I rolled my shoulders over and over, getting the new sensation in repeat as I was getting my wings to move around with ease. After resting on my side for hours on end, it felt much so good to get my muscles working again and Jacob watching me from afar at the other side of the room with the Dr. Jones in front of me to watch my wings.
They were back to normal.
It's been at least 4 days since my wings came back to normal and grew back. It took a lot of pain and a lot of breathing exercises for me to at least bear with the pain and the stress of it all. But I was reassured that the process was going well, thanks to Dr. Jones and his own healing powers on me. It all worked well in the end, and I had a new pair of wings to work with.
Chato stayed with me that night when he came to visit, and I told him everything. It felt to get it off my chest and to let him know where I went and what I did with myself. He listened to the whole thing, through the good things and the bad things that I had to confess to him. I wondered how much he was willing to listen to and be fine with, and the more I told him and more worried I was getting that he wouldn't take it. But he did, he took all of it was so supportive about it. I felt like I didn't deserve someone like him at all, who was willing to take on the baggage as his own and not just me by myself.
"They look normal," Dr. Jones explained as I folded my wings back against my back and I walked over to the pair of them, "They'll still be growing little by little so be prepared for some discomfort," I looked over at him then over to Jacob to see him watching me in silence. I was wondering what he would say about this since he's been with me when I started here in the hospital. He was the one that so close as my guardian and mentor that it might have scared him that my wings were severed off of me.
"Jacob?" I asked him tentatively.
"They look healthy," He said to me carefully as he walked over to where my wings were along my back, having em stay still as I could feel his eyes were on my the whole time, "I thought of the worst for you from what happened. I will be honest, Marley. I thought you would have died,"
"I did too," I replied to him calmly, "But I needed to make sure Chato was still alive."
"Did you?" He asked me, in which I looked over my shoulder at him.
"Was that not why I was placed on the team? To help him?" I asked, not wanting to sound like I was confused about it but wanting to sound more casual about the situation. I thought that was the whole plan, for me to help him and get him back on his own path. At least, I thought it was the real reason.
"Not only him but to help the others for not dying," Jacob explained calmly as he finally walked over to stand in front of me again, having me study his face. He looked cool and collective when he said it, and I wanted to pick his brain some more now since we were there together and Dr. Jones somehow snuck out of the door without saying a single word about it.
"They're not actual Saints, Jacob," I reminded him.
"Yes, but they are still humans who are seen as those who can see the goodness in the world after seeing so much darkness." Jacob countered back, having me think about it in my head for a few seconds. He not only wanted me to save Chato, but to save the others but from what? Their own humanity? It seemed as though that in itself would be far from possible because of how thy were hardwired in their brain. But I learned to trust in hope since hope could take a person a long way in life.
It might be the same way for them.
Two days later, Harley Quinn broke out of the prison with the help of a group of people who were impersonating the swat soldiers at Belle Reeve. At first, we didn't know who it was and who did it, but we later found out the other person who we thought we got rid of in the end was the one who took her, who cheated death yet again.
The Joker.
Sure they sucked since I barely got to know her from our one mission together, but I could sense that she had some great sense of life within her, a good heart too even in times where it seemed that she didn't.
Since I had no real sense of a place to call home, I had a good feeling that I needed to find a place to stay. I found a small place outside of New Orleans that was bad enough, yet in other's eyes, it seemed like a shack of a loft that I found in an ad. But compared to living on the streets, it was fine for me to have things simple and small. I filled the place with succulents to liven it up, along with old pictures that I found from the thrift shop and simple furniture.
The succulents were mostly for Chato.
The only downer of it all was that Chato was still considered a prisoner and he was still going to be at the prison. Visit hours would be awkward since Amanda Waller and I were still not on the greatest of terms when it came to being civil with one another. But the more missions that Chato would go on with the team, the shorter his prison sentence would be.
As dangerous as it sounded and seemed, I was going to pray that he was going to be okay.
The others wanted me to visit them, not just Chato. It felt off for me to miss them and want to visit them during the visiting hours that were there for them, but then again I never had a real friend group to call my own growing up. But I did visit when I knew Amanda was not going to be there just to avoid getting that bullet in the head. They were all still prisoners, I knew that, but they treated me like an old friend. Maybe that was one of those times they needed that would brighten up their days: a visit from an old friend.
A visit from an Angel.
"Fallen Angels have been more prone to violence int he recent months than ever before since they've gone public. The police and even the FBI is looking into the investigation of the crimes that are piling up against the metahuman species. Some are under the speculation that it is a mass species attack and there is even talk amongst the authorities to have the Fallen Angels registered and watched under supervision,"
I was watching in silence on my couch there at my loft, seeing the news that popped on late in that night. There was a shot of a Fallen Angel being locked away in a prison, looking more evil in the eye than I thought someone would.
