A/N- Yay, good reviews. Good reviews make me happy. Well, that and coffee. Without that lovely drink, I wouldn't get any writing done. Sadly to say, I'm a hopeless caffeine addict.. I just chugged down two cups (with lots of sugar) so I'll probably be up all night (and morning) typing. Heheh.
Curly- interesting idea with the dialogue…I'll see if it works with this chapter. And, if I were to make Gabe younger, I'd have to re-do the entire timeline. So the answer's gonna have to be a no.
"Excuse me, but could you give us directions on how to get to-"
"Go bother someone else, missy! I have errands to run!" the old woman snapped, then shambled away from Elizabeth, who exhaled in frustration and looked around for a more polite person to ask. She and Gabriel had split up, both begging for directions to the Notre Dame.
She caught the eye of a young man. "Pardon me, sir, but I'm wondering if you know where-"
He cast her a dirty look. "Leave me alone!"
Elizabeth frowned then scanned the crowd. What was it with the people today? An man with vibrantly-colored clothing and a scarf trimmed with bells caught her eye. A gypsy. "Beg your pardon, but could you direct me to the Notre Dame?"
The gypsy-man bowed elegantly, miniature bells jingling. "But of course, young lady! Just go straight down this street, then turn on your left!"
"Merci, monsieur! Have a good day!"
"The same to you, mademoiselle." He bowed again then strode off in the opposite direction.
It figures, she thought, that a traveling gypsy would be more polite than the Parisians. Ah, irony.
She craned her neck, looking for Gabriel. With his height, she would've thought it to be impossible to loose him in a crowd, but, as luck had it, she did.
I wonder how he fared on getting directions, she wondered, then began weaving through the crowd down the street. He has to be here somewhere!
"Excuse me, Mademoiselle, but I'd best be-"
The tipsy, petite red-head clung to his arm and tittered drunkenly. "But your soooooo hand-some! Why'rrre you goin'?"
This is the last time I'll ask for directions! Gabriel though feverishly, and tried to retrieve his arm. "I'm sorry, but I have to be somewhere," he said firmly.
"Whhyyyyy? Don' you wanna stay 'ere with me?" She stumbled and fell, held up off the ground only by the now-painful grip she had on his right arm.
"Will you please let go of me?"
"You may be cuuute, but you're sooooo meeeean! Meanie!" She giggled. "Ennie, Meanie, Mine-y Moooe!"
Gabriel pried her off with his free hand and propped her in a standing position against a building. "Au revoir."
"Nooo! I don' want ya to leave!" She fell against him, throwing her arms around his waist.
He rolled his eyes heaven-ward. Oh God, why? Why, why, why me? All I wanted were directions!
The drunk girl hiccupped and giggled again. "I luuuuuuve you! Lovey-love!"
A man with blonde hair and emerald eyes strode up, wearing an expensive pale blue vest and white shirt over black breaches. Two dangly earrings flashed in his earlobes. "Hey, you! What are you doing with my wife?" he shouted.
"Oh, you're mistaken! I wasn't-"
The man pulled the woman off of him and then shoved Gabriel backwards. "Like hell you weren't! Get lost!"
Gabriel struggled to catch his balance and failed, long legs going out from under him as he collided with a cart, knocking it over. Food (fruit and vegetables) rained down on him. The people walking by laughed, then went on their way.
Gabriel lay spread-eagled on the street, fruit and vegetables on top of him. A familiar face came into his line of vision.
"Ange!" He sat up, the food rolling off of him and onto the cobblestones.
"Do I want to know how you ended up down there?" she asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling.
"Probably not." He stood up shakily, almost stepping on a cabbage and falling down again.
"I got the-" Elizabeth started, then was interrupted as a middle-aged man stepped out of a shop, red-faced and rather angry looking.
"You! Boy! You knocked over my cart!"
Gabriel paled. "I'm very sorry monsieur, and I'll pay for the damage."
"Just get out of my sight!" he growled, and Gabriel took Elizabeth's hand and they quickly went their way down the street.
"It seems the people here are not in a very good mood today," Elizabeth said.
"Tell me about it." He let go of her hand. "I take it you ran into trouble as well?"
"No, just a few really grumpy people. You?"
"A very drunk lady and her husband. And the cart back there, as you can see."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yes. The poor thing was really drunk. She started flirting with me, and then her husband came along."
