A.N.: Holy God, this one is turning out to be more like a religious essay than a Jalex story, isn't it? And I do mean Holy God.

I hope, but can't promise, that there will be some puns in this chapter for you.

;"So let me get this straight," Harper said, in the lair of the Russos, where Alex was curled up in the chair, crying, while Justin paced back and forth. "You can break up now, and have another life together, later?" (Oh, did I forget to mention that Harper knew about their relationship after a while? Consider it retconned.)

"Yeah, that's about the size of it," Justin said.

"That doesn't sound so bad," Harper said.

"I don't know how long I can be without Justin," Alex sobbed. It was the first time she'd said anything in a while, so Justin and Harper turned to her. "At first I couldn't have him because I never thought he'd feel the same way, but even when he did, we were still related. We sneaked around for a while, but then the greatest of all authorities forbade it. It's just so unfair."

"I dunno Alex, you never cared for authority, nor did you ever seem terribly religious," Harper pointed out.

"I know - but then we met actual, real-life angels. And I know they're real angels. Justin used that summoning spell last Halloween, remember? And it summoned Harold. Justin knows his angel-summoning inside and out. Not to mention, when we reversed the polarity and were anti-summoned."

Alex closed her eyes and shuddered.

"Do you know what it's like to be that close to the presence of God, Harper?" Alex whispered. She stood up, throwing off the blanket in which she had been wrapped. "Maybe you do - I don't know everything about your form of worship. But in case you don't..."

Alex walked to the middle of the room. "It's fucking terrifying!" Alex cried. "Beautiful, yes, true. But at the same time - have you ever heard of the phrase 'fear of God'? It's not meaningless! If anything, it's an understatement. And, as Justin told me, we weren't even that close to God when we were on that plane!"

Justin nodded. "It's true. That was a plane where even angels as low as Harold can withstand His presence. Ordinary humans - even us Wizards - are not meant to come that close. I can only imagine how it affected those poor goths."

Alex sighed. "That kind of thing changes you."

"I'm sorry, Alex," Harper said softly. "I have to say, I didn't see much of a change. You must have hidden it well."

Alex shrugged. "Well, the whole anti-authority thing actually became easier in a sense. Who gives a fuck about earthly authority figures when God Himself is present?"

"Well, didn't Jesus say you should cooperate with government? 'Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's,' you know?"

"To a certain extent," Justin said. "His point there was that some matters were just silly to worry about. Like the passage you referenced was about taxes. His Disciples were asking if Christians should pay taxes to the government. Jesus' response was, I feel, actually quite humorous. He picked up a coin and said, essentially 'Whose face is on that? Is it God's? Huh? Is it? No! It's Caesar's, so give it to Caesar.' Obviously, God doesn't actually care about money. There are worldly things where it is better for all involved parties to just get along. So as long as the government isn't hindering what God is telling you to do, it creates a more peaceful atmosphere just to obey."

"Huh, I didn't know you knew so much about the Bible, Justin," Harper said.

"Eh, when you're Catholic, you pick it up."

"Sometimes," Alex said, smirking slightly. "Anyway, Justin, I just had a thought! What if we accepted the Next Lives deal, and then... you know... something happened to us...that caused us to go to our next lives immediately?"

"Alex! Suicide is a mortal sin. I'm fairly certain that it would void the terms of the program."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't necessarily be suicide..."

"If you planned it, it would. Stop even thinking along those lines," Justin pleaded. Alex cast her eyes downward. Justin came up to her and wrapped his arms around her again.

"Whatever happens," he said. "I will always love you."

"Neither Life nor Death, Heaven nor Hell, Angels nor Demons?" Alex said, smirking once more.

"Nothing shall come between my love for you, no," Justin said. "And also, impressive."

"I guess I have been picking up some Biblical knowledge," Alex admitted. She laid her head against Justin's strong chest.

"Aw, that's sweet," Harper said. "Blasphemous, but sweet."

Just then, Harold and Michael popped in with their customary smoke and...well popping sound.

"What the hell just happened?" Harper cried. She saw something happen, but didn't see the angels appear. Harold and Michael looked at her curiously.

"Oh, right. Harold, Michael, this girl is a Sleepwalker. You'll have to turn down your frequency," Justin said.

"Ah, all right," Mike said. There was a faint change in their appearance, and suddenly Harper jumped.

"Where'd you guys - Oh! You must be angels," she said, calming down.

"I'm Michael, the Archangel, and this is Harold," Mike explained. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his robe, opened it, gave one to Harold, and then lit up his own. "We also stopped by a gas station on the way back. Anyway, we're here to help Justin and Alex with a sensitive problem."

"She knows the full extent," Justin said.

"Ah. Well then yeah, we're trying to find a way for them to be together."

"Why are you helping us so much?" Alex asked.

Mike and Harold looked at each other and gave a shrug.

"I know our sarcastic attitudes, informal demeanor and foul language might make it seem otherwise," Harold began. "But we are the good guys. We really do feel sorry for your predicament."

"So I talked to Gabe for you," Mike said. "Er, the Archangel Gabriel," he explained, chiefly for Harper's sake.

"Wait, I thought you didn't like each other," Justin said.

"I wouldn't go that far," Mike replied. "I mean yeah, we have our differences of opinion, but when it comes down to it, we're on the same side. The ability for the good guys to work together is one of the most major strengths we have against evil - well, that and you know, God Almighty being on our side."

"So, what did Gabriel say?" Justin asked eagerly.

Harold gave a dry chuckle. "Let's just say...there's good news, and bad news."

Alex groaned.

A.N.: What a cliffhanger! What's the bad news this time? Can the good news make up for it? Will Justin and Alex be allowed to be together? Will I finally, actually get to some puns? Will you be able to find out before I, the author, am struck down by lightning? Not even I know all the answers to these questions!

I would also like to note here that I took the term Sleepwalker from the pen and paper roleplaying game Mage: The Awakening by White Wolf games. It denotes a mortal who is aware of magic. They have not yet Awakened (become Mages) but they are not quite "asleep" either. Of course, in the WoWP setting people can't become Wizards (as far as we're aware) but I do think it's a useful term.