(Author's note: Thank you for being patient. I know this took a while to post. I would like to inform all my readers that if I ever choose to abandon a story I will be sure to mark that story as complete to avoid confusion. If a story has not been updated in a while but is marked in-progress I will eventually add another chapter.)

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Chapter 14. Angels

Rhea woke to a strange whining noise. With a start she realized it was Rosie. She struggled out of Jareth's arms and fell ungracefully to the floor. The loud thud and exclamation of pain woke her sleeping fiancé.

"Genie, are you alright," he sat up.

"Yes, can you light the candles please," she pushed herself to her knees and tried to adjust her eyes to the dark.

He snapped his fingers and the candles lit themselves. Rosie lay in the mess of blankets she had formed a nest out of for her cubs. The wolf was whimpering in pain and occasionally tensed for a few moments before she went back to panting.

"Jareth, she's in labor," she crawled forward.

"That's good. Now come back to bed," he reached for her.

"What if she needs help," she questioned.

"You have helped her. She is in a safe environment. She knows what she is doing. Let her instincts take over. She'll take care of them. For your safety leave her be," he spoke gently but she recognized the warning in his words and climbed into bed to sleep.

It was only half an hour later that she awoke with this uncontrollable urge and knowledge she couldn't ignore. Instantly she shoved her way out of bed, ignoring Jareth's exclamation of surprise as he was pushed off the other side, and ran to the aid of her wolf. Jareth pulled himself up and walked angrily over to Regina.

"You are in a very dangerous position my love. Now come here where you're safe," he held a hand out to her.

She continued ignoring him and took hold of the wolf cub currently being born and helped ease it out of the birth canal. Rosie was having trouble with this one because it was breach. She tore the now useless egg sac off it and let Rosie clean up the afterbirth. She tried for a few minutes to rub the wolf cub and get it to respond but it gave no signs of life. She seemed panicked but suddenly calmed down. She knew what to do. She wasn't sure how but she knew. She took a deep breath and blew gently on the cub's face while concentrating on thoughts of life. A mental picture of God blowing the first breath of life into Adam's nostrils helped guide her control. Suddenly the cub cried out and began to squirm. She smiled and placed the cub back with it's mother.

"I knew something was wrong," she got up and returned to the bed with Jareth, "I suppose I'm in trouble now?"

He shook his head, "I've ignored my God-given-power for too long. I should've known it would pull you if something went wrong in her delivery."

They laid back down and left Rosie to tend her cubs. The woman was tired and needed to sleep. They could talk about her display of power in the morning. He knew she would be curious.

When she finally awoke he was sitting by the nest on the floor helping one of the cubs latch onto it's mother to nurse.

"How many are there dear," she asked sitting up.

"Three. Two girls and one boy," he replied kindly.

"How is she," she got up and moved to sit by her fiancé.

"She is grateful that you saved her son," he drew her gently onto his lap and she curled willingly into his arms.

"That was the boy," she leaned her head back into the crook of his neck as she watched the cubs nurse.

"Yes. He's been very active. Rosie has to keep pulling him back into the nest," he chuckled.

"He's gonna be a handful," she laughed with him.

"Yes indeed," he gave her a squeeze, "It's almost two o'clock. You should bathe and we'll have some breakfast."

She nodded and got up. He watched her pull some clothes from the closet and enter the bathroom. A servant brought them their food as well as a leg of venison for Rosie. He would have much preferred to hunt the deer himself but he needed to concentrate on Regina for the moment. This was only her third day here and already she was taking in enough changes to risk an overload. He had to be available to help her if that happened. She emerged in a simple morning gown of a gently rusty orange to complement her hair and knelt beside him. He kept respectfully quiet as she prayed over the food and they began to eat.

"Now about last night," he started.

"I know you told me not to go near her but I couldn't help it," she pleaded.

"I know you couldn't help it. You're not in trouble," he chuckled.

"Oh, then why bring it up," she picked up a strawberry.

"You want to know about my past. Before I fell I was an angel of life. My power and task were to seal the soul to the body with the first breath of life after birth. The soul develops with the body from the moment of conception and forms a bond with the body, allowing the unborn child to move inside it's mother but much like Adam it needs the breath of life blown into it's nostrils after it is born to stabilize that bond. I lost access to that power when I fell," he explained.

"Then how did I borrow it from you," she inquired.

"The power given by God can only be manipulated by those who have him in their hearts. Lucifer did not lose his beauty and allure when he was cast out and neither did the rest of us. That power still exists within me. I just can't use it but you can," he held a slice of a peach to her lips.

She ate it willingly and let that sink in. No words needed to be spoken after that. They ate in silence, occasionally feeding each other. She leaned against him much of the time. She seemed tired and he decided to let her rest today.

He tended the unicorns after she fell asleep not long after breakfast. Silvermist showed concern at her master's absence but he assured her that Regina was alright. The mare reluctantly relaxed and accepted his assurance when he opened the gates to the fields and told them to spend the day in each other's company. It was their mating season after all and the stallion was eager to enjoy his chosen female.

He stopped at the library on his way back and picked up a few books on the cultures of the underground. Regina would need them and today seems a good day to teach her from them. On his desk he found a letter from the oracle steward explaining that only God could know the details he asked for but that the oracle did see a light on Jareth's path that had disappeared before the underground existed. This light was not there a few days ago and the oracle stressed his encouragement to the king to stay on the path he was on now so as not to risk losing that light. Jareth took a few minutes to reply.