"Ooooo, not good." She waited a beat, then asked "Were you also flirting with her?" in an overly-casual voice.
It was Gabriel's turn to act shocked. "Of course not! No, no way! I'd never to such a thing!"
"Oh, really? You're acting pretty defensive for one that is innocent," she said slyly.
"No! I would never flirt with a drunk person!"
Elizabeth feigned deafness. "Of course, it's not like it's a crime. It's perfectly fine for an un-attached man such as yourself to court women."
This is torture! Pure torture! "I didn't!"
Elizabeth looked at him over her shoulder, favoring him with an evil grin, flashing white teeth. "I know."
She was just joking with him! Toying with him like a cat toys with a mouse! And he's fell for the trap! I'm daft. So, so daft. I can not believe I fell for such a trick! "You are a cruel, cruel person, ange."
"I know," she repeated simply. She fell into stride next to him. "By the way, I got the directions to Notre Dame."
Gabriel looked down at her, pretending to be sullen. "Did you torture it out of some poor creature?"
She laughed and dug her elbow into his side. "I'm glad to see you have a sense of humor, Gabriel!" She pointed to a crossroads. "We just turn left here, apparently."
A few moments later, they were staring up at the gigantic church.
Elizabeth blinked. "Wow."
"Shall we go in?"
"Definitely!" They walked up the steps. "Look at it Gabriel, it's so huge!"
"I suppose it is," he joked. They walked into the church, the doors shutting behind them.
As they took a few steps into the dimly lit church, a priest wearing white robes walked up to them. "Good afternoon," he croaked in a slightly-wheezy but clear voice.
"Good afternoon," Elizabeth replied.
"How may I be of service to you, Madame and Monsieur?"
Gabriel smiled. "Thank you, but we just came to admire the church."
"But of course! I hope you enjoy your visit."
"We will," Gabriel said, and the priest shambled off.
The mistake in the priests words just hit Elizabeth. "Did he call me 'Madame' ?"
"Yes, why-?" Gabriel stopped then blinked. "Oh."
"Yeah. 'Oh.'"
"It was just a simple mistake," Gabriel said hastily. "Anyone could have made it--well , I mean, not anyone, but-- it is a common thing--well not common but-- you know what I mean." He ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly, making it stand up.
Elizabeth shook her head amusedly at his obvious embarrassment. It was clear that he regretted her bringing up the priest's mistake, but, oddly enough, she didn't really mind. It just startled her a moment, that was all.
And why don't you mind it, Lizzy-my-dear? Is it because you want to be referred to as that? C'mon, admit it! You lo---
"Look, Gabriel!" she said hastily, pointing at the window. "There it is!" She mentally sighed with relief as Gabriel turned his head towards the magnificent window, hoping that he didn't see the blush that had crept across her cheeks.
"That's the Rose Window, child," an elderly woman said as she walked past them, leaving the church.
"The Rose Window…" Gabriel repeated, staring at it. "It's beautiful."
"Yes, it is," Elizabeth agreed. The sun filtering through the window cast colored light on the floor in front of it. The stained glass itself glimmered like jewels.
Beside her, Gabriel stiffened suddenly.
"What's the matter?" She laid a hand on his arm. The muscles beneath the skin were tense.
"Smoke…I smell bitter smoke," he whispered.
"What? Smoke?" What was he talking about? She didn't smell anything.
"It's Jason. His magic."
"What? Jason?" Her voice echoed throughout the empty church.
"Something is not right," Gabriel murmured, and, somewhere, a clock faintly chimed three times.
"Kal? What's wrong?" Allie stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that Kal was standing frozen a few paces behind her.
Kal's eyes were darting around, and he mumbled something in his own alien language under his breath.
"Kal?" She went to him and touched his shoulder cautiously.
His eyes stopped and fixed themselves on the Notre Dame. "Aht-yasah!" He cursed. "Dareh kiiyen-tarken! Keh'm fareh durinn sa!"
"Kalendrakk Raee! Look at me!"
Kal looked down at her, blind eyes burning with a hate she knew all to well. "It's that Jason again! He's created a portal!" he snapped, reverting back to French. "Death!" he shouted, and the raven that was dozing on his shoulder jolted awake.
What is it this time? The raven grumbled. Since Kal and Allie were linked, she could understand Death as well as Kal could.
"Go back to the house and grab Alison's daggers and swords! Know!"
