Hey guys, I hope you had a lovely day! Got lots of lovely presents and had a wonderful meal! I have had a great day! I am now very tired. It is only half 8 where I am lol. Anyway, as another little Christmas present, here is another chapter :)

I know it is a little short, but I will try to make it up in the next chapter :)

Liv x

(Chapter 25)

(Jack's POV)

It is Mid-December now; there are hardly any tourists, which makes our job a little easier. I can't help but feel I have been here before, everything is familiar, yet I haven't received my memory of this place, just yet. I know Mimi was with me; after all she was my twin back then. Schuyler is totally marvelled by this place, it is quite something, the detail on the walls and ceilings are quite magnificent. Schuyler ever the artist would loves to spend hours here staring and admiring the beautiful artwork, but we are working against the clock. Schuyler had walked ahead to what was the main Living room, Mimi and I walked in together, when suddenly I was having a flashback.

(Alexandria 1459)

(Gio's POV)

Once Olivia and I approached the house, we sensed it immediately, there was evil in the house, or it was still present. Taking Olivia's hand we ran into the house and into the main living room. Where we found Lady Gianni, in the arms of the sobbing Raoul with the silver blood Fernando kneeling next to them. Rage ran through my veins, my sister…my sister was dead; she was lifeless in that venator's arms. I ran to the silver blood picking him up by his collar and pinned him against the wall.

"What did you do too my sister! You killed her!"

I felt another arm, the figure pushed me awake from the traitorous silver blood, it was his companion.

"She was attacked…by a silver blood. We came too late."

"It was you…you wasn't it!"

"Abbadon relax…it is Elias."

I had loosen the grip on his shirt, I didn't even realise I had grabbed his shirt. He was Elias? Her twin? I saw the pain in his eyes, the loss. Yet it was not all sad. Did she pass over? Will she return?

"Wait…she will return?"

"Yes…we have her blood; she will be born into a new cycle."

"But….what do they want with her? Did they just want to consume her?"

"She is the gatekeeper….they wanted her gate. The Gate of Promise."

They wanted Lady Gianni's gate? But since when was she a gate keeper? She has never spoken about it to me? Is that why she fled Florence? Her parent's knew of her true identity, her Sariel the Angel of Guidance but also the gatekeeper of the Gate of Promise? The fire back in Florence, they had tried to kill her back then.

(Jack's POV)

Stepping back from my daze, I found myself in the middle of the room, Schuyler was standing next to me, her eyes filled with worry, I heard a gasp and I turned to look at Mimi, she was just as shocked as I was.

"Did you remember?"

I nodded, still a little too shocked to actually speak.

"Jack what did you see? Did you remember something?"

I looked at my love, my life, Schuyler. Composing myself I spoke.

"I know ….we know who the gatekeeper is."

"Who?"

"Sariel. We need to book three tickets to New York as soon as possible."

"What? Avery…as in the small blonde, grey eye girl, is the gatekeeper all along! Why didn't she tell us?"

"Maybe she doesn't remember, remember Schuyler she isn't twenty one yet."

Schuyler does still have a point though; Avery knew that we were seeking the gatekeeper of the Gate of Promise, why did she not tell us she was the gatekeeper? To save us all the trouble? She needs protection; I cannot lose her, no not after I have got her back. She is my sister.

(Two days later – New York)

(Avery's POV)

It has been ten days now, ten days since…Mimi returned…alone…without my love, my life. It has been twenty days since he left, left me for good. It is like daggers to the heart, every waking hour of my life. I haven't been sleeping well, I don't want to sleep, because when I sleep I dream about him, but when I am awake he is all I can think about. What have I done to deserve him to be taken from me? Why can't I be happy for once? Have a stress free cycle with him, what has Sariel done to deserve the loss of the love of her life? Someone bloody answer me. What have I ever done to deserve to lose Elias forever? The conclave have left me alone, alone to grieve. Trinity has taken over my duties for now, while I grieve. I feel so empty, so lost without him. How am I supposed to live on? It is not like I know he will return to me in another cycle. His body, his soul is trapped in another world. In a world where I cannot save him. He would not want me to either, for he knows it is dangerous, I know it is dangerous. He would want me to live a life of fulfilment accomplishment. But how can I live such life, when I no longer have him by my side.

'Taylor…I need you…please…please.'

Silence, something inside of me hoped that he would reply, whispering sweet nothings in my mind, reassuring me that he was fine, that he would see me again, and that he loves me. Loves me like I love him.

