Alex ran his hands up Noma's bare back, digging his fingers into her skin, arching his hips up into her as she thrust against him, their pleasured moans filling the room. Ecstasy rushed through him as they moved against each other, Noma's body clenching around him as she came, her wings bursting out in pleasure.

He cried out in pleasure and stiffened as his body released, spilling into her. Noma collapsed against him, her wings fluttering for a moment before sliding away as she rolled onto her side, facing him, a smug smile on her face.

Alex tilted his head to look at her and grinned, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair back from her face. His hand trailed over her hip and across her stomach, laying flat against her stomach, a concerned look filling his face as he ran his thumb across one of her many scars.

"You're sure the baby is okay?" he asked for what had to be the hundredth time. No matter how many times she reassured him, he worried constantly that something terrible would happen.

Noma smiled softly, nodding, "It's fine, I promise Alex. You can't hurt it by having sex with me. And nothing is going to happen to me, I'm too strong." She leaned in and kissed him softly, "We'll protect our baby, and everything will change here on Earth."

Alex nodded and wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer, nuzzling his mouth against her neck. "All I want is you Nomes. You and our baby," he whispered happily.

Noma smiled, her fingers trailing down his back, "Don't worry, everything will turn out just fine. We just need to do a few things, and we can leave here," she whispered.

Alex nodded and kissed her neck, pulling back to look at her with happy eyes, "I'll do whatever you need," he murmured.

Noma smiled softly, and he didn't notice the triumph in her eyes as he closed his and pulled her gently against him, squeezing her hip softly. Noma ran her fingers through his hair, softly humming, watching as he fell asleep.

When she had first arrived back in the city Alex had been angry, furious really, with her. He had even put a gun to her head and asked why he shouldn't kill her, the rage tainting his voice. She had truly wondered if he would pull the trigger in that moment, watching as his hands trembled and his jaw ticked, waiting for her to answer.

Her mission in Vega was simple, convince Alex to leave the city, and bring him to Mallory. His was the last pure heart, and he wasn't useful in Vega. So, she told him what was necessary, what her mission required.

She told him she was pregnant and watched the rage slip away and turn into disbelief. Disbelief quickly turned to joy, and they had begun hatching a plan for their escape.

She couldn't wait to get out of Vega; she had always hated this city. The dust, the wind, the way it all constantly found a way to cling to every crevice of her body, sullying her clothes, her food, everything.

Loud knocking at the door startled Alex out of his light doze, sitting up in bed and staring around sleepily. "Huh-wha?" he murmured, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Alex!" Michael shouted, pounding on the door repeatedly, "Alex!"

Alex bolted out of bed, quickly pulling on his pants as he waved frantically at Noma, "Hide!" he hissed. She nodded and slid out of bed, pulling the sheet with her and slunk into the bathroom, shutting the door softly.

Alex ran to the door that Michael was still pounding on and pulled it open, glaring up at his friend, "What?" he demanded, "Why are you pounding on my door in the middle of the night?" he asked peevishly.

Michael scowled and pushed past him, peering around the small rooms intently. He stepped towards the bathroom and Alex hastily stepped towards him, laying a hand on his chest, "Michael, what's going on?" he demanded.

"Have you seen Noma?" Michael demanded, eyes blazing.

Alex shook his head, "No, of course not. Not since she left. Why?" he demanded curiously. His fingers curled nervously into his waistband, clenching tightly as he stared up at Michael.

"Because, she's been in the city, spying on all of us." He looked around the rooms again and his eyes narrowed as he looked back at Alex, "She murdered a child and his mother, Alex. She told Gabriel it was payment for his healing and then tried to kill him and Devery."

Alex stared at him, his jaw slackened in shock, shaking his head. "Why? Why would she do that? She's not a murderer Michael."

Michael shook his head, "She's not herself anymore, and you can't trust her Alex. We have to make sure you're safe. We don't know what Lucifer has asked her to do to you."

Alex nodded slowly, "Of course, I'll tell you if I see her," he murmured thoughtfully.

Michael studied him for a moment, noting the faint scratch marks on his chest and a hickey on his neck. Peering around the rooms once more he frowned, "Do you have company?" he asked softly, glancing towards the closed bathroom door.

