When she got back to the motel, Mica found Gabriel sitting on the bed, holding the Bible in his lap. Gabriel looked up from the page he was reading and noticed the red hot marks around her neck.

Gabriel closed the Bible and set it aside and rose up and went over to check on her. He touched her neck gently with his fingertips while he examined her, looking at his little sister with concern. "Mica, what happened?"

"It was my own fault", said Mica. "I shouldn't have taken a shortcut. If I had just stayed on the sidewalk and taken the normal route, Lucifer wouldn't have-"

"Lucifer? You ran into Lucifer? What did he say?"

"He said he wanted to talk to me. I told him I didn't want to talk to him. I tried to run away, but he grabbed me and slammed me against the wall. He put his hands around my neck and started to burn me."

"How did you escape?" Gabriel wondered.

"I shined a light in his face-" Mica held up her hand, looking at it briefly. She looked at Gabriel again. "I created light from my palms and he cowered away from me. You know Lucifer hates light."

"Here, sit down."

Gabriel pulled out a chair for Mica and sat her down in it while he went into the bathroom. He came back a minute later with a washcloth doused in cold water and applied it to her neck. Mica moaned slightly.

"Here, hold that there for a minute", Gabriel instructed.

Mica did as she was told and held the washcloth to her injured neck. It hurt, but it was only thing Gabriel could do to help ease her pain.

"Do you need anything?" Gabriel asked.

"No, I'll be okay", said Mica. "You know what you could do for me?"

"What?"

"Could you play me a tune on your trumpet?"

Gabriel looked over at his signature instrument, walking over to pick it up off the nightstand. He looked to Mica for confirmation, and when the angel girl nodded her approval, Gabriel sat down on the edge of the bed and started to play a soft tune on his trumpet. Mica listened to his talented playing while she sat in the chair holding the cool, damp cloth to her neck. It helped relieved some of the pain, but she would heal very quickly.

Once he finished playing, Gabriel lowered his trumpet in his lap and looked at Mica. "How was that?"

"It was beautiful", said Mica.

"How's your neck?"

"It's fine. It'll heal by morning."

Gabriel paused for a moment, looking at his little sister with a hint of sadness. "You hate it here, don't you?"

"No, not really. To tell you the truth, I never thought I would ever have the chance to explore down here. It really is amazing here, Gabriel."

"You've only been here a couple of days", Gabriel pointed out. "What do the monkeys got down here that we don't have upstairs?"

"Several things", Mica answered. "Maybe not everything, but there are some things down here that are worth seeing and admiring in person as opposed to just viewing it from upstairs."

"You're just saying that to piss me off."

"Watch your tongue, brother. I don't like cursing, and neither does Father."

"Well, you are, aren't you?"

Mica lowered the washcloth and stood up at once. "No, I mean it", she insisted. "I like it here, Gabriel. I really do."

"As opposed to living upstairs?" Gabriel questioned, standing up, as well. "Praising the Boss, singing the hymns of the angels, and watching over the kids who come to live with us?"

"They do that down here, too."

"Not all of them."

"No, but most of them do. Not every human in this world is bad or evil. Some are, but most of them are good and try to do the right thing everyday. It's the small things in life that make everyday worth living for them."

"Nicely put, but I'm still not convinced", said Gabriel.

"No, why would you be?" Mica replied sarcastically. She threw the washcloth on the floor and went over to the window to close the curtains.

Gabriel went to put his trumpet away and stuck it back inside the case, groaning softly as he started to rub his eyes, feeling a wave of tiredness starting to come over him.

Mica turned around to look at him and said, "It's late, Gabriel. You should get some sleep."

Gabriel scoffed. "Sleep? What if I don't want to sleep?" He turned around to face her and said, "In case you forgot, angels don't need to sleep."

"But you're not an angel anymore", Mica reminded him. "You're a human, and humans need to sleep."

Gabriel opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get another word out, Mica put a finger to his lips and said, "If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. I'm not going to argue with you about it, Gabriel."

Mica removed her finger from Gabriel's lips and allowed him to speak, but he had no more to say. The defeated Archangel sat down on the bed and took off his shoes, then looked at his little sister again.

"You're not tired?" Gabriel asked.

"No, I'm not tired", Mica answered. "I'll stay up and watch over you for a while."

Gabriel stood up and took off his jacket and went to hang it up in the closet, then walked back over to the bed and lifted the covers before sliding underneath them.

"You mind if I keep the light on?" Mica asked.

"No", said Gabriel, turning over onto his left side so his back was facing the lamp. He laid there for a while, then raised his head up and looked over his shoulder at Mica. "You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine", Mica answered. "Sleep well, Gabriel."

"Good night, Mica", said Gabriel. He then lied his head down and closed his eyes.

Mica stood there watching him for a while, making sure Gabriel was sound asleep. Hearing his snore lightly, the angel girl hopped on top of the chair she had been sitting in earlier, crouching down and resting her arms comfortably across her knees. Because she was an angel, Mica retained a good sense of balance and was able to sit in that position without discomfort. She remained in that position all through the night, waiting silently and patiently until her older brother awakened. Her legs never gave out and she never once lost her balance.

When morning came, Mica watched as Gabriel tossed and turned in bed. He didn't seem like he wanted to wake up, but his mind and body were urging him to get up and start the day.

Mica cocked her head to one side, wondering if she should force Gabriel out of bed. When his eyes finally opened, she no longer needed to do so.

Gabriel looked over and saw Mica perched on top of the chair, looking very much like a swan or a dove.

"Good morning", Mica greeted.

"Morning", said Gabriel, rather groggily. He closed his eyes for a minute to rub the sleep away from them, groaning as he sat up slowly and leaned himself back against the headboard.

"How did you sleep?" Mica asked.

"Like the dead", said Gabriel. "How long have you been sitting there?"

"I've been watching you all night", Mica answered.

Gabriel sat up straight and asked, "You haven't been to bed?"

"I'm an angel, Gabriel. I don't need to sleep like you do."

Mica leaped down from the chair, landing gracefully on her sandaled feet. She walked over and sat down on the bed with Gabriel.

"How are you feeling?" Mica asked.

Gabriel shrugged. "Rested. How's your neck?"

"It's feeling better."

"Let me see-" Gabriel touched Mica's neck with his fingertips, examining her neck for any signs of improvement. "Ah, I think you're gonna be all right. Your skin's not red anymore."

"I'm fine, Gabriel", Mica assured him.

"I know. I just want to make sure you're all right. If we're gonna be trapped here for a while, we need to look after each other. You've done so much for me already."

Mica placed her hand over his and said, "I was thinking about that last night. We don't have much money, so I think it would be wise if we start to look for a job."

"I already have a job, remember?"

"No, you had a job, but until you learn to love those which you hate, you're on temporary leave."

"Well, then, you're gonna have to wait a long time for that to happen, because it ain't gonna happen anytime soon."

"We'll see about that", said Mica. "Are you hungry?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm starving", said Gabriel.

Mica looked at the clock for the time. "It's only 9:30. I think we can make it to the diner in time for breakfast."

"I think that's a good idea."

The restaurant was only about a mile walk from the motel. Mica and Gabriel sat quietly in a booth by the window. Looking at them, people assumed they were a couple as opposed to siblings.