Story: Dawning Radiance

Genre: Dark Fantast/Romance/Action

Rating: T

Claimer: I own each anf every one of the characters in this story, so please do not use them, as they are my babies...enjoy!

Heavy numbness; that's all I was able to feel after Damien removed the needle and stepped back to watch me.

The pressure on my chest slowly left, making me at first feel empty and light, then was replaced with a slight burning that is really only comparable to heart burn. My vision returned to its normal state and my eyes narrowed when I realized that they were trying to talk to me.

Darren heaved a sigh and plopped down on the couch dramatically "Whew! I thought I lost ya for a sec' there kiddo! What would your dad 'a thought if you joined him in the next plane, huh? He'd prolly have my head" he chuckled and I managed a weak smile in reply.

I looked around the room at the other three; DJ grinned and gave me a thumbs up "That was freakin' awesome Xandie! I didn't know it got that bad!" he commented. Damien met my gaze for a few seconds before dropping it to the ground with a frown, but I still saw the relief in his eyes. I then turned to Valshe, who was almost as white as the day we'd first met each other, her lips were pursed and she looked as if she was trying to find something to say and simply couldn't.

Coughing a few more times so I could get what was left of the blood out; I pushed myself to my feet and had to steady myself against the wave of dizziness that followed.

"I guess yer gonna need sa'more then huh?" DJ asked and moved to push himself up "You don't have to get up; I know where they are" I replied quickly and started somewhat shakily down the hall to DJ's room.

Turning the knob and opening the door to step into the room that was almost as familiar as my own and shutting it silently behind me, I grabbed the rickety wooden chair from beside the small desk tucked in the space between the door and the wall, where an ancient looking computer monitor sat with piles of CDs, DVDs, and trash littered across it's chipped, beat up surface.

Pulling the chair so it was pressed against the door, I put a foot on it and tested it; just to be sure it would hold my weight. It did, and I jumped up, grabbing the 'vent'- which was really a metal box with a vent grate and about an inch of the ventilation shaft- that was in the ceiling above and pulling it down before sitting on the chair and pulling the top off to peer inside.

The box wasn't very big, but DJ knew how to pack the littler drugs in it so he had at least fifty different kinds, give or take about ten packets for each, and it was a bit more difficult than it should've been to find mine.

Of course, it would've helped if he would've actually labeled any of them, but it would've made it easier for him to get busted if anyone ever found them.

I picked out two of the little bagfuls; enough to get me through a few months at least and carefully put the lid back on the top before placing it back in the ceiling where it belonged and heading back into the living room with the others.

As soon as I walked in, the room went silent, each person acting as if they were preoccupied with something else, all of them avoiding looking at me too directly.

"So I can assume you were talking about me?" I asked, leaning up against the wall and crossing my arms over my chest sternly "'Course we were Xandie, why do you think we all shut up?" DJ replied happily, earning a disapproving look from the others "Doesn't surprise me" I muttered, rolling my eyes. Darren cleared his throat and gave me an almost embarrassed smile "We're just checkin' up on ya kiddo…you never come down here anymore an' when ya do, you have a fit. We was just worried is all" he informed me, scratching the back of his shaved head nervously.

I nodded, giving a small smile "No, I understand" I assured him "I'll try to make it over here more often" I continued until Darren stood up and placed a hand on my shoulder "Jus' watch yerself kiddo" he said quietly, locking his dark brown eyes with mine for a few lengthy moments before leaving the room silently.

"Ya find it all right?" DJ asked as he, Valshe, Damien and I headed for the door "Yeah," I confirmed, showing him one of the little packets before stuffing it back in my pocket with the other. He simply nodded and opened the door "Be righ' back!" he yelled to the seemingly empty house before we left for the rapidly cooling city streets.

DJ lead us through the narrow allies, around the mobs of people in the crowded streets, and under the Hells gate bridge where he abruptly turned on us "How long're you stayin' in Heaven for?" he demanded, crossing his arms loosely. Damien and I exchanged a quick look; we'd forgotten how badly we probably smelled of Angel by now "Not too much longer" Damien relpied calmly, turning his empty gaze on DJ, where it stayed until DJ closed his eyes and looked away "Aight'…just don't get yerselves killed got it? Lost too many friends already" he told us reluctantly "Like they could" we replied simultaneously, earning a glare of sorts from Valshe, and one last grin from DJ before Damien finished our Portal and we headed back to Malachi's place.