It was sinking in my stomach, how Fallen Angels were not being seen as the enemy more than being seen as friends and good metahumans. What was this going to mean for us int he future? The way it sounded there on the news, Fallen Angels were going to be hunted down.
"Was this what you thought we were going to be out here in the world?" I asked aloud in the room, seeing none other than Jacob appear out of the corner of my eye as he was looking at the screen at well, a serious look on his own face with the bright TV screen illuminating off his face.
"If I tell you, you wouldn't believe me," he replied calmly now as the anchorman was going on with another story. I looked over at him, once again stumped at what was going on in his head.
"What does this mean for us, for me?" I asked him, watching him move to look out the window there and not say a word for a moment or two. He had to know since he knew about me helping the Suicide Squad and being back with Chato again. He was full of wisdom and surprises that one, and I would never be bale to know enough to be satisfied.
"I need you to still be the good Fallen Angel that you are," He instructed me, this time I was going to stay quiet about the whole thing and not question him about it, "There will be Fallen Angels that will defy their true nature of good. They have chosen their own earthly desires against what was part of their destiny, and they will try to find those who are good and bring them to darkness." He looked over at me when he said this, and I realized that he was warning me. I was going to be a target for some of these rogue Angels since they were going to try and spread the evil in the world and not the goodness that they were supposed to do. It was all getting twisted in the head, and now I had to be prepared.
"I'm going to have to fight one, aren't I?" I asked him in a low tone, to which I nodded his head slowly and I looked ahead at the TV again, having that sinking feeling that even my on life was out of my control, again. This time it was no longer a thought of protecting other people, but now it was about protecting myself.
Was I able to do it?
"You have fought before," Jacob reminded me, but I was shaking my head.
"Not a Fallen. I've fought humans before, back when I wasn't in the right state of mind," I countered with my own reminder to him of my past.
"You know you can handle yourself, Marley. I have seen the goodness in you, and it will help you when the time will come," Jacob explained as he walked over to sit down next to me, "Fallen Angels have more strength within them than they give themselves credit for."
"And you think I'm one of those?" I asked him, trying not to sound pathetic and low hearted but I had to know from his side what he thought of me. Jacob has known me for so long that it was silly to just think of myself when I knew he had the best interest in me.
"I think you're a far greater Angel than you think you are. Trust me, all is well with you."
"You got these plants?"
"They remind me of you."
"Since when?"
"Since you used to get me those for my birthday all the time," I grinned when I said this while Chato was holding up one of the succulents that I had there on the windowsill, a small smirk that was on his own face. He had another visitation hour there, but this time, it was at my loft. He's been on plenty of missions with the group that got him more visitation with me, much to the dismay of Amanda and what the rules were. He was very close to being out for good since he's being doing so good with his own time there in the prison, which made me happy since I felt like he never belonged there in the first place.
I could see him slowly move over to each potted plant there on the windowsill, analyzing them in silence as I finally leaned against the wall, just drinking him in. It might have looked odd to just watch him there as he looked at each plant like he was at peace. Maybe he needed the space outside of prison, outside of the four walls and that take that he was placed in by none other than Amanda herself.
"What are ya lookin' at?" I was brought back from my thoughts when Chato was looking right at me, a coy smile was on his face there as I shook my head and stay still.
"Just you," I replied calmly, seeing him walk over to me to stand very close to me, close enough for me to almost feel the heat radiate off of him. It almost gave me some butterflies in how close he was and how he was staying there, almost giving me some kind of gravitational pull to him without me realizing it. He had that affect on me, even after years being apart from each other it still felt fresh and new.
"I've missed you," He said to me, making it sound simple as he reached out to touch the inside of my wrist with his fingers. His tattoos moved with his skin, almost putting me a trance when I saw them there and what he was doing to me. I watched him as he did this, not wanting to say a word and lose this kind of comfortable silence that we were having there together, "I just miss….being here with you and being around you all the time."
"I do too," I reassured him as he was inching a bit closer. I could smell the unique scent that he had on him and almost the smell of the moisture from the air when he came over in the cop car, thanks for Flag himself who brought him in. It felt like we were seventeen again, how we were young and almost wild for each other but not knowing how to respond to it, "You were always the first one for me."
"Really?" He asked me, already close enough for me to feel the small since of a cliff that I was trying so hard not to jump into when it came to him. He had that hold on me, whether I liked it or not. I could see him move his eyes rapidly back and forth between my eyes and on my lips, almost trying to make a decision in my head.