My door started to open slowly, damn it I forgot to lock it. Quickly composing myself. I turned to face the door, to see none other than my brother my dear Jack. Standing up I walked towards him, he held me close and kissed the top of my head.

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard…and I knew I had to come and see you."

"Jack…I'm fine. You should not be wasting your time with me."

"But you are not. I know you, you are still grieving, you it is ok to grieve with others around you. You do not need to grieve alone."

"Honestly Jack….I am doing fine. I wish you did not waste your time, making sure that I was alright."

"That is not the only reason to why I am here."

"What do you mean?"

He signed and lead me to my bed, we both sat down, I turn to look at the door only to see Mimi and Schuyler walk in.

"Mimi? Schuyler? What's going on?"

"Avery…we know you are the gatekeeper."

"What?"

"You are the gatekeeper to the Gate of Promise."

No…I knew them going to Alexandria was a risk, but I couldn't out right stop them. Other wise I would have given myself away. Jack and Mimi must have remembered what happened, when I 'died'. I thought when I had cast a spell, to make people forget about it. But you can never trying mask the truth from those who was present for the event. The truth is, I am not even the true gatekeeper, I am just a division. I am protecting Catherine.

(Schuyler's POV)

We all had descended into the Force's main living room, when their maid brought in three red bloods, two I did not recognise but the other, filled my eyes with tears as I crossed the room to give him a huge.

"Ollie."

"Hey Sky."

"Ollie I have really missed you."

"I've missed you too Sky. A lot."

I looked up to see the conduits staring at me. Avery had walked past Ollie and I and grabbed their arms dragging them to Jack.

"Jack this is Casey, my conduit and Sam….Taylor's…conduit."

I watched Avery turn around and grabbed my arm, so that I was now standing by Jack.

"Cas, Sam this is Schuyler. Jack's girl….. I mean fiancée! Jack you proposed?"

Avery quickly picked up my left hand and examined the rock on my hand, it was nothing as elegant as hers, mine was simple, but still very expensive. I looked at Oliver, I saw his face drop, but he smiled at me, he was happy for me but deep down I know he is still hurting inside.

'Schuyler, she is stalling. We need to get her to open the gate.'

'Wait what?'

'She called Oliver, she doesn't want to talk about the gate, it seems she knew all along that she was the keeper but decided not to tell us, knowing very well that we where looking for her.'

'Why would she do that?'

'She is the gatekeeper; you guard the gate with your life. She died last time someone found out she was a gatekeeper, but Elias killed the silver blood before he could inform anyway.'

'How are we going to interrogate her?'

'I am on it. I had Mimi lock the doors.'

Wait he can still talk to her? I thought I was his twin? It can't be possible. I felt jealousy running through my veins.

'My love, you may be my true bond mate but Mimi is still my sister. We have a sibling bond. Don't worry, I love you.'

'What about the red bloods? Oliver?'

'Sariel will not harm them, she will have to spill.'

I nodded at Jack as I watched Mimi take Avery and sat down with her, while the two British conduits sat down next to her, I sat with Jack and Oliver opposite them. That was when Jack started to talk, he looked so serious, it made him even more good looking.

"Avery…we need to know where the gate is."

"Jack."

"This is serious. You need protection, once we have saved Kingsley we need to know how to seal it forever."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

I watched as she stood, only for Mimi to drag her back down. I watched as Mimi glared at the conduits, signally for them to hold Avery down.

"I think you do Sariel. Remember Alexandria 1459? When a silver blood found you, when they realised that you where the gatekeeper? They tried to suck the information out of you."

"No you have me mistaken for someone else. That was not me. I am no gatekeeper. Just your average angel."

Why was she denying it? It is clear that both Jack and Mimi remember what happened in the fifteenth century. It is true that gatekeeper guard their gates with their lives, like Kingsley, who evidently got stuck in hell just to protect his stupid gate.

"I forgot how stubborn you can be Sariel."

"And I forgot how persistent you where Abbadon. But I know nothing."

Jack stood, I could sense his aura, he was getting angry.

"For goodness sakes Sariel. We know you are the damn gatekeeper so just bloody tell us where the gate is. You know we need Martin. We need to get to it before the god damn silver bloods do."

I stood with Jack taking his hand in mine, pulling him back down to the sofa.

'Jack….calm…she is your sister, she has every right to be in denial.'

'I am her bloody brother.'