Alex stiffened and shifted uncomfortably, "No, I did earlier, but she's gone." His heart pounded and he smiled nervously, "Just…trying to get back to normal," he murmured.

Michael nodded slowly and turned away, "Well, make sure you're being discreet. We have enough problems without you impregnating half of Vega," he snapped softly.

Alex's cheeks flushed and he nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. He followed Michael to the door and leaned against the doorframe as his friend paused on the other side, frowning softly at him.

"Both Gabriel and Devery have left the city Alex. We're in danger, and I need you to take your role as the Chosen One seriously. There is no one but you left to lead Vega, to lead humanity. Do you understand?" he asked softly, urgently.

Alex huffed a harsh breath and nodded, "Sure Michael, I understand." He watched as the angel walked away and then shut the door, breathing a sigh of relief.

The bathroom door swung open behind him and without looking he spoke quietly, "A child Nomes?" he shook his head, "Why a child?" he asked.

"Because it was necessary. Sometimes Alex, we have to do monstrous things for the greater good."

Her arms wrapped around his waist, strong and smooth, and her lips pressed against his neck as she whispered, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." As her fingers scraped lightly down his chest his eyes fluttered half closed and when they opened darkness had settled within them, fluid and shadowy, gone in the next blink of the eye.

"That's okay Nomes; I just don't want to have secrets. You can tell me anything, you know that," he murmured.

She nodded and hummed softly in agreement, kissing his neck again. "I love you Alex," she whispered.

"I love you too," he whispered in reply.

Michael paced the floor of his bedroom, suspicion and concern eating away at him. He was certain that Alex had been lying to him about someone else being in the room, and he had a sick feeling that it was Noma, which would be a situation worse than he could have previously imagined.

He had to find a way to get Devery back to Vega.

Gabriel landed softly on the rooftop of a crumbling skyscraper, thunder rumbling like a cannon, shaking the metal beneath his boots. Sitting down on the edge of the building he peered out at the ruins of Los Angeles and smirked faintly, remembering more than a few good times in this city.

Humans were a silly, frightful, easily broken lot, but damn, were they entertaining.

Lifting a flask from his boot he unscrewed the cap and took a long pull of the rum within, sighing in satisfaction as it burned down his throat. The thunder rumbled again, and the first couple drops of rain spattered against his face, cooling his dry skin.

As the rain picked up he was quickly soaked, his hair plastering to his forehead, the water running in rivulets down his neck, chilling him. His skin prickled as the wind blew ferociously, pushing and shoving at him, trying to force him off the building.

Laughing he took a longer drink from the flask and scrambled to his feet, the wind buffeting him. Spreading his wings he threw his arms wide, tossing his head back, letting the storm rage against him.

The wind gusted powerfully, knocking him off the building, sending him spinning through the air as the wind ripped past him, the rain pounded him. Struggling, he forced his wings open, shouting in pain as they flexed backwards in a sudden ripping motion, his ligaments straining.

The ground rushed up at him and he strained hard against the wind, battling the air and rain, cursing violently. An enormous gust of wind blew him horizontally fifty feet and in his periphery he saw a building rapidly approaching, faster than he could possibly avoid.

"Bloody hell" he barely had time to whisper before his body went crashing through the glass of another high rise, the momentum sending him careening across the floor in a terrific fashion. Rolling for fifteen feet before his body slammed into a wall, he cried out in pain as his head slammed against first the wall and then the floor.

As his body came to a stuttering halt he gasped and groaned, fingers splaying out on the carpeted floor, pain crashing through him like a wrecking ball. Hot points of pain lit up all across his body and a moment later he could feel warm blood streaming from his many wounds, pulsing in agony.

"Ughhhhh," he groaned, trying to rise to his knees, his head pounding violently, his vision swimming. Leaning forward on one hand he breathed heavily, fighting the urge to vomit. Slowly, he stood, holding a hand to the flowing wound on his head, glancing around to see where he was.

It appeared to once have been an office building, but had long ago been picked over and was now bare. Peering out the window at the storm he frowned at the storm raging; he wasn't going anywhere in his condition in this storm.

Sinking back down to the floor he pulled his cape off and slowly began to pull off his clothing, wincing as his wounds ached freshly. He slowly began binding the wounds, tearing his cape to pieces and tying them around the various bleeding sites.