"You sound surprised," I said in a joking way, almost giving a nervous laugh there between the both of us. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he leaned over to kiss me square in the mouth. I breathed out through my nose before kissing him back, without thinking about it since it was making me wish that I could kiss him forever. I have forgotten this feeling within my own chest, the feeling of love there for him and how he was loving me back. The kiss alone with so simple and sweet at the same time, both of his arms were slowly going around me and pulling me very close to him and feeling the hard chest that he had.
Something snapped, really snapped within me that didn't care how awkward this would be int he ends, but I didn't care as the kiss was getting more and more heated as it was lasting longer and longer there. I didn't want this to end, not since I missed having him this close to me. The human side of me was telling me that this was right, that this needed to happen. He wrapped both of his arms closer around me and got me flushed against him as I was feeling a warmth running through me quickly and effectively.
"Goddamnit," He said against my lips as I moved us away from the window over to where the couch was, falling down on it as I was on his lap there and we kissed some more. It was all of those pent up feelings hat we wanted to use on each other since we were apart, and it had to be overcome in that moment since there was no other time in the future we figured. I didn't care, all the I cared about was Chato in my arms and how he was almost turning me into mush. The aura that he was having was both of affection and lust at the same time, and now it was wrapping around me to engulfing me in way more emotion that I was ready for.
His own lips descended over to my neck, open mouthed kisses there and having me tumble there against him as I was trying to hold onto the back of his neck and the couch as some kind of support from feeling like jello.
I pulled his head up to look right at me, seeing the way his eyes were wide and glazed over with the pupils dilated to almost making his eyes look beyond black. I was lost in my own breath, knowing that I did that to him. I didn't want this to be taken too far, we weren't there just yet in my own mind. I just leaned down to kiss him sweetly on the lips. I wanted this to be slow and good, not rushed or some kind of act that we both would regret. He framed my face in his hands, kissing me back just a sweetly and slowly as that warmth was becoming hotter and more intense. This was what I missed, and I regretted it when I knew we could have had this for years and years.
I pulled away from him again, feeling the sense of sadness I had there from the thought of leaving him behind in the past. I saw the tattoo of his deceased wife, Grace, there on his chest and it made me stop. This didn't feel right, it felt like I was pushing it to a limit that was to even close to being normal since he lost not only his wife but his two children. And here I was kissing him like we were teenagers again. This was not what I wanted. It was made me feel though my heart was breaking, having me shake my head over and over now as Chato was looking at me in worry as I was almost about to be in tears.
"I'm so sorry for leaving you…" I whispered in a broken tone as he caressed my face with his fingers, "I left you behind and we could have…we could had this sooner."
"Marley…hey look at me," he said to me in his own hushed whisper, having me look at him as his fingers touched my cheeks. I could see warmth in his eyes as he was scanning my own eyes and seeing the raw feeling that I was experiencing. I didn't know if it was pent up feelings of needing to be near him or the anger that I tried to bury that I had against myself, but it was all happening now with me kissing Chato in his lap in my loft.
"I don't care about what happened back then with you and me," He explained to me, sensing my fear and insecurity there since it did feel too fast, "I'm fine right here with you, and I don't want to be anywhere else." I had to believe him when he told me that, I had to think that he knew what he was talking about. So I had to move with this, with him now since we were trying to pick up where we left off. I just didn't want to be the one who made him forget about the family be had when I was gone, that was a blessing in his life. I was not going to snuff that out of him.
"You know, I didn't forget how good you are at kissing," he reasoned with me, trying to change the subject there as I slowly smiled at him, feeling a bit better since he was not shying away from what I did to him.
"I had plenty of practice," I said in a coy manner, though now he raised his eyes there and he grinned at me widely like was coy with me again.
"Should I be jealous?" He asked me as he leaned over to kiss me again there on the couch and I could feel his hands moving to my lower back there and almost touching my skin as I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning over him now as I peered down at him and licked my lips. He kissed me softly again, having me hate the human side of me again.
Damn.
It's been about a month since my wings repaired themselves and I got back on my own two feet when I had a nightmare about Angels fighting. Not just a verbal fight, but a huge fight of them flying in the sky and soaring through the clouds while trying to kill each other. It was violent and almost deadly, and it felt like I couldn't help but look when I wanted to look away. I didn't know if it was a sign for something to come or something that did happen in the past, but it was not a great feeling when I woke up from the nightmare.
Marley…Marley….go to the prison…they need you.
The phone rang, having me reach over to see that someone was trying to call me. I looked on the top, seeing Rick Flag's name there on the screen as I grabbed it and turned it on. Already I could hear some kind of fighting going on in the background. Something was happening and it was not good at all. It made me panic.
"Marley. I need your help," Flag said into the phone, someone screaming out int he background and the sound of something being moved fast in the air. Almost like the sound of….oh shit.
