Gabriel's POV
I was the third eldest Archangel in the Heavenly Host, I did not have the responsibility that Michael had, I did not desire it like Lucifer, and I was not as serious like Raphael; I was the trickster, the prankster, and in all honestly, I cared little for most of my duties as a Commander of Heaven's armies.
At least, that was until I was tasked millenniums later by my Father to guard over a human soul.
However, I'm getting a little ahead of myself.
For millenniums, Heaven was my home, filled with laughter, family, love, and my Father's glory, and a certain sweet, compassionate, raven winged beauty named Cassiel.
She was my best friend, the mate to my eldest brothers, and the best angel of all. Her brightness and compassion, her strength and laughter, her bravery and fierceness, would forever burn in my mind and my grace long after she was gone.
Because things changed, a tragedy struck, and Heaven's destiny was forever altered.
Cassiel's murder was like a wrecking blow, harsher than any of Darkness' attacks, and it would destroy Heaven, and most of all it would destroy the bond between me and my Archangels brothers.
Michael became hardened to the Hosts, Lucifer rebelled, fell, Raphael tried to hold things together to his credit in a rapidly destabilizing Heaven, and I just couldn't- I couldn't watch my family fall apart, so I fled.
Earth was nothing but a distraction, another hoax, only this time I was only fooling myself, believing I could outrun my past, my memories, and my feelings; I was running, hiding, and I was ashamed of my actions, of my weakness, of my inability to be there for Cassiel in her time of need, and my inability to keep my family together afterwards.
But then, I would find my redemption millenniums later in a human baby named Erin Cassidy Cartworth.