Thank you Tanis. That was all I needed to know. Rest assured that I have no intention of straying from my current path. Speaking of which I am requesting that you send a representative from the nobles to attend my wedding in five days' time. I'm sure I don't need to impress upon you the importance of this as she will become the queen of the Underground. I trust you will choose reliable witnesses.

He folded the letter neatly and sealed it with the royal stamp of the oracles. Next to the stamp he wrote 'The steward Tanis'. Sending it was as simple as placing it in the fire place and casting a crystal at it. The flame ignited and appeared to burn the letter but he knew it would reappear where he wanted it to go.

He was a bit surprised at the sight he found upon his return to Regina's room. Rosie had moved her cubs onto the bed and was nursing them with the young woman curled up against her back. The small wolf gave a growl of warning when he sat on the edge of the bed to wake his bride. Rhea stirred and turned to kiss him. The wolf saw this and left him alone as though Regina's approval were all he needed.

"She must really like you," he commented.

"She knows I will keep her and her cubs safe," Rhea replied.

"That's good. She trusts you. She'll protect you if you need her to," he gave her a gentle squeeze.

"I have a question. You don't have to answer it if you don't want to though," she leaned her head back against his chest as he sat them up against the headboard.

"What's the question," he rested his chin on her head.

"If you were married before you fell then how was I your first kiss," she laced her fingers into his where his hands rested on her abdomen.

He chuckled, "I never kissed her. Our powers would not have mixed well."

"Why not," she pressed.

"Do you know what a Valkyrie is," he asked.

"The Vikings believed them to be the maidens that guided fallen warriors to Valhalla," she recalled the information from her high school mythology classes.

"Andriel was basically the angel version of a Valkyrie. She guided the souls of the dead into the afterlife. I was there at the beginning of earthly life and she was there at the end of it," he explained.

Her eyes widened and she sat up, turning to look at him, "Did you say Andriel?"

He nodded, "Yes, have you heard of that angel before?"

"I had a dream about you the first night here. You called me by her name and I made no argument against it," she tried to control the trembling that was taking over her body.

He pulled her gently back against him, "What happened in the dream?"

"We were trying to have a baby. You made love to me but we never kissed," she let him hold her close as Rosie pressed her head into the girl's hand out of concern.

"We were trying but the Lord never blessed us with a child. When we met I was to give life to one foal in a set of twins and she was there to take the other. I had come across other angels of the passing before but she was different. Others just did their work and paid no mind to the lives of those who still lived on earth but she showed sorrow for the mare who lost her foal," he recalled.

"Do the angels often empathize with the living," she inquired.

He considered correcting her use of the word living but as he understood what she meant that could wait until later, "Some of us. The guardians more than any. Andriel seemed bound for her curiosity. She had the power of a reaper and the heart of a guardian. Angels don't typically marry but she wanted to know the feeling of motherhood and I wanted to learn what it was to be a father. God allowed us to marry as long as we did not allow marriage to affect our responsibilities, which we were happy to perform. We couldn't kiss as our powers would have mixed and created realm walkers."

"What are realm walkers," she scratched Rosie's ears.

"Astral projectors. They can leave their bodies and walk the earth as a spirit without killing the body to do so. It's an interesting experience but dangerous. The soul can suffer damage if the body is disturbed while the soul is out and about. Sins and mutilation of body and mind can be repaired but damage to the soul leaves a scar," he replied.

"The nails," she whispered.

"What was that," he nuzzled her neck lightly.

She held her hands up to tap one of her middle fingers against the opposite palm and then in one fluid motion tapped the other middle finger against the other palm in the ASL sign for 'Jesus', "They say the holes where the nails pierced his palms remain even in Heaven."

"I fell before that so I don't know if they do. They very well might. I'm sure those two scars are with it to him to save so many from the pain he suffered those three days," he tightened his grip on her affectionately.

"Okay, so why am I dreaming about your past," she asked.

"I don't know. It's just a dream my love. It can't harm you," he tried to assure her.

"But it's not just a dream is it? There are things you don't want me to see," she felt tired again and closed her eyes.

"No, it's not and yes there are. It's not a privacy thing though. I just…I wouldn't wish the pain I put her through on my worst enemy. I would spare you these visions if only I knew how," he told her.

Tears slipped down his cheeks once she was asleep. He pressed his lips to her temple, hoping his crying wouldn't wake her, "Please…please Father," he begged, "Do not make her go through this. I cannot bear to see Andriel's pain in her eyes. Spare her I beg of you. Don't let me hurt her."

Sobs wracked his body as his father's voice pierced his mind for the first time in a very long time, "She needs to see these things Jareth. Be unafraid. I know her heart. She is strong enough for this. She'll love you all the more. Just be here for her when she wakes. Honesty will set you free. Lies will condemn you."

"I won't lie to her," he promised, "No matter how much it hurts to tell her the truth."

TBC…

(AN: Hope you enjoyed that chapter. Feel free to ask questions or come up with your own theories about why she is having these dreams. I'd love to hear them. Also I have a poll posted on my profile page asking what you guys want to see updated next month. More thorough explanation on my profile.)