It's been a while since I reminded everyone, so yes, Sammael is Lucifer, before his fall.

This chapter is very short, a transition, really, so you get a second chapter with it!

Thank you again to MeemeBear for reviewing! You are awesome!


COMING DOWN


When Gabriel finally managed to ease his own grace back around himself, he found his cheek pillowed against Michael's shoulder with Sammael sprawled bonelessly over them both. He smiled, reaching up to run his fingers through Sammael's hair, and felt a gentle kiss placed on the top of his head from Michael.

"We absolutely have to do that again," Sammael murmured, his voice a throaty purr as he rubbed his face against Gabriel's chest. Gabriel hummed his agreement.

Gabriel? Gabriel, can you hear us? Are you all right? Gabriel!

Gabriel frowned, easing himself out from between Michael and Sammael as the voices of his other brothers flickered through his head. The members of his choir who were on Earth were calling out to him on the mental frequency reserved for Gabriel's angels, their words clear in the back of his mind.

I'm here; I'm fine, Gabriel answered, glancing over at his older brothers. Sammael was now spread over Michael, and Michael looked perfectly content with his living blanket. They were both watching Gabriel curiously, but they recognized the signs of speaking with the choir and didn't interrupt.

I felt something, like an explosion of grace. That was Zachariah, his second lieutenant. Gabriel could feel his grace on the other side of the world, but it was moving toward him. I'm bringing in a garrison for backup if you need it.

No need! Gabriel shook his head, even though Zachariah wouldn't be able to feel the gesture. He didn't want any of his younger brothers bursting onto this scene. What he shared with Michael and Sammael was shared between them only. It wasn't for the rest of his choir to gawk at. Michael and Sammael are already with me. We were experimenting with our new vessels. There is no danger here.

None of that was a lie, and as Gabriel had hoped, his choir burst into excited chatter immediately. New vessels? You've figured out how to take vessels? Can we take vessels? Will you teach us?

Gabriel laughed over the broadcast as he tried to sort out the different voices of his angels. When we're back in Heaven, I'll explain envesseling to all of you. Until then, carry on with your duties as before. This doesn't change anything. Yet.

Zachariah's trajectory changed, and Gabriel breathed a sigh of relief. No interruptions. He looked back to his brothers and grinned as he saw them kissing again. Sammael was pressing Michael back against the earth. Michael broke the kiss first, turning his head to smile at Gabriel. "Assured them the world wasn't about to die again?" He reached out an arm for his little brother, and Sammael rolled over on top of him to do the same.

"They wanted to come help." Gabriel explained, taking his brothers' hands and letting them pull him back into their embrace. Was this what having a partner was supposed to feel like, this cocoon of love and warmth and caring? Gabriel wanted to wrap himself up in his brothers and stay there forever. He couldn't imagine Raphael ever making him feel this accepted. "I told them you two were handling any dangers already."

"We certainly did have a handle on things," Sammael snickered, his hand sliding down between Gabriel's legs. Gabriel drew away reluctantly, shaking his head.

"Not now, we really shouldn't. I need to return Vindonnus before his family wakes and finds him gone."

Vindonnus. Gabriel had been in Vindonnus' body these past few hours, using the man for his own pleasure without any thought as to what the human might think of it. He knew some men frowned upon having sex like they had, being taken by another man, like he was a woman. A gentle probing inward reassured Gabriel that Vindonnus' spirit was still resting, blissfully unaware of what had transpired. Good. Gabriel would keep him that way.

Michael sat up, one arm wrapped around Sammael, and he reached out to touch Gabriel's mouth. A stroke of his thumb over swollen lips combined with a spark of grace, and Gabriel could feel his body heal. Sammael was doing the same, petting his fingers over the red marks scraped down Gabriel's freckled chest, dotting his grace over every finger bruise on Gabriel's hips. Neither Michael nor Sammael had emerged quite as battered as Gabriel, so he just hummed and let them heal him.

Sammael eventually rolled to his feet to collect their scattered clothing. He held up Vindonnus' torn shirt and frowned before snapping his fingers. The shirt was instantly mended and back on Gabriel's body. Another snap, and Gabriel was fully dressed again. He snapped his fingers right back at Sammael, whipping his skirt back around his hips. Michael just shook his head at them, waving his hand to dress himself without any fuss.

"Can't even tell," Sammael declared. "Our vessels will think this was all just a wonderful dream."

"We should return ours too," Michael said, pushing himself to his feet. "Shepherds and farmers wake early." He drew Gabriel in close, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. "We'll see you again in Heaven. Thank you, Gabriel, for showing us this."

Sammael's tongue slipped into Gabriel's mouth as he kissed his little brother. "Next time we're both free, we should do this again."

Michael held out his hand, and Sammael took it. They both smiled at Gabriel, flaring out their wings, before they were gone. Gabriel followed moments later, taking Vindonnus home (and scooping a marlin out of the ocean on his way, to fulfill his promise of feeding Vindonnus' family again).

