Falling.
Some people are terrified of the thought alone, others find thrill in the experience.
People tell you the adrenaline kicks in and you feel nothing but a rush. Others tell you it's nothing except terror.
But no one tells you the things that go through your mind while you fall from a great height like this.
The panic that sets in.
The millions of thoughts about your husband and kids.
"Will Zeke be okay without me? 'Will my babies be saved somehow, or will they die with me?" "Will Adrian kill Ben too?"
No one tells you about the peace when you know you're close to the bottom either.
The serenity in knowing it'll be over, and yet the horror battling its way into you on the other side.
No one tells you these things because most people don't live to tell the tale.
But most of all; no one tells you you'll be saved by an angel right before you hit the ground.
Gabriel suddenly came crashing from the sky like a bolt of lightning, swooping down like a bird soaring through a puff of clouds. He grabbed Michaela in his arms, staring at the ground as he glided down. He set her down on her feet as he touched the bottom, Michaela barely even feeling the swift motion of his wings.
She couldn't speak, couldn't think. Shock poured through her body as she stared at the large being in front of her. There were no words to say how indebted she was to him.
How she was alive because of him.
She practically collapsed in on herself, praying in thanks softly under her breath.
He stared down at her, his eyes burning with righteous anger. His voice was sharp, and stern. "Come with me." He spat.
"YOU BASTARD!" Zeke screamed, his voice cracking under the force of his breath. He had Adrian pinned to the ground, smashing into his face with his fist. At this moment, Zeke didn't know how to articulate the grief he felt. He wanted to break everything in sight, including Adrian himself.
He didn't know if he would ever move on. He didn't want to live if Michaela, or his children, weren't alive anymore. So what did he have left to lose if he died fighting a fallen angel?
Adrian flipped himself over, grabbing Zeke by the hem of his shirt sleeve. He pushed him down and held him there, his hands pressed against his throat. Staring deep into his eyes, and with pride filling his body, he grunted in victory.
He had done it.
He was about to kill the Stone's while Zeke watched.
Llicking the blood off of his top lip, he grinned.
"Finally." He whispered. "I've been waiting a long time for this."
Suddenly, they saw a giant shadow hovering above them. Landing with a reverberating slam, Gabriel stared at the men in front of him. Zeke stared in shock, his knees giving way at the sght.
He saw something in Gabriel's arms, something he couldn't quite make out.
Michaela's face was buried in his chest as he set her down, her body tense and full of fear.
"Brother." He spoke, his words like the epicenter of a storm. "This is between you and me."
As Michaela was placed to the side, Adrian scrambled to his feet. He circled Gabriel, pulling out a sword and sheath from his wings. "Come and get me."
Zeke stood up, jumping when he saw what was standing beside the archangel.
Michaela.
She was alive.
They were alive.
Tears ran down her face as she ran to him, grabbing him with all the force her body allowed. His face contorted from shock to relief in a matter of moments. He thought his heart would burst from every emotion that was raging throughout him.
"Oh my god Michaela, you're alive." He cried out. She squeezed him tighter, no way to describe her thankfulness, and joy to see her husband safe. "We're all alive."
Ben was unconscious in the corner, blood noticeably pooling around his head. They ran to him without hesitation. Zeke grabbed his left arm, pulling him off the ground and holding him upright .
"Go." They turned, seeing Bariel hovering, holding a large sword in his hands. "This is not your battle to fight."
"I don't even recognize you brother."
Adrian laughed. "Brother? We stopped being brothers when I fell from my post."
Gabriel stepped closer to him, remorse in his voice. "You know that is not true."
"You abandoned me!" Agony fell upon Adrian as he remembered the past. The betrayal… the hurt of falling only for Gabriel not to follow. How could he stay in heaven when earth was so much better? How could he leave him trapped between worlds, keep him from finding a way out, and then not expect him to take said way out when he finds it?
"I thought you would return to us."
Adrian scowled, evil bubbling in his chest like a deadly poison. "Why would I return when I could hold all of this earthly power?"
Gabriel tilted his head, feeling sorrow for the person he once called brother. "You disobeyed the creator Adrian! Is that really worth all of this power?"
"Oh." Adrian spoke, feeling a surge in his fingertips. "It is more than worth it."
He lunged at Gabriel, his sword lifting in the air in a swift motion as he screamed in vengeance. His strike was forceful, but not enough for Gabriel. He lifted his sword, clashing it against Adrians.
"You're going to have to do better than that."
They moved in circles, the sound of their swords the only audible noise between them. They could barely hear the wind, or the chaos of the city down below. They couldn't hear their breath, or the sound of their feet moving back and forth.
"You don't have to do this. You can redeem yourself!" Gabriel yelled with a grunt as he blocked Adrian's sword from slashing his shoulder open.
"I don't want to be redeemed!"
"Where are they?!"
Grace was pacing the kitchen along with Saanvi in the aftermath of Michaela, Zeke, and Ben's disappearance. They had no idea how they were taken, as they had police surrounding the house. Even Beverly's night nurse had a hard time leaving and taking her to the nursing home. They had decided it was best Beverly went that night and stayed from now on. As much as they loved her and wanted her to stay, having two newborns in the house would completely throw her off. They'd bring the rest of her stuff another time, but for now they had to focus on getting their family back.
Captain Bowers had no answers for them, just reassurance. She didn't see what happened, but she knew they couldn't have just vanished. And that knowldege was all she had to offer.