We felt a growing pressure as we tried to pass through the barrier surrounding Heaven, but only lasted about a minute before we opened our eyes and we were back in the gigantic front room in our virtual prison in Heaven.

"So you've returned" Malachi greeted as he came out from the door to the dining room "Am I right in assuming you've solved your problem?" he asked, pausing to stand in front of us and give a slight bow which Valshe returned.

"Yeah, we did…what's it to you Angel?" Damien growled, pushing past him, up the stairs and into his room, stopping only to give me a 'come on!' look over his shoulder. "I see…I'm glad to hear it" Malachi replied honestly "Uh, yeah, thanks…" I muttered half-heartedly, making my way up to the room Damien was staying in, before noticing that Valshe too, had followed me up.

Pushing the door open and entering the room much the same way I entered our room back at headquarters, I slipped my shoes off, and sat down next to Damien on the bed, crossing my arms and leaning up against the wall lazily "So what'd you want?" I questioned, turning to look at him when he didn't reply. His eyes were closed, so I almost thought he hadn't heard me, but he'd furrowed his brows and had an annoyed frown on his face.

Valshe obviously thought he was asleep, proceeded to poke him lightly on his temple, and didn't move away fast enough to prevent getting her hand slapped away "You human, are not allowed to touch this" he teased, motioning at himself with a limp hand, opening his eyes and giving her one of his many taunting looks.

She took a moment to think about this and finally replied with "Good, because there's no way I would ever want to" she grinned at his disbelieving look, which he then turned to me when I gave a short laugh and stretched with a yawn. "Anyways" I pressed, earning me a 'Hang on!' and a light punch on my arm, which, up until that moment, had almost completely stopped hurting.

Damien sat up, cracked each of his fingers, and then turned to me "I was just wondering…I was too busy taking care of your sorry butt to ask about it before but…what did that Nephilim kid want to talk to you about anyways?" he inquired, and you could feel the attention in the room shift almost as easily as you'd be able to see your breath in the cold.

Sighing in defeat, I gave him a guilty smile "Here I thought you'd forgotten about that…" I groaned childishly "We were talking about Valshe" I replied when they both glared at me, earning a surprised gasp from Valshe and a raised brow from Damien.

"What do you mean, talking about me?" she demanded, fisting her hands in the materials of the shirt she'd gotten when Malachi sent an Angel down to get some of her clothes and other personal effects.

Watching her reaction carefully, I began to tell them both most of what had happened that night "We went out to a lake or something near here, and he brought this book he'd found that kind of explained what Valshe might be. Essentially, you were both blessed and damned at the same time and are thus, in some freak turn of events, able to use the powers of both Angel and Demon, and whichever you like most, you'll gain the full powers of the one you chose…that was about it though…" I explained, cutting out the bits and pieces of info that she didn't need to know until we knew for sure it was true.

Even if it was true, she didn't really have to know did she? After all, she was the kind of person that would automatically choose the Angels side, as they represented the 'good guys' right? Who's to say that by not telling her, she's technically not in much danger because she wouldn't even be involved in the war anyways?

Why did I care what happened to a single human girl?

The room was quiet for a little while, Damien and I shared an 'I'll tell you later' look and Valshe sat on the chair she'd pulled up beside the bed knotting and unknotting her hands in her lap.

"That's all?" she asked quietly, lifting her head up just the slightest little bit "That's all" I lied, pushing myself off the bed and taking her hands to pull her up as well, guiding her towards the partially closed doorway.

The expression on her face was all disappointment with a hint of contempt as she pushed the door open and turned to look at me with her big, saddened eyes.

"Don't worry" I soothed "We'll figure it out" I assured her as gently as I could, moving my hands away from hers and running a hand through her soft, shiny hair in an awkward gesture of comfort. "Yeah" she agreed weakly and turned to quickly head down the stairs before disappearing in the doorway to the dining room.

When I shut the door and returned to the bed to sit beside Damien, I couldn't help but notice the sly smirk he was giving me "What?" I asked, frowning when his smirk widened "Shouldn't I be the one asking that? You aren't falling for Valshe are you?" he teased, bumping his shoulder against mine, which I returned by shoving my elbow into his ribs "Why would I?" I shot back, attempting unsuccessfully to get him to drop the topic "Yet again, a question I should be asking…but I can see you're about to do something stupid in a desperate attempt to shut me up, so I'll get to more important matters; what did that book really say?" he asked knowingly.

