Title: Tongues of Men and Angels
Rating: TA for implied?romance.
Summary: Glimpses of grace: the story of one brother and two sisters. Through the grace of God, all things are made new.A series of drabbles. Ish. Gabriel/OC. Ish.
Disclaimer: *obligatory insert*
Chapter XXVII: Exodus
When Job's three friends…heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him.
When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads.
Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights.
No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.
Job 2: 11-13
Gabriel wanted to take her away, but he did not know to where. And then, at the same time, he couldn't bear to move her, because her pain was carving through the air in this place until it had become a comfort to her, and he was certain that leaving would reopen the wound. She wrapped her grief around her like a blanket, like a consolation, and could not be moved.
In silence, he sat with her every night, counting the bones in her wrists as he held them. During the day, he watched as she made breakfast for herself, stared out at the sunrise, made cups of tea that she never drank. Too many times, habit moved her to some action that was no longer necessary—setting a second place at the table, or toasting an extra pair of waffles. Only once did he leave her side—she had fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion, and he had taken the precious few moments to take Joy's suddenly small body a few lengths into the wilderness, where he buried her beneath a flowering cactus and carefully piled a mound of stones atop the grave, in order to keep the wild coyotes at bay. Many times he considered pursuing Baby and its thieves—meting out holy justice, though he knew he was treading dangerously close to revenge—but the notion was immediately rejected.
Bethany was his only priority.
In the rest of his moments, he stayed still and watchful, lost. He did not know how to save this older sister, and did not know how to reach her.
Finally, Bethany made the decision for him, breaking their shared silence for the first time since he had whispered Joy's eulogy in the dark.
"I want to leave," she said. Her voice was hollowed out and hoarse, and it floated to him on the shadows like an empty canoe.
He hesitated. He remembered Michael's reappearance, bathed in glory, but when he looked out into the night, it seemed to him that all he could see was the still, silent husk of Joy's body.
"Where will we go?" he asked quietly, and it reminded him of her question on the first day, when he'd awakened in the bed of her truck. Where will you go? she'd asked, and he'd only been able to answer: Where, indeed.
She lifted her face. It was beautiful in its battle-weariness. "Where I promised," she said—full of grace, and ever-faithful.
Word Count: 411
Completed: May 18th, 2011
I want to thank everyone again. The response to Joy's death has been overwhelmingly hopeful and inspiring, and I am told than many of you experienced the same bittersweetness I felt while writing it—or even more deeply, experienced the tragedy along with Gabriel and Bethany. That means the world to me. While the next few chapters deal with the ramifications of this loss, both for Beth and Gabe (and their relationship), I promised a happy ending and I will deliver. :)
Another IMPORTANT note: I had mentioned waaaaay back in Chapter XVI: Bethel (Chapter 20 in the dropdown menu) that I had stolen a line from another Legion fanfiction but couldn't remember where—only, that I thought the scene was poignant and lovely. It was from Greenwood Elf's piece, Absolution, which I assume most of you are already reading (and if not, you should get over there right away!). She has some lovely, delicate. Intricate things going on there, with beautifully-sculpted scenes and lovingly-crafted characters. You'll adore her Gabriel. Please, please, go read.
**** "The Exodus" refers explicitly to the Israelites' flight from enslavement in Egypt, and the 40 years they spent wandering the desert with God protecting them, feeding them, and providing for all their needs, in spite of their doubts and betrayals of Him. At the end of the 40 years, they reach the Promised Land [c. Exodus 14-24]