Yes, sir. Death's Flyer flapped off in the direction of Allie and Kal's house.
"There's demons coming, isn't there?" she asked.
"No, it's angels coming out of the portal!" Kal growled at her. "Darehkiiyen-tarken made a portal out of the Rose Window! Keh'm fareh-"
Alison slapped his arm. "Kal!"
When he got agitated, Kal would forget himself and go back to speaking in the forgotten langue of the Raven demons. And that wasn't good. It usually meant extreme violence was on the way.
"Sorry, Princess." He shook his head and looked back down at her.
"Now, I take it that you will fight them by my side?"
Kal seemed to struggle a moment. "I…" His hands crept up to his temples, as if he had a bad headache. Alison shivered as he lost control if the barrier that blocked his thoughts from hers. Inside his head, Kal was arguing with himself.
I have to help-
The humans-
The demons will-
Let them die! They killed-
They could hurt Allie-!
Let them! She-
NO! Shut up!
Let the demons kill everyone!
No!
LET THEM!
I SAID NO!
Allie was instantly blocked out as Kal regained control of the barrier, once again. He smiled calmly at Allie, as if nothing had happed. "Of course I'll fight by your side, Princess." He put one hand over his heart and bowed deeply. "I am bound to serve and protect you."
Death dropped Allie's weapon's into her arms, then flapped off. With practiced motions, she strapped the belt containing two of her daggers around her waist, then tucked another two into the special boots she always wore. Then she strapped the other two belts around her shoulder and in front of her chest, securing two long swords to her back. The people around them stopped and stared. Allie pulled her hair back with a leather cord that was tied around her wrist, then sprinted off to the church, Kal next to her. As they ran, Allie used her magic to give herself from-fitting breeches and a shirt. If she could use enough of her power, what was created could become real, as it did in this case. As Kal wrenched open the doors, she created incredibly light hinged steel armor, that moved as easily as cloth and was about as heavy.
As they ran into the church, Kal dropped his weak illusion, wings ripping thoough his shirt that were razor-sharp and as tough as steel, skin becoming- inky-black, fangs and claws appearing.
He was now Kalendrakk.
Allie tore her eyes away from him and looked at the chaos that now consumed the Notre Dame. Demons were crawling out of the portal, some already flying around the church, a lagre amount of them batling two familiar people. The girl was beating off the demons with a heavy iron candle stick, and the man was using his bare hands. Except he no longer looked like a man…
"Elizabeth! Gabriel!" Allie yelled.
Elizabeth fiercely whacked a slimy green demon with the candle stick,. The thing let out a weak croak and slid to the ground, brains spilling out onto the floor. Behind her, Gabreil was mauling them with his claws, his enchanted necklace on the ground, the chain having been snapped by a demon not a few minutes ago. Alredy, a half a dozen were killed, but others kept coming…and coming…and coming.
"Elizabeth! Gabreil!"
She snappe her head toward the source of the voice. Alison, dressed in some type of armor, was running toward them. She unsheathed a long sword from her back and threw it hilt first at Elizabeth, who caught it easily and stabbed the closest demon in the heart with it. When she pulled it out, balck blood scummed its once-silver length.
"Nice of you to join us!" she shouted to Allie. Kal had immediately thrown himself into the battle, slicing the demons with his claws and wings, shattering bones, and worse. HE had already destroyed a dozen in the seconds he had joined the battle.
"Good luck to you!" Aliie shouted, then unsheather the other sword and began attacking those closest. She moved with experience, killing nearly all of those her sword came in contact with. Elizabeth matched her, severing the leg of something black and rotting.
Gabreil moved so quickly his limbs were a blur, taking down his opponents one by one.
And there were so many oppenets to take down.
There were dozens and dozens of demons, all things you would expect to see in the very darkest of nightmares, or the depths of Hell. Winged, fanged, clawed, spiked, with tentacles, mutiple limbs, umpteen eyes, gnashing mouths. They were black, deep green, blood red, and grey. They were rotting, skeletal, powerful , gigantic, short, and flexible. They were fast, and slow, lumbering and quick. Some had oozing boils, others dripped slime from their eyes. Some had no eyes, or s no mouths, or no noses. Some didn't have heads.
But they all had the same intention.
To destroy.
And all were intent on destroying whoever remained in the church. None ventured near the door.
"Go back to Hell!" Elizabeth shouted, and drove her sword into one of the demon's five eyes. It burst like a grape, and the demon collapsed on the floor to join the score of those already dead.