Leaving Vindonnus to marvel at the size of the fish, Gabriel flew back to Heaven. Cariel was seated at his desk, going over some reports. He looked up when Gabriel entered, but then his head cocked to the side, his grace puzzled. "Something's different."

"What do you mean?" Gabriel asked, perching on the edge of his own desk and stealing a page out of Cariel's hands. "What have you been working on?"

"Barachiel is concerned with the pressure building up within the Earth. He's drawn up a ten thousand year scheme suggesting key volcanos to trigger to vent some of the energy. You'd have to be involved with a few of the bigger ones, but he should be able to handle most of them." Cariel reached out and touched Gabriel's face, tracing his fingers over it. "You have a mouth!"

"Do I?" Gabriel reached for his own face and grinned, feeling the expression stretch his spirit. "I do!"

"How… why?" Cariel touched his own face, smooth, unblemished spirit beneath his eyes. He had no mouth.

Gabriel shrugged, tossing Barachiel's volcanic scheme back to his desk. "Mouths are fun. Why not?"

As with all of God's creations on Earth, the angels also evolved with time. Unlike God's creations though, their evolutions did not come about as long-term changes through the generations. The angels' forms shifted and changed to adapt to whatever they needed. New features tended to start with one angel and spread through the Host, though angels could make a deliberate decision to not let their forms change. The Archangels all remembered a time when they did not have distinct legs, but no angel awoken after the creation of ground had ever experienced not having feet.

Gabriel hadn't intended to keep a mouth after returning Vindonnus, but it certainly had been one of his favorite parts of the human. He glanced down to check for any other bodily change, but seemed to be otherwise normal. Looking back at Cariel, Gabriel grinned and then very deliberately stuck his new tongue out at his Seraph.

Cariel's eyes widened, his clipped wings lifting in surprise. "That can't be natural!"

"All creatures on Earth have mouths," Gabriel pointed out.

"All creatures on Earth also eat," Cariel countered. "We don't, ergo, mouths are absolutely unnatural."

"Maybe we should change that." Gabriel rubbed his chin thoughtfully, remembering what it felt like to taste Sammael on his tongue, and then Michael. Two very different flavors… and now he understood what flavor was. "I think there should be a food for angels."

"… right," Cariel said, completely insincerely. "I'll get right on that."

Gabriel tapped his desk and grinned again. The new expression just would not stay off his face for long! "I'll suggest it to Father next time He calls me in!"

"Are you out of your mind? Tell Father what to do!?"

"He won't get upset about hearing a suggestion." Gabriel waved his hand dismissively, trusting his Father to do nothing worse than say no if he asked for angelic food. "Oh, and that reminds me. I need to address my choir. And Raphael." Gabriel's wings drooped automatically at the mention of Raphael's name, and he made a frustrated sound. "Send a messenger, a Cherub, to Raphael. What about Gail? She's friendly enough. Arrange a meeting."

"You're not going to go to Raphael yourself?" Cariel asked, waving up a quill to make a note.

"This isn't a message, so I don't have to go to him." Gabriel smirked. "Make him come to me if he wants to know how to take a vessel."

Cariel looked up sharply at the Archangel. "You know how to take a vessel?"

"Figured it out yesterday! I taught Michael and Sammael last night."

"Is that where you were? Barachiel and Zachariah both sent messengers reporting an odd fluctuation of grace. They asked me if I knew what was going on. I suspect Zachariah was itching for an excuse to kill something. He's been a nightmare since Father limited time on Earth."

"Which is precisely why I'm letting you handle him," Gabriel patted Cariel on the shoulder. "If it were me, I'd probably have bitten his head off by now." He snapped playfully at Cariel, who just shook his head, unintimidated.

"You'd better not suggest cannibalism to Father. I don't think He'd approve."

"That's disgusting, Cariel!" Gabriel laughed anyway. "Nah, I already talked with Zachariah about the grace thing. Michael and Sammael and I were experimenting with our vessels. The sensory input is completely different inside a human. Vision and hearing are muted unless you make an effort, but everything else is magnified, scents and contact and flavor! Cariel, I can't even begin to describe flavor to you. You'll have to experience it for yourself. As soon as you're free to return to Earth, I'm finding your vessel and making you taste things!"

"I look forward to it." Cariel folded the note for Gail and snapped his fingers, sending it to her wherever she was. "Is that what you need to address the choir for? Vessels?"

Gabriel nodded. "Yes, I need to instruct them on how to take a vessel and how to respect the humans who share their bodies with us." He pointed a finger at Cariel. "Make sure it's of primary importance. If Raphael tries to schedule a meeting with me, don't reschedule anything for him."

"You're a dick." Cariel's amused grace reflected his approval of Gabriel's priorities.

"Only to him!" Gabriel hopped off his desk and moved behind Cariel, squeezing his shoulders lightly. "I'm sorry you can't take a vessel yet."

"At least I won't be the only inexperienced angel," Cariel sighed, leaning back against Gabriel's chest. "Naomi's healing slower than I. You'll give me a private lesson when my punishment is over?"

"Absolutely." Gabriel leaned forward to bump his forehead against Cariel's. "Anything for my second."