Balling the remains of his cape beneath his head he lay down, closing his eyes and resting his hands on his chest, taking slow even breaths, his ribs aching painfully from where he had slammed into the walls.

Reaching into the pocket of his pants he pulled out his flask and unscrewed the lid, raising it to his lips slowly and took a deep sip, his throat working to drain it. His hand dropped to the side and his eyes drifted shut, a warm feeling buzzing through his veins.

IT'S ALL GONE!

Devery's voice screamed in his mind, her dark eyes glittering with rage and sorrow and his own flashed open with a soft sigh. He couldn't seem to close his eyes without seeing her face and the…he swallowed hard, hate, which had been there the last time he had seen her.

Everything he and his brother had done had destroyed Earth and humanity, and he knew he bore a larger part of the blame for what had happened, but the problem remained that he didn't know what he could do to fix what he had broken.

Cool wind blew in from the shattered windows, sending shivers over his bare skin and he groaned softly before turning on his side and rolling to his feet, unable to rest. Stumbling slowly to the broken windows he stared out at the storm, frowning deeply.

The hate he had engendered in millions of people had never truly bothered him, not until he had seen it reflected in his brother's eyes, and then again in Devery's. His brother was the only person who had ever really loved him, even when Michael had hurt him, he had still loved him.

His father…

His mouth twisted at the thought of his father.

Devery was right, what kind of father abandoned humanity and his angels? He had searched Heaven and had prayed ceaselessly, but his father had remained stubbornly silent and missing. After years of searching he had finally given up; given up on his father, on hope, on himself.

Instead he had committed to finding the Chosen One, destroying humanity, and devouring himself with hate. A bitter taste filled his mouth and he ran a hand over his jaw, staring out at the storm.

Devery had accused Michael, him, and all of heaven of destroying Earth and humanity, and she was right. They were selfish, violent, and cruel—forever pursuing their own desires and not caring about who they hurt in the process.

He had pushed his own desires on her without thoughts for what the repercussions would be, and in doing so, had lost someone that had meant more to him than he had realized. He had admired her strength from the moment he met her, and had been even more annoyed with her attitude and stubborn ability to get under his skin with a few simple words.

It wasn't until he had been cured by Lucifer of the darkness that he had truly begun to realize the atrocities he had committed, had felt the weight of them on his soul for the first time in decades, had felt a need to find peace, and had realized his burgeoning feelings for Devery.

With every moment that passed in her presence he felt more like the person he used to be, and more uncomfortable with the man he had become. His lust for her had been undeniable before, but after the darkness in his soul had been stripped away, something purer had been left behind, something that drove him to be a better man.

But when Noma had killed Jonas…his jaw tightened as a bitter taste flooded his mouth.

He knew he was a broken man; he had no illusions about that. All he could really hope for was to stop any further damage being done.

Sighing, he ran a hand over his chest, feeling the small scars under his fingertips from a thousand different battles, and the new, freshly made ones from his violent entrance into the building that were already quickly healing.

The pounding in his head was dulling, and when he reached up the large welt that had been there earlier was reduced in size. Sighing softly he wiped the blood on his fingers onto his pants and turned, stopping in shock at the sight of the figure standing in the middle of the room, dripping water onto the floor.

"Uriel?" he murmured softly in shock.

His sister smiled faintly and pushed her soaking hair back from her face, "Not so dead as you thought, hmm?" she murmured, stepping forward to embrace him tightly, her lean arms wrapping around him and holding him close.

Gabriel nodded, holding her close, sighing in relief. "I was so worried about you," he murmured.

Uriel stepped back, her brows furrowing, "Worried enough to tell me what the hell you're doing here and not with our brother?" she demanded.

Gabriel swallowed hard and nodded, "Our brother is holding onto the city with Alex, barely. Noma has betrayed them, revealing her true alliance with a person we thought long dead." He watched as suspicion ran over her face and nodded slowly, "Lucifer is alive."

Uriel looked positively sick to her stomach, a hand flying up to her mouth, her face paling in horror. "No…" she whispered, shaking her head.

Gabriel nodded, "It's true. And he's coming for the Chosen One. He needs Alex's purity of heart to resurrect himself. You need to go to Vega and help our brother stop him," he insisted.

