"

"Will I have you? Grif, I…I'm only a standard, factory-issued human being. You're an angel! An actual angel! How…how could you possibly see anything in me? And, and, Grif…this is the second time I've driven you off by being stupid! I don't see how you could possibly have me!"

I kiss her. "None of that matters. You know I would. Now, Forever and Always. For all Eternity."

Aunt Maggie approaches us. I'm a little afraid; I don't want her to reject me… "Angel Gryphon, you are determined to do this thing?"

"Yes, Aunt Maggie. You have the Sight, the same as I do. You see I never really had a choice in the matter."

Carly looks up at me, suddenly afraid for me. "What's she saying, Grif? What are you doing, really?"

"I am becoming, Carly. I am changing. I have chosen to remain here on the Earth, to make it my permanent base of operations, to keep people from turning to the Darkness, and rescue those already there, that is, as much as I can." I smile a little crookedly. "I will be the only partially Fallen angel in existence. My connection with the Darkness will enable me to enter it, and to raid it, so to speak. To glean those souls I can."

She gasps. "Grif…you're gonna Fall?" Her voice squeaks. She knows enough, from her mindlink with Aunt Maggie, about Falling. "Don't! Nothing's worth that! You…you could lose your immortality!"

I hold her close. "I don't really need it, anyway."

Aunt Maggie comes closer. I see the look of love in her eyes as she wraps her arms around us both. "Gryphon…You and I know that things will be…different, now. We can no longer live together; regulations forbid that. And I am sure Jemiah will not be happy about your decision. But one thing I can promise you: no matter what, you will always be my nephew, and I will always love you, and be here for you, in any way I can. And I will also be there for Carly, too. She is a part of you now. Part of us."

"Thank you, Aunt Maggie. I shall always love you, too." We're in a kind of group hug, with Carly in the middle, my wings around her, Aunt Maggie's around me.

The thunder continues around us. "Hey," says Carly, from within both our embraces. "The storm…"

"Oh, right," I say. Too late I remember my love's terrified of thunder. "I'm sorry, Carly. Here, I'll take you home."

"It's not that." She stops in amazement, her hands going to her face. "I…I'm not afraid anymore."

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Aunt Maggie steps back a bit, and I think I see a tear coursing down her cheek. Maybe it's just my imagination. "Just remember, Grif, you won't be quite what you have been. You'll have to learn to deal with that."

"That's true, Aunt Maggie. But I will have one big advantage. I will have one thing no other angel anywhere can say they have."

Intrigued, she asks, "What's that?"

I turn to Carly, still in my arms. "I will have one of my own."

The End

"…all endings are new Beginnings…"