Wings. A Fallen Angel was at the prison.
I landed on the ground gently, my toes touching the floor and having me look at the prison with shock there on my face. There was a large hole on the side of the prison up near the roof, and the sound of fighting was heard from that opening. I knew that it was an Angle since nothing else really could make that kind of damage there. It made me beyond scared that the others there in the prison were hurt, maybe even dead.
Oh God, not Chato.
Run…run now!
I bolted, hearing Jacob's voice there as I spread out my wings there and scooped into the sky, making my way over to that area there and hearing more gunshots going out in the air and more people yelling to get out and move out of the way. I had to wonder what kind of Angel that I was going to deal with.
I landed on the floor, seeing bullets flying down the hallway already in the metahuman wing of the prison. It was already looking bad as I ran over. Before I could even make it over to the actual middle where the main fighting at, I saw one of the soldiers flying out of nowhere and slamming into the concrete wall, falling to the floor unconscious.
"Where is the Fallen Angel?!"
The voice sounded threatening and almost daunting, booming in the echoing prison walls. I froze there, not knowing what to do at first now since this was going to be the very first Fallen Angel that I was going to have to go up against.
"Back down, fancy ass!" Flag said in a warning, having me hear his voice now and how he was sounding scary again like he usually would in the past when he was in soldier mode. I walked over now, keeping my steps low from the sound as I was still keeping my ears open.
"I've seen the news on how one Fallen Angel has helped you swine with saving the world, makes me wonder if she's really an Angel like the rest of us. Using her power to help people like you….what a waste," The Angel's voice said in a deep threatening tone now as I looked around the corner. I saw Flag, about 200 feet away facing someone with his back towards me and the Angel in front of him.
"You tell me where she is, or I'll kill every last one of you," He said to Flag in a threatening manner, using his own Angel voice against Flag. I knew then that this as going to have to happen, me fighting him and having him leave the others alone there since I knew he was out for blood.
"I ain't gonna say shit," Flag muttered to him as he cocked his gun and the Angel started to chuckle.
This Angel, from behind, looked more like a nazi skinhead with a nearly shaven head on his pale skin, a leather jacket over some of the muscles there on the tops of his arms, and baggy jeans with thick boots on. He looked brutal, beyond brutal there and rough around the edges as he aimed his eyes and sights on Flag.
If this was what Jacob was thinking about when he said that I would fight an Angel myself, then it had to be so. I walked over to the middle of the hallway, the Angel then stopping his movements with Flag there bin front of him and he stood up completely. He knew I was there, but I kept walking to the middle and I stood there, waiting for him to turn around and make his first move on me.
"I'm right here," I said to him, my own voice was booming into the hallway there. I never used that Angel part of me before, with the voice threatening to cut through a room and stop all that was moving. I sounded more from another realm when I used that tone, another arsenal for the fallen Angel to have in their corner.
Flag saw me, lowering his gun slightly in shock as the Angel turned around and faced me. I saw his face, finally. and I saw the raw look on his face. Hie eyes were hollow with no sense of warmth, his stubble there on his cheeks indicated that he had some hard times in his own life and in how hollow he looked though he had the muscles behind him under his skin and in his legs. He was going to be some kind of challenge, and the way he was smirking at me, I was going to be a challenge for him.
"So you're the one who's playing nice with these scumbags," He said as he pointed to Flag behind him but kept his shallow and evil eye right on me.
"If you wanna fight, then let's fight and you can leave them alone," I said to him carefully, unfolding my own wings there and letting them spread out behind me in a defensive manner. The Angel grinned at me, thinking that this was some kind of game in his eyes now as he got into a ready stance himself. Flag took a step back, keeping his eyes on me the whole time now as I was keeping my eyes on the enemy Angel there.
"You gonna protect them?" He asked me now, his voice was once again low as I was no longer wanting to play nice with him. I was never one that wanted to fighter another Angel, but that was about to be the end of that philosophy, "You're no Angel then since Angels don't help those who are far from Grace."
"You are far from it yourself," I wanted him, seeing him almost slip from his grin as he pointed to himself.
"I've chosen the Free Will of this cursed life that they gave me. You'll choose it too, just like the others," he reassured me in his sinister tone and his grin that seemed way too wicked for an Angel to have plastered on his face. I dug my heels into the floor there, already ready for the fight that was about to begin. Flag was still walking backward, trying not to make a sound now as the Angel pointed back at me.
"After I finished you off, they're next. No more scum on the earth, like you." He said to me in a lower register now as I saw him instantly run over to me, bolting with his arms pumping and his eyes dead on me. I ran towards him as well, thinking that this might be the very last moment of my life, going up against another Angel and being defeated.