Elizabeth cut down antoher two, then froze for a deadly second when she heard something more terrifying than the shreiks of the blood-thirsty demons.
Kal was laughing. She stared as he ripped the head off of something with tentacles and four arms and laughed. Then he turned to a demon with rotting flesh that had bat wings, and sliced its head in twain with his claws, laughing maniaclly. He turned again, and she saw the look of insane enjoyment on his feral face, long fangs bared in a horrible smile. Laughing all the while.
A demon that had deep crimson scales spat at her arm, the saliva buring through the sleeve of her dress…and through her skin. She yelped in pain , then made quick work of it, injured arm trembling. She thanked God that it wasn't her sword-arm.
The last thing she needed was to be crippled.
"Are you all enjoying the party?" A voice called down mockingly. Elizabteh chanced a look and saw Jason, hovering in the air next to the portal. His robes swirle around him in a black cloud.
"Come down and fight, bastard!" Gabriel growled and he shattered the skull of a demon who bore a resemblance to a lizard.
"No, no, I'm quite content with watching," Jason said happily.
Kal decapitated the demon he was fighing and then leapt into the air, flying at Jason.
"Oh, no, I think not." Jason grined and made a fist. Kal's wings immediately folded, disappearing into his back. Kal landed on the shoulders of something with dark green skin and fins, crushing it into the ground. Kal jumped off of it nimbly and stared up at the demon, a deadly smile on his face.
"I'm going to kill you," he told Jaosn gleefully. "You filthy little bastard."
"Watch your tongue, Kalendrakk, or I'll rip it from your mouth," Jason replied in a matter-of-fact voice.
Kal laughed again and then plunged his hand into a bat-like demon's chest. In a second, he held its heart in his hand. "Ha ha! Yes, Kalendrakk indeed!" He flung the still-pulsing heart and Jason, and it smacked him dead-center in the chest, leaving a black-red stain.
Ellizabeth tore her eyes away and focused on the battle. She glimpsed Gabriel, then lost sight of him as he ducked down, doging a flying demon.
Alison came into her line of vison for a split second, rushing towards Kal. "Kal!" she shouted, then stopped dead in her tracks as Kal answered her in a low voice. "I'm not Kal, foolish Princess; I am Kalendrakk."
"Snap out of it!" Alison shrieked, and Elizabeth heard the sound of a hand contacting with flesh, followed shortly by a hissing, buring sound. She had slapped Kal.
"Forgive me, Princess," Kal siad, in a calmer, slightly-more-normal voice.
Elizabeth turned her attention away from them yet again, and took down more demons. Black, crimson, blue, and forest green blood splattered her dress; the blood of demons. Her own leaked down the arm that had been burned by acid, adding a maddening tickle to to sting of the wound.
"Liz! Behind you!" Allie shouted, and Lizabeth turned around just in time to see the demon with spikes down its back like a porcupine raise a club and hit her over the head.
Somehow, I never would have thought I'd go this way, Elizabeth thought in stupor, before the battle before her faded into nothingness.
"Elizabeth," someone called. She heard herself groan, then ignored the voice, She wanted to stay in this nice darkness. It was so comfortable, and nice, and-
"Elizabeth!" The voice again, this time louder.Now a hand shook her.
"Go 'way," she slurred. Her mouth was so dry…it would be nice for someone to bring her some water.
"Elizabeth!" Now the voice was shouting. It hurt her head.
Her head…
I was knocked out! The details came back to her and her eyes snapped open. She sat straight up, gasping. Her head hurt horribly! And so did her arm.
Alison was kneeling next to her, hiar plastered to her face by sweat her armour was gone, replaced by her dress. Kal stood next to her. Both had a few scratches and gahses, but none too serious.
They were still in the church, only now all the carnage was gone. There was no blood anywhere. It was as if the battle had never happened.
"Wha' happened?" Elizabeth mumbled.
Alison smiled forcedly. "The demon shut the portal, and the demons disappeared. He surrendered, I guess."
"Oh," she said. Her voice to her sounded small and dry.
"You got hit pretty bad," Kal said. "Can you still think straight?"
She smiled weakly. "Yes, I think so." She rubbed the goose egg on her head and blinked at Allie and Kal. "Hey, where's Gabreil?"
Allie bit her lip and Kal looked to the side.