I filled him in on the rest of the info; the bits I'd left out for Valshe, leaving him staring at me incredulously while I tried to convince him that that was what it really said "Woah" he muttered after a while "You'd never even think of something like that by looking at her…stronger than the High Seraph or the Leader? I still don't really believe it, but…" he trailed off, leaving the room filled with an uneasy silence.

Truth be told, I still didn't fully believe it either; it had come from one of their books, but it was all we had to go on at this point. "Well, that's what it said" I told him again, feeling for all it's worth like a broken tape recorder "I believe you, it's them I'm worried about" he grumbled, flipping onto his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows, looking me over once or twice before letting his eyes fall shut, running his hands through his blonde hair before shaking his head impatiently.

I frowned, glanced out the window and shoved my hands into my pockets, where the corner of one of the little plastic bags cut my finger.

"…the Heaven?" I wondered aloud and pulled one out "Give me those" Damien ordered, having turned to see what was wrong with me. "Why? It's not like you have to use them…" I trailed off and handed them to him obediently "Because I know what you'll do if I let you keep them" he replied knowingly, reaching under the bed and pulling out a mid sized backpack, where he dropped them into the smallest front pocket and pulled the zipper closed, sliding it back under easily.

Sighing in mock defeat, I headed towards the door so I could go back to my room and get some much needed sleep. "Xander!" Damien called before I closed the door "What?" I asked, poking my head back in the room "Watch yourself, I have a bad feeling" he warned me, I nodded mutely and left, shutting the door behind me.

I was tired, I wanted to sleep, but heading back to my borrowed room, I knew there was no way I'd be able to seeing as how my mind was racing over the days events restlessly.

Since I'd been getting used to staying in Heaven at this point (which wasn't a very good thing at all) I was beginning to ignore it when I felt a 'holy' presence since the first few days I'd been here I'd been driven mad by the constant headaches they caused.

Because of this, I didn't even notice how close this one was until I opened the door and saw Nate/Rey sprawled on my bed lazily, not even looking up when I entered. "You know," I began snidely "I have to sleep on that bed you're lying on right now" I complained in tired annoyance.

Rey opened one deep brown and green eye and narrowed it in my direction "Your point? This is myhouse you demon filth" he shot back venomously.

I put on my best annoyed face and glared at him, even though mentally I wanted to yank him off the bed and crawl into it myself so I could at least pretend to get some sleep "What do you want anyways? Here I was so convinced that you hated talking to 'the weak Ethereals from Hell'" I taunted.

He gave a short, bored laugh and nodded "Like I'm here because I want to be" he replied, sitting up and opening his two toned wings that had been folded neatly behind him. "Malachi told me to come up here and tell you that he told Valshe what you left out" he informed me with a smirk that was much more malicious than any holy Ethereal should've been able to give. 'Haha, I win' it seemed to scream triumphantly.

My mouth dropped slightly "What did he tell her?" I asked him, turning to look in the direction of Valshe's room "I already said, everything that you left out; are you deaf as well as brainless?" he growled in irritation "From what I saw, she looked pretty upset" he informed me, smirk not once leaving his lips "You should warn me before you talk to her again, I think it might just make my day to see her break your poor, corrupt heart" he continued ruthlessly while I stood motionless, hands clenched firmly at my sides.

"If something like that makes you happy, you must be even more corrupt than me" I replied, all but steaming with annoyance and anger "I never claimed that I wasn't" he told me with a dark grin "Leave" I ordered simply, having already had enough of the nephil at this point.

He pushed himself off the bed slowly, as if to taunt me even more and pushed past me to the door, bumping his shoulder against mine as he passed "Watch your back demon" he warned me much in the same way Damien had.

When the door slammed shut behind him I moved to the bathroom, filled a cup with cool water and drank it down in one gulp before heading back into the room and flopping back onto the bed that was too soft, then too warm, then too confiscating for me to actually be able to sleep, and it wasn't until the early light began to peek through the curtains that I was able to fall into a light, half asleep state.

A/N: I'm really sorry to all of my loyal readers that I promise to update this and then put it off for a long time! I hope this chapter makes up for it as I burned my finger several times trying to type this because my 'A' key is missing and every time I have to type one it's like sticking my finger into an oven (orz). But I will indure the pain for you all and continue writing! I hope to get antoher chapter up sometime within the month. Until next time, make sure you review and take good care of your keyboard, or it'll come back to burn you in the finger!