Uriel shook her head, "Why don't you go?" she questioned softly, lifting her brow in silent skepticism.

Gabriel sighed softly and shook his head, running a hand over the back of his neck, "I-I'm not welcome there," he mumbled softly.

Uriel snorted softly and elbowed him, "Made friends, did you?" she commented wryly.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and sighed, "I might have made some rather poor decisions, but what I do know is that if I go back, there is someone there that will try and kill me." He shook his head, thinking of Devery's tearful face, the rage in her eyes and cleared his throat, "Trust me, Michael can use your help more than mine," he assured his sister.

Uriel studied him for a moment and then smiled softly, "Who is she?" she asked curiously. Her brother had taken many lovers throughout history, always beautiful, yet always ordinary in their sameness—talented, smart, exotic.

If a woman had managed to gain his attention and yet repulse him from an entire city at the same time…she would have to be impressive indeed.

Gabriel swallowed, his gaze shifting away uncomfortably. "I-she…" he sighed and shook his head, "It's a rather long story," he murmured.

"We've got the time," Uriel encouraged gently, laying her hand on his arm softly.

Gabriel heaved a deep breath and stared out at the storm for a moment before nodding. "Fine," he murmured.

"You certainly are a challenging one," a soft androgynous voice murmured. "Not even my own children challenge me as you did, you know."

Bright white light faded from Devery's eyes and she lifted an arm slowly, groaning as she did, reaching up to rub at her eyes. Something soft cradled her, and as she opened her eyes she found herself in her bed, the familiar walls of the bunker surrounding her.

"Ahh, I'm glad to see your brain remains undamaged. I was worried that little lightning blast had harmed you," the soft androgynous voice commented.

Devery turned her head sharply, the voice all too familiar. Her eyes widened at the sight of…God…sitting on her desk leisurely, watching her with an animalistic interest. Sitting up slowly she eyed him…her…shit…she didn't know.

God smiled at her and lifted a hand out to her, offering their assistance up off the bed. Devery frowned and shook her head, "No, thank you. Why are you here?" she demanded, staring suspiciously at their face.

"Because, you need help, and I want to make sure my son doesn't complete the ritual he's planning."

Devery's brows lifted in shock, "But you're not going to step in and stop Lucifer, are you," she comment dryly.

"Indeed not. It is no longer my place to do so. My children have upset the balance, and they must be the ones to right it, along with your help. It is your calling."

Devery scoffed and stood, scowling, "That sounds like some grade A bullshit to me. I think you don't know what's going to happen and you need other people to clean up a mess that you created."

God stood and towered over her, the air in the room suddenly growing cold. "I think you should treat me with a little more respect or I'll take away that little protection you have in your mind and destroy everything that makes you, you."

Devery glared up at God and balled her fists, "I cannot believe you. Your children need you, humanity needs you, and you act like its some huge inconvenience!" She shoved him back, her face rippling with anger, "Fuck you!" she shouted.

God's hand lashed out, backhanding her across the cheek and sending her reeling backwards, "I've explained myself to you once, I'll not do it again, child. Now, you need to make peace with my children and do what has been commanded of you, or this world will be turned into nothing more than ash, fire and death."

Devery rose back to her feet and glared, wiping at the blood in the corner of her mouth, "I am not your puppet," she hissed, "I will do things on my own terms."

God smirked, "Glad to hear it."

Devery gasped and groaned, her entire body throbbing with a white hot searing pain like she had never felt before. Her eyes fluttered open and she panted for a full breath, gazing wildly around, shocked to find herself still alive.

A light drizzle was falling, cooling her hot skin, and she realized she was still on the mountainside. Rolling onto her back she stared up into the rain at the black sky and groaned as pain shot up her spine, her fingers spasming in pain.

Every inch of her was on fire with pain.

"Fuck….you…" she whispered towards the sky, her eyes slipping shut once more.

AN: Hey guys, I know this chapter was shorter than the last two, but I'm struggling a little bit-my uncle passed away. I'm trying to keep writing, but I don't know how much I'm going to be in the mood. In any case, I'm also trying to update a few other stories, so I'll circle back here soon enough. Thank you all for reading, and I do hope you enjoy the chapter. Please review!