"What? Where's Gabriel?" she asked , confused.
Aliie frowed and looked at her. "Liz, honey…" she began softly, and Elizabeth felt er heart skip a beat. Her guts twisted up into a hot, tight knot.
"He…Gabreil…he's not…" Her eyes stung as both Allie and Kal blurred.
Allie hugged her gently. "I'm so sorry, Lizzy, but…"
"He's dead." Kal finished off flatly.
Elizabeth frozeNo. It was not true. They were lying! Gabreil was not dead! He couldn't be dead! "No…he's not dead!" she cried in a strangled voice that she didn't recognize. The stinging water in her eyes escaped and fell down her face in rivulets. "He's not!"
"Elizabeth-" Allie started, but Elizbeth shoved her away, stumbling to her feet.
"Gabriel! Where are you?" she shouted, then she caught sight of a person lying in a lump on the floor, not ten feet away. It was on its die, facing away from them. A wolfish tail waslying limply against the floor. "Gabreil!" Before either could stop her, Elizabeth ran to where was was laying.
Grabbing him gently by the shoulders, she flipped him onto his back, holding him by the shoulders. His head, shaggy black hair matted with demon's blood, fell limply into her lap.
"Gabriel! Wake up! The fight's over; we won!" she patted his cheek lightly; he made to response. His chest didn't move up and down as it was supposed to.
"Gabirel?" Now her tears were dripping down, wetting his fur. And still he didn't open his eys, he didn't smile, didn't call her name.
But still he couldn't be dead! Only an hour ago, or less, they were walking together, joking! Only an hour ago, he was calling her 'ange' and laughing!
"Wake up, godamnit! Wake up!" She slapped the side of his face, the sound echoing through the deserted church.
Gabriel didn't move. Or breathe.
"Please, please wake up! Come on! Please! You can't just die! You promised you wouldn't die, you promised!" She burried her head under his, smelling fur and sweat and blood. "You promised…" she choked out, sobbing into his chest. "…and I love you, Gabriel! I love you…"
She didn't know how long she remained like that. A lifetime later, a horrible, painful lifetime, she felt someone (Kal?) lift her away from Gabriel. No, Gabriel's body. She remembered people murmuring inlow voices, and then she blacked out again.
And this time she welcomed the silent, thoughtless oblivion.
Thousands of miles away, Gabriel groaned and woke up. Somethin above him clanked; opening his sleep-coated eyes, he saw that they were chains. Both his hands were in heavy iron manacles, connected to thik chains bolted ot the stone wall off the tiny, damp room he was in, lit by a sinle lantern hanging fron the ceiling. There was a wooden door with a tiny barred window at the end.
A prison? Am I in a dungeon? The last thing he remembered, Jaason had snuck up behind him while they were fighting demons in the Notre Dame and injected him with something. Then he passed out.
Elizabeth! I hope she's alright. If Jason harmed her… Gabirle growled deep in his throat.
There was the metallic rattle of keys and a person opened the door. "Gabreil, I hope you're comfortable?" Jason smiled broadly.
Gabreil got into a crouch and lunged against his restraints. They clanked, but held.
"You want to get out and hurt me, I assume? Well, I guess this will not convince you not to." Jason frowed unconvincingly, a look of false pity on his face. "Gabriel, I have some very bad news."
"And what are they? You've discovered that you lack a brain?" Gabriel growled, but on the inside he was in panick. Was it Elizabeth? Was she hurt?
"I regret to inform you that young Elizabeth was killed in battle."
"NO!" Gabriel lunged forward again, ignoring the iron cuffs as they bit into his skin. "You're lying!"
Jason threw something he was holding onto the ground in front of Gabreil . "Now do you believe me?"
Gabreil stopped and stared down in horror. On the damp floor glittered a delicate heart-shaped locket, the gold gleaming starkly against he dull floor. The clasp was snapped, and a dull red scum covered the initials that were supposed to be on the front.
Elizabeth's initials.
"She can not be dead," Gabriel whispered. He sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
"Oh, make no mistake, she is."
"You bastard!" Gabriel's eyes were alit with fury…and grief. "You killed her!"
"Why…yes. I believe I did. You're so very smart, Gabriel." Jason turned on his heel and left, locking thee door behind him.
Gabriel continued to struggle against his chains, yelling after Jason.
"How could you kill her? I loved her! I LOVED HER!"
A/N-- Please don't kill me!