'It's a sibling thing; you don't have to tell everything to your siblings.'

I watched as Avery stood, she paced the room, looking out the window, looking for any eavesdroppers, she turned back to look at us, look at Jack.

"I am not the real gatekeeper. I am just a diversion."

She was a diversion?

(Jack's POV)

I can't ever imagine a life without her, without Schuyler, she was my light. She makes me keep my balance; she kept me from going all 'Abbadon' on her. My sister, yes even my own sister has seen the raging Abbadon. As I have I also see hers.

I watched Avery get up, she paced the floor before looking out the windows, she turned to look at us all, she had six pair of eyes staring at her.

"I am not the real gatekeeper. I am just a diversion."

What? She was a what? So we made it all the way from Alexandria, to New York only to find out that Sariel was not even the true gatekeeper of the Gate of Promise? This is a bloody joke. She must be lying, just to cover her tracks.

"Jack I am not lying. You remember, Alexandria. I had to die. The silver blood could not learn that I was not the true gatekeeper. I took on the role to protect the true gatekeeper."

"Then who is the gatekeeper? Surely you can tell us that Sariel. It seems you are the only one who knows anything. I am begging you tell us."

"You do not need to beg dear brother. I will tell you what I know. But she won't be easy to find, you can only find her, if you know where to look."

"And do you know?"

"The last name she took was Alexis very original I know. But you dear brother you last knew her as Catherine. You will find her in Alexandria; in fact you almost did find her."

"What do you mean?"

"The house of Gianni isn't actually my house. It belongs to Alexis. It was just named after me because I was the Lady of Florence and I died there."

"But how are we going to get to see her? She will know that we are seeking her."

"Yes she will. You will have to go back when it is closed, at midnight. You will find her in the living room, the very room that I died in. legends has it that my 'ghost' still lingers in that room, obviously it is just Alexis, who roams the house, after all that room was her favourite room. You need to give her this."

Sariel approached me, pulling out a simple locket, with a G engraved on it. She took my hand and placed the locket into my hands. I had a flashback, a younger Italian girl with the necklace round her neck.

"This was yours?"

"Yes. Tell her that you have the locket of Gianni, and that Sariel the Angel of Guidance sent you."

Nodding I held onto the locket tightly, Avery turned her attention to a figure behind me, I watched as she walked towards Schuyler helping her stand to her feet.

"Now Schuyler you must come with me."

"Wait…where are you going? Sariel?"

"You can all come if you want. But I need to get to a church."

"What why?"

"Patience dear Abbadon."

The seven of us took the car to a nearby church, it was small, simple, and very beautiful, it was simple, simple like Schuyler.

(Avery's POV)

It was time, time for the truth to be told. Alexis would have wanted me to do it; she knew that the daughter of the Uncorrupted would be seeking for her. That was when I had to do my task and tell them where they could find her. But before they go there was one more thing I have to do, something I have been given the greatest pleasure to do, something normally carried out by the almighty himself or an Archangel. As we arrived at the church, we all stepped out, I gestured for the rest to take a seat while I lead Schuyler to the alter. There we stood in front of everyone.

"Schuyler kneel on your knees."

She looked a little worried but did as I asked. I turned to face the others. Taking the bracelet from my wrist and watched as it transformed into a sword.

"Schuyler Van Alen. It gives me great pleasure to present you with your sword, your very own sword. You are not only just known as Dimidium Cognatus, but also Leah the Angel of Freedom."

I tapped her lightly on both shoulders with her sword, before kneeling in front of her. Lifting her chin, I planted a kiss on her forehead and helped her stand; taking the sword I placed it into her waiting hands.

"I present you with Leah our Angel of Freedom."

The crowd cheered, I watched as Jack approached her and kissed her gently, everyone started to crowd round our light and saviour. Good. They fell for it, they believe that I am ok; they do not know that I am hurting so badly inside, they do not know that I no longer wish to live on this earth. No not without my love, my Elias, my life. Perhaps I shall fall into a deep sleep, sleep like Allegra.

So what did you think?

Not much of a chapter either….though I must say this one was slightly better than the last. I think. Though not much better.

Anyway the next chapter will be different, something some of you might not have expected at all, some of you may have guessed. I think I have dropped huge hints in the previous chapters but yes, all is out in the next one.

Anyway enjoy the rest of your day, whatever time it is where you are, ooh and have a nice boxing day :D As of tomorrow (my time) it is sales time…SHOPPING!