"I don't know, but we will find them."
Olive's voice suddenly cut through the commotion as she screamed at another police officer in the living room. "My aunt is nine months pregnant! Do you know how dangerous this is?!" The cop shrugged his shouldesr, trying to sympathize, but Olive wasn't having it. "If she or one of my little cousins die I-"
"-Olive!" Grace called out as she stepped into the living room. She gave TJ a look, and nodded for the police officer to leave. "You're gonna wake up your sister." Eden had knocked out hours ago, and was snoring upstairs in Michaela and Zeke's bedroom.
"I'm sorry." Olive hung her head low, trying to hold back tears.
"Oh baby." Grace whispered, grabbing her and holding her in her embrace. She whispered to her softly, calming her down.
"We will find them." TJ spoke, looking at Olive in her red, tear ridden eyes.
"Whatever it takes."
They turned their attention to Saanvi, who was standing in the kitchen. Her back was tall, confidence running through her veins. She walked into the room herself and took Olive's hand, repeating her previous statement.
"We will find them… whatever it takes."
Mick, Zeke, and Ben found themselves in a storage room somewhere inside the building. They walked as far as they could with Ben holding onto their shoulders. They knew they were at least a few levels down, and safe from Adrian, but they needed a break. They prayed they wouldn't have to walk the rest of the stairs and that someone would find them… and fast.
"Ben. Ben." Zeke spoke as he kneeled to the ground, tapping his face with his palm. He had leaned him against the wall, tying a piece of cloth to his head to stop the bleeding. Ben was a little disoriented, but he was breathing. That's all that mattered.
"Zeke?" He muttered in confuson. His eyes began to flutter at his brother-in-law's voice. Grunting, he placed his hand on his head.
"You were hurt, but we're safe now." Zeke answered.
Ben shot his eyes open, sifting his body to the side to see over Zeke's shoulder. "Mick." He spoke. 'Where's Mick."
"She's right- " Zeke stopped. He assumed Mick was standing right behind him, but when she wasn't, he panicked. Finally, he saw her leaning into the wall, swaying back and forth.
"Mick?" He asked sharply.
She moaned slightly in response, not saying a word. Turning over to him a few seconds later, she took a long exhale.
He got up from his knees, walking over to her. "Are you having contractions?"
He scanned her eyes, knowing her answer without a single word. "That was the first… I think." She spoke. "I don't know, I've never been in labor before."
Zeke tried to keep himself calm, but he was panicking in a way he never had before.
He was gonna be a dad.
And most likely today.
"Ok, we need to get you both to a hospital."
He grabbed Ben's arm, but Ben couldn't stand. He tried once more, but Ben just fell back into the ground.
Seeing the struggle, Mick felt a lump in her throat. "We can't leave him here."
Zeke fell silent, beginning to brainstorm. He paced the room as his wife and brother-in-law watched curiously. He was practically causing a draft with the speed at which he was walking, but neither one of them wanted to bother him. Suddenly, he spoke up.
"Ben, do you have your phone?" Ben reached into his pocket, handing it to Zeke. He lifted it up, trying to gain bars to no avail.
They didn't have service.
"Damnit!"
Zeke walked to the door they came in, thinking he could open it and scream for help. He pushed it forcefully, his shoulder bashing against it as it remained closed. He jiggled the knob, trying again to open it. He tried again, and again, and again.
The door wouldn't budge.
They were locked in.
Ben held his head low, staring at the ground. "We're stuck here."
Zeke turned to Mick, fear filling his body. He prayed that she wasn't in labor, and that the contraction she felt was just braxton hicks. Or if she really was in labor, he hoped it would be a long time before anything happened.
He had to figure out how to get them out of there.
Suddenly his stomach turned. Feeling an intense pain in his left side, he doubled over. He had never felt pain like this before, and thought he was gonna hurl. Mick turned to him, one hand on her belly and the other on the wall. She swayed back and forth slowly, breathing deeply though the surge.
When it was over, she turned to him. His hand on his side as he stood up straight. "You felt that too?"
With his empathic abilities so strong, Zeke knew this was going to happen. Ever since he popped Mick's arm back inro place when they were in the woods, he knew if they ever had kids he would feel it too.
He nodded, completely out of breath and his face pale. He was hoping that was the last one… or at least the last one he'd have to feel.
She stared at him, raising her brow and leaning against the wall. Her mind was traveling in a million different directions, but she had this… feeling inside of her. and despite not wanting to believe, or trust that feeling, she knew she had to. She knew what was happening.
"I think this is it Zeke."
"She can't be in labor." He thought. "She can't be."
AHHH! Michaela is finally in labor! I feel like she's been pregnant for way too long, and I've been trying to find a way to write the twins birth fora few chapters now. But here we are, finally! I really wanted this chapter out a few days ago, but things got crazy. I apologize for it being later than i anticipated. Next chapter will be out on my normal schedule (july 28th) and the next time I post I'll have aged another year! My brithay is in a few days and I'm very excited to eat and spend time with family/friends.
So my plan is next chapter, then if I can wrap it up the way I'd like chapter 27 will be the epilogue. INSANE I KNOW! It's hard to believe this time last year I had just published Call/Sign. Here we are, a year later, on chapter 25. To everyone who stayed with this fic, you are incredible and deserve an award lol. I'm so excited for you all to read what's left. You'll love it!
As always, let me know what you thought here or via my twitter!
Love you all,
The Color Gray
